Chapter 266

Chapter 266: New Complications

Fang Lie released a messaging Sword Ray to arrange a meeting with Mo Wanfang at a secluded pavilion. He arrived first, standing silently within the structure while gazing at the surrounding mountain vistas.

It wasn’t long before Mo Wanfang flew into the pavilion. The moment they met, bypassing any pleasantries, Mo Wanfang demanded with fiery aura: "Fang Lie! Explain why you possess a puppet resembling my father!"

"Huh?" Fang Lie blinked in surprise. "How’d you find out? I only used it once at Wanxing Sea. Has word spread through the sect already?"

"Of course!" Mo Wanfang fumed. "During your siege of Ghost-Eating Monster Granny, you forced Bai family’s son-in-law to confess. He’s still imprisoned! His testimony caused massive controversy – rumors are spreading like wildfire!"

"What are they saying?" Fang Lie pressed curiously.

"Some claim my father shows you favoritism! Others accuse him of scheming – publicly exiling you to Wanxing Sea while secretly giving you powerful treasures to curry favor with our future Benevolence Token Lord!" Mo Wanfang’s face reddened. "Most disgusting are the rumors about our family taking you as son-in-law! What nonsense! How would this affect Lanyun’s reputation?"

"Well…" Fang Lie wiped his brow awkwardly. "It’s just a puppet with similar features. Must these scoundrels invent such elaborate tales?"

"You’ve made too many enemies!" Mo Wanfang snapped. "If you weren’t Mo Sect’s public enemy, even my father promoting you would be seen as wise leadership. But with you? It’s universal condemnation!"

"Spare me," Fang Lie scoffed. "Your father didn’t promote me – he banished me to that hellish Wanxing Sea to die!"

"You…" Mo Wanfang choked on his words. The truth left him no rebuttal – Fang Lie had gained nothing but exile from the Clan Leader. Blaming Fang Lie for resulting rumors was unjust, and Mo Wanfang knew it.

After composing himself, he changed topics: "Fine, I’ll concede this isn’t your fault. But explain – how did you obtain that Blood Puppet mirroring my father’s youthful appearance?"

"Heh." Fang Lie turned toward distant White Jade peaks. "Lovely weather today."

"Don’t insult me with weak diversions!" Mo Wanfang retorted. "Just say you won’t explain. Anyway, why summon me?"

"I require the Seventh-rank Seven Star Soul Lock Formation flags," Fang Lie stated seriously. "Sect rules permit borrowing them with sufficient contribution points, correct?"

Mo Wanfang smirked. "Other items maybe, but these? Impossible!"

"Why?" Fang Lie frowned. "Are you obstructing me?"

"Don’t blame me!" Mo Wanfang raised defensive hands. "The Bai family owns this specific set. After your conflicts, they’ll never lend it – not for any contribution points!"

"Damn!" Fang Lie cursed. "Any alternatives?"

"Mo Sect possesses hundreds of Seventh-rank formations," Mo Wanfang shrugged. "But most are occupied. The remaining dozen require twelve or more users. Do you have enough personnel?"

Fang Lie grimaced – assembling seven experts was hard enough.

Seeing his frustration, Mo Wanfang leaned closer. "There’s another way. Compromise on one matter, and the Bai family might lend it freely…"

"Let me guess," Fang Lie interrupted coldly. "You want me to let them learn The Great Unity Spell?"

"Clever!" Mo Wanfang grinned. "Nod your head, save hundreds of thousands of contribution points!"

"Never!" Fang Lie barked. "That divine skill doubles combat strength! You think mere points could buy it?"

"Consider the sect’s welfare!" Mo Wanfang urged. "The Bai family’s weakness becomes Mo Sect’s weakness. As fellow members…"

Fang Lie crossed his arms as Mo Wanfang draped righteous rhetoric over him. Though lacking counterarguments for sect unity, Fang Lie had no intention of letting the Bai family win easily.

Suddenly, Fang Lie smiled slightly and said, "Alright, they want the Great Unity Spell, but I won’t lend them this set of formation flags; it must be gifted to me!"

"What?" Mo Wanfang was immediately taken aback. "Gifted to you? This is a complete set of seventh-rank formation flags! Their power and value are comparable to an Eighth-rank Treasure. The Bai family’s dozens of ancestors spent hundreds of years refining them; they are worth their weight in gold! How could they possibly give it to you for free?"

"Why wouldn’t they?" Fang Lie sneered. "No matter how good this item is, it has its limits, and at most, it’s worth one Eighth-rank Treasure. However, the power of the Great Unity Spell is limitless; it will be used by the Bai family’s future generations. Moreover, just by having their Thunder Tribulation Immortal subdue a Great Demon with it, they will have already made up for the value of this set of formation flags. Everyone else is just a bonus. I’m being generous here; what else do they want?"

"This…" Mo Wanfang thought carefully and realized it was true.

The combat power gained by the Bai family from mastering the Great Unity Spell clearly far exceeded that of a set of seventh-rank formation flags. Plus, their descendants could benefit as well, which meant it was a huge gain for them.

Since they could obtain such significant benefits, parting with a set of seventh-rank formation flags wasn’t hard to accept.

With this thought, Mo Wanfang frowned and said, "I can’t decide this matter; I must return to discuss it with my father."

"Fine," Fang Lie replied casually. "I’ll give you one day. If I don’t receive it by this time tomorrow, then the Bai family will have shown they don’t appreciate my generosity, and you can no longer use sect authority to pressure me!"

With that, Fang Lie stopped talking, shook his golden wings, soared into the sky, and vanished into the clouds in an instant.

His voice echoed back, "Tell the Bai family that there is only one chance. If they miss it, it will be gone. If they don’t believe it, remind them of the Fang family’s family rules!"

After that, Fang Lie completely disappeared from sight.

Mo Wanfang furrowed his brow and murmured to himself, "Fang family family rules? Once you hit a wall, you don’t turn back! It seems this guy is serious. I must hurry to inform my father!"

With that, he flew swiftly toward the spiritual mansion of Mo Sect Leader Mo Qianxun.

Before long, Mo Wanfang found Mo Sect Leader Mo Qianxun in a finely crafted thatched house.

He recounted everything that happened during his exchange with Fang Lie.

After listening, Mo Qianxun smiled wryly and said, "This guy really knows how to cause trouble! I thought if I sent him far away, I could have some peace, but who knew he could stir up such a big fuss even in the Wanxing Sea? I truly admire him; at least when it comes to causing trouble, I can’t hold a candle to him!"

"Ah, he’s young, and it’s normal to stir up some trouble. As they say, if you don’t attract jealousy, you’re mediocre; the more storms you can create, the more promising your future!" Mo Wanfang replied with a smile. "To be honest, even though I haven’t been very kind to him, I actually like this kid a bit. After all, not everyone can withstand the blame of a thousand people!"

"Are you suggesting we help him this time?" Mo Qianxun asked with a smile.

"Hehe, actually we’re not just helping him; we’re helping Fang Lie!" Mo Wanfang winked. "Hasn’t the head of the Bai family approached you many times? He wants you to talk to Fang Lie and let the Bai family practice the Great Unity Spell. You’ve been quite bothered by him, but now this is clearly a good opportunity!"

"Indeed!" Mo Qianxun laughed. "We’ll be helping both Fang Lie and the Bai family, so we’ll gain favor on both sides!"

"Hehe, that’s true!" Mo Wanfang chuckled. "However, I’m a bit worried that Fang Lie is too bold. I heard he’s almost become a local tyrant, openly encircling and killing the Thunder Tribulation Immortal. If he gets this set of formation flags, who knows how many demons and monsters he’ll slay! I hope he doesn’t cause a huge mess!"

"Hmph," Mo Qianxun snorted. "Fang Lie may be decisive, but he has one thing: he absolutely won’t do anything unjust. He always stands on the side of reason. As long as we can confirm this, who can become our big trouble? Our mighty Mo Sect is supposed to fear those demons and monsters?"

"Since you say so, I’m relieved!" Mo Wanfang said. "Then I’ll take my leave."

"Go ahead, and ask Junior Brother Bai to come by as well!" Mo Qianxun instructed.

"Yes!" Mo Wanfang agreed and turned to leave.

Before long, the head of the Bai family glided in elegantly.

"Senior brother, did you call for me?" the head of the Bai family greeted upon entering.