Chapter 740: Eighty Years Later

Chapter 740: Eighty Years Later



"The Rebel Army is here!"

"Run for your lives!"

"Why run? I've heard that wherever the Righteous Army passes, they maintain order. As long as we don't resist, we'll be fine."

The mysterious death of the Emperor of the Dafeng Dynasty could no longer be kept hidden.

In an instant, chaos erupted among the Capital Guard. No matter how loyal they were to the Dafeng Dynasty, they needed to see hope to feel motivated.

Now, with the emperor dead, and at such a critical moment—

Most of the guards even began to think that the Mandate of Heaven had abandoned the dynasty.

Furthermore, Lin Yuan took the opportunity to act within the capital, engaging most of the Daoist Grandmasters, while the army outside launched a fierce attack.

The capital of the Dafeng Dynasty, which had stood for seven to eight hundred years, crumbled.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Numerous Daoist Mages were the first to enter the city.

As Daoists, their individual strength was formidable, and by being the first to enter the city, they could quickly gain control of the situation.

As for the Daoist Grandmasters? They waited outside the capital, ready to provide support at any time.

Even with Lin Yuan's cultivation, in seventy years, he had only managed to cultivate fewer than two hundred Daoist Grandmasters, and some of them were needed to suppress the already conquered states.

Daoist Grandmasters were the foundation, and they couldn't be allowed to enter the capital lightly.

Even if the city gates were breached, who knew if there were still traps inside that could kill a Grandmaster?

Even the powerful Daoist Grandmasters were, at their core, still mortal. A broken arm would be a severe injury, and a shattered heart or head would mean certain death.

No matter how strong their soul power was, without the support of a physical body, it would quickly dissipate.

Outside the Imperial Palace.

A large group of warriors clad in battle armor were filled with excitement, gazing at the magnificent Jade Tower palace in the distance.

The experiences they had on their journey now felt like a dream.

It had been too smooth.

So smooth that it was almost unbelievable.

Throughout history, overthrowing a dynasty required an unimaginable price.

Countless rebels must have died, and only after the dynasty's foundation was completely exhausted would there be a chance for success.

Not to mention a dynasty like the Dafeng Dynasty, which was at its peak. As long as the emperor didn't make any fatal mistakes, there was almost no chance of its downfall.

With the Dafeng Dynasty's tight control over the states, there was no room for rebellion.

Even a third-rate force like the Lotus Sect, with only ordinary Daoists, was swiftly crushed by the Daoist Administration's schemes. Other more prominent rebel forces didn't stand a chance.

There was no room for survival.

But since their 'uprising', everything had gone smoothly, and they hadn't faced any significant resistance.

In the blink of an eye, they had reached the capital.

Originally, they thought that breaking into the capital would be a fierce battle.

After all, once the Dafeng Dynasty realized it couldn't hold out, it had recalled all its forces to the capital.

Combined with the capital's foundation,

it could be considered one of the strongest powers in the world.

But at this critical moment,

news of the Dafeng Emperor's death spread.

And at the crucial moment, the defending Daoist Grandmasters were all restrained and suppressed.

The outside army only needed one charge to break through.

"Have we overthrown the Dafeng Dynasty?"

A burly warrior among them muttered to himself.

"Not us."

A middle-aged scholar glanced at the warrior and shook his head. "It's Lord."

"It's Lord who overthrew the Dafeng Dynasty. We merely followed Lord."

The scholar added.

Upon hearing this,

the other warriors, for once, had no retort.

To reach their positions, they must have had keen insight.

Since the army's rebellion, everything had gone smoothly, without any significant resistance.

Who did they rely on?

It was Lord, who was orchestrating everything behind the scenes.

Without Lord, they wouldn't have made it here,

let alone their individual states.

Since the establishment of the Dafeng Dynasty,

strict restrictions had been placed on local armies.

If one state rebelled,

the surrounding states would immediately send troops to blockade it.

The capital would command the overall situation and suppress the rebellion.

This almost completely eliminated the possibility of a successful uprising.

Unless the Dafeng Dynasty truly entered its late stages and lost control over the states,

but that was clearly not the case yet.

Moreover,

they had just reached the outskirts of the capital

when they heard the news of the emperor's death.

If it wasn't related to Lord, who could believe it? The Dafeng Emperor's death at this time was too coincidental.

Just as they were about to engage in a decisive battle, he died?

It could be said

that in this 'uprising' to overthrow the Dafeng Dynasty,

Lord was the one who truly sealed the deal.

With Lord, even if it wasn't them, a dog on a leash could overthrow the Dafeng Dynasty.

Without Lord,

no matter how strong their forces were, they wouldn't have been able to enter the capital so easily.

"Where is Lord now?"

Another warrior looked up.

After breaking into the capital, they quickly gained control of the city.

Then, they stood guard outside the Imperial Palace, waiting for Lord to arrive.

Entering the capital and entering the Imperial Palace were two different matters.

Only the latter meant truly overthrowing the rule of the Dafeng Dynasty.

And they dared not take credit for such an achievement.

To be fair, everyone felt that they hadn't contributed much to this 'uprising'.

It wasn't that they were incompetent, but they simply hadn't had the opportunity to showcase their abilities.

"Wait."

The middle-aged scholar scanned the warriors and patiently waited.

Without Lord, no one dared to enter the Imperial Palace.

On a certain street,

Lin Yuan's expression turned pensive.

After killing the Dafeng Emperor, Lin Yuan searched the palace again to confirm there wasn't a second hidden emperor.

Then, he headed to the city walls and subdued the numerous Daoist Grandmasters guarding them,

allowing the outside army to break through.

After completing all this,

Lin Yuan didn't join the army.

Instead, he quietly walked the streets of the capital.

His vast soul power enveloped an area of a thousand meters, sensing everything within.

After killing the Dafeng Emperor, this time loop world hadn't ended.

Lin Yuan easily deduced that the Dafeng Emperor he killed

wasn't the true emperor but likely a puppet.

This puppet is undoubtedly the handiwork of the true Emperor of Dafeng, otherwise, it would be impossible to deceive the civil and military officials of the court, as well as the numerous royal relatives.

Without the cooperation and tacit consent of the real emperor, this scene would never have occurred.

Within the Imperial Palace, there are countless Daoist Grandmasters who are not blind.

It is fundamentally impossible for an emperor to be silently replaced without anyone noticing.

In other words, the true Emperor of Dafeng did not actually die.

The time loop test originates from the supreme rules and is absolutely fair.

It was stated that killing the Emperor of Dafeng would allow one to pass the test, so it must be possible to pass.

There is no possibility of changing the target midway.

"Why would the Emperor specifically nurture a puppet to replace himself?" Lin Yuan quickly pondered.

In the history of this world, there have indeed been instances of emperors nurturing puppets and then having them attend court in their stead during times of turmoil.

These cases mostly occurred during chaotic periods, when the dynasty's power was at its weakest, and the emperor had no choice but to use a puppet to deflect assassination attempts.

Before the uprising, the Dafeng Dynasty was at its peak, and even if Lin Yuan personally attempted assassination, based on his observations of the timeline, it was highly likely that the assassination would fail.

In such a situation, the emperor had no need to nurture a puppet.

Since his safety was guaranteed, why would he need to nurture a puppet to replace himself? And even if he did nurture a puppet, he would not have kept his distance from it, so he could control the puppet at any time.

Lin Yuan had just thoroughly searched the Imperial Palace and was about to complete his investigation of the entire capital city, but he found no trace of a second emperor.

In other words, the real emperor might not be in the capital city. He nurtured a puppet emperor identical to himself, but instead of keeping the puppet under his complete control, he voluntarily left the capital?

Isn't he afraid that the puppet will become the real emperor?

In fact, according to the information Lin Yuan had gathered over the past four to five decades, this puppet emperor was no different from the real emperor.

He had basically mastered all the military and political affairs of the Dafeng Dynasty.

Otherwise, Lin Yuan would not have taken action to kill him the moment he saw him.

"The true Emperor of Dafeng nurtured a puppet and then disappeared, allowing this puppet emperor to become the real emperor?" Lin Yuan's expression turned slightly strange.

Could it be that this true Emperor of Dafeng didn't want to be emperor?

But if he truly didn't want to be emperor, he could have simply abdicated and chosen a successor from the royal family. There was no need for such complications.

By handing over power to the puppet emperor, once this puppet emperor gained control, he would undoubtedly harbor murderous intentions towards the real emperor.

Unless... Lin Yuan thought to himself.

Unless this true Emperor of Dafeng already knew that someone wanted to kill him.

That's why he quietly slipped away like a cicada shedding its shell, leaving a nominal puppet to attract attention, while he himself hid in an unknown location.

"Could this be the true difficulty of the test within the time loop?"

"Did the other party already know that I wanted to kill the emperor?"

Lin Yuan concluded that this was the only explanation for the puppet emperor.

"And did this true Emperor of Dafeng deduce that I was definitely not his match, so he didn't even consider the idea of suppressing me beforehand?"

Lin Yuan speculated further.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have given up without a fight and directly abandoned the throne.

To abandon the throne of Dafeng and hand over the ninety-nine provinces to a puppet? Such courage is not something just anyone possesses.

"For the past four to five decades, the Emperor's every move has been under my surveillance. Therefore, the replacement of the puppet must have occurred before this four to five decades, meaning it happened over four to five decades ago."

"And nurturing such a puppet that is almost identical to oneself is not something that can be done in a short time; it would take at least two to three decades."

"Four to five decades, plus two to three decades, that's seventy to eighty years? Close to the time point when I descended upon this time loop?"

Lin Yuan stopped in his tracks.

Below his line of sight, rows of illusory characters flashed by.

These characters belonged to a certain timeline.

The owner of this timeline was the puppet emperor that Lin Yuan had killed.

In this time loop world, the rules of the Grand Way were strictly suppressed.

Lin Yuan was far from capable of establishing causality by merely reciting the other party's name and then observing their timeline through this causal relationship.

Only by actively forming a significant causal connection with the other party could he watch their timeline.

For example, Lin Yuan could watch his uncle's future and past timelines due to their relationship.

When Lin Yuan took action to kill the puppet emperor, a critical causal line was naturally formed between them.

However, due to the influence of the time loop world, the formation of the causal line required time and only now had it fully formed.

Lin Yuan began to watch the past timeline of the puppet emperor through this causal relationship.

Since the puppet emperor was dead, there was no future timeline to observe.

Lin Yuan was watching the past timeline.

[One year ago, the Daoist Administration received intelligence that the unrest in the ninety-nine provinces was traced back to the Black Wind Fort within Black Mountain. Those bandits deserve to be killed.]



[Ten years ago, the concubines brought into the palace a few days ago were quite pleasing.]



[Twenty years ago, when will I become a Daoist Grandmaster?]



[Thirty years ago, those old ministers in the court should have died. I must not get angry; I am the emperor now.]



[Forty years ago, basically no one could tell that I wasn't the real emperor.]



[Fifty years ago, the master found me and asked me to take his place. And the master's identity was none other than the Emperor of Dafeng. I'm the emperor now?]



[Seventy years ago, if not for the master finding me, a beggar like me would have frozen to death. I must repay the master's kindness in the future.]



The past time points of the puppet emperor were presented to Lin Yuan in the form of text.

Although it was certainly not complete, as this ability to watch timelines was also greatly suppressed, Lin Yuan could roughly understand everything he wanted to know through these textual clues.

"Indeed, it was a puppet emperor."

Lin Yuan's expression turned slightly somber, "The true Emperor of Dafeng disappeared fifty years ago, and the time when the puppet emperor was nurtured was seventy years ago, which is the same time I descended upon this time loop world."

Lin Yuan's expression turned peculiar.

As soon as he arrived in this time loop world, the other party had already begun nurturing a puppet? It was too coincidental.

If the real Dafeng Emperor had known in advance that Lin Yuan intended to kill him and that there was no chance of stopping him, he should have started cultivating the puppet years earlier. Why did it happen to coincide with the moment Lin Yuan arrived?

If the Dafeng Emperor had learned of Lin Yuan's intention to kill him the instant Lin Yuan appeared, even if he knew there was no chance of resisting, he wouldn't have immediately started cultivating a puppet without any hesitation.

Perhaps there were coincidental factors at play, but Lin Yuan still felt it was too much of a coincidence.

"Unfortunately, I've had no contact with the real Dafeng Emperor, so I can't establish a crucial causal relationship and observe his timeline."

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.

He was able to observe the puppet emperor's timeline because he had killed him, creating a significant cause and effect.

However, the real Dafeng Emperor had disappeared fifty years ago without a trace.

Fifty years ago, Lin Yuan's strength, while surpassing that of ordinary Daoist Grandmasters, was not enough to forcefully infiltrate the Dafeng Imperial Palace.

Even if he had known about this event back then, it would have been impossible to take any measures to establish a causal relationship.

Even now, Lin Yuan had only managed to enter the Imperial Palace with the help of Lin's army to distract the guards.

"But it's not entirely fruitless."

"At least I know that the real Dafeng Emperor is still alive, hiding in some corner of this world. I just need to find him."

Lin Yuan thought to himself as he took a step forward.

In front of the Imperial Palace, numerous military officers and scholars patiently waited.

As soon as Lin Yuan appeared, everyone immediately knelt on one knee and respectfully bowed to him.

The more they reviewed the details of this 'uprising,' the more they realized the terrifying power of Lin Yuan.

Throughout history, dynasties fell due to weakness.

But the Dafeng Dynasty's demise occurred at the height of its power, and the driving force behind it all was Lin Yuan.

With his own strength, he had manipulated the Ninety-Nine Provinces, eventually pushing the Dafeng Dynasty into the abyss.

Such means left even the most trusted members of his inner circle trembling.

"You may rise," Lin Yuan said, glancing at the Imperial Palace in the distance.

He had already entered this palace before and had no particular interest in it.

"Did the army's invasion into the city disturb the commoners?" Lin Yuan asked.

This uprising initiated by Lin Yuan was solely aimed at the Dafeng Emperor himself.

He held no ill will towards the common people and had even set rules to minimize the impact on them during the siege.

The small kingdoms surrounding Dafeng, mostly infiltrated by Lin Yuan, refrained from pillaging the civilians during this chaotic period.

"We assure you, Lord, that our soldiers have not committed any offenses," the military officers promptly replied.

The battle had gone too smoothly.

"Lord, the Dafeng Emperor is unjust, and you should establish a new dynasty to rule over the world," a strategist suggested.

This was an inevitable step.

Overthrowing the old dynasty and establishing a new one was the natural course of action.

It was necessary to prevent further expansion of the war.

"Hmm," Lin Yuan nodded.

The real Dafeng Emperor's whereabouts were still unknown.

Lin Yuan needed to rely on the power of the world to search for his traces.

"I wonder what the new dynasty's name should be," the strategist tentatively asked.

"The name of the dynasty?" Lin Yuan pondered for a moment. "Let's call it Great Flame."

On his third journey, Lin Yuan arrived in a world ruled by divine weapons and became the crown prince of Great Flame.

This time, as he established a new dynasty, Lin Yuan directly used the name Great Flame to save the trouble of coming up with a new one.

"Great Flame, a good name," the military officers exchanged glances, their spirits lifted.

With the founding of the Great Flame Dynasty, they would all become founding contributors.

Next, Lin Yuan issued a series of commands to stabilize the situation in the newly established dynasty.

Not only did Lin Yuan have experience as an emperor from his third journey, but the human civilization also possessed a wealth of knowledge and lessons from ruling various dynasties.

Establishing a new dynasty was like a walk in the park for Lin Yuan.

"There's more," Lin Yuan said, turning to the military officers and strategists. "From now on, search for all people and objects related to the remnants of the Dafeng Dynasty. I want to personally review all information and clues."

The purpose of this command was to find the real Dafeng Emperor, who had disappeared fifty years ago.

Unless the real Dafeng Emperor had completely secluded himself, even if he was hiding in some corner of the world, there was a high probability that he would still have contact with the outside world, such as for daily necessities.

This would leave traces and the possibility of being discovered.

After the Great Flame Dynasty was established, Lin Yuan would create an intelligence organization dedicated to searching for the real Dafeng Emperor.

"Yes," everyone nodded in agreement.

They weren't surprised by Lin Yuan's search for the remnants of the Dafeng Dynasty.

Historically, rulers would often purge the remnants of the previous dynasty's royal family to eliminate potential threats.

Moreover, if a rebellion had reached such a stage, there were likely irreconcilable conflicts with the dynasty, such as deep-seated grudges.

The Dafeng Dynasty fell, and the Great Flame Dynasty rose.

For the people of the Ninety-Nine Provinces, the transition between the old and new dynasties caused little disturbance, as the change of power was incredibly quiet.

Lin Yuan had devoted seventy years of his life to planning and infiltrating the entire Dafeng Dynasty, ensuring a smooth transfer of power in each province, just as he had anticipated.

Many commoners had just heard about the uprising one day and learned of the newly established Great Flame Dynasty the next.

Great Flame Year One.

The Founder ascended the throne, ruling over the entire realm.

Inside the Imperial Palace, Uncle with White Hair stood in silence, his eyes wide with disbelief as he gazed at the magnificent Jade Tower before him.

Beside him, Lin Yuan smiled.

"This..." Uncle with White Hair fell silent, his expression incredulous.

The Dafeng Dynasty had truly been overthrown.

The son of the sect leader established a new dynasty called 'Great Flame'.

Uncle San, with his white hair, was somewhat apprehensive.

Even though he had long known that Lin Yuan would soar to great heights, he never expected Lin Yuan to overthrow the Dafeng Dynasty's rule and establish a new dynasty.

"Young Master, am I dreaming?" Uncle San muttered to himself.

"Of course not," Lin Yuan said with a smile.

Currently, the only person he could consider family in this time loop world was Uncle San.

"Now, it is the first year of the Great Flame Dynasty," Lin Yuan said with a smile.

"Yes, the first year of the Great Flame Dynasty. I'm not dreaming," Uncle San replied with a grin. "I never thought I, Lu San, would live to see the day you establish a new dynasty."

"It's just a pity that my older brother couldn't see this," Uncle San's expression darkened as he spoke of his older brother, the former leader of the Red Lotus Sect, who was also Lin Yuan's father in this body.

If it weren't for the Red Lotus Sect leader sacrificing himself to hold off the Daoist Administration's Daoists, he and Uncle San would never have had the chance to escape.

"Once I break through the time loop, I can try to 'revive' everyone," Lin Yuan thought to himself.

Even he wasn't sure about this. After all, in theory, the time loop was formed under the operation of the supreme rule, and no one knew if the lives within it truly existed.

The thirteen-stage time beings Lin Yuan had encountered also had no way to revive lives within the time loop.

In the time loop world, everything experienced was but a fleeting dream.

The thirteen-stage time beings, having cultivated for countless years, had very thin emotional attachments to what they called family.

But Lin Yuan was different.

He had only recently embarked on his path of evolution and still valued emotions.

If reviving lives within the time loop was as simple as a wave of the hand, Lin Yuan would seriously consider doing so.

A month later, Uncle San with white hair passed away.

Lin Yuan was helpless in this matter, even though he tried his best to regulate the flow of Qi and blood for Uncle San.

However, Uncle San himself couldn't achieve the perfect control over Qi and blood flow like Lin Yuan.

Living to nearly 130 years old was already an incredible feat.

"All those I considered family and acquaintances are dead," Lin Yuan thought to himself. "Only you remain, Emperor of Dafeng."

In this world, the only acquaintance Lin Yuan had left was the Emperor of Dafeng.

Two months later, beneath the former capital of the Dafeng Dynasty.

This place was one of the ninety-nine provinces in the Central Plains, where the earth fire was most abundant, and it was a holy land that all Artisans dreamed of.

Before the establishment of the Great Flame Dynasty, this Inferno Cavern was under the control of the previous dynasty.

Now, the Inferno Cavern was sealed off by the Imperial Guards.

The Artisans who were originally there were kneeling on the ground, trembling.

Just then, a figure slowly walked in.

It was Lin Yuan.

"We have an audience with Your Majesty," the Artisans said, bowing nervously.

"You may rise," Lin Yuan said, not making things difficult for the Artisans. He scanned the surroundings and said, "I recall that all the Primordial Divine Metal collected by the Dafeng Dynasty was stored here, right?"

The Primordial Divine Metal was the hardest metal in the world, and it was the raw material the Founder of the Dafeng Dynasty wanted to use to cast the Nine Tripods.

Due to the hardness of the Primordial Divine Metal, it took a long time to melt and cast it. Melting a fist-sized piece of Primordial Divine Metal would take at least a hundred years.

Therefore, every time the Dafeng Dynasty collected a small amount of Primordial Divine Metal, they would immediately send it to this Inferno Cavern to melt it, preparing for the day when they had enough to cast the Nine Tripods in a short period.

"Your Majesty, I don't know," said the leading Artisan, his teeth chattering. "Ever since I took over this Inferno Cavern, I haven't discovered any Primordial Divine Metal."

"Is that so?" Lin Yuan glanced at him, and as their karmic connection formed, he began observing the Artisan's past timeline.

After confirming that the Artisan wasn't lying, Lin Yuan asked, "Who was in charge of this Inferno Cavern before you?"

After establishing the Great Flame Dynasty, Lin Yuan began a thorough investigation into all traces of the true Emperor of Dafeng within the Imperial Palace.

By observing various timelines, Lin Yuan quickly noticed the 'disappearance' of the Primordial Divine Metal.

Indeed, all the Primordial Divine Metal collected by the Dafeng Dynasty had vanished without a trace.

"Yes, it was my grandfather," said an older Artisan, mustering his courage.

"Where is your grandfather now?" Lin Yuan asked.

"He's gone. My grandfather suddenly disappeared seventy years ago," the Artisan replied truthfully. "I was young then, and I only learned about this from my father, who also disappeared shortly after."

"Seventy years ago?" Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Combining this with other information he had gathered, he was almost certain that the disappearance of all the Primordial Divine Metal in the Dafeng Dynasty was related to the true Emperor of Dafeng he was searching for.

The disappearance of the Primordial Divine Metal occurred around seventy years ago, and at that time, all the Artisans in the Inferno Cavern also disappeared.

It wasn't until thirty years later that the Inferno Cavern was reopened, and new Artisans were brought in.

Furthermore, the Primordial Divine Metal was under the direct control of the Founder of the Dafeng Dynasty, and no one but the current emperor could have used it. "Emperor of Dafeng, what was all this Primordial Divine Metal used for?" Lin Yuan wondered, and several speculations formed in his mind.

These speculations gave Lin Yuan a new understanding of the true Emperor of Dafeng who had disappeared.

Upon returning to the Imperial Palace, Lin Yuan issued another order.

He offered a reward for any large pieces of Primordial Divine Metal; the discoverer would be bestowed a title and rewarded with ten thousand gold coins.

At the same time, Lin Yuan himself began traveling the world, searching for traces of the Primordial Divine Metal.

The disappearance of all the Primordial Divine Metal from the Inferno Cavern was undoubtedly connected to the true Emperor of Dafeng.

If they could find these missing pieces of Primordial Divine Metal, they might be able to locate the Emperor of Dafeng who had been missing for fifty years.

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, eighty years had gone by.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end