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The number of ghost temples probably has a great deal to do with the abilities that the Emperor can now harness!

This guy spent a great price, causing war in the north and deliberately facilitating Chen Qing’s Dragon Palace plan in Jiangnan, all to covertly build the ghost temples remembered by Chen Baiye.

The people in the Capital City feel extremely uneasy about those ghost temples, not to mention the many bizarre incidents that followed their increase—the entire atmosphere of the Capital City changed.

The Royal City of the Central Plains became eerie and sinister, and the major families, especially the Sorcerer Families, clearly felt uneasy and did not dare to confront the Emperor head-on, watching helplessly as more and more ghost temples were established in the Capital City by the Emperor.

"Chen Baiye’s memories suspect the same as you thought.

.." Ali replied. "Previously, as an Elder on the periphery of the Chen Family, he had no privilege to participate in the Dragon Palace event, so instead, he paid more attention to the Capital City. Actually, he wanted to warn the Chen Family at that time, but ultimately he didn’t due to some psychological factors. "

"But the reality was just as he thought. As soon as the number of ghost temples increased, the Emperor’s attitude towards the great families completely changed.

Now that the north has been devoured by the giant python and without the threat of the Duke of Wei, although a large number of military generals have been recalled, none dare to question the ghost temples.

It’s likely that there have been secret collusions and calculations going on. "

"Moreover, these kinds of ghost temples also exist among the Southern Barbarians!"

"The Southern Barbarians as well?" Shen Qi’s pupils contracted. At the time when Jiangnan was experiencing spatial turmoil, he was already on his way to the Capital City and did not know much about the Southern Barbarians, so hearing Ali bring it up naturally startled him.

"Yes, according to the memories, Chen Baiye began to secretly pay attention after learning from the merchants who returned from the Southern Barbarians that there were ghost temples in the Capital City just like theirs. This guy is indeed very sensitive."

"So the Southern Barbarians are also building these kinds of ghost temples, is it Wutu Country?"

"Yes!" Ali nodded. "Many, far more than in the Capital City. According to the merchant, Wutu Country also started building these ghost temples only a year ago, but the number greatly exceeds that in the Capital City. I don’t know why, but according to Chen Baiye’s memories, the Royal Family’s renovation of these ghost temples seems to be progressing very slowly, as if there are some limitations. "

Shen Qi’s eyes lit up on hearing this, and he unfolded a map: "Do you all still remember where those ghost temples in the Capital City are located?"

Chen Ying asked puzzledly, "Is the location that important?"

"It should be very important..." Shen Qi nodded.

"You can see that from the strength of people like Wutu Gu.

I suspect that these ghost temples might be able to perform a certain function, perhaps a bit like the Dragon Transformation Technique of the Dragon Palace, which allows a person to undergo complete transformation.

Maybe through the ghost temples, very special abilities can be invoked. "

"The fact that people like Wutu Gu could break through to Transcendence in such a short time and become so arrogant, is very likely because of the ghost temples. And when you returned, you also said that the Emperor didn’t give you the impression that he had entered the Transcendent realm, right? What made you conclude that?"

Ali was stunned for a moment but then said, "Presence..."

"Presence?" Chen Ying frowned beside him. "Can you be serious for once?"

"I am serious..." Ali said with a smile, not sure why, but she always felt that Chen Ying had a lot of hostility towards her—was it because she had once altered her memories?

"For our kind of demons who are not good at fighting, the way to spot an easy target is by feeling their presence.... Who I can attack and who I can’t, I can tell from a distance. If not... If I ever provoke someone I shouldn’t, I’d be dead long ago."

"Haven’t you died many times already?" Chen Ying sneered.

Ali’s expression turned slightly cold—she obviously didn’t like this topic being brought up.

"Enough..." Shen Qi interrupted them both. "There’s no time for arguing..." He then looked at Ali, "Are you sure?"

"I should be sure..." Ali said impatiently.

"The Emperor carries the fate of the Central Plains, any change in the aura of his body would be easily sensed by a demon like me. After all, if I were to possess him, I could break through to Transcendence directly using the fate of the Central Plains Dynasty. You know that, don’t you? "

Shen Qi nodded, knowing that once a fox demon could bewitch an emperor, then it could break through the threshold of Transcendence. There was nothing in the world that could not be enchanted, and he had always wondered why it specifically had to be an emperor—turns out it had to do with fate....

Fate....

Shen Qi recalled things he had learned from conversations with Zi Yue—that the Central Plains were the land of the Human Race’s fate. In the ancient past, the Dragon Palace ruled the seas, using human fate to fill their own, nearly dominating the primeval era.

Could the slow construction pace of the ghost temples be due to this reason?

Because, in theory, the Emperor shouldn’t have needed to consider the faces of the great families six months ago.

Then he could have built as many as he wished.

With the speed of the Central Plains craftsmen, how could it be slower than the Southern Barbarians?

With a single command, building thousands more ghost temples throughout the Capital City would only be a matter of months. ...

Why... not do this?

Shen Qi could think of only two reasons. One was that the number of Ghost Temples didn’t mean anything, more temples didn’t necessarily provide more power.

But to Shen Qi, this point didn’t hold water. If so, why hadn’t the Emperor become Transcendent? Wutu Gu’s subordinates had already become Transcendent, yet in Ali’s words, the Emperor was only a bit more imposing than before. What did this imply?

Didn’t it just mean that the number of Ghost Temples was still insufficient?

If that was the case, why not continue building?

Then the only possibility left was the second guess... Constructing Ghost Temples in the Capital City must be harder than in the land of the Southern Barbarians!

The reason was unknown. Perhaps it was because this land was where the Human Race’s fortunes lay, and the Southern Barbarian lands, being a half-demon region, couldn’t compare to this place in representing the Human Race.

Given that...

Shen Qi stood up, "I think I might have an idea of what’s going on, but I’m not completely sure. Are you all willing to take a gamble?"

"How do we gamble?" the two Yaksha generals hastily asked, "If we win the bet, can we save Prince Ao Zhen?"

"We should be able to..." Shen Qi unfolded a map of the Capital City and said, "The Siao Royal Family doesn’t have the power to make Prince Ao Zhen disappear. They must have borrowed external forces. Based on the clues we have now, it is highly likely they leveraged the power of the Ghost Temples. I guess the main purpose of the Siao Family’s construction of Ghost Temples in the Capital City is due to some Transcendent force behind them. However, since the number of Ghost Temples is limited, the abilities they can use must also be limited. That’s why the Emperor hasn’t become Transcendent and hasn’t been able to suppress us directly.

The reason should be that their means are limited. "

"So you’re saying..." the two Yakshas also realized something, "If the number of Ghost Temples could be reduced further, their power would weaken. Maybe they wouldn’t even be able to control Prince Ao Zhen anymore?"

"Precisely!" Shen Qi declared, "Destroying a certain number of Ghost Temples might save Prince Ao Zhen. Once we can rescue Prince Ao Zhen, this game will be broken!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" The two Yakshas were immediately filled with a fighting spirit, "All this time, it’s been by relying on external things. Well, that makes it easier. Once they’re destroyed and the Prince is welcomed back, then we can teach that so-called Emperor Siao a lesson on how to be a person. A mere mortal daring to scheme against our prince, he’s practically looking for death! "

"The key is where to destroy?" Shen Qi unfolded the map and said, "If our guess is not wrong, then these Ghost Temples must be extremely important to the Emperor and the ancient forces behind him. We have limited manpower and strength; we must strike accurately at the vital points."

As he spoke, he pointed at the map and said, "We need to understand the disposition of the Ghost Temples first. Then, we can guess the relatively important ones. Because once we make a move, we might only have one chance. Once our opponent realizes we’ve discovered this weak point of the Ghost Temples, they will retaliate fiercely.

If we cannot destroy the key Ghost Temples in time, without Prince Ao Zhen, it will be very difficult for us to have a second chance to act. "

These words were like a bucket of cold water dumped over their heads, instantly chilling the two Yakshas’ fervor.

Although they were angry, they weren’t fools. If Ao Zhen could be sealed, it meant that the enemy did have exceptional methods. If they couldn’t hit the mark with one blow, they might indeed not get a second chance, as their opponent claimed.

"I remember the places," Chen Ying looked at the map and said.

She had not been idle on her first day here. When Ali entered the palace, she toured the Capital City and memorized all the locations of the Ghost Temples.

"To rely on guessing could be infuriating..." After Shen Qi marked the points of the Ghost Temples on the map with ink, he frowned deeply. Because from the layout of the positions, every Ghost Temple was strategically placed.

All of the Ghost Temples occupied what were originally other very popular temples, including the Confucian Temple, Buddhist Sect’s Guanyin Temple, and the extremely popular Three-Star Taoist Temple in the Capital City.

It truly made it hard to see at a glance,... which was the most important...

"We probably can only find out from Chen Baiye," Shen Qi sighed.

Upon hearing this, Ali frowned, "I’ve read almost all of his memories. He really doesn’t know..."

"He doesn’t need to know, as long as the person who wants to use him to scheme against us knows," Shen Qi snorted coldly. "This time, it’s about who can outsmart the other!"