Transmigrating over ten thousand years late, I was forced to become a mighty presence-Chapter 760 - 346 The Fate of the Puppet_2

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Shen Yuan’s lips curled with a smile, "Indeed, it was I who caused great suffering for the Third Imperial Prince."

"So, you must compensate me well, no less than a Heavenly Immortal Feast at the Golden Wind and Jade Dew Pavilion will do!"

When Shen Yuan had first arrived at the Imperial Capital, he also heard that the Heavenly Immortal Feast at the Golden Wind and Jade Dew Pavilion was renowned throughout the world, but in the end, it was just a banquet.

Even an ordinary Void Refining True Monarch could grit their teeth and enjoy it, not to mention Shen Yuan and Ji Zhaoyang.

Compared to Ji Zhaoyang’s losses, a so-called Heavenly Immortal Feast was not even worth mentioning.

"A Heavenly Immortal Feast is not enough compensation for you," Shen Yuan said with a light chuckle, shaking his head.

Ji Zhaoyang’s eyes immediately lit up, "Do you have something even better?"

Shen Yuan reached out to take the teacup from the stone table and slowly passed it to Ji Zhaoyang.

"The position of heir to the throne of Great Yin might just be compensation enough," he said.

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Ji Zhaoyang’s smile froze for a moment, then he looked Shen Yuan up and down with a gaze full of surprise and uncertainty.

Scratching his head, Ji Zhaoyang said with some confusion, "Taoist Shen doesn’t seem to be under the influence of any nightmare spell, so why start talking nonsense in broad daylight."

Shen Yuan spoke earnestly, "The Third Imperial Prince lost the opportunity to contend for the position of heir to the throne because of me; it is only reasonable to compensate you with the position of an heir to the throne."

"Let’s not bother with that!" Ji Zhaoyang waved his hand and spoke quite nonchalantly:

"My fall from favor is related to you to a certain extent, but it was really just the final straw.

The Crown Prince won our father’s favor by bidding for that bronze cauldron, and the contest for the heir to the throne was decided at that moment; even winning the Luotian Convention would have been of no use.

To demote my people was just paving the way for my dear elder brother.

Without this pretext, other troubles would have come looking for me. It would be better to take advantage of this situation and score a Heavenly Immortal Feast from you."

"Is the Third Imperial Prince really content with this?"

"Since the position of heir to the throne is at our father’s whim, what difference does it make whether I am content or not?"

While Shen Yuan still held the teacup in his right hand, he casually remarked,

"Before I came to the Imperial Capital, I encountered a Heavenly Immortal Stars Official who had descended from the Upper Realm.

I struck down that Stars Official and then was sieged by three Sky Patrol Fleets and the Great Void Fleet led by the Man-slaughtering Taoist Doyen.

I first shook off the three Sky Patrol Fleets and then exiled the Man-slaughtering Taoist Doyen’s Great Void Fleet into the void.

The Man-slaughtering Taoist Doyen must have reported this matter to the Mortal Emperor, and the Third Imperial Prince would be unaware of it if the Mortal Emperor had sealed the news."

At these words, Ji Zhaoyang was immediately stunned.

The lazy, carefree look in his eyes vanished as Ji Zhaoyang’s demeanor became serious.

Killing a Heavenly Immortal from the Upper Realm might be kept secret, but the movements of three Sky Patrol Fleets and the Great Void Fleet are not so easily hidden. There was no need for Shen Yuan to lie about something so easily verified.

If everything Shen Yuan said were true, then it meant that Shen Yuan had at least the formidable power of a Heavenly Immortal Realm.

This was almost the pinnacle of the Primal Chaos Realm, where even among the 10 Great Grotto Heavens Sacred Lands, there were few who had a Heavenly Immortal in residence.

Such a powerful expert lurking in the shadows could significantly influence the succession of the Great Yin Imperial Crown Prince.

Finally, Ji Zhaoyang’s attitude changed. He put away his previously nonchalant manner and focused on the teacup that Shen Yuan was handing over to him.

"If it were during a normal succession for the heir to the throne, with Taoist Shen’s covert support, I’d totally have the backing to climb into the position of heir to the throne.

But now that I’ve almost lost the chance to compete for the heir to the throne and Taoist Shen is wanted by all levels of Great Yin’s Imperial Court, exposing our identities would certainly lead to a full-scale suppression by the imperial dynasty. The Great Yin Imperial Court would not allow a Heavenly Immortal powerful expert to interfere with the imperial succession.

In such a situation, I see no chance of victory."

Ji Zhaoyang stated his viewpoint, looking at Shen Yuan with a faint glimmer of hope that was almost imperceptible.

It was evident that deep down, he was far from as nonchalant as he had previously appeared.

After all, it was normal. From a young age, Ji Zhaoyang had been regarded as a contender for the position of heir to the throne, dominating against the Great Yin Crown Prince, only to lose the chance to compete for the position of heir to the throne because of an ancient bronze cauldron, a situation anyone would find hard to accept without a tinge of bitterness.

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His outward attitude stemmed entirely from his belief that the Great Yin’s Mortal Emperor was too biased—so much so that even if he contested for power, he would no longer be able to turn the tide.

At the moment, Shen Yuan had brought him a glimmer of hope, and he naturally wanted to seize it firmly.

Under Ji Zhaoyang’s watchful gaze, Shen Yuan spoke up.

"The attitude of the Great Yin’s Mortal Emperor is indeed a thorny issue.

The Mortal Emperor has chosen the Crown Prince, and the position of heir to the throne seems almost to have been decided."

The hope in Ji Zhaoyang’s eyes extinguished, but in the next moment, Shen Yuan suddenly changed tack.

"However, has Your Highness ever considered the real reason why the Mortal Emperor chose the Crown Prince?"

"The real reason?" Ji Zhaoyang’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.

"Is it that giant bronze cauldron?"

"The turning point indeed lies with the giant bronze cauldron, but does Your Highness truly believe that merely offering a giant bronze cauldron could make the Mortal Emperor completely lean towards the Crown Prince?

The ancient bronze cauldron has the potential to become a Mortal Path Heavy Weapon; its destiny was set the moment it entered the Primal Chaos Realm. The Crown Prince was merely a medium presented to the Mortal Emperor; whoever made the final bid, it would end up in the hands of the Mortal Emperor.

For tens of thousands of years, the Great Yin Imperial Family has chosen its heir based on the favor of humanity’s fate, maximizing the power of the Mortal Path’s momentum to maintain the dynasty’s rule.

And you believe that such a predetermined ancient bronze cauldron could make the Mortal Emperor completely lean toward the Crown Prince? Then wouldn’t the Great Yin Imperial Family’s legacy seem too frivolous?"

Ji Zhaoyang was stunned; Shen Yuan’s explanation indeed made him sense something was amiss.

The lineage of the Mortal Emperor concerns the whole Human Clan, and even the Great Yin’s Mortal Emperor couldn’t make decisions based solely on a whim.

He had also doubted the figure on the throne, but the reverence in his heart for the Mortal Emperor suppressed this treacherous thought.

Now on further reflection, Ji Zhaoyang felt even more the strangeness of it all.

"This... why would that be?"

Shen Yuan smiled indifferently.

"The true Great Yin’s Mortal Emperor would certainly not allow the ancient bronze cauldron to influence the selection of the heir to the throne.

But what if the Mortal Emperor sitting on the throne today were but a puppet, manipulated by others?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Ji Zhaoyang instinctively retorted:

"The Mortal Emperor presides over the Great Yin Capital City, embodies the Mortal Path’s momentum with immunity to all spells, how could he be manipulated by others?"

"A peak-stage Mortal Emperor indeed has immunity to all spells, and no unorthodox or evil cults could get near.

But what if the Mortal Emperor isn’t at his peak and can’t fully control the Mortal Path’s power?"

"A Mortal Emperor unable to truly control the Mortal Path’s power, even while seated in the Central Imperial Capital, would still have flaws. After all, this Mortal Emperor’s cultivation is barely at the Tao Harmony Stage.

With a Highest Heaven existence leaving contingencies secretly and using the ancient bronze cauldron as a medium to send into the Primal Chaos Realm.

When the Mortal Emperor contacts the ancient bronze cauldron, they use the contingencies to corrupt the Great Yin’s Mortal Emperor, turning him into a puppet, and even the Mortal Path’s momentum can’t reverse it."

Startling secrets rang in Ji Zhaoyang’s ears, and before he could ponder deeply, Shen Yuan’s words resounded again.

"In recent years, has the Great Yin’s Mortal Emperor rarely appeared in public? Has he never left the Imperial City? Have the ministers and nobles who hold actual power at all levels of society experienced several major purges?

A puppet Mortal Emperor, his Mortal Path’s power steadily waning, the person behind the scenes must minimize the Great Yin’s Mortal Emperor’s use of the Mortal Path’s authority. Before the power is lost, they must seize control of the situation; replacing the ministers and nobles with actual power is an essential step."

"Besides, your suppression is not an accident either.

As the most outstanding prodigy of the Great Yin Imperial Family, if you became heir to the throne, you would be closely linked with the dynasty’s fate. The decline in the Mortal Emperor’s power would inevitably not be concealed from you.

On the contrary, the Crown Prince who lost everything at the Luotian Convention, devoid of Mortal Path’s favor, cannot discern the true nature of the changes in the Mortal Path’s momentum."

As the words fell, Shen Yuan gently placed the teacup in front of the Great Yin 3rd Prince.

"It’s time to make a choice."

"Submit to a puppet’s fate, or rise up and resist?"

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