Page 1077

"Your Majesty, the Grand Historian and the Duke of Lu have discreetly headed to the Capital City Buddhist Temple, along with some others..."

Inside the palace of the Capital City, the Emperor patiently listened to his subordinate’s report, committing every name to memory before waving them off.

After the person retreated, a child slowly stepped out from behind the Dragon Chair—it was none other than Zhang Zhengyuan, who had been detained here by the Emperor.

"It seems it truly is so..." The Emperor suddenly sat down on the steps, a look of extreme complexity flashing through his eyes.

The Duke of Lu was not particularly strong, and his bloodline paled in comparison to the Weichi Clan.

However, he was deeply loyal to the Siao Family.

This current Duke of Lu had grown up with the Emperor—they’d worn the same trousers as children, both being illegitimate sons who were overlooked by their families, only to eventually rise to the positions of family patriarchs.

In terms of personal bonds, the Duke of Lu was even closer to him than the loyal Weichi Duke or the Hong Family. Yet, such a trusted confidant had also gone to that Buddhist Temple...

"Your Majesty seems somewhat sorrowful?" Zhang Zhengyuan observed the Emperor’s lonely expression, his curiosity piqued slightly.

This monarch, whom he had only met a handful of times, was someone he didn’t understand well. However, from the aura alone, he could tell this was a ruler of iron and blood. For such a person to display these emotions—was that even possible?

It seemed this world’s NPCs had a staggering level of humanization, far surpassing the Zhuxian World, to the point of being indistinguishable from real people.

"Someone you’ve known since childhood, shared your days and nights with, and trusted above all else—only for them to suddenly become a stranger one day, claiming it to be the influence of memories from a past life... Ha, how do you expect me to feel?"

The Emperor looked toward him. "What if it were a brother who’s been with you since you were young, or perhaps a wife you’ve lived with day and night, and one day they betrayed you because of some abrupt awakening of memories from a past life? What would you think?"

Zhang Zhengyuan opened his mouth but found himself momentarily at a loss for words. Such a thing could never happen in Digital City, but imagining himself in such a situation, it indeed sent shivers down one’s spine.

What could be more terrifying than someone incredibly close to you suddenly turning into an entirely different person?

"No wonder they say mortals are powerless against the ancient past," the Emperor muttered, his tone carrying a rare note of despondence. "The armies I painstakingly cultivated, my ministers—all of them might one day no longer be mine anymore."

Even King Xiang, deep within the Netherworld, fell silent at these words.

The mechanisms of this Buddha Kingdom were far too vexing. You could never be sure whom they had managed to convert. It was one thing if it occurred within the Capital City, but what about those outside?

At this moment, the Ghost King’s armies were concentrated in Jiangnan, where there was also a Buddhist Temple. If people sneaked off there to pray, who would know?

And what about those hidden among the military—who could you truly trust?

After all, anyone might stab you in the back at a critical moment!

In the past, he had mocked the King of Qin, claiming his ideals could never succeed. The later betrayal by the Noble Families proved this, as no one was willing to accept his dream of coexistence between humans and demons.

But now...

How was he any different?

He had always adhered to the ideology of human supremacy, yet one day he realized there were many among the Human Race who were actually reincarnated demons. His feelings were... indescribably complicated.

And himself?

Was he, many lifetimes ago, also once a flesh-hungry demon?

Those who awakened to their memories, wearing human skins yet inherently demonic—could they still be considered part of the Human Race?

And if not, how should they be purged?

For the first time, his faith wavered.

"Does Your Majesty intend to concede defeat?" Zhang Zhengyuan suddenly asked.

The Emperor froze, frowning. "Why do you say that?"

"The feeling Your Majesty gives me at this moment is just that..." Zhang Zhengyuan smiled. "What you’ve described is indeed chilling, but it’s merely an issue instigated by the forces of the Buddha Kingdom. If the Buddha Kingdom were to vanish, wouldn’t such things cease to exist?"

"They’d cease to exist?" The Emperor sneered. "Self-deception, perhaps? Erase the notion of past and present lives?"

"It should be erased..." Zhang Zhengyuan looked at him with some confusion.

"Your Majesty has never been to Jiangnan, has he? Over there, reincarnation has already been openly implemented. Many soldiers who die in battle are reincarnated with their memories wiped clean. All the common folk are aware of the cycle of reincarnation, yet this doesn’t prevent them from cherishing newborns with the love of parents.

Because a past life is a past life, and the present life is the present life! "

The Emperor’s expression darkened as he stared coldly at Zhang Zhengyuan. "And what about you? If someone were reincarnated as your child, would you treat them the same?"

"If I were unaware, of course I would treat them the same.

.." Zhang Zhengyuan chuckled. "All things in this world are as such. Knowing too much seldom leads to happiness. If the child lacks memories of their past life, treating me as their parent, why can’t I treat them as my child?

In this life, they are my child. What does their past life have to do with me? "

"What Your Majesty should worry about is ensuring the reincarnation system works properly, to guarantee those reborn do not awaken their past memories. That is the crux of the matter. As for the Buddha Kingdom’s approach—it thrives in chaos. Such a force deserves nothing but annihilation!"

The Emperor now gave him a serious look, carefully scrutinizing him for a long time before breaking into a smile. "Your temperament... is quite similar to mine."

"Thank you for Your Majesty’s praise."

"You’re right!" The Emperor’s spirit soared as he rose to his feet.

"If we can control reincarnation, then all beings under Heaven can reincarnate within the Human Race. The sins of past lives can be erased, and the people of this life will be unconnected with their previous lives. Today’s chaos is entirely caused by the Buddha Kingdom.

As long as it is eradicated, such things will never happen again! "

"The question is... how to eradicate it?" A cold, sharp voice drifted in from outside.

"Imperial Sister?" The Emperor stood, his face lighting up as he looked at the woman who had arrived, dust and fatigue evident on her figure. "Why have you only returned now?"

"Good thing I returned just in time; otherwise, I would’ve missed seeing... your pathetic, demoralized appearance!" The woman smirked coldly.

A rare trace of embarrassment flickered across the Emperor’s face.

"Speak..." The woman’s gaze shifted to Zhang Zhengyuan. "You’ve been subtly inciting the Emperor to oppose the Buddha Kingdom since earlier. What’s your strategy?"

Only now did the Emperor turn his attention to Zhang Zhengyuan. He had been swayed earlier, pulling himself out of hopelessness. Yet, he had overlooked one point—that opposing the Buddha Kingdom wasn’t necessarily imperative. In fact, couldn’t there even be room for collaboration?

Granted, he had schemed against the ancient powers before, but in the eyes of those massive factions, such matters were trivial as long as mutual interests aligned.

"Your Majesty would never collaborate with the Buddha Kingdom—this is an issue of ideology."

"Ideology?"

"Er... I mean philosophy..." Zhang Zhengyuan cleared his throat. "Besides, Your Majesty had previously betrayed the Shenwu Guild, which is aligned with the Buddha Kingdom. Thus, working with the Buddha Kingdom would be the least rational choice."

"So your suggestion... is to collaborate with that thing in the sky?" the woman pointed upward toward the dazzling golden Ladder to Heaven, which seemed capable of rivaling the Buddha Kingdom.

"That faction is impossible to collaborate with..." Zhang Zhengyuan shook his head with a bitter smile. "Among the major factions, that one has the least need for mortal influence!"

"Then who else is there?"

"The Taoist Sect!"

"The Taoist Sect?"

"The three factions—Buddha, Tao, and Demons—are interdependent and oppositional..." Zhang Zhengyuan said softly. "The Taoist Sect and the Buddha’s Gate constantly clash in ideology: the Buddha’s Gate cultivates for the next life, while the Taoist Sect... cultivates for this life!"