Infiltration

"Everyone, keep your composure. Fight and fall back, into Green Ridge Stronghold."

Fang Yuan knew he was being misunderstood by the Fang Family clansmen, but he didn't bother to explain—this was exactly the effect he wanted.

The steward hidden in the shadows had long since informed him of the situation here.

The Eleventh Elder had struck the gates of Green Ridge Stronghold early on, directly raising a gale of true qi to shatter the entrance.

Such an act naturally drew the attention of the First Chief of Green Ridge Stronghold.

He came out to meet the battle, deliberately luring the Eleventh Elder away to avoid the aftershocks of the fight damaging the stronghold.

After all, the power of a Foundation Building Realm cultivator was enough to destroy a small city—utterly formidable.

"It's the Fifth Chief! The Fifth Chief is back!"

Green Ridge Stronghold had been under heavy pressure, and now seeing the Fifth Chief alive, their morale naturally surged with excitement.

"Old Fifth is still alive?"

Not far off, the First Chief of Green Ridge Stronghold, facing two Fang Family stewards alone, still handled them with ease, not losing ground.

"Back to the stronghold!"

With the First Chief absent, Green Ridge Stronghold naturally followed the Second Chief's orders without question.

The Fang Family held the upper hand in strength; a pure bloodbath offered no advantage at all. Xiong Yuan's decision to withdraw was decisive.

He had originally come out to support the First Chief, but who knew the Fang Family would send so many strong fighters.

"Damn it, those bastards have crawled back into their turtle shell again."

Several of the Fang Family's powerful stewards reached the broken gates of Green Ridge Stronghold but could only stop helplessly, cursing loudly.

Because a formation shrouded the area; pressing forward would invite unknown dangers.

Like falling boulders from the sky, spears thrust from behind, or even arrows as dense as a rainstorm—some real, some fake, impossible to guard against.

Of course, the most important thing was this.

Green Ridge Stronghold's terrain was easy to defend and hard to attack, and at the gate, there was also a Xiantian Realm ninth-layer divine archer, shooting cold arrows from the shadows.

He was the one who could truly threaten the Fang Family stewards; one misstep could mean severe injury or even death.

"Relying on the terrain advantage, we'd need at least double the numbers and strength to break through Green Ridge Stronghold."

The stewards who had retreated wore grim expressions.

This expedition represented the Fang Family's face; with strength surpassing Green Ridge Stronghold, failing to breach it for so long.

Bad rumors would spread in the city, harming the family's reputation, and they would face punishment, losing face.

"Can we only hope the Eleventh Elder kills the bandit leader?"

For a moment, a heavy atmosphere hung over everyone's hearts.

"That's right—have you seen the Young Master?"

"The Young Master hasn't arrived yet. Nothing's happened to him, has it?"

"It shouldn't have. I saw Fang Hai not long ago; he was asking around here for some news."

Fang Hai was one of the three stewards who had traveled with Fang Yuan.

"Look, over there is Fang Hai. We can ask him." A steward pointed at Fang Hai, who was still chasing down fleeing bandits.

"I hope the Young Master is safe."

Fang Hai watched the disguised Fang Yuan and the others leave; to outsiders, it looked like regret over not killing the bandits.

"What did you say? The Young Master disguised himself as a bandit and entered Green Ridge Stronghold!"

Over twenty Fang Family stewards gathered together, listening to Fang Hai relay the plan, all wide-eyed.

"The Young Master is of such noble status—if anything happens to him in there, who among us can take responsibility?"

Though the stewards were shocked by Fang Yuan's scheme, risking his own life like this truly made their hearts hang.

"Green Ridge Stronghold still has eight or nine Xiantian Realm cultivators, all fierce bandits above the seventh layer. Have you thought through the consequences?"

Facing the accusations, Fang Hai felt helpless inside.

He had tried to dissuade him at first, but it was useless—the man's status and position were what they were.

Was he supposed to defy his superior?

Besides, he really couldn't beat him.

"What did you say? You're no match for the Young Master?"

Fang Hai was at the Xiantian Realm eighth layer and had already perfected the martial technique Mountain Overturning Palm, unafraid even of a ninth-layer opponent.

"The Young Master repaired his dantian not long ago—how could his cultivation have grown so fast?"

Many stewards looked at Fang Hai with suspicion, thinking he was making excuses.

Fang Hai could only complain bitterly; if he hadn't fought him personally, he wouldn't have believed it either!

Before the Azure Cloud Sect trial, Fang Yuan was only at the Xiantian Realm fourth layer—barely half a year ago at most.

Breaking through four or five levels of cultivation in one go—it was simply unheard of!

Thinking back, even breaking through a single level within three to five years was considered fast for them.

Seeing Fang Hai's resolute expression, some stewards began to wonder—could he have been practicing forbidden arts?

But they had never heard of any forbidden art producing such remarkable results!

"The Young Master's talent is beyond what we can imagine."

Fang Siping was formidable in strength and held considerable sway among the stewards; his stance effectively set the tone.

"We should resolutely carry out the Young Master's plan!"

When Fang Yuan was at the mining grounds, he had already roughly grasped the terrain of Green Ridge Stronghold, the distribution of its experts, and identified its weak points.

To breach it from the outside would require a Foundation Building Realm cultivator to act personally; otherwise, the cost would be enormous.

Things developed just as he had predicted—the stronghold remained unbreached after prolonged assault.

But there was one thing he did not know: Green Ridge Stronghold also had a formation, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty of breaking in!

Often, the sturdiest fortresses were breached from within.

Fang Yuan planned to enter Green Ridge Stronghold and act at night, using minimal losses to coordinate an inside-out attack.

"I agree with the inside-out approach, but waiting until nightfall won't work."

Fang Siping analyzed: "They can enter Green Ridge Stronghold by disguising themselves, but they absolutely cannot fool anyone for long."

"Even if they know the situation inside well and disguise themselves perfectly, there will still be flaws."

The stewards nodded in agreement.

"Therefore, I believe we should immediately reorganize our forces and attack Green Ridge Stronghold again!"

"Let the external pressure reduce the internal pressure."

Naturally, no one opposed this decision. Soon, the Fang Family regrouped and launched another charge.

At the same time.

Fang Yuan, having infiltrated Green Ridge Stronghold, swept his gaze across the surroundings and noticed many bandits clad in heavy armor, wielding sharp blades and longbows, patrolling in orderly formations.

"Looks like they've all undergone specialized training. Rough estimate—over two hundred men."

Blades and longbows could be bought in nearby cities as long as one had money.

But these suits of heavy armor were regulated items in the Great Zhou Dynasty; without connections, it was impossible to acquire so many.

Fang Yuan's eyes flickered. It seemed Green Ridge Stronghold's rise was no accident—someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

"Greetings, Fifth Chief!"

The White Face Hand of Clear Sea City was renowned for their mastery of disguise; their lifelike face masks had never been suspected by anyone.

And Fang Yuan had practiced techniques like bone shrinking in his clan, allowing him to make his physique roughly match.

"Fifth Chief, the Second Chief invites you to the Assembly Hall." A servant came to summon him.

Fang Yuan nodded. To avoid mishaps, he had only brought two disguised clan disciples inside.

The others had "died in battle" outside.

"Old Fifth, you're finally back! Your brothers missed you!"

In the Assembly Hall, the Second Chief walked over warmly and gave him a bear hug.

"What have you been up to all this time, staying away so long?"

The Second Chief's gaze suddenly sharpened.

The Fifth Chief had been absent for so long that Green Ridge Stronghold had already listed him as dead.

Now, his "return from the dead" was truly surprising.

Fang Yuan had already prepared his story. "I was planning to have some fun in the Prefecture City brothels, but I ran into government officials."

"Pity I lost quite a few brothers. I barely escaped with my life."