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

Chapter 236 Is it possible that I've surrounded you? (Three-in-One)

"Please, sir, this is where the Wu tribe lives."

The guide ahead gave a fawning smile and gestured for them to proceed.

This person was the first "Extinction" Daoist to surrender, named Lin Jie, nicknamed "Eternal Regret Blade." He also had the cultivation of a fourth-grade Refining Tribulation Realm cultivator and was a member of the "Extinction" Daoist sect, so his strength was quite remarkable.

It's a pity that he couldn't overcome one of the six tribulations, the "Tribulation of Weapons," which resulted in him losing an arm.

He used to wield a knife with his right hand, but now he can only use it with his left.

Later, he had a prosthetic hand made using mechanical techniques installed, but it could never be the same as before. No matter how much he practiced the mechanisms, they were never as good as his original hand. Moreover, after failing to overcome the "calamity of weapons," he naturally failed to overcome the "calamity of inner demons" as well.

It should be noted that the various tribulations encountered in the Refining Tribulation Realm and the Snow Pointing Realm do not come in a fixed order. Different cultivators will encounter tribulations in different orders, and the obstacles they will be stuck on will also be different.

Gu Fangchen's ability to survive in one go is unprecedented, if not unparalleled.

But there is truly no one else like him who can be resurrected once.

This is indeed a miracle that cannot be replicated.

Lin Jie was defeated by the "sword and weapon calamity". After losing his arm, even though he learned to use a left-handed sword, the power of the sword technique he practiced with his non-dominant hand was naturally not as good as that of his dominant hand.

This means that his strength can no longer improve and he can only stay at the fourth rank.

After their ambitions were extinguished, they naturally became birds of a feather, just like Cui Xiu, who was always striving for success.

Aside from the confidant who worked for Cui Xiu, he was the most valued.

Betrayal is also particularly easy for them.

Gu Fangchen is now promoting the three on behalf of the "Four Phases of Calamity Master," but the main tasks still need to be entrusted to Lin Jie.

There are many people loyal to him at the dock, so he can manage them directly without having to put in any more effort.

"Da da da……"

Gu Fangchen walked down the steps, the flickering candlelight illuminating the seemingly bottomless road ahead.

The walls on both sides and the top are carved and stacked from large stones. Due to the passage of time, water seepage and spread from top to bottom has formed stubborn marks, and dark green moss has grown from the cracks.

Before long, they arrived at a heavy metal gate.

The pale blue spiritual patterns on the door shimmered, depicting a fourth-grade formation that Gu Fangchen was very familiar with—the "Returning Wave Formation".

Moreover, it's the complete version.

When he first opened his eyes in the Prince's mansion, he was trapped in a room by those opportunistic retainers. He used this formation to stage a self-inflicted injury and successfully escape.

This counterattack formation is precisely used to imprison people.

Lin Jie instructed the array cultivators guarding the door to deactivate the array and unlock the numerous mechanisms on the heavy door.

"boom--"

A damp, rotten-smelling steam rushed towards the two as the door opened.

Gu Fangchen looked up and saw rows of cages in front of her. In each cage, a pale-skinned cultivator was chained and submerged in the dark water, with only his head showing.

Beneath this dock lies a water prison.

The imprisoned were the leader of the witch tribe and the witch tribe members who had followed him to the Central Plains to seek revenge.

These people looked much like the people from the Central Plains, with black hair and black eyes, but their skin was unusually pale and their eyes were much narrower. The biggest difference was that their bodies were covered with dense black tattoos.

These tattoos are written in the script of the shamanic tribe, which is also the source of their power.

Unlike cultivators in the Central Plains who rely on cultivation techniques to absorb spiritual energy, the power of the Wu Clan cultivators comes from the [Snail Book].

This "Snail Book" is a sacred object of the Witch Clan. Its appearance is that of a giant snail shell, and the endless rotating patterns on it are the Witch Clan's script, which is the foundation upon which their clan was able to develop into a civilization.

Legend has it that this conch shell existed since the beginning of time, and the endless characters on it carry the power of the ebb and flow of life and death over countless years.

By transferring and recording the above text onto oneself using a special secret method, one can gain the power to command the tides of heaven and earth.

The so-called tides of heaven and earth are spiritual energy.

The more tattoos a member of the Wu tribe has, the stronger they are considered to be.

In the innermost cage of the water dungeon below, a member of the Wu tribe, whose body was almost entirely covered in tattoos, was imprisoned. Hearing the noise, he looked up, paused when he saw Gu Fangchen, then frowned, turned to Lin Jie, and questioned him rudely in a hoarse voice:

"Where is Cui Xiu? And who is he? Didn't you all claim that you would never leak this information?"

He eyed Gu Fangchen warily.
"Success comes from secrecy, failure from leaks. This is a principle of your Central Plains. Do I really need to teach you this?"

The Wu Clan and the "Extinction" Path have been discussing cooperation for several years.

But the Wu tribe is inherently cold and cruel, so how could they easily trust the organization of the Central Plains people?
"Extinction" Dao is not a good person that the Divine Gate can patiently persuade. Your remnants of the Witch Clan are nothing but a bunch of chickens and dogs. If it weren't for the control of the "Dragon Soul Sea", why would you cooperate with these people?
Therefore, the means to "destroy" the Dao are naturally unscrupulous.

If the chieftain is unwilling to cooperate, then just arrest and imprison all your people and see when you give in and cooperate.

Despite their reluctance and various concerns, the Wu tribe members knew that if they continued to drag this out, they would only be the victims in the end.

Moreover, the "Extinction" Path was indeed aimed at helping the Witch Clan destroy the Sea Kingdom.

Over the past year, most of the clansmen who had been hiding have been captured, leaving them powerless and with no choice but to obey the "Extinction" Path and cooperate with the latter.

Even if they know perfectly well that this cooperation will most likely not end well.

But it's still better than watching those slaves who were once as lowly as insects at their feet take over and live a good life, while they can only crawl in the shadows like maggots.

In the past year, they have only met Cui Xiu, and only once was with the "Four Phases Calamity Master". They have met all the people mentioned in the plan.

Why is there a completely different face tonight?

This really makes one suspicious.

If the "destruction" itself also has problems, then wouldn't all the suffering they've endured in the past year, and all the longing and hope in their hearts now, have become nothing?

"He is dead."

Gu Fangchen walked over slowly, smiling as she said:
“Wu Tian, ​​I’m here to release you. Tomorrow, as planned, set sail and go out to sea. The ‘Extinction’ Dao will help you reclaim the Sea Kingdom.”

This black-tattooed witch clan member is none other than Wu Tian, ​​the leader of the witch clan. He was originally a second-rank cultivator, but he has regressed too much now, basically equivalent to the peak of the third rank.

Wu Tian remained silent for a moment.

Gu Fangchen's words were tantamount to saying that he was the one who killed Cui Xiu.

Just as the plan was about to begin, the second-in-command of the "Extinction" faction was killed. Such a thing was truly unsettling.

But judging from Lin Jie's appearance, Wu Tian realized that this must be a crushing victory, otherwise, given these people's personalities, they would never be so submissive.

Well then... the arrow is on the bowstring, and it must be released.

They have no room to consider this anymore.

Wu Tian nodded:

"I understand."

Gu Fangchen glanced at Lin Jie, who understood immediately and took out a soul contract.

The soul contract is a mutual constraint based on the art of cause and effect. From the very beginning, it was one of the conditions for "destroying" the Dao to help the witch clan.

Signing this contract is tantamount to the entire witch clan selling themselves into servitude, losing all their freedom.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have fought so hard and been captured by the "Extinction" sect and tortured in the water dungeon.

Now, this soul contract, which should have been presided over by the "Four Phases Calamity Master," has fallen to Gu Fangchen.

What Gu Fangchen needs is not their loyalty, but this contract.

As long as this contract exists, making them submit to the Qingman will be a simple matter of a word.

……

The Wu tribesmen emerged from the water dungeon and, regaining their freedom, knelt and prayed to the sea in excitement on the dock before being taken away to heal and recuperate.

The next day.

The Wu tribesmen and followers of the "Extinction" sect boarded the ships, made preparations, mingled among the merchant ships, and set sail.

Amidst shouts and calls, merchant ships set sail from port into the boundless sea.

Before boarding the last ship, Gu Fangchen looked at the distant, misty sea kingdom, with Prajna Lotus Moon beside him, and said:
“I have seen the arrangements of the ‘Extinction’ Dao. Over the years, through smuggling trade routes, they have arranged for many people to infiltrate the Sea Kingdom as spies and have figured out the key points of the Sea Kingdom’s continental shelf.”

"If we can infiltrate the Sea Kingdom and set up a complete 'Dragon Trapping Formation' at several key points, the entire Sea Kingdom will be ours for the taking."

"This is not difficult. I think we should be able to unite the three kingdoms to fight against the Great Wei soon."

That's right, the "trapped dragon formation" on the dock is actually an experiment.

The most important goal is to improve it into a grand array that can control the entire sea kingdom.

After all, the area of ​​the Sea Kingdom is not large, at most the size of one of the Great Wei's territories, so the range of the "Dragon and Snake Rising from the Land" formation is about that size.

The idea that the "Dragon-Trapping Formation" could trap the entire Sea Kingdom was not far-fetched.

Precisely because these merfolk all have sea beast blood, they are perfectly countered by the "Dragon Trapping Formation," which was originally used to hunt sea beasts, and the effect is even better!
The whole plan wasn't difficult; the only challenge was infiltrating the area.

The Sea Kingdom's isolationist policy is based on a protective array activated by the [Snail Book], which envelops the entire Sea Kingdom. Without the [Snail Book's] approval, anyone who enters will be exposed.

The [Snail Book] recognizes the original inhabitants of the Sea Kingdom.

One is a witch clan, the other a mermaid clan.

The Wu tribe can exploit a bug.

Because the bodies of the Wu tribe are covered with the script of the "Snail Script," and this script is also recognized by the "Snail Script."

This does not belong to the indigenous people, but to the [Snail Book] itself.

Therefore, as long as one wears the skin of the Wu tribe, one can still be recognized by the [Snail Book] and enter the Sea Kingdom.

This is one of the reasons why players usually choose to help the merfolk.

To choose the Witch Clan route, it's not just because the Witch Clan is initially considered the villains; more importantly, players who choose this route must become even more villainous than the villains themselves...

However, the "Extinction" Path has already done the worst things.

All that's left for the players is the moral dilemma of whether or not to accept that "magic weapon".

Clearly, Gu Fangchen at this moment has no conscience.

Gu Fangchen turned her head, glanced at Prajna Lotus Moon, and nodded:
"Yes."

"However... things probably won't go that smoothly."

He faced the sea breeze, his gaze gradually turning cold.

Suddenly, figures appeared from all directions, hovering in mid-air and surrounding the entire dock from above.

"...Gu Fangchen, do you think we're still unprepared and will let you come and go as you please on the Demonic Sect's territory?"

In mid-air, an old man with a solemn expression took a step forward, looked down at Gu Fangchen, and coldly rebuked her.

"No matter how you got rid of the 'Four-Phase Calamity Master' and found a substitute to control the 'Extinction' Dao."

"But today, you will not return."

The old man wore a white linen Taoist robe, had white hair and a youthful face, his white hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and he held a peach wood cane in his hand. He had the air of a sage.

This person is An Qisheng, the Dao Master of "Jie" Dao and a Qi Refiner.

"It took us a lot of patience to lower your guard!"

A soft, charming laugh rang out like a silver bell. The voice alone was incredibly alluring, and anyone of ordinary cultivation would surely blush and lose control.

Then, the figure of a woman in red appeared behind Gu Fangchen, and a pair of soft, boneless hands climbed up his waist.

A warm, fragrant scent, like orchids and musk, wafted from behind his ear, sticky and moist like a lick.

Prajna Lotus Moon's expression changed drastically, her pupils contracted, and she turned her head away.

Standing behind Gu Fangchen was a woman wearing a blood-red wedding dress.

The woman was extremely tall, easily over eight feet in height, with full breasts and a voluptuous figure. A red veil, like a curtain, hung down to the ground, obscuring her face. Only her thick, lustrous black hair hung down, and like a living thing, it wrapped around Gu Fangchen's limbs and climbed up, showing a tendency to wrap around his entire body.

She is none other than the Lord of the Way of Life, the Joyful Goddess!
Prajna Lotus Moon looked around and took a deep breath.

The fact that two leaders of the Demonic Sect joined forces to kill Xie Qian was a privilege he had only ever received.

Of course, this is also because Xie Qian entered the first rank too early, and at that time the Ten Paths did not have the scale it has now.

Later, he left a thought behind at Yaoshan, but only faced two Dao Lords at once.

Even Ding Xingfeng had never fought two Dao Lords in one go.

Now, this same treatment has been given to a fourth-rank cultivator.

If I were to tell anyone, no one would believe me.

But this person is Gu Fangchen.

So it doesn't seem outrageous... on the contrary, it feels quite natural.

A variable capable of disrupting all plans has emerged. After repeatedly underestimating her, Gu Fangchen has grown step by step to where she is now. They have finally realized that if this person is not eliminated, her plans will inevitably deviate from their original course.

Therefore, after Gu Fangchen entered Qingman, the Demonic Sect immediately ordered to remain inactive.

Although the intelligence department has always been the one responsible for "Qing" Dao, it is the real main force.

But how could the other demonic sects not develop their own intelligence agencies?

Relying entirely on "emotion" is something only a fool would do.

Moreover, the members of the Demonic Sect are all shrewd and capable.

This time, however, all the followers of Qingman lay in wait, secretly investigating Gu Fangchen's whereabouts.

After discovering his plan to unite the three kingdoms of "Fatuma-Qingman-Haiguo", and then contacting the missing "Four-Phase Robbery Master", it was immediately obvious that he would definitely go to the Caobang Wharf.

During this period, the "Jie" and "Sheng" sects of the Demonic Cult lay in ambush near the dock, waiting to ambush their prey.

Sure enough, Gu Fangchen arrived.

Gu Fangchen's expression remained unchanged. She sighed and said:

"You really think highly of me. A mere fourth-grade Refining Tribulation Realm cultivator has actually troubled two Dao Lords."

An Qisheng sneered:
"Fourth rank? It is you, a mere fourth rank, who has turned the entire Great Wei upside down and torn the Ten Upper Dao apart."

"A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole. You are showing weakness to the enemy step by step so that we are distracted and unable to deal with you, a mere fourth-rank official."

"But today, you don't have a chance."

Before he finished speaking, even more cultivators appeared in the air around him.

These were all elites from the "Jie" sect, including various Confucian scholars who had defected from Yaoshan Academy, and even the renowned "Poetry Demon" was among them.

They all turned their gazes toward the young man below.

It's obvious that they came here specifically to kill Gu Fangchen.

"Alright, so it seems you all think that a two-on-one victory is inevitable."

Gu Fangchen narrowed her eyes, looking at the cultivator in the sky. With a flick of her wrist, her right hand gripped the hilt of the [Murder Blade].

His left hand gripped the hilt of the sword, "White Steed".

good……

All those who came today were humanoid monsters.

The [Murder Knife] can now be used to its fullest potential.

An Qisheng neither agreed nor disagreed with Gu Fangchen's words, but from the way he looked at her like she was a dead person, it was clear that this was what he thought.

In their eyes, the only second-rank official beside Gu Fangchen at this moment was Prajna Lotus Moon.

The "Four-Phase Robbery Master" is a substitute and a fake. Xie Qian will stop the Grand Preceptor, and besides, this female Grand Preceptor has always put the Great Wei first.

Now that Xiao Sheng has inherited the throne, the dragon veins have all gathered on him, the die is cast, and the so-called "peace under heaven" can only fall into his destiny.

Why would she take action again for Gu Fangchen?
"laugh--"

Gu Fangchen's figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

【White Horse】Leaves a long white crack with its ability to cut through everything.

"Do not……"

"What's this?!"

"How could..."

The cultivators only had time to show their astonishment before their body parts fell off, and blood gushed out like a waterfall, cascading down from mid-air.

Immediately afterwards, the head also fell off.

Gu Fangchen's physical strength at this moment has already surpassed that of an ordinary fourth-grade cultivator by ten times, and is indeed the strength of a third-grade cultivator.

In his eyes, even ordinary third-class officials were no different from chopping melons and vegetables.

What's more, he also has two divine artifacts at his disposal.

An Qisheng snorted coldly and pointed his peach wood staff forward.

Without any visible movement, Gu Fangchen, whose figure was previously completely obscured, paused in mid-air before being blasted away.

"Bam—"

But the next moment, a pale giant hand reached out from mid-air and pressed down on An Qisheng.

In the sky, a pale and compassionate image of Tara appeared in an instant, with hundreds of arms blooming behind her, and twenty-one incarnations forming a circle to block An Qisheng.

All around was silent. Prajna Lotus Moon, like the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, sat on the shoulder of the Tara statue, coldly watching An Qisheng.

"You old fool, you're wrong. Today is your death day."

While An Qisheng was fighting with Banruo Lianyue, Gu Fangchen steadied herself, blood spilling from her mouth.

He raised his hand to wipe it, and then felt the figure of "Empress of Joy" reappear.

At the same time, the woman in red clinging to Gu Fangchen had her long, black hair gradually wrapped around his neck.

"My lord, look at me!"

"The Joyful Lady" smiled and sang, like a water snake, her hands wrapped around Gu Fangchen, wriggling against the latter, her body soon covered in fragrant sweat.

Gu Fangchen could clearly feel the woman behind him, her body beneath the blood-red wedding dress, not wearing any other clothes, rubbing against his back very clearly.

A decadent aroma wafted over, instantly creating a bewitching mist.

If it were anyone else, they would definitely be distracted.

But Gu Fangchen twitched her lips, only to feel a chill run down her spine and break out in a cold sweat.

If he hadn't seen the real "Empress of Joy" in the game, he would have really let his imagination run wild and mistakenly thought that the person opposite him was some kind of stunningly beautiful demoness.

Many players initially assumed that the red-clad woman dressed as a bride would be a beautiful woman when they first saw this boss.

But in reality, this guy's true form is a mountain of flesh!
The ultimate goal of the Way of Life is simply "life".

This is not nonsense.

The true form of "Goddess of Joy" stuffed over a thousand people into her body, thus "re-conceived" them.

And these people are all alive.

However, once the umbilical cord is connected, all eating, drinking, and excretion will take place in the womb of the "Goddess of Joy," just like an infant.

One can only imagine what kind of environment exists inside the amniotic fluid.

This is why it is said that the "life" path is also the ultimate madness, and a very thorough madness, so that ordinary people would not want to come into contact with it.

When "Sheng" Dao initially bewitched the holy maiden Peacock of the Tara sect and took away the "lotus treasure in the womb," it was actually to perfect his own Great Dao.

Gu Fangchen remained expressionless. With a flick of her sword, White Horse, she cleaved the illusion of the "Joyful Goddess" in two.

"what?"

The voice of "Goddess of Joy" came from the void, sounding like countless people overlapping, which was very eerie.

It seemed quite unbelievable that Gu Fangchen was able to break free from the illusion.

But then she started laughing again:

"Hehe, you're certainly impressive. But it's not just the two of us who came today~"

Gu Fangchen grinned:
"Is it possible that I'm actually the one who's surrounded you?"

"Who said... it was three against one?"

The next moment, "Bad Lord" appeared in mid-air, his sword piercing through "Lady of Joy's" body.

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.: Posted first, edited later, please vote!

(End of this chapter)