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

Chapter 207 Cause and Effect Five Hundred Years Ago (Part Two)

Gu Fangchen certainly didn't really intend to betray the Great Wei.

Although in the game, he can commit all sorts of evil deeds, and even kill all the masters of the Great Wei in order to complete the "Demons Descend to Earth" ending, helping the Demonic Sect and the Qingman invade.

But that's because he can reload his save and start over, and he can also restart hundreds of times to get different endings.

But now, he can't start over. Besides, his base is in the Great Wei, and it's already developed to a considerable size. How could he possibly overturn it and start all over again?

Gu Fangchen is not afraid to start over. With his current status and reputation, he can find a way to get into any power with a little effort, but the current situation is obviously not that simple yet.

However, Gu Fangchen's next step was to go to Qingman to help Lao Ding get the head of Maha Wuliang.

Since the other party has given him a better identity, which would allow him to enter Qingman smoothly, he naturally doesn't mind going with the flow.

Just as Xiao Sheng wished, he transformed into a "regicide traitor" and borrowed the power of the Qingman.

The Qingman people have never stopped infiltrating the Great Wei over the years, and now they have many spies in the imperial court and in Huangtian City.

If they could turn Gu Yuye to their side, it would be an easy task for them to turn a few more high-ranking officials to work for them.

Over the past few decades, due to Emperor Yong'an's apparent incompetence, the Great Wei Dynasty has been gradually decaying from within, and there are many people dissatisfied with Emperor Yong'an's rule.

Others are bound by morality and reputation, but Gu Fangchen is not!
At this moment, he directly "hijacked" the nation's fate and shouted "Great Heavenly Sa" for two reasons: first, to "prove his identity," and second, to force those Qingman accomplices to take action.

The fate of a nation is ordained by Heaven!
That would give us a legitimate reason to fight!

Gu Yuye, for the sake of the title of "destined by heaven," jumped straight into Gu Fangchen's trap and ended up killing himself.

The fate of the nation is now in his hands; whether the Qingman people want this great gift or not is no longer their choice…

However, this method cannot be used if your favorability with the Imperial Advisor is not high enough.

At least before this experience in the desert, Gu Fangchen couldn't play like this, or she might just ruin herself.

But it was because of her experience in the desert that Gu Fangchen was so fearless.

Before he fell into a coma, the fact that the Imperial Advisor rushed over to catch him was proof that his favorability rating had reached at least 80%.

Although in the game, the highest level a player can reach is 60 in terms of affinity, which is the level of "friends".

But Gu Fangchen was certain that sixty was not enough to make the aloof Xu Fu come to pick up a woman without being forced.

Even if it was just to prevent him from falling, given the Grand Preceptor's personality, he could simply lift him by hand or support him with spiritual power.

He was caught in mid-air and given a warm hug, which proves that Xu Fu was so anxious that he didn't even think of the two methods mentioned above.

The fact that the Grand Preceptor avoided meeting them for so many days afterward was a clear indication that he was feeling guilty!
If it's really as Xu Fu said back then, after leaving Xue Xiang's body, she is her, and Xu Fu is Xu Fu, and it's as if nothing happened.

The Grand Preceptor should actually have a normal conversation with him.

Despite the fact that such an important event had just occurred, he did not show up even once on his own initiative, and had to communicate with Gu Fangchen through Xuexiang.

This actually suggests that the Grand Preceptor probably realized deep down that he couldn't let go of it at all...

Therefore, he dared not communicate with Gu Fangchen face to face.

The Imperial Preceptor was well aware of Gu Fangchen's keenness and was afraid of giving himself away.

Given Xu Fuping's personality, aside from her long-deceased master, Gu Fangchen is probably the only person she has an 80% favorability rating with.

With such a high level of favorability, Gu Fangchen was naturally able to do some outrageous things to the Imperial Preceptor.

— This refers to taking Emperor Yong'an's head and attaching it to his waist, stealing the Zhenguo Jade Seal and the nation's destiny, while claiming to be a Qingman spy.

Any one of these items, if placed before, would have been enough to have the Imperial Advisor kill him instantly.

Moreover, this was a case of being framed in Xiao Province, with no other evidence to prove Gu Fangchen's innocence.

At this moment, Gu Fangchen is gambling on Xu Fu's trust.

Even if he were to confirm that he was indeed Qingman's undercover agent, Xu Fu would still hesitate to take action.

Gu Fangchen used all his spiritual power. With a loud shout, golden light shot into the sky from the Imperial Seal of the Nation in his hand, and a phantom of a dragon vein wrapped around his body.

Throughout the entire Imperial Heaven City, all the cultivators' expressions changed drastically. They immediately looked up and saw the golden light piercing into the dark clouds.

Amidst the golden light, a hint of blood appeared, a sign of the emperor's impending doom!

This strange phenomenon in the sky could be seen for miles around, and all the cultivators of the upper three ranks in the Great Wei could sense the emperor's passing.

"The fate of the nation is uncertain, the dragon's pulse has struck the heavens, His Majesty, His Majesty—has passed away?!"

"Alas, the Great Wei... its fate is truly sealed."

"Gu Fangchen? How could it be him?! Didn't His Majesty just want to bestow upon him the title of the new Prince of Zhenbei?!"

"Gu Fangchen has murdered the emperor and betrayed the country, intending to flee with the Imperial Seal. Intercept her immediately!!!"

In an instant, the entire Huangtian City was in chaos. Some were terrified, some sighed, some were confused, and some were furious.

Just after Gu Fangchen shouted, several third-rank cultivators suddenly flew up from all directions, exchanged glances, and headed together towards the Purple Extreme Palace.

At the same time, inside the Purple Extreme Palace, one of the fourth-rank squad leaders of the Blood-Clad Guards who had been surrounding Gu Fangchen suddenly turned his sword and killed the two unsuspecting people next to him. Then, he used his other hand to gouge out his own eyeballs and crush them.

A small piece of finger bone was hidden inside the eyeball!

The Blood-Clad Guard squad leader remained expressionless and quickly chanted a spell in the Qingman language. Blood-red light emanated from his finger bones, transforming them into a giant, armored wolf.

Gu Fangchen recognized the armored giant wolf very well; she had killed quite a few of them when she helped the White Dragon Army fight the Green Barbarians.

This is the main force of the Qingman army, the Qingman Wolf Riders!

This one was clearly different; it had wings on its back, and its snake-like, vertical blue pupils shone with lightning-like light. Its aura was profound, and when its wings flapped, faint ripples of void could be seen.

That's the power of space!

Judging from his aura, he has at least the strength of a third-rank cultivator!

This is no ordinary Qingman wolf rider, but a "wolf god" that has developed sentience and received incense offerings!
Yes, in the Great Wei Dynasty, the power of "incense offerings" had become a concentrated expression of the nation's destiny.

However, in Qingman, an even more ancient custom continues, where people offer incense to their gods, making them believers in the "Incense Realm".

Gu Fangchen was also stunned. Something was wrong. This wolf god was the mount of Maha Wuliang!

Logically speaking, it shouldn't have appeared in the Great Wei, let alone in Huangtian City!
"Ow—"

The "Wolf God" let out a long howl, then flapped its wings and sliced ​​all the Blood-Clad Guards who tried to approach into pieces. It then turned to look at Gu Fangchen, bowed slightly, and spoke in human language:

“Young Master Gu, please climb onto my back. I will take you to see my master, the manifestation of all wisdom of the Qingman, the Great Heavenly Samantabhadra.”

Its voice was steady, even carrying a hint of wisdom and refinement.

In the game "Mirror in the Dust", beasts rarely possess intelligence. They are usually either the result of a long period of time or the enlightenment of a great being, such as the Confucian spirit beast "Guild".

Alternatively, it may have received "offerings" and, through the power of the wishes of all beings, given rise to wisdom.

Clearly, this "wolf god" belongs to the latter category.

Gu Fangchen's brow twitched.

Judging from this, it seems that Maha Bhadra had foreseen his defection long ago?
They actually sent people to meet us a long time ago?
The Blood-Clad Guard squad leader beside him performed a Qingman salute, crossing his arms over his chest and bowing slightly. Seeing the dragon vein phantom on Gu Fangchen's body, his gaze blazed with fervor as he said:
"The Great Heavenly One is indeed a prophet; the Azure Dragon will rise from the southeast, and the central star will fall at the same time."

He faithfully stated:
"So Your Highness is one of us! Please rest assured, Your Highness, we will definitely escort you back to Qingman with the Imperial Seal!"

Gu Fangchen: "..."

He twitched his lips. His original intention was to threaten Qingman's inside man into helping him cover for him, but he didn't expect that Qingman's people would take it seriously. Theoretically, neither the "Six Star Lords" nor Xu Fu could calculate his specific future, so neither could Maha Wuliang.

Therefore, this proverb has been misunderstood.

The "Azure Dragon of the Southeast" should actually refer to Gu Yuye, who was intercepted midway, while the following sentence refers to the fall of Emperor Yong'an.

In this way, the order of the proverbs is correct.

Maha Boundless took it seriously and arranged for someone to meet him in advance... In a sense, it wasn't a mistake to stumble upon it by accident.

Looking at the illusory image of the dragon vein on her body, Gu Fangchen sighed inwardly, "Is this the power of the complete national destiny?"
How could Emperor Yong'an, who had such good fortune, have died so mysteriously?

The early departure of "Master Hengchang" must have been to avoid something, or to make some kind of trade-off.

Xiao Sheng, who knows nothing about what's happening right now, is probably just someone's tool, unaware of the real two sides playing a game outside the current chessboard.

Gu Fangchen's mind raced, her expression turned solemn, and she nodded to the blood-clad guards before her:

"Thank you very much!"

He flipped over and jumped onto the back of the "wolf god".

"Wow--"

The "Wolf God" flapped its wings again, and dark void rifts appeared all around, like black lightning bolts flashing, instantly enveloping the man and the wolf, and disappearing into the void.

Everything before my eyes turned into afterimages and was left behind.

Xiao Sheng's voice, filled with shock and anger, resounded throughout the Purple Palace:
"Issue my order to all immortal sects: Gu Fangchen has colluded with the Qingman, committed treason and murdered the emperor. All cultivators must join forces to kill this traitor!"

Then, he bowed to the pillar and said loudly:
"Crown Prince Xiao Sheng requests the Imperial Preceptor to take action and punish this traitor!"

After a while, a clear, ethereal voice came from the top of the tower:
"can."

……

In the legends of the Qingman people, the "Wolf God" possesses the power of wind, rain, and thunder, and its speed surpasses everything in the world, even its own shadow cannot catch up with it.

And because of the power of the "incense offerings," the "Wolf God" truly possesses such power.

In terms of speed alone, it can even surpass the "latitude and longitude".

After all, the opening of "Longitude and Latitude" requires the support of enormous spiritual power, and believers use "Measurement" all the time, making it difficult to frequently conduct ultra-long-distance teleportation.

In other words, server resources are insufficient, so traffic needs to be distributed.

But "Wolf God" basically only sends one person, monopolizing a line, so it's naturally terrifyingly fast!

However, Gu Fangchen is now fleeing in full view of everyone, and his location has already been pinpointed. It is a full 100,000 miles from Huangtian City to Qingman, and the cultivators along the way immediately began to intercept and pursue him.

However, at the same time, Qingman's nails and the followers of the "Love" Path who learned of the news were also helping to pave the way for Gu Fangchen.

"Whoosh-"

Gu Fangchen leaned forward slightly, hearing the howling wind rush past her ears.

In the blink of an eye, they had reached the border between the Central Plains and the northern frontier.

The next second, his vision blurred, and he and the "Wolf God" were back inside the boundary.

At this moment, the Grand Preceptor's clear, cold voice rang in his ears, indifferent yet full of authority:

"Gu Fangchen, you murdered the emperor, betrayed your country, and seized the nation's destiny. What is your intention?"

Gu Fangchen blinked, patted the headband clipped to her waist, and said with a grin:

"If I said I just didn't like this old Deng, would the Grand Preceptor be planning to kill me outright?"

"..."

Xu Fu was silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh and saying irritably:
“These past few days, I cast another divination and finally saw in you a vague past hidden beneath many threads of cause and effect.”

Although she was also startled by Emperor Yong'an's sudden death, when she tried to sense it, she found that the causal string of "Peace" only fluctuated slightly, and the deviation was not significant.

This situation is truly bizarre.

Based on her previous perceptions, if Emperor Yong'an were to die, it would mark the beginning of chaos throughout the land.

But this time, it seems to have been balanced by another cause and effect...

After much thought, it must be because of the involvement of Gu Fangchen, this variable. So, since "Taiping" has not been disturbed, she naturally will not take action against Gu Fangchen.

Based on her understanding of Gu Fangchen, he wasn't the kind of person who would do such a thing.

Moreover, even if Gu Fangchen really was the murderer... her first thought was whether he had other motives.

This made Xu Fu, who had been sulking for several days, even more depressed and irritable, but he couldn't calm down.

Upon hearing this, Gu Fangchen paused, then blinked again.

He had joked with Xu Fu before.

It's said that the Imperial Advisor's divination is extremely rare, and he doesn't divine for the sake of the common people, but instead divines for such a despicable thief... Unexpectedly, the Imperial Advisor keeps his word and actually went to find a way to divine his origins.

So the Imperial Advisor wasn't contacting him because he was in seclusion, divining the future.

Xu Fu's earnestness made Gu Fangchen a little embarrassed. Given the Grand Preceptor's personality, his quiet dedication to his duties was truly a testament to his deep affection and loyalty.

Gu Fangchen took a deep breath.

The Imperial Preceptor's causal techniques are now arguably the strongest in the world.

If she can't figure it out, then it's even less likely that anyone else can.

I wonder what the Imperial Advisor can predict... Surely he can predict modern events too?

No, judging from her attitude, it doesn't seem like she had foreseen these things.

Gu Fangchen asked curiously:

"What did the Imperial Advisor foresee?"

But what Xu Fu said next was completely different from what he had imagined.

Xu Fu said, slowly and deliberately:
"Have you ever been to that ancient kingdom in the Western Regions—Garuda? I mean, in your true form."

Gu Fangchen was stunned. What kind of question was this?
This limitation excludes the game itself.

He shook his head and said:
"No, Garuda perished five hundred years ago, before I was even born, but..."

"but?"

Gu Fangchen's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly frowned, saying solemnly:

"I was once trapped in an illusion array and entered the ancient kingdom of Garuda... Grand Preceptor, why do you ask this?"

Xu Fudao:
"I found a causal thread connecting you five hundred years ago."

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.: A little late, I haven't been feeling well lately, I'll adjust myself a bit more.

(End of this chapter)