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"Lord Wang, it’s been five days... we..."

"No rush..." Wang Ye said faintly, "There’s nothing we can do now. If my guess is correct, the emissary from the Taoist Sect has already approached her. It’s now a matter of the Princess Royale’s decision."

"What will happen if she chooses to cooperate with the Taoist Sect?" Wei Gongzhan asked curiously.

In the past two days, he and Wang Ye had covertly observed those who went to the Buddhist Temple to worship. They also gathered intelligence among the crowd, becoming increasingly aware of how terrifying this Buddha Kingdom truly was.

Initially skeptical individuals, after worshiping at the temple, mostly underwent a change in personality.

A small number could maintain their sense of self, but the majority couldn’t withstand the temptation.

Even Wei himself, during sleep these past nights, had been influenced by the Buddha Light — fragmented memories repeatedly flashing through his mind.

Despite knowing ahead of time that the Buddha Kingdom wasn’t benevolent, he couldn’t suppress the desire within him to explore these memories.

Who wouldn’t want to know who they were in a past life?

Who wouldn’t want to see if they lived an extraordinary existence before?

"Are kings and nobles born inherently special?" Most people live unremarkable and unsatisfactory lives. Most... can’t resist the temptation. Forget the Imperial Army — even the previously steadfast Warrior Army has seen many soldiers eager to uncover their past lives.

Prolonging this will likely lead to disaster.

And the Taoist Sect, being an ancient force on par with the Buddha Kingdom, will certainly be formidable. If the Princess Royale sides with them, can the Western Sea Army at the Jiangnan Pass restrain her forces?

"It will bring trouble..." Wang Ye said faintly, "The Taoist Sect approaching her directly likely proves they’ve taken a liking to her ready-made army. They must have some special methods to gradually bring the army under their control. If the Princess Royale succumbs to temptation... it could..."

"Should we warn Her Highness the Princess?"

"Warn her?" Wang Ye glanced at him and said faintly, "Are you on familiar terms with her?"

Wei Gongzhan hesitated, but soon replied, "Though we’ve now chosen different paths, Your Majesty’s willingness to allow the people of the Central Plains to migrate to Jiangnan shows he still cares for the Human Race.

The Princess Royale is of one mind with His Majesty — her intent aligns with his.

Though their principles diverge, they have the same ultimate goal.

Naturally, I wouldn’t want her to be easily ruined by the ancient forces. "

"But your cousin Wei Gongcheng... likely died at her hand!" Wang Ye said faintly.

Wei Gongzhan trembled, his face instantly turning red, and his previously refined demeanor became somewhat grim.

He had guessed this already — his cousin’s silence over the past few days meant either he was under her control or... dead. As for the killer, there was no doubt...

Without the Princess Royale’s intervention, even the King of Qin couldn’t have easily killed him...

"I know..." Wei Gongzhan clenched his fists, veins bulging on his arms. He gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his mouth. "If my cousin truly died at Her Highness’s hands, then my feud with her is irreconcilable. But that has nothing to do with whether or not we relay this information to her. She’s more than just an individual — behind her stands the countless citizens of the Central Plains and the hundred-thousand-strong Imperial Army! "

Wang Ye glanced deeply at him. Such is the complexity of human emotions in the Human Race — some are driven by selfish desires, disregarding everything for personal gain, while others are the complete opposite, sacrificing themselves to shield others, carrying burdens forward.

Wei Gongzhan was a man of great integrity. He also noticed that most of the people Chen Qing had elevated within Jiangnan’s forces seemed to share this trait.

Though each had their own minor schemes... when it came to this, their stances were surprisingly aligned. Even someone as seemingly insignificant as Wei Gongzhan was no exception.

As they were speaking, a sudden flash of blue light shot up into the sky from above the city gates, as if something had been formed.

Wang Ye froze slightly, but as he looked upward, his expression turned grave. "The worst-case scenario has happened..."

Wei Gongzhan’s face shifted upon hearing these words. "You mean?"

"Her Highness the Princess Royale couldn’t resist..."

-----------------------------------

Atop the city gates, the Princess Royale stared at the talisman paper smeared with her own bloody handprint, her expression intensely conflicted.

Though she’d made up her mind, for some reason, her heart now felt hollow, as if something had irreversibly departed from her.

"Congratulations, Your Highness." Yun Yue said with a smile. "This collaboration with the Taoist Sect — I assure you, it will be worth it."

"Is that so?" The Princess Royale coldly glanced at her, distrust evident in her gaze. Her instincts couldn’t be wrong; this seemingly equitable contract must have hidden pitfalls. Upon signing it, it felt as if the other party had robbed her of something, though she didn’t yet know what.

"What’s done is done. Guarding against us now is futile. The priority at present is to uproot the Buddhist Temples and gain control of Jiangnan. Don’t you agree, Your Highness?"

The Princess Royale didn’t respond, instead issuing the command: "Summon Tian Heng!"

"What about His Highness the King of Qin?" Yun Yue watched her with an amused smile.

The King of Qin glanced at the talisman paper and finally laughed. "Why is the High Envoy so anxious? You can’t want my pitiful forces in the Eastern Sea right now, can you?"

"Not at all. The Eastern Sea’s strength is sufficient for producing basic puppet soldiers, or perhaps even medicine slaves," Yun Yue said with a grin.

At the mention of "medicine slaves," both the King of Qin and the Princess Royale’s faces darkened.

Seeing this, Yun Yue chuckled. "Oh... that was a slip of the tongue. But neither of you need to bear too much of a psychological burden. Warfare is cruel, and human lives are but grass in its wake. Isn’t that true for you both?"

The Princess Royale snorted coldly, refusing to engage further. The King of Qin merely smiled, remarking, "I’ll need to see the efficacy of the Taoist Sect’s divine skills first. My resources are limited, after all. I have to proceed cautiously, don’t I?"

"Indeed..." Yun Yue chuckled softly. "Then let His Highness the King of Qin observe closely."

As they conversed, Tian Heng had arrived at the gates.

His mood was uneasy. The Princess Royale summoning him now couldn’t be a good sign. Adding to his anxiety was Wang Ye’s earlier remark that their master’s plan still required a few more days — yet from the looks of it, he might not be able to stall for that long.

"Greetings, Your Highness..." Tian Heng saluted promptly upon reaching the gates.

"In the past few days, how many of your Western Sea Army have succumbed to temptation?"

Tian Heng’s face darkened slightly at the question.

Despite his efforts to prevent it, quite a few soldiers had already left covertly, while the rest were showing signs of faltering.

If even the well-compensated soldiers felt such restlessness, ordinary citizens and Taoist magicians among Jiangnan’s populace were likely faring much worse.

Who could tell what chaos was now brewing in the region?

"The numbers aren’t large, but... unrest has already begun to spread," Tian Heng admitted honestly.

"I plan to eradicate those Buddhist Temples immediately. What does General Tian think?"

Tian Heng was momentarily taken aback but quickly composed himself, resolute: "It’s possible that those temples house entities of great power and danger. Given our current shortage of troops, acting now..."

"If we don’t act now, shall we wait until morale and cohesion are completely broken?" The Princess Royale stepped forward, her tone icy. "General Tian, as one of the most distinguished generals of this era, do you not understand the principle of decisive action?"

"But the demons outside the gates remain a looming threat. Deploying troops to Jiangnan’s interior at this moment..."

"The gates rest in my hands. Does General Tian not trust me to defend them?"

"This..." Tian Heng’s face turned exceedingly grim.

"I’m afraid that if I lead troops alone, I cannot guarantee success in eliminating the temples."

"I wasn’t expecting that you would. That’s why..." The Princess Royale stared coldly at him. "I’m giving you two paths to choose from."

Tian Heng: "..."

Today... it seems there’s no escaping a hard decision...