Longzang

Chapter 1114 Struggle One More Time

After Sun Chaoen left, Prince Ji rose and paced around the study for a long time, as if he had finally made up his mind. He said, "The Martial Ancestor laid out a grand scheme, the scale of which can be described as earth-shattering. Throughout history, countless geniuses have been trapped in this scheme, with no way to escape. Only in recent years have they seen a glimmer of hope, which is why everyone is going crazy."

What I'm hesitating about now is whether to be the first to break this deadlock, even if it means being infamous for eternity and having my name recorded in history. Or... should I struggle a little longer?

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment and asked, "Your Majesty, is struggling useful?"

Prince Ji said, "If Li Shenji could struggle to get ashore, so can I. Of the nine rulers, only Li Xuance of Southern Qi deserves my attention; the others are all mediocre."

"...What I'm thinking about now is whether or not I want to be the ruler of a fallen kingdom. If the Kingdom of Ji is destined to perish, it can only be by my hand; I don't want to leave this to my descendants."

As King Ji finished speaking, he even changed how he addressed himself. Wei Yuan didn't quite understand what King Ji meant, so he waited quietly for him to continue.

Prince Ji glanced at him and said, "Take some of your human resources out and use them to isolate yourself from the secrets of heaven. Only then can we speak properly! Aren't you afraid that hoarding so much human resources will go to waste and mold?"

Wei Yuan remained unmoved and said, "Your Majesty holds a position of high rank, and in terms of human fortune, you should have far more than I do. Why doesn't Your Majesty use a little of it?"

King Ji snorted and said, "I am tyrannical, despotic, and incompetent, and I have made a mess of Ji Kingdom. Only in this way can we have a chance to break the deadlock. You have been in Ji Kingdom for many years, so you naturally know who is watching from above. How could they possibly allow me to have a chance?"

Wei Yuan thought it over and realized it made sense, so he casually set up an array to isolate the secrets of heaven and cast some human fortune into it. Unexpectedly, this casting caused the human fortune to gush out like water being released from a dam, flowing out uncontrollably!

The entire formation absorbed the fortune of tens of millions of people in one go before stabilizing, isolating itself from the profound mysteries of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, creating an isolated and silent space within this realm. Words and actions spoken and performed here are completely free from cause and effect; even the gazes of powerful beings in heaven and earth cannot penetrate its reach.

The fact that the formation required such a large amount of human resources was beyond Wei Yuan's expectations. It seemed that either the royal palace was an extremely important node of fortune, or many powerful immortals were watching this place, which was why so much human resources were needed to deceive everyone.

The grand formation was already complete, and it was too late for Wei Yuan to regret it. He could only hope that Prince Ji could provide something of value to compensate for all the good fortune he had gained.

As the formation took effect, Prince Ji suddenly straightened up, his previously hunched back straightened, and he grew more than half a foot taller, almost the same height as Wei Yuan. His aura was completely different, and his eyes were as disdainful as lightning. He only glanced coldly at Wei Yuan, and Wei Yuan felt as if he had been whipped by an electric whip.

At this time, King Ji was no longer the tyrannical and licentious ruler, but had the bearing of a great and powerful monarch, looking around with confidence and self-assurance.

His stretch seemed to shake the entire land.

Prince Ji's face showed a look of ease, and he sighed deeply, saying, "It has been a long, long time since I have felt this comfortable. In fact, I have been endowed with supernatural abilities since I was a child. If someone is secretly watching me, I will be able to sense it. Since I ascended the throne, the gazes on me have never stopped. Only at this moment do I not have to act."

King Ji stretched his body briefly before returning to normal, and said solemnly, "Time is of the essence. The Venerable Lord and those above the Immortal Heaven will soon realize something is wrong. Fortunately, you used human power to set up the formation, which is the nemesis of the power of the Immortal Heaven. They should only be able to sense that something is happening secretly, but they will not know exactly what is happening."

Then King Ji said, "As everyone knows, the core of the Martial Ancestor's plan lies in the royal families of the Nine Kingdoms. Everyone thinks that the plan must be centered on the Tang Dynasty, but in the years I have personally entered the game, dealt with the heavenly beings, and carefully calculated, I have discovered that the Tang Dynasty is likely just a facade and has no connection with the Martial Ancestor's plan. Therefore, the decline of the Tang Dynasty may seem to be a sign that the Martial Ancestor's plan is faltering, but in fact, it is very likely a follow-up move in the Martial Ancestor's plan to lure out all the hidden enemies in the dark and wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Wei Yuan was also taken aback, never expecting there to be such a secret.

King Ji then recounted how many of Ji's ancestors had pledged allegiance to the sovereign, using secret methods to deceive the heavens and thus reincarnate generation after generation.

Wei Yuan understood immediately and said, "It seems that the princes sent to Qingming for study are all former kings."

King Ji said, "Some are true, some are not. But if I were to send all the former kings to Qingming, I fear Cangwu would immediately turn against me. With the power of the Venerable Lord, a little deception of heaven and earth could arrange for my peaceful death and replace me with the next King Ji."

Wei Yuan was taken aback and said, "Doesn't that mean the rulers of the nine kingdoms can be changed at will?"

King Ji shook his head and said, "Your Excellency has cultivated the Ji Kingdom for nearly a thousand years, accumulating immense karma, which is why you can deceive Heaven and Earth. If it were any other country, if you dared to arbitrarily alter the fate of the monarch, you would immediately incur the Martial Ancestor's counterattack. I heard that Your Excellency tried to resist when the Martial Ancestor was setting up his scheme, but was severely injured by the Martial Ancestor and fled far away to hide, but was still pulled back into the game. If you fall for the Martial Ancestor's counterattack again, you will probably perish on the spot."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yuan felt a chill run down his spine. The Martial Ancestor's plan contained so many hidden secrets; if he were to accidentally trigger one of his hidden mechanisms, he might not even know how he died.

But is what Prince Ji said true? Wei Yuan naturally wouldn't believe everything he heard. He simply listened to what Prince Ji said. Wei Yuan was very willing to learn about the Martial Ancestor's secrets, but he would politely decline any attempt to interfere in the Martial Ancestor's plans, whether to sabotage or maintain them.

King Ji glanced at the time and quickly said, "I believe that the Martial Ancestor's arrangement within the Nine Kingdoms is like setting up a stake in the ground, with a fierce dog chained to the stake. The stake represents the thrones of the Nine Kingdoms, the chain represents the royal bloodline, and the fierce dog is the backup plan. Once the stake or the chain malfunctions, the fierce dog will immediately lose control and attack its prey."

But these shouldn't be the key to the layout; the key might lie in the object suppressing the weight beneath the piles.

Prince Ji suddenly stopped speaking, his posture returning to its hunched state, and his face showing the weariness of long-term indulgence in wine and women. Wei Yuan, on the other hand, slightly adjusted his posture, appearing arrogant and disregarding Prince Ji.

The formation dissipated, the magical power dispersed back to heaven and earth, and human fortune neutralized all sorts of inexplicable things and resolved numerous karmic entanglements.

In an instant, Wei Yuan felt as if he had stepped from an extremely clean place into a bustling city, immediately sensing several gazes sweeping over him. These gazes were originally extremely obscure and distant, like a gentle breeze and a blade of grass, something one would never normally pay attention to. But now, having just emerged from the great formation, Wei Yuan immediately perceived those gazes that monitored the heavens and earth.

Wei Yuan seemed oblivious to everything, simply looking at Prince Ji.

Prince Ji rubbed his temples and sighed, "If you were to fully support Li Zhi, then there would be no point in discussing this between us."

Wei Yuan said, “Brother Li and I are like brothers. If he is in trouble, I will naturally not stand idly by. However, the rule of the nine kingdoms cannot be shaken. Moreover, I do not want to see the people suffer. So, could we compromise? Since we have already lost all the southern prefectures, why not negotiate with Li Zhi and give him the southernmost border as his fief, and appoint him as a military governor? In the future, he can also guard the southern gate of Ji Kingdom. What does Your Majesty think?”

Prince Ji frowned deeply and said, "What if he takes advantage of this and demands more?"

Wei Yuan immediately said, "Then I will not help either side. I believe that with the strength of Ji's army, it will not be difficult to stop Li Zhi's expeditionary force. Given time, Li Zhi will be defeated without a fight."

Prince Ji nodded slowly and said, "It's not impossible, but you must sell me enough weapons to equip an army."

Wei Yuan immediately replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we have more than just one army. We will sell you as many weapons as you need."

With the agreement now settled, Prince Ji breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I've been quite tired lately. How about I arrange for Cai Miao and Xu Chang to perform a dance?"

Wei Yuan quickly shook his head: "My confidante is unparalleled in the world. I do not wish to betray her. I can only thank Your Majesty for your kindness."

Prince Ji said with great regret, "You've missed out on something truly wonderful!"

Wei Yuan suddenly had a thought and said, "I have a small request, but I don't know if I should say it."

"But there's no harm in talking."

Wei Yuan then said, "I have never seen the entire palace before. Would Your Majesty be so kind as to give me a tour of the palace and broaden my horizons?"

Prince Ji did not find it abrupt; on the contrary, he was invigorated and immediately took out two invisibility talismans from his desk, giving one to Wei Yuan. Then, the two of them slapped the talismans on their bodies, concealing their presence.

In fact, there was another powerful array within the palace that could easily track the two's movements. Even if Wei Yuan were to exert all his strength, he would find it difficult to escape the surveillance. However, Prince Ji held the highest authority over the array and had given Wei Yuan his own identity token. The array then identified Wei Yuan as Prince Ji and naturally wouldn't activate it.

And so, Prince Ji and Wei Yuan took a nighttime stroll through the deep palace. Prince Ji acted as their guide, explaining along the way the various secrets and histories of the palace, which broadened Wei Yuan's horizons.

Before they knew it, it was late at night. Prince Ji was leading Wei Yuan to lie on the top of the palace wall and peek at the concubines emerging from their baths. Suddenly, Wei Yuan had a sudden whim. He saw a small child run across the courtyard and then tiptoe back into the room.

The child looked to be only five or six years old, but his behavior was very strange, exuding maturity and sophistication. If it weren't for his small figure, he would have been a seasoned thief.

Wei Yuan then understood that Prince Ji had actually brought him to see this child. It seemed that this child was not only possessed by an ancestor, but also by a key figure. Otherwise, this child should have been on the list of princes sent to Qingming.

(End of this chapter)