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

Chapter 198 You're the ones who should be running away (Part 2)

Gu Fangchen knew little about the [Martial Immortal's Tomb].

After all, this thing is one of the unsolved mysteries in the game.

Even after completing the Confucian storyline and returning to the past, no trace of the so-called "God of War" can be found. It feels like a legend made up out of thin air.

However, Gu Yuye's rise to prominence demonstrates that this "military genius" not only truly exists, but is indeed very powerful.

Even the slightest bit of inheritance can turn an unknown nobody into the all-powerful Prince of Zhenbei.

Gu Yuye will indeed die in the [Martial Immortal's Tomb] storyline, but he will not be killed by the player. Instead, he will suddenly die during his escape for no apparent reason.

Players cannot find his body, nor is there any further plot development. However, if they use divination or other causal methods to calculate, they will find that Gu Yuye is already dead.

This is the only ending that confirms Gu Yuye's complete death.

But at the same time, it is also the most unpredictable ending.

However, Gu Fangchen was still aware of what happened between the time Gu Yuye went to the [Martial Immortal's Tomb] and the time he fled into Qingman and suddenly died.

Gu Yuye will acquire a new military formation in the [Martial Immortal's Tomb].

The so-called military formations are essentially dynamic formations derived from the principle of "numerous forces". Generally, formations have fixed nodes and key points, supported by materials.

Military formations, supported by the hearts and minds of the people and their morale, are concentrated on one person, amplified and evolved, and can be endowed with all sorts of supernatural powers.

At the same time, activating the military formation can strengthen the soldiers' capabilities and enable battlefield deployment through command without any delay.

This is completely positive feedback, and the right approach in the first place.

However, the military formation that Gu Yuye obtained this time was utterly unscrupulous, a truly demonic method.

This military formation, rather than being a military formation, is more like a large-scale star-absorbing technique.

Its fundamental purpose is to allow the military leader to drain the cultivation, life force, and soul-capturing power of everyone else in the military formation, thereby forcibly breaking through.

It is clear that the inventor of this military formation was not only very knowledgeable about military formations, but also not human at all.

For an army formation to take shape, soldiers need to open their minds and devote their life force to it, connecting with the army leader out of complete and unwavering trust in their commander.

Gu Yuye, on the other hand, was about to become completely inhuman.

The army, built up over so many years, was absolutely supportive of him. Even though the court had declared him a traitor, they still rushed to the desert at his command.

But their expectations were destined to be dashed.

Gu Yuye will not lead them back to Huangtian City to raise the banners and cut off the head of that tyrannical and incompetent emperor.

Instead, they intend to directly transform them into their own cultivation within the desert...

Once Gu Yuye reaches the end of his road, his selfish and self-serving nature will be fully exposed, and it will become more and more extreme as time goes on.

Just as in the original storyline, he would also turn Gu Lianxian into his own nourishment.

In his mind, he had raised his daughter/subordinates for so many years, and now that he needed them, they should contribute to him; it was only natural.

In short, Gu Yuye summoned the Xuanhuang Army here in order to kill them and then drain them dry.

What Gu Fangchen had to do was even simpler.

He planned to activate the "Blood God Altar" covering the entire desert the moment Gu Yuye killed these people, intercept Gu Yuye, and sacrifice the Xuanhuang Army ahead of time!

And the moment it is activated is the last moment when the profession of "night watchman" plays its final role.

Gu Fangchen is about to use the "King Yama's Decree" to seize control of the entire Xuanhuang Army and truly kill Gu Yuye.

……

Gu Fangchen walked into the ruins through the passage, holding a torch she had picked up from the ground, illuminating the ancient Qingman-style murals all around her.

With his current level of cultivation and eyesight, he shouldn't be unable to see the road.

Holding the torch wasn't to cosplay as a tomb raider, but rather to thoughtfully provide light for the Imperial Advisor beside him.

Xu Fu looked at him with a complicated expression and said:
"You speak the Qingman language and know about the ruins left behind by the 'Blood God Cult'."

Gu Fangchen knew that the Imperial Preceptor must be suspicious of her identity. Although she had a remarkable record in fighting against the Demonic Sect, the two points mentioned above were still too niche.

No one from the Great Wei Dynasty, unless they are a dedicated intelligence officer, would deliberately learn the Qingman language.

Moreover, this is the incantation used to open the ruins of the "Blood God Cult".

Ultimately... his identity remains a mystery to others.

Although, for him, it was the same.

Gu Fangchen turned her head, smiled, and said:

“I have said before, Grand Preceptor, that I have not only met you, but also talked with you all night long, and that has never been a lie.”

He used to be afraid that his false identity would be exposed, so he had to fabricate a story to impress others. But now, he has enough power—at least he won't be killed with a single finger just because his identity is unknown.

Now that things have come to this, he can finally tell the truth.

Xu Fu squinted his eyes:

"You saw these ruins in the same way and learned the Qingman language?"

Or... his extraordinary abilities and omniscient insights also came from this.

She thought of Gu Fangchen's unpredictable fate.

Her initial guess was that Gu Fangchen might be able to freely travel between the possibilities of fate through some kind of causal technique, and obtain a segment of other people's fate through deduction.

But at the time, she subconsciously rejected this conjecture, because if that were the case, she couldn't possibly have been unaware that someone was manipulating the causal strings of her own destiny.

That was a terrifying thing.

If someone can do this silently and arbitrarily seize the fate of any of them, it means that they will have no secrets from Gu Fangchen.

Such a person must have reached the first rank in cultivation, or even higher!
Although Gu Fangchen surprised Xu Fu in many ways, she didn't seem to have the strength of a first-rank official. Otherwise, why would she need to use the Grand Preceptor's name to pretend to be someone she didn't know?

However, after spending these past few days together, she vaguely sensed a hint of confusion in Gu Fangchen.

This slight confusion made Xu Fu realize that his initial guess was correct.

Gu Fangchen did indeed experience what she suspected, but it was probably not something he did willingly, but rather something he was forced into…

Gu Fangchen nodded, looked up at the ancient mural, remained silent for a long time, and then suddenly murmured:

"Your Excellency, who do you think I am?"

Xu Fu frowned, not understanding why Gu Fangchen had asked such a question.

She had calculated Gu Fangchen's background before. His future was unpredictable, but his past was clear... he was the纨绔世子 (a spoiled and dissolute young master) of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.

Xu Fu suddenly stopped in his tracks.

No, is it really that clear?
At the time, she only knew about Gu Fangchen's experiences after the switch, but she couldn't calculate how Gu Fangchen was arranged by the Demonic Sect to replace Gu Yuandao in the Prince's Mansion because the "Six Star Lords'" astrological divination was concealed.

As for the groom from back then, Gu Fangchen said that although finding the eye that the Thousand-Eyed Guard had inserted was a lie, he did find the groom's house and the real groom's son who was thrown into the well.

This proves that Gu Fangchen is not the son of the stable boy, and her origins remain unclear.

Now that the art of fate has been broken, she is able to sort out the cause and effect and find out the truth of what happened back then.

However, she is currently trapped inside Xuexiang's body and cannot use causal magic. Otherwise, perhaps she could answer Gu Fangchen's current question...

Xu Fu's eyelashes trembled, and he said:
"Once I return to my own body, I will naturally know your true identity, you little thief."

Gu Fangchen turned around, blinked, and said:
"The Imperial Advisor is a rare find, yet he doesn't consult the people of the world, but instead consults a despicable thief like me?"

Xu Fu said calmly:
"You little thief who stole the fate of the nation with a single move, the people of the world are just short of dying at your hands. I also really want to know, who exactly are you?"

Gu Fangchen glanced at her, then suddenly leaned closer and said:

"Don't you want to know who your first man was?"

Xu Fu: "..."

She looked at the obsequious fellow in front of her, and said coldly, somewhat annoyed and embarrassed:

"This is your little maid's body, not mine. Besides, she was the one who woke up and detoxified, so it has nothing to do with me."

After saying that, she walked past Gu Fangchen with a cold face.

Gu Fangchen really wanted to add, "Was Xuexiang the one who made those harsh words when she was delirious, but could only beg for mercy in the end?"

But the Imperial Advisor is easily embarrassed and can't take a joke.

If I say anything more, I'm afraid I'll have to make things difficult for him in the future, and I'll even curse him so that he'll never be a lucky person again.

He shook his head and gave up, then followed.

Soon.

Gu Fangchen looked at the Grand Preceptor, who was panting heavily but still trying to hold on, and coughed lightly:
"This ruin is indeed quite large..."

Xu Fu took a deep breath, feeling the abnormality within his body, and his expression grew even colder.

The ruins were indeed large, but not this large... More importantly, the pill she had inserted into the wound dissolved and moved with her movements, and it felt cool.

That little thief, he definitely did it on purpose!

Gu Fangchen never hesitated to create opportunities for herself, so she immediately stepped forward, embraced the Imperial Preceptor, kneaded his hand, and whispered:

"Why don't I carry you on my back... Anyway, no one else is seeing us now, so why put on airs, Grand Preceptor?"

Judging from his posture, he looks like a blond guy trying to seduce a drunk, innocent high school student.

Xu Fu hesitated for a moment, then subconsciously followed his line of thought.

There's really no need to put on airs. Anyway, this guy has already seen how embarrassing she looks... Besides, she's in this state because of Gu Fangchen.

At this moment, the Grand Preceptor did not realize that Gu Fangchen's words had already treated the two people as "one of their own," while the others were "others."

Seeing that she remained silent with her lips pursed, Gu Fangchen seized the opportunity and squatted down, gesturing for the Grand Preceptor to climb onto her back, urging her:

"Your Excellency, time is of the essence. The materials we need will all be snapped up by others."

Xu Fuxin said, "What are you afraid of? Even if all those rogue cultivators combined their cultivation levels were higher than yours."

At this moment, she should clearly be blunt, expose Gu Fangchen's lies, and draw a clear line between the two of them.

But she still took two steps forward as if possessed, put her arms around Gu Fangchen's neck, and was carried by him into the deeper part of the area.

……

The Imperial Advisor soon realized he had been tricked.

Gu Fangchen supported her legs with both hands, and the up-and-down movement was very uncomfortable.

"Huh? Grand Preceptor, the medicine has all dissolved. Let's get a new one."

"You...you said time waits for no one."

"Then the Grand Preceptor should hurry even more... This is also to prevent the poison from taking effect at the crucial moment later. It's always good to neutralize some of it in advance."

……

Just as the Demonic Sect was surrounding the Desert Sea and frantically searching for Gu Fangchen and Xu Fu,

Along the border of the Xiajing Road, groups of people are quietly gathering.

These people were the majority of the Xuanhuang Army originally stationed in three of the northern routes.

After receiving Gu Yuye's secret order, the Xuanhuang Army split up.

Covered by the endless yellow sand, they traveled from Jinlin City, the border, and several fortresses, and after several days, they finally met at Xiajing Road, preparing to enter the desert sea to meet Gu Yuye.

at the same time.

A black horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of an inn on the edge of the desert sea in the Xiajing Road. Ning Caiyong, dressed in a low-key manner and wearing a veiled hat, was helped down from the carriage by Gu Lianxian.

Xu Zhenguan, who was driving the carriage, waited beside him with his sword.

Ning Caiyong was initially advised against coming, but she was so worried that she came anyway.

Their group included Ding Xingfeng, Gu Fangchen's two servants, and Qing Jian.

But as soon as they arrived at Xiajing Road, they received a message left behind by Gu Fangchen.

—In this Xiajing Road, there are also the subordinates left behind by Ding Xingfeng. He used the token of "Marquis of Yizhou" to order them to wait early. As soon as they arrived, they knew that Gu Fangchen was not in any danger.

Afterwards, Ding Xingfeng and his former subordinates disappeared without a trace, while the two servants and Qing Jian followed the directions to several other [Blood God Altars].

Preparing to activate the sacrificial formation.

……

Those who believed in righteousness quickly discovered the towering crimson pillar of light and sent people to investigate.

After interrogating the people from the Spirit Serpent Cave, it was immediately confirmed that Cheng Tai was being impersonated by Gu Fangchen!

And Xu Fu must be with him!
The demonic cult members immediately surrounded the entire ruins. Although it took some effort, they managed to break the outer layer of the formation.

Ten days later, with a loud bang, the gate to the ruins was forcibly opened.

"Gu Fangchen, Gu Fangchen, let's see where you can run to now!"

The "charcoal seller" floated in mid-air with a cold smile, looking at the ruins below with a sinister gaze.

He was certain that Gu Fangchen was seriously injured, which was why she was trying to hide in the ruins. He never expected that the ruins would cause such a commotion, completely exposing his location.

Behind them, a dark mass of people from the Demonic Sect, including the elites of the "Extinction" and "Death" Paths, could only tremble in fear beside them.

Gu Fangchen will definitely have no chance of escaping!
"Who said I was going to run away?"

A familiar voice rang out from below. The charcoal seller's pupils constricted as he saw a young man dressed in black slowly emerge from the ruins.

Gu Fangchen raised her head, revealing a bright smile, and said with a grin:

"You're the ones who should be running away!"

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'd like to recommend a friend's book, titled "After Being Hypnotized for Ten Years, I Set Off a Revenge Against Them." You can check it out if you're interested!
There are still 7 chapters to go.

(End of this chapter)