Chapter 663

Chapter 663: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

When Fang Lie heard this, he flew into rage. "How dare you! You struck my people?"

"I-I only disciplined some servants," Mo Lanfan stammered defensively. "Was it worth this fuss?"

"Those weren’t ordinary servants – they were my loyal retainers!" Fang Lie thundered. "And your motives stink worse than rotting fish! You knew the White Jade Divine Fish’s importance to Mo Sect, yet aided outsiders to steal it. Traitorous scum!"

"Cousin!" Mo Lanyun interjected angrily. "Do you comprehend the White Jade Divine Fish’s value? Our sect dispatched a Token Lord to establish protective arrays, investing resources worth seven Eighth-rank treasures! This should’ve been our sect’s golden goose for millennia. Would you truly destroy everything for personal greed?"

Though only producing Middle-grade water-element spiritual roots, the White Jade Divine Fish represented hope for high-level cultivators lacking qualified heirs. Among countless Fire Tribulation Immortals, tens of thousands lacked descendants with spiritual roots. These experts would pay fortunes to continue their bloodlines.

Each Middle-grade cultivation required payment of a top-grade Seventh-rank treasure. Over twenty years, three hundred such cultivations had yielded mountains of treasures. Though hundred Seventh-rank treasures barely equaled one low-grade Eighth-rank, the twenty-year harvest equaled two Eighth-rank treasures – still far below Mo Sect’s investment.

But this was meant to be Mo Sect’s eternal monopoly. Maintained for centuries, the profits could rival Ninth-Rank treasures! By endangering this, Mo Lanfan threatened both sect interests and Fang Lie’s personal gains – hence their fury.

"I… I never wanted this!" Mo Lanfan pleaded, face ashen. "They threatened me! I feared sect punishment and acted foolishly!"

"Fool!" Fang Lie snapped. "They groomed you with small favors to gain leverage. Once hooked, they revealed their fangs, dragging you into irreversible treachery!"

"Count yourself fortunate this disaster remains contained," Fang Lie growled. "Had White Jade secrets leaked, neither Family Head nor Sect Leader could save you – Mo family ties be damned!"

Sweat drenched Mo Lanfan as he kowtowed. "I beg mercy! Let this old fool redeem himself through service!"

Disgusted by the groveling, Fang Lie demanded, "How did you contact them?"

"With this." Mo Lanfan produced a jade token. "I imprinted messages with divine sense. They respond through it."

Fang Lie inspected the token, eyebrows rising. "A Sixth-rank communication treasure? Lavish expenditure." Passing it to Mo Lanyun, he watched her examine the artifact.

"Rare secret-communication type," she frowned. "Refining techniques surpass my understanding, but it’s newly made – under thirty years old."

Mao Mao studied it briefly before shaking her head silently.

"Single-purpose yet using premium materials," Fang Lie mused. "Clearly custom-made for this operation." Turning to Mao Mao, he ordered, "Let Bird Bro examine this."

The token changed hands again. Within his consciousness sea, Fang Lie called, "Bird Bro, analyze this."

The old bird’s divine sense scanned the object before exclaiming, "A refining master’s work! Mid Thunder Tribulation cultivation, but skills approaching Mo Qianxun’s!"

"Explain," Fang Lie urged.

"Combines Xuan Sect, Mo Sect, Overseas Three Immortal Mountains, and Buddhist techniques – normally incompatible! Yet this artisan blended them coherently, creating novel methodology. Pity he only grasped surface-level knowledge, leaving flaws. Still, remarkable talent!"

"From a traitor," Fang Lie revealed. "Targets White Jade Divine Fish."

"Insolent maggots!" The bird squawked. "Mo Sect’s treasure! Destroy them!"

"We need clues from this token first."

After reexamining, the old bird scoffed, "Crafty rodent hid his tracks, knowing I’d investigate. Futile against my expertise!"

"Origins?"

"Abbot Mountain," the bird declared. "Outer techniques from multiple sects, but core divine patterns use Abbot Mountain’s inner gate methods. Execution shows mastery – their signature style."

"But a Thunder Tribulation expert wouldn’t slip up," Fang Lie countered.

"Fool!" The bird retorted. "These subtleties escape even Mo Qianxun! Only my millennia of experience detected this. No admissible evidence – just conjecture."

"Then we proceed discreetly," Fang Lie concluded.

"Exactly. Abbot Mountain’s sole refining master is Li Fanghe. His great-grandson Li Qingshi… ring bells?"

Fang Lie smirked. "The whelp I crushed in Celestial Platform Competition?"

"Precisely. After revival, his talent dropped three grades, Qi Sea shriveled, Dao heart shattered. While you soared, he rots. Grandfather’s rage burns hot."

"Let him challenge me openly!"

"After you humiliated Zhu Xian and Shi Shen? None dare confront you directly. Hence this shadowplay."