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

Chapter 176 Digging a Hole (Part 2)

As a player with all achievements, having witnessed the various escape routes of "King of Endurance," Gu Fangchen knows Gu Yuye all too well.

Although this guy is an extremely cunning and ruthless schemer, he will only choose the last resort to survive when all other options have failed.

Moreover, Gu Yuye always had a backup plan, and he could often give himself a respectable reason, so others always thought that he had his own difficulties.

Just like Gu Lianxian, even on her deathbed she still felt that Gu Yuye's defection to Qingman was out of necessity, a result of his perseverance and humiliation.

It's actually quite easy to push this cunning old fox to the brink of breaking his bottom line.

But it is very difficult to uncover his true colors, expose them to everyone, and cut off all his escape routes.

Gu Fangchen wanted not only Gu Yuye's death and obliteration, but also his complete disgrace.

Therefore, he needed to first get Gu Yuye on board.

Instead of making him feel like he has nowhere to retreat, we should point him to a bright and promising path!

This is the only path that Gu Yuye can take, allowing him to rise straight to the top and reach the position he desires most in one step.

Gu Yuye wasn't stupid. When he saw Gu Fangchen repeatedly mention the dragon vein and say that she would give him a great fortune, his heart skipped a beat and a guess popped into his head.

But he quickly suppressed his thoughts, remained calm, looked at Gu Fangchen expressionlessly, and said in a deep voice:
"Master Feiwei, please speak frankly. I, Gu Yuye, have reached my current position step by step through solid military achievements. My cultivation to this point is also due to the reward of hard work by Heaven. It is not up to others to bestow good fortune upon me!"

His words were impolite, partly because Gu Fangchen's wording clearly conveyed an arrogant and condescending attitude.

Although Gu Yuye is a third-rank cultivator, no one would really regard him as a third-rank cultivator.

It's still uncertain whether his true form has actually appeared in public yet. Since all three of his clones are at the third rank, his true form's strength is definitely not just that of an ordinary third rank person.

They have always been treated equally among this group of Dao Lords.

He's naturally unhappy when others try to outdo him, and he'll definitely retaliate.

"Hey, don't be in such a hurry."

"Please hear me out—"

Gu Fangchen smiled, glanced at all the Dao Lords present, took two steps forward, her expression turned serious, pointed to the map, and said:
"Don't blame me for being blunt, but the current 'Ten Ways' is nothing but a disorganized mess. It may seem powerful, but it's unlikely to amount to anything!"

Upon hearing this, the Dao Lords reacted with varying expressions, but their reactions were not particularly strong.

The "Six Star Lords" frowned. Although his words were a bit sharp, Gu Fangchen was actually not wrong.

The Ten Paths are a combination of several forces that rely on their consensus to suppress others with absolute power in order to control the situation.

In reality, there is constant infighting and little sense of cohesion.

As the original main member of this operation, the "charcoal seller" felt that Gu Fangchen's sudden appearance at this time must be to express her opinion to him.

Hearing his words of advice, I became even more certain.

Their plan this time has two aspects: first, to incite the Qing barbarians, and second, to coordinate uprisings in various places.

The phrase "a pile of loose sand" refers to someone who is clearly disorganized.

This guy... relying on his "mirage formation" to make a name for himself, now he wants to seize the right to speak.

They're really in a hurry!

They were just caught off guard and startled. Now that they understand it is indeed a "mirage," do they really think they are afraid of this fake "Sea-Sea Karma Wheel"?
The charcoal seller said coldly:

"Do we need you to tell us this nonsense before we understand?"

“‘The Ten Paths’ are ten different paths. We have all done our best and compromised with each other to achieve the current situation. Yet you make these sarcastic remarks to diminish your own prestige. Do you have such extraordinary abilities that you can make everyone work together overnight?”

Gu Fangchen shook her head and said in a daze:
"Of course I don't have that ability. If I could cultivate the Dao of 'emotion' to that level, I could have gone and killed Xie Qian directly."

The charcoal seller sneered:

"Then why did you spout all that nonsense again?"

Gu Fangchen said calmly:
"When everyone is united, it's like an army formation; naturally, there are ways to play like an army formation."

"Even a pile of loose sand has ways to play."

“The Ten Roads are not an army. The rebels are only just beginning to gain momentum. Xiao Yinghao’s White Dragon Army was not severely damaged in the Battle of Qiu’an Road. On the contrary, its overall strength has increased. It returned with a great victory and its prestige is even greater than before. If she were to send some troops back to defend and suppress the uprising, and with the old emperor’s dispatch of the Blood-Clad Guards, it might be possible to drag on for at least three years.”

Gu Fangchen's expression remained unchanged as she analyzed:
"The Sword Pavilion now has a very good relationship with Gu Fangchen, and its influence has reached a new level. If Ning Songjun raises his arms and calls, a large number of cultivators will surely respond and assist the court."

"Moreover, there is also the Imperial Advisor Xu Fu behind us. We only have a few short years to truly shake the Great Wei."

"By the time Xu Fu reacts and cooperates with Yao Shan, it will be too late."

"We must concentrate all our efforts and press on with one decisive move."

"The longer the process takes, the harder it becomes to succeed!"

These are all the truths he's telling. Even if the players were on the side of the Demonic Sect, Xu Fu could have held out for thirty years on his own.

If things had unfolded as originally planned, the Demonic Cult's chances of winning would have been about 50/50.

Although they can win, it will definitely be a Pyrrhic victory.

After all, the emperor of Great Wei is the "Hengchang" Dao Master himself. He controls the change of dynasties and will definitely have the Demonic Sect put his chosen person on the throne to complete the "Hengchang Unchang" that connects the beginning and the end.

But the current evil cult doesn't know that...

With Gu Fangchen's involvement, the righteous forces, which had been weakened, were instead strengthened. Judging from the short-term development trend, the demonic sect was indeed in a precarious situation, and its chances of winning were further reduced.

The Demonic Sect was forced into this situation and had no choice but to adopt the backup plan, which had a do-or-die mentality.

Now that we've analyzed it this way, it seems like they're doomed to lose...

Gu Fangchen glanced around, noticing the slight change in their expressions, and softened her tone, saying:
"Therefore, although the current plan seems sound, in my opinion, it is not the kind of approach that suits a disorganized and disorganized group!"

"In the end, the 'millennial' was thinking too far ahead, forgetting that time is of the essence and things could change if things were delayed!"

The Demonic Cult's current plan was devised by An Qisheng, and the "Six Star Lords" will execute it in conjunction with the natal chart.

This self-proclaimed Qi cultivator, who claimed to have lived for thousands of years, was thorough in his thinking and provided a comprehensive plan. However, during execution, the Demonic Sect, being a disorganized group, was prone to problems.

If a plan is too detailed, it's almost impossible to make a mistake at any step.

The margin for error is too low!
Gu Fangchen's words were all based on reality and were completely in line with the actual situation of the Demonic Sect. The other Dao Lords initially thought he was boastful, but after listening to him, they found that he made a lot of sense.

Although his words were sharp, he genuinely seemed to be wholeheartedly considering their cause...

However, even though the charcoal seller knew that his concerns were not unfounded, he still didn't buy it:
"You've said so much, but you haven't said how to solve it. Isn't that just empty talk?"

Gu Fangchen raised an eyebrow and smiled:

"The solution... I've already told you." He raised his hand and waved it, and a new mark immediately appeared on the floating map.

The mark stretched across the entire Jiangnan Thirteen Roads, resembling a long dragon.

The charcoal seller was taken aback, his pupils contracting:

"This is the sixth dragon vein you mentioned?"

The others were also surprised.

They originally thought that this sixth dragon vein should be about the same size as the others.

Because the dragon veins that have long been abandoned have actually degenerated into ordinary earth veins, they are not very large. However, they still contain a small amount of residual willpower, which makes them special.

The dragon vein beneath Jian Ge, at most, only occupies a cave dragon lake.

But unexpectedly, this sixth hidden dragon vein was hundreds of times larger than the others!
This mark looks like a horizontal cut made across the middle of the Great Wei!

It's important to understand that the Great Wei Dynasty only has twenty-eight circuits, and Jiangnan accounts for thirteen of them, half of its area. It is the true heartland and an economically prosperous region. If one were to also control the dragon vein here…

Suddenly, everyone understood the attitude of this "non-action" Dao Lord, and why he dared to be so arrogant and bold, directly criticizing their original plan as worthless.

At the same time, their thoughts also fluctuated with the soaring dragon vein.

If this dragon vein is real, then it is indeed much better than the current plan!

No need for further planning or worry; once this dragon vein appears, the entire Great Wei will be thrown into chaos…

The Six Star Lords, with a solemn expression, pondered and said:
“My men did indeed collect a proverb left behind by ‘me’…”

This "I" refers to the karmic threads of the other "Six Star Lords" who are in the process of reincarnation.

Because the "Six Star Lords" had long ago divided themselves into six parts, and had to keep it a secret from Xu Fu, they could not directly give orders to their disciples, so they could only leave behind corresponding proverbs.

His disciples took it upon themselves to collect the proverbs left behind by the "Six Star Lords" through their karmic connections.

Many of these proverbs are cryptic and ambiguous, requiring interpretation to understand.

Therefore, even the "Six Star Lords" themselves would find it difficult to judge which ones are useful and which ones are not.

He only remembered that there was indeed a passage written in it just now when he heard Gu Fangchen mention the hidden dragon vein—

"East of the Southern Dipper, a blue dragon will rise."

If we connect the two, wouldn't that confirm the existence of the sixth dragon vein?

The expressions of the Dao Lords shifted:
"What does the Star Lord mean?"

The Six Star Lords nodded and said in a deep voice:
“This sixth dragon vein does exist, but… I have calculated it before and found no signs of a dragon vein in Jiangnan.”

"However, this is indeed a bit strange. Judging from Yaoshan's reaction, none of the five dragon veins are in Jiangnan."

"But Jiangnan occupies half of the Great Wei's territory, so the possibility of it not having a dragon vein should be very small."

nonsense……

How could you possibly find this dragon vein, which lies beneath the Nine Netherworlds?
Although the "Six Star Lords" are difficult to deal with, they are ultimately only of the second rank and cannot break through the boundary between the two worlds, so they cannot calculate it.

As for the "Azure Dragon" in his proverb... theoretically, it should refer to the player.

But now that all the players are gone, who is this "Azure Dragon"? Isn't it up to Gu Fangchen to decide?
Gu Fangchen muttered a couple of complaints to herself, then continued with a serious expression:
"The so-called divine objects conceal themselves. According to that dragon vein map, this dragon vein should actually be the true vein of human destiny!"

"It's not the fortune of a single dynasty, but the fortune accumulated by the entire human race!"

"Such immense fortune cannot be easily discovered by others."

He looked around, his tone grave:

"But, as long as we control this central dragon vein of destiny and tell everyone that whoever controls the dragon vein controls the world, then why worry that the nation's fortune will not converge in one's own hands?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was startled.

At this point, they finally understood Gu Fangchen's plan.

The original plan of the Demonic Sect was to use manpower to disrupt the current national fortune of the Great Wei Dynasty, and then, through normal dynastic changes and the fickleness of people's hearts, legitimately seize the national fortune again.

But Gu Fangchen wanted to take control of the nation's destiny himself.

Everyone felt a sense of sudden enlightenment, but at the same time, they also felt a bit strange.

Compared to this, their previous plans seem...too conservative?
That's far from enough of a demonic cult!

Seeing their expressions, Gu Fangchen's smile remained unchanged, and she knew in her heart that they had already begun to believe her to some extent.

Although it's only three points, it's enough for him to move on to the next step.

After all, he had reached a real high-level position in the Demonic Sect, and what he raised were the real pain points of the Demonic Sect's plans.

However, in the game, he doesn't follow the path of "emotion," but rather the path of "righteousness"—

The "righteous" way itself accepts people from all walks of life, and in addition to creating disputes and chaos, it also serves as a department for the demonic sect to collect and gather intelligence.

The "righteous" path is the easiest to join and the easiest to rise to the top, and it also allows you to participate in most of the core plans in the later stages.

Now, he has seized the identity of the "Love" Dao Master, giving him a higher starting point, but the process is still the same.

Gaining their trust by using a combination of truth and falsehood is not difficult for him.

Gu Fangchen needs to find the right balance to get Gu Yuye to fall into her trap.

It can't be too exaggerated, but it also can't make it seem like it's easy...

He looked at Gu Yuye and said with a smile:

"Gu Yuye, do you now understand what this great fortune I'm about to give you is?"

"To be honest, our forces are already scattered. Letting the rebels spread out in multiple places may seem like a safe approach, but in reality, it will only further disperse our forces."

"It would be better to strike with full force and kill in one blow!"

His gaze was deep and alluring:

"As long as we create a chosen one favored by the sixth dragon vein and make the rebel army worship him as their master, then the hearts of the people and the fate of the nation will both turn against us."

"This person must have sufficient prestige and sufficient power."

"Without relying on the Azure Barbarians, as long as the dragon vein displays a wondrous sight, this person can ascend to the throne of the supreme ruler with a mere wave of his arm!"

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'll revise it later. If there are any errors or omissions, I'll refresh the page!
(End of this chapter)