Gu Fangchen's brazenly false name was the same as proclaiming to the world that he was not the Dao Lord.
Yet the more open he was about it, the less anyone suspected him.
As he himself had said, the behavior of the "Emotion Path" truly embodied the words to act without restraint. Since their Dao was founded upon drawing strength from others' emotional fluctuations, they would never miss a chance to exploit even their fellow sect members.
Betrayals among their own were practically routine.
Still, for the most part, because their goals aligned and the Dao Lord maintained control, no great disaster had yet occurred.
The "Emotion Path" only toyed with and manipulated feelings, it rarely took lives directly. Though utterly lawless, compared to the "Annihilation Path," it was far less destructive.
And those of the "Emotion Path," wandering the world with seven, eight, or even nine aliases and four or five false identities, were nothing out of the ordinary.
Among members of the Demon Sect, true names were almost never revealed. If three-tenths of what they said was true, it was already considered honesty.
Gu Fangchen's demeanor was, in every way, perfectly "Emotion Path."
The more forthright he acted, the more everyone believed he could not possibly be Gu Fangchen.
"Enough," said General Qianmo suddenly. "I just sent men to confirm. Gu Fangchen's carriage has entered the Gushu region. We can now verify whether this 'Feiwei' Dao Lord's identity is genuine."
As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes and waved a hand.
Before them, an image appeared, transmitted by his subordinates.
A carriage marked with the royal emblem of the Northern Garrison rolled smoothly into Gushu. Someone inside lifted the curtain and looked out, it was unmistakably "Gu Fangchen."
Perhaps because the journey ahead was destined to be fraught with danger, "Gu Fangchen's" face was expressionless, his manner solemn.
He seemed to be speaking to the driver about something, then lowered the curtain again and disappeared from view.
Gu Fangchen smiled as he watched.
That was, in fact, the Mirage Array he had left behind. So long as no one touched it, or unless someone from the Emotion Path discerned its nature, it carried no risk of exposure.
And now that the Emotion Path was under his control, all that remained was to prevent anyone from physical contact with it.
He could, given his new identity, feign arrogance and refuse close interaction.
But once he began dealings with the Du Gu family and the Academy, contact would be inevitable.
The Academy loved to use public opinion as a weapon. His two old servants could guarantee safety, but not reputation. If someone challenged him under the guise of "friendly sparring," things could quickly go wrong.
Before Gu Fangchen's true return to Gushu, it would fall to old Xu to withstand the pressure, an excellent trial to help him become the complete form of the Adversity Bodhisattva.
Ah, his painstaking schemes, who could understand them?
At least this projected image silenced Gu Yuye for now.
Indeed, the whole point of showing this vision was merely to convince Gu Yuye.
The other Dao Lords had already been frightened half to death by the "Wheel of the Sea of Calamity." They had no choice but to acknowledge this "Emotion Path" Dao Lord's identity. For Gu Yuye to insist they were mistaken would have humiliated them all.
Naturally, Gu Yuye could only concede.
He stared at the carriage within the image, then at the smiling Gu Fangchen. Something still felt wrong, but he knew it was useless to argue.
He took a deep breath and cupped his hands respectfully.
"My mistake… but Dao Lord Feiwei's mastery of illusion is truly extraordinary. I made a fool of myself."
"Not at all," Gu Fangchen replied with generous humility, waving a hand.
"Hehe, since it's a misunderstanding, no harm done. The next stage of the plan still depends on Your Highness. I suppose we can call this an unexpected friendship born of conflict."
Looking at that face, Gu Yuye felt nothing but disgust. He turned away toward the Sixth Division Star Lord.
"My son proved useless. What are your next steps, Star Lord?"
The Sixth Division Star Lord raised a hand, and the scene before them shifted into a map of the Great Wei realm.
Dozens of locations were highlighted upon it.
Among them had once been several points in the Southwest Territories, but those had now dimmed entirely.
"The Path of Righteousness has prepared for years," said the Star Lord calmly. "Across the land, rebel armies are ready to rise. All that's missing is a single spark to ignite them. When it does, we'll strike city by city, taking the great strongholds of Wei one after another."
As he spoke, new symbols appeared on the map.
"These prefectures' governors have been swayed by the Emotion Path. They are the weakest links, our ideal points of breakthrough.
"Of the other four dragon veins, one is in the hands of the Confucianists, another nearly subdued by the Path of Measure. Two more are concealed by the Confucians' veiling arts, but from their movements, it's clear they have not yet refined them."
The Star Lord's expression grew grave.
"Whatever that so-called 'Heaven's Equal Through Eternity' is plotting, we cannot allow Yaoshan to succeed.
"These two remaining dragon veins must be stripped away quickly. I will send men to assist General Qianmo."
General Qianmo nodded.
"I've already arranged a grand formation. The Confucianists won't be able to get close. Still, with Gu Fangchen now traveling to Gushu, Yaoshan will surely try to seize the dragon vein within his sword. We'll need to act fast."
"Indeed," said the Coal Seller approvingly.
"I'll have my subordinates begin their movements. Oh, and Dao Lord Feiwei, Gushu is Emotion Path territory. We'll be counting on your support this time."
So I'm to kill myself, then?
Gu Fangchen smiled brightly and clapped his hands.
"Good, good, good! I've been waiting for this chance for ages. I'll cooperate fully and make sure he never returns alive!"
The Sixth Division Star Lord pointed to the Great Wei border on the map.
"The last campaign at Autumn Peace Road failed. The Qingman's trust in Your Highness must have diminished, but even now, they have no other choice.
"Maha Wuliang's Karma Arts must have revealed the truth, that the one who ruined the last plan was Gu Fangchen.
"The Qingman still wish to breach the 'Half the Rivers and Mountains' curse. Since Xiao Yinghao can no longer aid them, their only option lies with the Xuanhuang Army."
"The barrier called 'Half the Rivers and Mountains' isn't just a curse restricting the Qingman, it's also the Great Wei's sacred border.
"If a Qingman's true body crosses that line, Maha Wuliang may very well ascend to First Grade."
Before Xie Qian rose to power, Maha Wuliang had been the most promising cultivator to reach that realm.
But Xie Qian had surpassed him first, and ever since, Maha Wuliang had been unable to break through.
The Qingman dreamed ceaselessly of sending one of their own beyond that boundary.
When the 'Half the Rivers and Mountains' oath was first established, the founding emperor of Great Wei had issued a decree: any person with Qingman blood was to be executed on sight.
Even infants, if found bearing a trace of mixed blood, were to be killed immediately, without exception. It was the only way to ensure that no Qingman could ever reach the First Grade.
That massacre had lasted ten years, the rivers running red with heads and corpses.
Today, the border between Great Wei and Qingman was barren, no towns, no farmers, only hundreds of thousands of soldiers stationed along the frontier.
Modern Wei citizens had long forgotten that horror. Many now condemned the founding emperor for cruelty.
Such moral sentiment had paved the way for men like Ding Xingfeng.
The goals of the Qingman and the Demon Sect did not conflict.
The Demon Sect sought to overthrow the nation's fate and steal its fortune to open the Gate of Heaven.
They didn't care who caused the downfall, Qingman or rebels, it made no difference.
Thus they supported both sides, hedging their bets. If one failed, the other might still succeed.
Gu Fangchen listened quietly as they discussed exhuming the corpses of mixed-blood Qingman children buried along the border, intending to use them as evidence to destroy the righteousness and moral legitimacy of the 'Half the Rivers and Mountains' oath.
It was a vicious move, and undeniably effective.
Modern Wei valued virtue above all; every act required moral justification. Yet the founding emperor's purge, though politically necessary, had indeed been an atrocity.
He had slaughtered innocents, newborns who had committed no crime, for the sake of stability.
By present standards, that was wholesale murder.
And the 'Half the Rivers and Mountains' barrier drew much of its power from the people's faith, their collective reverence and belief. That was why Xie Qian had carved the names of the fallen soldiers upon it: so that each name inspired awe and respect, strengthening the barrier itself.
But now, those heroes would instead be seen as butchers.
Even Ding Xingfeng had been forced into retirement by one such accusation, what then of the countless dead commoners?
Once the 'Half the Rivers and Mountains' wavered, the Qingman could invade.
And the backlash would not end there: the honor of today's border defenders would also be questioned, whether they were complicit in their forebears' crimes.
It was a plan that struck enemies and allies alike, a thousand slain, eight hundred lost.
Yet the Demon Sect had already prepared a countermeasure.
When that time came, Gu Yuye would secretly stage a scene, "pardoning" a Qingman half-blood who had served loyally in Wei's army. The ensuing reversal would win back public favor, restoring his prestige.
Afterward, the Qingman's attack would come; they would be "repelled," and the mixed-blood soldiers would be hailed as heroes, naturally integrating into Great Wei.
Once the barrier wavered, entry would be far easier.
Two birds with one stone.
But for Gu Yuye, this plan already stretched his limits.
His original scheme had been to use Xiao Yinghao's support to build fame, leading the Xuanhuang Army to victory at Autumn Peace Road and raising his reputation further.
But that plan had failed. Emperor Yong'an now held leverage over him, leaving him trapped and desperate.
At first, Gu Yuye had not intended treason.
His cooperation with the Qingman had been a temporary measure, to gain control over Autumn Peace Road. Once that was achieved, he would sever ties and remain independent.
But now that was impossible.
He could only continue deeper into the darkness.
If he allowed the Qingman to cross the border, there would be no return.
Given his pride as Great Wei's unyielding guardian, the thought was unbearable, an act of complete submission.
But there was no better way forward.
Gu Yuye took a long breath, fists tightening, reminding himself that it was all for the greater good.
"Actually…"
The one who still wore Gu Fangchen's face, the Dao Lord of the Emotion Path, spoke again.
"I came here with another piece of intelligence to share with you all."
Gu Fangchen had impressed them earlier with his power, and now that he spoke, all attention turned to him.
The Sixth Division Star Lord narrowed his eyes.
"Oh? What intelligence?"
Gu Fangchen remained calm, pointing to a spot on the map.
"See here."
"Recently, I received word from my subordinates, near the Sword Pavilion, an ancient subterranean palace from the Zhou Dynasty has emerged. It is now controlled by the Sword Pavilion's people; outsiders cannot approach."
He continued, "You've all heard that the Sword Pavilion recently constructed a grand protective array of the highest grade?"
The others nodded.
"It's true."
"In fact," said Gu Fangchen, "the formation diagram for that array came from this very underground palace."
"The place is called the Grand Dao Sword Palace, an ancient sect once buried beneath the earth after being overrun by enemies."
The Sixth Division Star Lord frowned.
"And this Sword Palace, what does it have to do with us?"
"A great deal," Gu Fangchen said gravely.
"Within the Sword Palace lies a dragon vein map."
"On that map are six dragon veins, not five! Meaning there is a sixth, hidden dragon vein in existence!"
The room fell silent. The Dao Lords exchanged uncertain looks, brows furrowed.
The Sixth Division Star Lord at first thought it absurd, a typical Emotion Path lie. Yet a sudden spark of realization struck him; he inhaled sharply and turned to the map.
The others noticed his reaction and tensed.
Could it be true…?
Gu Fangchen smiled faintly, tracing his finger along the positions of the five known dragon veins, sketching an invisible shape.
"What I'm about to say, General Qianmo can attest to it."
"If these five dragon veins happen to occupy the five nodes of a single grand formation, "
At that, General Qianmo's pupils shrank; he drew a sharp breath, heart trembling.
Gu Fangchen went on,
"Then those five nodes must all connect to a central eye."
"And the eye's location would be where the sixth, hidden dragon vein lies, and that dragon vein is alive."
He turned to Gu Yuye, smiling with amusement.
"Gu Yuye, this Dao Lord wishes to grant you a great fortune. Do you accept?"
He spoke the truth. The sixth dragon vein did exist,
but it was not in the world of the living.
It slumbered deep within the Nine Nether Yellow Springs.