Chapter 445: Chapter 271: A Method to Swap Back, Refining the Memories of the Second Life, The Six Kingdoms Must Unite Against a Common Foe

Late at night.

Wenyuan Pavilion.

The fragrance of books and ink filled the entire pavilion. A young man in a white robe, suffused with a dense Literary Qi, stood with a three-foot aura of righteousness, like a blazing sun in the mortal world, dispelling all darkness.

Even now, as a member of the Cabinet and a Senior Third Grade Wenyuan Pavilion Scholar who managed the affairs of the nation, Chen Ke still lived in his small corner of a side hall in the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Those who didn’t know better would have thought a minor clerk from the Hanlin Academy lived here.

He was searching for information on the Ascension Platform, trying to see if he could find any related news. The Holy Emperor had asked about it before, and he’d taken it to heart. For the past several days, aside from handling political affairs, he had spent nearly all his time in the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Fortunately, he was exceptionally capable and highly efficient, so the tasks assigned to him rarely required much effort.

Given Chen Ke’s current status, he really didn’t need to go to such great lengths.

He had read over a million scrolls from the Three Religions and hundred schools of thought, ascended to the realm of a Great Scholar, and was already on the verge of having his own stone statue placed in the Wenchang Pavilion.

He could have been enjoying a life of ease, receiving the respect of all officials and the common people.

But Chen Ke did not. He was still here.

He was like a boy from a humble alley who traveled far, achieved great fame and success on a foreign continent, became a Sword Immortal of breathtaking talent whose name shook the world, only to finally return to his own thatched hut to enjoy the tranquility of home.

Perhaps it was precisely this pure, sincere heart that gave Chen Ke such great promise of one day becoming a leader in the Confucian Temple—he was all but guaranteed a seat among the three main and deputy Sect Leaders.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Suddenly, a knock came at the main door of the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Chen Ke glanced at the dark, hazy sky and muttered in surprise, ’Who would be knocking at this hour?’

"Come in."

Chen Ke chose to open the door with magnanimous composure.

Having reached his realm, he had nothing to fear from so-called ghosts and demon fiends.

Outside the door stood a handsome man in a bright yellow Dragon Robe, his face etched with a conflicted, worried expression.

Chen Ke smiled faintly. "Your Majesty? So late, and you haven’t gone to your bedchambers. What brings you here?"

"Sigh... Don’t ask. It’s a long story. Let’s talk inside."

Lu Mingyuan let out a deep sigh.

Seeing that something was weighing on his mind, Chen Ke closed the door behind them as they entered.

He took out a teacup and brewed some tea for his guest.

At this hour, it seemed sleep was out of the question, so a cup of tea to sharpen the mind was in order.

"Did something unexpected happen?"

Lu Mingyuan’s gaze was profound as he said, "Tell me, is there a way in this world for two people to exchange Divine Souls?"

Chen Ke froze for a moment upon hearing this.

"Does Your Majesty mean that someone is acting abnormally?"

"The Empress’s body is fine, but some of her words and actions have gradually made me feel she is becoming more and more like someone else."

Chen Ke couldn’t help but marvel. "Oh? And who might that be?"

"The Great Nether Empress."

Chen Ke’s pupils contracted. Then, narrowing his eyes, he said, "Your Majesty, are you certain you aren’t jesting?"

"I wasn’t entirely sure at first, but after she tried to kill Sui Yuqing, I knew something was wrong. That’s why I had to come to you."

Lu Mingyuan then recounted the events of the day.

The more Chen Ke listened, the more deeply his brows furrowed.

"For now, at least, the Holy Emperor’s measure of playing along and not letting her realize you are suspicious is the correct one."

"I just don’t know if using ’busy with political affairs’ as an excuse tonight will arouse suspicion."

"If it were Mu Xue, none of these problems would exist," Lu Mingyuan said with a sigh.

Chen Ke recalled, "Indeed. If it were Miss Qi, she would never coldly criticize others, much less use her knowledge to belittle them. She was never like that."

"Miss Qi..." Hearing this name after so long, a memory surged in Lu Mingyuan’s mind.

It was as if he had returned to that night of the Lantern Festival.

Lanterns danced across the sky. The woman he adored looked up, revealing her bright eyes and pearly teeth, her ears red from the cold—a sight so rare it was etched into his memory for a lifetime.

Chen Ke clasped his hands earnestly. "Forgive my impertinence, Your Majesty. It’s just a momentary lapse of habit. In this humble subject’s eyes, it’s as if we are still in the days of the Cold Palace."

"It’s fine. ’Miss Qi’ is a name tied to a special memory."

"The days... they pass far too quickly. So quickly I can’t even keep up."

Lu Mingyuan waved his hand and recalled the Qi Muxue he remembered. "Yes. What she loved most was encouraging others to learn and to treat people with kindness. She once said that the purpose of knowledge isn’t to show off how brilliant you are, but to cultivate one’s character and benefit the people. That’s the real her."

After a brief silence, Chen Ke broke the quiet. "So, Your Majesty has come to me because you wish to..."

"Find a way to switch them back," Lu Mingyuan finished, his tone exceptionally grave.

"I don’t know what method the Great Nether Empress used to swap Divine Souls with Mu Xue, but no matter the cost, we must find a way to reverse it."

"This humble subject understands."

Chen Ke nodded.

"Across the Central Plains World, swapping Divine Souls is not impossible, just exceedingly difficult. It requires special Cultivation Techniques or even Magical Treasures. There is a Divine Technique called Reincarnation, which is specifically used for soul swapping."

"Even Reincarnation is a one-sided process; one of the parties is bound to die. That’s why it’s considered a Forbidden Technique and not very humane."

"But a soul swap where both parties survive is quite rare. Your Majesty, can you confirm whether the Empress is alive or dead?"

"I can. Her Soul Lamp is still lit."

Chen Ke said, "In that case, it wasn’t a simple Reincarnation, but a more High Level soul-swapping technique. In the forbidden library of the Wenyuan Pavilion, there are records describing a Spirit Communication Technique used by the divine beings of the Witch Race in the Holy Netherworld that can exchange the Divine Souls of two people."

"A technique of the Witch Race?"

Lu Mingyuan murmured the words thoughtfully.

He suddenly remembered his second life in the Grand Thousand Canglan Map, where he had been the Witch Clan Young Master.

’Maybe I can find a solution in there?’

"To switch them back, it would be best to use the power from the initial exchange to avoid any side effects. Any other method would be unorthodox and carry the risk of damaging their Divine Souls, or even one of them perishing."

"Can Your Majesty accept that outcome?"

"Can’t we just make the Great Nether Empress perish and bring Mu Xue back?" Lu Mingyuan asked with a frown.

"The Taoist Sect has a Forbidden Technique called the Soul-Stealing God-Changing Technique. This technique can purge the original Divine Soul from a flesh body and then implant a Primordial Spirit that one has cultivated in advance."

"As for the specific method, allow this humble subject to re-examine the ancient texts."

With that, Chen Ke dove into a sea of books and began his search.

Lu Mingyuan, for his part, took a sip of tea.

He silently stared at the Turtle Shell in his mind.

’Why isn’t the Turtle Shell reacting? Why isn’t it warning me?’

’Could it be that the demoness poses no threat to me?’

’Or perhaps... she has no intention of harming me for now?’

Thinking of this, Lu Mingyuan mulled it over and decided to officially unseal the memories of his second life in his mind.

...

The Song Dynasty bordered the Confucian Temple to the west, and further west lay the Buddha Land and Buddha Country. Ever since the National Capital suffered a devastating blow, Emperor Shaoxing had been investigating the matter.

「At this moment, in the Great Celestial Dragon Temple.」

Inside the Grand Hall, a Golden Buddha Statue sat with its hands in a mudra, its expression solemn and majestic, gazing down at the people in the hall with compassion and pity.

Emperor Shaoxing, clad in a Red and Black Dragon Pattern Robe, had arrived for a visit with numerous experts in his retinue.

At the same time, several other groups had also arrived at the Great Celestial Dragon Temple.

This temple, which had known tranquility for ten thousand years and was hailed as one of the four great Buddhist Temples, was exceptionally lively today.

"Abbot, is there any way to save my son?"

Inside a palanquin lay a comatose Prince.

Directly beneath the Buddha statue stood an old monk whose white eyebrows were so long they drooped past his face. His features were gaunt, and he wore yellow monastic robes with a brilliant red kasaya draped over them. In his hand, he held a Nine-Ring Staff, and his face held a faint golden hue.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha. All patrons, please be at ease."

The old monk raised one hand and recited the Buddha’s name.

"Such a tragedy has befallen the Song Dynasty. Regardless of who the culprit is, we of the Celestial Dragon Temple, as one of the Song Clan’s Tributors, cannot escape our share of the blame."

He was flanked by nearly twenty monks in red kasayas. Some were deeply wrinkled and ancient, others gaunt and shriveled like dead wood, and still others had a melancholic, scholarly, and mature air about them.

All of them nodded in agreement.

The old monk slowly stepped forward and stopped beside the Prince’s body. A faint golden Buddha’s Light glinted within his eyes.

"The fatal injury to the Second Prince, our patron, was caused by Demonic Qi entering his body, which gave rise to a Demon Barrier. The culprit is exceptionally powerful and skilled in Witchcraft and Divine Techniques. The neck injury was caused by the pressure of a heavy object, likely from the rubble. The one who attacked the National Capital most likely came from the Holy Nether Demon Country."

As the old monk channeled a large amount of Buddha Qi into the Prince’s body to balance the Demonic Qi within him,

the Prince, though his eyes were still closed, began to struggle violently, murmuring:

"Demoness... It’s the demoness."

This word made everyone’s expression change.

As expected of the Celestial Dragon Abbot, a master of the Thirteenth Realm, his power was unfathomable. Merely by using the Buddhist Divine Power Golden Leaf Dharma Eye, he could trace events back to the past.

The word "demoness" itself is quite common.

But across the world, a demoness who could attack a National Capital single-handedly was a rare sight indeed.

A young man in a golden Python Robe, his eyes glinting like lightning, stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Beside him was an old Daoist in a Yin Yang Daoist Robe. He looked directly at Emperor Shaoxing and couldn’t help but ask:

"Did your esteemed nation invite my Great Sui Dynasty here with such fanfare just for the safety of your son? Your Majesty must give us a reason."

Another man, dressed in green robes with large sleeves, had his eyes half-closed. He gently stroked a frosty-blue Dragon Bracelet on his right wrist, his voice deep and resonant as he spoke:

"The Crown Prince of Great Sui speaks sense. I, Silver Frost, also require a reason for coming here. What is this grand plan for the world Your Majesty mentioned, this great matter concerning the Celestial Mandate?"

Emperor Shaoxing said in a low voice, "Weren’t you all most concerned about whether my Song Clan’s Celestial Destiny and Fortune had been stolen by a mysterious person? Well, now We will tell you plainly."

"In truth, it was not."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince of Great Sui, Cao Zongxi, and the Silver Frost Emperor’s Son, Wuxun, exchanged a look.

They saw the surprise in each other’s eyes.

Emperor Shaoxing, having grasped their thoughts, continued, "What We want to say is that if the Six Kingdoms continue on like this, our Celestial Destiny and Fortune will be stolen sooner or later."

"Having experienced this turn of events, We are now certain that the so-called Celestial Destiny and Fortune is nothing more than a play staged within the Central Plains. And the greatest variable in this charade is none other than the Holy Netherworld."

"The new emperor of the Great Yan has just been established and does not possess the Celestial Mandate, while on our borders, the Holy Netherworld is sharpening its swords and feeding its horses. Are you truly unaware of this?"

"This demoness’s goal is to divide us."

"Today, the Three Kingdoms have gathered. Though the Golden Crow, Nanli, and Great Wu are absent, We still wish to say this: the Six Kingdoms must harbor a common hatred for the enemy and unite to execute this demoness! And at the same time, this will be vengeance for my son!"

...