129: Greedy mortals

Hearing His Majesty ask this, Shen Jianhong was slightly stunned, but he did not speak.

As the owner of the Wanbao Merchant Guild, he naturally knew what the Spirit-Seize Array was all about.

However, this was not his time to shine; by letting His Majesty handle things personally, he would trust Lord Chuping even more.

With this thought, Shen Jianhong and Li Shun both turned to look at Granny Chen.

Granny Chen was slightly startled, and her wrinkled face instantly brightened.

“This area of ours, it used to be the mountain gate of a small Sect. This small Sect, ah, it rose to prominence by relying on the Spirit-Seize Array. This Spirit-Seize Array, according to the people from before, it could seize the vitality of all things and supply it to itself, allowing the cultivation of the people in that Sect to skyrocket.”

Granny Chen spoke with such fervor that her spittle nearly flew out.

“At first, that Sect still had some conscience; they set the intensity of the Spirit-Seize Array to its minimum, relying on that tiny bit of vitality to increase their cultivation, and at the same time, they could protect the common people in our surrounding area. During that time, life was quite stable.”

“But who would have thought, later on, that incident with the Blood Fiend happened…”

“...”

“The Spirit-Seize Array became an extremely evil object in the hands of the Blood Fiend. He captured humans from all over Qing Province, imprisoned them in the Prefecture City, and absorbed their vitality. Even the neighboring Yan Province suffered from his poisonous hand!”

“However, this Blood Fiend got what he deserved; in the end, he snatched people from Chang Sheng Village’s territory…”

“...”

Granny Chen’s tone was impassioned, as if she wished to describe Lord Chuping in the most exaggerated terms. At emotional points, Shen Jianhong also chimed in with a few words of agreement.

Li Shun stood to the side, his expression calm, his gaze deep, yet he etched every word of Granny Chen’s into his heart.

Currently, Liu Chongshan and his cronies were stirring up trouble in the imperial court. In two years, he had painstakingly managed to win over only a small fraction of officials.

Most of the forces capable of dealing with demons were in Liu Chongshan’s hands.

If he could use this Lord Chuping to eliminate Liu Chongshan’s influence… Li Shun’s fingertips gently caressed the thumb ring on his thumb. This was a treasure passed down by successive emperors, a spatial ring. In the Great Yan Dynasty, its importance was almost comparable to the Imperial Seal.

Inside it was a meticulously detailed list of Liu Chongshan’s cronies that he had secretly collected, almost encompassing most of the powerful figures in the imperial court.

Over the years, Liu Chongshan had extensively cultivated his influence under the guise of “exterminating demons and guarding the Dao,” even secretly colluding with demons, raising demonic creatures with fragments of the Spirit-Seize Array, and then demanding military provisions and Magic Treasures from the imperial court under the pretext of “suppressing demons.”

—What a clever tactic.

He wondered if this suddenly rising Lord Chuping could be used by him.

“Granny Chen, what ultimately happened to that Blood Fiend?”

Li Shun suddenly spoke, his tone calm, yet hinting at a deeper meaning.

Granny Chen slapped her thigh and grinned.

“That Blood Fiend had no sense and provoked someone he shouldn’t have! Lord Chuping merely struck down a few bolts of heavenly lightning, and the Blood Fiend was completely reduced to ashes!”

“Oh?”

His Majesty raised an eyebrow, “Lord Chuping possesses such abilities?”

Shen Jianhong promptly added, “Your Majesty, Lord Chuping’s magic is heaven-reaching, and he cares for the common people. Over these years, incidents of demonic disturbances in Qing Province have gradually decreased, and the people live in peace and prosperity, all because he presides over this land.”

* * *

Lin Chuping was also very curious about this emperor of Great Yan.

It was just bad timing.

At this moment, Lin Chuping had sealed his five senses, perfectly missing Li Shun.

“Beep—Detected Host being worshipped by a feudal emperor, Luck value +10086.”

“Beep! Detected S-rank target approaching.”

“AutomaticHosting program started.”

“Personality simulation 92.7% 8.3%... 100%.”

The moment Li Shun finished worshipping Lin Chuping, a figure instantly appeared above the Shrine; it was Lin Chuping, played by the System.

The ethereal figure knelt on a green jade cushion, looking down from above at the young emperor before him, who, though dressed in casual clothes, could not conceal his nobility. The emperor was holding three sticks of incense and bowing to his memorial tablet.

“The Great Yan Emperor has come from afar, what do you seek?”

His body made a standardized smiling bow, and his voice carried the System’s unique mechanical rhythm.

Li Shun did not notice anything unusual, or rather, although he felt Lord Chuping’s tone was strange, he didn’t dwell on it.

Perhaps divine beings all spoke this way.

Seeing Lord Chuping finally appear, Li Shun felt that he was finally about to rise to power.

“Greetings, Lord Chuping. I wish to invite Lord Chuping to emerge and purge the treacherous officials from the imperial court.”

Li Shun shook out a Jade Slip from his thumb ring. The list of Liu Chongshan’s cronies unfolded in the Void Realm. “These individuals colluded with demons and disrupted the imperial government…”

“Stop, stop, stop. You Mortal emperors are truly greedy.”

The System-controlled Lin Chuping suddenly raised a hand to interrupt, and the list in the Void Realm was instantly zapped into ashes by an arc of electricity.

“When you are powerless, you seek authority; when you gain authority, you desire beauty; when you have all of that, you seek immortality—”

“You, however,” the mechanical voice suddenly rose, “directly ask this seat to be your thug?!”

The green brick in front of Li Shun suddenly cracked with a “crunch.”

“I have cultivated for a thousand years and have seen emperors throughout the ages.”

The System-controlled Lin Chuping suddenly floated up from the green jade cushion, his robes fluttering without wind.

“When your Li family ancestors founded the nation, they prayed for favorable weather; when your great-grandfather was on the throne, he prayed for peace on the borders; and as for your Imperial Father—”