Chapter 202

Chapter 202: The Hidden Mastermind

"Don’t! I admit my mistake, alright?" Mo Wanfang forced a smile and said, "I simply feel guilty about this!"

Among the family clans, there were numerous unspoken rules. One such rule dictated that if a matter didn’t concern you, you couldn’t interfere.

The attack on Longxing Tianxia had been a plot against Fang Lie, unrelated to the Mo family. Yet the Mo family had meddled in the investigation and leaked information to Fang Lie, violating the long-standing tacit agreements between the family clans.

As the leader of the Eight-Hundred-Generation Families, breaking these rules severely tarnished the Mo family’s prestige.

Had Mo Lanyun’s life not been at stake, Mo Wanfang would never have taken such action.

Of Fang Lie’s three demands, this investigation had been the most troublesome for the Mo family.

But they had no choice—they needed Fang Lie’s cooperation yet couldn’t control him.

Fang Lei stood nearby, smiling coldly and silently.

Seeing his anger, Mo Wanfang hastily explained, "The Chi family orchestrated this to eliminate your second brother. Your fourth brother became collateral damage."

"What? Are you certain?" Fang Lie demanded, fury rising.

"Absolutely," Mo Wanfang confirmed. "Through special means, we verified the Chi family’s involvement, specifically Chi Hanshui’s execution of the plot."

Fang Lie understood such schemes were commonplace among family clans. Conducted with precision, they left no traces for outsiders like him to uncover.

Only the Mo family, as leaders of the clans, possessed the means to confirm such matters—hence his demand forcing their cooperation.

Though unexpected, the revelation made sense. The Chi family was Ice Second Brother’s bloodline, with Chi Hanshui being his elder half-brother.

Years earlier, Chi Hanshui had exiled Ice Second Brother—a mercy compared to his original intent. He’d thrown the child into the Ice Pond, freezing him solid. Without Fang Lie’s intervention, Ice Second Brother would’ve perished.

This trauma transformed Ice Second Brother’s water-element spiritual root into ice element.

Chi Hanshui, an Inner Elite Disciple, had reached Golden Pool cultivation a decade prior. His thirty-li Golden Pool surpassed even Fang Lie’s Qi Sea, marking him as a minor Talent within the Mo Sect.

Previously untouchable, Chi Hanshui had viewed Fang Lie’s group as insects. But Fang Lie’s rise threatened him.

Under Fang Lie’s patronage, Ice Second Brother gained prominence—particularly after managing supreme-grade spirit pill orders. Family clans flocked to curry favor, making this low-level cultivator unexpectedly influential.

His newfound fame exposed Chi Hanshui’s past cruelty. While other clans discreetly eliminated illegitimate heirs, the Chi family’s dirty laundry aired publicly, humiliating them among their peers.

During Fang Lie’s presence, the Chi family dared nothing. His fearsome reputation—more terrifying than any Thunder Tribulation Immortal—made clan annihilation seem trivial.

But with Fang Lie’s presumed three-year absence, the Chi family grew emboldened. They believed any evidence would vanish before his return.

Truthfully, even Mo Wanfang would’ve struggled to uncover their involvement after three years.

But unfortunately, Fang Lie returned at this critical juncture, leaving the Chi family no time to fully conceal themselves before being exposed by Mo Wanfang.

Fang Lie stroked his chin and sneered, "It seems my long absence from Mo Sect has made these vermin complacent. We must deal harshly with these scoundrels!"

Mo Wanfang shuddered. "You wouldn’t… exterminate an entire clan?"

"Why not?" Fang Lie grinned ferociously. "Some wretches only understand thunderbolt methods!"

"You lack evidence!" Mo Wanfang countered. "These are just rumors. You can’t condemn them in the Ancestral Hall without proof!"

Fang Lie’s eyes narrowed. "Are you opposing me now?"

"Fang Lie," Mo Wanfang pleaded desperately, "Must you destroy every family clan? Punish Chi Hanshui alone! The rest of Chi family are innocent!"

"So you refuse to provide evidence?" Fang Lie frowned.

"There IS no evidence!" Mo Wanfang spread his hands helplessly. "All witnesses were silenced. We’ve only circumstantial deductions."

"Fine," Fang Lie spat. "If I can’t purge the clan, I’ll start with Chi Hanshui’s head." Turning to Mo Wanfang, he ordered: "Tell him I challenge him to duel tomorrow at noon’s third quarter on the life-and-death platform. The Arhat Immortal Fruit tree goes to the victor."

"Madness!" Mo Wanfang exclaimed. "He’s an Inner Elite Disciple with decades of Golden Pool cultivation! You’d gift that tree to him? Better give it to me!"

"Enough!" Fang Lie snapped. "I don’t issue challenges without certainty. Crushing that dog will be simple."

"But if you die, who’ll cure my daughter?" Mo Wanfang fretted.

Fang Lie stared at him like he was an idiot.

"Right… your undying nature." Mo Wanfang sighed. "I’ll deliver your message, but no guarantees."

Fang Lei scoffed. "Greedy family disciples always bite. The fruit tree bait ensures he’ll come."

"True enough." Mo Wanfang nodded wearily before changing tone. "Your first condition is met?"

"Passable."

"The second will be fulfilled. Now for the third…" Mo Wanfang produced ten Spirit Marrow crystals. "Satisfied?"

"Exceedingly!" Fang Lie’s eyes glittered. "The Mo family’s wealth impresses. Ten Spirit Marrows when I couldn’t scrounge one before!"

"These aren’t cabbages!" Mo Wanfang growled. "We’ve sacrificed face and treasure for your demands. Fail my daughter’s cure, and I’ll end you!"

"Relax," Fang Lie grinned. "My skills never fail. Where’s the patient?"

"In my closed-door training chamber." Fang Lie led him underground.

Mo Wanfang withdrew an ice coffin from his space device. Within lay a peerless beauty – Mo Lanyun, sixteen winters old yet already heart-stoppingly beautiful, her purity reminiscent of morning dew on lotus petals.

Even Fang Lie’s seasoned eyes widened. Such ethereal grace could shame immortals!

"Stop gawking!" Mo Wanfang cuffed him. "Begin the treatment!"

"Right… First, expose her head."

Mo Wanfang melted the coffin’s upper layer with precise qi control, revealing Mo Lanyun’s face. "You’re absolutely certain?"

Fang Lie hesitated. "One moment."

In his consciousness sea, he consulted Old Bird: *Bird Bro, can I decapitate her and restore it with the Healing Art?*