Eternal Life through Drawing Lots

"I can’t believe the Guan River Festival turned out like this. Fang Yang was so wronged."

"Yeah, and they had the gall to say Fang Yang exploited a loophole. That’s just ridiculous."

"Heh, let’s be real. The Dongfang Race was the one that set up the Array. If there was a problem, it was their own fault!"

"Fang Yang braved the danger and staged a comeback victory with the White Feathered Eagle. Fang Yang is good! Dongfang Xuan used his power to bully people and went down in defeat with Dongfang Moran. The Dongfang Race is bad!"

"And people like that have the nerve to call themselves part of the Golden Race alongside us? It’s laughable! They have absolutely no class!"

"..."

Eateries, taverns, apothecaries, war merit camps... and so on.

Almost everywhere, people were buzzing with discussion about the battle between Fang Yang and Dongfang Moran, and about the Guan River Festival.

Although some unknown power had officially forbidden any open discussion of the matter,

the gossipmongers discussed it even more frequently in private, letting their imaginations run wild.

Some said Fang Yang had stolen Dongfang Moran’s fiancée, which was why Dongfang Xuan stepped in to help him.

Others claimed Dongfang Moran and Dongfang Xuan were lovers, and that Dongfang Xuan had bullied Fang Yang in a fit of passion...

But regardless of the rumors, the matter spread so far and wide that even the four Pavilion Elders—Elder Hua, Elder Bird, Elder Yu, and Elder Chong—had heard of it.

「Profound Mysterious Study.」

It was utterly silent.

The four Pavilion Elders—Elder Hua, Elder Bird, Elder Yu, and Elder Chong—sat in order of seniority on carved red floral chairs. Beside them, on small tables, rested cups of fine Spirit Tea, their fragrance wafting through the air.

But their moods were anything but pleasant.

"How could Sen You handle things this way?" Elder Chong’s expression was grim. "It’s a good thing the Monarch had already finished consolidating the Dongfang Race’s mortal destiny. Otherwise, the matter of condensing the True Dragon’s fortune would have been held up because of him!"

Elder Hua seemed lost in thought. He took a sip of tea and said slowly, "That child... he probably just couldn’t swallow his pride. After all, it was Fang Yang who accused him of harboring ’disloyal intentions’ back then."

The other two, Elder Bird and Elder Yu, said nothing, merely gazing into the distance, their eyes fixed on Star Fall Mountain.

In truth, this incident wasn’t a big deal.

It was nothing more than a bit of willfulness on Sen You’s part. At worst, they could just compensate Fang Yang with some extra resources afterward. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

They couldn’t possibly expect Sen You to admit defeat and kill himself over it, could they?

That would be going too far...

But when all was said and done, the most important thing was Sen Yue’s attitude!

The night breeze whispered.

The sky was dim and heavy.

Layer upon layer of dark clouds seemed to smother Guan River Cloud Island, blanketing the sky.

Only a few scattered stars still flickered with faint light.

Tonight, Guan River Cloud Island was much quieter than usual.

For one, the Guan River Festival had concluded.

For another, there was the matter of the near-unfair duel between Fang Yang and Dongfang Moran.

More people had begun to doubt the credibility of the Dongfang Race, believing Guan River Cloud Island was no longer safe.

Due to these various factors, a host of Cultivators had already left, making the conclusion of this Guan River Festival a rather undignified affair.

"Young friend Fang Yang, I am deeply sorry for what happened at the festival." Dongfang Mobai’s stunningly beautiful face was filled with apology.

She had been discussing strategies for dealing with the Minghai Race with the other dao seeds.

They were hoping to expand their war merits and vie for a chance to enter the final Profound Imperial Blessed Land.

But she never imagined that Dongfang Xuan and Dongfang Moran would stir up trouble behind her back, forcing her to rush back and handle the aftermath.

"Dongfang Xuan has already been punished with three hundred strikes of the heavy rod and exiled to the vanguard camp."

"Under interrogation, it was revealed that Dongfang Xuan was acting on someone else’s behalf..."

As she spoke, Dongfang Mobai’s slender, jade-like fingers pointed toward the heavens.

Then, she pointed down at the dark woods below.

Fang Yang grew pensive. Her words made him even more certain that Sen You, who held a grudge against him, was the one who had acted.

What surprised Fang Yang, however, was that a dao seed like Dongfang Mobai would come to apologize to him personally.

’In the end,’ he thought, ’facing a powerhouse like Dongfang Mobai, I, Fang Yang, have no right to a formal dialogue. My only leverage is Sen Hui’s favor.’

’As for my background as a disciple of the Fang family, that counts for nothing.’

’And public opinion is even more worthless.’

’In my past life, public opinion was as fickle as the weather.’

’Here in this transcendent world, it’s even more volatile.’

’Just because my reputation is good now doesn’t mean anything. Tomorrow, the tables could turn, and Dongfang Xuan and his lot could suddenly be the ones receiving praise.’

"I believe you," Fang Yang replied calmly.

Fang Yang’s attitude, in turn, surprised Dongfang Mobai.

Even though Dongfang Mobai had witnessed Fang Yang governing a region,

given the age difference, she had already prepared numerous speeches in her mind, planning to persuade Fang Yang not to be so headstrong.

But she never expected Fang Yang to be so pragmatic, requiring no persuasion from her at all.

Unlike ordinary youths, Fang Yang wasn’t hot-blooded in the slightest.

A cool breeze blew, rustling the peach trees in the courtyard and sending blossoms drifting to the ground.

The sky remained overcast, with only a few pinpricks of starlight struggling to break through.

Dongfang Mobai lifted her head, revealing a slender, swan-like neck.

She gave Fang Yang a deep, meaningful look and said, "It’s no injustice that Mo Ran lost to you."

After a moment’s thought, she retrieved an item from her storage pouch.

[Marrow of the Soul Fish]

This was a Tier Four Spiritual Object. It resembled a carp in shape, and its color was black—an iridescent black.

It floated leisurely in mid-air, emitting a gentle orange glow.

The orange light seemed almost solid, overflowing with Spiritual Qi and brimming with abundant spirituality.

Astonishingly, it gave off the crisp scent of mint.

’So this is the Tier Four opportunity my ’upper-middle’ fortune stick foretold. It’s truly something else,’ Fang Yang thought, his eyes gradually brightening.

Meanwhile, Dongfang Mobai gazed at the [Marrow of the Soul Fish] Spiritual Object, her expression complicated:

"This Spiritual Object is called the [Marrow of the Soul Fish]. Although it’s only a Tier Four Spiritual Object, it’s rarer than most Tier Five Spiritual Objects.

This is because it can strengthen one’s Soul Foundation, increasing a person’s spirituality.

Since ancient times, the paths of enslavement and soul have been intertwined. At the most basic level, refining this will allow you to walk the path of an Enslavement Dao Cultivator!

Originally, I planned to give this to my clansman, Mo Ran. But after what happened, I can’t just give you some perfunctory compensation..."

Initially, Dongfang Mobai had indeed intended to use another, more common Tier Four Spiritual Object to casually dismiss Fang Yang.

But when she sensed the depth of Fang Yang’s thoughts, she instantly understood that as long as a person like him didn’t die, he was destined for greatness—and would become a great threat.

Fang Yang had the bearing of an emperor!

In other words, Fang Yang would never be content to simply submit to the Sen family line. He was a treacherous Flying Eagle, difficult to tame!

Frankly, Dongfang Mobai wasn’t afraid of Fang Yang.

But as the saying goes: better to bully a hundred-year-old man than to slight a young man.

"Young friend Fang Yang, no matter what, you will always be a friend to the Mo branch of my Dongfang Race."

With that, Dongfang Mobai mounted her silver unicorn, took up her silver-white spear, and galloped into the air, cutting a dashing and heroic figure.

And Fang Yang, clutching the [Marrow of the Soul Fish] Spiritual Object, watched her depart...