Thud Thud Thud…..
A series of hurried sounds came from afar.
Soon, a group of Gu Masters riding terror claw horses came to the swamp.
"Lord elders, they have passed through here towards that direction." An investigative Gu Master's eyes flickered with red light as he scanned all around and reported.
A young Gu Master at the side immediately frowned and anxiously said: "Not good, uncle! If we continue along this way, we will reach rocks pool over there. Once they cross rocks pool, they will be out of warm pond valley. It will be difficult to kill them then."
"Relax, Fei Qing has been struck by your dad's poison Gu and is in imminent crisis, moreover he is bringing his child with him. The further he moves with his ghost cloud, the more the poison will worsen. Hehe, he won't be able to run far. Let's continue our chase!"
The elders laughed and waved their hand, continuing the chase.
After they chased into the sparse woods, the swamp they had been standing at suddenly surged and a yellowish silkworm drilled out.
The silkworm was broken from the inside and two people walked out; a middle-aged Gu Master and a child.
The two looked in a very miserable state and gasped for breath as they dropped to the ground.
"We finally deceived them." The middle aged Gu Master, Fei Qing, had a purple hue all over his face; the poison had spread deep.
"Fei Chang you despicable person! For the clan leader position, you actually secretly poisoned me, your own cousin! Damn it you abomination…."
"Father, father! Are you okay? You need to hang on." The child started weeping when he saw the blood and threw himself into Fei Qing's chest.
"Son…" Fei Qing's despairing eyes showed a trace of hope and resolution.
He lovingly looked at his only heir and rubbed the small head: "Little Cai, father can't go on. Fei Chang has plotted deeply, I can only deceive him this one time. Not long later, he will definitely find something wrong and return back. Leave quickly, father will hold off these people for you. Go along that small path I told you of, and perhaps you can survive on."
"No, father, I want to leave with you. Let's run together… father, I beg you…" The son, Fei Cai, weeped in grief.
Fei Qing was feeling very anxious, so he roused his spirits and grabbed Fei Cai's shoulders: "Little Cai, don't cry. Northern Plains men can shed blood but not tears. You need to have confidence, in your body flows Giant Sun Immortal Venerable's bloodline, you are a member of the Huang Jin family. The bloodline in you is thick and rarely seen. You have the qualifications to enter Eighty-Eighth True Yang Building."
" Cough, cough …." Green blood continued to seep out from Fei Qing's mouth and nose, "Little Cai, take care of yourself. If you have a chance in the future to enter Imperial Court blessed land, go to Eighty-Eighth True Yang Building and obtain the grace Ancestor Giant Sun left behind for the later generations. Only then can you avenge me!"
"Father…."
"Leave, it will be too late if you delay any longer!"
Fei Qing pushed his son; Fei Cai took back several steps, helplessly looking at his father with tears filled face.
"Leave quickly!" Fei Qing growled.
Fei Cai wiped away his tears before tears immediately fell down. He fiercely gnashed his teeth, turned around and ran.
"Son, father has done his best, as long as you can escape the evil clutches…" Fei Qing sat on the ground and looked at Fei Cai's receding figure.
....
"Found you."
A voice—calm, indifferent—sounded behind Fei Qing. In that instant, a chill ran down his spine.
He turned sharply, eyes darting. But, he found... Nothing.
Before he could react further, a heavy blow struck the side of his head. His vision went black. As he collapsed, only one thought flickered through his fading mind: "What…?"
From the shadows, an old figure emerged—slightly hunched, white-haired, his gaze sharp and hollow like the void itself.
He looked down at the fallen man. "Fei Qing," he muttered.
"So that's why I couldn't find either of you. It's your son's doing." His voice held no emotion—only cold realization.
His eyes swept the surroundings. The boy was gone. But movement approached in the distance—others were coming.
"Fortune Rivalling Heaven Gu…" he said, voice low, almost admiring. "To alter fate to this extent… it truly deserves its reputation."
This man—this old hunched man—was none other than Fang Yuan.
It had been a year since he deceived Heaven's Will and sealed himself inside the grotto-heaven. But, within it, thirty-five years had quietly slipped by.
He was now in his seventies, but time had not dulled him—it had refined him. He possessed lifespan Gu but had no use for them.
Youth was a vanity.
Disguise is.. an utility.
"Ma Hong Yun…" Fang Yuan whispered, almost to himself. "How much longer do you think you can run?"
With that, he lifted Fei Qing's limp body like a sack of grain and vanished into the void.
Moments later, the thunder of hooves broke the silence.
Three Gu Masters arrived atop Terror Claw Horses. But the place was already dead quiet.
"Fei Qing…" Fei Chang's voice was low and gravelly, like grinding stone. His eyes gleamed with murderous light as he scanned the desolate terrain. "Hmph. That bastard's grown good at hiding."
His killing intent was palpable—sharp and cold, like a blade drawn halfway from its sheath.
"Search the entire valley!" Fei Chang barked. "I want both father and son dead!"
But then—
Woooo… Woooo…
A deep, resonant horn echoed from beyond the Warm Pond Valley.
The moment the sound reached them, Fei Chang's expression changed drastically.
"Lord elders, lord elders, please go back to reinforce the troops! Ma tribe has brought a huge army, starting a war without any notice. The tribe is already in a state of emergency!" A Gu Master hurried over on a flying bird with the information.
"What?!" Fei Chang was extremely surprised, just as the Fei tribe's internal disorder had started, Ma tribe came to invade, this timing was too coincidental!
'If there is no Fei tribe, then what meaning would there be in taking the Fei tribe's tribe leader position? Defend, defend to death, we must defend! Warm pond valley is easy to defend and hard to attack, Ma tribe's army retreat isn't impossible. Right, I still have hope!' Thinking of this, Fei Chang immediately threw Fei Qing off his mind, then hurriedly rushed to the tribe camp.