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

Chapter 246 Weight Beyond This World (Part 2)

After the "Dragon Trapping Formation" was activated, the spiritual patterns on the four corner stone pillars lit up and expanded to cover the entire seabed.

Countless pale blue spiritual patterns appeared and disappeared in the water, their light even penetrating the surface of the sea and reflecting on the rolling waves, as if a giant beast was lurking underwater.

The spiritual runes moved toward the central Sea Kingdom blockade, and wherever they passed, pale blue marks like scales appeared on the bodies of the merfolk.

This is the specific marking of the "Trapping Dragon Formation".

The "Dragon Trapping Formation" was originally invented to hunt sea beasts, and the merfolk, who possess the bloodline of sea beasts, would naturally be targeted by this formation.

Those with a stronger bloodline of sea beasts were particularly suppressed and restricted.

Ancient merfolk like Sunaga were the first to be affected.

The price to pay for this grand formation is a massive amount of spiritual energy.

There is no need to worry about this. When the Daoist and the Witch Clan were making the stone pillar array eye, they filled it with a large amount of top-grade materials rich in spiritual power and also added the most advanced spirit-gathering array.

After all, occupying the Sea Kingdom meant that the final step of opening the Nine Nether Passage was completed. For such an important step, "Extinction" Dao naturally spared no resources, leaving no room for error and not allowing any mishaps.

—In fact, apart from being intercepted by Gu Fangchen halfway through, their plan was indeed foolproof.

With these resources in place, the formation can be maintained for at least three days.

Three whole days was enough time for Gu Fangchen and her group to kill their way through the entire Sea Kingdom a dozen or twenty times over...

……

Tide Palace.

The Merfolk built this grand hall at the foot of the [Snail Book], symbolizing the highest center of power in the entire Sea Kingdom.

At the very top of the Tide Palace was a wooden chair, upon which sat an elderly merman with white hair and beard. He was emaciated and nearing the end of his life, his head tilted to the side, his hand supporting his cheek, seemingly dozing off.

This is Ru Nu, the high priest of the merfolk who is in charge of the "Snail Book" and also the patriarch of the merfolk race.

This high priest also possessed the strength of a peak second-rank cultivator, but he was simply too old. In particular, he had suffered severe injuries when he led his people in a fierce resistance to secure the freedom of the merfolk from the witch clan.

Since then, Ru Nu's physical and mental health has deteriorated, and now he is almost unable to manage anything.

Most of the affairs of the Sea Kingdom were left to Sunaga and several elders to make decisions.

below.

Sunaga and the merman elder Bai Ben were still arguing about how to thoroughly investigate "Mingluo" and the ships that entered and left the port that day.

Sunaga naturally insisted that she and the people of the Tide Palace should take full responsibility and thoroughly investigate the identity, movements, and related goods of "Mingluo".

Bai Ben would never allow Sunaga to arbitrarily inspect the Ship Department under his control. In his view, this saintess was simply taking advantage of the high priest's impending death to launch an attack and seize power for herself.

He has a mountain of bad debts under his control. Others may not know, but doesn't he know it himself?

If Sunaga finds out, will he still be able to keep his position as Grand Elder? What's more, just last night, Mingluo confronted Sunaga head-on to save face for his Shipping Bureau, which is to say, for Bai Ben's sake, and managed to persuade her to back down.

He had just rewarded Mingluo, and if he were to back down and hand her over because of Sunaga's power, wouldn't Bai Ben lose face?
For these reasons, Bai Ben and Sunaga spent a whole day and night arguing with a group of high-ranking members of the Merfolk in the Tide Palace, but they still haven't reached a conclusion.

Naturally, this was within Gu Fangchen's expectations.

His actions last night, deliberately making a big fuss, were to expose the damage to Bai Ben's interests and tie him to Bai Ben's position.

This merman elder is so shrewd; he will surely help him buy enough time.

Sunaga's expression was solemn. Although she was indeed dissatisfied with Bai Ben, the main reason for her resolute attitude this time was the abnormal vibration of the [Snail Book].

But Bai Ben clearly didn't believe it at all.

He sneered:

"Ridiculous! The [Snail Book] has stood firm for many years, as solid as a rock, unshaken by the tides of millennia. What in this world has such weight that it can shake the [Snail Book] itself?"

"The Sea Kingdom has been closed off for many years. As long as the [Snail Book] barrier is in place, outsiders simply cannot enter. How could something happen so easily!"

What he said, Sunaga certainly agreed with.
She couldn't believe that the [Snail Book], which they regarded as an unshakable god, would have such a big reaction, but it was an undeniable fact.

Something big is definitely going to happen...

Moreover, it's a consequence they can't afford.

Since last night, this premonition has become stronger and stronger. As time went by, Sunaga even felt palpitations in her heart. She absolutely could not delay any longer!
Sunaga took a deep breath, finally made up her mind, and said coldly:

"Elder, you seem to have forgotten that within the Tide Palace, the decrees of the [Snail Book] are supreme, and you have no right to refute them."

“I will immediately order a thorough investigation of the cargo that arrived last night and detain all the people on board.”

Bai Ben stared intently at her and continued:
"Ultimately, because the bloodline concentration is insufficient, we can't detect the subtle changes in the [Snail Book]... Could that be an excuse?"

Upon hearing this, Sunaga looked up at Bai Ben, her expression growing even colder:

"Bai Ben, what do you mean?"

Bai Ben sneered in decay:

"I say, only you can sense the will of this so-called 'Snail Book,' even the High Priest cannot be certain of it, right?"

"In that case, it would be easy for you to forge the information in the [Snail Book]."

He's completely dropped the pretense; he's going to label Sunaga as talking nonsense and break ties with her.

Sunaga's pupils constricted; her anger was finally ignited.

"you!"

She was about to reprimand him, and if Bai Ben remained obstinate, she would resort to force to make him understand the current situation.

However, the next moment, the entire Tide Palace shook violently with a loud rumble.

Sunaga and Bai Ben's expressions changed, and they both looked outside.

The soaring pillar of light and the instantly spreading spiritual patterns startled everyone.

By the time they tried to react, it was too late.

"Om-"

The spiritual runes swept across, covering the entire Tuoyin Sea Kingdom in just a few breaths.

All the merfolk within the coverage of the array felt their bodies sink, and with a thud, they knelt down on the ground, unable to get up again.

"not good!"

As soon as Sunaga raised her hand, her expression changed, her pupils contracted, and she looked horrified.

"It's the 'Dragon Trapping Formation'! The Witch Clan is back!!!"

These merfolk knew exactly what this thing was!
In ancient times, the Wu tribe cultivators used this formation to deal with sea beasts. In later years, they also used this formation to control the merfolk and use them for their own purposes.

Sunaga turned pale and immediately turned around, landing next to High Priest Ru Nu, trying to escape with her grandfather.

Bai Ben, who was standing beside him, had lost his earlier arrogance. He struggled desperately, but to no avail. The next moment, he was controlled and suppressed by the formation, and he also knelt on the ground with a "thud." "No...it can't be!"

Bai Ben's face was contorted as he braced himself with his hands, recalling the years he had been enslaved by the Wu Clan. His face flushed red as he exerted all his spiritual power, trying to stand up again.

However, the "Dragon Trapping Formation" is specifically designed to target the bloodline of merfolk.

As long as they have the blood of sea beasts flowing through their veins, as long as they are still mermaids, they will surely be suppressed by the "Dragon-Trapping Formation".

This can essentially be considered the original sin of the merfolk.

Sea monsters feed on the corpses of true dragons, and only then do the merfolk, born from hybridization, emerge. In essence, they are actually descendants of the murderers who devoured the true dragons.

But now, they worship the corpse of that true dragon as a dragon god and regard that sea as a sacred sea, which is quite ironic.

Bai Ben wanted to stand up, but what he was resisting was not external force, but rather the blood flowing in his own body.

Naturally, such resistance is futile.

"Uhhhhhhhh!"

Bai Ben exerted all his strength, veins bulging on his forehead, trying to stand up. However, the next moment, all the bulging blood vessels in his body burst.

"Oh!"

Bai Ben coughed up blood, turning into a blood-soaked figure with bulging eyes, staring intently at the person entering the hall. He exhaled his last breath, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, lifeless.

"It's you……"

……

Gu Fangchen slowly walked into the Tide Palace, followed by Prajna Lotus Moon.

He glanced at the group of merfolk lying on the ground, passed over the overconfident Bai Ben, clicked his tongue twice, and looked up at the high priest Ru Nu sitting above, as well as the merfolk saintess Sunaga, who had originally tried to pull people away but was instead pulled back.

Sunaga was wondering why her grandfather had stopped her when she suddenly saw "Mingluo," a member of the shipping company who had been arguing with her the night before, swaggering in without being affected by the "Dragon Trapping Formation."

Sunaga's pupils contracted, her mind raced, and she immediately understood. She forced a stern voice and said:
"You were the one with the problem after all!"

She had a premonition that something was wrong last night, but "Mingluo" used the names of the Shipping Bureau and the Grand Elder to gain influence, forcing her to postpone her plans.

However, unexpectedly, after only one day of delay, the entire situation underwent a dramatic change.

It's also their fault for being too comfortable for too long...

Bai Ben's reaction shows that under the protection of the [Snail Book], most people are unable to react or imagine that in the blink of an eye, annihilation is already imminent.

Even if they sense danger, they will subconsciously feel that it shouldn't be that serious.

Sunaga also regretted her carelessness.

But now... it's all too late.

After the "Dragon Trapping Formation" was activated, most of the merfolk lost their ability to move. Sunaga could also feel the weight of her body sinking down at all times, and she could only struggle to hold on.

They wanted to retreat with Grandpa first.

The "Dragon-Trapping Formation" only extends to the land area of ​​Tuoyin, and the merfolk stationed on the outer perimeter are not affected.

As long as they can break out of the formation's range and get help from the surrounding merfolk, they still have a chance to survive.

But just as Sunaga was about to leave, Ru Nu stopped her.

Gu Fangchen said with a smile:

"It was indeed me... but since I also have a Saintess here, please forgive my rudeness, Sunaga."

As he walked forward, the "mirage array" around him dissipated, and he transformed back into his original form from a blue-haired, blue-eyed merman. He even took out his fan and waved it around.

The "Holy Maiden" that Gu Fangchen mentioned was naturally the Prajna Lotus Moon who was following behind her.

Upon hearing this, Prajna Lotus Moon was slightly taken aback, then glanced at Gu Fangchen, pursed her lips, and her expression turned somewhat strange.

There are countless holy women in the world; if they're called that, so be it. Why bother explaining it further...?

It was as if he only recognized one saint.

Prajna Lotus Moon muttered to herself, lowered her eyes and sighed. She felt that she was thinking too much, and it must all be the fault of that storybook!

Sunaga was confused, but she didn't want to be polite to Gu Fangchen anymore, and continued in a cold voice:

"You're not a member of the Witch Clan... Who are you? What do you want?"

Gu Fangchen shook her head:
“Sunaga, you seem to have misunderstood something—although I did not prepare cages for you, there is no doubt that you are now my prisoners.”

He gestured around with his fan, then looked up, the smile gone from his eyes:

"You have no right to ask questions, only to obey orders."

Gu Fangchen raised her fan and gently pressed it down.

The woman with white hair and a purple dress had a change in expression on her beautiful face. Her knees could no longer bear the pressure, and she knelt down before Gu Fangchen.

She gritted her teeth, glaring at Gu Fangchen. Her pupils, a blend of purple and gold, were filled with humiliation and murderous intent. Scales appeared on her body, and gill-like slits appeared on both sides of her neck.

You could tell from the frequency of her contractions that she was truly furious.

Gu Fangchen shrugged, raised an eyebrow, and looked at the Little Dragon Girl, who was just one step away from defeat, with great interest.

A noble status, a beautiful appearance, yet a helpless and vulnerable situation.

The next step is self-evident.

Sunaga was enraged again by his mocking gaze. Her heart was filled with turmoil, and she knew in her heart that her fate would most likely be no different from that of the merfolk when they were slaves under the witch clan.

She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and her pupils shone with a bright purple and gold light. Her legs transformed into a long, golden fish tail.

However, compared to a fish tail, it is longer and more beautiful, without any blemishes, and even has a row of mane on its tail. Except for the lack of claws, it looks exactly like a dragon's tail.

This is proof that Sunaga is the oldest generation of merfolk.

The old man at the head of the table sighed, opened his eyes, placed his hand on Su Najia's shoulder to signal her to calm down, and looked at Gu Fangchen.

As if angrily speaking:

"The [Snail Book] is never shaken by the tides of heaven and earth; it has endured countless ages and has never been shaken by the world."

His gaze was deep as he looked at Gu Fangchen, and he said meaningfully:

"Unless, you are bearing a weight beyond this world."

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)