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

Chapter 231 The Hollowed-Out History (Part 2)

After realizing that Gu Fangchen was very casual about setting up her to kill her, what Prajna Lotus Moon feared most was that Gu Fangchen was no longer the person she remembered.

Especially if Gu Fangchen chooses not to acknowledge her because of the previous tension between the two...

If her five-hundred-year obsession ends in nothingness, she truly cannot accept it.

Therefore, even the slightest similarity or warmth is like a lifeline for her, something she must hold onto tightly.

At this moment, Gu Fangchen's response finally put Banruo Lianyue at ease.

Not for any other reason than that she knew what kind of person Gu Fangchen was.

Even the centurion in my memory was not a kind person. He was very good to his adopted daughter, but he didn't spare anyone, especially those who had offended him. He schemed against them all.

Only when she cast aside the filters she had built up over the years did she realize that her father and the Prince of Zhenbei she knew today were not actually that different in personality.

She used to be the one being protected, but later she became the one being schemed against.

Different perspectives lead to different impressions and different mindsets, so naturally, what we see will also be different.

Upon closer reflection, it becomes clear that their bone structure is identical. However, the hardships Garuda endured as a soldier caused him to appear older than his actual age.

There's no comparison to the pampered Crown Prince, just like the difference between white and black Koo.

Prajna Lotus Moon knew in her heart that if Gu Fangchen hadn't been just an ordinary person at that time, without any talent for cultivation, she would definitely have been more than just a mere squad leader.

As the overlord of the Western Regions at that time, Garuda had a very high proportion of cultivators in his army.

In this world where strength determines everything, without cultivation talent and a certain family background, no matter what, one can't achieve much.

And given Gu Fangchen's personality—which was previously described as "ruthless and vicious" by Banruo Lianyue.

If Gu Fangchen set this up for revenge, then this is the perfect opportunity for him to destroy her spirit. As long as he doesn't acknowledge Banruo Lianyue, he can completely shatter Banruo Lianyue's expectations.

This is also why Prajna Lotus Moon felt a chill in her heart before she fell into a coma.

But she still chose to hand over the initiative to Gu Fangchen.

After that person died, you could even say that she lived only for him, to resurrect him, to see him again...

If Gu Fangchen wants her dead, then she is ready to offer her neck for execution.

Prajna Lotus Moon leaned against Gu Fangchen's chest, took a deep breath in relief, and the anxiety and impatience of the past five hundred years were soothed. She was finally able to calm down and feel the familiar presence.

She hugged Gu Fangchen tightly, her body completely relaxed, and her gaze became somewhat unfocused.

Even if it's an act... that's fine too.

At least she can enjoy a moment of peace in her heart.

Gu Fangchen stroked Banruo Lianyue's long, smooth, black hair, feeling the Holy Maiden secretly rubbing against his chest like a clingy kitten.

If the Holy Maiden had a tail, it would be sticking up high right now.

His expression was strange.

So, when Prajna Lotus Moon and I were at odds before... was that like her breathing on me?

Gu Fangchen had picked up Xiao Mingzhu before and raised her like a kitten. Now that she's grown up, she still has the personality of a kitten.

However, he found it difficult to face Prajna Lotus Moon with the same mindset he would have towards his adopted daughter.

I imagine the same applies to Prajna Lotus Moon.

But for now... let's enjoy the reunion.

Gu Fangchen quietly embraced Banruo Lianyue until the faint rumble of thunder could be heard outside.

However, the sound did not come from the sky, but from the earth.

Gu Fangchen raised her head and heard the faint rumble of thunder getting closer and closer.

"Rumble..."

He waved and drew back the curtains in the room, looking outside.

In the distance, the yellow sand and billowing dust gradually became clearer.

Those were wolf riders like a black tide, carrying fluttering blue barbarian banners, heading towards Vatuma. As they swept past the ruins of Garuda, a separate force broke off.

"The Qingman people have arrived; it's time for us to leave."

Gu Fangchen narrowed her eyes and lowered the curtain.

Several days ago, he had already informed Sule that Vatuma was willing to submit to the Qingman and help them.

After the negotiations were completed, Qingman would naturally send envoys to take over Fatuma.

According to the custom of the Qingman people, the so-called envoy was a Heavenly Sa (a high-ranking official) chosen to convey the will of the "Heavenly God".

As a key link in the chain, Prajna Lotus Moon naturally knew his complete plan, and whispered:

"The Witch Clan is inherently cruel and cold-blooded. The 'Extinction' Path practitioners are a bunch of madmen, not easy to deal with. After helping the Witch Clan conquer the Merfolk, the Sea Kingdom is far away and easy to defend, so it's hard to guarantee they won't suddenly turn against us..."

Gu Fangchen smiled and said:

"They won't have a choice then."

The Merfolk regard the "Dragon Soul Sea" as a sacred place, and beneath the "Dragon Soul Sea" lies the Netherworld.

Once you control the "Dragon Soul Sea," you'll have the lifeline of the Sea Kingdom firmly in your grasp.

After all, once the rift beneath reappears in the world, the first place that countless evil spirits will devour is the Sea Kingdom.

The people of the sea country are more anxious than they are.

Prajna Lotus Moon still harbored doubts:
"To be honest... I know that the people of the 'Love' path are now under your command, but why do the people of the 'Extinction' path also follow your lead?"

Gu Fangchen recounted the relationship between "Yi'er" and "Four Phases of Calamity," explained the current situation, and also mentioned the part about how Emperor Yong'an was hunted down by the Demonic Sect after his death.

Prajna Lotus Moon was greatly surprised, and she never expected that the birth of the "Four Phases Calamity Lord" would be related to Ying Baishou.

"So, the death of Emperor Yong'an was a conspiracy between the Confucianists and the Demonic Cult?"

Prajna Lotus Moon's expression was solemn. Although she knew that Confucianism was hypocritical, she never imagined that Confucianism had gone to such a crazy extent.

She had also wondered what was inside that "Heavenly Gate," but she never imagined that it was something that even a first-rank expert could not avoid being affected by.

Gu Fangchen nodded.

The Demonic Sect should have already reached a consensus with the Confucianists; it's only a matter of time before the remaining dragon veins are taken over.

In the past, the only way to stop "Eternal Unity" was to kill Xie Qian directly.

Now he knows that Xie Qian's death is just a symptom and cannot solve the root problem; everything will come back to normal.

His expression was serious as he asked:

"Little Pearl, in that long river of time, have you seen any fragments related to 'ancient times'?"

Prajna Lotus Moon was taken aback, then shook her head and took a soft breath.

No...not at all.

She also sensed that something was wrong.

This is so wrong!

She had never been exposed to the power of time before, after all, transcending time and space and achieving eternity was something only a first-rank expert could do.

As a second-rank official, she naturally couldn't possibly have access to such a distant past.

Even Xu Fu couldn't do it.

Even the Grand Preceptor only dared to claim that he knew the past five hundred years and the future five hundred years.

The ancient times were more than three thousand years ago. But now, thanks to the great array that resurrected Gu Fangchen, she reversed time and was able to come into contact with a corner of the river of time, seeing many fragments of it.

Although all she could use were those parts related to Gu Fangchen.

But what she could see was the entire river.

This river should have encompassed all recorded human affairs.

However, at the beginning of the ancient Zhou dynasty, everything came to an abrupt end, leaving a blank.

"This is not just a matter of dating..."

Prajna Lotus Moon's expression was solemn:

"Someone has severed the entire river of time!"

People originally knew very little about ancient times, probably because of the long passage of time and the lack of historical records, so it was lost.

But now it's clear that it was done by human intervention.

Someone deliberately prevented later generations from learning anything about the ancient times, effectively sealing away that part of the past.

"Sure enough."

Gu Fangchen narrowed her eyes.

If Xie Qian was intentionally or unintentionally influenced by the "Dao" and wanted the world to eventually be occupied by the "Dao," then his "Eternal Unity of Heaven" should have been placed directly in that "Great Furnace World" where "those who have attained the Dao" were everywhere.

However, in reality, he chose to start with the ancient Zhou dynasty.

It's not that he's unwilling.

No!
Because in the long river of time, the anchor point for the "Great Age of Furnaces" has disappeared.

Even the "Wangyin Tiangui" (a type of sundial) could not locate the "Honglu Dashi" (a world of great chaos) under the blessing of the "Wuliangquan" (a spring of boundless light), so Xie Qian naturally could not locate it either.

This must be the effort made by those who oppose the "Tao".

By completely erasing this history and severing its inheritance, the power level of later cultivators could be reduced.

However, that period of history should not simply disappear into thin air.

Just as the Ancient Human Emperor could not create a "Nine Netherworld" out of thin air, but had to rely on the other side of the entire world.

That period of history, so vast and encompassing so much, the long river of time that was severed—it must have a place to rest…

Gu Fangchen pondered for a moment, then suddenly her pupils contracted as images flashed through her mind of what Ning Caiyong had shown her before he left—

Endless mountains and rivers spun before my eyes, the sun and moon stood side by side, and the stars were enveloped within them. A ten-thousand-foot-wide rift appeared in the void, filled with countless eyes.

The gazes cast by these eyes transformed into strands of golden silk, falling towards the earth like a curtain obscuring the sky.

The people on the earth, like ants, caught the silk threads with their hands and were overjoyed.

"The six directions and the universe are filled with stars, the great furnace of heaven and earth is inherently without principle..."

Gu Fangchen murmured the words she had hallucinated in her ears, then suddenly stepped out of the door, flew high into the sky, and looked at the faintly visible "Heavenly Gate" on the horizon.

"Heavenly Gate"!
Even though it is 200,000 miles away, the "Heavenly Gate" still seems to be fixed in the sky as if it were eternal, becoming a spectacle like the sun and moon.

Gu Fangchen took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

The answer is within reach.

Why did Ning Caiyong give him so much information about "preachers" without any attempt to conceal it?
Because none of these things matter; the real message being conveyed to him is the entire sky.

Mountains and rivers turn upside down, enveloping the stars. This sky that revolves around the earth, a sky that can never fly out, is that piece of history that was intercepted!
The river of time flows eternally, while the constellations in the sky revolve ceaselessly.

Some people have disguised it as the sky, turning it into a curtain that covers the entire world, flowing ceaselessly day and night.

Only those like Li Kan, the "God of War," who were between death and life, managed to escape because of their self-sealing.

But as time goes by, some people will inevitably develop a sense of curiosity and rebellion, wanting to pierce this veil and see what's hidden behind it...

When Ying Baishou cleaved open the "Heavenly Gate" with his sword, what he saw was that piece of history and the truth. Therefore, he regretted it and realized that he should not have made that move.

He stood on the side of resisting "the Way" and sealed it away with his own body as an apology.

However, once he had unleashed his sword, a chain reaction was inevitable.

People in the future will become increasingly curious about what is hidden beneath the "Heavenly Gate".
As long as the "Heavenly Gate" exists, this trend will become an unstoppable, overwhelming force...

This approach, frankly speaking, is like a drop in the ocean; it can only temporarily stop the problem, and cannot fulfill the long-term desire to completely eliminate the "Tao."

Gu Fangchen understood that "Master Hengchang" must have come up with a new method.

And oneself, including the modern illusion from which one originates, is the key.

However, this method must have a way out.

It's not like everyone just disappeared, leaving him wandering around like a headless fly.

No, wait...

Gu Fangchen was suddenly taken aback.

Isn't the fact that everyone has disappeared a clue?

Ning Caiyong has disappeared, and so has the "Master of Hengchang Dao".

As people from ancient times, they should have been behind that curtain; it would have been wrong of them to have fallen outside of it.

That is to say...

They didn't disappear; they returned to where they belonged.

Gu Fangchen looked at the sky, and a thought struck her.

So……

Ning Caiyong's meaning of telling him to "see you again in the furnace" seems to be quite obvious!

As for how to enter the "furnace"... Gu Fangchen narrowed her eyes, and in the blink of an eye, she had already figured out the answer.

The history of the "Great Furnace Era" has been completely unearthed, but the "Heavenly Gate" still exists, and the people and things related to it are still there.

Currently, the only being we can contact who has a significant connection to "Heavenly Gate" is Xuanling!
Having the Xuanling is like having an anchor point.

What Xie Qian couldn't do, Gu Fangchen could.

"So... the plan remains unchanged, but some steps need to be added."

Gu Fangchen understood many things, her mind became clearer, and she felt a little more cheerful.

From below came the call of Qingman Tiansa.

"Your Excellency! The Khan is already waiting for you. Would you like us to send someone to escort you back?"

Gu Fangchen descended and said:

"No need."

Upon seeing Gu Fangchen approach, Tian Sa naturally knelt down and bowed to her in full view of everyone.

The surrounding Vatuma people stared in disbelief.

T-Is this right?

This doesn't seem like the proper etiquette for a "messenger," but rather for a "god"!

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.: Filling in the gaps, I'm having some writer's block.

(End of this chapter)