Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 351 The Secret of Penglai, Master's Wife Displays Her Power

The Jinghai Prince's Palace.

A court nobleman from the capital region, Saionji Sanemitsu, was led all the way to the main hall, the Kirin Hall.

I was somewhat dazzled by the magnificent palace, which was even more imposing than the Japanese imperial palace.

Looking down at his clothes, he realized that as a member of the civil service and aristocratic family serving the Japanese lord in the Kyoto Imperial Palace, he should, like the civil officials of the Great Zhao Dynasty, become one of the most powerful figures in Japan.

Unfortunately, not only did they lose power like the Japanese rulers, but their economic lifeline was also controlled by local daimyo, leaving them in dire financial straits. Even their formal attire was rather shabby.

Only his status as a fifth-rank [Priest] in Shintoism is something he can be proud of.

It wasn't until they entered the hall and saw Wang Cheng, dressed in a black royal robe and wearing a nine-tasseled jade headdress, that they finally came to their senses. However, they were overwhelmed by his surging royal aura and subconsciously knelt down.
"Congratulations, Commander Dazai! Congratulations, Commander Dazai!"

The first sentence surprised Wang Cheng:

"Commander Dazai?"

Saionji Sanemitsu quickly presented a decree of investiture.

"Indeed, Grand Preceptor, please look, His Majesty has not only granted you the official title of Grand Preceptor, but also the rank of Third Grade."

From now on, you are a high-ranking official who can participate in central government affairs.

The Dazaifu of the Northern Kyushu Domain was the ruling institution established by the Japanese imperial court on the island of Kyushu. The Dazaifu was nominally the highest administrative official of the island of Kyushu.

However, since the Heian period, this position has become an honorary post granted remotely, and the real power holders were replaced by the nine domains' tandai appointed by the shogunate.

The official position of Ōtomo Yoshishige, the first archer of the Saikaido, was Kuhan Tandai, which was equivalent to the de facto governor of Kuhan Island.

Of course, Dazai Osamu's authority never disappeared.

This position theoretically grants the authority to handle diplomatic affairs independently, such as sending envoys to Buyeo and Daejo, and to suppress pirates. It can provide a legal basis for Wang Cheng to intervene in the affairs of the main island or to carry out foreign trade.

Of course, all of this was done in the name of the King of Japan.

As for "from the third rank", it is also an extremely high rank in Japanese officialdom, equivalent to entering the category of "court ministers".

As both a noble nobleman and the powerful governor-general of nine domains, accepting these positions would immediately place him among the highest-ranking figures in Japan.

"Heh. I am merely a merchant who came to Yingzhou to do business, and I have no interest in interfering in the affairs of Japan."

However, Wang Cheng merely scoffed and tossed the imperial edict aside, showing no regard for this empty official position held by the Japanese.

In this world, the divine way flourishes, and the saying "only names and vessels cannot be lent to others" represents substantial power.

He could see right through the Japanese lord's schemes at a glance, even though he was struggling to survive among so many powerful daimyo.

It's nothing more than using him, an outsider without "divine mandate," to devour the enemy, and then discarding him once the royal family has regained power.

"My ambition is to conquer the world, not for you to conquer me, much less to join your system and laws and become your subject."

Times have changed. From now on, there will only be one voice on Yingzhou Island: My rules are the only rules!

Whether it was the Japanese lords, court nobles, or those samurai daimyo, they all still held the mindset of the Warring States period, believing that outsiders who came to Japan would only be assimilated by them.

The Sixty-Six Kingdoms Saga has been a series of large countries swallowing up small ones, and the actions of the East Sea Kingdom seem no different from those of the others.

However, they failed to realize that this had now become a national-level confrontation between the East Sea Kingdom and the Japanese Kingdom.

Lord Wang only came here to do three things: destroy the country and exterminate the race, destroy the country and exterminate the race, destroy the country and exterminate the race!
He's not the kind of person who's going to sit down and share the spoils with the Wu and Gong families, and give them 70% of the benefits for nothing.

Moreover, with the help of his senior sister, Wang Cheng became the [Hokushin Myōkenten], a position representing the North Star, just like the ruler of Japan.

With this claim to power, as long as the current Yamato ruler, Masamachi, is eliminated, there is hope of directly seizing the unbroken religious lineage and obtaining the highest legitimacy.

Then he can sit back and wait for the various samurai daimyo to fight until they are exhausted and blood is flowing like rivers, then calmly clean up the mess, seize complete control, and implement his own rules and regulations.

I just plan to wait until I'm promoted to the third rank before doing it.

Anyway, with the great evil spirit [Zhu Lu] giving his Offshore Balance Technique an accelerator, he wasn't in a hurry at all.

Looking down at the envoys below, he said in a deep voice:
"Lord Saionji, please tell me the secret of immortality. I am more interested in that."

Although the latter was somewhat disappointed, he had foreseen this possibility before setting off, otherwise he would not have taken out the other two treasures entrusted by the Japanese lord Masamachi in an attempt to impress Wang Cheng.

He also smoothly changed the way he addressed her:

"Your Highness, you should know that the royal family has the bloodline of Xu Fu, the alchemist from the Great Qin Dynasty, and possesses two priceless treasures left behind by him."

One is the imperial edict from the First Emperor to Xu Fu in search of the elixir of immortality, which can break the curse of the mountains and seas;

Another item is the nautical chart left by Xu Fu when he explored the world beyond the wall—the Penglai Immortal Island.

The imperial edict should not be touched lightly, but I can give you a copy of this nautical chart.

This contains the elixir of immortality that everyone desperately seeks!

He took out a rubbing of "The Star Chart for Crossing the Ocean" from his pocket, gestured to Wang Cheng, but did not hand it directly to the servant in the Qilin Hall.

Wang Cheng knew the royal family and nobles were in dire straits. They wanted him to set a price and buy the map as a "royal gift" to maintain the basic dignity of the nobility. Although he avoided the kind of immortal elixir that was addictive like opium and would turn one into immortal dregs, he was very interested in immortal dregs themselves.

In comparison, "external alchemy" is an elixir of immortality for humans, but the [Yin Yang Thunder Fire Pivot] is an elixir of immortality for the nation!
If he wants to initiate a revolution of thunder and fire and religious reform to help his senior sister rise to power, he must assemble the Yin-Yang Thunder and Fire Cardinal on a large scale, and the most crucial Yin and Yang Anodes are naturally indispensable.

Evil spirits are everywhere in the human world, but immortal scum only exists outside the walls. If you want to get your hands on it, you'd better have a stable supply channel.

So, based on his estimated psychological price for industrialization investment, he slowly raised one finger.

Saionji Minoru's face was full of surprise:
"One thousand taels? Thank you, Your Highness."

Fearing he might change his mind, they quickly handed the star chart for crossing the ocean to the servant.

"Uh"

Wang Cheng silently swallowed back the "ten thousand taels" that had already reached his throat.

This is firsthand information from outside the Great Firewall.

Even though it's been outdated for many years, all factions are now almost completely unaware of the situation outside the wall, making any reliable information from outside invaluable.

The other party actually sold it for a thousand taels?

It's true that one doesn't know how poor the other is, and the other doesn't know how rich the other is.

"As long as you are happy."

Wang Cheng opened the star chart and saw the first line of annotations, and his eyebrows immediately shot up.

"The countries inside the wall are replicas of the real universe, while those outside the wall are a collection of all fantasies and myths."

Penglai is a moving fairy island, its trajectory closely following the other side of the Great Wall of Curses, traveling north and south.

Anyone who crosses the Great Wall of Curses will inevitably arrive at Penglai Immortal Island as their first stop!

Immediately, images of the Franco Outpost he had seen, and the secret realm of the rift filled with Ganoderma lucidum and other fungi, flashed into his mind.

An idea gradually took shape in his mind.

Medinacel, a city in the province of Soria, the homeland of the Eastern Franco Empire.

This place was originally a fortified city during the Reconquest Movement. After the Francois seized it from the Moors, they expanded it into the even more magnificent Medinacel Fortress.

Even though the ducal family still has three countships: Count Denia, Count Molina, and Count Montalco.

The family's territories spanned across East and West France, Andalusia, Castile, and other regions, encompassing numerous manors, palaces, and ancient ruins.

But Medinacel Castle here remains the center of the family's power.

It was also the residence of the previous Duke of Medinaceli, the Knight of the Holy Sword, Silva Medinaceli, and his family.

Duchess Sophia, who was in her early twenties, suddenly awoke from her dream, opening her blue eyes.

News of the expeditionary fleet's crushing defeat in Yingzhou had already reached back, and even the title had been "legally" transferred to someone else.

These former dukes' family members and close associates lived in constant fear, and the duchess herself hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.

In his sleepy haze, he was horrified to find a figure standing in front of his bed.

"Ah—! Who are you?"

She jumped out of bed in a pristine white nightgown and reached for the Swift Sword hanging on the wall.

Unfortunately, the difference in combat power between the two sides was too great. The newcomer simply chuckled, and her body immediately lost control.

"Hehehe, don't rush, come and watch a grand show with me first."

The person who arrived was none other than Cassandra, Wang Cheng's master's wife, who had been authorized by him.

She transformed into a different person, with her long, silver hair styled like a fairy's, pulled up high at the back of her head, and wearing a veiled hat.

Although his eyes had a slight blue tint, it wasn't as obvious as his daughter Shen Yueye's, so it wouldn't make people unnecessarily associate him with the Paleolog family, who were accused of possessing a treasure that brought them trouble.

She wore a gothic black lace-trimmed long dress, black crystal high heels, and a black lace veil over her face.

To describe it in two words—alluring.

Four words—alluring to the bone.

If Senior Sister is still a little fox spirit with shallow cultivation, then Master's Wife is a nine-tailed fox demon who can already bewitch all living beings and bring disaster to the country.

It was as if every frown and smile of hers could make any species that saw her, regardless of gender, age, hunting dogs, cattle, or horses, die for her.

"Nothing can be considered eternally true, and the means are not bound by any constraints."

Her beauty was like a knife, capable of killing without a trace!
Even the hostile duchess was bewitched and involuntarily rose to stand beside her. When the curtains were drawn back, she saw that the outside world was already a river of blood.

The numerous Eagle Nest assassins, capable of silencing even the most infant on the continent, have unleashed a killing spree here!
(End of this chapter)