Gu Fangchen's words had all but shouted out Gu Yuye's name.
Yet what he said truly made every Dao Lord present sink into thought.
According to his reasoning, the Demon Sect's original plan indeed scattered their already fragmented power even further.
At first, that had actually been their advantage.
The Demon Sect's strength lay precisely in being spread throughout Great Wei. It could hide perfectly, festering like bone-deep rot, not immediately fatal, but impossible to cut out without drawing blood.
However, that strategy had only been suited for the stage of concealment and accumulation.
Now that they were preparing for open confrontation, such scattered deployment would only lead to a prolonged stalemate.
Moreover, the original plan had also involved finding a vessel to bear the nation's fate. But Gu Yuandao's failure had ruined that path entirely.
The image they had spent years building collapsed overnight, and to create another from nothing would cost too much.
They had thought before about using dragon veins to rally support, but the ones they had access to were all remnants of previous dynasties, mere fragments of dragon veins, or earth meridians that still held scraps of national fortune.
Trying to use these defective remnants for grand posturing was laughable, simply impossible.
Now, the plan Gu Fangchen proposed offered a new alternative.
During the brief silence, Gu Yuye stared expressionlessly at the dragon vein that stretched across Great Wei. His voice was calm and low.
"This plan is indeed feasible. But, Dao Lord, how do you intend to uncover this hidden dragon vein? Even the Sixth Division Star Lord has never found it. How can you be certain of its location?"
He looked every bit the composed strategist, the image of a "War Saint."
But Gu Fangchen knew, he was already tempted.
Aside from moments when his defenses truly cracked, the more Gu Yuye's emotions surged, the calmer he appeared on the surface.
Only with Gu Fangchen did he ever truly lose control.
And that look of serenity now likely meant he was already thinking about what the new dynasty's name should be.
Twenty years of scheming destroyed overnight, the worse his situation became, the more desperate he grew.
Now such a tempting bait dangled before him; even knowing it was poisoned, he couldn't help but take a bite.
Gu Yuye's stubbornness didn't contradict his cunning. The smarter a man was, the more he believed in his own judgment, the more he trusted that he could manipulate everyone else.
Even if he knew it was a trap, the bait was too alluring to resist.
And the moment he thought he could take one bite and walk away unscathed, that would be the day he died without a burial place.
Gu Fangchen blinked and grinned.
"Of course I don't have that ability. If even the Star Lord couldn't do it, how could I possibly?"
Gu Yuye's face darkened.
"Then what's the point of your plan?"
The others frowned as well. After all his grand talk, now he admitted he couldn't do it?
They'd been listening intently, only to find out it was nonsense?
Lord Decay, however, knew Gu Fangchen wouldn't speak without purpose. After a moment of thought, he said,
"You can't unearth the dragon vein, but that doesn't mean you can't *use* it. That's what you're implying, isn't it?"
Gu Fangchen snapped his fingers and grinned.
"Ah, Lord Decay knows me well."
"Since the dragon vein has been confirmed to exist, even if it's buried within the earth meridians, something so vast must leak a portion of its power into the mountains and rivers along its path."
"If we could use that power to form an array, we could make the illusion real."
At that, everyone's eyes flickered, and they exchanged looks.
Gu Fangchen's plan had painted a grand vision, but it had sounded too lofty, almost unrealistic. How could there be such luck in the world?
Besides, wasn't this the Emotion Path's specialty?
Now that Gu Fangchen had revealed his hand, they suddenly understood.
So that was it, it was still the Emotion Path's old trick of mixing truth with falsehood.
The Emotion Path's deception had always been seven parts real, three parts false, yet those three parts were enough to spin others around completely.
This new plan, in essence, circled right back to that old method.
Old-fashioned, yes, but somehow comforting.
When it came to such matters, the Emotion Path were professionals.
And given the level of Gu Fangchen's Mirage Array, which they had witnessed earlier, so convincing even Dao Lords couldn't tell truth from illusion, it made perfect sense.
The Sixth Division Star Lord pondered for a moment.
"If we send people to survey the mountains and confirm the terrain can support such an array, then this method might indeed work. But..."
He turned toward Gu Yuye.
"The Northern Garrison Prince has always been loyal to the court. For him to suddenly rebel, would that not strain credibility?"
It was true. The most suitable candidate was Gu Yuye.
If they truly had a real dragon vein, any convenient figure could be elevated. But since the vein was false, to ensure the illusion's success, they needed someone already respected and powerful.
Gu Fangchen shook his head with a gentle smile.
"That's not difficult at all."
He spoke leisurely.
"The Northern Garrison Prince is loyal to the nation. But when Heaven bestows a great task upon a man, the dragon vein, sensing his virtue, chooses him of its own accord. Yet the throne is occupied by a foolish tyrant, and the land has long suffered under his cruelty. The people cry out for a true ruler."
"One day, while the Northern Garrison Prince worries over the fate of the realm, exhausted, he dozes off at midday. When he wakes, he finds that someone has draped a yellow robe over him. Startled, he scolds his subordinates: 'You've really made me suffer!'"
"Alas, no one can say who did it. The subordinates kneel one after another, begging him to lead them in storming the Purple Extremity Hall."
"Left with no choice, the Northern Garrison Prince can only obey Heaven's will."
He said it with such solemn conviction that it sounded utterly believable, as if it had truly happened.
Everyone stared, half in awe. Truly, the Emotion Path lived up to its name, lying with such skill and elegance that one almost admired it.
And just like that, Gu Yuye's motivation was solved.
It wasn't ambition, it was the will of others that forced his hand. He had no selfish desire, only loyalty and righteousness, compelled by fate to act against his conscience, yet still for Great Wei's sake.
Loyal! Too loyal!
Even the Coal Seller, though unhappy that his own contribution was being overshadowed, had to admit, it was a brilliant story.
Gu Fangchen continued,
"After that, the great families of Jiangnan will all respond, supporting the Northern Garrison Prince. Then, the matter will be settled."
He smiled.
"For that step, I can contact Dugu Yue."
Yes, Dugu Yue of the Gushe Dugu Clan was a member of the Emotion Path.
That man always played the gentleman, just like Gu Yuandao once had. Unfortunately, a true saint could never be born of a noble clan, otherwise the Demon Sect would have chosen him as the vessel of national fate long ago.