To the ordinary inhabitants of the Douhun Continent, perhaps the term Dao Fa was utterly foreign, yet Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke understood it perfectly: Dao Fa represented the pinnacle of power.

By Liang Xiaoke’s estimation, the Martial Saints of this world were akin to cultivators at the Golden Core stage, and those Golden Core Daoists were merely novices, just stepping across the threshold of the cultivation world.

“Heh heh, it seems you understand Dao Fa. But I am quite curious: how can a mere zombie appear on the Douhun Continent? Are you one of the Jun family?” Seeing the shock etched on Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke’s faces, Fang Zhuguo felt certain, though a lingering doubt clouded his eyes.

“The Jun family?” This time, Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke shared a moment of confusion, but Ye Jingyu quickly recalled the Jun family from the memories of Fang Jiuyou. They were a clan renowned equally with the Fang family, specializing in corpse refinement. Legend held that their ancestor was a Daoist from Mount Mao, and the ancient Huah Continent’s ability to drastically extend lifespan, even achieve immortality, was largely due to the contributions made by the Jun family.

“Hahaha, forget it. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t grasp it. Besides, I came here to kill people. Why should I waste time explaining all this to you? But then again, from my perspective, I am truly grateful to you!” Fang Zhuguo’s gaze settled back onto Ye Jingyu.

“Grateful to me? For what?” Ye Jingyu’s confusion deepened.

“Heh heh, grateful that you killed my useless little brother…” As he uttered the word ‘brother,’ Fang Zhuguo’s mouth was filled with undisguised scorn.

“Uh…” Faced with this sudden declaration, Ye Jingyu remained silent, his gaze turning towards Fang Zhuguo with a hint of inquiry. Though Fang Jiuyou was the heir of the Fang family, he was far too dissolute and learned too little; Ye Jingyu could barely glean knowledge of the entire Ancient Huah Continent from his memories. Now, with someone willing to elaborate, he and Liang Xiaoke were naturally eager to listen.

“I am merely an adopted son, though unlike other adopted sons, my adoptive father is also my birth father!” Fang Zhuguo spoke with deep derision. Perhaps it was the sheer lack of recent conversation, but he proceeded to lay out his entire past with surprising candor.

It turned out that Fang Zhuguo was the result of the current Fang family head, Fang Zhentian, forcing himself upon a serving maid in his youth. His birth mother had died during a difficult labor shortly after his birth. The resulting Fang Zhuguo was hideously ugly and earned no affection from the Fang family, growing increasingly repulsive as he aged. The Fang family was an established dynasty; they could not tolerate such an unsightly aberration. Had it not been for a paternity test, Fang Zhentian might have doubted if the child was truly his.

The Fang family could not afford such disgrace, and Fang Zhentian certainly could not either. Yet, no matter what, this was his own flesh and blood; how could he simply erase him? Even with a heart of stone, Fang Zhentian could not bring himself to slay his own son.

The official story, therefore, declared him a foundling…

Because of this, his name could not bear the prestigious ‘Jiu’ character. Those of this generation in the Fang family belonged to the ‘Jiu’ generation, while Fang Zhuguo was forced to keep the name supposedly left by his mother. Consequently, he held no claim to the title of Fang family head.

Through the years, Fang Zhuguo endured the sneers and ridicule of his kin, gradually developing a solitary and bloodthirsty disposition.

However, despite his repulsive appearance, his martial talent was the most exceptional among the younger generation. At a tender age, he had already attained the Celestial Realm. Of course, the martial arts they practiced were a synthesized super-technique, derived from computations using vast data encompassing Dao, Witchcraft, Buddhism, and Body cultivation—absolutely incomparable to the martial arts practiced on the Douhun Continent.

Furthermore, their genes had long since mutated, making them inherently stronger and more powerful than the people of the Douhun Continent from birth.

This was the precise reason the Ancient Huah Continent could firmly control the Nine Provinces; in the face of absolute strength, mere numbers were futile.

Naturally, no matter how powerful Fang Zhuguo became, due to his status as Fang Zhentian’s adopted son, he stood no chance of inheriting the family headship. After all, Fang Zhentian had other children, among them Fang Jiuyou. Ye Jingyu killing Fang Jiuyou had inadvertently cleared an obstacle for Fang Zhuguo—though, in his eyes, such an obstacle was merely a piece of refuse.

“Now, do you understand why I should thank you?” Fang Zhuguo stated calmly, his expression resembling that of an old friend recounting past events.

“I understand the gratitude, but I don’t understand why you are so certain that I was the one who killed him?” Ye Jingyu nodded, then voiced the doubt lingering in his heart. They had destroyed every piece of evidence at the scene; there was no way to definitively prove his involvement. Even if he were eventually identified, it should take time, yet Fang Zhuguo had confirmed it so swiftly.

“Heh heh, I never settled on you as the culprit until the news of you fleeing without a fight was leaked. That’s when I was truly certain you were the murderer!” Fang Zhuguo let out a faint smile, as if discussing a matter that held no consequence for him.

“So you were merely using me as a scapegoat? And by sheer coincidence, this scapegoat happened to be the actual killer?” A bitter smile touched the corner of Ye Jingyu’s mouth. He was a man of considerable intelligence and instantly grasped that Fang Zhuguo lacked concrete evidence, merely pinning the blame on him based on suspicion. He was truly the most unjustly accused criminal in history…

“You are very smart, seeing through it instantly. But even based on suspicion, eliminating that good-for-nothing wasn’t easy. He possessed several Celestial-grade magical treasures from the old ancestors, and you have a documented record of slaying several Martial Saints. Naturally, I had to suspect you!” Seeing Ye Jingyu’s look of anguish, a faint smile even played across Fang Zhuguo’s face.

“Heh heh…” Ye Jingyu shook his head ruefully. He had truly been too conspicuous. But could he even be blamed? If he had known the Yuanling Sect was backed by such a colossal force, he would never have been foolish enough to stir up trouble so early. In his quest to uncover this power, he had positioned himself directly against it—a monumental tragedy, indeed.

“Enough. Thank you for listening to me ramble. As thanks, I will kill you with my strongest power. Farewell for now…” Fang Zhuguo murmured, and a blood-red scimitar materialized in his hand at some unseen moment.

“Wait, perhaps we can sit down and discuss this again?” Sensing the shift in Fang Zhuguo’s powerful aura, Ye Jingyu suddenly spoke up.

“Oh? Do you believe a hunter and his prey have anything left to discuss?” Fang Zhuguo turned to look at Ye Jingyu with renewed interest, his gaze still laced with mockery.

“Between us, we are not hunter and prey. Perhaps we can become partners—partners who can help you ascend to the position of the Fang family head…” Ye Jingyu spoke with profound implication, his eyes glittering with an unprecedented, sharp light…