Chapter 375 - 366: Purging the Traitors and Reclaiming the Throne

A gentle breeze drifted by as white clouds rippled across the sky.

Fang Yang gazed down at the ground below.

He saw a hill that rose high, towering over the land.

The snow-white hill resembled a majestic great crane, spreading its wings toward the sky.

Around it, clusters of erratic, white streamers of light drifted lazily, flowing like a river.

"A crane stands, wings unfurled, singing to the heavens. Cloud tides churn and surge; the path of fortune is faint and distant."

As he looked at the terrain, this secret phrase surfaced in Fang Yang's mind.

Back then, Sub-Venerable Han Wu had specifically pointed out this Saint's dream world.

The reason was simple: the dream world's original owner was an extremely rare Dao Saint.

One could say that this Cangtian Crane dream world was even more precious than the Crimson Flood Dragon's.

'First Aperture, fifth Lifebound Divine Technique—Martial Path Celestial Eye!'

Having just arrived, Fang Yang remained cautious.

His eyes, like the Eyes of Golden Flame, pierced through everything in all directions.

In the end, everything was still safe and relatively stable.

The next moment, his body dissipated like smoke into the void, entering the Cangtian Crane Dream World.

...

Shattered Dream, Lingering Sword!

Dream Trace Manifestation!

Dragon Lord's Sweet Dream!

Sword Dao and Dream Dao Magic—Sword-Intent Like a Dream, a Boundless Heart!

Soul Dao and Dream Dao Magic—Nightmare Incarnate, Soul-Devouring Kill!

Dao and Dream Path Skill—Sweet Dreams Come True, Great Fortune Arrives!

The moment he entered, Fang Yang decisively unleashed various types of Dream Dao Magic.

Visibly, the trial dreams collapsed one after another as he powered his way through them.

It was perhaps because his second Aperture had broken through to the Tier Four Middle realm.

He was clearing the stages even faster than last time.

Soon, he arrived at the eighth layer of the dream.

Here, he finally stopped, no longer fast-forwarding through the original owner's life.

...

The original owner of the Cangtian Crane Dream World was named Bao Guangteng.

Bao Guangteng hailed from the distant Cosmic Realm.

In the Cosmic Realm, countless kingdoms vied for supremacy, and the flames of war raged fiercely.

Only a kingdom that had produced a Saint could be said to have truly established itself.

Bao Guangteng was the fourth son of a founding monarch.

This small kingdom had not yet produced a Saint, and it was called Xuanyuan.

One year ago, on a night in the tenth month.

The Xuan Yuan Grand Ancestor, Bao Canji, was gravely ill. He summoned his younger brother, King Jin Bao Canyu, to discuss matters, allowing no one else to overhear.

During the discussion, someone saw from afar that in the candlelight, King Jin would occasionally leave his seat.

They also heard the Grand Ancestor strike the ground with a ceremonial axe and say loudly, "You do it."

Afterward, King Jin Bao Canyu thus succeeded to the throne and was named Taizong.

But...

Herein lay the problem: King Jin was the Grand Ancestor's younger brother.

Meanwhile, his fourth son, Bao Guangteng, was the one whom the entire Xuanyuan court had viewed as the Crown Prince.

So, should the next monarch of Xuanyuan Country come from the Grand Ancestor's line or Taizong's?

Amidst the turmoil in Xuanyuan Country, something terrible happened.

Following Taizong's ascension to the throne, within a single year, the Grand Ancestor's heirs were either dead or crippled. Scarcely one in ten survived.

Everyone knew this was Taizong's doing.

Now, the blades of war were turning toward Bao Guangteng himself.

At present, Bao Guangteng and his men had been forced to flee into the Taikang Mountain Range.

And the ones pursuing them were, of all things, an army of mountain bandits.

An army of well-armored and highly organized mountain bandits.

'Grand Ancestor? Taizong?'

Fang Yang was lost in thought.

'A classic tale of brother turning against brother?'

This was indeed quite common among royal families.

However, a succession like the one between the Xuan Yuan Grand Ancestor and Xuanyuan Taizong was rather rare.

...

The cave was tranquil and utterly silent.

At this moment, Fang Yang paid no heed to the concerned gazes of those around him.

These people were either old, gaunt-faced ministers or battle-worn generals in tarnished armor.

Now, they were all like stray dogs, as if their spirits had been broken.

The only thing worth mentioning was that they had not abandoned Bao Guangteng.

They still believed Bao Guangteng had a chance to turn the situation around and reclaim the throne.

Fang Yang paid little attention to this.

He closed his eyes, sensing the strength of this new body.

'Tier Four Peak, practitioner of the Fortune Path, Cangtian Crane Sacred Body.'

'To gain a Sacred Body right at the moment of Enlightenment... He truly started with the makings of a Saint.'

'No wonder he was considered the Prince most suited to inherit the throne.'

'If Ji Dong is the protagonist of a "from rags to riches" story...'

'...then Bao Guangteng is without a doubt the protagonist of a "deposed king's return" story.'

Fang Yang sighed to himself.

But with merely a Tier Four Peak cultivation, he was far from being a match for Xuanyuan Taizong.

Because Xuanyuan Taizong also possessed the Cangtian Crane Sacred Body.

What's more, Xuanyuan Taizong was at the Tier Five Peak and bore the fortune of an entire kingdom.

CRACK!—CRACK!—CRACKLE!

The phantom of the Dream Emperor glowed, transforming this body.

Kunpeng Spirit Body!

Tier Five Advanced!

The familiar feeling returned.

Fang Yang opened his eyes, a smile touching his lips.

...

「Two hours later.」

The bandit army tightened its encirclement, steadily closing in on the main peak of the Taikang Mountain Range.

Billowing smoke-like signals of bloody killing intent surged in from all directions like a tsunami.

The suffocating killing intent descended like a prison, plunging everyone in the cave into deep despair.

The ministers and generals in the cave were no fools.

They knew all too well that their situation was utterly hopeless, with no chance of survival.

"Damn it all! That Bao Canyu actually dared to backstab his own lord. He's truly heartless and treacherous."

"Hmph! If he dared show his face in front of me, I'd eat him alive."

"Sigh... a single moment of carelessness, and we let that traitor seize the throne."

"If only the Grand Ancestor had listened to me... Alas, it is all for naught. What can we do now?"

"Your Highness, focus on your cultivation. When you become a Tier Six Saint, do not forget this day's humiliation. Avenge... us!"

The surrounding curses and regretful sighs drifted faintly into Fang Yang's ears.

At this moment, the men were either cursing Xuanyuan Taizong for his treachery or urging Fang Yang to escape on his own.

Seeing this, Fang Yang came to a realization.

'Judging by the very existence of this Saint's dream world, Bao Guangteng must have ultimately succeeded.'

'But he failed to save this group of ministers and generals.'

'No wonder this became the deepest lingering regret in Bao Guangteng's heart.'

...

The army closed in for the kill, and they were on the brink of annihilation.

At this moment, all eyes turned to Fang Yang.

Fang Yang's inaction made them all extremely anxious.

If he didn't move soon, there would be no chance to escape!

With his back to the crowd, Fang Yang let out a faint laugh.

"Escape? No. The ones who should be running for their lives... are them!"

With that, amidst the stunned gazes of the others, Fang Yang rose to his feet.

He strode forward with the gait of a dragon and the prowl of a tiger, his powerful aura piercing the void as he headed straight out of the mountain.

The next moment, the ministers and generals witnessed a scene that shook them to their core.

A colossal Cangtian Crane Dharma Aspect descended from the sky. It followed Fang Yang's figure as he weaved and dodged, sweeping across the battlefield and slaughtering everything in his path.

A light rain began to fall from the sky.

The rain fell in a dense drizzle, yet it could not wash away the thick stains of blood.

"We're taking back the royal capital."

"Either I die, or the usurper from Jin dies."

Fang Yang's gaze was resolute.

He slammed his hand against an ancient tree nearby.

RUMBLE! The ancient tree splintered and collapsed, forming what looked like a man-sized coffin.

"I will purge the traitors and reclaim the throne!"

His voice was soft, yet his words were unyielding.

The Cangtian Crane Dharma Aspect looked to the sky and beat its wings. The rivers of blood below were as thick as pitch.

It was a shocking tableau.

The ministers and generals in the cave, though deeply shaken, all thought Fang Yang had gone mad.

But undeniably, seeing Fang Yang in this state made their long-dormant hearts begin to pound wildly in their chests.

"Purge the traitors and reclaim the throne!"

Someone echoed him in a low voice, and soon, a chorus of voices followed, swelling like rolling thunder.

Kill.

Fight their way back to the royal capital, reclaim the throne.

At worst, they would die, but they would die repaying the grace their former lord had shown them!