Chapter 33

Xian, the Prince, has already gone to rally the civil and military officials to create a stir, intending to petition the Empress. If we cannot present the Netherworld Pearl at that time, it will be considered a crime of deceiving the sovereign, a grave disrespect! The Empress, in her fury, might order Ling Ziling's execution on the spot. Xiao Sheng and Prince Xian will also face severe punishment.

Although Ling Ziling spoke in veiled terms, Xiao Sheng understood her meaning.

Men are yang, women are yin. When yin and yang combine, the fruit ripens and falls. The Netherworld Pearl is akin to the existence of a newborn. Moreover, it seems that it cannot be just any ordinary man; it must be a man with extremely strong yang energy.

Without a doubt, the Son of Heaven, Emperor Xuan, is such a man. That's why, years ago, when Ling Zhiling entered the palace and met with Emperor Xuan for three days, she then produced the Netherworld Pearl. Now, for Ling Ziling to extract the Netherworld Pearl from her body, she would need to use the same method. After that, she would have at most one year left to live.

After one year, Ling Ziling would lose all her vitality and perish. If she does not extract the Netherworld Pearl, she could live a bit longer. But if she does not extract it, she will eventually be drained of her vitality by the Netherworld Pearl and die.

Die on the left, die on the right. The Netherworld Pearl is truly a very sinister thing.

No matter how much sympathy or familial affection one feels, Xiao Sheng cannot bear to watch Ling Ziling die. Therefore, the Netherworld Pearl must not be extracted. But at the same time, a Netherworld Pearl must be presented to the Empress. Otherwise, this crisis cannot be averted.

What should be done?

Xiao Sheng thought of a plan—passing off a fake as the real thing.

No one has ever seen what the Netherworld Pearl looks like. So Xiao Sheng could simply present any pearl, with Ling Ziling, the Sacred Maiden of the Ling Sect, as a witness. Who in the world could say that the pearl is a fake?

However, it cannot be just any ordinary pearl. According to legend, the Netherworld Pearl has the power to manipulate hearts, bewitch the world, and make people forget their kin, obeying orders without question. If it lacks this power, it cannot be passed off as the real thing.

What should be done? Xiao Sheng was too lazy to think much about it. After all, he had a strategist by his side. What are strategists for if not to give advice? Immediately, he went to the Guose Tower to consult with Yu Xuanyi.

Yu Xuanyi, the Star of Heavenly Secrets, had a clear and insightful mind. After a moment's thought, she immediately revealed the solution.

"To find something to pass off as the Netherworld Pearl in such a hurry is indeed difficult. However, you are not like others. Time? For you, isn't it abundant?"

Xiao Sheng was puzzled. "Why do you say that... Ah! I see, Advisor, you mean I should enter the Garo Temple and then enter a parallel universe to find a substitute for the Netherworld Pearl?"

Yu Xuanyi nodded. "Exactly. With the Garo Temple at your disposal, you can turn the mundane into the miraculous, making the impossible possible. This is something no one else can match. You should make full use of it."

Xiao Sheng pondered. "That's true... However, the Garo Temple can lead to countless worlds. Which world should I enter?"

Yu Xuanyi smiled. "Don't you love reading leisurely books? There was a scholar surnamed Huang, who was as famous as a scholar surnamed Jin. He once described a story about two small-time hooligans who rose to become great masters capable of changing the course of the world in a chaotic era.

In that story, there was a righteous path and a demonic sect. The demonic sect possessed a certain treasure that could drive people mad. If you could obtain this treasure and present it as the Netherworld Pearl, wouldn't it be a perfect fit?"

Xiao Sheng was taken aback. "Oh, there's such a story? Hmm, the stories written by the scholar surnamed Huang are indeed exciting, but they are too long. You know, I don't have much free time, so I usually read the shorter stories first. As for the longer ones, I haven't had the chance to read them yet.

Since that's the case, I'll go back and enter the Garo Temple, open the door to that world, and obtain that demonic treasure. Advisor, thank you for the reminder."

Yu Xuanyi smiled faintly. "It's my duty as an advisor, no need to thank me. My lord, have a safe journey." With that, she clasped her hands and bowed deeply to Xiao Sheng, bidding him farewell.

———

Returning to his residence in the Prince's Palace within the imperial palace, Xiao Sheng summoned Eunuch Guan Canghai and Ling Ziling, telling them that he would be in seclusion for a period of time, at least three days, possibly up to seven. He asked them not to disturb him and not to worry. If Prince Xian came during this time, they should stall for time until he emerged from seclusion.

After making all the necessary arrangements, Xiao Sheng entered his bedroom, closed the windows and doors, and sat cross-legged on the bed. In the next moment, the bracelet on his arm suddenly emitted a dazzling and mysterious seven-colored light. As the light flickered, Xiao Sheng's body gradually became translucent and finally dissolved into the air, disappearing.

It felt like an eternity, yet it might have been just a fleeting moment. When Xiao Sheng opened his eyes again, he found himself standing on the thousand-foot stone steps leading straight into the bottomless abyss of darkness in front of the Garo Temple, just as he always did.

The familiar, unchanging scenery. Although it was initially astonishing, Xiao Sheng had now become accustomed to it. He quickly passed through the thousand-foot stone steps and entered the Garo Temple. He then sat on the throne in the center of the hall and placed his hand on the armrest.

Originally, there were eight mirrors around the throne, rotating like planets around a star. Now, one of these mirrors left its orbit and stopped in front of Xiao Sheng, displaying an image of an input port.

Xiao Sheng took out the storybook written by the scholar surnamed Huang, which he had already placed in his pocket, and inserted it into the mirror. Immediately, the mirror's surface rippled, swallowing the storybook. Then, a thin beam of light shot out from the mirror, directly hitting the center of Xiao Sheng's forehead.

The Garo Temple stored countless pieces of information about the infinite dimensions of the multiverse. However, to find the specific information needed from this vast sea of data, a key hint was required. The storybook Xiao Sheng inserted served as the starting point.

After receiving the key hint and performing a precise search, the Garo Temple now extracted the relevant information and input it into Xiao Sheng's consciousness.

Through this method, Xiao Sheng could immediately understand all the information related to that world. This saved a lot of reading time and allowed him to take the initiative upon entering the world, leveraging his foreknowledge. The benefits were obvious.

Three minutes later, the light beam projection ended. Xiao Sheng blinked and pinched the bridge of his nose to refresh himself. All the information about that world was now in his mind.

From the characters' personalities, relationships, and stances to the martial arts they practiced and their levels, every detail was covered. Of course, it was only a general overview. The scholar surnamed Huang did not know the specific cultivation methods of the martial arts in the story world, so Xiao Sheng could not learn how to practice them just from the information.

What was most important was the demonic treasure he wanted to obtain, the Evil Emperor Relic. Now, he knew its origin, its source of power, its storage location, how to obtain it, and its final fate in that world.

A smile crept onto his lips. Xiao Sheng nodded and began to adjust the time of his entry into the parallel world.

This was necessary. If no adjustments were made, the Garo Temple would randomly select the time and place of entry after he confirmed his intention to enter the parallel world. If he entered and found that he was too late, and the treasure he wanted had already been taken by someone else, it would be a waste of time and energy points.

In fact, pre-setting a target and then specifying which parallel world to enter also required the consumption of temporal energy points. The cost depended on the maximum level of martial arts in that world.

For example, if the maximum martial arts level in a world was the first level of martial arts, the "Inner Sensation and Outer Response" level of a martial student, the temporal energy points required for entry would be minimal, about ten points.

However, if the maximum martial arts level in a world was the fourth level of martial arts, the "Three Flowers Gather at the Crown" level of a grandmaster, at least eighty temporal energy points would be required for entry.

Without a doubt, the world Xiao Sheng was about to enter had grandmaster-level experts. Therefore, eighty energy points were immediately spent. Additionally, the precise adjustment of entry time and the extraction of world information and memory injection required another thirty energy points. In total, it was 110 temporal energy points.

Xiao Sheng had only 300 energy points in total. This expenditure of over a third of his total points was significant. Money was always in short supply. There was no other way but to cause as much chaos as possible upon entering, distorting the original historical process to gain as many temporal energy points as possible.

Xiao Sheng extracted a few items from his private storage and placed them in his personal storage space for use in the world. This step was crucial. Although the temple's storage had infinite capacity, the bracelet's storage was limited. Once in the parallel world, he could not extract any more items from the private storage. Therefore, preparing the necessary items in advance was essential.

Everything was ready. Xiao Sheng made the final confirmation. Immediately, the mirror floating in front of the throne emitted a beam of light, which shot towards the countless doors on the temple walls, each glowing with a faint green light. After a moment, the beam of light settled on one of the doors.

Xiao Sheng stood up from the throne, took large steps forward, and walked to the door, placing his hand on it and pushing it open.

The door opened to reveal pitch-black darkness. Without hesitation, Xiao Sheng stepped into it. The world before his eyes blurred, and then he found himself in a completely different world, starkly different from the one he had just left.

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