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

Chapter 245 Only Once (Part 2)

The "Dragon Trapping Formation" was planned by the "Extinction" sect for many years, and with the assistance of the Witch Clan, it was extremely efficient.

Because the Sea Kingdom has been closed off from the world for many years, outsiders have little knowledge of the situation on the land, let alone underwater.

But the Wu tribe is different. Although they themselves rarely go into the water, as true locals, they are very familiar with the structure of this body of water.

With the Wu tribe as guides, the nodes of the "Trapping Dragon Formation" were quickly found. The next step was to bury the formation's core in the corresponding position.

The merfolk are now focused on the ships and people entering the port, which is the best opportunity. It won't be so easy to take action after that.

"This is the place."

The Daoist followers opened their eyes, released the hand seals they were forming, and pointed to the rugged seabed covered with reefs in front of them.

Upon hearing this, the others immediately took out one of the array eyes of the "Trapping Dragon Formation".

It was a massive stone pillar, almost requiring three people to encircle it, and ten zhang tall. It was covered with spirit patterns, but it was not activated at the moment, appearing somewhat dull and rustic.

The bottom was cut into a cone shape, so it looks like a huge nail.

This was to facilitate its insertion into the seabed and secure it firmly underground, so that it could support the enlarged version of the "Dragon Trapping Formation".

"let's start."

With everyone working together and concentrating their spiritual energy, the key stone pillar floated up and aligned itself with the node that needed to be set up.

Another member of the witch clan cast a spell and uttered a low shout:
"open!"

The Wu tribe lives in this sea kingdom. They may not know many other things, but opening mountains and filling seas are essential magical skills that they are very proficient in.

However, the merfolk are more skilled in this art, so they need to be very careful when they act now and not make any big moves that could directly create a large rift in the seabed.

Otherwise, the merfolk could easily sense the direction of the water flow and know that something was wrong.

"Boom!"

A deep, rumbling sound arose, and a crack slowly parted in the seabed.

The Wu tribe focused intently on controlling the seabed, slowly transforming it from hard to soft. The seabed, originally made of piled stones, first turned into gravel, then softened into mud and sand, slowly pushing it apart to both sides. The dark crack in the center gradually widened, turning into a dark hole.

At the same time, it also multitasks to ensure that the water flows as gently as possible over the opening of the hole, without causing too much turbulence.

The remaining members of the "Extinction" Daoist sect who controlled the array's core pillar also cooperated simultaneously, their minds united, and slowly lowered the thick stone pillar, embedding it into the dark cave entrance.

The entrance to the cave was carefully made, and the stone pillars were too thick. The two interlocked and rubbed against each other, making the entry process increasingly slow.

However, if this ten-zhang-long pillar is not driven into the seabed, it will surely attract the attention of the merfolk, and all efforts will be in vain.

Therefore, all these preparations and careful actions are necessary steps.

"Click..."

Suddenly, the stone pillar seemed to encounter some obstruction below, and for a moment the card could not move.

It made a slight sound when it hit the bottom, causing the surrounding seabed and water to ripple.

"what happened?"

The Daoist followers frowned and immediately questioned the witch.

The witch tribesman carefully sensed it for a moment, then immediately said:
"No problem, there's a layer of Bloodstone vein underneath that's blocking the way, we can just chisel it through."

Bloodstone is a common mineral found on the seabed, with exceptional hardness, and is typically used to craft magical weapons.

Therefore, this is also one of the important resources produced by the Sea Kingdom.

Encountering a bloodstone vein while digging on the seabed is perfectly normal.

Those who had "annihilated" the Dao breathed a sigh of relief and immediately urged:

"Then let's just chisel it open."

Upon hearing this, the others exerted their strength again, causing the stone pillar to sink little by little, breaking through the thin layer of blood heart stone vein.

Due to its inherent properties, the shattered Bloodheart Stone transformed into a blood-like red liquid, which drifted out from the gaps between the cave entrance and the tightly fitted stone pillars. Diluted by the seawater, it turned into a pale red color and was quickly washed away by the surrounding flowing water.

"Rumble..."

Amidst the muffled sound of water, the ten-zhang-long stone pillar was completely submerged in the seabed, fitting perfectly.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and was about to check again to see if the formation was damaged.

But suddenly, they sensed fluctuations of spiritual energy in the distance.

"Be careful, someone is coming!"

Someone's expression turned serious, and they immediately issued a warning. Everyone hurriedly disguised the array's core and then hid.

However, the other array nodes have not yet been set up, so there is no rush to activate the spirit patterns on these array nodes.

Once it's driven into the seabed, we can take our time and deal with the rest later.

Not long after, several merfolk who came to collect pearls passed by above, unaware of the differences in the seabed below.

The seabed has returned to calm.

The other key nodes of the formation have also been set up one after another.

……

Prajna Lotus Moon stood outside the door expressionlessly.

If she were truly the blind princess who sacrificed her eyes for the sake of all living beings, she wouldn't have to witness the horrific scene behind the door.

Unfortunately, she was not blind at all. As an incarnation of Tara, she had many eyes... a total of seven!

Therefore, she not only saw it, but saw it clearly, down to the smallest detail.

However, it's not that the view behind the door was particularly bad.

The Imperial Preceptor was so beautiful and elegant, yet he was filled with resentment and could hardly contain himself. Even she felt sorry for him, let alone Gu Fangchen.
Therefore, when Xu Fu noticed Banruo Lianyue approaching and hurriedly patted Gu Fangchen, the latter remained calm and even raised her arm to weigh herself. Her eyes met Banruo Lianyue's gaze directly through the door.

Prajna Lotus Moon felt as if she had been burned by something that didn't exist. For some reason, she felt flustered and immediately looked away.

Given Gu Fangchen's past misdeeds, he must have done it on purpose...

Prajna Lotus Moon looked at the wall beside her and heard a muffled groan like a cat's whimper. She was immediately startled and realized that her mouth was suddenly dry.

She quickly channeled her spiritual power to suppress the strange feeling in her heart and found that the door in front of her had already opened.

The two were dressed neatly and looked at Prajna Lotus Moon as if nothing had happened.

Xu Fu was still wearing a loose Taoist robe, but there was still an unnatural blush on his cheeks, and his usually flowing sideburns were stuck to his long, white neck.

The once spotless Taoist robe now had many noticeable wrinkles, which, even after Xu Fu tugged and straightened it, could not be completely smoothed out for the time being...

Gu Fangchen, on the other hand, was quite nonchalant. Her clothes seemed to have barely been touched, and she calmly asked in surprise:

"Lian Yue, when did you get here? Shouldn't you be watching Yi'er right now? What are you doing here all of a sudden?"

Although Xu Fu felt he had completely lost face, he couldn't just hide away and pretend nothing had happened.

With Prajna Lotus Moon's cultivation level, it's impossible that she didn't see it just now. If she hid, wouldn't it make her look guilty and like she's hiding something? No, what am I guilty about?
The Imperial Advisor frowned inwardly.

She clearly sacrificed herself to completely sever the cause and effect for the sake of peace in the world... Everything she did was reasonable and justified, and not out of selfishness. If anyone is wrong, it is Gu Fangchen.

She had already said no, but Gu Fangchen insisted on kissing her until she was dizzy and confused, then pressed her against the door and tried all sorts of things to tease her.

This child's personality is absolutely awful!

Thinking of this, Xu Fu's face turned cold. He quietly raised his hand and pinched Gu Fangchen's soft waist from behind, which made Gu Fangchen gasp softly and her expression twist slightly.

Although he no longer had the strength to hit someone, he could still pinch a soft spot.

Xu Fu quickly realized that while he had been feeling dizzy and his perception had decreased, Gu Fangchen, as the instigator, could not possibly not sense Prajna Lotus Moon.
However, he allowed Prajna Lotus Moon to approach without even giving her a warning, which was clearly intentional.

Faced with Xu Fu, who had found his weaknesses without any instruction, Gu Fangchen knew he was in the wrong and dared not fight back. He could only endure the pain, put on a stern face, and look very serious.

Prajna Lotus Moon noticed the subtle interaction between the two, but naturally could only pretend not to see it.

However, because she was looking away, she noticed the wet stains on the ground.

Prajna Lotus Moon: "..."

Her pupils dilated in shock as she followed the water stains, discovering that the floor of the room was almost entirely covered in them…

Prajna Lotus Moon wanted to clear her mind, but the contents of that storybook involuntarily flashed through her mind once again.

He discovers every clue, yet can only pretend not to know.

It seems that once again, without realizing it, she has become an "incompetent wife".

Prajna Lotus Moon took a deep breath, forcibly controlling the turmoil in her heart, and said in a deep voice:

"I came here specifically for Yi'er."

She recounted her findings and speculations.

Upon hearing this, Gu Fangchen's feigned seriousness faded, replaced by a genuine solemnity.

He looked at Prajna Lotus Moon, frowned, shook his head, and said:
"Actually, I had my suspicions for a while... but Yi'er's behavior didn't seem like she had any secrets."

Gu Fangchen had learned from Yi'er earlier that Lü Ping had instructed her not to stray far from the tavern and not to go out.

In the game, "Four-Phase Robbery Master" has long since left the tavern, but Yi'er, as an NPC, has always remained in the tavern, working as an ordinary wine lady.

Therefore, Gu Fangchen always believed that Lü Ping's instruction was for Yi'er, and that it had already been deciphered.

It's even possible that the emergence of the "Four-Phase Robbery Master" was precisely because she had already moved on.

But what if this instruction was actually directed at the "Four-Phase Robbery Lord"?
It was Lü Fuyi, the "Master of the Four Phases of Calamity," who came out of the wine shop and then freed Yi'er, or perhaps caused Yi'er to be born.

Gu Fangchen had his doubts, but he had no evidence to prove them, either in the game or in reality.

His flippant behavior was partly a test of Yi'er's reaction.

After all, Yi'er is an ordinary person, and shouldn't have any feelings for Gu Fangchen other than admiration.

But if Yi'er is truly a hidden powerhouse, she should feel offended by Gu Fangchen's teasing and other actions.

After all, she wasn't one of the other women who had already fallen for her, and everyone else was treated like a second-grade expert by Gu Fangchen.

Gu Fangchen treated Yi'er the same way she would an ordinary girl.

The strong in this world are all a bunch of lunatics.

In such an unequal situation, no matter what, Yi'er should have some opinions and emotions. Whenever Yi'er showed any abnormality, Gu Fangchen, who was very close to her, could also see some clues.

However, in fact, Gu Fangchen still hasn't figured out anything.

Even in that matter, Yi'er behaved very obediently, without the slightest hint of anything amiss.

In other words, either... she does treat Gu Fangchen differently and enjoys these things, which is why she behaves this way.

Otherwise, she should have been completely indifferent to the matter and shouldn't have rejected the fat young man's marriage proposal in the first place.

"But I believe you are not mistaken. However, if she can hide here, her strength must be beyond imagination."

Gu Fangchen thought for a moment, then pondered and said:

"Let's hold back for now, deal with the Sea Kingdom as soon as possible, and see what she's up to."

Based on the various events he had experienced, those cultivators with extraordinary strength would spontaneously disappear from this world.

But that doesn't mean they really disappeared.

The sky above is the sealed history; in other words, they may have simply returned to the heavens.

It didn't actually disappear after that so-called "Heavenly Gate".

If Yi'er makes any unusual moves, they might reappear. Therefore, those cultivators who are beyond imagination don't actually need to be worried too much.

Otherwise, if Yi'er had such strength, she could have already taken action and disrupted their entire plan.

Prajna Lotus Moon nodded:

"Alright."

"Boom" a loud noise.

Gu Fangchen squinted, then suddenly raised her head and looked at the distant sea.

The waves rolled and four pillars of light shot into the sky above the sea, enveloping the entire sea kingdom.

The "Dragon Trapping Formation" is complete!

The surrounding merfolk gasped in surprise, bewildered, and emerged, completely unaware of what had happened.

Gu Fangchen grinned and immediately looked at Prajna Lotus Moon:

"Let's go! Once the 'Dragon Trapping Formation' is complete, the Sea Kingdom will be under our control!"

Then, he looked at the Imperial Advisor, reached out and took her hand, squeezed it gently, and said softly:
“With the ‘Dragon Trapping Formation’ activated, the Sea Kingdom is no longer a threat. You should rest for a while.”

……

Xu Fu watched the two figures leave, gradually turning into a small dot and disappearing into the horizon.

She stared blankly for a moment, looking at the pills left by Gu Fangchen in her hand, and then let out a long sigh.

Although a huge price was paid, fortunately, the cause and effect related to the two characters "参寥" have been completely severed, and what remains are only the rest.

Such a shameful thing... This will only happen once, and never again!
Xu Fu snorted coldly, turned around and walked back into the house.

But as she turned her gaze, she saw the white handkerchief that Gu Fangchen had taken out from the bed earlier, with red plum blossoms scattered on it, already stained.

Xu walked over expressionlessly and carefully put the handkerchief away.

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.: Post first, edit later.

(End of this chapter)