Pu Yunchuan, is he still alive?
Ziyue visibly froze. She had always been able to accept any earth-shattering conclusions Chen Qing might draw, but this one suddenly made her feel flustered.
However, this panic only flashed briefly in the depths of his eyes, which Chen Qing didn't notice, and continued, "Actually, I suspected it from the very beginning. As the original intelligent life form, Pu Yunchuan couldn't have been wiped out so cleanly. Even if those people were incredibly resourceful and destroyed all the containers that could contain Pu Yunchuan, Pu Yunchuan could still hide in the game. As long as the game isn't dismantled, Pu Yunchuan will always leave a trace."
From the memories he had seen before, he clearly saw that Pu Yunchuan initially controlled the entire experiment. Even if those nobles planned to target him, it would be difficult to kill him outright. Moreover, the clones that Pu Yunchuan left in this game world at the beginning were not necessarily all exposed to Elder Liu. He should have been very aware of the issue of human nature and should have left himself a way out.
It seems that this was indeed the case. Pu Yunchuan had left himself a contingency plan, establishing the Daoist School and creating a tripartite balance of power, waiting for his opportunity. But now it appears...
Chen Qing didn't say some things to Ziyue, but was secretly thinking about them.
Is this follow-up move made by Pu Yunchuan himself, or one of his clones?
What has Daoist School become like today?
This person who calls himself Yunyue used the key power of the Daoist School to negotiate, so theoretically his identity should be beyond doubt. However, if it is another situation, then the situation that follows will probably be very bad!
There's another question.
That's the issue of Ziyue's identity. Ziyue probably hasn't recovered her memories of the Daoist School, right?
It hasn't fully recovered yet; otherwise, I should be telling myself that.
What was Ziyue's status within the Daoist School? She was undoubtedly a powerful figure, but what kind? Was she one of the top figures, someone who could influence decisions within the Daoist School? Or was she simply a henchman?
Most importantly, if Ziyue awakens her memories, will she still maintain her original intentions?
The impact of memories can be immense, Chen Qing understands this well. Different experiences create different people, and she herself is a prime example. Who would have thought that the person now striving to preserve this world and Jiangnan was once determined to destroy it?
"How does the envoy intend to cooperate?"
The group arrived at the Imperial Study. The Emperor's smile was as gentle as a spring breeze, which made Chen Qing roll his eyes. No matter how domineering a middle-aged man is, his attitude is always the same when investors come knocking.
"Our Daoist School differs from the other three sects, emphasizing the cultivation of both body and spirit. We can only offer Your Majesty three solutions."
"There are as many as three?" The emperor smiled immediately. "Please explain, Your Excellency."
"First, we use elixirs. Our Daoist School excels at alchemy, and we can create Daoist School warriors with elixirs. The stronger their potential and the deeper their foundation, the stronger their combat power will be after using the elixirs. Even soldiers without Transcendent can, with our elixirs, have a high probability of crossing that threshold within the next few years."
"There must be side effects, right?" The emperor smiled slightly and personally poured the other person a cup of tea.
"Everything in the world has its advantages and disadvantages. Behind such remarkable effects, there are of course drawbacks. Once this domineering elixir is used, the bloodline in those soldiers' bodies will be overstimulated, and their lifespan will be greatly reduced. Coupled with the subsequent battles and hidden injuries, many of them should not live more than five years. Moreover, due to the overstimulation of their bloodline, it will be virtually impossible for them to have offspring."
The emperor immediately understood; this was a short-sighted business strategy.
However, our current combat strength is severely insufficient. Immediately cultivating a batch of such forces with elixirs would be very useful for the upcoming situation. Of course, it will definitely deal a great blow to my reputation afterward. Once the morale of the army collapses, things could get very troublesome later.
"What about the other two?" the emperor asked gently, not in a hurry.
"Our Daoist School excels in mechanical arts and can create top-notch puppets. If a Transcendent soldier were to control one, their combat power could more than double!"
"According to your Daoist concept of Yin-Yang balance, there must be side effects, right?" the emperor asked with a smile.
"These mechanical puppets are powerful and durable, but they need to absorb high-quality life essence. Every time the soldier controlling them uses them, a certain amount of life essence is absorbed. If used too frequently, it will damage their very essence, and they may even be drained dry."
"I see." The emperor nodded. This was indeed a good thing, capable of temporarily boosting combat strength. As long as it wasn't overused, it could play a crucial role in key battles.
But the problem is
Upon hearing this, Chen Qing's eyes turned slightly cold. This kind of mecha was definitely not something that could be used casually. If he was not mistaken, the purpose of this type of mecha was probably to collect essence blood, and there must be some other secret behind it. Ordinary people would definitely become addicted after using it once.
This is also something that destroys the foundation!
"And what about third?" the emperor asked with a smile.
"Our Daoist school is also skilled in talismans," Yunyue said with a smile. "They allow even soldiers who are not skilled in magic to use talismans to unleash spells of considerable power. If multiple soldiers use them together, their power is even more astonishing than a large army of sorcerers. After all, sorcerers are always a minority. Even if Your Majesty gathers all the resources of the Great Jin Dynasty, you can only have a sorcerer army of one or two thousand. But our talismans can create an army of hundreds of thousands of sorcerers for you!"
Creating something from nothing!
The emperor smiled slightly, "This function already exists in Jiangnan, doesn't it?"
"Is Your Majesty referring to the storage techniques in Jiangnan?" Yunyue smiled. "That's different. In Jiangnan, apart from ordinary warm jade and ice jade, even slightly complex techniques stored in jadeite are unusable by ordinary people; they still require sorcerers. Ours is different. Even extremely complex and powerful destructive techniques can be used by ordinary people!"
"And what is the price?" The emperor, instead of being anxious upon hearing about such a powerful item, inquired about the cost.
"The price is your spirit," Yunyue said softly. "A sorcerer's spiritual power actually comes from the spirit of heaven and earth, and in this world, nothing has stronger spiritual power than a person's spirit. The stronger a person is, the stronger their spirit is. Using talismans will consume your spirit, and if you use too many or too powerful talismans, you may be able to drain your spirit completely!"
"The things Your Majesty has sent are truly double-edged swords!" the Emperor said, frowning.
"A double-edged sword can harm both the enemy and oneself; it all depends on how Your Majesty uses it. Moreover, warfare is inherently dangerous, and casualties are inevitable. The ability of a commander lies in how many casualties are exchanged for what scale of victory. A merciful commander is not fit for command; this has been true throughout history. What does Your Majesty think?"
The emperor fell silent upon hearing this. Clearly, these items were indeed extremely useful; acquiring them would increase his military strength several times over in a short period.
Chen Qing's gaze toward Yunyue turned strange.
This woman.
Are these things she recommended her idea, or the idea of Daoist School?
This is tantamount to undermining the Great Jin!!!