Chapter 897: Fang Wei!
Fang Wei was always surrounded by groups of fellow young cultivators. No matter where he went, he was the center of attention. After all, he was Fang Wei, the long time number one Chosen of this generation in the Fang Clan.
He was famous in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea!
Furthermore, although he wasn’t the legitimate eldest grandson of the Fang Clan, he essentially held that position.
In this generation of the Fang Clan, the only person who ranked above him in seniority was Meng Hao!
As he sat there calmly, he glanced at Meng Hao for a moment, then closed his eyes. A year before, when the clan had convened the welcoming ceremony, he did not make an appearance; he couldn’t care less that Meng Hao had been scheduled to return.
The only reason he came today was because the strength of Meng Hao’s bloodline had piqued his interest.
The air in the temple was very solemn. All of the people seated inside were Fang Clan Elders, and although not every single clan Elder had come, this group comprised the majority of those who were on Planet East Victory.
Each person in the temple looked like an Immortal Deity. All of them, be it in terms of their qi and blood, or in terms of their aura, were terrifying to the extreme. As Meng Hao looked around, he realized that he couldn’t gauge any of their cultivation bases.
As of this moment, Meng Hao gained a clearer understanding of how powerful the Fang Clan was.
If you didn’t count the Ji Clan, this clan could actually be considered the number one clan in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea. The year that Lord Li disappeared, if the Fang Clan had been stronger by just a hair… the Ninth Mountain and Sea might now be following a Lord Fang.
Meng Hao was also well aware that he was really only looking at the tip of the iceberg. The Fang Clan had even deeper and more powerful resources, making them a force that few would ever trifle with lightly.
Furthermore, Meng Hao… was the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline of the Fang Clan. It was easy to imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t experienced the Seventh Year Tribulation. Had he grown up in the Fang Clan, his status and fame would definitely have made him well-known throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea, as well as the Eighth Mountain and Sea.
All of the Elders were now looking at Meng Hao. It was impossible to tell whether they were happy or angry; their expressions were abstruse and impossible to read, and filled the hall with incredible pressure. As for Fang Wei, and his father and grandfather, undetectable gleams flickered in their eyes.
Meng Hao was the only person standing, right there in the middle of the temple. As for the pressure that emanated from those surrounding him, Meng Hao didn’t even flinch.
After a long moment, Grand Elder Fang Tongtian finally spoke.
“Fang Hao!” he said, his expression solemn. His voice echoed out in the temple, making it sound almost as if a throng of people were speaking. Everything trembled.
“Having offered sacrifices to the ancestors, you are now officially a member of the Fang Clan. Henceforth, you shall enjoy access to the Fang Clan’s cultivation resources, and many things will now tilt in your favor.
“However, there is something you must never forget!” The Grand Elder’s expression was suddenly threatening, although it lacked any anger.
“Now that you are a member of the Fang Clan, you must follow all of the clan rules. Violate those rules, and it doesn’t matter how strong your bloodline is, or that you have a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam. Despite that… you will still be punished!
“Speaking of the clan rules, I will give you a detailed copy that you can study in a moment.”
Meng Hao stood there silently, looking at the Grand Elder.
After the Grand Elder finished speaking, a white-haired, ruddy-faced old man seated off to the side smiled and said, “Ladies and Gentlemen of the clan, let us discuss how the cultivation resources will be allocated to Fang Hao.”
“Hao’er is the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline,” someone said. “In fact, he is the highest-ranking grandson of his generation in the entire Fang Clan. He’s had a hard time in the outside world during these years. Now that he’s back in the clan, he should naturally be given the very best of everything!”
“The Immortal’s cave next to Brightmoon Lake has good fortune of Heaven and Earth inside,” another person said. “Furthermore, the remains of a Heavenly Dragon can be found therein. It is absolutely the best Immortal’s cave in all of Planet East Victory. From my perspective, that Immortal’s cave should definitely be given to Hao’er.”
Another of the Elders looked at Meng Hao with praise in his eyes and said, “That’s right. For years, no one has possessed the qualifications to have that Immortal’s cave. We of the direct bloodline have him as our eldest grandson, and in fact, the highest-ranking grandson of his entire generation! He is the only one who could possibly be qualified to have that Immortal’s cave.”
This was not a situation where people were trying to bring Meng Hao down by over-praising him. These people truly wanted Meng Hao to have the best resources to help him advance himself in the quickest manner possible.
Almost as soon as soon as the Elder from the direct bloodline finished speaking, other Elders began to speak.
“That’s not entirely proper. Hao’er has just returned, and hasn’t yet made the least contribution whatsoever to the good of the clan.You can’t reward him with that Immortal’s cave on the basis of his position alone. That wouldn’t be fair.”
“Precisely. In the Fang Clan, one’s standing is based on how much one has contributed to the clan. To avoid causing other clan members to have feelings of resentment, Hao’er should not be given that Immortal’s cave.”
It only took a moment for a clamor to arise as numerous Elders began to give their opinions. In the end, Meng Hao could tell that about thirty percent of the Elders disagreed, with only about ten percent standing on Meng Hao’s side. The rest maintained their silence.
The Grand Elder had predicted that something like this would happen, so he sat there silently, his expression the same as usual.
It was at this point that suddenly, Fang Wei, who sat in a chair surrounded by over a hundred young companions, suddenly opened his eyes to speak.
“Respected Elders, I regret to inform you that Junior has already taken the Immortal’s cave by Brightmoon Lake and gifted it to someone.” His voice was placid and seemingly devoid of any emotion whatsoever. As soon as he spoke, the direct bloodline Elders’ faces grew dark. However, none of them offered any sort of response.
An imperceptible flicker appeared in Meng Hao’s eyes. The words spoken by Fang Wei carried much meaning. This was a meeting of Fang Clan elders, and none of the other members of the younger generation had seats except for Fang Wei.
Furthermore, his words actually carried a domineering weight that seemed to be intolerant of any opposition. It was so domineering… that even the direct bloodline Elders didn’t dare to retort.
Meng Hao looked over at Fang Wei, and Fang Wei looked back at him for a moment before closing his eyes.
Then, the direct bloodline Elder spoke up again.
“Other than the Immortal’s cave, there are also the ten batches of Rainbow Immortal Evanescence Pills concocted by Pill Elder from the Dao of Alchemy Division. That type of pill is a rare medicine that provides mysterious assistance when rising from the Spirit Realm into the Immortal Realm. Seven batches of those pills should be given to Hao’er!”
“That’s not appropriate either,” said another Elder. “Only ten batches of pills are concocted per year, and the medicinal plant ingredients are all extinct in the outside world. The Rainbow Immortal Evanescence Pill is the Fang Clan’s strongest type of pill that exists in the gap between the Spirit and Immortal Realms. They are concocted for the benefit of the entire junior generation. Therefore, giving seven batches to Hao’er is impossible. I say, one batch should be enough.”
As before, the Grand Elder said nothing. It was at this point that the white-robed Fang Wei opened his eyes and spoke again.
“Respected Elders, I regret to inform you that Junior has already made arrangements for all ten batches of Rainbow Immortality Evanescence Pills.”
Immediately, silence once again filled the entire temple. Fury burned in the direct bloodline Elders’ eyes, but all they could do was clench their jaws and maintain silence.
Meng Hao had not spoken yet either, but his brow had gradually become furrowed as he looked over at Fang Wei. Fang Wei had only spoken twice, yet each time his words had silenced the Elders. This fact revealed a lot.
In addition, Meng Hao was gradually coming to detect something familiar about Fang Wei, although he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. After a moment, he began to wonder if he was just imagining it.
Silence reigned in the temple, and while the direct bloodline clan members sat there gloomily, there were Elders from other bloodlines who were smiling slightly. Finally, Grand Elder Fang Tongtian cleared his throat and then began to speak, his eyes shining.
“Well, since we have a disagreement regarding the Immortal’s cave and the medicinal pills, let’s put those matters aside for now. Hao’er, you are the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline, so I will take responsibility for you now. There will be no more discussion. You will be given the highest quality compensation from the clan.” With that, he waved his right hand, causing a jade slip to fly out and come to float in front of Meng Hao.
“Take this jade slip to the clan’s Hall of the People. That is where you can withdraw your monthly set cultivation resources.
“As for the Immortal’s cave….” The Grand Elder muttered to himself for a moment, then waved his hand, causing a gentle light to spread out, which rapidly solidified into a map.
There were various dots of glowing light on the map, each of which represented an Immortal’s cave. The closer the Immortal’s caves were to the center of the map, the stronger the auras they emitted. In the very center of them all was a lake, which was none other than Brightmoon Lake.
“Hao’er, go ahead and select an Immortal’s cave from among the ones you see here. The dim lights represent Immortal’s caves that have already been spoken for.” As the Grand Elder spoke, about eighty percent of the lights on the map went dark. Not many were left behind. There were still a few next to Brightmoon Lake, but most were located in other areas, and especially along the edges.
All eyes were on Meng Hao, and most of the onlookers seemed concerned, although it was impossible to tell whether such feelings were true or false.
Meng Hao was silent for a moment, then clasped hands and bowed to the Grand Elder.
“Grand Elder, Junior has come to Planet East Victory upon my father’s request to take my two Nirvana Fruits. I don’t really care about Immortal’s caves or medicinal pills. I don’t need them. I just want my Nirvana Fruits.” Having directly spoken these words, Meng Hao gazed at the Grand Elder.
Complete silence filled the temple.
Finally, the Grand Elder waved his hand as if he couldn’t accept Meng Hao’s refusal of the Immortal’s cave and other things.
“Hao’er, you just got back to the clan,” he said, his voice kind. “You need some time to get familiar with everything. An Immortal’s cave, cultivation resources, and those medicinal pills are things that, as a member of the Fang Clan, belong to you by right.
“Regarding the Nirvana Fruits, fear not, they’re yours. Naturally, they will be returned to you. I personally promised your father exactly that when he left.
“Don’t worry about that matter. Although, it is a significant affair. Two days from now, I will make an announcement throughout the entire clan, inviting clan members here to bear witness to the returning of the Nirvana Fruits into your hands.”
Meng Hao didn’t respond. Originally, he didn’t have any desire to come to the Fang Clan. Now that he was here, and he understood the situation, he was even less willing to stay.
In fact, he was even of a mind to simply leave right then and there. However, when he thought of his parents’ hopes, he took a deep breath, and a fierce glow appeared in his eyes for a brief moment. He nodded, and then decided to say one more thing.
“Grand Elder, there is also an Immortality Illumination Vine that my father had prepared for me. Could you please return that to me as well?”
Before the Grand Elder could even respond, the white-robed Fang Wei’s voice could be heard.
“I regret to inform you that I’ve already made arrangements for that Immortality Illumination Vine as well,” he said coolly.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Meng Hao’s eyes sparkled with icy coldness. He looked over at Fang Wei, smiled slightly, and then began to speak.
“Junior Cousin Fang Wei,” he said, his voice ice cold despite his smile, “apparently, I beat the crap out of you too hard when we were young. That’s the only explanation for why you’ve become such a nutcase. Otherwise, what would possibly make you think it was acceptable to steal from me?” 1
When Fang Wei heard this, his eyes glowed with icy coldness as he stared dead at Meng Hao.
1. In chapter 800 it talked about Meng Hao bullying Fang Wei when they were both children