booktalesy 0005 You came into this world to be an emperor.
0005 You came into this world to be an emperor.
The Maitreya Buddha statue dissipated, transforming into a plump monk with a kind face and wearing a brocade robe.
This was none other than Abbot Liaochen of Longhua Temple, a Grandmaster-level expert.
He clasped his hands together and sighed repeatedly:
"Foolish child, foolish child."
"If you insist on doing so, I will bear the sins to prevent chaos in the world."
"Namo Maitreya Buddha!"
Although Zhao Jing lacked martial prowess, he possessed the ability to wreak havoc on the world.
At this moment, Master Liaochen recalled the revelation of the Future Buddha—
Those who bring chaos to the world will inevitably bring peace.
At first, he didn't think it was related to Zhao Jing.
Now I'm 100% certain.
The one destined to disrupt fate is Zhao Jing.
Of course, Master Liu is a top expert ranked fourth on the Heavenly Ranking. In the entire Great Yong Dynasty, only Grand Tutor Yuwen can surpass him.
This is trouble we shouldn't mess with.
After much deliberation, Abbot Liaochen decided to convert Zhao Jing, which would both satisfy Headmaster Liu and eliminate future troubles for the Princess.
Just do it.
The pagoda shone with golden light, trapping Zhao Jing inside.
Buddha! Buddha! Buddha!
Countless swastika Buddhist seals surged forth from the golden light, crashing down on Zhao Jing's protective aura like a storm.
A loud bang.
As if a bomb had been dropped into the depths of Zhao Jing's consciousness, the sea surface exploded, creating towering waves.
He felt dizzy and the world spun around him, and then a golden light appeared before his eyes.
When Abbot Liaochen got serious, his protective aura was as fragile as a candle in the wind or an eggshell, and could be crushed by the Buddha's light at any moment.
Hang in there!
The two forces collided violently.
One is the noble and righteous spirit of Confucianism, pure white.
One is the Buddha's light of universal salvation, a pure golden color.
The sky was filled with gold and heavy white, intertwining and encroaching on each other.
The stupa was shaking violently.
A crack has appeared on the Haoran jade pendant, and there is a faint danger of it collapsing.
Gradually, the Buddha's light enveloped everything.
"The sea of suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore!"
"The sea of suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore!"
The Buddha's light shone everywhere, and the sound of chanting filled the air.
Zhao Jing felt a sudden tightness in his chest.
It wasn't that Abbot Liaochen surpassed his maternal grandfather, but rather that he was too weak to unleash the full power of the treasure.
The protective shield was teetering on the brink of collapse. Seeing this, Li Shuo, kneeling on the ground, shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Abbot, do not hesitate to spare my life; you must capture Zhao Jing!"
At first, Li Shuo only used the Blood Raven to create fear, and was unwilling to use the full power of the Floating Pagoda, because the cost was too great.
He has now come to his senses.
Any price is worth paying to capture Zhao Jing.
Li Shuo bled from all seven orifices.
He was Feng Zhile's staunch supporter, not just a simple admirer.
That was nothing but a trick to deceive Zhao Jing.
Now he's stopped pretending and laid his cards on the table.
"I understand!"
Liao Chen responded, and the Buddha's light shone even brighter.
Li Shuo sacrificed himself to strengthen the power of the pagoda to suppress Zhao Jing. Even as he bled profusely, a sinister smile remained on his face.
Victory is within reach.
The Haoran Jade Pendant's luster gradually dimmed, and cracks began to increase and spread.
Without the protection of the jade pendant, he would be a lamb to the slaughter.
ridiculous!
Despite being in dire straits, Zhao Jing wore a smile.
Laugh, laugh out loud.
To mock the enemy.
He neither begged for mercy nor sought help, but simply took out a pistol from his Sumeru Ring.
Zhao Jing raised his pistol, and Li Shuo immediately shouted:
"Abbot, watch out for hidden weapons!"
"This is the Tang Clan's Rain of Pear Blossom Needles!"
Abbot Liaochen's eyes narrowed, and Buddhist light protected his entire body.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Jing pointed the gun at his own temple.
"Liao Chen, there is no Zhao Jing who survived by clinging to life."
"I will end it all before the jade pendant breaks."
What?
Li Shuo and Abbot Liaochen were both stunned.
This isn't some pampered imperial grandson; he's clearly a damned desperado.
Abbot Liaochen blurted out:
"Are you crazy?"
Zhao Jing couldn't help but laugh:
"Of course, I forgot to tell the abbot."
"This jade pendant can send messages after I die."
"If my grandfather receives this, please ask him to slaughter the entire Longhua Temple for me, and not let a single bald monk be spared."
"Disobedience, arrogance, an enemy of Buddha!"
As the saying goes, even Buddha has fire.
When Abbot Liaochen saw Zhao Jing's viciousness, he was filled with rage and seemed to want to grind this enemy of Buddha to dust.
"This old monk will absolutely not allow you to act recklessly."
Although Abbot Liaochen remained defiant, his Buddhist aura subtly diminished.
Whether the jade pendant can transmit messages is unknown.
Whether Master Liu will fight to the death for his grandson remains to be seen.
But is Abbot Liaochen willing to gamble?
In gambling, it's a common practice that the bold scare the timid to death.
Zhao Jing held a gun to his head and hurled insults:
"The abbot once advised me to abandon my revenge, but now I want to slaughter the entire Longhua Temple. Why am I so consumed by rage that I've lost my sense of proportion?"
"Be strict with others and lenient with yourself; even the abbot is not immune to this custom."
Zhao Jing's words, "Slaughter the entire family," shattered Chen Man's righteous indignation about "the greater good of the common people."
Abbot Liaochen was speechless for a moment and could only offer a forced explanation:
"Namo Maitreya Buddha".
"You are indeed eloquent and persuasive, but the two should not be confused."
"My actions were intended to protect you and all living beings; why go to such lengths!"
After Zhao Jing gambled his life on the matter, Liao Chen abandoned his intention to kill.
As Li Shuo said, he did not want to be tainted by the blood of royalty.
Cheng Ji, during the Three Kingdoms period, killed the Duke of Gaogui and was eventually exterminated along with his entire clan.
Abbot Liaochen was not the princess's henchman, but an ally, so he was destined not to do such dirty work and would choose to appease her instead.
"Sir, we can have a proper talk..."
Zhao Jing replied with a smile:
"Okay, let's make a deal then."
"Longhua Temple must have been divining heavenly secrets and deducing that I was going to harm the Princess, which is why they went to such lengths."
"Conversely, your chances of success are slim."
"Longhua Temple has no reason to risk its life for the Princess."
"My grandfather may not massacre the entire Longhua Temple, but seeking revenge against you is inevitable!"
This……
Abbot Liaochen fell into a deep state of contemplation.
The message conveyed by the jade pendant was fake; it was purely fabricated out of thin air.
However, this did not prevent Zhao Jing from deceiving his opponent and turning a seemingly hopeless situation around.
The art of ruling is, in essence, a deceptive practice.
Zhao Jing recalled the teachings his mother gave to his elder brother when he was seven years old.
Serious and strict.
It was as if Zhao Wei embodied all her ideals.
"Wei'er, you must become the emperor!"
Young Zhao Wei countered with a question:
"Mother, why should I become emperor?"
The Crown Princess placed her hands on Zhao Wei's shoulders and said earnestly:
"Wei'er, remember your mother's words."
"Because you came into this world to be emperor."
Zhao Wei took a deep breath and continued to ask:
"Can't my younger brother do it?"
"If I can do it, my brother can do it too."
The Crown Princess replied earnestly:
"No, everyone has their own destiny."
"Jing'er is too kind and too gentle; she is not suitable to be emperor."
"If you don't do it, your uncles and aunts will pounce on you like hungry wolves and tear your whole family to pieces."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Wei nodded in agreement:
"Then I want to be the emperor, to protect my mother, and to protect my younger brother."
"Mother, how can I become the emperor?"
A smile appeared on the Crown Princess's pale face:
"One of them is to make everyone believe it."
"You must be emperor; you came into this world to be emperor."
"Including yourself."
Zhao Wei's eyes lit up, and he nodded immediately:
"I understand, Mother."
"I came into this world to be an emperor."
"Little brother, you're right, aren't you?"
Zhao Jing, who was listening to the lesson from the side, gave a thumbs up:
"That's absolutely right, brother."
"You came into this world to be an emperor."
This is the study of emperors.
Even when in dire straits, you must make the enemy believe that you are the chosen one.
Although Zhao Jing was merely listening in, he was equally well-versed in this art.
Today, he used what he had learned to shake Abbot Chen's resolve.
Li Shuo was shocked upon seeing this and roared:
"Abbot, you must not be fooled by him."
"This jade pendant is completely incapable of transmitting messages."
"Her Highness the Princess is the true future ruler!"
Li Shuo finally realized that he couldn't outmaneuver Zhao Jing.
He was scammed, and scammed terribly.
We have no choice but to give it our all.
Stupa, unleash your full power!
Even for a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a genius of metaphysics in this generation, it was still too much of a stretch to unleash the true power of the Floating Pagoda.
Tick, tick.
Blood was flowing from Li Shuo's eyes, nose, and mouth. He endured the pain of the backlash and quickly tried to comfort him:
"If the abbot is having trouble making a decision, please summon Young Master Yuwen immediately..."
boom!
You talk too much.
Before Li Shuo could finish speaking, Zhao Jing had already turned his gun around and fired a single shot, killing the target instantly.
what! !
Li Shuo let out a scream.
His physical body was on the verge of collapse from activating the stupa, and he was now powerless to resist.
Liao Chen feigned surprise, not intercepting the bullet, but instead enveloping Li Shuo in Buddhist light, while saying:
"Please have mercy, benefactor!"
Zhao Jing's smile remained unchanged:
"Abbot, our deal isn't finished yet."
"The Crown Prince's residence has secretly built several arsenals in Jiangnan, which can produce a large number of firearms to arm the soldiers."
"Like these."
Zhao Jing took out various firearms, including shotguns, sniper rifles, and pistols, and even explosives.
boom! boom! boom!
He took out each gun and used Li Shuo as a target to demonstrate its power.
"ah!!"
Li Shuo screamed repeatedly, and Liao Chen's Buddhist light only healed his wounds, yet strangely allowed the bullets to pass through unimpeded.
Both sides had a great understanding.
Liao Chen looked at the muskets and was startled. He quickly asked:
"These muskets are not very powerful; at most, they pose a threat to martial artists at the Profound Realm or True Essence Realm. They are probably classified as 'sharp weapons'."
"But according to you, these things can be mass-produced?"
In this world where the strong roam freely, powerful weapons and magical artifacts have emerged as a result.
In the martial arts world, these are categorized as: mortal weapons, sharp weapons, spiritual weapons, treasure weapons, Daoist weapons, and immortal weapons.
Like the Haoran Jade Pendant on Zhao Jing's chest and the Buddhist pagoda borrowed by Li Shuo, they are all precious artifacts.
Immortal artifacts are elusive and hard to find, while Dao artifacts are the treasures of a sect, making them extremely rare in the world.
Young heroes in the martial arts world would treasure a weapon as if it were a priceless gem, while lower-level martial artists would mostly use ordinary weapons.
Although Zhao Jing's musket was not as powerful as a sharp weapon, it was easy for ordinary people to use without the need for cultivation.
If mass production and deployment are achieved, it will greatly enhance the military's combat capabilities.
Zhao Jing answered decisively:
"Indeed, Abbot has a good eye."
"Musketeers do not need to be made by masters; even an apprentice can make them."
"Musical weapons pose no immediate threat to the strong, but there's plenty of time."
"If Longhua Temple is willing to cooperate with me, the blueprints can also be shared."
"Abbot, why insist on pursuing the Princess's path to ruin?"
"Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future."
The eldest princess has formed a powerful political alliance, and Longhua Temple is the weakest link.
Even if we don't pry it open, we should at least bury some soft nails.
"No!"
"Abbot, you mustn't listen to that brat Zhao Jing's nonsense!"
Li Shuo roared repeatedly, but Abbot Liaochen paid no attention, which chilled him to the bone.
It’s over.
Abbot Liaochen is in trouble.
The tide has turned!
No, stay calm.
Li Shuo, as expected of Feng Zhile's top lieutenant, quickly calmed down and found a solution.
Killing Zhao Jing would cut off Chen's escape route.
With this thought in mind, Li Shuo's eyes turned cold, and his body mutated, quietly transforming into a giant blood crow, intending to perish together with Zhao Jing.
Liao Chen ignored Li Shuo's calls, only looking at Zhao Jing and letting out a long sigh.
"No wonder Young Master Yuwen entrusted us to capture everyone in the Crown Prince's residence, leaving no one alive."
"Only today have I realized that there are still true dragons in this world."
"Could this be fate?"
The fact that the Yong Dynasty was characterized by a power struggle among nine princes was not simply due to Emperor Hongjing's deliberate indulgence.
Rather, the King of Qi, the King of Min, and others, in the past, all possessed the bearing of kings.
The prophecy of Beichen Palace in the past—
"When ten emperors rule in the same court, the world is thrown into chaos."
Although the Crown Prince's residence was defeated, Zhao Jing emerged.
Of the ten dragons, which one is the true dragon?
Liao Chen had initially thought it was the eldest princess, but now he was somewhat shaken.
As the saying goes, a true hero never dies.
Do I really want to kill someone like this?
Upon this thought, Liaochen dispelled the Buddha's light.
Zhao Jing saw Abbot Chen's goodwill and noticed Li Shuo's change, and smiled faintly:
"I don't believe in fate, I only believe that human effort can make things happen."
Then, Zhao Jing made another surprising move, tearing off the Haoran Jade Pendant from his chest.
You remove the Buddha's light, I remove the jade pendant.
Your Highness, why is this?
Abbot Liaochen found it hard to understand, while Zhao Jing, holding the jade pendant, smiled calmly:
"A secret covenant needs no witnesses."
opportunity!
Li Shuo had lost control; his mind was filled with murderous intent.
Now is the perfect time for Zhao Jing to remove the protective shield.
Lord Feng, I will serve His Majesty with utmost loyalty.
At this moment, Li Shuo completely lost control and transformed into a blood crow.
In the practice of mystical arts, the greatest taboo is losing control.
If it gets out of control, it will turn into a monster.
The blood crow pounced on Zhao Jing.
Zhao Jing neither dodged nor avoided, but simply watched Chen quietly.
Secret covenants do not require witnesses.
Li Shuo must die.
Otherwise, Longhua Temple would be implicated.
Liao Chen was still hesitating about how to have the best of both worlds when Zhao Jing tore off the jade pendant, forcing him to make a choice.
There's no time left.
"Namo Maitreya Buddha!"
Blood Raven was less than three steps away from Zhao Jing when Abbot Liaochen uttered a Buddhist chant, and his palm descended from the sky, striking Blood Raven squarely.
A snap.
Amidst the cracking of bones, Blood Raven was slammed to the ground, turning into a pile of minced meat.
Zhao Jing smiled slightly and tossed a roll of blueprints to Chen:
"Thank you for your help, Abbot."
Abbot Liaochen took the blueprints, glanced at them, and said meaningfully:
"When Commander Li was chasing His Highness, he forcibly used the precious artifact, but unfortunately it backfired and killed him."
"I am deeply saddened. Indeed, the king never dies."
"As long as the pagoda remains, this old monk can still imprison Your Highness."
"How will Your Highness extricate yourself?"
Liao Chen decided to make one last attempt.
If you are a king, then prove it to this old monk.
Zhao Jing grinned:
"Don't worry, Abbot, I have a plan."
"I originally intended to send you both on your journey, but now it seems that all I need to do is ask the abbot to make the necessary preparations."
Are you ready?
What does this mean?
Liao Chen felt a chill and quickly stabilized the projection.
Zhao Jing then put the jade pendant back on, and took out the Thousand Illusion Pearl and the Fire Folding Piece.
He also has a second treasure.
Abbot Liaochen's heart skipped a beat.
Zhao Jing, holding a tinderbox, smiled in response:
"Abbot, please accept this gift."
"See you again in Yujing!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he lit the fuses of the explosives that filled the hall.
What is this?
Alarm bells rang loudly in Liao Chen's heart.
boom!!!
The next second, the world disappeared.
A blinding white light appeared before Zhao Jing's eyes, engulfing his entire field of vision.
Immediately afterwards, a terrifying force that was beyond human resistance crashed into the shield, as if it had been hit head-on by a meteorite, and even internal organs would be blown away.
Everything around, including the pagodas, Buddha statues, and even the projection of the dust, was swallowed up by the explosion.
A snap.
The Haoran Jade Pendant finally succumbed to the pressure and broke completely in the explosion, leaving only a trace of its power to protect Zhao Jing's heart.
At the same time, the Thousand Illusion Pearl and the Heavenly Silkworm Robe both emitted light.
The illusory pearl sacrificed itself, and the precious armor protected the body, forming the last two lines of defense.
However, Zhao Jing was at the epicenter of the explosion. Even though he raised his hands to protect his head, he was still thrown into a coma by the immense force.
The fragments of memory in the sea of consciousness seemed to be pieced together during the collision.
I think I was on my way to a game expo when I unfortunately encountered a truck that was driving illegally, and the steel coils on the truck even fell off.
One child was so frightened he was paralyzed.
Zhao Jing couldn't remember what happened next.
The steel coil turned him into a two-dimensional image, causing him to lose his memory.
A huge mushroom cloud rose from inside the tower.
The entire pagoda could not withstand such enormous force and was blasted into pieces.
The pagoda collapsed, and Zhao Jing, along with Abbot Bao Chen's projection, were swallowed up by the explosion.
These are not gunpowder, but nitroglycerin.
Of course, a martial artist's physical body is so strong that even nitroglycerin can hardly harm its core.
Therefore, Zhao Jing mixed in a large number of top-grade spirit stones, calling it the "Spirit Stone Bomb," but detonated it with nitroglycerin.
The Spirit Stone Bomb is extremely expensive, and the resources it consumes are enough to train several Innate Masters. Even the Crown Prince felt heartbroken.
Therefore, Zhao Jing could not mass-produce, and his inventory could only threaten the Grandmaster level.
But enough.
This is his ultimate trump card when facing enemies below the Grandmaster level.
The explosion engulfed everything.
"Namo Maitreya Buddha!"
Abbot Liaochen took a deep breath. What Zhao Jing said was true. If he insisted on capturing him, he would hardly escape.
The pagoda was blown open.
Zhao Jing was finally able to leave the illusion and return to reality.
Abbot Liaochen then feigned a sigh:
"An incompetent general can lead to the death of the entire army."
"Li Qianhu sought his own death, lost a top-grade treasure, and even the introductory chapter of the Great Dream Floating Pagoda True Scripture fell into Zhao Jing's hands."
"I will certainly demand an explanation from Benefactor Feng for this loss."
A shameless person is invincible.
Abbot Liaochen dared to bet on the success of the Princess's rebellion, praising her as the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha; he was truly shameless.
Expecting him to be loyal to the princess is like expecting a pig to fly.
Abbot Chen spread his robe, dispelled the illusion, examined the damaged pagoda, and then pointed it into Zhao Jing's sea of consciousness.
In any case, all losses can be claimed from Lord Feng, so it's as if there were no losses at all.
This is a good opportunity to build a positive connection.
If Zhao Jing can truly restore order in the future, Longhua Temple can also preserve its orthodox tradition.
Namo Maitreya Buddha.
Abbot Liaochen chanted a Buddhist prayer, taking advantage of the last moments to observe Zhao Jing more closely.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he activated his Heavenly Eye, as if to see everything clearly.
At this moment, a flash of spiritual light appeared on Zhao Jing's body, as if he was resisting the Heavenly Eye.
Abbot Liaochen was startled:
"What is this thing? Could it be that His Highness the Imperial Grandson is already protected by a deity?"
Upon seeing this, Abbot Liaochen immediately shut down his Heavenly Eye, daring not to continue spying, secretly feeling fortunate.
"Your Highness, though you lack martial prowess, your temperament and cultivation are such that once you achieve your ambitions, you will soar to great heights with limitless potential."
"I once heard the patriarch say that there are extraordinary things in the world that cannot be judged by ordinary reason."
"At present, His Highness the Crown Prince's sea of consciousness is protected by spiritual light, which seems to confirm the saying of an anomaly."
"Longhua Temple needs to make plans as soon as possible."
Zhao Jing was unaware of all this.
After the explosion, his consciousness went dark.
I could only vaguely hear Bao'er's urgent calls:
"Your Highness, you must wake up!"
"Bao'er will never steal food again."
"Bao'er stole the last batch of red deer meat because His Highness thought it was too tough and wanted to throw it away."
"Your Highness, Bao'er will never dare to do it again."
"Wake up..."
At this moment, Bao'er was carrying Zhao Jing on her back, hurrying along in the grove.
Its speed is comparable to that of a grandmaster.
Her heart was pounding, and she was pushing her mental energy to the limit in order to achieve the ultimate speed.
At this critical moment, Bao'er disregarded her own safety and worried only about Zhao Jing's safety, calling out to him incessantly, trying to wake him up.
Zhao Jing lay on Bao'er's back, listening to her babbling, a warm smile appearing on his face:
"Baby, I know everything."
Upon hearing this, Bao'er burst into tears of joy:
"Your Highness!"
Zhao Jing reached out and gently stroked Bao'er's flying ahoge (cowlick), saying casually:
"This time, I've seized my destiny."
The pagoda in the sea of consciousness suddenly trembled.