Reverend Insanity: The Goody Two-Shoes System

Stone Aperture Gu...

It had the effect of taking one's cultivation to the peak of that rank. If Fang Yuan used it right now, he would become a Rank 4 Peak Stage Gu Master instantly!

Of course, it had its own drawback. Once used, one's aperture would no longer be a crystal walled aperture but be made of stone, making further progress impossible. It could grant great strength, but this strength came at a massive price. No one would use it unless they had no resort.

Bai Ning Bing had dropped the Rank 3 version of the gu worm back when fleeing from Fang Yuan. He had likely intended to use it to limit the explosive power of his Northern Dark Ice Soul Physique.

Fang Yuan could use it in another way, however. The stone walls of a Rank 4 Peak Stage aperture could withstand the aura of a Rank 6 Spring Autumn Cicada for some time. He had initially been planning to only retrieve it once he reached Rank 5, which could also somewhat withstand its immortal aura, but this was another viable option. 

'If I use this, I could withdraw the Spring Autumn Cicada and use it, going back in time,' Fang Yuan thought. With that, he would be freed from the need to continue squatting on Qing Mao mountain.

Although this pathway had opened up to him, Fang Yuan did not immediately take it. One reason was that Fang Zheng, and therefore, a pathway to a Rank 6 Immortal Gu was still on the mountain. The second was that for now, the immediate danger that he had been in previously was gone. The wolf tide was quelled with two of the Rank 4 beasts killed, and the Bai clan having killed another Thunder Crown Wolf.

That meant that there was only one Thunder Crown Wolf left, and with the huge losses to the wolves, they would likely simply retreat and lick their wounds, waiting for their numbers to increase once again in a few years. Then, this cycle would repeat itself.

The clan knew where the wolves were housed, but they could not try to go out and strike at them to tear out the problem from the root. Why? Because they lacked the strength to do so. The wolves were too plentiful in number in their own territory, and by Fang Yuan's estimation only a Rank 6 Gu Master could actually be successful in taking them down. He felt that even the peak of Rank 5 might fall short of being able to wipe out every single one of the wolves left, even if one killed most of them.

As for the danger that was posed from the clan because of his rapid rise in cultivation, that seemed to have never been there in the first place. For whatever reason, the clan leader was keeping the older clan elders in check.

If he used the Spring Autumn Cicada, who knows how far back in time he'd go or to when? As it was, the Spring Autumn Cicada was more useful the further in time one used it. 

It was a joyous celebration for the village, as the major threat had been eliminated with the death of the Lightning Lycan King. 

Li Mei and Yu Sai wandered through the rubble, arm in arm. Yu Sai had happened to chance upon Li Mei when she needed help, but had ended up saving her. She, like the rest of the village, didn't know why she had suddenly been protected at the last minute, but she wouldn't have even survived that long had it not been for Yu Sai.

"You're so cool!" she said to Yu Sai.

Yu Sai shrugged. He already knew that Li Mei had a massive crush on Fang Yuan, so he wasn't about to get his hopes up. 

That said, it certainly felt good to be wandering around the village, with a girl in arm. It made him feel less like a loser.

Made him almost feel like he should be doing more with his life. Who knows? If he put his mind to it, he could definitely become Rank 1 Peak Stage, maybe even Rank 2 Stage. Were that to happen, he might have an actual woman wrapped around his arm. 

Fang Zheng, meanwhile, was examining the wreckage where their apartments used to be. Now they were no longer as reliant upon the income from the apartments as they were earlier, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth to see that they had been destroyed in spite of Fang Yuan's efforts.

'Oh well, the important thing is that we all survived,' he mused. 'So long as we survived, we can rebuild.'

They still owned the land that the buildings had been built upon, and given how land was at a premium in the village, that meant that by itself was worth quite a lot. 

A massive surprise came the next morning when, out of the ether, it seemed that the Xiong clan had reappeared.

It took some time to piece together what had happened, but it turned out that they had a Rank 5 gu worm left behind by one of their ancestors which was able to deceive the Lightning Lycan King. The Lightning Lycan King had not attacked Gu Yue village first as expected, but had instead chosen to target the weakest of the three villages to eliminate it, gather its forces, and then strike at the others.

That plan might've even succeeded were it not for Fang Yuan's help. 

Naturally though, the other two clans had very low opinions of the Xiong clan.

"To think they hid like scared rabbits while we were fighting for our lives!"

"Hmph! I'm sure that their spirit spring is unguarded now and hehe... they only have about half of their members left. Seems like an excellent opportunity to expand our territory..."

"No doubt they thought they could take over our village if we were killed. It only serves them right!"

Ultimately, the Gu Yue clan decided to place pressure upon the Xiong clan, forcing them into an alliance against the Bai clan. When faced with the prospect of facing a clan with two Rank 4 Gu Masters, the Xiong clan had little choice but to play along.

However, that was a matter for the future. 

Right now, the clan head had a matter to discuss with Fang Yuan.

"Fang Yuan, I want to let you know that I'm extremely proud of what you've accomplished," the clan head said. "Ever since you entered the academy, no, even before, you have been one of the most illustrious clan members in all of its history. Your name is worthy of being remembered for generations because of your accomplishments up till now alone. I... I think of you almost as if you are my own son, Fang Yuan."

Fang Yuan bowed his head. The two of them had come to a secluded place for this talk, so there was clearly more to it. "Ever since my parents died, I will not lie, clan head, I have always longed for the warmth of family. And now that I have been embraced by my village, I think I have indeed found it. For I see every member of Gu Yue village as being part of my family."

The clan head nodded. "That is good, Fang Yuan. And that is why I wanted to ask why you were keeping this secret within yourself for so long?"

Fang Yuan paused. "I don't follow...?"

The clan head sighed. "When I first became clan head, I got to know that our clan has a secret. A prophecy made by our first generation clan head, our founder. That one day, within the clan, someone would appear with the Desolate Yin Ancient Moon Physique. I just didn't think that the day would come during my lifetime..."

The gears in Fang Yuan's head turned as the pieces fell into place. So that was why the clan head was behaving like so instead of torturing him for where Fang Yuan had found an immortal inheritance - because the clan head thought that Fang Yuan had the Desolate Yin Ancient Moon Physique!

Fang Yuan had never heard of this clan legend before in his previous life, which is why he had been unable to guess it.