Chapter 169

Inside the Forbidden Forest of Full Moon Academy, Li Cheng familiarly removed the sealing formula on the communication rune and dialed the Crown Prince's Consort's "phone".

"****, ***** you two old things, don't you know I'm busy? If there's nothing important, then come back and talk later."

A severely sleep-deprived voice came through, and immediately afterward, a golden-haired, red-eyed man was projected in the holographic image.

Golden hair and blue eyes are the racial characteristic of the Tianming Divine Court.

But this Crown Prince's Consort acting as regent has a pair of red pupils.

Obviously, this is the change brought by his continuous limb grafting.

"Sorry, Crown Prince, these two old things probably can't go back." Li Cheng laughed, dragging the two old monsters' corpses: "Come on, give your master a laugh."

"Eh, can't laugh? Hehe, sorry, I forgot you two don't have heads anymore."

"Young man, do you know what you're doing?"

The Crown Prince's Consort's eyes half-narrowed, his tone growing colder and colder.

In his view, what this youth before him is doing now is no different from provoking the Tianming Divine Court.

Most importantly, this bastard actually killed his two capable subordinates.

Their deaths aren't a big deal; the key is Ji Bo, and Latanaya.

"I certainly know what I'm doing, respected Crown Prince Your Highness." Li Cheng tipped his hat to him: "Not just these two old things, even your favorite royal grandson, Ji Bo, was killed by me too~"

"Hehe, boy, I guarantee I'll make you wish you were dead."

The Crown Prince's Consort's tone grew colder and colder, his complexion uglier and uglier.

As if he wanted to avenge his good Ji Bo right now.

"Crown Prince Your Highness, I know you're anxious, but don't rush yet, there's something even more urgent coming." Li Cheng laughed, shrugging: "After all, you colluded with that person in the academy to plan this murder case, and now you've gotten nothing~"

Hearing this, the Crown Prince's Consort froze for a moment.

He was surprised that Li Cheng spoke his plan.

This plan, he had never told anyone, not even Father Adult.

Immediately after, the anger on his face decreased more and more: "Kid, you know quite a lot, go on, what else do you know?"

"What I know isn't much, just a few things..." Li Cheng laughed: "For example, you want to use this murder case to obtain Latanaya, after all she's the last pure-blood vampire, you want the blood clan's power, can't bypass her."

"Continue."

The anger on the Crown Prince's Consort's face completely disappeared, replaced by amusement and scrutiny.

That's right, from the moment he saw Li Cheng, the anger on his face was an act.

He knows too well how to disguise himself as a moody lunatic in front of outsiders.

Actually, the deaths of two subordinates and Ji Bo, though troublesome, aren't worth his anger.

The world believes that Ji Bo is his most pampered royal grandson, even Ji Bo himself thinks so.

Little do they know, Ji Bo is the organ reserve the Crown Prince's Consort prepared for himself.

Besides Ji Bo, he has many other organ reserves.

"I looked into Full Moon Academy's founding history."

Li Cheng snapped his fingers, telekinesis pulling several corpses to make a simple chair.

He sat on it to test, firmness just right, then revealed a sunny smile again:

"That meditation basin placed under the Sage Institute, was a gift from the Tianming Divine Court to Full Moon Academy over two thousand years ago."

"And the most recent repair was three years ago, the year Miss Latanaya enrolled."

"And that year, you, this Crown Prince Your Highness who has long resided deep in the palace and shut your doors, actually personally led a team to the academy."

"You say, coincidence or not?"

"So what? What conclusion did you draw from this?" The Crown Prince's Consort laughed, casually finding a chair, wiping the dust off it, preparing to sit.

"Nothing major, just that... at that time, you connected the meditation basin with the Profound Land where Dian Huo hides."

Li Cheng spoke softly.

And the chair before the Crown Prince's Consort went bang, falling to the ground.

"Hehe, sorry, poor family, this chair isn't very usable, hehe."

Three seconds later, the Crown Prince's Consort, eyes open telling lies, lightly squatted onto that chair, and in his gaze looking at Li Cheng, a color called madness lit up: "Boy, do you know what you're saying? Dian Huo, I, the Tianming Divine Court's next monarch, colluding with the Abyss's Dian Huo?"

"Yeah, Your Highness." Li Cheng also shook his head, mockingly laughing: "At first, I didn't expect either, that behind all this, it was actually you micro-managing."

This is not the story in the PC version, but the conclusion Li Cheng deduced through this playthrough.

Looking at it now, his deduction should be correct.

"This joke isn't funny, boy."

"Is that so? But this joke hasn't ended yet." Li Cheng continued: "You not only built a bridge between the two worlds, you also deliberately leaked the Full Moon Academy murder case news, hehe, of course, only to those specific few."

"For example, the Abyssal Eye Witch, right?"

Hearing this, the Crown Prince's Consort's finger trembled again, the madness in his eyes growing more vigorous.

If Li Cheng being able to say the two words "Dian Huo" wasn't enough to shock him.

Then the four words "Abyssal Eye Witch" at this moment are enough for him to face the youth before him with his most taut nerves.

Watching his reaction, the corner of Li Cheng's mouth also curled up slightly.

When he previously played the PC version, he always had a doubt.

Full Moon Academy and the Tianming Divine Court are at least top five ruling organs on the continent.

The Court's people died in Full Moon Academy.

Such a thing, with the methods of these two sides, how could the news possibly leak out? And Dian Huo and the Wrathful Father God are even more hidden in the dark, only revealing their true forms in the game's late stage.

In this situation, with the Abyssal Eye Witch's that level of intelligence, where did she get the intel that the Full Moon Queen killed someone?

So, he boldly made a hypothesis.

Besides Dian Huo and the Wrathful Father God, there is another player in this game of chess.

Carrying this question, he searched through Full Moon Academy's history, as well as all visitation records related to the Meditation Basin.

He could finally confirm that the Limb Grafting Crown Prince was not drawn into the game of chess.

He is that third player.

"Interesting, truly interesting." The Limb Grafting Crown Prince clapped his hands: "However, young man, what you say is merely speculation after all. In fact, I have no motive to act against the Academy."

"Since you know the Abyssal Eye Witch, and also know Dian Huo, you should be very clear what it looks like when Dian Huo burns."

"Creating a Human Purgatory like that for the sake of a Latanaya, do you think I am that kind of madman?"

"Your Highness is naturally not." Li Cheng leaned back with both hands braced on the "Chair", the smile on his face growing ever more sunny: "Because you are even more insane than the madman in your words."

"What you want has never been just Latanaya."

"You are betting on both sides. If the Full Moon Queen wins the battle against Dian Huo, you get Latanaya. Moreover, after such a great war, the Academy will inevitably be severely weakened, and the Tianming Divine Court will no longer need to watch its face afterwards."

"However, I think in your heart, you prefer Dian Huo to win."

"If Dian Huo wins, you can then take advantage of the situation to, in the name of rescue, accept the students from the ruined Full Moon Academy."

"Those are Mages who can perceive Badge Stones and have affinity with natural elements, they are excellent Experimental Subjects, just right to be used as Treasures for Limb Grafting."

"Treasures even more precious than the Blood Clan, Werewolves, and Grey Elves, are they not?"

Li Cheng's voice was not loud, and his tone was also very calm.

But these few short sentences stirred up a storm in the Limb Grafting Crown Prince's heart.

He put his hands behind his back, pinched the web of his thumb, suppressing the increasingly violent trembling, the madness in his gaze gradually turning into wariness.

What this young man said did not differ by a hair from what he himself wanted to do.

If not for the fact that he had never told anyone about this matter, the Limb Grafting Crown Prince would even suspect that when he was planning everything, this young man before him was standing right by his side.

He believed he had hidden it extremely deeply; the only trace left was that one matter of going to Full Moon Academy three years ago.

Yet he never expected that someone could actually, through such a simple trivial matter, reconstruct the full picture of events.

This is a monster. The Limb Grafting Crown Prince thought thus.

Sharing the same thought was Lilith, standing beside Li Cheng.

She knew very well that this matter was different from the past.

Li Cheng was not relying on the Returner or his so-called "Player Identity" to know the truth in advance.

He truly, by peeling away the cocoon thread by thread, used existing intelligence to deduce the full scope of the Limb Grafting Crown Prince's plan.

"Young man, what do you want to get from me?"

After a long while, the Limb Grafting Crown Prince slowly spoke.

He did not go to threaten Li Cheng.

He knew very well that the young man before him was not only not a fool, but a clever person just like himself.

When he dares stand before you and expose your plan, he has certainly prepared a follow-up move.

If he were to threaten again, it would not only be ineffective, but would make him look like a Clown.

Either directly annihilate him with thunderous force, or bide his time and see if there is any possibility of cooperation.

Of course, all this depends on what attitude this young man has.

"What I want to get... hmm, before that, I also have some things I want to ask Your Highness." Li Cheng smiled: "Your Highness, you collected so many experimental subjects, performed so many Limb Graftings, ultimately what for?"

"Even if you do nothing, relying solely on your own outstanding Royal Blood, you are still a major power."

"When His Majesty grows old, you will naturally be crowned the Continent's New King."

"I cannot figure out why you would do these things."

"Heh, I did not expect you would actually ask me such a question." The Limb Grafting Crown Prince squatted on the overturned Chair, shook his head: "Young man, I have a vague feeling that we two should be the same kind of people."

"Oh? Why do you say that?" Li Cheng raised an eyebrow.

"Just based on you being able to deduce my entire plan." The Limb Grafting Crown Prince smiled: "Alright then, I will tell you. Young man, don't you think this Shi Jie is sick?"

"Sick, an interesting way to put it."

"Hehe, young man, do you know? I reviewed the archives of countless wars great and small in this Era, and discovered to my surprise that the Abyss does not covet anything from the Tianming Continent."

The Limb Grafting Crown Prince sighed: "Yes, whether it is grain, Relics, equipment, or Magic Books, the Abyss Demon Race does not need them. They have power stronger than ours, more efficient Cultivation Methods, and even more abundant Resources."

"Don't you think this is an inexplicable matter?"

"War is the continuation of the Negotiation Table, the continuation of interest. Yet the war between the Abyss and the Tianming Continent brings them no benefit whatsoever."

"This Shi Jie of ours is fundamentally useless to the Abyss."

Li Cheng listened quietly; this time, he no longer had the thought of wanting to press the Skip Button.

He realized this should be the Plot newly added by Quantum Technology.

"Under this situation, the Abyss Demon Race invades this Shi Jie again and again." The Limb Grafting Crown Prince continued: "They are like a group of madmen, doing crazy things without any reason and without any gain."

"I once thought it was because the Demon Race and the Constant Shi Jie's races are different, their way of thinking differs from ours."

"But after a limited number of captures and experiments on the Demon Race, I obtained the opposite answer."

"The Demon Race and the Constant Shi Jie's races have no great difference. Although they do not die, only Return to Abyss to slumber, they likewise feel irritability, anger, humiliation, and grow weary of this meaningless war."

"In their way of thinking, there is no great difference from us."

"If so, why do they fight such a long and meaningless war?"

"Because of the Abyss's Great Will." Li Cheng frowned, answering this question.

"Correct, precisely because of that Great Will." The Limb Grafting Crown Prince revealed a mocking bitter smile: "The Great Will needs them to invade, so they began Combat."

"If they refuse, they will lose the Supernatural Power on their bodies, lose the right to pledge allegiance to the Abyss for Infinite Resurrection."

"What a boring answer, simply like... manipulated Puppets."

Mm, from a certain perspective, you lot are indeed Puppets.

After all, you're code that programmers cobbled together.

Big Boss listened quietly.

"But at the same time, I also deeply realized that we and the Abyss Demon Race are too alike, really too alike." The Limb Grafting Crown Prince raised his hand, looking at his own palm: "Young man, have you discovered it."

"We are the same too; if we refuse the gods' requirements, we will be stripped of the power on our bodies."

"As a member of the Tianming Divine Court, from the moment I was born I must abide by the Precept Sect's rules; if I don't do this, I will even lose the Royal Clan's identity."

"Just like the Abyss Demon Race were issued the command to continuously invade. We were also issued the command to defend the Tianming Continent to the death."

"We cannot accept the Abyss's rule with human identity; even if we surrender, we must transform into the Demon Race, obey the Abyss's deployment, otherwise our power and Soul will be immediately taken away and we will die."

"But if we become the Demon Race, isn't it still the same, having to obey the Great Will's deployment?"

"We are simply identical marionettes to the Abyss Demon Race."

Speaking here, the Limb Grafting Crown Prince lifted his head, looked at Big Boss: "I've said this much, you should already understand what I want to say, right?"

"Mm." Big Boss nodded helplessly: "This war between the Abyss and the Tianming Continent has never been a Mortal's war, but a war between the Abyss Will and the Gods of Heavenly Mandate."

"They want to fight, so Mortals must fight."

"Even if we Mortals on both sides fundamentally don't want to fight."

"Correct, this is the answer; similarly, the question also comes." The Limb Grafting Crown Prince took a deep breath, slowly exhaled: "Why?"

"Hm?" Big Boss lifted his head.

"Why must we fight just because they want to fight? Why must we sacrifice just because Shen Shen let us sacrifice?" The Limb Grafting Crown Prince shook his head: "I know, you definitely want to say, because we took the gods' power, got power, we must fulfill obligations."

"But have you ever thought, we originally didn't need to possess these powers." The Limb Grafting Crown Prince's speech grew slower and slower: "This gods' gift is a curse forcibly imposed on us."

"If everyone didn't have this power, we could still survive, still compete, still be divided into high and low."

"It's just that at that time, we would fight for ourselves, not fight for Shen Shen."

"We would also possess true Freedom."

Big Boss nodded; the Limb Grafting Crown Prince's words, translated into colloquial human speech, are——

Shen Shen's power is equivalent to a Cram School; Mortals on the Tianming Continent are like students before a teacher.

On the surface, the Cram School makes all students' Grades become better.

But actually, everyone attending the Cram School is equivalent to no one attending.

The Cram School changes Grades, not Rankings.

First place originally 100 points, now becomes 150 points.

Second place originally 99 points, now 149 points.

Seemingly Grades became higher, but Ranking didn't change; first is still first, one thousandth is still one thousandth; those who could originally get into Beida and Sweet Words still get into Beida and Sweet Words; those who were originally Ox Horse are still Ox Horse.

If it were just this it would be fine; at most it just increases Involution.

But the problem is, this Cram School's teacher also requires all students taking his class to listen to his words, and take exams and compete with another teacher's students; otherwise, directly deprive you of your life.

Thus, the Limb Grafting Crown Prince, as the Cram School teacher's Class Monitor, decided not to do it anymore.

He felt that rather than being an Ox Horse, selling his life for the Cram School teacher.

It's better to knock all you teachers down, and sell his life for himself.

So, what he wants to do is very simple——

"I want to find a path for the Tianming Continent, a path that doesn't need Shen Shen but can also Use Supernatural Power." The Limb Grafting Crown Prince looked at Big Boss, saying word by word: "For this, I am willing to pay all sacrifices, willing to pay all costs."

"Is that so..." Big Boss nodded, raised his left hand, revealing the Mark/Insignia on it, Expression somewhat bashful: "Sorry to interrupt your passionate speech...

"But... that..."

"I'm actually the Abyss's person."

The Limb Grafting Crown Prince:...

Chapter Complete