Page 1116

"Tian Heng is leading the Western Sea Army?"

Since the last incident, Shen Er had returned to Nanming Prefecture to recover. Nanming Prefecture, once the capital of Jiangnan, may no longer hold its former glory compared to Lyuzhou, yet it remains the second-best place in Jiangnan, aside from Lyuzhou itself.

Recently, an influx of outsiders has poured into the region.

Countless individuals hope to settle here, but alas, Jiangnan can only support a limited number of people.

Most are relocated to the overseas archipelago, with only a select few exceptional talents allowed to remain.

These include descendants with innate talents in art calculation, heirs from established sorcerer families, or those evaluated to possess extraordinary levels of martial prowess.

Such individuals must endure fierce competition to secure their place in Nanming Prefecture.

This situation has instilled a strong sense of superiority among the locals of Nanming Prefecture.

Currently, the social hierarchy in Jiangnan follows this order: when discussing marriage, location is the first consideration.

Military households or members of scholarly families in Lyuzhou rank at the top, followed by noblewomen from Nanming Prefecture.

After Lyuzhou’s quota is filled, many from the Warrior Army or the Western Sea Army hope to secure prime locations in Nanming.

As the Lord of the Hell in Nanming Prefecture, Shen Er’s growth has been swift.

The high quality of the population here and the abundance of faith power have accelerated his development.

Even if Chen Qing intends to rotate the position of the Hell Ruler, Shen Er is confident that, with the foundation he has built over the years, he could ascend to King Level and join the ranks of the immortals within a decade!

Yet recently, unsettling events within Nanming Prefecture have begun to trouble him.

Now, with Tian Heng’s sudden return, his sense of unease has reached its peak.

"Has the array at the city gates been activated?" Shen Er hurriedly inquired.

"It passively activated even before confirming the approach of a large number of soldiers. The array masters inside the city have already rushed over..."

Shen Er nodded slightly at the reply. Nanming Prefecture housed many magicians from the Heavenly Court, several of whom were top graduates from Ziyue. Though they couldn’t match Lyuzhou’s elite, operating the already-established city protection formation shouldn’t pose an issue.

He asked no further questions, teleporting immediately to the Hell Ruler Temple closest to the city gates. From there, he swiftly flew to the gate itself.

"General Tian, why aren’t you guarding the frontier? What brings you here?"

Shen Er’s tone was less than welcoming. Despite Tian Heng’s repeated assurances of loyalty, Shen Er maintained his vigilance.

Compared to Xuu Hu, Tian Heng was far less straightforward.

His prior actions merely reflected his belief in Chen Qing and Jiangnan, but they did not guarantee that Tian Heng wouldn’t betray them one day.

"This is an urgent matter. Mr. Shen Er, may I enter the city to speak with you privately?"

Shen Er hesitated briefly. The army behind Tian Heng remained his greatest concern.

If Tian Heng entered the city with his forces, it would be an entirely different situation.

However, with the increasing sophistication of Hell Ruler’s systems, Shen Er could now invoke many of the Hell Ruler’s Laws in the mortal realm within Nanming Prefecture.

Tian Heng was undoubtedly powerful, but alone, Shen Er had no reason to fear him.

"If it is truly urgent, then I ask General Tian to have his troops stationed outside the city."

"Very well..."

About an hour later, after confirming that the army was securely stationed dozens of miles away, Shen Er instructed the array masters to open a small passageway, allowing Tian Heng to enter.

"What’s the matter?"

Tian Heng quickly recounted the events of recent days.

Shen Er was both surprised and stunned.

So Tian Heng... made such a bold move, attempting to seize the Imperial Army while the Princess Royale was absent!

However, it was indeed a risky maneuver, leaving him in a passive position now.

"This was my mistake..." Tian Heng said with deep remorse. "If I had refrained from pursuing such a plan from the start, the Princess Royale wouldn’t have secured control over the frontier and wouldn’t have trapped us in this current predicament."

"General Tian, you need not blame yourself..." Shen Er replied after hearing everything. "The Princess and King of Qin likely had plans to collaborate long ago. Whether or not you acted on your initiative, they would have found a way to force you into this predicament."

"Indeed, it was my overconfidence. Otherwise, with Ao Zhen’s sudden surge in strength, I would at least have had the power to safeguard myself."

Shen Er nodded slightly, though inwardly he noted this factor carefully.

He had overlooked one detail: the Divine Path Sect’s Main Gods possess unusual characteristics that allow for sudden bursts of power.

In this respect, Chen Qing had always been the most prominent example, with his repeated leaps in strength enabling him to confront elite figures and safeguard Jiangnan.

Yet many had forgotten that other Main Gods could sometimes achieve the same.

With Ao Zhen under Tian Heng’s command, and Ao Zhen’s innate potential, it wouldn’t be implausible for Tian Heng to gain a trump card overnight. Shen Er chastised himself for not considering this earlier. If Tian Heng had ever contemplated betrayal, the consequences would have been dire...

"The events have passed. General Tian likely didn’t anticipate that the enemy would bypass Wei Gongcheng’s defensive line. Moreover, you couldn’t have imagined that Duke of Song would cooperate with them."

The Flying Star ability was indeed troublesome at critical moments...

"Mr. Shen Er, what do you think we should do now?"

Shen Er fell silent for a moment, while Tian Heng waited quietly for his deliberation. Such critical decisions could not be rushed.

"Recently, those strange Buddha Lights have disrupted order significantly. Leaving aside anything else, even the faith power from Hell Ruler’s temple has visibly declined. It’s evident that many valuable followers have been affected, and even some array masters have..."

"Even the array masters from the Heavenly Institute?" Tian Heng exclaimed in shock. These individuals held extremely high status in Jiangnan. If even they couldn’t resist the allure...

"The Heavenly Institute has varying degrees of aptitude.

.. some are widely celebrated, while others are utterly ordinary.

.." Shen Er sighed. "To those outside their circle, array masters all seem to be esteemed figures.

But within their own circle, they still compare themselves to their peers.

The more talented they are, the less content they become.

If they discover that they might have once held a prestigious destiny, few would resist temptation. "

"This..." Tian Heng inhaled sharply. It was true. Unless one had already achieved unparalleled greatness in this era, resisting the temptations of a past life was rare. Even if the temptations were fabricated, many would still succumb.

"Is it real? The talk of their past lives?"

"That’s unknown..." Shen Er shook his head.

"A genuine connection would be rare. How could there be so many formidable beings from past lives? Even if they existed, the monsters in those Buddhist Temples would likely keep them tightly protected, ensuring they aren’t exposed.

Otherwise, losing control over them would be a disastrous gamble. "

"I originally thought we just had to stall until the master’s return, but now... dragging this out further..." Tian Heng frowned.

"I don’t dare make a move on those hidden monsters in the Buddhist Temple.

Even if we deployed the army to annihilate them, the losses would likely be devastating.

" Shen Er stared at him. "As Wang Ye analyzed with you, the Princess Royale openly aims to deplete your military strength.

Currently, the forces capable of countering her remain under your command.

If your losses grow too significant... then I fear. .."

"But... we can’t simply ignore the situation..."

"Indeed... let me think..." Shen Er contemplated for a moment before suddenly saying, "Those elixirs—let me see them."

Tian Heng was taken aback. What would Shen Er want with elixirs?

"The side effects are severe. I hadn’t planned to use them..."

"I want to examine their effects closely. I suspect that Princess Royale dares not let her subordinates use them recklessly. Yet if... if the elixirs truly deliver exceptional results, perhaps... this could become an opportunity!"

"Very well..." Tian Heng had just prepared to hand over the elixirs, but he suddenly froze.

A chilling thought crossed his mind...

At this very moment... had Shen Er himself already been tempted?

As he himself had said, if a better opportunity from a past life existed, who could resist its allure?