Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 336 The Prince's Marriage and the Hidden Dangers of the Elixir (Happy National Day!)
The next day, daylight returned.

In the southern part of the desert beyond the Great Wall, on a vast grassland that resembles a green ocean.

A group of pale-faced former Yan Party members huddled together, having accepted the reality that they had no choice but to become thieves and that there was no way to go down this dark path.

After all, some things may not weigh four ounces on the scale, but they can weigh a thousand pounds on it.

Based on all the filth they've done over the years, once the emperor brings it to light, none of them will escape being stabbed in the head.

More importantly, they glanced at the Blood Lotus Mark planted on their arms by Prince Guangze, signifying that they had become high-ranking members of the New White Lotus Sect and had no chance to refuse.

"Wang, Master, where do we go next?"

Luo Wenlong cautiously glanced at the three people sitting in the middle of the crowd: a blind, lame, fat man, a one-armed swordsman, and half a piece of charcoal. They couldn't even make up a complete person.

He really doesn't look like a ruler.

Yan Donglou was known as a genius and claimed to be the second smartest person in the world, mainly to give face to Emperor Shaozhi.

He firmly believed that his extraordinary wisdom was unparalleled in the world, and he had already planned his escape route before taking any action.

After looking around at the team he had built over more than a decade, he slowly uttered a sentence:
"I will go and arrange a marriage alliance with the grassland people!"

A single sentence was enough to cause a huge uproar.

"What? You're going to follow in the footsteps of the Han emperor's northward exile and set a precedent for a prince's marriage alliance? This...this..."

Even a group of treacherous officials couldn't help but look at each other in shock upon hearing this.

The Zhu family's destiny was: "No marriage alliances, no indemnities, no ceding of territory, no tribute; the emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state."

Following the example of Zhu Xi and Han Yu, the Han emperors, bound by fate for two hundred years, also did the same.

But your main lineage has just broken free from the destiny of the Zhu and Han families and jumped out of the quagmire of the Great Zhao, and the first thing you want to do is to arrange a marriage alliance?

Or was it the Tartars who had been enemies for two hundred years since the founding of the nation?
However, considering their current situation, it seemed that they had no better option than to seek refuge with the steppe people who could rival the Great Zhao.

In some ways, "marrying a prince" was a brilliant move.

Yet, one can't help but sigh inwardly:

“The group of upright officials around Prince Yu were all in league with the Japanese, and Prince Jing and our group of corrupt officials were not to be outdone, so they went directly to the Tatars.”

My son is truly acquainted with both Japanese and Tartars; he's got what he deserves in this lifetime.

Prince Guangze did not forget to offer them empty promises:
"That old thief Shaozhi has fallen victim to my [Heavenly Wheel of Fortune], and there are no more than forty-nine days for him to refine a second immortal elixir."

They will surely die within a month!
I have the righteous cause at my disposal, and the grassland people have the army at their disposal. Why should we worry about not being able to take advantage of my elder brother's recent ascension to the throne and the instability of his power base to fight back to the Great Zhao, march south to capture the dragon, and reclaim the throne?
Especially Anda Khan, who once marched to the foot of the capital ten years ago, but ultimately returned empty-handed.

With me personally knocking on the door this time, breaking the seal on Emperor Shi Huang's divine energy, taking the capital will be a piece of cake.

Although I have no money to reward them, just like the Tang army led foreign troops to quell the rebellion in the past, I will allow them to plunder the capital for a month, which should satisfy their appetite.

"After this, I will maintain a long-term peace and stability by establishing marriage alliances with the Golden Family, opening trade routes, and jointly governing the country. Wouldn't this resolve the dilemma?"

These words made a group of his followers somewhat tempted.

The once-mighty Yunmeng Empire is now fragmented.

The eastern part was dominated by the powerful Golden Family of the Yunmeng Tatars, while the western part was dominated by the Oirat, a tribal alliance formerly of Yunmeng. The two sides had long been at odds.

The eastern region was stronger, but it was a situation of "a Khan in name only, with powerful vassal states standing side by side." The Tumed tribe, ruled by Altan Khan, was the strongest force.

This person comes from the Golden Family and can be regarded as a "regency" figure.

He was the de facto ruler of the desert, with his sphere of influence stretching from Jianzhou in the east to the Western Sea in the west. He frequently coerced the nominal Khan, who was also his nephew, to obey his orders.

This is the most suitable marriage partner.

Moreover, the fine tradition passed down from the grasslands is that real men never play the game of succession.

This presents a great opportunity for professional rebels like them.

What's even more ingenious is that Altan Khan was a Buddhist and intended to introduce the Buddhist faith of the highlands to the various tribes of the steppe. The Golden Family and the princes of the steppe were the perfect audience for their White Lotus Religion missionary work. The plan was excellent, but Prince Guangze couldn't help but feel regret:

"It's a pity we couldn't take the One-Eyed Stone Man and the Heavenly Treasure Ship with us."

In the chaotic world of Yunmeng, the ancestors of the Han family unexpectedly unearthed a divinely ordained talisman, the "One-Eyed Stone Man."

He rose to power and conquered the world by relying on his elite followers and a group of river workers from the Zhuohe River.

It was with this that Emperor Taizu Han Lin escaped his fate of drowning in the Guabu River and subdued the general Liao Yongzhong who was escorting him.

He also used the talisman "One-Eyed Stone Man" to launch a sneak attack on Zhu Shiliu, the King of Wu, who had almost conquered the world but had not yet truly ascended to the throne.

Finally, holding the one-eyed stone figure in his left hand and the Imperial Seal of the State in his right, he ascended to the supreme and noble position of the ruler of the state.

With the One-Eyed Stone Man in hand, Han Qinyu is confident that he can replicate the great achievements of Emperor Taizu!
With the plan set, everyone took the time to rest and prepare to continue their journey north.

Prince Guangze then used the longevity fire on Baiyang's body to heal Qingyang's injuries. The charred body shed its hard shell, revealing new flesh underneath with a slight woody texture.

Although he became a living dead, at least he survived.

However, after being injured, the subtle feeling of consuming the Five Organs Returning to Truth Pill, as if swallowing a living creature, surged into his heart once again, unconsciously making him even more eager for the elixir.

The deep-seated desire for health and strength is stronger than any addictive drug.

"More, I want more. More pills, and a faster cultivation speed."

"I desire to travel to the resource-rich immortal realm beyond the walls, and even more so, I wish to break down that wall called the 'Mountain and Sea Curse'."

Even now, he doesn't realize there's anything wrong with it, and just thinks it's a normal phenomenon.

Behind them lies the Jade Capital City.

The seemingly old and frail Emperor Shaozhi dismissed everyone and went into his bedchamber.

After confirming that no one was around, he took out the bronze immortal dew-collecting plate from Emperor Wu of Han from his sleeve.

With a gentle flick of the mechanism, a new [Five Organs Returning to Truth Pill] appeared in the eye of the yin-yang fish!
This is the capability of the dew-collecting plate.

He spared no effort to overdraw the people's strength and make them suffer even more, drawing upon the divine energy of the First Emperor of Han to infuse the dew-collecting plate.

Using the technique of splitting the pill to activate this protective object, a Five Organs Returning to Truth Pill was divided into two, each with 80% of the original's efficacy!

Having been reminded by Lu Yunchen earlier, and with the attitude of "better safe than sorry," I secretly took precautions, which saved his life today.

Feeling extremely weak, he didn't hesitate to pick up the pill and swallow it.

Feeling the power surge back, his hair and beard turning black, he murmured excitedly:

"More, I want more elixirs."

Then a eunuch hurriedly reported from outside:
"Your Majesty, the Consepson, which was planted with 'Heart Flowers,' has suddenly disappeared!"

On the other side is Yingzhou, the Eastern Sea Kingdom.

After a night of fierce fighting and a whole day spent cleaning up the mess, he casually used his flagship to summon the Emperor's Consepson.

Wang Cheng was still full of energy. He had taken a shower and was preparing to help his senior sister with her cultivation.

The bookworm-like lady in blue, who was in charge of arranging the schedule, sent him a bunch of letters requesting to buy weapons.

What's quite strange is that many of the clients this time are heads of various powerful clans under the daimyo's command, rather than the daimyo himself. These people are usually very stingy, but this time they are unusually generous.

"What's going on? How come these wealthy families suddenly all have money?"

Upon hearing this, the bookworm spirit looked puzzled and explained to him:
"Your Highness, I heard that a powerful monkey demon, at least a fourth-rank, suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the main island."

He acts erratically and insanely, never stopping for a moment. He wreaks havoc and causes chaos everywhere, conquering cities and fortresses with unstoppable force. It is said that even living ghosts and gods have been easily evaded by him.

Then he lowered his voice:
"Then those powerful families who managed the family businesses in place of the daimyo took advantage of this golden opportunity to settle all the previous false accounts."

(End of this chapter)