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

Chapter 272 Mother and Son Reunited (Part 3)

Gu Fangchen's heart skipped a beat, and she turned around, whereupon she saw a familiar and stunningly beautiful face.

The beautiful woman embracing him from behind still had a fair complexion and rosy cheeks, gentle and graceful, with a pair of beautiful eyes as tender as water, reflecting Gu Fangchen's appearance.

She was still wearing the same simple and elegant black and white ink-wash dress she had worn when she left, with a light red shawl draped over her arm. Dressed in red and white, she exuded a touch of delicate beauty amidst her simplicity.

What's more, behind her at this moment, is the boundless night sky and starry river, dazzling and magnificent, stretching to the horizon.

Against that unreal, dreamlike backdrop, the woman's already stunning beauty seemed to have been cleansed of its dust, revealing a pearl that shone with even brighter radiance.

Gu Fangchen seemed to understand something.

This is not an illusion, but a real change.

Or rather, this is Ning Caiyong's true appearance, rather than that crude mortal body.

Although Ning Caiyong was beautiful before, traces of time could still be found. But now, not a single detail could be added or subtracted, making her seem unreal, flawless.

It is only then that one realizes that "the distant blue sky makes it hard to dream of Chang'e, and the human world is more daunting than the ordinary man," is not just a joke.

Ning Caiyong was still within reach in the mortal realm, but upon reaching the azure sky, he exuded an awe-inspiring and inviolable sacredness.

Gu Fangchen had actually experienced this feeling from another person, namely Xiao Zhenwu, with whom she had just sat down and discussed philosophy.

This is not a kind of temperament, but a natural aura that arises after one has almost merged with the "Tao".

When mortals look upon the Great Dao, they see it as the rising sun, as ever-present as the moon.

When we see things that are beyond our reach, we are overwhelmed with awe; this is an inescapable law of nature.

This also means that Ning Caiyong, like Xiao Zhenwu, is a "True Immortal" in the Infinite Realm.

Or rather, at this stage, it's no longer a matter of different levels of understanding.

Rather, it is a kind of "position".

This is also thanks to Gu Fangchen. As the vessel of the "true" and "false" paths, he himself, apart from not being fully integrated with them, is almost no different from the two in terms of "status" and can be regarded as an equal.

If it were any other cultivator, upon seeing Xiao Zhenwu or Ning Caiyong reveal their true forms, just one glance would be enough to drive them insane, or even cause their meridians to burst and die!

Gu Fangchen was momentarily dazed, staring blankly at Ning Caiyong for a long time without saying a word.

Ning Caiyong was already feeling uneasy, and seeing Gu Fangchen remain silent for so long, she immediately became even more nervous. She bit her lower lip, cupped the young man's cheeks, and quickly said:
"Chen'er, don't you recognize your mother?"

"I saw you meeting and talking with Xiao Zhenwu. You must already know my true identity. Please don't blame me. I must suppress the 'Heavenly' Dao, otherwise everything will be destroyed. That's why I can't leave this sky..."

"Xiao Zhenwu has guarded the 'furnace' for millions of years, always adhering to his original intention. I never expected that he would turn against us at this time, willing to let all his efforts of millions of years go to waste."

"That night, all I could do was send down a shower of stars to remind you, and pray that you wouldn't fall for Xiao Zhenwu's tricks."

"It's my fault for letting you fall into the trap. You have every right to blame me..."

As she spoke, she became flustered and incoherent, and tears streamed down her face.

The tears fell into the Milky Way beneath their feet, creating ripples that even made Xing Tianhe tremble slightly, as if he couldn't bear to watch.

Gu Fangchen reacted immediately, raised her hand to catch Ning Caiyong's tears, and then naturally stroked her cheek to wipe away the tear stains.

He gazed at Ning Caiyong, looking into her eyes, and said softly:

"How could I blame Mother? I hadn't seen Mother for a long time, and I found that Mother was even more beautiful than before. I stared at her for a while and forgot to say anything."

Gu Fangchen smiled helplessly, then expertly made a wronged expression:
"But Mother, I haven't even said a word yet, and you've already 'convicted' me. Do you think I'm so unreasonable in your eyes?"

To be honest, if it were him with an incomplete soul, he would indeed have this kind of personality.

When faced with a problem, she would first shift the blame to others, and whenever she saw Ning Caiyong, she would start a fuss in order to repeatedly prove her mother's favoritism.

But both of them knew at that moment that Gu Fangchen's current personality was that of a cunning and shrewd old man, and that the seemingly playboy appearance was just a disguise.

Gu Fangchen's point was actually an indication that Ning Caiyong had taken the initiative, was being unreasonable with him, or rather... acting coquettishly.

When they meet again, their identities are completely different; their roles have been reversed.

Ning Caiyong blushed, realizing this as well. She glanced away and stammered:
"Of course not... Chen'er is the best."

She pursed her lips, then looked back, covering Gu Fangchen's hands with her own and holding them tightly, saying firmly:
"In my heart, Chen'er is the best."

Ning Caiyong said softly:

"So here I am, watching you get closer and closer to the truth, always afraid... afraid you will blame me."

Because they are so close, they will always subconsciously learn how the other person handles things.

Gu Fangchen once used this method to confirm her position in Ning Caiyong's heart.

Now, Ning Caiyong unconsciously chose the same method, wanting to confirm whether her position in Gu Fangchen's heart would remain unshaken.

After Gu Fangchen gave her love, Ning Caiyong, who always gave love, has now learned to ask for love without being taught.

Gu Fangchen smiled, a slight upturn to her lips, and said:
“Mother has done very well, how could I blame you? If it weren’t for your star shower, I probably would never have imagined that old Deng would betray me at this time. He planned everything step by step, luring me into the trap. How could you have predicted that?”

He paused and then said:
There are too many smart people in this world. I wish my mother were a little less smart, so that she could rely on me more.

Ning Caiyong's heart softened instantly, and his gaze seemed to melt.

"Chen'er..."

……

Xiao Zhenwu looked at the boundless starry river, which seemed to have instantly shed its disguise and become vast and boundless, but his expression did not change and his eyes remained calm.

He sneered.

What does "Heaven's" will matter? If he wants to kill Gu Fangchen, who can stop him?
After all... Gu Fangchen came from him, and that was an unbreakable connection.

Xiao Zhenwu stretched out his hand and a long river of time unfolded before him, with countless threads of cause and effect floating within it, endless and inexhaustible.

He squinted, went against the current, and waded through the long river step by step, leaving footprints in his wake. Finally, he found the thread of cause and effect that he had hidden deep within the river of time.

That causal line was very special; it wasn't red or gold, but pitch black.

In that long river of time, it almost blends into the water, and ordinary people cannot detect it at all.

This causal thread only revealed its complete form when Xiao Zhenwu approached, extending forward and connecting with Xiao Zhenwu.

This is the lingering cause and effect left behind when Xiao Zhenwu created Gu Fangchen.

The cause and effect that should have been "empty" was forcibly created, and then buried deep in time by Xiao Zhenwu with the "constant" way of millions of years.

Now, he has taken it out again.

For no other reason than to destroy it!
Xiao Zhenwu held the causal thread in his hand, and a ball of golden flame ignited in his palm.

This flame was exactly the same as the one that burned Gu Fangchen when he found the key to the "Heavenly Gate".

This is the "fire of the Tao" that is burning the entire world.

Those corrupted "Tao" survive by borrowing the power of this world, treating everything as firewood. When everything is burned to ashes, the whole world will return to nothingness.

Xiao Zhenwu intends to use this "Dao Fire" to burn away the original causal thread that represents "emptiness".

Once this cause and effect is gone, Gu Fangchen will naturally cease to exist!

……

Gu Fangchen looked at Ning Caiyong and was about to speak when she suddenly trembled and whispered:
"Mom, it hurts so much."

Ning Caiyong's heart tightened upon hearing this, and he quickly examined Gu Fangchen's body. Suddenly, Gu Fangchen's face turned pale, and his palms began to gradually become transparent, revealing the countless causal lines on his body.

Extending outwards from his body into the void, not only the original red causal lines, but also more golden causal lines gradually emerged.

That causal line is exactly the same as those "seeds of the Dao"!
Now, these causal lines are constantly breaking, severing, and disappearing into the void.

Ning Caiyong's expression turned solemn. He grasped his hand and sensed it for a moment, immediately understanding the situation. He gritted his teeth.

"Xiao Zhenwu is retracing the cause and effect!"

Gu Fangchen's existence, in the final analysis, stems from the causal technique that Xiao Zhenwu used on her, creating a "boundless void" that should not exist by generating "change" from "unchanging".

This variable, since its inception, has been intertwined with Xiao Zhenwu's "constant" way, elevating it to "only change remains unchanged".

Xiao Zhenwu actually achieved the title of "True Immortal" through this very means.

Now, to correct this variable, he must trace back all causes and effects and regress from his previous state.

Just like Xuanming, the price of refusing the "Heavenly Gate" is that he has to cut himself, losing both his memories and cultivation.

Gu Fangchen was rescued by Ning Caiyong and protected in this sky.

Xiao Zhenwu and Ning Caiyong were of the same cultivation level, and neither could do anything to the other. Although Ning Caiyong could not leave the sky in order to suppress his cultivation level, Xiao Zhenwu could not enter either.

With Ning Caiyong protecting him, Xiao Zhenwu naturally couldn't kill Gu Fangchen using ordinary methods.

Therefore, Xiao Zhenwu chose the most extreme, but also the most effective, method.

As the source of Gu Fangchen's karma, he was able to create Gu Fangchen using the art of karma, and now he can also destroy Gu Fangchen using the art of karma.

“Xiao Zhenwu has already merged with the Dao of ‘Hengchang’. With millions of years of karmic cause and effect, it is difficult, but not impossible, to trace back the cause and effect to the time before you were born.”

Ning Caiyong gritted his teeth.

Xiao Zhenwu's attempt to erase Gu Fangchen's karma is tantamount to him going against himself.

The resistance was immense, but since Xiao Zhenwu was willing to give up even the efforts of millions of years, he naturally wouldn't care about such a small price to pay!
His determination was already evident in Gu Fangchen's current change.

Gu Fangchen's body was rapidly becoming transparent, as if being gradually erased by an invisible eraser, and was disappearing at an alarming rate.

He watched as the causal threads in the void gradually broke, yet he remained remarkably calm, and said in a deep voice:
“Mother, listen to me, his ‘constancy’ principle has long been wrong.”

"The 'Constant Balance' should have been built upon the normal rules of the world, but instead of expelling those false 'Dao,' it was built upon a false and chaotic set of world rules composed of false 'Dao.'"

"Those millions of years of effort had actually corrupted him with the false 'Tao,' making it difficult for him to recover."

"To destroy his 'constant' way, one must first sever his other 'ways'."

Ning Caiyong immediately realized what was happening and read it aloud, word by word:
"Can the Dao be obtained and learned? In the past, there were nine who transmitted the Dao, named Fu Mo, Luo Song, Zhan Ming, Nie Xu, Xu Yi, Yu Ou, Xuan Ming, Can Liao, and Yi Shi..."

“These nine paths together form the path of ‘spreading the word’.”

“As long as these paths have not been severed and cause and effect continue to extend, the ‘fire of the Dao’ will not be extinguished. However, because there are nine of them, falling on nine different people, no one has been able to completely sever them yet.”

"Just as the foundation of this world is 'truth' and 'falsehood,' the foundation of all causes and effects of those external 'paths' lies in these nine 'paths of spreading the Way.'" "Severing these nine paths is equivalent to temporarily severing all paths."

Gu Fangchen nodded, and then said:
“'Fu Mo' is Xie Qian, 'Luo Song' is Gu Yuandao, 'Zhan Ming' is Prajna Lian Yue, 'Nie Xu' is Maha Wuliang, 'Xu Yi' is Ding Xingfeng, 'Xuan Ming' is Xuan Ling, and 'Can Liao' is Xu Fu.”

As he spoke, several golden lines of cause and effect appeared before him.

However, most of these causal lines have been broken.

There is also a "Secondary Ink" belonging to Xie Qian and a "Mysterious Netherworld" belonging to Xuan Ling, which still exist, extending out into the void and disappearing into this galaxy.

Then, Gu Fangchen looked at Ning Caiyong and said:
“'Doubt began'... I originally thought it should be me.”

“But now that I know I am in the ‘Boundless Void’ and will not be tainted by the ‘Tao,’ then ‘Doubt’ should actually be you, Mother.”

Ning Caiyong was taken aback, then suddenly realized what was happening.

As the first person to oppose "Tao," she naturally had some blind spots in her thinking and never expected that it would be herself who would be the one to oppose it.

"Om-"

Another line of cause and effect appeared before Gu Fangchen.

This causal thread connects to Ning Caiyong.

Furthermore, this line has already been broken.

“There is also the word ‘Yu’ou,’ which refers to chanting and understanding. I originally thought it referred to ‘meaning,’ but now it seems that it does not.”

“This ‘Yu’ou’ should refer to Xiao Zhenwu.”

"Om-"

Another causal line emerged, extending beyond the Milky Way.

Gu Fangchen looked at Ning Caiyong and said:

"The 'Four-Phase Tribulation Master' of the 'Extinction' Path, with one body and two souls, is a descendant of someone who once came into contact with the 'Heavenly Gate,' and seems to know many things... Mother, do you know who she is?"

Ning Caiyong shook his head and said:
“‘Heavenly Gate’ did indeed release a portion of the ‘seed of the Dao’ that was ‘Extinction’—in recent years, the number of ‘Dao’ has increased so much that even I cannot completely seal it away.”

"But that 'seed of the Dao' is in the 'Four Phases Calamity Lord'."

"And that feeling..."

She hesitated for a moment and guessed:
“I sense that she is not an ‘enlightened one’ but is more like you.”

Gu Fangchen was somewhat surprised:
"I?"

He had learned from Xiao Zhenwu that he was a specially created vessel to contain the "true" and "false" paths and to shield himself from interference from external paths.

So, will Yi'er also be a container?

No, judging from its previous behavior, it seems that the "Four-Phase Robbery Master" has become a vessel for Yi'er.

Moreover, she herself was unaware of it, and it was impossible for anyone else to have deliberately created it.

It is very likely that Yi'er voluntarily entered Lord Jie's body and then stayed there permanently.

And if we're similar to Gu Fangchen, does Yi'er also possess a "Dao" that is original to this world and has never been polluted?

Did she choose "Four Phases of Calamity" to avoid the problem?

Gu Fangchen shook her head. Forget it, she could just ask Yi'er about it when she returned to the mortal world.

Now that he knows the truth, he understands that Yi'er probably didn't mean any harm; otherwise, why would she have stood by and watched?

Gu Fangchen looked at Ning Caiyong and said in a deep voice:

"I need to bring the causal chain back to the present world and sever the remaining 'paths'."

"Mother, please help me."

“You are the ‘Heaven’ Dao, the barrier separating the two worlds, the destiny that encompasses everything. Only you can accomplish this.”

All destinies are reflected in the sky and correspond one by one to the stars.

The entire world is under the sway of the "Heavenly" Way; this is the outward rule and the foundation upon which the world is formed.

To interfere with the cause and effect of the entire world, one must utilize the "sky".

This is why the history of the "furnace" is sealed in the sky, and the grand formation of "eternal unity under the same sky" is set up in the sky.

Only the "sky" can sweep away and cover everything.

To bring all the causes and effects to her own body, Gu Fangchen needs to merge with the "Heavenly" Dao.

Upon hearing this, Ning Caiyong's heart skipped a beat. He looked at him and met his intense gaze, understanding his meaning.

She pursed her lips, succumbing to Gu Fangchen's gaze, and took the young man's hand, letting him sink into the starry river with her.

Gu Fangchen looked around. The stars were floating and shimmering, a beautiful and dreamlike sight. The two of them were floating among them, unable to distinguish up from down from left from right.

He raised his hand and could feel a gentle resistance, like in water, but even lighter than water.

This is the embodiment of the "Heavenly" way.

Looking at his curious expression, Ning Caiyong recalled his own childhood and smiled gently, feeling relieved. She said softly:
"Mother will teach you..."

"How to do it?"

Just as Ning Caiyong was about to speak, Gu Fangchen turned around, pulled the fluttering light red gauze shawl over her shoulder, and the layers of hazy red covered Ning Caiyong's face, outlining a beautiful silhouette that was both real and illusory.

Through the red veil, one could see those gentle, watery eyes.

She looked at Gu Fangchen and said softly:
"The Way of Heaven is boundless love. The more I merge with it, the more I become accustomed to giving love."

"Anything given in excess seems cheap and easily obtained. The less people care about it, the less difference there is between love and indifference. There is no difference between loving someone and loving a blade of grass. When this becomes commonplace, great love becomes heartless."

The Great Way is formless, yet it gives birth to heaven and earth.

The Great Way is impartial, yet it governs the cycles of the sun and moon.

The Great Way is nameless, yet it nourishes all things.

What she said was exactly the same as Gu Fangchen's idea of ​​"Heaven".

When Gu Fangchen was a player, she knew that Ning Caiyong was the most sentimental and emotional of all the characters, to an extreme degree.

Interests? Balance?
She doesn't even care.

Ning Caiyong was gentle to the extreme, even to the point of being inhuman, but he was different when it came to Gu Fangchen.

She was originally gentle, but only in the general sense. She was gentle to everything, to people, and to flowers, plants and trees, but she was limited to the rules.

But with Gu Fangchen, she could even distort the truth and act as an accomplice to evil.

Gu Fangchen often wondered why the original owner of this body, such a wicked and evil person, could receive Ning Caiyong's inexplicable favoritism.

Now, he understands it all too well.

Because everyone else took Ning Caiyong's love for granted, only Gu Fangchen tirelessly verified and emphasized the special nature of this love over and over again.

Ning Caiyong raised her hand and gently embraced her child through the red veil.

she says:

“Chen’er, I will not give you love. The love of ‘Heaven’ is never special. I am angry, resentful, jealous, and selfish because of you.”

……

Even after the sky's inversion stopped, the war on earth continued unabated.

The White Dragon Army surrounded the entire Imperial City, and the Qingman army also came to support them. The Confucianists, under Xie Qian's command, came to their aid to defend the Imperial City from falling.

Although Xie Qian was a first-rank official, the activation of the "Eternal Heaven" formation had already exhausted his power, not to mention that he had stopped halfway and changed targets.

He was severely injured and fought against the second-rank cultivators who arrived later. The battle was fierce and evenly matched, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

Xie Qian could only do his best to protect Huangtian City; he couldn't protect other places even if he wanted to.

Gu Fangchen had previously allied with the three kingdoms to encircle them from three sides, and he personally devised every strategy for each location, making his offensive utterly devastating.

Xie Qian had only one thought at this moment: as long as the capital city remained intact, the fate of the nation would still be sealed.

As long as the nation's destiny remains, there is still a chance to turn things around!

Anyway, Gu Fangchen, the biggest threat, has already entered the "Heavenly Gate" and will never come back.

This guy's desperate move did put him in an unprecedented predicament, but Gu Fangchen's decision to send him away was his biggest blunder!
Without him, the rest of the people were nothing but dirt chickens and clay dogs in Xie Qian's eyes.

Once he recovers, these people will know what it means to be a "Confucian sage"!
"Whoosh..."

"Kill!!!"

The fire burned for three days and three nights, yet it still couldn't extinguish the shouts of battle.

Xiao Yinghao sat in the White Dragon Army, her black clothes soaked with blood, her face solemn. Looking at the mountains of corpses around her, she felt a pang of sorrow.

The siege of Huangtian City had dragged on for a long time without success, and Xie Qian was gradually recovering. Was all their previous efforts about to be in vain...?

Does that person's sacrifice go to waste?

The princess recalled that grinning face, but all she could hear was the silent wind. Her heart ached, and her throat felt tight.

No, now is not the time to be sad...

She took a deep breath and looked up to catch her breath, but as soon as she did, her pupils contracted.

The gloomy sky suddenly changed, and a golden light spread outward from the center.

Where the golden light passed, the Milky Way shimmered and the stars glittered.

There was an uproar all around, and no one knew what had happened.

Xiao Yinghao's face darkened. Just as she was about to draw her sword, she saw a familiar figure slowly emerge from the starry river.

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.: 6000 words, please vote!

(End of this chapter)