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

Chapter 229 Grabbed in one go, refined in an instant (Three-in-one)

Holding the exhausted and unconscious Prajna Lotus Moon, Gu Fangchen descended to the Garuda Royal City below, which had been restored to its former prosperity and magnificence due to the leakage of the power of time.

He did not go to the magnificent palace, but instead found the hut of the centurion from his memory.

The room was also restored to its original state; it was small, but clean and tidy.

There was only a cabinet filled with miscellaneous items, a simple bed, and a cellar underneath, which was where Prajna Lotus Moon had hidden herself.

Gu Fangchen pushed open the door and entered, observing the dust that was quietly dancing inside.

Because the entire city has now become a ghost town, the silent atmosphere creates a sense of time standing still.

But soon, from further away, came the sounds of people shouting and praying.

The people of Vatuma discovered that the enormous lotus in the sky had disappeared and the power of time in the vicinity had been completely withdrawn, so they came to worship around the city.

If Prajna Lotus Moon were to make her appearance, she would likely be able to take over the entire Vatuma.

In the game, it means completing a major event, instantly maxing out the region's reputation, and causing others to bow down in reverence upon seeing her.

However, Prajna Lotus Moon has consumed a great deal of energy at this time, and it will probably take some time to recover.

The faction that rejects Prajna Lotus Moon will surely take the opportunity to cause trouble.

After all, five hundred years ago, Vatum was established by uniting the worship of Garuda, and later became the new hegemon of the Western Regions.

Five hundred years later, however, it is uncertain whether the Garuda religion is truly willing to hand over the rule of Vatum to Garuda's orphan.

Moreover, there is a Tara religion behind Prajna Lotus Moon.

The Gara religion was dominant in Vatuma, but they were no match for the Mother religion and were destined to be gradually devoured and suppressed.

We must try to resist.

Gu Fangchen would naturally not allow such a thing to happen, and this was a good opportunity to reveal her identity as a "celestial messenger".

He gently placed Prajna Lotus Moon on the bed and carefully checked her physical condition.

"It's alright, just that my spiritual energy is depleted and I'm mentally exhausted. The rest are just superficial injuries. I should recover after a night's sleep."

Gu Fangchen sat on the edge of the bed, squinting her eyes.

The woman lying on the bed was completely unprepared, her brows furrowed and tears still glistening in the corners of her eyes. It seemed that because she had been in Gu Fangchen's arms before she fainted, she had let down all her guard, a stark contrast to her previous hostile attitude towards Gu Fangchen.

As a powerful second-rank expert, Prajna Lotus Moon is not someone for him to worry about, especially since she uses suffering as nourishment for her cultivation advancement.

Gu Fangchen transferred her previous pain to Prajna Lianyue, which did not exceed Prajna Lianyue's limit. Therefore, it was actually very beneficial to Prajna Lianyue's cultivation.

With her inner knot completely untied, Prajna Lotus Moon has now recovered and should probably pack her bags and prepare for her advancement to the first rank.

However, her aspirations must extend beyond simply reviving Gu Fangchen.

It has to be that "father" who has been repeatedly romanticized in her memory, to rekindle that bond with her.

However, her previous experiences with Gu Fangchen, involving both exploitation and threats, and teetering on the brink of danger, had absolutely nothing to do with this...

I don't know how she will accept the contradiction between the two.

As Gu Fangchen was thinking, she stood up, but was grabbed by the hem of her clothes by the unconscious Banruo Lianyue.

Prajna Lotus Moon murmured:
"Father...don't go..."

Gu Fangchen reached out and grasped the Holy Maiden's hand, waiting in place for a while until Prajna Lotus Moon's brows relaxed and her expression calmed down before gently placing it back on her flat stomach.

He turned around, walked around the room, picked up familiar objects and played with them for a while, then sighed.

The room is filled with things he bought for Gu Mingzhu, as well as small toys he made himself. Some of them are based on modern designs and are unique in the world.

It's clear that although Gu Fangchen was playing a nurturing game at the time, she was genuinely invested in it.

After all, he had only been "transmigrated" for a short time then, and had spent more than twenty years in the illusion. Those twenty years were equivalent to his life experience, and there was no difference between them.

The feelings she had for Prajna Lotus Moon were, of course, genuine.

Especially now that we've discovered that this so-called illusion is actually real, it couldn't be more real.

However, even after escaping the illusion, the hazy memories are still real.

Gu Fangchen knew what she had forgotten—

He knew what the look in Prajna Lotus Moon's eyes meant just now.

Logically speaking, I shouldn't have used Prajna Lotus Moon's love and hate as part of my scheme, or at least I shouldn't have gone so far.

However, overcoming the "inner demons" is not so easy.

Gu Fangchen is currently on the path to resurrection, having overcome the six external demonic tribulations of the "Refining Tribulation Realm," and her physical cultivation has reached perfection.

However, there is an even more important tribulation in the Refining Tribulation Realm, namely the "Inner Demon" tribulation.

For martial arts practitioners, the ratio of external demons to internal demons is roughly 80/20.

Overcoming external demons alone would probably get him to the late stage of the fourth rank. Considering the intensity of his tribulation, reaching the peak is understandable.

However, he vaguely sensed the barrier of the "Heavenly Dao," rather than simply the peak of the fourth rank.

This means that he is already in the midst of a calamity.

Thus, Gu Fangchen realized that she had indeed been affected by the "inner demon".

Several days ago, when he saw Gu Yuandao's signature red lightning appear, he was already pondering the meaning of this lightning.

After all, this world is real; it can't just be a simple lightning effect. It must represent something that is happening.

Gu Fangchen recalled the events in the game, including the later stages when red lightning appeared in Gu Yuandao's story, and the related impact.

He soon discovered the commonalities.

Generally, aside from battles, Gu Yuandao is usually the one to "persuade" others.

As mentioned earlier, if players choose the Confucian path, then Gu Yuandao is the best teammate, with excellent character, solid strength, profound background, and extensive connections.

Once you raise Gu Yuandao's favorability, many tasks can be completed simply by saying hello, which is very convenient.

The key point is—having a wide network of connections.

The criteria for "persuasion" are very lenient, which is a manifestation of Gu Yuandao's "connections".

Every time Gu Yuandao was sent to "persuade" someone, there was absolutely no chance of failure.

As a player, you might think this is a teammate's character trait.

After all, in an RPG game, the role that teammates can play is also very important, and each of them must have their own strengths.

But now it seems that Gu Yuandao's "succubus"-like behavior is not normal.

While he certainly had extensive connections in the court, it was a bit too absurd that he could succeed in "persuading" people every time.

Of course, under normal circumstances, he doesn't have many opportunities to "persuade" others.

However, players can repeatedly revert to previous saves and start new ones, meaning that even after so many attempts to "persuade" him, there is still no possibility of failure.

And each time, it was accompanied by the appearance of that red lightning.

Because the red lightning only flashes briefly in the background and doesn't provide any further indication, it's generally not something people pay attention to.

Gu Fangchen now knew that the red lightning must be related to persuasion.

In other words, Gu Yuandao, or rather the person who replaced him at some unknown time, may have the power to interfere with other people's thoughts.

Once Gu Fangchen realized this, she immediately began to examine herself.

And they immediately realized that something was wrong with their behavior patterns.

The turning point came when he discovered that Zhao Daniu had died at his hands.

He handled the matter with almost no hesitation; he was remarkably calm…

Based on Gu Fangchen's understanding of himself, if he were in his normal state, he would probably make the same decision after such an event, but certainly not as decisively.

The hardest thing in the world is to "let go".

Therefore, he concluded that he was most likely influenced by Gu Yuandao through unknown means and entered the "inner demon" tribulation.

Therefore, his "inner demon" at this moment is most likely none other than doubt about his own identity, resulting in a discrepancy between his knowledge and actions due to different perceptions.

He also knew exactly how to overcome the "inner demons" tribulation.

Since the "inner demons" arise from the discrepancy between knowledge and action, one must naturally bring one's understanding of things back to a unified state.

Whether you choose the identity of the player or the identity of Gu Fangchen, as long as you reach a consensus, the "inner demon" tribulation will naturally be resolved.

However, the subsequent impact of such a choice will certainly be enormous.

In the game, Gu Fangchen also encountered similar NPCs, helping them to accept a certain identity. The two branching storylines were completely different.

Gu Fangchen was certain that he had returned to a player's mindset, treating the world as a game, and, having inherited his previous beliefs, he decided to pursue a happy ending.

That's why I can make the right choice without hesitation.

But this is actually very dangerous, both for the world and for himself. If he suddenly feels that a good ending is meaningless and decides to fight to the death, then he will perish along with the world.

After all, at this moment, he felt like he was the player, and the fake prince Gu Fangchen was just a character he controlled.

It doesn't matter if you die.

Moreover, the likelihood of such extreme ideologies emerging is very high.

After all, this is what is called "inner demons".

Gu Fangchen analyzed his own "inner demons" and immediately made a decision: he could not continue the game simply as a player.

Taking advantage of the fact that he had just fallen into demonic possession and still retained a lot of inertia, he could quickly break free from it.

The Prajna Lotus Moon is a perfect opportunity.

By exploiting the love and hate of Prajna Lotus Moon, he revealed his true identity; this was a scheme he devised to break free from the tribulation of his "inner demons."

If we're talking about the depth of affection, aside from Ning Caiyong, it's undoubtedly the person he personally raised, Banruo Lianyue, to whom he poured the most love. Even though the memories are hazy, it's still deeper than simple affection.

Without witnessing firsthand Prajna Lotus Moon's agonizing grief over her own death and the genuine tears she shed, which touched his own heart, he could not detach himself from that purely player mentality.

"But it seems... that's not enough."

Gu Fangchen put the object in her hand down again.

He was indeed moved by Prajna Lotus Moon's feelings for him, and realized that he did not treat everyone as an NPC.

However, his self-awareness is not comprehensive enough, because there are still deeper questions in his mind.

The identity of "player" is merely a product of the illusion; his true identity is probably only known to "Master Hengchang".

Only when he truly understands who he is will he break free from his inner demons.

Gu Fangchen sensed something, flipped her hand, and took out a communication jade slip.

The message from the eldest princess immediately appeared on the screen.

Before leaving Fancheng, he asked the eldest princess to find and control Shenxiu. The eldest princess acted swiftly and decisively, and news of her arrived.

Unfortunately, it brought both good news and bad news.

The good news is that the Buddhist disciples in Floating City, including those from the Garan Temple, are still alive.

The bad news is that they have shown symptoms of madness, all muttering incoherently and appearing delirious, unresponsive to any actions taken by outsiders.

If the divine cultivators were to intervene, they themselves would go insane.

Shenxiu himself was found dead on the city wall of Futu City.

However, it is certain that he did not visit that small village near Tianmen Mountain.

In other words, the problem lies with Shenxiu himself, not with that small village.

Gu Fangchen originally thought that the small village near Tianmen Mountain, which Shenxiu had visited, should also have some clues about "Tianmen".

But the current situation has proven that this was a wrong assumption.

In other words, the only clues related to "Heavenly Gate" and "Furnace" at present lie with Xuanling.

"We must reach the third rank as soon as possible."

Gu Fangchen narrowed her eyes, looked at the people cheering in the distance, and then leaped into the air.

……

"Your Majesty, are we really going to welcome this so-called saintess?"

"For the past five hundred years, it was we who built Vatuma into the greatest power in the Western Regions!"

"This Garuda is merely a Buddha who has never existed. He should simply sit on his altar and receive worship. How could he descend to the mortal realm to rule over us?"

Beside King Mori, an old man spoke excitedly in a low voice.

This old man was the Grand Elder of the Gara Sect, a third-rank poison master, and could be considered highly respected.

They knew perfectly well that the Garuda Cult had only ever wanted to use Garuda's name to unite others and give themselves a legitimacy to establish a nation.

Just as the emperors of the Central Plains always said that they were "ordained by Heaven", after the destruction of Garuda, the kingdoms of the Western Regions were in disarray, and they naturally wanted to take the opportunity to get a share of the spoils.

However, the people below did not understand this, and over the past five hundred years, through their daily propaganda, their worship of Garuda has become even deeper than that of the actual Garuda people.

Who knew that Garuda would actually reappear one day?
After all, Prajna Lotus Moon herself was unwilling to come back before, and she was the only Garuda orphan in the world.

Then Garuda should be sealed in this underground place forever!

"Your Majesty, we cannot work for someone else's benefit!"

The old man earnestly advised, his eyes darting around as he whispered:
"Your Majesty, that lotus contains the power of time. With such a grand formation, Prajna Lotus Moon must have been greatly depleted. And since she didn't come out to meet us immediately, I think she must be seriously injured and that's why she doesn't dare to come out!"

"Now is the perfect opportunity for us. She has come alone, with only a few attendants and no high-ranking members of the Tara sect accompanying her. If we seize this chance to kill Prajna Lotus Moon, this vast Garuda City will be at our disposal!"

King Mori's resolve wavered somewhat.

He didn't actually think that Prajna Lotus Moon could really dig Garuda out of the ground, which is why he let the other party enter the desert.

—After all, if it were really possible to dig it up, it should have been done five hundred years ago.

However, now that it's actually been dug up... he's resigned to his fate.

On the other side is Prajna Lotus Moon, the legendary holy maiden, one of the twenty-one incarnations of Tara, each with great supernatural powers. How many lives did they have to lose?

But now, Prajna Lotus Moon did not appear in front of them immediately, which indeed seemed to indicate that she was seriously injured.

Otherwise, there's no reason why they haven't accepted the pilgrimage yet...

He was naturally unwilling to hand over the Vatuma so easily.

If... it's worth a try...

King Mori struggled internally, his expression shifting constantly. He gritted his teeth, about to make up his mind.

Suddenly, a figure flew out from the magnificent ancient city.

King Mori was startled, thinking that Prajna Lotus Moon had appeared, and was almost scared out of his wits.

But upon closer inspection, the other person looked somewhat familiar.

"This...this guy, isn't he the male concubine that was offered to Prajna Lotus Moon?"

The elder standing nearby was stunned for a moment, then recognized the figure first, and his expression changed:
"How could he be with Prajna Lotus Moon in Garuda, and... this cultivation level... this cultivation level..."

He looked hesitant, his face showing some uncertainty.

The aura emanating from that person seemed to be at the fourth rank, but in a moment of confusion, it seemed to be at the third rank.

This doesn't seem like a half-step third rank, because even if it were, it would still be a third rank, and wouldn't have this vague feeling.

The distinction between the middle three ranks and the upper three ranks should have been very clear, but in this person's case, it has become blurred.

In the blink of an eye, the figure had already flown in front of them, but was stopped by the guards, who looked at the two with a half-smile.

"Old Mori, are you welcoming the Holy Maiden? But why are you so tense and on high alert? It seems like things aren't going well."

King Mori's expression was solemn:
"Who are you anyway?"

The man grinned:
"Naturally, he's the Holy Maiden's favorite male concubine. Your eunuchs even personally escorted me to the palace. Have you forgotten?"

The Grand Elder had just received news from the Central Plains and the Qingman in the past few days. He squinted and carefully examined the man's appearance, then suddenly paused, his heart skipped a beat, and his pupils contracted:

"You are...you are Gu Fangchen, who killed Emperor Yong'an and fled to the Qingman!"

Gu Fangchen clapped her hands and sighed:

"Sigh, I knew that Vatuma wasn't very well-informed, but I didn't expect it to be this bad."

"Or is it that I rose from a nobody to a major figure too quickly, and none of you have even had time to react yet..."

That's really too fast.

Although Gu Fangchen was quite famous in the Great Wei Kingdom, she was not a particularly important figure.

At best, it provided some entertainment for the masses in terms of gossip.

In other countries, people would at most have heard of his name, but wouldn't know much about what he looks like.

His recent deeds are quite significant, but since they involve the change of the throne in the Great Wei Dynasty, they will definitely be covered up in order to maintain stability, so it will take time for them to spread.

Therefore, it was only at this point that the people of Vatuma realized that this so-called "male concubine" was actually the central figure in the recent uproar.

King Mori was also startled, then said in a deep voice:
"Gu Fangchen, why have you come to Fatuma instead of Qingman?"

Gu Fangchen's smile vanished, her gaze turning cold and stern as she looked at them, hands behind her back, and said:
“Old Morley, don’t you know that I am the messenger of the ‘God’?”

The Grand Elder stepped forward and sneered:
"Although the Qingman are strong, the 'Heavenly God' has no jurisdiction over us, the Fatuma. If you want to use our power to bully others, you've misplaced your intentions."

"You are now impersonating a servant and getting close to Princess Prajna. Could it be that you are plotting against Her Highness?"

"Vatuma will not tolerate your insolence! Guards! Seize him!"

Although Gu Fangchen's deeds are impressive, the title of "celestial messenger" currently has little real value.

It's more like Qingman adding a touch of mystery to his assassination attempt on the emperor of the Central Plains.

How could Su Le, a man of such stature, possibly recognize a man from the Central Plains as the so-called "messenger of the gods"?
Moreover, Gu Fangchen's appearance made him even more convinced that Banruo Lianyue was definitely seriously injured and exhausted at this moment.

Otherwise, why would they send Gu Fangchen, a fourth-rank official, to make an appearance?
Gu Fangchen's expression remained unchanged. She gave a cold laugh and said calmly:
“How can an ignorant person know the will of the ‘God’? God has already sent His will upon me. He said that only the divine body is immortal, holy and unblemished, and unharmed by the poisons of all things. The vile and filthy snakes, insects, rats and ants will melt away in an instant, like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun.”

The elder snorted coldly and said:
"Ridiculous, utter nonsense! I don't know what Maha Boundless told you that gave you this misconception. That 'god' has been lying on the snow mountain for thousands of years. What miracles have there ever been?"

"Since you believe his nonsense, then try the most potent poison and the most terrifying Gu in the world!"

"If you emerge unscathed today, then I'll take your nonsense as truth!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a golden-armored centipede emerged from his sleeve.

The centipede was entirely golden, with several pairs of wings growing from its back, making it look extremely terrifying.

"Buzz buzz buzz—swish!"

The centipede flew towards Gu Fangchen in the blink of an eye, rushing towards her with the imposing force of a giant southern cockroach.

Gu Fangchen grinned, reached out, and grabbed the golden-armored centipede.

Upon witnessing this scene, the Grand Elder revealed a cruel smile:

"You're asking for death! My Golden Armored Centipede is..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the centipede that Gu Fangchen had caught writhe and struggle violently, letting out a piercing scream, and then it turned into a puddle of pus in Gu Fangchen's hand!
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.: This was posted first and revised later. The protagonist hasn't broken through to the third rank yet; his experience bar for the fourth rank is just longer than others. He's missing a mental demon tribulation. Since the pseudo-third rank incense offering realm doesn't require tribulation, he's a pseudo-third rank.

(End of this chapter)