Chapter 470: Ghost Temples!

The number of Ghost Temples is likely closely tied to the Emperor's current capabilities.

This individual paid a hefty price, first instigating war in the North, then intentionally advancing Trần Khanh's scheme in the Jiangnan Dragon Palace. All these efforts were aimed at secretly building the Ghost Temples, as recalled in Trần Bách Nghiệp's memories. The people of the capital felt an intense unease towards these temples. Since their proliferation, not only have many bizarre events transpired, but the entire atmosphere of the capital has also transformed into something unsettling.

The Royal City of the Central Plains grew eerie and sinister. The great aristocratic families, particularly those of sorcerers, clearly felt perturbed, yet dared not openly defy the Emperor, watching anxiously as he established more and more Ghost Temples throughout the capital.

"Within Trần Bách Nghiệp's memories, these unfounded suspicions align closely with your own thoughts," A Ly replied. "Back then, he was merely a peripheral elder of the Trần family, utterly unqualified to partake in the Dragon Palace incident. Thus, he focused his attention more on the capital. In truth, he wished to warn the Trần family at the time, but in the end, certain psychological factors prevented him from acting."

"However, the truth mirrored his thoughts precisely. With the proliferation of Ghost Temples, the Emperor's demeanor towards the aristocratic families shifted entirely. Now that the North has been devoured by the giant serpent and the threat of Duke Ngụy is gone, a large number of military generals were recalled, yet none dared to question the Ghost Temples, fearing there was already a secret collusion and scheme in play."

"Furthermore, this kind of Ghost Temple exists in the Southern Barbarian lands as well!"

"The Southern Barbarians have them too?" Thẩm Thất's pupils contracted. When the spatial anomaly appeared in Jiangnan, he was already en route to the capital, thus he was largely unaware of intelligence concerning the Southern Barbarians. Hearing A Ly mention it now naturally startled him.

"Yes, according to his memories, Trần Bách Nghiệp learned of these Ghost Temples, similar to those in the capital, from a small merchant returning from the Southern Barbarian lands. After that, he began to pay secret attention. This fellow is indeed a very perceptive individual."

"The Southern Barbarians also build these Ghost Temples? Is it the Ngột Đột Kingdom?"

"Yes!" A Ly nodded. "Many of them, far more numerous than in the capital. According to that merchant, the Ngột Đột Kingdom only began constructing these Ghost Temples a year ago, yet their quantity far surpasses those in the capital. I don't know why this is. In Trần Bách Nghiệp's memories, the Imperial family's construction of these Ghost Temples appears to be very slow, as if there's some sort of restriction."

Thẩm Thất's eyes lit up upon hearing this. He unrolled a map. "Do you still recall the exact locations of those Ghost Temples in the capital?"

Trần Dĩnh, standing by, asked, "Are these locations very important?"

"They should be very important," Thẩm Thất nodded. "This can be inferred from the strength of the Ngột Đột people. I suspect these Ghost Temples must fulfill some specific function, perhaps akin to the Dragon Transformation technique of the Dragon Palace, capable of enabling individuals to undergo a complete metamorphosis, or even employing these temples to unleash exceptionally unique abilities."

"The Ngột Đột people could break through to the Transcendent realm in such a short time and become so brazen, most likely due to these Ghost Temples. And when you returned, you also mentioned that the Emperor, to your perception, had not yet entered the Transcendent realm, correct? What did you base that judgment on?"

A Ly paused, then promptly stated, "His aura."

"Aura?" Trần Dĩnh, standing beside them, frowned and said, "Can you be a little more serious?"

"I am very serious," A Ly chuckled. For some reason, she always sensed strong animosity from Trần Dĩnh towards her. Was it perhaps because her memories had once been altered by A Ly herself?

"We demons aren't skilled in direct combat, you see. The best way to assess before acting is to gauge their aura. I can judge from afar whom I can challenge and whom I cannot. Otherwise, if I accidentally provoke someone I can't afford to offend, I'd perish swiftly."

"Haven't you died and returned many times?" Trần Dĩnh sneered.

A Ly's gaze turned faintly cold; she clearly disliked this topic being brought up.

"Enough," Thẩm Thất cut them off. "When do you find the time to bicker?" He then looked at A Ly. "Are you certain?"

"I should be certain," A Ly's tone grew impatient. "The Emperor bears the destiny of the Central Plains. Any shift in his physical aura can be easily perceived by a demon like me. After all, if I were to momentarily possess him, I could rely on the Central Plains dynasty's destiny to directly break through to the Transcendent realm. You know this, don't you?"

Thẩm Thất nodded. If a fox demon could bewitch a monarch, it could then shatter the gates of the Transcendent realm. Nothing in this world was fixed. He had always wondered why it specifically had to be a monarch; so it turned out to be a matter of destiny and imperial fortune.

Destiny.

Thẩm Thất recalled occasional conversations with Tử Nguyệt, from which he had learned a few things: the Central Plains was the sacred land of human destiny. At that time, the Dragon Palace occupied the Four Seas, leveraging human destiny to augment themselves, thereby almost dominating the era after antiquity.

The construction speed of these Ghost Temples is much slower than in the Southern Barbarian lands. Is this the reason why?

For logically, half a year ago, the Emperor no longer needed to heed the aristocratic families' sentiments. Thus, he could have constructed as many temples as he desired. With the efficiency of Central Plains artisans, how could their progress be slower than that of the Southern Barbarians? With a single decree, erecting over a thousand Ghost Temples across the capital would merely be a matter of months.

Why didn't he do so? To Thẩm Thất, there were only two possible reasons. Firstly, the sheer number of Ghost Temples might not hold significant meaning; more temples don't necessarily equate to more power.

However, Thẩm Thất found this point untenable. If that were the case, why hadn't the Emperor entered the Transcendent realm? The Ngột Đột people, even collectively, had Transcendent realm cultivators, yet A Ly claimed the Emperor's aura was only marginally stronger than before. What did this signify?

Does it not imply that the number of Ghost Temples is still insufficient?

If that's the case, why not continue their construction?

Then, it could only be the second hypothesis: constructing Ghost Temples in the capital is more challenging than in the Southern Barbarian lands!

The exact reason is unknown, but perhaps it's precisely because this is the sacred land of human destiny, while the Southern Barbarian territories are lands of half-demons, far from being able to represent humanity as this place does.

If that is the case...

Thẩm Thất stood up. "I can roughly surmise what's occurring, but I'm not entirely certain. Does everyone wish to take a gamble?"

"How shall we gamble?" The two Yaksha generals hurriedly inquired, "If we win, can we rescue Prince Ngao Trân?"

"It should be possible," Thẩm Thất said, unfolding a paper topographic map of the capital. "The Tiêu Imperial family lacks the inherent ability to make Prince Ngao Trân vanish; it must be through external forces. From the current clues, it's highly probable they're leveraging the power of the Ghost Temples. I speculate that the arrangement of Ghost Temples in the capital is the most crucial objective of the Transcendent power backing the Tiêu family. However, because the number of Ghost Temples is limited, their usable abilities must also be restricted. This is why the Emperor has not entered the Transcendent realm and cannot directly suppress us; the reason must be their limited means."

"So, you mean," the two Yaksha generals also realized, "if the number of Ghost Temples were reduced, their power would weaken, and perhaps they wouldn't even be able to control Prince Ngao Trân anymore?"

"Precisely!" Thẩm Thất declared. "Destroying a certain number of Ghost Temples might allow us to rescue Prince Ngao Trân. The moment Prince Ngao Trân is freed, this entire scheme crumbles!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" The two Yaksha instantly surged with battle intent. "After all this, they merely rely on external objects; that's easily dealt with! After destroying them, we'll retrieve His Highness, and then teach that damn Tiêu Imperial family Emperor how to conduct himself. A mere mortal, yet he dares to scheme against our own Prince—he truly courts death!"

"The key is, where do we strike?" Thẩm Thất said, unfolding the map. "If our conjecture is correct, these Ghost Temples are undoubtedly vital to the Emperor and the ancient power backing him. Our manpower and strength are limited, so we must accurately strike at their crucial weak points."

After speaking, he pointed to the map. "First, we must understand the layout of the Ghost Temples, then deduce the most critical points. Because once we make a move, we'll likely only have one chance. The moment our opponents realize we've uncovered this weakness of the Ghost Temples, they will undoubtedly retaliate fiercely. If we cannot destroy the crucial temples immediately, and without Prince Ngao Trân present, it will be extremely difficult for us few to get a second opportunity to act."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly sobering the two Yaksha considerably.

Though furious, they were not fools. The fact that even Prince Ngao Trân could be sealed signified that their opponent's methods were indeed extraordinary. If they couldn't land a decisive blow in one strike, they would, just as Thẩm Thất said, likely not get a second chance to act.

"I, however, remember the locations," Trần Dĩnh said, gazing at the map, "but how do we discern which ones are relatively more crucial?"

She had not idled on her first day there; when A Ly entered the palace, Trần Dĩnh had toured the capital and carefully memorized the locations of all the Ghost Temples.

"Relying on guesswork will likely only cause frustration," Thẩm Thất said. He used ink and brush to mark the Ghost Temple locations on the map, then frowned. For, judging by their arranged positions, each Ghost Temple's placement was far from simple.

Without exception, these Ghost Temples all occupied other shrines that were originally bustling with incense: there were Confucian scholar temples, Buddhist Guanyin temples, and even the thriving Three Stars Taoist temples of the capital.

It truly made it impossible for anyone to immediately discern which location held the most significance.

"I'm afraid we can only find out from Trần Bách Nghiệp," Thẩm Thất sighed.

A Ly frowned upon hearing this. "I've read almost all of his memories; he fundamentally doesn't know."

"He may not know, but the one who wants him to scheme against us *does* know, and that's enough!" Thẩm Thất sneered. "This time, we shall see who schemes more profoundly!"

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