Chapter 392: Fang Che's Five Spirit Toad

Chapter 392: Fang Che's Five Spirit Toad

Kou Yi Fang felt a bit agitated.

Following this trend, he felt that they could no longer hide here and would be exposed at any moment.

His mind was in turmoil, and he secretly considered his escape plan.

If all else fails, Dream Demon Senior can't act... but I can.

Looking at this trend, first, it's the entire city—then the key areas in the northwest two districts—then the key North City—then the focus became the wealthy district—then the focus narrowed down to this small area—and then they were directly monitored individually!

What's next after individual monitoring?

Haha, let's see what's happening with the Zhu Clan in the Heavenly Palace.

For several consecutive days, there have been funerals.

Kou Yi Fang understood that if Fang Che hadn't seen the Ning Family Manor at first glance, it wouldn't be any different from the Zhu Clan.

"In any case, the situation is very grim, and the crux of the problem lies with Fang Che, the Guardian Palace. This person must be eliminated."

One of the Nightmare Guardians spoke solemnly, "This person is too sensitive."

The people present all nodded in agreement with this statement, as everyone had been feeling this way recently.

For so many years, the Guardian Palace had been quiet, and these hidden families had never been noticed. It was already challenging to investigate them thoroughly after they had been hidden for hundreds of years.

But since this Fang Zong took office, things changed immediately.

Especially after Fang Zong became the Vice Hall Master, it was like a new scandal every day!

After the departure of several Hall Masters and Vice Hall Masters, when this Fang Vice Hall Master took charge, Kou Yi Fang and the others felt even more like they were living under a storm: they were being watched at their own doorstep every day.

Now, they were certain that the Ning Family Manor was being targeted.

Evidence... haha, the three people on the teahouse outside were the evidence.

"According to Fang Zong's pattern of action, he will likely make a move against us by tomorrow at the latest."

"The Zhu Clan is a lesson for us."

"If we wait any longer, it's almost like waiting for death."

As the group reached this point in their discussion, they had a unified thought—to eliminate Fang Zong.

Since the root of the problem lay with this young man, eliminating him would prevent others from discovering the truth, and the crisis would naturally pass.

If another person took charge, they would surely conduct a city-wide manhunt, and the situation here would be resolved along with the rest of the city.

Although they had reached a consensus, they were unsure about the course of action.

Everyone looked at each other in silence.

One thing they all knew was that the Frostblade Sword was hanging over their heads.

Therefore, no matter who made a move, the result would undoubtedly be a life for a life.

Even if they succeeded in killing Fang Che, there was no way to escape.

Moreover, they had to avoid a situation where 'one of their own died outside, but Fang Che remained unharmed.'

"Who will go?"

Kou Yi Fang swallowed his saliva.

The two Nightmare Guardians, who had just been discussing the matter, also fell silent.

'I'll go'—these two words must not be spoken!

After cultivating for so many years, if I were to die here for a small Guardian Palace Vice Hall Master, it would be too unjust—this was what everyone was thinking.

The atmosphere became awkward.

One of the Nightmare Guardians coughed and said calmly, "Kou Sect Leader, this is your territory. You should make the decision."

Kou Yi Fang was taken aback.

He almost burst out in curses.

Am I supposed to make the decision now?

How am I supposed to decide?

Am I supposed to decide who to send? One of the Nightmare Guardians lowered his eyebrows and said, "In any case, the situation is pressing. If Fang Zong hasn't discovered anything, he wouldn't have sent three people to watch us like this. So, with the situation as it is, if we don't make the first move, tomorrow or the day after will be doomsday for all of us!"

"Therefore, we must make a decision tonight."

"It's a choice between sacrificing one to save the rest or having all thirty of us die together. I think it's an easy choice."

Another Nightmare Guardian spoke grimly.

"Moreover, Fang Che's cultivation is not very high, and he seems to only have King Rank Fourth Grade cultivation."

"But he has won the competition between the two factions, so he must have Imperial Rank combat power."

"However, among our thirty people, there is no one with Imperial Rank, and the lowest combat power is at the Sovereign Initial Stage. Even the weakest ones could take out Fang Che if they were deployed."

"But the one who takes out Fang Che won't be able to return!" Kou Yi Fang said grimly.

"I think that for the greater good, someone will be willing to make a sacrifice."

The eyes of the Nightmare Guardians were fixed on Kou Yi Fang and the two Vice Sect Leaders under him.

The other six Venerables and sixteen Protectors did not participate in this discussion.

Kou Yi Fang's face turned extremely grim, and he finally sighed, "I'll make the arrangements."

"Kou Sect Leader, remember, you must strike in one go. Don't give Fang Che a chance to breathe, and absolutely no room for luck!"

"Once Fang Che is eliminated, with the chaos in the city, we can take the opportunity to transfer to the Heavenly Escort Bureau."

"Once we're there, we'll be safe."

"To be safe, it's best to send two people."

Kou Yi Fang nodded deeply.

"Pay close attention to the movements of the Frostblade Sword in the sky and the pattern of his appearances in the four cities. We must make our move during his downtime!"

"Of course."

...

Zhao Ying'er, Jing Xiuyun, and Hong Erquezi had been observing until the end of their shift, and all three of them felt that there was something wrong with the Ning Family Manor.

"This matter, we need to report to Fang Zong when we return. As for the specifics, we'll have to wait for his decision."

"Yes. Last time, no one noticed the Zhu Family Manor incident, it was Fang Zong himself who discovered it alone, but it almost cost him his life. I hope this time, it'll be easier."

"Last time it was the Heavenly Palace, this time, I don't know if it's someone from the Only Righteous Sect or a hidden sect."

Jing Xiuyun sighed, "To be honest, I'm also considered a part of the Jianghu world, and I've heard of these secluded mountain sects, but I never thought in my life that these sects would be so close to me."

"It's true... the wealthy families around us are actually from these secluded mountain sects, and after so many years, there hasn't been any discovery. It's really embarrassing to talk about it."

"Boss, the bill please."

Hong Erquezi called out skillfully, but his eyes darted towards the two women: Shouldn't you two take turns?

Jing Xiuyun and Zhao Ying'er pretended not to hear and continued cracking sunflower seeds.

Hong Erquezi sighed in disappointment and reluctantly took out his wallet to pay.

He dared not be careless, as they were now close to Qin Fang.

After monitoring the Ning Family Manor for a few more days, he might have to dip into his savings; and the inn run by his junior, hadn't attracted any new 'fish' for so long.

How can he just sit and wait for things to happen? Before leaving, he took one last look at the Ning Family Manor and headed back with the observation records from the past few days.

It was time to take action.

For an entire day, Fang Che urged Yuan Jingjiang to emit divine sense fluctuations in the Guardian Palace, resonating with the sword energy in the sky.

What he hoped for most now was for Frostblade Sword to come down so they could discuss as a group—what to do? Right?

You came to the White Cloud Continent to intimidate, but is it really just intimidation? You don't even communicate with the Guardian Palace below at all?

At least coordinate with them a little!

You're just pretending to be a big shot in the sky every day!

Fang Che increasingly regretted not having Lord Jiuye's contact information.

If he had it, he would report right now, even if he wasn't at the Imperial Rank, even if his divine soul was about to shatter, he would fiercely file a complaint: What kind of person did you send here?!

For a whole day, Yuan Jingjiang trembled as he sent out divine sense signals more than a dozen times, but the Frostblade Sword in the sky only responded by intimidating the east, west, south, and north in turn.

It completely ignored him.

Fang Che felt like he was about to vomit blood.

Below, he kept cursing.

"What the hell is this! What the hell is this!"

Even if you hear me cursing you, come down and settle the score with me, it's still a chance, right?

The Frostblade Sword in the sky naturally didn't know that Fang Che was cursing it below.

Even if it knew, the Sword Lord would probably just feel wronged.

Do you think I don't want to go down?

I can't go down... Ah!

To be fair, Frostblade Sword was truly helpless.

Ever since the Southeast Battlefield opened, he had sensed the aura of his old rival.

The auras of the Shadow Demon and the Hundred Battle Sword from the Only Righteous Sect appeared simultaneously.

As a result, Frostblade Sword had to focus his full attention on three directions.

The Shadow Demon, the Dream Demon, and the Hundred Battle Sword.

These three were all formidable demons on par with Frostblade Sword.

Frostblade Sword's clone visited each of the three areas, and his nerves were always on edge.

The Shadow Demon appeared in the West City, so he had to go and take a look; and the Hundred Battle Sword's aura was also sensed in the south...

Frostblade Sword's last resort was to station himself in the high sky above the central area.

No matter where there was any movement, he would rush over immediately.

As a result, after a tremor in the high sky, the auras in several areas disappeared.

"Jiuye, send someone to help, there are three of them here. The Shadow Demon, the Dream Demon, and the Hundred Battle Sword."

Frostblade Sword complained.

"Do you think you were sent to the Southeast just to deal with the Dream Demon? Can't you even handle these three people?"

Dong Fang Sansan was angry, "Now that the great demons of the Only Righteous Sect are all deployed to the borders, even the not-yet-recovered Yu Tianqi has been sent out from our side. Where are the reinforcements for you? How can you have the face to ask for reinforcements when you're in the interior?"

Frostblade Sword was scolded into silence and could only continue to hold his position.

After scolding Frostblade Sword, Dong Fang Sansan buried himself in the work at hand. Several areas were in urgent situations, and Yan Nan seemed to have gone crazy. Dong Fang Sansan knew that if Yan Nan was reacting this way, the matter must be significant.

The other party was determined to escort the Dream Demon back, and there seemed to be other plots as well.

So, he blocked Yan Nan's possible attempts from all angles.

He also sent people to cause trouble at the Only Righteous Sect's headquarters and the mines.

After a busy round, he felt like he might have overlooked something, but he couldn't recall it no matter how hard he tried.

After thinking for a while, he tapped his temples, pondered for a moment, and rang a bell.

Someone asked, "Jiuye?"

"Check with the Intelligence Department, how far has Yang Luoyu's investigation into Fang Che's matter progressed? Has the information been sent back yet?"

Dong Fang Sansan frowned slightly, "If not, tell him to hurry up. There are other matters that require Yang Luoyu's attention. This side must be expedited."

"Understood."

The person nodded and took note, "Does Jiuye have any other instructions?"

"Where did Bu Chou take Dong Changfeng for his trial? Why hasn't there been a report?" Dong Fang Sansan asked.

"I heard they went to the Ten Thousand Spirit Forest..."

"Heard?"

"I'll check it out immediately."

"Any new information on the movements of the various hidden sects?"

"Currently, it's all quiet. The Netherworld Pavilion and the Snowflake Palace are preparing for their disciples' trials, but with the current chaos on the continent, their plans seem to have been postponed.

As new information comes in, I will report it immediately."

"What about the Heavenly Palace?"

"There's no unusual activity in the Heavenly Palace. After Marquis Changzhen and his wife escaped back, there hasn't been any new actions reported for the time being."

"Hmm? With his son dead and so many of his people killed, the Heavenly Palace seems to be taking a soft approach.

Dongfang Sansan furrowed his brows.

"Master Nine, Moon Slaughter Star Lord is at the bottom of the middle ranks in the Heavenly Palace."

"Also, inform the Southeast Battlefield that since the battle is over, we should expedite the follow-up handling. At the same time, those who have made contributions should be rewarded promptly. For vacant positions, prepare a list of promotions and report it to the headquarters for personnel matters."

"Yes."

"Go now, and pay attention to all movements."

"Yes, Master Nine."

...

The visitor left.

Dongfang Sansan furrowed his brows again.

He muttered, "Too rough... We must accelerate the suppression!"

"But this entry point is so subtle; the roughness lies in the fact that Yan Nan and the others know that Fang Che is the Nightmare Demon, so it's rough. If they didn't know, it wouldn't be a problem."

"The situation is stable now, and there's no significant achievement to claim. If it were up to me, we could have a smooth transition for a period of time, but that guy obviously has an ambitious personality. He always thinks he can take down the Only Righteous Sect within a few years, but that's impossible... We must quickly reverse this mindset!"

Dongfang Sansan felt a deep sense of necessity, even a sense of urgency.

"If he continues to mess around like this, he might directly expose himself."

"Xiao Xue can't come back now... We must wait a few more days."

Dongfang Sansan sighed, "The older generation of demons on their side has been silent for many years; as for us..."

"Let's stabilize the situation first."

He pressed a bell.

"Master Nine."

"How is the situation in the Only Righteous Sect's Xin Chu Kingdom?"

"It's more stable than before, but rebellions still occur from time to time. The domestic situation is unstable, and the conflict between the civil and military officials remains severe. This month, it's said that a martial arts official from a sect was imprisoned, causing dissatisfaction among the military officials, who started targeting the civil officials."

"Support a few more waves of rebels. Increase their strength to the point where they can threaten the state city. At least three locations should be enough for these forces to autonomously assassinate officials. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"One to three civil officials can be killed to escalate the conflict."

"Yes."

The order was issued.

Dongfang Sansan began looking at the "Xin Chu Kingdom Data," slowly turning to the last page, which was full of numbers.

Ten, nine, thirteen, seventeen, twenty-five... and then twenty-two, twenty, fifteen, and the last number was thirteen.

He picked up a pen and added a number: eleven.

"Suppression to eleven should be about right. Any further, and there might be a backlash."

Dongfang Sansan smiled faintly, "Eleven should be Yan Nan's limit."

This was a method Dongfang Sansan created to quantify a country's fortune. Only he could understand these numbers on the entire continent.

He quantified the fortunes of various countries using numbers; in Dongfang Sansan's mind, the maximum value was one hundred, and a peak fortune was eighty or above.

The fortune of the Only Righteous Sect's Xin Chu Kingdom was of particular concern to him. Aside from the initial fortune of twenty-five when the country was established, he always kept it suppressed below fifteen.

Recently, he has been suppressing it even lower.

When the country's fortune rises, Yan Nan takes action; when the domestic situation is unstable and the fortune is weak, Yan Nan must first stabilize Xin Chu.

Unlike the Only Righteous Sect, which is as solid as iron, Xin Chu has many opportunities: those scholars, those civil officials, although they all have the talent to govern a country, they cannot withstand the Five Spirit Toad!—This is too wonderful!

Maintaining a country's regime cannot be achieved solely by relying on martial might.

These civil officials are the targets of the Guardian.

For many years, Dongfang Sansan has been pressured by the other party's military might. He agreed to let them establish a country with the intention of creating opportunities here.

Indeed, after the country was established, the Only Righteous Sect believed it had achieved its initial goal and began to calm down.

The Guardian also finally got a relatively long-term respite.

This is rare!

Therefore, Dongfang Sansan didn't want to ruin this good situation.

Playing with country fortunes is so enjoyable. Everyone calmly plays the game of rise and fall until a turning point appears.

...

Fang Che rubbed his temples.

His mind felt a bit numb, and he was doing things a bit haphazardly. After two days and two nights, his divine sense power kept growing, and the core within the Divine Shapeless Jade was constantly condensing.

The medicinal power of the Soul Fusion Pill continued to gush out like a spring.

Fang Che felt relieved that he had strictly followed the requirements and only consumed the Soul Fusion Pill after breaking through to the Sixth Rank of the King Realm. Had he taken it at the Fourth or Fifth Rank as he had done previously, he might have encountered problems.

Dong Fang Sansan had specifically emphasized the importance of consuming the pill at the Sixth Rank, and he was well aware of his own situation and cultivation progress, which was why he made such a rule.

Fang Che instinctively followed it, and now it seemed that he had made the right decision.

As for why he took two Soul Fusion Pills, it was probably to flush out the existing core and help him condense a new one.

However, the increase in spiritual energy was overwhelming.

He could sense that the little sprite from the Netherworld and the Golden Horned Dragon were both changing and benefiting from this surge in spiritual power, but he couldn't examine the specifics.

With the explosive growth of his spiritual power, his Divine Sense Sea was expanding endlessly, and sometimes Fang Che felt like it was overflowing.

The only thing he could do was to continuously circulate the Boundless Dharma Scripture to compress the energy in his dantian, both to divert his attention and to accommodate the expansion of his divine sense. But even with the extraordinary abilities of the Boundless Dharma Scripture, he couldn't resolve much of the excess.

Fang Che used the surplus energy to temper the Five Spirit Toad, repeatedly training it and then feeding it benefits.

The Five Spirit Toad was trained to the point of ecstasy, yet it cooperated extremely well.

The little guy had discovered that after each training session, it felt a bit stronger and was rewarded with delicious treats.

Now, the Five Spirit Toad within Fang Che's body no longer considered the 'abuse' as actual abuse.

Instead, it eagerly anticipated the daily training sessions.

The more Fang Che trained it, the more obedient, respectful, grateful, and affectionate it became.

This was indeed a miraculous change.

Even the Heaven Scorpion Deity, upon learning of this, would pop its eyes out: It was only supposed to monitor a person and facilitate communication, but it had become someone else's lapdog!

And not just any lapdog, but one with a slave-like nature.

However, there was nothing that could be done about it. In this world, ever since the existence of the Five Spirit Toad, no other Five Spirit Toad had ever encountered a situation like the one within Fang Che's body.

After all, others treated the Five Spirit Toad within them with reverence and caution, while the Five Spirit Toad merely followed simple instinctual genetic commands.

But the one within Fang Che's body, ever since entering his body, had been in a state of constant threat of having its instinctual genetic connection severed, constantly imprisoned, and knowing nothing.

It didn't even know what it was supposed to do, and it was constantly abused and beaten, yet it also received the spiritual energy from the Boundless Dharma Scripture.

Occasionally, when swearing to the Heaven Scorpion Deity, there would be faint traces of weak willpower connection, but these traces would immediately be cut off after the swearing ended.

Moreover, during more 'swearing' sessions, it was being imprisoned, which meant the Heaven Scorpion Deity had no idea that Fang Che had sworn an oath—because the Five Spirit Toad wasn't transmitting anything.

Slowly, this led to a qualitative change in the toad over a long period.

Over time, not only did it instinctively obey, but it also developed a faint consciousness, which was a watershed moment.

All Five Spirit Toads lacked their own consciousness, but this one within Fang Che's body was clearly the only exception! This consciousness originated from the continuous nourishment of Fang Che's Boundless Dharma Scripture.

So... now, the Five Spirit Toad was gradually changing towards unwavering loyalty towards Fang Che.

And not only did the Heaven Scorpion Deity not know about this, but even Fang Che himself was unaware! Although Fang Che didn't know what Stockholm Syndrome was, the Five Spirit Toad was now essentially a veteran patient of this disease, one that had reached an incurable stage.

One day, in a daze and confusion, Fang Che only trained the Five Spirit Toad three hundred and ninety-eight times.

The Five Spirit Toad was exhilarated by the beatings, and it became even more grateful, obedient, and respectful towards Fang Che, eagerly anticipating the beatings of the next day.

It felt so good!

The day passed in a dreamlike state, shrouded in a thick fog.

By the time the afternoon shift arrived, Fang Che walked out of his office, rubbing his temples, feeling mentally exhausted. He asked the remaining people, "Is there anything unusual?"

"No," they replied in unison.

"Then I'll head back first."

Fang Che massaged his temples.

"Chief Fang, go home early and get some rest," they suggested.

Everyone felt a bit heartbroken seeing how exhausted Fang Che was.

As they watched Fang Che leave with fatigue, they all sighed.

During the time when the Hall Master and Vice Hall Master were absent, Fang Che had been overworked.

The group had originally planned to chip in money for that day's expenses, but Fang Che refused, saying, "You bunch of poor folks, don't compete with the rich for their opportunities. Do you know that having too much money is a huge annoyance?"

Alright, that statement left everyone speechless.

In the air, the Frostblade Sword was about to take a break, but it sensed a burst of sword energy from the west, which was the Hundred Battle Sword provoking again.

"Hmph!"

The Frostblade Sword released a sword aura to intimidate and create the illusion that it was still nearby.

Then its body descended, flying towards the source of the provocation.

The Hundred Battle Sword.

This time, I'll make you pay.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end