Chapter 99: Reality Transforms Greatly, The Uncrowned Sovereign (Begging for Monthly Tickets)

【Gu Chen has passed away.】

The instant Gu Chen's breathing stopped, the game's notification flashed before Gu Yi's eyes in the same moment.

【This is the first Uncrowned Sovereign to appear in your family. His renown and achievements in his era eclipsed those of emperors. His name will shine through the long annals of history, and the myriad peoples of all lands under heaven will chant his mighty name.】

【Achievements unlocked: Merit Surpassing the Age, Thrice-Restoring the Yan-Han, All Nations Submit, Founding the Realm.】

Merit Surpassing the Age (Rare Achievement): The achievements of a member of your family unquestionably eclipse those of the entire age.

Thrice-Restoring the Yan-Han (Legendary Achievement): A member of your family has accomplished unprecedented feats. These achievements surpass the original course of history, forging an indelible dynasty into the long annals.

All Nations Submit (Rare Achievement): All nations under heaven shall bow beneath the feet of a member of your family; a single name alone can awe every realm.

Founding the Realm (Rare Achievement): The institutions established by a member of your family will radiate their brilliance upon later generations.

【Congratulations on obtaining Achievement Points: 390,000.】

Exclusive Effect of the Thrice-Restoring the Yan-Han Achievement: "The player may voluntarily choose to activate this achievement, spending the corresponding Achievement Points to grant a special blessing upon different descendants of the family, sparing them from an early death. (Cost per person: 10,000 Achievement Points)"

Exclusive Effect of the Founding the Realm Achievement: "After activating this achievement, for as long as the institutions you have established continue without interruption, you will receive an additional 1,000 Achievement Points each year."

【Pioneer Achievement objective completed.】

【Settling…】

【Congratulations on obtaining Achievement Points: 300,000.】

Exclusive Effect of the Pioneer Achievement: "The player may voluntarily choose to activate this achievement. Upon successful activation, the player may spend Achievement Points to select one family member for a boost, increasing their chance of transcending the limitations of their era."

A stream of notifications flashed by one after another.

Looking at the notifications before him, Gu Yi—who had been feeling a little downcast because of Gu Chen's death—instantly perked up!

—A full 690,000 Achievement Points!

Including three exclusive titles with special effects!

The returns brought in by the grandfather-and-grandson pair of Gu Xi and Gu Chen could truly be said to have made Gu Yi fat with riches in a single wave!

Whether for drawing lotteries, or for other manipulations.

These sufficient Achievement Points gave Gu Yi ample room to maneuver.

After enduring so many hardships.

Gu Yi had actually come to understand the core of this game even better.

The best approach was to use Achievement Points to draw items, forge talents for the family, and then use those talents to secure more Achievement Points.

As long as one operation could be held in reserve as a safety net.

Then this method was the best current development model.

Looking at the notifications flashing before him, Gu Yi fell into a brief reverie.

After a moment's hesitation.

He silently uttered the four words "Exit Game" in his heart.

He intended to first see just how great an impact the emergence of "Yan-Han" had exerted upon all of posterity.

The scene before his eyes shattered in an instant, and the familiar room reappeared before Gu Yi.

It was already evening now.

The blood-like setting sun shone through the window, bathing the bedroom in a dim crimson.

From beyond the door, the voices of the old couple, mingled with the static of the television, drifted in continuously.

Gu Yi immediately rose, pushed open the door, and walked into the living room.

It was still that familiar living room.

—At first glance there seemed to be no difference, but upon closer inspection.

Gu Yi discovered that a safe had appeared in the living room—one that had not been there before.

The safe was not large.

But for an ordinary working-class family like Gu Yi's, there was nothing particularly precious worth keeping in a safe.

Moreover, Gu Yi could be certain.

This safe had never appeared here before.

"Could it be that something else has really been passed down again?" The guess flashed instinctively through Gu Yi's mind.

At this moment, the old couple also noticed Gu Yi's gaze.

Old Gu immediately slapped the table and scolded, frustrated at his son's unworthiness: "You brat! You won't learn this safe's password until after I'm dead!"

"What on earth is stored inside?"

Gu Yi walked over sheepishly, poured Old Gu a cup of tea, and asked.

"Something left behind by the Laozu Sect," Gu Ma warned again. "You mustn't touch these things, okay?"

Saying so, her tone paused for a beat, and she looked at Gu Yi and continued: "Oh right, your dad and I plan to have you represent our Gu clan this year to go offer sacrifices to the Laozu Sect."

"You're not a child anymore either; it's time you got familiar with all this."

—Represent the Gu clan!

Offer sacrifices to the Laozu Sect!

These two sentences instantly sparked a guess in Gu Yi's mind, and his heart began pounding uncontrollably.

Just as expected.

The Gu clan's current influence could no longer be completely erased by so-called historical revision!

Gu Yi nodded without a moment's hesitation.

He then immediately rose, returned to his room, and turned on the computer to look into the details in depth.

The very first thing he searched was Gu Chen.

Sure enough, an entry for Gu Chen had already appeared online now.

Even a dedicated entry for the Gu clan appeared.

From Gu Xiao down to Gu Wei and other seventh-generation members of the Gu clan, all were included, each person's life meticulously recorded.

The most prominent among them were undoubtedly Gu Xiao, Gu Kang, Gu Xi, and Gu Chen.

Compared to the achievements of the latter three.

Yet Gu Xiao was actually the youngest.

But as the originator of the Gu clan's fame, his record was naturally extremely detailed.

The latter three were not greatly different, each with detailed records.

As for differences—

It was their statuses that varied.

Gu Kang had been deified!

Compared to the last search, the temples dedicated to Lord Kang had spread far wider, even reaching as far as the peninsula.

Even the peninsula had developed worship of Gu Kang.

This was perhaps due to Gu Chen's expansion of the Gu clan's influence.

As for Gu Xi and Gu Chen, their statuses were also extremely high.

—Gu Chen was enshrined in the Martial Temple, and in later historical evaluations, he was consistently regarded as a sovereign!

Gu Xi's status was likewise transcendent.

What made Gu Yi feel both amused and exasperated was that Gu Xi had replaced Lord Guan's position.

During that chaotic period.

The people's actual objects of worship shifted from Lord Guan to Gu Xi!

Even abroad!

Gu Yi also thoroughly investigated the ancestral rites mentioned by the old couple.

Just as ancient figures in original history gave rise to festivals, Gu Chen also caused a brand-new festival to emerge in modern times.

—【Dingning Festival】!

Its date was the day Gu Chen died.

And this festival was a relatively important one, not only granting three days off.

Different regions had their own traditions.

Many places held grand ancestral rites.

These rites were led by the Gu clan.

Gu Yi grew more and more astonished as he read; though what had been passed down could not yet fully affect his current life.

But such things could not be rushed.

A thousand years of history, the power of time, could destroy too much too much.

He only needed to keep walking forward steadily, and eventually, it would be fully preserved.

Gu Yi had been continuously convincing himself.

But then—

He sensed something was wrong.

The familiar game "Three Kingdoms Kill" had become "Chaos Kill," featuring character cards of several Gu clan members—Gu Xi, Gu Chen, Gu Wei—and each character had multiple forms.

At the very bottom of this card collection.

The game company explicitly stated—exclusive collaboration had been reached with direct descendants of the Gu clan.

It even attached a photo of Old Gu alongside the company's representatives.

Gu Yi stared at the photo, frozen for several seconds.

Then—

His expression changed drastically!

Old Gu had been hiding money from him!

Though unaware of the exact details of the collaboration, given how monetized this game was, the income from this partnership must be substantial!

No wonder he hadn't been pushing Gu Yi to take the civil service exam!

Gu Yi sighed helplessly, his mood instantly lifting.

—The Gu clan's influence was already beginning to subtly alter life.

If this continued.

As long as he ensured the family's survival, this influence would grow ever stronger.

For Gu Yi, this was undoubtedly tremendous good news.

At the very least—

It gave him hope.

Gu Yi then carefully examined the later dynasties.

But sadly, as he left the game, the Gu clan seemed to have lost all means to resist historical correction.

Although the original history's Jin Dynasty had become the Yan Han.

Subsequent dynasties showed no change.

Even the Gu clan's later influence gradually weakened over time.

Gu Yi did not feel disheartened.

Human effort can defy heaven!

—Just as when he first entered the game, he had never imagined Yan Han would emerge.

As long as he is alive.

The Gu family has always been the greatest variable in history!

Now, the Gu family's influence has already spread outward; with the progress of the age, as long as he remains, the Gu family's influence will only grow ever greater.

This is something Gu Yi can be certain of!

Gu Yi turned off the computer and lay back down on the bed.

He picked up the game console and focused it.

The scenes within the game console swiftly unfolded before his eyes.

Gu Yi naturally first focused on family information.

The seventh-generation descendants were undoubtedly the most outstanding group the Gu family had ever produced,

and in this rising new dynasty, the Gu family had reached its first peak in talent and potential.

In fact, Gu Yi had already paid attention to the seventh-generation descendants of the Gu family.

After all, to him—

he had long imagined himself controlling one of them.

The one he paid the most attention to was naturally Gu Wei, the most skilled in martial arts.

History has changed completely!

Compared to the originally morally collapsed history, today's Han Dynasty, through Gu Chen's killing of Lü Bu and elimination of disloyal subjects, is advancing toward the moral standards of the Later Han.

A political system with morality and one without morality are entirely two different things.

Gu Yi had never engaged in politics.

But politics was not the challenge the Gu family needed to face.

After all, the current Emperor of Han is Liu Shan!

Given his feelings toward Gu Chen, all of the Gu family's descendants would naturally gain his favor and trust.

But martial arts are different!

This was not something Gu Yi could master in a moment.

Moreover, he could not possibly accomplish what he intended without martial arts!

—Choosing Gu Wei, the one with the highest martial prowess and command ability, would yield the greatest benefit for Gu Yi.

Yet Gu Yi did not immediately choose to take control.

Gu Chen's final actions had greatly influenced Gu Yi's judgment.

His efforts to weaken the barbarians had already been quite successful.

If the collapse of Shenzhou were not to occur,

then for Gu Yi,

his current achievement points could be used to draw a prize, and he could use an item to cultivate another talent capable of reversing everything.

Luoyang.

The news of Gu Chen's death had already spread.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Liu Shan wept with heart-wrenching grief.

An unimaginable gloom instantly spread across the entire Han Dynasty.

—The whole realm mourned!

People from all corners wept upon hearing the news.

Even some elderly soldiers who had once followed Gu Chen chose to take their own lives, willing to continue serving him beneath the earth.

It was not beyond Gu Chen's expectations.

Liu Shan indeed cared deeply for Gu Chen's funeral.

He even intended to bury Gu Chen with imperial rites; fortunately, Gu Chen's final testament arrived in time, quelling this idea.

But even so—

Liu Shan remained resolute in elevating Gu Chen's funeral to the same status as Gu Xi's.

He granted ritual vessels;

buried him with the rites of a prince;

commissioned a statue of Gu Chen and enshrined it in the Han ancestral temple to receive incense offerings;

and ordered that future generations must perform the full kowtow in reverence.

No one would oppose this matter.

The current Han court was no longer what it once was; nearly all these officials had been selected by Gu Chen and held deep admiration for him.

Even if someone wished to oppose,

they would not choose to defy the overwhelming tide at such a time.

This was destined to become a monumental event shaking the entire Han Dynasty.

When Gu Chen's body was returned to Julu, sorrowful cries never ceased along the route; countless civilians gathered by the Luo River, simply wishing to offer incense for Gu Chen.

The collapse of faith—

for a person, that was an unimaginable tragedy.

And Gu Chen was the faith of all the people!

Zhuge Liang was also deeply grieved, but as Gu Chen's appointed regent minister, Zhuge Liang had to bear all burdens at this moment.

He ordered the ministers to determine Gu Chen's posthumous title.

He swiftly announced the results of the official evaluations, hoping to use this great joy to dispel the shadow cast by Gu Chen's death.

Commoners' children had made the list.

This matter, at any time, would absolutely be something that would invigorate the common people of the realm.

—But placed in the present, it was utterly useless.

Even the relatives of those few chosen ones found it hard to pull free from their grief.

In fact, they were even more grief-stricken.

It was Gu Chen who had bestowed this opportunity upon them.

And now this sage had departed.

A heavy sorrow spread throughout every corner of the Great Han.

And under such circumstances, Gu Chen's posthumous title was finally settled upon.

—Marquis Zhaolie.

"Zhao" for a countenance reverent and beautiful, for sage repute reaching every quarter;

In commemoration of Gu Chen's Merit in expanding the realm and laying the foundations of the dynasty.

"Lie" for Merit that brought peace to the people, for the firm conquest of foes;

In commemoration of Gu Chen's lifelong Merit of waging war for the nation and for all under heaven.

In truth, judged by the Merit Gu Chen had achieved, no posthumous title could fully express all that he had done.

For he had already transcended the bounds of a mere subject.

Liu Shan, for his part, was willing to bestow upon Gu Chen a royal title, even an imperial one.

But Gu Chen's final words on his deathbed forced him to suppress that very thought.

Nothing in this world is destined to be perfect;

Yet in Gu Yi's view, given Gu Chen's character, this posthumous title was more than enough.

All that he had done had long since become renowned throughout the realm.

Why must it be expressed through a mere posthumous title?

PS: It's the end of the month, on my knees begging for monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)