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

Chapter 202 Ning Caiyong's Sword (Three-in-One)

"Mother, it's too dangerous up ahead. Let's not go any closer to the battlefield."

Gu Lianxian looked at the pillar of blood in front of her with a solemn expression and stopped Ning Caiyong.

During this time in the desert, she and Xu Zhenguan were responsible for protecting Ning Caiyong's safety and searching for Gu Fangchen's whereabouts. In this chaotic no-man's-land, they gained tremendous experience.

In particular, she initially regarded Xu Zhenguan as Gu Fangchen's follower, but later, Xu Zhenguan broke through to the sixth rank in just a few days in this desert sea, and broke through on the spot at every turn, and inexplicably obtained various opportunities, soaring all the way to the peak of the sixth rank!

Just outrageous!
Compared to herself, Gu Lianxian realized that her cultivation had only recently returned to the peak of the sixth rank due to the damage to her Dao heart.

He always thought he was a genius of his generation, but Gu Fangchen was one thing, but how could his wooden follower improve his cultivation so rapidly as if he were riding a rocket?
Gu Lianxian felt resentful.

Fortunately, she recently had a premonition that she might break through to the fifth rank, and she put in all her effort to advance before Xu Zhenguan.

Otherwise, wouldn't I be even worse than Gu Fangchen's follower?
However, the reason she could have a premonition of a breakthrough was something that could not be explained to outsiders...

Gu Lianxian's biggest problem was that she grew up in a greenhouse, possessing only a false sense of martial courage, but unable to cultivate the pure and sincere heart of a true hero.

However, after being tricked by Gu Fangchen, she was able to break free from her despair and gain self-awareness from other perspectives.

Courage, in essence, is having sufficient understanding and confidence in one's own abilities.

This gave rise to an incredibly strong sense of confidence.

This is actually the unity of knowledge and action.

This has nothing to do with the actual actions of a martial artist. For example, Gu Yuye, although he was the "King of Endurance," his end was either running away or on his way to run away. However, his self-awareness was extremely clear, so his Dao heart never wavered.

He was perfectly clear about what he should do and what he was doing.

Furthermore, his escapes were often for the purpose of accumulating strength and making a comeback.

Therefore, Gu Yuye's Dao heart will not shatter.

Gu Lianxian was devastated because her self-perception was completely different from what actually happened, which shattered her worldview.

Later, Gu Lianxian rebuilt her Dao heart on the night she was forced to bark at Gu Fangchen like a dog...

She discovered that if she found herself as Gu Lianxian, she would be filled with disappointment in herself and would be unable to continue cultivating.

However, if she sees herself as someone's little dog, she feels incredibly safe and secure.

Everything the puppy does is because of its owner's commands; it doesn't need to think about anything else.

And she can be a very good little dog.

No need to use your brain, no need to think about what you should choose... Just follow your master's orders and bite whoever she tells you to bite, that's all.

Gu Lianxian was immersed in such imagination. Originally, she just wanted to escape reality. However, the next day, she found that her cultivation had miraculously recovered!

And just like that... things spiraled out of control.

After that, when she imagined herself in this way, most of the time she thought of herself as Gu Fangchen's dog. Sometimes the person in her mind would suddenly become that cold, sinister voice from the darkness whose face she still didn't know. Sometimes, it would even become the "not" Taoist priest...

Of course, in the latter two situations, Gu Lianxian would feel fear or shame.

But undeniably, she's become somewhat addicted to it—anyway, Gu Fangchen doesn't know that only she feels a little ashamed of her cultivation method.

Now, she's even about to advance to the Grandmaster level through this method.

It was because of this that Gu Lianxian was able to feel the terrifying aura emanating from the blood-red battlefield in the distance.

With their cultivation levels, even getting close would likely result in them being killed by the aftershocks!
Moreover, Ning Caiyong has no cultivation yet, and if he is not careful, an accident may occur.

The siege by the Demonic Sect alone would not have led to this!

Gu Fangchen didn't know what she had done to cause such a commotion...

As she was thinking this, she saw a huge and terrifying flesh-and-blood evil spirit descend like a mountain from within the soaring blood light.

The demonic cult members gathered in that area quickly became food for the demons, and the area was filled with resentment and malevolent energy, even more so than the fake dragon vein in Jiangnan at that time.

Ning Caiyong stood rooted to the spot, gazing at the devastated battlefield in the center, her brows furrowed, her hand pressed to her chest.

"For some reason, I always feel a little uneasy..."

Gu Lianxian turned her head to look at her stunningly beautiful mother, pouted, and said:

“Mother, don’t worry. Master… Gu Fangchen always manages to escape danger. Besides, he’s the one who summoned that evil spirit. It’s others who should be panicking.”

She had already guessed who this so-called "other person" was.

Gu Fangchen deliberately came to Shuobei, which must not only be to deal with the Demonic Sect. Her real purpose must be Gu Yuye's true body.

Ning Caiyong had already told them about the puppet's substitution, and they wouldn't assume, like outsiders, that Gu Yuye was truly dead.

However, Gu Lianxian felt a sense of doubt at this moment.

The more she trusted Gu Yuye before, the more disappointed she became in him after the assassination attempt. As a result, she saw her father's character more clearly now.

Gu Yuye's personality is extremely selfish and ruthless. Even his so-called "love at first sight" with Ning Caiyong was a scheme.

Since there is no affection, there is no trust.

Given his suspicious nature, he shouldn't have mentioned the "puppet soldier" to Ning Caiyong.

Since Ning Caiyong knows about this, it means that Jian Ge might also know.

Gu Yuye would never risk revealing his true intentions by telling his bedmate about this...

That means that Ning Caiyong may have discovered this matter himself.

But Ning Caiyong has no cultivation, so how could he discover such a hidden thing?
Then Gu Lianxian thought that perhaps she was overthinking things...

Upon hearing this, Ning Caiyong lowered his eyelashes, shook his head, and murmured softly:

“Gu Yuye made his fortune in this desert sea, and the process was quite suspicious… Now that his true form has returned here, I’m worried that he has other plans.”

Gu Lianxian had also heard about this matter.

She used to be a loyal follower of Gu Yuye, and knew his deeds like the back of her hand, including his history of how he started his business.

However, what exactly happened in that desert back then remains unknown to outsiders.

Gu Lianxian didn't know how to comfort her mother.

Ning Caiyong has always been overly concerned about anything involving Gu Fangchen since she was a child. Perhaps this time, he was just too worried?
As she was thinking this, she suddenly saw the enormous creature on the battlefield vanish.

Gu Lianxian was taken aback at first, and then she realized that the terrifying aura had reappeared on the other side.

They were currently on a high ground formed by the Gobi Desert, where they could see in all directions and were very clear about the changing situation.

Gu Lianxian quickly looked to the other side, and then witnessed Gu Yuye killing the Xuanhuang Army who had followed him for so many years, only to have Gu Fangchen intercept him.

She, who had been feeling somewhat nervous, finally relaxed and quickly said:

"Mom, you see, I knew it! This guy must have made thorough preparations. Didn't he also anticipate this backup plan?"

Gu Lianxian no longer felt the contempt and disdain she once had for Gu Fangchen, and she couldn't even feel jealousy anymore.

Gu Fangchen's cultivation level increased too rapidly, and the enemies she faced were not even in the same league.

She paused for a moment after saying that.

Because the person Gu Fangchen is about to kill is her own father!

However, all she could think about was how formidable Gu Fangchen was... she didn't even feel a trace of pity or heartache anymore.

Unbeknownst to her, Gu Yuye's position in her heart had fallen to a level lower than that terrifying guy who had never shown his face.

—That terrifying guy hasn't shown up for so long, Gu Lianxian even subconsciously wonders what he's been doing and why he hasn't come back yet…

But Gu Lianxian no longer wants to think about Gu Yuye at all.

Whenever she thought of Gu Yuye, she would recall the experience of being hunted down, and a suffocating feeling would arise within her.

However, it's much better than the period right after he was rescued.

Back then, every night in my nightmares, besides the pitch blackness, there was only the feeling of drowning helplessness.

Regardless of her feelings, Gu Lianxian truly has no feelings for Gu Yuye anymore.

"Whoosh—Boom!"

In the distance, countless banners fluttered in the wind, converging into a long sword that suddenly slashed down at Gu Yuye!
The knife that Gu Yuye had personally crafted finally fell on his own head.

At this moment, because Gu Yuye had fled a distance to the outer perimeter, his shattered body was only a thousand feet away from them.

"I should have killed you long ago—"

Gu Yuye's unwilling roar came to an abrupt halt, and his head exploded with a "bang".

The headless body paused in mid-air, swayed, and then fell straight down like a tattered rag.

Ning Caiyong looked at the one-sided situation, but his tightly furrowed brows did not relax.

On the contrary, at this moment, she felt a sharp throbbing between her eyebrows, and an extreme sense of unease welled up in her heart.

Seeing Gu Fangchen fly towards Gu Yuye's corpse and raise the fluttering flag in her hand again, her pupils contracted, and a sword light that could split the heavens and the earth was reflected in her eyes.

She instinctively shouted:
"Chen'er! Be careful!"

Gu Lianxian subconsciously turned her head and reached out her hand to stop her mother from doing something foolish.

But then, her movements froze, and her expression went blank.

Because the Princess Consort of Zhenbei, who in their eyes had absolutely no cultivation, suddenly turned cold and grabbed the small wooden sword pendant around her neck and yanked it off.

The wooden sword shattered in an instant, transforming into a long rainbow that flew towards the sword light!
……

Gu Fangchen was about to step forward and finish off the enemy when her pupils suddenly contracted, and she felt a pang of heart palpitation.

Right in front of him, Gu Yuye's tattered, headless corpse suddenly froze in mid-air. In the blood mist formed by his exploded head, a completely unfamiliar face vaguely appeared.

A sinister smile appeared on the face. Suddenly, Gu Yuye's corpse raised its hand, as if summoning something, emitting a strange, layered sound that seemed to be the simultaneous roar of tens of millions of people:

"rise!!!!"

At the same time, a huge crack appeared in the ground below.

From it, one can glimpse the bronze coffin bound by countless chains, and the densely packed puppet soldiers beneath it.

"Ding ding ding..."

The chains trembled violently and snapped one after another, and the coffin lid was pushed open by an invisible force amidst a tooth-grinding sound.

The puppet soldiers trembled, seemingly emitting angry cries, trying their best to suppress the coffin, but to no avail.

The great formation they formed had been broken because Gu Yuye had taken three of their bodies and turned them into puppets!
In the blink of an eye, all the chains broke.

All the lights that were always on were turned off.

"Click! Click! Click..."

The puppet soldiers underneath finally couldn't hold on any longer and all cracked, losing their original lifelike vitality.

On the adjacent wall, ancient characters that had been covered by wind and sand were revealed.

Gu Yuye would never know until his death that this so-called "military genius" had actually long since transformed into a demon and was sealed here by someone.

Back then, the "God of War" used that evil military formation magic to wreak havoc on living beings, devouring all the soldiers under his command and forming a unified soul, intending to realize the idea of ​​"I am the army".

They were later defeated by a coalition of people and suppressed here.

These puppet soldiers were made in the likeness of those soldiers who died tragically, and were used to suppress the "Soldier Immortal" who had long since turned into a demon!

However, because Gu Yuye mistakenly entered this place and destroyed its seal, it gave the "Immortal of War" an opportunity to bewitch Gu Yuye into taking the puppet away and waiting for the time to revive it.

Time has passed, and only today has the "God of War" Li Kan finally been able to possess another body and be reborn!

The first thing he did after his rebirth was to kill the tiny ant in front of him!
"Boom!"

The huge crack in the ground suddenly bulged up and split open to both sides.

A terrifying sword light was drawn out from underground, traversing the entire land, and attacking Gu Fangchen from bottom to top.

The sword that Li Kan gave to Gu Yuye was merely a tool to stimulate the latter's emotions and accelerate the possession process.

This sword is the true sword of the "God of War"!

Gu Fangchen felt a chill run down his spine, making his scalp tingle and rendering him unable to move.

At this moment, he even had a feeling similar to when he first traveled through time and faced Gu Yuye!

The opponent's strength had reached a point where he could be completely overwhelmed.

Even the matriarch who was chasing him back then had never experienced such a terrifying feeling!

This means that the unknown guy who suddenly possessed Gu Yuye, or rather, the "Soldier Immortal" who disappeared in the game, is likely to be at the First Grade Eternal Realm!

The fifth Rank 1 character, never before seen in the entire game!
"Holy crap! Is the first-class dish just cabbage?!"

Gu Fangchen was dumbfounded and couldn't help but swear.

"Before I transmigrated, there were theoretically only two and a half first-rank officials, and they were all hiding it."

"The moment I transmigrated, I first encountered a half-step first-rank ancestral master, and now a 'military genius' who never even appeared in the game has suddenly appeared. Are you first-rank beings playing hide-and-seek? I started looking, and then you all just popped up?!"

The only one capable of possessing Gu Yuye at this moment is the "Warrior Immortal" from the vanished [Warrior Immortal's Tomb].

Gu Fangchen actually had some guesses about the outcome of Gu Yuye's death.

But he never expected that this guy, who was just a background character in the game, would actually be a top-tier player!
However, thinking about anything else at this point is pointless.

He really needs to figure out how to protect himself!

Once Gu Fangchen calmed down, her mind raced, and she immediately wanted to activate the [King of Hell's Decree] again.

Since Gu Yuye is already dead, he has now returned to his original state. If he were to do it again, he would be able to return to the Nine Netherworld.

However, at that very moment, due to the tremors and cracks in the ground, the Blood God Altar beneath shattered. The summoned Ruoye was instantly and forcibly sent back.

The moment he was sent back to the Netherworld, this great evil spirit affected the spatial stability of the passageways on both sides, causing a brief congestion.

In other words, the server is busy and stuck!
In that instant, the towering sword light was already within reach, about to strike Gu Fangchen.

Gu Fangchen's pupils constricted, and he instantly realized that this was the first tribulation he would face after advancing to the fourth rank—the tribulation of weapons!

External demons are calamities that Heaven and Earth send down to prevent cultivators from further attaining the "Dao".

Since it comes from heaven and earth, coincidences like Final Destination will occur.

Although Gu Fangchen didn't possess any "Tao," that's how the program was written...

In other words, when the time is right, heaven and earth lend their strength!

Gu Fangchen twitched her lips.

He's only a fourth-rank official. How much does Heaven and Earth want him to die that they would send a first-rank official to help him undergo his tribulation?
However, now that things have come to this, he only has one option left: the "Chain of Karmic Calamity" within his soul!
Although the "Chaos Wheel of Calamity" cannot be taken out or used because it is forcibly bound to his soul.

But the moment his soul shatters, the "Chain of Calamity" will be released.

At this moment, the karma within can be temporarily used to block the sword light in front of him.

However, this alone is not enough to withstand a first-rate attack.

Therefore, the next thing to watch is the [Blood Substitute Child]!

Gu Yuye's blood had already been collected, and now that the other party had possessed Gu Yuye's body, they had effectively become Gu Yuye.

The Blood Substitution Technique can still be activated!
A first-rank strength might be able to avoid the curse of the causal technique, but don't forget that Gu Fangchen's "Karma Wheel of the Sea of ​​Calamity" carries immense karmic force.

It is sufficient to support the Blood Substitution Technique, and it is effective against a first-rank cultivator.

Whether or not they can kill the other party now depends on luck...

"boom--"

The sword light engulfed everything.

After a brief moment of thought, Gu Fangchen watched helplessly as his body shattered, and the blood-red demonic flower blooming from the "Heart-Planting Poison" appeared and disappeared on his departing soul, which was extremely eerie.

He solemnly concentrated, waiting for his own soul to shatter so that he could release the "Chain of Calamity and Karma".

But then a rainbow of light flew over and blocked his way.

This rainbow light was as ethereal as a veil, yet it contained an infinitely sharp sword intent, capable of severing almost everything in the world.

However, it just floated lightly past Gu Fangchen.

The sword light that shot into the sky was split in two, broken into two pieces, and disappeared into the sky!
……

One hundred thousand miles away.

Donglong County, Jiange.

Ning Songjun faced the direction of Tianmen Mountain, sat on the mountaintop, poured himself a drink, and looked somewhat melancholy.

Xu Yuexiu, who was helping to pour wine, noticed that her Sword Saint master looked rather worried and couldn't help but ask:
"Master, I heard that the Princess Consort went to Shuobei. It's said that my senior brother and the Prince of Zhenbei might have a life-or-death struggle. Why don't you try to persuade her or send someone to protect her?"

"This journey is extremely dangerous, and the princess has not yet attained any cultivation..."

Because Xu Yuexiu obtained the ancestral sword intent from that forbidden area, and because she was an insider of the Sword Saint cheating incident, Ning Songjun accepted her as a disciple.

Commonly known as – being admitted without taking the entrance exam.

Of course, the former reason is more important, and the latter is definitely not the latter!
Now, although it is common knowledge that the Prince of Zhenbei and the Princess have broken ties, Gu Fangchen has not yet returned to receive the imperial decree and does not know how to address Ning Caiyong, so for the time being, she will still be called the Princess.

Previously, the princess lived a peaceful life in the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, so there was no need for Jian Ge to worry about anything.

But now, seeing that they are going deeper into danger every day, why haven't the Pavilion Master and Sword Saint Master tried to persuade them to stop...

Xu Yuexiu was very puzzled.

Ning Songjun put down his wine cup, sighed deeply, glanced at his disciple, and said:
"Do you know how many people I killed during the internal strife in Sword Pavilion back then?"

Xu Yuexiu shrank back, knowing the devastation of the internal strife back then. She thought Ning Songjun wanted her to mind her own business, and hesitated before saying:
"I remember the casualties were... more than 1,200?"

Ning Songjun shook his head:

"You're wrong. I only killed one person, Xue Qi."

Xu Yuexiu was stunned for a moment, then asked in confusion:
"This, this is impossible... The devastation of the internal strife in Jian Ge back then is a well-known fact."

Ning Song Jun He gave a self-deprecating laugh:
"Those who actually witnessed that sword strike are all dead. The others only saw some corpses and then pinned the blame on me."

"If I had killed all these people back then, how could I have been criticized for being indecisive, letting the Seven Sects go, and bringing about this disaster?"

Back then, the Sword Saint was actually just a little kid who hid behind his older sister and didn't even dare to kill anyone.

When Ning Caiyong was a child, Ning Songjun secretly went down the mountain to buy her a gift to surprise her on her birthday. However, because he was flustered, Ning Caiyong caught him and questioned him.

He couldn't even lie, so he could only hand over the gift dejectedly.

He's incredibly honest.

How could such a person suddenly change his temperament and, because of internal strife, massacre more than 1,200 people in his sect and purge Cui Weishan?

The first person he truly killed was named Xue Qi. Only after that did he learn how to kill and how to use a sword.

Xu Yuexiu heard Ning Songjun slowly say:
"The true sword saint... has never been me."

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.: 8,000 words is too difficult... 6,000 words orz, still owes 6 more chapters.

(End of this chapter)