The fake prince was exposed at the beginning, and I took office as emperor on the spot

Chapter 174 Life is full of unexpected encounters (Part 3)

Jiangnan, Gushu Road.

Amidst the mountains and rivers, a tall, lean, and refined man emerged from the ground, dressed in a black robe, his gaze icy, standing with his hands behind his back.

He raised his hand and put on a heavy, black iron mask, covering his face.

This tall man was none other than Gu Yuye.

Or rather, it was the second puppet clone he placed in Jiangnan.

Given Gu Yuye's cautious nature, he would naturally not put all his eggs in one basket.

Of the three clones, one was the one used normally, but it had already been killed by Gu Fangchen using a "secret technique".

One of them was near Huangtian City, and now it has become a common sight.

This body is in Gushu.

Jiangnan is the economic heartland of the Great Wei Dynasty, and also the most active place for the Demonic Sect. Since he is cooperating with the Demonic Sect, he naturally needs to keep a close eye on the situation.

Of course, the locations of these three clones are constantly changing and they will not remain in one place for a long time to ensure absolute safety.

Now, only two remain.

Although he has a final insurance policy, he will not use it unless absolutely necessary.

Gu Yuye became increasingly cautious, and unless the matter was truly urgent, he would not allow this clone to take action.

And now, it is clearly that crucial moment.

"Whoosh-"

Gu Yuye took a step forward and disappeared from the spot.

In a short while, he arrived at the Weichuan Chamber of Commerce and was led by the "Love" Daoist followers who had been prepared in advance to the secret room where the Demonic Sect was discussing matters.

Gu Yuye's gaze was solemn, and he harbored an unprecedentedly strong killing intent in his heart.

The sky is high and the emperor is far away.

If Gu Fangchen were to appear before him right now, he would kill her without hesitation!

But now is clearly not the time... Gu Yuye suppressed his emotions and narrowed his eyes.

"I wonder what these lunatics are planning this time..."

This gathering of the leaders of the Demonic Sect involves a major adjustment to their future plans, and can be considered crucial.

Especially since Gu Yuandao's reputation has been exposed due to his collusion with the Demonic Sect, and with Master Juehui's certification, it has plummeted and there is basically no chance of a comeback.

This caused all their past plans to fail, and they needed to activate a backup plan to seize the nation's destiny.

The Demonic Cult's "Ten Ascending Paths" went to such great lengths, but their true purpose was actually only one thing.

It was to reverse the Heavenly Stems and use the nation's fortune to break the seal on Ying Baishou's physical body and open half of the Heavenly Gate.

Although the various leaders of the Demonic Sect had their own ulterior motives and completely different goals during this process.

But the ultimate goal, and the biggest reason for bringing them together, is just the sentence mentioned above.

Among the ten members of the Demonic Cult, some sought power, some wanted to destroy the world, some wanted to satisfy their thirst for knowledge, some needed an answer, and some wanted to realize their ambitions...

In any case, the first requirement for them to do what they want is to acquire enough power to clear away all obstacles.

But standing in their way was an insurmountable mountain: Xie Qian, the "Sage of Confucianism"!
At their level, several Dao Lords are only one step away from the First Rank.

But as long as Xie Qian is around, they will never be able to take that one step!
Ordinary people only thought that the "half of the country" only restricted the cultivation level of the Qingman people, and was a protective barrier for the Great Wei, making great contributions to the country and the nation.

Only cultivators like them, who have already glimpsed the threshold of the first rank, understand this.

There can be an infinite number of second-rank officials, but theoretically there can only be one first-rank official.

Because of the first rank, it has broken through the limitations of time and space, and can transcend countless ages to achieve its desired goal.

If the first person to reach the first rank has any ambitions, he could easily kill anyone who is about to be promoted to the first rank.

However, this is actually just a guess by the "Six Star Lords" and the "Thousand-Year-Old Man".

After all, they had never been to Yipin before and didn't know the cost of doing so.

However, this conclusion was not made out of thin air; it was based on the results calculated by the "Six Star Lords".

No matter how things evolve, the path to the future is already blocked. No matter what they do, they will eventually have to fight this Confucian sage at the end.

In other words, what the Jiangshan Half-Wall can lock up is definitely not just the cultivation level of the Qingman people.

The Great Wei itself can also be locked up!

In the eyes of the Demonic Sect, the only way to break through the blockade was through the "Heavenly Gate," where there was still a glimmer of hope!
The theory of "revealing" the Dao is that behind the "Heavenly Gate" lies a higher level of power, which may very well be the true Dao of Heaven.

Once unlocked, one can transcend the first-grade limit and directly comprehend the Dao.

At that time, what will Xie Qian be?
Although this method seems like a rootless duckweed, it is highly likely that the old man would rather die in meditation than break through to the first rank in order to seal the Heavenly Gate!
If the discovery of the secret hadn't led to chaos, how could this former sword saint have been so extreme?

Theory exists, practice begins.

The day of "revealing" the truth has finally arrived, because before the Sword Saint opened the Heavenly Gate, their theories were dismissed as heresy and nonsense, and even within the Demonic Sect, few believed them.

But now, after being indirectly proven by Ying Baishou, the status of "Jiedao" is rising steadily, and he seems to be becoming a spiritual leader.

My collaboration with Gu Yuye began twenty years ago.

The evil cult needs to find a righteous person with a completely innocent background under the watchful eye of the Confucian sage, and gradually build up merits and gather the wishes of all people.

To create another chaotic spectacle, to fool the people's faith, and to create a new saint in the increasingly decadent and corrupt Great Wei.

This saint must be without blemish, and even need Xie Qian's own approval, in order to withstand the enormous power of vows artificially created by the demonic sect.

When the time is right, when the weight of these aspirations exceeds the weight of the Great Wei Emperor in people's hearts, then the aspirations will become the fate of the nation!
Gu Yuye, however, was ambitious and had pretended to be honest for so many years. Seeing that Emperor Yong'an was becoming increasingly senile and was using power politics to drive away the loyal ministers of Wei, he had long coveted the dragon throne.

The two sides hit it off immediately.

The person chosen was Gu Yuandao, who was still in his mother's womb at the time.

Gu Yuye knew perfectly well that in the Demonic Sect's plan, Gu Yuandao was nothing more than a vessel for the nation's destiny.

In short, if the Demonic Sect wants to break through the seal of Tianmen Mountain by taking advantage of the nation's fortune, it needs to create a nuclear bomb with power comparable to a first-grade expert.

Gu Yuandao is the nuclear warhead.

Once it's thrown out... the consequences are self-evident.

But he didn't care at all.

Regardless, he prided himself on his superior abilities and intellect, believing that his contributions to the Great Wei Dynasty were no better than those who held positions without doing any work.

Is that old and frail crown prince more suitable for the position than him?

Of course not!
To realize this plan, the first step is to deceive Emperor Yong'an and the Confucian sage, ensuring that Gu Yuandao's resume is clean enough and that he can grow up.

Fortunately, the Confucian sage was still in seclusion, and could not be omniscient and omnipotent based on a single thought.

Thus, the real and fake crown princes were switched.

The evil sect did this, and Gu Yuandao, as the victim, could he possibly have colluded with the evil sect, giving up a life of wealth and comfort to become a student who studied hard and got to where he is today?

He is definitely innocent; he is a righteous and upright man who wholeheartedly pursues the Way!
According to their original plan, as long as they smeared all the blame on Gu Fangchen and killed him, Gu Yuandao would be completely innocent. After a few more years of maneuvering, their great plan could be accomplished!
But when it came to the most crucial, yet also the least suspenseful, step of switching the two people back, something went wrong.

Not only did Gu Fangchen survive, but she also left a hidden danger for the Demonic Sect to expose its secrets.

This also led to the exposure of Gu Yuandao's actions, and his plan to create a sage was completely ruined!

Now, their most perfect plan is no longer feasible, and they can only activate the backup plan.

The Demonic Cult's backup plan, however, is more direct, riskier, and more difficult.

This backup plan has two steps.

Firstly, they joined forces with the Qingman and broke through "half of the country".

Secondly, it instigated uprisings, directly accelerating the collapse of the Great Wei Dynasty.

Beset by internal and external troubles, the nation's fortunes will begin to slip away, and they will then seize them again under the guise of a rebel army.

At that time, they will have to face the Imperial Advisor Xu Fu, which is equivalent to a direct head-on confrontation.

Compared to creating a new sage and proceeding gradually, this plan is obviously too risky and would be very easy for Xie Qian to intercept.

However, on the other hand, since the Demonic Sect has always been known for creating chaos, it would be a feasible way to cover up their purpose of breaking through the Heavenly Gate Seal by using the overthrow of the Great Wei Kingdom as a cover.

However... there's no other way now.

As their long-term ally and an important part of the Qingman defense line, Gu Yuye naturally remains the main force in this backup plan.

His previous collaboration with Qingman was also to ensure a seamless transition to the backup plan should the Sage Plan fail.

However, Qingman no longer trusts Gu Yuye because of Gu Fangchen's interference last time.

If Gu Yuye wants to regain their trust, he needs to offer them some more incentives.

"In any case, we must first eliminate Gu Fangchen, this unstable factor, before we can proceed with the plan with peace of mind..."

Gu Yuye remained expressionless, then suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The door to the secret room ahead opened for a moment, and a fat, greasy man walked out, carrying an unconscious, alluring woman in black. She looked completely unfamiliar.

He naturally recognized the fat man; he was Guan Yue, a high-ranking figure in the "emotional" realm.

However, he had absolutely no recollection of the woman in his arms.

Gu Yuye frowned, a hint of doubt flashing through his mind.

Why would a strange woman suddenly appear at the gathering of the Demonic Sect's leaders? Judging from her cultivation level, she seems to be only at the fourth rank.
Gu Yuye reached out to stop him and asked in a deep voice:

"Who is this person? Why are there other people here when the Dao Lord is discussing matters?"

When Guan Yue saw Gu Yuye, a strange look flashed across her face.

But he didn't say much, just chuckled twice, nudged the person in his hand, and explained in a sarcastic tone:

"This person is audacious enough to impersonate the Dao Master of my 'Path of Love' and attempt to seize the position of Dao Master!"

"Fortunately, the Dao Lord returned in time and saw through his true identity, otherwise this person would have taken advantage of the situation and substituted someone else!" Guan Yue said, but she herself found it quite unbelievable.

She appeared calm and cooperative with Gu Fangchen on the surface, but in reality, she was the one who was most surprised.

Only she knew that the person inside was Gu Fangchen, and the one in her hand was their true Dao Master.

However, it now seems that the Dao Lord they have revered for so long is actually a fake!
Within their own "Path of Love," they were unaware that the leader of the "Path of Love" had been replaced. Yet Gu Fangchen seemed to have known the truth beforehand, and so brazenly came to replace him in person...

It makes them, these people who are into "love," seem less like genuine "love" figures than Gu Fangchen!

But in a sense...

Gu Fangchen's identity as the Dao Master is actually quite legitimate.

Anyway, their so-called "love" is nothing more than swindling and cheating.
"..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuye's face twitched, and he was speechless.

Although it sounds exaggerated, this kind of thing really does seem like something that someone with a "romantic" nature would do...

These lunatics always have these sudden, violent illnesses; otherwise, how could they be called a demonic cult?
The only thing to be doubted is whether the one being brought out now is a fake Dao Lord, or just someone from the "Love" Dao who turned the real one into a fake one in order to usurp the throne.

However, whether it's true or false, it doesn't really concern him.

As long as the Demonic Sect can be successfully unified and the established plan can be completed, that will suffice.

Gu Yuye turned his head away and looked away.

Guan Yue shrugged, picked up Ying Liangxin, and left.

Gu Yuye's brows furrowed even deeper. For some reason, he felt that Guan Yue's gaze towards him was very strange.

That strange smile wasn't mocking, but rather more like someone who had thought of something funny...

A sinister glint flashed in Gu Yuye's eyes.

These people who are obsessed with "love" are always so annoying.

When he succeeds, he will kill all these eyesores sooner or later!
He took a deep breath, opened the door to the secret room, and stepped inside.

……

The various demonic sect leaders, whose auras were as deep as a bottomless abyss and as imposing as a mountain, lined up in a circle and all raised their heads to look at Gu Yuye who had just entered. These demons and monsters had at least tens of thousands of lives on their hands, and their gazes were cold and oppressive.

But Gu Yuye was no ordinary person. He stood with his hands behind his back, scanning each Dao Lord on the field, and then stopped at a very familiar face.

He knew this face all too well. For the past nineteen years, although he hadn't cared about this substitute at all, they had still spent so much time together as father and son.

Recently, some people have even expressed a strong desire to tear the owner of that face apart with their bare hands.

However, that familiar face could never appear here!
They absolutely cannot appear here!

Gu Fangchen raised an eyebrow, grinned brightly, and waved at Gu Yuye:

"Hello."

He sighed and said, "It's true what they say, life is full of unexpected encounters, isn't it, Gu Yuye? You didn't expect to see me again so soon, did you?"

Gu Yuye: "...?! ...

The dignified military strategist, the Prince of Zhenbei who commanded an army of 500,000 in the Great Wei, suddenly seemed to have been struck by something unclean. His pupils contracted, and he revealed an expression of seeing a ghost!

If before he only thought Gu Fangchen was cunning and shrewd, now he really felt something was off!
How the hell could such a thing happen?!

Where is this place?
This is the damn headquarters of the evil cult!

Five Dao Lords stood guard nearby, eyeing the area covetously; half of the Demonic Sect's forces were present.

What is the relationship between the Demonic Sect and Gu Fangchen?
Nineteen years ago, his identity was switched, and Gu Fangchen was made to be his substitute, which left him a cripple.

Nineteen years later, in order to put Gu Yuandao in power, they assassinated Gu Fangchen multiple times.

They're sworn enemies, the kind that's irreconcilable!
And here he was, seeing Gu Fangchen standing in the position that belonged to the leader of the Demonic Sect, smiling and greeting him!
If he weren't a third-grade cultivator, certain that his perception wouldn't be wrong and that he wouldn't confuse reality with dreams, he would have doubted whether he was dreaming!

But it's clear he's absolutely not mistaken!

Gu Yuye immediately exploded, his aura radiating outwards as he stared intently at Gu Fangchen:
"You little beast! I didn't even go looking for you! Instead, you walked right into my trap?!"

"Since you're unwilling to live a few more days, I'll grant your wish today!"

After saying that, he disappeared from the spot and slashed down at Gu Fangchen with his sword!
Although Gu Yuye's sword strike was hasty, he used all his strength, slashing through the air and leaving behind a profound and mysterious sword light.

With this sword strike, Gu Fangchen, given her cultivation level, would surely die!

"Keng!"

Gu Fangchen's smile remained unchanged. The "Bad Gentleman" beside her stood still, raising his longsword to block Gu Yuye's attack. He looked at the latter and said calmly:
"Gu Yuye, take a good look at where you are."

"Chichi..."

Gu Yuye felt the sword in his hand making a teeth-grinding crunching sound. The scarlet color spread from the "Bad Lord" sword, corroding the blade at an extremely fast speed, and quickly reached his hand. The anger in his heart instantly turned into horror.

"Clang!"

He immediately released his grip, and the sword fell to the ground, quickly turning into a piece of rusty iron. A cold sweat broke out on his back, but he calmed down a little.

He was already aware of the terrifying swordsmanship and poison skills of "Bad Lord", but had never faced them head-on.

Today, I finally understand...

The sword in Gu Yuye's hand was already of the highest quality, yet it couldn't withstand even a breath of poison from "Yu Baigong's" sword.

What's more, he didn't even see "Bad Duke" draw his sword just now!

He took a deep breath.

If he were to face "the defeated Duke", he would probably have no chance of winning without using his full strength... He is indeed formidable.

But Gu Yuye's shock and killing intent did not subside. He retreated rapidly, glanced at the smiling Gu Fangchen, and then looked at "the defeated scoundrel":
"I know exactly where I am, otherwise what would I be doing here? But what do you mean by this?"

Gu Yuye pointed at Gu Fangchen and said angrily:

"You all better explain why Gu Fangchen is here. Could it be that you arranged for him to be here?"

"Of course not!"

The charcoal seller explained:

"Your Highness misunderstands. This is not Gu Fangchen, but the Dao Master of the 'Love' Dao. Someone impersonated him just now, so he used the 'Mirage Formation' to disguise himself as Gu Fangchen to prove his identity."

Gu Yuye didn't believe such nonsense at all. He was 100% certain that the person in front of him was Gu Fangchen!

He said coldly:

"That little bastard is cunning; don't be fooled by him!"

"This guy is definitely Gu Fangchen! There's no mistake! Kill him now, and our plan will be foolproof!"

The "Six Star Lords" frowned:
"Gu Yuye, are you saying that the five of us are not as good as your eyesight alone?"

"Don't you even have this basic judgment?"

The leader of the "Craftsmanship" path nodded and chuckled.
“I understand Your Highness’s feelings, but this person is indeed the Master of the Path of Love, there is no mistake. Gu Fangchen absolutely does not have such ability.”

Gu Yuye looked around and saw that they all believed it without a doubt. His expression was very ugly, but even his originally very confident heart began to waver.

This is clearly the perfect time!

Gu Fangchen came to us herself. Killing her would eliminate all potential threats. How did these people get bewitched?

But there were five Dao Lords right in front of them, and these people didn't react at all to Gu Fangchen, who was standing right in front of them!

Could it be... that he really made a mistake?
Seeing his hesitation, the "Six Star Lords" seemed to have calmed down a bit, and shook their heads, saying:

"Just now, he demonstrated the depth of his mastery of the 'Mirage Formation', and even when he disguised himself as the 'Four Phases Calamity Lord,' there were no flaws."

"This is far beyond Gu Fangchen's capabilities, so you can rest assured."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuye was slightly taken aback, and his anger was greatly extinguished.

If it were just a disguise, it would naturally be done by Gu Fangchen.

But how could someone disguise himself as the "Four Phases Calamity Lord" without revealing any flaws in front of five Dao Lords?

This certainly doesn't seem like something Gu Fangchen would do...

If he truly possessed such abilities, he could have easily used disguise to break through the previous predicament of the true and false heirs.

Why bother seeking help from various parties within the Prince's Palace?

At this moment, Gu Fangchen finally raised an eyebrow and smiled:
"Gu Yuye, can my disguise be described as flawless? Just now I made a bet with the Dao Lords, to see if you could see through my disguise... It seems that the result is already known."

As soon as Gu Yuye heard him speak, a murderous intent surged in his heart.

Seeing that the other Dao Lords around him nodded in approval, he suppressed his doubts and said in a deep voice:
“I have met the Dao Master of the ‘Love’ Dao… but she doesn’t have your abilities. How can you say that the one you asked to leave was the fake?”

The Six Star Lords said calmly:

"Since he has won, then he is the Dao Lord."

The implication is that they all agree, so even if it's fake, it's real.

"The Degenerate Duke" sheathed his sword and echoed:
"You still don't know the master's name?"

Gu Fangchen said without changing her expression:
You may call me 'Feiwei'.

He added with a smile: "The 'feiwei' in 'huzuofeiwei' (meaning to act recklessly and improperly).

"We people who are passionate about love have always been like this."

"The Degenerate Duke" paused for a moment, then subconsciously repeated in his mind:
“‘Not the Lord of the Dao’…”

The word '非为'... besides meaning to act recklessly, when taken out and combined with the following words, doesn't it mean "not"?

This guy is practically admitting he's not a Dao Lord!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: I've fixed some minor bugs from the previous text, but they don't affect the plot much.

I've been thinking about changing the book title lately... I'm terrible at coming up with names. It took me a lot of effort to come up with this title, but now... I still can't think of a good one. How about we brainstorm together?
(End of this chapter)