Chapter 1003: First Generation Patriarch!

　　There had been many twists and turns during these upheavals in the Fang Clan. Fang Daozi had awakened; however, even that was not as astounding to the Ninth Mountain and Sea as this current scene.

　　The Dao Realm Patriarchs of all the sects and clans looked on with pale faces and trembling minds. When the hand stretched out of the vortex from the Fang Clan’s ancestral Land, their minds went completely blank.

　　The first generation Patriarch of the Fang Clan was a person from the history of the Ninth Mountain and Sea that could never be forgotten

　　Long ago, when chaos reigned, he followed the mysterious Lord Li on a long campaign to vanquish all the powers of the Ninth Mountain and Sea. He started out as nothing, yet rose to a level of prominence that placed him higher than all the Heavens. He carried out a slaughter which caused all to dread him. His mad valiance stained every corner of the starry sky as red as blood!

　　It was during that time that they also came to know Lord Ji. They were three stunning, outstanding figures in history, Paragons of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, people who became the nightmares of an era.

　　They eventually gathered a following of three Greater Demons, as well as numerous other powerful experts who joined them for the purpose of unifying the Ninth Mountain and Sea. In the end, there were nine great Doyens.

　　When the chaos of the Ninth Mountain and Sea was finally brought to an end, the Demon Immortal Sect was founded. It was the most powerful sect in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, a force that all other powers and sects had no choice but to pay obeisance to.

　　During feasts and other occasions, people would often say that without the first generation Patriarch of the Fang Clan, perhaps… Lord Li’s war for the Heavens would have been much more difficult. That was because there were numerous occasions on which the first generation Patriarch of the Fang Clan risked his own life to save Lord Li.

　　Because of all of that, the first generation Patriarch of the Fang Clan rocked the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea. Even though he had passed away in meditation long ago, the one withered hand that appeared now filled the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea with shock.

　　The Three Great Daoist Societies were astonished, and a huge commotion rose from the Ji Clan on the Ninth Mountain.

　　In fact, the will of the eternally slumbering first generation Patriarch of the Ji Clan, who had become undying by fusing with the Heavens, suddenly awoke and… looked in the direction of his old friend.

　　In the moment that he awoke, all of the natural laws in the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea grew calm.

　　It was as if, in that moment, there was nothing left in the whole Ninth Mountain and Sea other than the hand that had emerged from that rift. As the Essence power dispersed, a figure appeared, clad in a long green robe. He stepped slowly out of the vortex to become the center of all attention.

　　All members of the Fang Clan who saw him felt their minds rumbling, as if they were being struck by a hundred thousand lightning bolts. This person was very familiar to them. How could they not know who he was? There wasn’t a single clan member who hadn’t seen his picture in the past, and bowed in worship to it.

　　It was… the first generation Patriarch of the Fang Clan!!

　　Meng Hao felt as if his scalp was about explode. The shock felt by everyone else was nothing compared to how he felt. That was because Meng Hao instantly realized that this man… was the same corpse he had seen sitting cross-legged in the necropolis!

　　“He’s… he’s actually alive!” thought Meng Hao, panting. Then he thought back to how he had practiced cultivation in the necropolis, presumably under this man’s observation, and he suddenly felt cold sweat dripping down his back.

　　As soon as the man stepped out of the vortex, Fang Shoudao’s eyes went wide with excitement and reverence.

　　“Greetings, first generation Patriarch!” he said, immediately dropping to his knees to kowtow.

　　Fang Yanxu’s expression was calm. His injuries from moments ago were still there, but the alarm on his face before had been an act. Now, a look of pious zealotry could be seen as he dropped down to offer worship.

　　Fang Danyun similarly dropped to his knees.

　　All members of the Fang Clan dropped to their knees, their hearts trembling. As for the traitorous clan members, they stood there for a moment, quivering. Then one of them, it was hard to say who, dropped down to kowtow, and they all followed suit.

　　Suddenly, the earth began to crumble, and a huge hole appeared, which stretched all the way down to reveal the Seventh Patriarch, and all of the other Patriarchs with him, all of whom ceased fighting and dropped down in worship.

　　Meng Hao’s eyes were wide as he followed along with everyone else to offer formal greetings to the first generation Patriarch.

　　His mind was spinning as he suddenly thought about the things his father had told him before he had left for Planet East Victory. He had seemed very certain that Meng Hao would not be in any danger on Planet East Victory.

　　“The Nirvana Fruits were just bait to get me to come here…” he thought in a sudden moment of realization.

　　Ji Xiufang stared, dazed, and her entire body trembled violently as the green-robed man walked out of the vortex. She began to pant, and her mind was reeling. She had also seen depictions of the first generation Patriarch of the Fang Clan, and had heard many of the terrifying legends about him.

　　He was a person who… had struck even Lord Ji with terror back in the days when the two of them were contending for control of the Heavens!

　　It took Ji Xiufang only a split second to understand everything.

　　“So this is Fang Shoudao’s trump card,” she thought. “He knew all along that the first generation Patriarch was still alive. The whole time, their goal… had nothing to do with the Ji Clan. It was all for… Fang Daozi!!”

　　When she saw the first generation Patriarch walking out, her face drained of blood. She suddenly realized that from the very, very beginning, she herself had been nothing more than a clown. She had been completely confident that victory was already in her grasp, that all contingencies had been planned for with nothing overlooked. However… she had completely miscalculated the most important thing!

　　The first generation Patriarch was actually still alive!

　　“How could this be…? The Fang Clan’s first generation Patriarch died! Even the Essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea confirmed it! There is no way that he could still be alive! The Essence of the Ninth Mountain and Sea belongs to Patriarch Ji! How could he possibly have made a mistake!?!?” As Ji Xiufang felt shock rolling through her, Fang Daozi gazed at the figure walking out of the rift, and mentally collapsed.

　　“Impossible…. This is simply impossible….” Fang Daozi was shaking hard. The person he had most feared in his entire life was none other than his father, the first generation Patriarch.

　　That terror was so great that, in the years during which Lord Ji fought for control of the Heavens, he had chosen to Sever his own fear. That fear was his inner Devil, and without severing it, he would have found it very difficult to advance his cultivation base ever again.

　　That inner Devil was actually a fetter that he had shackled himself with. During the war, he had sided with the Ji Clan, and when it came time for the Ji Clan and the Fang Clan to fight each other, he was the first person in the history of the Fang Clan… to ever betray his clan.

　　He would never forget the look of disappointment in his father’s eyes, that expression of sadness and guilt that covered his face. When Fang Daozi saw that, he was incredibly happy, and even started to laugh out loud.

　　You founded the Fang Clan? Well I’m going to destroy it! That’s because I’m going to make a new Fang Clan, MY Fang Clan!

　　Those were the words Fang Daozi had spoken when his father had suppressed him. He had even laughed.

　　The Fang Clan lost that war. The Ji Clan won, gaining control of the Heavens, and securing Lordship of the Ninth Mountain and Sea. The reason for their victory wasn’t solely because of the traitor Fang Daozi, but his betrayal had played a significant role.

　　As for Fang Daozi, he was eventually put down by the first generation Patriarch. Despite his grave crimes, the Patriarch couldn’t bear to kill him. He destroyed his body, letting his soul remain behind to be reborn as a new member of the Fang Clan.

　　By the time the first generation Patriarch passed away into meditation, Fang Daozi had been reborn numerous times into the Fang Clan. Were it not for Ji Tian’s use of Karma magic after the passing away of the first generation Patriarch, then perhaps Fang Daozi would have remained in that cycle of rebirth for all time. Life after life, never remembering who he was.

　　However, because of the magic of Karma, he awoke.

　　Then, he remembered everything that had happened, and that wild desire for the destruction of the clan burned in him once again.

　　He remained deeply hidden, restoring his cultivation base, not letting even a single hint out about his true identity. Eventually, he died and was reborn again. From then on, though, he awoke every time he experienced rebirth. Each time, he would continue to practice his cultivation, and gradually grew stronger and stronger.

　　However, he never dared to make a move. Although he had heard his father died, he wasn’t absolutely, positively certain he was dead. He also wasn’t sure whether his father had left behind any precautions before dying. However, he was patient. He waited and watched, never making a move, waiting until he was sure that he would succeed.

　　However, when Fang Heshan crushed that jade slip, the plan went into motion early. Fang Daozi’s hand was forced. Of course, even if the plan been carried out at some later time, the Fang Clan would still have been thrown into complete chaos because of the preparations made by the Ji Clan.

　　Their willingness to put the plan into action was due to the matter of the legacy of Lord Li, a legacy that even Lord Ji had not been able to acquire. The Ji Clan had suddenly calculated that destiny related to that legacy was on Planet East Victory.

　　Fang Daozi had waited until he was sure the Fang Clan had shown its entire hand, and was on its last legs. He was made even more confident… when Meng Hao absorbed the first generation Patriarch’s Nirvana Fruit. Because of the bloodline sensation that Fang Daozi experienced, he was finally fully convinced that his father really was dead!

　　Therefore, he finally chose to reveal himself, and step into the light.

　　He had never imagined that after all of his analyses, after all of his preparations, in the moment when he was just about to succeed, all of a sudden he would find out that his father… wasn’t actually dead!

　　“This is impossible! If you weren’t really dead, why didn’t you kill me earlier…?” cried Fang Daozi, trembling.

　　The person to answer was not the first generation Patriarch, but rather, Fang Shoudao.

　　“We were aware of the identities of all of the traitorous members of the Fang Clan,” he said softly, “except for you. We could have killed them at any time. However, that wouldn’t have done any good. As long as you remained alive, wiping them out would only be postponing the calamity.

　　“As for you, we really couldn’t figure out who you were…. Only Ji Tian could possibly pick up clues regarding the first generation Patriarch’s magical technique. Even I couldn’t determine who you had been reborn as.

　　“Only your death can ensure that the roots of the Fang Clan’s catastrophe would be severed.

　　“Therefore, we set up this elaborate scheme, the purpose of which… was to lure you out!” As he spoke, his eyes shifted over to Meng Hao.

　　Meng Hao’s face flickered. His heart was filled with complicated emotions as he looked at the rivers of blood staining the grounds of the ancestral mansion.

　　When the Second Patriarch, Fourth Patriarch and Sixth Patriarch heard Fang Shoudao’s words, their faces went pale white.

　　“Well, who cares if you’re still alive!?” growled Fang Daozi. “I might not have succeeded this time, but at least… I get to take a lot of members of the Fang Clan to the grave with me! That’s good enough!” Fang Daozi threw his head back and laughed, his expression vicious. The instant he saw his father walk out, he knew… that he was defeated.

　　However, what he said as true. More than half of the entire clan had been killed. Rivers of blood and mounds of corpses could be seen everywhere.

　　Fang Shoudao didn’t reply. He looked at Fang Daozi, his expression complex. As the Fang Clan’s Earth Patriarch, he was aware of Fang Daozi’s whole story. He also knew that Fang Daozi wasn’t aware of the whole truth of the matter, which caused him to sigh.

　　“Senior Daozi,” he said quietly, “this planet… is not the same Planet East Victory it used to be.”

　　In response, Fang Daozi gaped, and his face fell. It was as if he had suddenly remembered something which caused his jaw to drop in shock.

　　It was in that moment that Fang Shoudao turned to the first generation Patriarch and bowed deeply.

　　The green-robed first generation Patriarch, who hadn’t said a single word so far, extended his hand towards the lands around him.

　　Withered Tree… Blooms in Spring!