The sun sank behind the horizon, leaving the black sky filled with countless stars to dominate the scene. The starlight shimmered upon the land and reflected in a dirty puddle beneath Fang Tian's feet.
Now that night had fallen, the guards in the Gan Tribe camp had become extremely strict—but that was only on the outside. As for the heart of the Tribe camp, where the Gu Masters and elders lived, the guard there was weaker… though it was still a guard nonetheless.
Fang Tian's plan was to sneak near the center of the Tribe camp and approach one or more Large Lizard House Gu. If he could reach them, he could set up certain arrangements, tamper with the Large Lizard House Gu, and kill one or two elders of the Gan Tribe!
This would be an extremely painful blow to the Gan Tribe, and most likely they would stop caring about the third party trying by every means to force them into a clash with the Li Tribe. If they collided with the Li Tribe, Fang Tian could intervene at that moment and form a relationship with either the Li Tribe or the Gan Tribe during their moment of weakness.
"But I must take my time with this… If I intervene immediately, both Tribes will realize that I am the third party, and then they will attack me fiercely. How troublesome that would be… But if matters escalate into a direct confrontation, one of the Tribes will have to withdraw after suffering great damage. Only then will I be able to do them a favor and gain a position within their Tribe."
Fang Tian believed this was a good plan, yet he remained cautious about the possibility of failure.
For that exact reason, he chose to move at night while using Soul Concealment Gu, Breath Concealment Gu, and Unclear Grass Gu to hide his cultivation level and conceal both his soul and body from detection methods. Without a doubt, this concealment was first-rate. Even if Fang Tian moved close to one of the elders of the Gan Tribe, he would remain unnoticed unless the elder inspected carefully. However, before the Gan Tribe Leader, there was still a good chance he might be discovered.
But the leader of the Gan Tribe was not an immortal Gu Master capable of using mortal Gu worms indefinitely. He was merely a rank four upper-stage Gu Master with limited primeval essence—something incomparable to Fang Tian's vast reserves of primeval essence.
All of these factors gave Fang Tian a certain level of confidence in carrying out his plan tonight.
Thus he quietly slipped beside one of the Large Lizard House Gu and activated several Gu worms within his aperture.
Tight Space Gu, Single Seal Gu, Scattered Mud Gu, Grudge Qi Gu, Sequence Gu, and several other Gu worms exerted subtle effects upon the Large Lizard House Gu.
Fang Tian struggled to isolate the complex auras emitted by the Gu worms and barely managed to suppress this enormous number of auras.
"Li Hua's inheritance is truly impressive, possessing a method to tamper with Gu worms refined by someone else. But unfortunately, I cannot overdo it, otherwise the elder who refined the Large Lizard House Gu will sense it…"
The Refinement Path was extremely profound. It contained many aspects related to refining Gu worms, but there were also many aspects related to tampering with, destroying, or sabotaging Gu worms. Naturally, Li Hua's Refinement Path inheritance possessed a method for tampering with Gu worms.
Tampering with Gu worms was a common trade in both the mortal and immortal worlds. Some merchants sold fake or tampered Gu worms in order to gain greater profits at lower costs. Meanwhile, in the immortal world, some Gu Immortals sold Gu worms that had been tampered with to harm other Gu Immortals.
Even the methods of tampering with Gu worms had great depth. Some methods were easily discovered, while others were unimaginably profound. It was even possible to tamper with a Gu worm in such a way that it remained usable, yet would harm its owner under specific conditions.
"Ah… I'm thinking too much. I should just finish this and leave as if nothing happened."
Fang Tian refocused and slowly injected his primeval essence into the large number of Gu worms, controlling the auras they emitted while completing his arrangements.
"Tribe Leader… do you truly intend to attack the Li Tribe while they are prepared?! We only became a large Tribe ten years ago, and our foundation is not as impressive as other great forces. Even the Li Tribe possesses a deep foundation and can compete with us in certain aspects. The risks of a direct battle with them—especially while they are already alert due to the series of incidents in recent weeks—are not wise."
Fang Tian's heart tightened when he heard a man speaking weakly as he gradually approached the Large Lizard House Gu where Fang Tian was hiding.
"Tribe Leader? Did that old man just say Tribe Leader?! I must stop!"
Fang Tian forcefully halted the process and suffered an extremely severe backlash. Several of his Gu worms were injured or destroyed. The complex auras slipped out of control for a moment, causing Fang Tian to choke on blood.
"What was that… did you feel it, Elder Hai Fen?"
The Gan Tribe Leader was a man in his late fifties with white eyes and dark skin. His sharp eyebrows made him resemble an old blind wolf. His body was thin—almost like a dry branch—covered in thick leather robes layered with steel armor. Yet somehow he was able to bear the heavy weight of those clothes and armor.
"What does the Tribe Leader mean? Perhaps the Tribe Leader's senses are sharper than mine, so I did not feel anything," replied the elder named Hai Fen humbly to the Tribe Leader, who used an investigative method to examine the surroundings but discovered nothing.
"That is truly strange, Elder Hai Fen. Even my eyes and investigative methods detected nothing. It must have just been a passing breeze…"
"Hahaha, the Tribe Leader has a poetic sense. Let us enter my residence to continue the discussion. I have already ordered the servants to prepare some refreshments for us."
The Lizard House Gu opened its massive mouth, revealing a brown door. Through it, the Gan Tribe Leader and the elder named Hai Fen entered the interior, leaving the severely injured Fang Tian beside the Lizard House Gu.
Yet Fang Tian was not upset. On the contrary—he was completely stunned.
"No… can luck really be this absurd? I came here to make the Gan Tribe lose one or two elders, yet here I am watching their Tribe Leader and one of their elders walk straight into my trap!"
Fang Tian did not know what to say about this strange situation. It was like starving and going out to hunt a rabbit, only to end up catching a wild boar instead.
"But this situation is extremely terrifying—it is not necessarily a good thing… If the Gan Tribe Leader dies, the Gan Tribe will fall into such weakness that even the Li Tribe, which was once suppressed, could bully them. But if he is severely injured, that would be good. And if he dies… that would also be good. Ah, I am truly conflicted. In any case, I can join either Tribe regardless of the outcome—I will simply choose the weaker side."
Fang Tian concealed his aura, healed himself, finished his arrangements, and quickly slipped away before returning to his luxurious tent. He lay down upon his bed.
"The moment they try to leave the Large Lizard House Gu…"
Fang Tian waited for ten full minutes while lying on his bed of fur and leather, anticipating the sound that would shake the entire Gan Tribe.