Chapter 580: Chapter 564: The Gambit between Humans and Gods
Xia Chichi’s gaze turned cold as she looked at Hai Pinglan.
If originally Hai Pinglan’s action of driving away San Niang could have been interpreted in a positive light, perhaps as a means to preserve a seed, the moment he uttered the words, “Kill without mercy” and “you as the Crown Prince,” there was no going back.
That year, the thirty-something Changkong Hai was at the height of his ambitions, ready to carve out his legacy. Promised with such an offer, he would indeed go to great lengths to kill San Niang—back then, her cultivation wasn’t nearly what Xuanwu’s is today, and there’s a real chance she might have died.
Regardless of the underlying intentions or hardships, those words were hard to forgive.
What was terrifying was that he said it all with a smile, not seeing anything wrong with his words.
Xia Chichi coldly said, “I hear that your country still doesn’t have a Crown Prince, and Hai Changkong is in his forties, isn’t he? Is it because San Niang is still alive?”
Hai Pinglan smiled, “Of course, since she wasn’t killed, the condition for the promise wasn’t met. I have hundreds of foster sons, several of whom are quite excellent. It’s really hard to say whom to choose.”
Xia Chichi felt extremely uncomfortable hearing this and asked, “Why are you telling me this? Could it be because you’ve discovered San Niang’s identity with the Four Symbols Sect and are choosing to sever ties with us now?”
Hai Pinglan shook his head, “Having said this much, can’t you tell that it was intentional? Otherwise, why would I mention it?”
Xia Chichi thought to herself that she had figured it out, but it was useless.
Why could all these Emperors be so cold-hearted, never taking others’ emotions into consideration for their own schemes?
There was only one thing; Xia Longyuan only referred to himself as “I” when addressing Zhao Changhe, otherwise, he always used the imposing “We”. But Hai Pinglan always used “I” or “this old man,” which was quite strange.
Then she heard Hai Pinglan say, “You’ve been traveling the seas; have you heard that the King of Penglai’s surname is Yuan, not Hai Pinglan?”
Xia Chichi replied, “I’ve heard, but isn’t that just a past miscommunication? Nowadays, everyone in your country knows that you are the King of Penglai.”
Hai Pinglan shook his head, “Wrong. I’ve never ascended the throne… Legally speaking, the king of Penglai has always been her.”
Xia Chichi was stunned, “But isn’t she dead?”
“During our exploration of the seas, we once encountered an Innate Treasure called the Water Soul, which should have been related to the Ancient Xuanwu… When we discovered this item, a battle erupted unexpectedly without an enemy. I didn’t participate as I was still injured. According to San Niang’s mother, the Water Soul was taken by someone,” Hai Pinglan sighed. “Later, I found out, it wasn’t taken by anyone; the Water Soul had always been inside her Soul Sea.”
Xia Chichi’s heart skipped a beat, “The Sea Emperor!”
“Correct, the Sea Emperor had possessed her Spirit Platform, and we were none the wiser,” Hai Pinglan continued. “Later, I argued with San Niang’s mother. I wanted to establish a kingdom in Penglai and form an army to reclaim the land. San Niang’s mother felt that Xia Country was in a period of great governance and advised against it; we should either settle in Penglai or simply return to Jiangnan, as our warrants in Xia Country had long been lifted, and there was no need to keep wandering the seas. Naturally, I was reluctant; I was obsessed with the idea of returning to kill your father…”
Xia Chichi responded, “…Thanks for that.”
“Our rare dispute went unresolved, and neither of us convinced the other; it was quite unpleasant,” Hai Pinglan lost himself while looking at his glass, a tender smile appeared on his lips—as if reminiscing about that argument was a heartwarming memory.
Xia Chichi watched him intently, waiting for what came next.
Hai Pinglan came back to his senses and sighed, “So when one day she suddenly changed her stance and agreed to the establishment of the kingdom, guess what I felt at that moment?”
Xia Chichi ventured, “Ecstatic?”
“Wrong,” Hai Pinglan said lightly. “I knew her too well; once she made a decision, not even ten oxen could pull her back. How could it be that without anything happening, she suddenly came around to support my view? I became cautious, indirectly probing from various angles, only to find her memory fine, but her temperament had undergone a strange change, not resembling herself anymore.”
Xia Chichi was absorbed, “And then?”
“I couldn’t defeat your father, but I was still someone who ranked in the Heavenly List, a possessor of the Third Layer Secret Treasure,” Hai Pinglan chuckled. “I suspected she had been possessed, so I suddenly restrained her and upon inspection, indeed, her Soul Sea had been occupied by a unique Yin energy. Although the possession wasn’t complete, she was already tainted beyond recognition, yet she herself was unaware.”
Xia Chichi vaguely guessed, the first thing that came to her mind was the Yin energy of the Wang Family, and the current plotting with the proverbial tiger.
Was Wang Daoning no longer himself either?
Hai Pinglan said, “Back then, the injuries your father inflicted on me in my early years had long healed. It was the Sea Emperor who was actually weak at that time, so he had to use such deceitful methods…I thought I could cleanse her Soul Sea of the Yin energy…but in the end, I realized that not having reached the Imperial Realm was just that, our understanding of the Yin God does not compare to the Sea Emperor’s, even if he was weak.”
“…Did it fail?”
“Yes,” Hai Pinglan replied calmly. “I personally killed her…it was not a mistake, nor was it a death caused by the disturbance of Yin energy, but a deliberate act by me. Because I couldn’t tolerate someone else living in her body.”
Xia Chichi: “…”
“The Sea Emperor certainly didn’t expect I would be so ruthless, furiously retaliating by invading my Spirit Platform…and in the years that followed, the battlefield was always within my Spirit Platform.”
“You didn’t know when you might be completely overtaken, so you sent San Niang away, making her stay far away, was that possibly to leave behind a seed?” Xia Chichi asked curiously. “But you just said, you ordered to kill without mercy…was it the Sea Emperor speaking through you?”
“You think too much…” Hai Pinglan said indifferently. “Why, despite your lonely childhood, do you still have such warm-hearted speculations?”
Xia Chichi: “…”
“Back then, while the Sea Emperor was tearing through my Soul Sea, she led a coup. If you were me, you’d suspect she was tainted just like mother, coming to aid the Sea Emperor. Of course, kill without mercy, why keep her around to kill me?”
Xia Chichi sighed, “If I were you, I would have ordered her to be captured alive.”
“Given the urgency and chaos, being soft-hearted would lead to defeat,” Hai Pinglan said coolly. “The kingdom doesn’t necessarily need her to succeed me, what I promised Changkong counts just the same.”
Xia Chichi said somewhat sarcastically, “If you were only thinking about the succession of the kingdom…then indeed, everyone’s thought processes are not the same. If that’s the case, frankly speaking, you could just have another child, and it really wouldn’t matter.”
Hai Pinglan didn’t justify himself, but merely said, “Later, the situation changed. The Sea Emperor and I struggled for almost a year, I was at a disadvantage, but the Sea Emperor also knew that forcibly taking possession of me would cost Him greatly. So I proposed to submit.”
“To submit…”
“He left my Soul Sea, I revered Him as a god, built temples for Him, had the entire populace worship Him, and spread the faith to aid His revival. That was exactly what He needed, so we immediately agreed.”
Xia Chichi scoffed, “When you killed your wife, I thought you had much pride, but in the end, you still became a puppet emperor.”
“A gentleman can take his time for revenge, ten years is not too late,” Hai Pinglan said coolly. “He may have revived and accumulated power, but haven’t I done the same?”
“Such as?”
“Just then, a group of people followed San Niang away, inadvertently becoming what you referred to as the ‘seed left behind’. No matter how gradually the other maritime nations fell, this group was always noncompliant. When I covertly made contact and explained everything, they became my secret weapon. Other nations thought they were pirates looting, but actually, most of the resources ended up with me. On the surface, everything in Penglai was under the Sea Emperor’s watchful eye. I, acting as a puppet emperor, had even my cultivation resources restricted, yet secretly I amassed countless resources. Once I made the breakthrough to the Imperial Realm, that would be my time to counterattack.”
“So, you made the breakthrough?” Xia Chichi asked.
Hai Pinglan did not answer, opting instead to explain, “The plan had several steps, first, to lure the disaster east and set wolves upon tigers. The maritime population is indeed not large. All the nations combined might not even equate to one major province of Xia Country. His Power of Faith was limited in its development and eager for expansion. So, I let the Sea Emperor connect with the Wang Family, which not only shifted His focus towards the mainland, aiding my clandestine maneuvers, but also caused Him to clash with Xia Longyuan.”
At this, he paused slightly, his tone becoming somewhat bizarre: “You know? Not long ago, the Sea Emperor engaged with your father in a remote exchange.”
Xia Chichi said, “I know. During the battle at the Cui Kingdom.”
“That move left the Sea Emperor with a hidden injury. Moreover, He discovered that He seemed to be no match for Xia Longyuan…” Hai Pinglan’s tone was very complex: “Xia Longyuan has actually reached that level…”
Xia Chichi remained expressionless.
Recalling himself, Hai Pinglan chuckled, “Anyway, He’s a bit rushed. If He does not fully recover, He can’t withstand Xia Longyuan, then Wang Family’s so-called rebellion is utterly in vain. Meanwhile, I covertly commanded the Pirate Group to drive away fishermen and traders bound for the sea. His already limited followers were even further constrained. Naturally, He was enraged, ordering the nations to exterminate pirates. At the same time, He also reluctantly considered a sacrificial plan, engravings an Array on a ship, turning the war casualties into nourishment for sacrifices, not wanting to waste a bit.”
Xia Chichi listened intently: “Then how did you secretly sabotage him?”
“Originally, the Sea Emperor intended only the regular casualties of war to become sacrificial nourishment, but I had Changkong and Qian Fan cooperate to turn the situation into a trap, intentionally making them all sacrificed like that. At the same time, I persuaded a small nation to defect and at the right moment reveal this sacrificial Array to him. Then the other nations would also have to leave survivors to escape back, and as long as this matter was widely reported, His faith foundation would collapse entirely, not only failing to recover but possibly even becoming more weakened.”
Pausing again, he sighed, “I had my plans, and He had His schemes. On the surface, He gathered nations to exterminate pirates, but He actually used the Sea Race that He had been slowly nurturing over the years to ambush the Pirate Group unexpectedly. I miscalculated on this point, never imagining that after so many years of loyalty, there were those within the Pirate Group who had defected to the Sea Emperor…”