Chapter 1800: Blindy Fang
After a long silence, the Huofeng elder suddenly began chuckling. At that moment, his laughter gave the disciples of the Huofeng Branch boundless courage.
"Clan Leader, after enduring for so many years, you finally can't hold back anymore, can you?" The Huofeng elder smiled faintly. "I said it long ago. If a child from a poor family became clan leader, then sooner or later his heart would lean toward the poor families, and he would never treat the Hechuan Fang Clan fairly."
The older generation of the Huofeng Branch immediately began echoing his words while staring coldly at Fang Longshan, clearly unwilling to compromise.
"Fang Longshan, let me ask you something," said the Huofeng elder, addressing Fang Longshan directly by his name this time. "The businesses our Huofeng Branch possesses today, didn't we build them with our own hands? These are the fruits of effort accumulated over generations by our Huofeng Branch. What right do you have to play the good man and distribute our hard-earned achievements to others? Just because some poor children within the Hechuan Fang Clan happen to be hardworking and talented?"
His gaze swept toward Fang Yue as he smiled. "The efforts of a single generation amount to nothing."
These words struck directly at the heart of the matter and instantly filled the Huofeng Branch with confidence and pride.
Fang Longshan sighed softly. "Although that may be true, there is a fundamental issue behind all this. Do you truly intend to pretend ignorance?"
"What fundamental issue? Go ahead and explain," the Huofeng elder replied indifferently.
Fang Longshan sneered. "Over these years, the Huofeng Branch has continuously joined forces with outsiders through marriages and alliances. With that network of connections, your businesses naturally expanded larger and larger. At the same time, you steadily compressed the livelihoods of the other three branches. Only after years of accumulation did the situation become what it is today. And why are the other three branches unwilling to follow your path? Because we all know what outsiders truly desire. What they want is nothing more than the Blazing Fist.
"The Blazing Fist possesses one thousand and eighty variations. Yet by now, at least three to four hundred variations have already fallen into outsiders' hands, haven't they? If this continues, can it still be called our ancestral martial art? If Ancestor Fang Lie ever returns one day, he'll likely expel us all from the Fang Clan lineage!"
Fang Chen nodded. That was the true core of the issue. The Huofeng Branch had indeed become the strongest of the four branches through generations of effort. But intentionally or otherwise, they had also allowed portions of the Blazing Fist to leak outside the clan.
Meanwhile, the other three branches had fallen into their current miserable state because they refused to walk the same path as the Huofeng Branch. Yet the result had been disastrous. If no action was taken against the Huofeng Branch now, the other three branches would eventually disappear entirely.
And once that happened, there would no longer be anyone capable of restraining the Huofeng Branch from completely leaking all one thousand and eighty variations of the Blazing Fist.
The elders of the other two branches could not help but nod, and the disciples around them glared toward the Huofeng Branch. They had suppressed the resentment in their hearts for far too many years.
Meanwhile, the Huofeng Branch suddenly appeared somewhat guilty. Their previously soaring morale instantly diminished, the red glow fading from their faces as their eyes flickered uncertainly.
The Huofeng elder calmly looked at Fang Longshan. "You have no evidence for anything you just said."
Fang Longshan sighed softly. "Simply changing the name doesn't mean what you leaked isn't the Blazing Fist. The Blazing Fist is a foundational martial art. In all of Great Zhou, how many clans even possess such a martial art? One can probably count them on ten fingers. The Blazing Fist is the very foundation of our Fang Clan, the core that cannot be shaken. Your Huofeng Branch... has overstepped its bounds. Hand over seventy percent of your businesses to the other three branches, and I will no longer pursue this matter."
The Huofeng Branch's elder chuckled. "Fang Longshan, Fang Longshan... look at yourself. You are nothing but a joke. In Great Zhou, strength reigns supreme. The Fang Clan is no exception. Look at the younger generation today. Can your three branches compare to my Huofeng Branch? Among the tens of thousands of disciples, ninety percent belong to the Huofeng Branch. And yet you, a clan leader born to a poor family, think you can shake the foundation of the Huofeng Branch?
"Who do you think you are? Just because you're a Martial King? Above Martial Kings stand Martial Saints. And above Martial Saints stand divine ability users. You are not an invincible existence. So what makes you think the Huofeng Branch will simply allow itself to be manipulated by you?"
"A Martial King... still isn't enough?" Fang Longshan murmured softly to himself.
"How could a Martial King possibly be enough?" The Huofeng elder sighed as he looked toward the sky. "It's going to rain."
In the next instant, the previously clear skies suddenly became overcast. Then a fine drizzle began to fall.
The crowd was stunned. For a moment, they thought the Huofeng elder had gained the ability to control the weather itself. But that couldn't be. That was within the realms of divine ability users.
Soon, however, they discovered a figure approaching through the rain. Clouds and mist swirled beneath the man's feet as he descended from the sky.
Everyone gasped at his sight. Even the disciples of the Huofeng Branch wore expressions of shock upon seeing this scene. Terror filled everyone's eyes.
"A divine ability user!"
"Why would a divine ability user come here!?"
"He can manipulate rain and mist... could he be from the Hechuan Wang Clan!?"
As far as they knew, only the Hechuan Wang Clan possessed a divine ability user who had once returned from the outside world. That divine ability user had already lived for countless years and possessed the ability to command rain and mist.
Fang Longshan sighed softly, his gaze subconsciously drifting toward Fang Chen.
Meanwhile, Fang Yue's face had already turned pale. He truly had not expected the Huofeng elder to invite a divine ability user from the Wang Clan. To persuade such an existence to personally come here, what kind of price had the Huofeng Branch paid?
The first thing Fang Yue thought of was the complete inheritance of the Blazing Fist.
At that moment, Fang Sheng had already helped the Huofeng elder rise to his feet. The two walked several steps forward.
The Huofeng elder cupped his fist respectfully toward the divine ability user descending through the rain and mist. "Greetings, Ancestor Wang."
The disciples of the Huofeng Branch exchanged glances before hurriedly standing to bow as well. The contrast between them and the disciples of the other three branches, who remained unmoving, was incredibly stark.
At this moment, the Hechuan Fang Clan had clearly split apart entirely.
In the blink of an eye, the newcomer landed on the ground. The clouds and mist around him dispersed, yet the fine rain in the sky continued falling. However, whenever the rain approached within a foot of his body, it naturally slid aside. This too was clearly the method of a divine ability user.
A faint smile formed on Fang Chen's face. "Quite dense water-element energy."
The man's method was utterly ordinary. Within the Nine Mortal Realms, it was merely the simplest of five-element control arts.
"Today, I have come as a witness. Resolve the grievances within your Fang Clan as quickly as possible."
The newcomer did not even glance at Fang Longshan. He spoke only to the Huofeng elder.
The Huofeng elder nodded before turning toward Fang Longshan. "Fang Longshan, you should surrender the position of clan leader. At the same time, hand over all one thousand and eighty variations of the complete Blazing Fist into Fang Sheng's hands."
He patted Fang Sheng's shoulder and looked toward the disciples of the four branches. "From today onward, Fang Sheng shall become the new clan leader of the Hechuan Fang Clan."
The disciples of the Huofeng Branch immediately cupped their fists and shouted in unison, their voices shaking the mountain, "Greetings, Clan Leader Fang Sheng!"
Meanwhile, the other three branches exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions becoming incomparably grave. The Huofeng Branch had actually brought in a divine ability user from the Wang Clan. With such overwhelming external support, a new clan leader might really be elected today.
"So your Huofeng Branch really has joined forces with outsiders," Fang Longshan sighed softly.
"You forced us into this." The Huofeng elder smiled faintly. "Ever since you became clan leader, you've insisted on elevating the poor families while suppressing our Huofeng Branch. Over half a year ago, you even intended to target Fang Ji, forcing him to follow..."
His gaze swept toward Fang Chen as he sneered.
"A blind man practicing meditation methods? Wasn't that simply an intentional attempt to destroy the foundation of our Huofeng Branch?"
Fang Sheng also looked toward Fang Chen and could not help but laugh. "Blindy Fang, I don't know what your background is, but you've been following Fang Longshan around pretending to be mysterious. Now that we're all gathered today, can you still continue deceiving the heavens and fooling the rest of us?"