My All-Heavens Chat Group

"Who's there?"

Suddenly, Yang Gan seemed to sense something. He abruptly lifted his head, his sharp gaze turning toward the outside of the study.

Prince Yu was no simple character; he had illustrious military achievements and was distinguished in both literary and martial arts.

At the age of twenty, he trained troops in the north, leading 500 soldiers to annihilate over 5,000 to 6,000 bandits entrenched near Yun Shan.

At twenty-two, he was transferred south, over 1,500 miles away to the Yellow Crane Mountain and Water Pond. There, he eradicated over 1,000 pirates from the twelve interconnected strongholds and was titled Prince, receiving double the usual stipend.

"I am Hong Yi. Greetings to Prince Yu!"

Hong Yi materialized, offering a clasped-hand salute.

Yuan Fei and Bai Ziyue stood at his side.

At the same time, Yang Gan's skilled subordinates all appeared, intensely watching Hong Yi and his two companions.

At Yang Gan's command, they would unleash a thunderous attack to capture the intruders.

"Hong Yi? Yuan Fei!"

Yang Gan looked at Hong Yi with some confusion, but when he saw Yuan Fei, he was shocked.

He couldn't possibly fail to recognize Yuan Fei, his imperial father's consort.

"You may all leave. No one is allowed to come close!"

Momentarily surprised, Yang Gan quickly ordered his subordinates to guard the surroundings. He then gestured with his hand, saying, "The three of you, please come inside!"

"Prince Yu indeed has great courage. Aren't you afraid we might harm you?"

As Hong Yi, Yuan Fei, and Bai Ziyue entered the study, Hong Yi said with a light laugh.

"I suppose Brother Hong and Lady Yuan Fei wouldn't visit late at night to take this Prince's life, would you?"

Yang Gan laughed heartily. His voice was calm, displaying an approachable demeanor and the grace befitting a high-ranking gentleman, while also revealing a tremendous breadth of spirit and boldness.

"May I ask who this gentleman is?"

Yang Gan turned to Bai Ziyue, sensing something extraordinary about him.

"This is the White Ape King, Bai Ziyue," Hong Yi introduced.

Yang Gan's heart stirred, and even the auras of the hidden experts around them seemed to waver for a moment.

"So, it is the White Ape King, one of the Eight Great Demon Immortals! A pleasure to meet you, a true pleasure!"

Yang Gan was secretly alarmed, not having expected Hong Yi to be closely connected not only to Yuan Fei but also to one of the Eight Great Demon Immortals, the White Ape King.

Moreover, judging by their positions, Hong Yi seemed to be the leader.

He didn't have much of an impression of Hong Yi; his only thought was that Hong Yi was the son of Hong Xuanji—and a rather disfavored one at that.

It seemed Hong Yi had hidden himself very deeply.

He had deceived everyone in the world.

Once inside the study, Yang Gan gestured for Hong Yi, Yuan Fei, and Bai Ziyue to take their seats.

He glanced at Hong Yi and said directly, "Brother Hong, for you to visit so late at night, could it be that you wish to lend this Prince a helping hand?"

In that short interval, many thoughts had crossed his mind.

He had detected no animosity from Hong Yi, so he surmised they must want something.

And he himself was a strong contender for the throne.

Helping him secure the throne would bring great rewards in the future.

So, he spoke very directly, with a refreshing frankness that cut straight to the heart of the matter.

"The Prince is indeed straightforward in word and deed!"

Hong Yi chuckled. "Indeed," he said. "My visit tonight is precisely to discuss a potential collaboration with the Prince."

"Oh? And what might that collaboration be?"

Instead of showing any irritation, Yang Gan seemed quite interested. "This Prince is all ears. I wish to hear the details."

Regardless of whether Hong Yi had the capability to collaborate with him, he would hear him out first.

And before that, he wouldn't offend Hong Yi.

He possessed at least that much patience.

"I can help the Prince ascend the throne, and you wouldn't even need to wait for His Majesty the Emperor to pass away naturally after a long life."

Hong Yi's words made Yang Gan stare, and the hidden experts around were instantly dumbstruck.

What did this mean?

Were they preparing for rebellion?

"Brother Hong must be joking!"

Although Yang Gan was fiercely competing with the other princes for the position of Crown Prince, the idea of actually overthrowing Emperor Yang Pan was something he dared not even consider.

He was well aware of Yang Pan's power.

Rebellion was not something he could attempt against his father.

"Does the Prince think I'm joking?"

Hong Yi smiled, his gaze profound as he looked at Yang Gan, then said no more.

After a long silence, Yang Gan suddenly asked, "My Imperial Father's Cultivation Level is unfathomable, he is assisted by the Grand Preceptor, and the Imperial Family's resources are unimaginably deep. On what basis can Brother Hong help me?"

"Even with the White Ape King, one of the Eight Great Demon Immortals, and Lady Yuan Fei, I'm afraid that's far from enough, isn't it?"

Hong Yi nodded. "Indeed, with our strength alone, we cannot help the Prince secure the throne. However..."

At that instant, Yang Gan's heart pounded.

He was very curious about what trump card Hong Yi possessed to dare speak such audacious, treasonous, and arrogant words.

"But the Lord of Hongmeng can!"

"The Lord of Hongmeng?"

Yang Gan was startled and quickly searched his thoughts, but no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't recall any prominent figure in the world known as the Lord of Hongmeng.

Yang Gan asked, "Brother Hong, forgive this Prince's ignorance, but who is this Lord of Hongmeng?"

"The Lord of Hongmeng is a supreme Divine Spirit who transcends all heavens and is eternally immortal. My Lord is omnipotent, benevolent, and great..."

Hong Yi's words made Yang Gan's expression turn somewhat unpleasant.

Could Hong Yi have been deluded by some Evil God?

This world was not lacking in Evil Gods.

For instance, the Great Qian Dynasty had previously eradicated the Vacuum Dharma and the Cult of Nothingness.

"I know the Prince doesn't believe me and may have already categorized me with the Vacuum Dharma and the Cult of Nothingness!"

Hong Yi, seeing the subtle change in Yang Gan's expression, continued, "In fact, the Vacuum Dharma King and the Mother of Nothingness are both followers of Prince Yang Yuan!"

"They secretly gather faith for Yang Yuan, helping him cultivate the Future Unborn Sutra, condense nine great avatars, and achieve an immortal Primordial Spirit."

"Hmm?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Gan's interest was piqued; this information was indeed very useful to him.

He was certainly aware of the Future Unborn Sutra.

It is one of the three supreme cultivation techniques of the Great Zen Temple, possessing infinite power and unparalleled mystique.

However, this information Hong Yi provided did not prove anything about the Lord of Hongmeng.

Hong Yi naturally understood this as well.

He reached out, produced a copy of the "Meditation Method," and handed it to Yang Gan. "This is a scripture passed down by the Lord of Hongmeng," he said. "Simply by reciting it, one can visualize My Lord's majestic, undying divine form, receive divine grace bestowed by My Lord, and enhance one's Cultivation Level!"

"Anyone who recites it can receive divine grace. The first time yields the most, and though subsequent prayers grant less, the benefits are still considerable."

"Prince, just recite it once, and you will know if my words are true."

Yang Gan picked up the "Meditation Method" and read it.

He found nothing unusual; it seemed to be just an ordinary prayer.

But since Hong Yi had said as much, he naturally wanted to try it.

Of course, this world was full of all kinds of bizarre Daoist arts.

Even with his extraordinary Cultivation Level, he wouldn't try it recklessly.

What if he fell into a trap?

Although he sensed no malice from Hong Yi, he remained vigilant, considering Hong Yi, the White Ape King, and Yuan Fei had infiltrated his residence late at night.

He summoned two of his powerful subordinates and had them recite it once.

His gaze was fixed intently on his two subordinates.

As they prayed, the expressions of the two subordinates began to change.

Shock.

Terror.

Reverence.

...

Various expressions flickered across their faces, too many to list.

What kind of magic is this? What did they see?

Yang Gan was very curious. He had examined the "Meditation Method" carefully and found nothing unusual.

Could it be that it truly required recitation to take effect?

"What did you see?"

Seeing his two subordinates recover their senses, Yang Gan quickly asked.

"Prince..."

The two subordinates, recovering from their shock, said in terror, "We saw the Lord of Hongmeng! An existence so great, no words can describe Him! Too powerful, too terrifying!

"The sun, moon, and stars orbit His form; the cosmos and all heavens are born alongside Him..."

The more Yang Gan listened, the more shocked he became.

Is the Lord of Hongmeng truly that terrifying?

Or was everything they saw merely an illusion?

Or perhaps they had been ensnared?

However, with his own Cultivation Level, he detected nothing amiss with the two. Indeed, their Cultivation Levels had increased considerably, just as Hong Yi had stated.

Faced with such a bizarre situation, Yang Gan naturally dared not try it himself. He summoned two more subordinates, experts in Daoist arts with even higher Cultivation Levels.

The result was the same as before.

These two Daoist arts experts, aside from an increase in their Cultivation Levels, showed no signs of discomfort, nor did they seem to be under any control.

"Prince, as the saying goes, seeing is believing. Does the Prince not even have the courage to try it once?"

Hong Yi looked at Yang Gan.

Their gazes met.

After a long moment, Yang Gan withdrew his gaze and burst out laughing.

"What's the harm in reciting it once? This Prince would also like to see what kind of existence the Lord of Hongmeng truly is!"

...