readsfreenovel Chapter 162 The Useless Prince's Power Seizure (40)
Chapter 162 The Useless Prince's Power Seizure (40)
Back at the East Palace, Jingli, feigning exhaustion, went to the Cold Spring once more and used an Illusion Card to release the pig inside.
He then soaked in the nearby spring, and used his brush to set up an illusion array there, so that he wouldn't need to do so again next time he came.
Jingli and 6058, based on what they discussed today, have roughly sorted out the chaotic process of this world line.
[6058: It seems the flow of time in the previous world was slower than in this one; at least during the reign of the late emperor, they had already begun making preparations.]
[6058: When the late emperor was still Empress Yu's half-brother, he was always uneducated and incompetent. Such a great change must have been due to some extraordinary encounter.]
[Jingli: Like the system of the first world, and the oracle of the second world?]
[6058: That's right. Judging from the transmigrator system you have, it's highly likely that the late emperor also had a system, or rather, he was simply a transmigrator himself.]
[Jingli: The late emperor also mentioned divine intervention; perhaps there are such things as "divine pronouncements" in this world?]
[6058: Hmm, first use the system to guide the late emperor in seizing power, using divine power and immortality as bargaining chips.]
[6058: The counterfeit system has limited capabilities, but they can still use something like "divine pronouncements" to continue guiding and correcting deviations. In this world, they have indeed made considerable progress.]
After he finished speaking, both of them fell silent.
The progress of others is a limitation for them.
After a while, 6058 said again: [I roughly understand why this world is so chaotic. Do you still remember the "goddess" that the late emperor abducted?]
Jingli didn't answer yes or no, but instead started thinking for herself.
The woman was abducted in a similar manner to Langyue.
Langyue is her mother.
Having made contact, Jingli quickly turned the corner.
[Keiri: The previous me couldn't have been born...]
[6058: Hmm.]
Just as 6058 had guessed in the last world, the mastermind behind the scenes had already noticed the anomalies in Jingli.
Knowing Jingli's name and characteristics, finding him in the small world they controlled was a piece of cake for them.
Therefore, the popular belief that "a goddess can only maintain her position if she marries into the royal family" is not entirely unfounded.
This was probably the excuse the late emperor used when he brought that woman into the harem, or perhaps it was a message conveyed to him by a so-called "divine intervention".
And they did indeed succeed, fundamentally eliminating the possibility of Jingli appearing.
The divine intervention during this period was likely due to the late emperor's successful manipulation of the situation; otherwise, he could not have seized the throne so easily and disrupted the course of history.
[6058: Imperial power does indeed bear the world's destiny to a certain extent. Outsiders have seized control of this destiny, which has exacerbated the world's pollution.]
[6058: Not only that, you silly goose, let me ask you, what identity did the late emperor use when he seized the throne?]
[Keiri: A divine messenger...the power of a wish?]
[6058: That's right. Just like the Merciful God of the previous world, this kind of willpower will fuel the energy of the pseudo-world. In the previous world, the Merciful God's faith had not yet fully taken shape, but even so, it provided considerable assistance to those shadowy figures.]
[6058: In this world, both class stratification and the worship of divine power are far more severe. Not to mention, the celestial messengers are also bound to imperial power. This may be the reason why shadowy figures roam outside and why the people are obsessed with imperial power.]
Jingli's eyes flickered slightly, a flash of inspiration crossing her mind: [The Heavenly Envoy was the late emperor, but after his death, the people's fervor has not diminished. Does this mean that, in the eyes of the people, the "Heavenly Envoy" will be inherited along with the imperial power?]
The bird-shaped 6058 Bean's eyes were full of admiration: [Absolutely correct, this message might have been sent by the Emperor himself.]
Jingli immediately understood: [The late emperor's soul achieved a kind of immortality through the bodies of his descendants. He had experienced the power of faith, so naturally he wouldn't want it to dissipate.]
[6058: That's right, and there's also the late emperor's lifespan.]
6058 did not name names, but only gave hints, guiding Jingli to think on her own.
Jingli did not disappoint him.
[Jingli: I understand! The late emperor's so-called exploration of heavenly secrets used evil forces from outside the world, and the backlash from the so-called five deficiencies and three lacks actually came from the correction of the world's consciousness.]
[6058: That's right. Although the world's consciousness is weak now, it still exists. The current Emperor Jing will also suffer the backlash, and you are the next body he has chosen.]
But this physical body...
Jingli looked at the dazed piglet in the cold spring and couldn't help but laugh.
He added: "Therefore, my existence, and the cause and effect between my mother and Yu An, are actually corrections made by the world's consciousness."
[6058: That's right.]
Jingli felt a mix of sadness and warmth in her heart.
Some people are disrupting the world, but others are loving it.
This made Jingli feel an even greater sense of responsibility, and at the same time, it filled her with motivation.
[6058: So at this point, we can be even more certain that although the pseudo-world consciousness has formed, its control is not comprehensive. As long as everything appears normal on the surface, it will be difficult for those behind the scenes to detect our actions.]
This is truly wonderful news.
They now possess the counterfeit system, through which all major actions can be accomplished.
It has to be said that perhaps the progress in this world was too smooth, which made the other party really think that the system + oracle was a good move. They were so blindly confident that they made such a bad move.
Now that the enemy's intentions are clear, although we seem to be at a disadvantage, we have already laid a trap and are just waiting for them to fall into it.
[Jingli: My mother definitely doesn't know the late emperor's secret of immortality, so their arrangements were probably made so that I could smoothly ascend the throne.]
[6058: That's right. What we've discussed today, and your unique qualities, don't need to be known to them for now. The more we say, the more mistakes we'll make. Letting things develop naturally will be a help to us.]
[6058: However, the pseudo-world consciousness and the fortune and willpower controlled by the late emperor should not be underestimated. As one side gains and the other loses power, fluctuations are inevitable.]
[6058: Therefore, before dealing with the late emperor, we need to find the source of the pollution and weigh whether we can confront it head-on.]
This world is too polluted, and there are no masters like those in the previous world to help. Lu Mingguang is also not around, so 6058 naturally has to make Jingli be extremely cautious.
Jingli nodded obediently: [The source of pollution should be the other half of the Cold Spring and the Palace Formation; it's definitely concealed, just like the previous two worlds.]
[Jingli: In the previous two worlds, we found the source by eliminating the shadows and reducing the pollution level. In this world, the shadows are all outside the palace, and we can't easily leave. How are we going to find the source again?]
6058 chuckled softly: [There's more than one way. Didn't the late emperor already remind you of this when he was alive?]
Jingli frowned slightly, but soon his brows relaxed again.
[Keiri: I understand!]
[Keiri: Backlash!]
While the late emperor was still alive, he died young due to the backlash of the world's consciousness. Counting the days, it was around the time the current emperor was about twenty years old.
The world's consciousness is weakening, and while there is a backlash, it is far less powerful than before.
But will the current emperor know this?
6058 believes it will not.
The person behind the scenes, using the title of "god," attempts to legitimize their existence and naturally won't reveal too much about their pawns.
This is also an opportunity for Jingli.
If the backlash isn't enough, then artificially create more!
Jingli and 6058 discussed it and came up with two plans.
The first, and most common, underhanded tactic: the 6058 system stores various poisons from countless smaller worlds, many of which are slow-acting and difficult to detect in their own worlds.
The bird's body also plays a significant role in this world; as long as it wears an invisibility cloak, it is difficult for anyone to spot it at night.
Their goal was not to kill the emperor, but to weaken him.
Therefore, this poison didn't even need to be put into the emperor's mouth.
By secretly placing these poisons into the areas where the emperor frequently comes into contact with them, the emperor's lifespan can be effectively shortened.
The second point is to make use of this cold spring.
Jingli and 6058 have both realized that the Cold Spring and the Palace's formation is the same as a "release" formation. This release is also for absorbing life force and controlling the chosen body.
On the emperor's side, however, there was a "absorbing" formation that absorbed life force.
Now, Jingli throws a piglet into the cold spring, letting the piglet take her place and be controlled.
Similarly, could he also throw something into the cold spring so that the emperor could absorb some strange things?
The first thing that came to Jingli's mind was a dark shadow.
The shadowy figure represents pollution. The person behind it can control the world through this pollution, essentially disrupting the world's original balance and using it as an opportunity to transform the world's energy.
In other words, what the people behind the scenes truly need is the energy of the world, and the shadowy figure is a product of transformation.
The late emperor was merely an ordinary person who relied on external forces; as long as one is an ordinary person, one will be affected by the pollution.
With her idea in mind, Jingli took the opportunity in the following days to ask the emperor for permission to go for a walk outside the palace.
The emperor pondered for only a moment before granting his request.
For the emperor, Jingli was already the next vessel he had chosen, and having soaked in the cold spring so many times, he would certainly not have any other thoughts.
Therefore, it would be a good thing for Jingli to travel more among the common people and accumulate prestige.
The emperor, his face full of affection, patted Jingli's head and said, "Do good deeds. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. I don't need to explain this principle to you further."
Just by looking at him, he really does seem like a kind father or a wise ruler.
Jingli obediently agreed.
The emperor then asked Jingli where she planned to go and how long she would be gone after leaving the palace.
Jingli frankly said, "Li'er has been in the palace since birth and rarely leaves. Last time she went to the palace, she found it very interesting. This time she has no destination and wants to go out and see what fun places there are."
The emperor laughed upon hearing this, for he liked Jingli's unambitious nature.
The less ideas someone has, the easier it is for him to manipulate them.
"Besides the place we visited last time, I have several other palaces. If you happen to pass by, you may stay there for a while."
As he spoke, he gave Jingli a jade pendant, which resembled a pass token.
Jingli obediently accepted the message, noted down the places the emperor mentioned, and quietly awaited his next words.
Sure enough, the emperor lowered his voice.
"These palaces all have cold springs."
Jingli's face lit up with joy, clearly showing that she had tasted the sweetness of the cold spring.
"Thank you, Father."
Seeing his expression, the emperor chuckled inwardly, but was also quite pleased.
"Go."
Back at the East Palace, Jingli went to the Cold Spring again, put the pig in it, and then retrieved the map she had obtained from the previous visit to the temporary palace from the system, marking the several temporary palaces mentioned by the emperor.
With a thought, Jingli connected these places to the palace and discovered that it was another formation.
The large formation contained smaller formations, and within those formations were parent and child formations, all interconnected. Jingli could vaguely sense the underlying dynamics.
He had studied formations in the previous world. He couldn't understand the smaller formations, but he could definitely make some sense of this large formation.
This formation isn't particularly mysterious; perhaps it's because the terrain makes it difficult to set up. The formation's purpose is simply to strengthen and stabilize the formation.
But cracking it won't be easy.
The most important thing in a formation is the balance of forces. If one link is broken, it will inevitably cause an imbalance.
The key point is that this imbalance, for the emperor and those behind him, only weakens the power that strengthens and consolidates the system, but for Jingli, it attracts the attention of the enemy.
It seems that before causing destruction, one must find a suitable opportunity and act in accordance with the prevailing trend.
This will likely require the assistance of Langyue's forces.
After sorting out this information, Jingli and 6058 together planned their travel route based on the location of the palace.
The following day, Jingli, accompanied by Yu An, Zeng Yuan, and Yuan Lanying, took 6058 and rode in a carriage to the outside of the palace.
As for those shadowy bodyguards who follow you everywhere, let's not even mention them.
Outside the palace, everything remained the same. Dark shadows, like a torrential rain, stretched from heaven to earth, making the entire human world seem trapped in a black cage. In Jingli's eyes, apart from black, white, and gray, other colors lingered on, struggling to survive.
Jingli sighed softly.
But it doesn't matter. He came out to drag away these shadowy figures and make the emperor and those rats behind him suffer the consequences of their own actions.
On the surface, they had no specific mission on this trip. Jingli said he wanted to travel around the countryside to understand the needs of the people, and the other three naturally had no objections.
Zeng Yuan had previously collected trinkets for Jingli and was very knowledgeable about things outside the palace, which made Jingli's trip much easier.
From Zeng Yuan, he roughly learned which areas had the most difficult people's lives. He then instructed Yu An and the other two to split up and distribute porridge in the name of the Crown Prince while also learning about their living conditions.
He himself pretended to be lazy and fooled the hidden guards around him, but in reality he was practicing storing shadows with his own energy instead of converting them.
In fact, this was the first time Jingli had ever "coexisted harmoniously" with the shadowy figure.
In the past, he would either disperse or transform the shadows; he had never been so careful in protecting them before.
Similarly, this also subtly strengthened Jingli's control over her own energy.
Having been away for over a month, Jingli had become quite skilled, transforming his energy into a container, filling it with the shadow, and then writing a talisman, sealing the energy container and the shadow together into the talisman paper and storing it in the system space.
The most unusual places outside the palace were also discovered by Yu An, Zeng Yuan, and Yuan Lanying. Without exception, these places were all close to the palace.
Jingli didn't have time to visit all of these imperial palaces, so he chose a few that were nearby and stayed there for a day or two.
As for the other places, there will be plenty of time later.
At each location, the scenic spot would release the piglets to roll around in the "divine water".
He usually keeps these piglets in his system and carries them with him, which is very convenient.
Like other animals, this little piglet is also very close to the energy emanating from the scenery, not to mention that when it enters the "divine water," its whole body is enveloped in a layer of the scenery's energy.
The little piglet was happy, the emperor was happy, and Jingli and 6058 were happy too.
·
【small theater】
Little Fish: (Petting the pig) Hello, hello, hello everyone!
Yu Yuanyuan: Make sure you're here, don't forget me!
(These chapters have been updated with more words, and some comments have been covered up! I didn't delete them T T)