The moment the words "Your Highness, King of Qin" were uttered, the world within the painting fell completely silent.
The so-called tranquility is truly like a painting, where the water is still, the wind is not blowing, and everything is completely still.
"Your Majesty is the supreme ruler; how can a mere King of Qin of Qin be worthy of the title 'Your Highness'?"
"If I had bestowed the title of King of Qin upon him, then of course he wouldn't qualify, but you, the King of Qin," the emperor coldly sneered, "Were not bestowed that title by me."
The cup in Chen Qing's hand instantly turned into powder, spreading like ink in water in this painted world. The scene was extremely wondrous, and Chen Qing's temperament also became extremely wondrous, as if he had merged into his surroundings within the painting.
When did you figure it out?
"I could tell at first glance," the Emperor said quietly, "You have Chen Qing's face, but you can never imitate his mannerisms."
"This is truly interesting." The other party finally revealed an aura completely different from Chen Qing's, and in an instant, the emperor confirmed his suspicions.
This aura, this feeling, is exactly what that person who almost changed the world back then possessed.
"You sound like you know Chen Qing very well. If I remember correctly, you haven't met that guy more than a few times, have you?"
"I haven't met him many times," the emperor said, looking at the man before him with a complex expression. "But I've met you many times. I may forget someone, but I will never forget you."
"Uh..." The other person was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, and the entire World in the Painting began to shake with his laughter.
"It's truly an honor to be remembered by you."
The questioning tone, however, prevented the usually domineering emperor from responding sarcastically. Most of his abilities in this life were built from scratch, and when he betrayed the Black Queen, everyone had their own agendas. Only this person in front of him had done him a great favor!
Back in the Xiao Household, he was born out of wedlock, as was his sister. His sister was exceptionally talented but dared not show herself, fearing that she would be secretly harmed by Xiao Mingyue of the main family. As an unremarkable illegitimate child, he had limited resources. No matter how talented he was, without resources, he would never amount to much. In that desperate situation, it was this person in front of him who gave him hope.
The aid was entirely altruistic; it was simply because they saw that he and his sister had good potential, so they chose to help him conceal the truth, secretly providing resources, and even giving him a chance to become a powerful being in the Valley of the Outer Heaven Demon Statue. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that their kindness was like giving him a second life.
Regardless of his reasons at the time, whether it was for the future of humanity or because they were on different paths, the fact remains that he betrayed the other party and seized power by stepping on them.
He could be righteous to anyone in his life, but he couldn't do that to the person in front of him.
After a moment of silence, the emperor's tone softened slightly. "I heard you fell for Minister Chen Qing's scheme?"
"Hmph, what a grand scheme!" The King of Qin's face remained calm, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
He's always been prone to being outmaneuvered in life; every time he's about to achieve success, he gets betrayed.
This was true in the Central Plains thirty years ago, and it is true today!
He never imagined that Chen Qing would conspire with those guys from the Federation so early on. He, an experimental subject, actually chose to conspire with those high-ranking Federation officials. He still couldn't understand what Chen Qing was thinking.
Regardless of whether he is Pu Yunchuan or not, he was a victim back then. How did the Federation high command treat ordinary people?
How were these so-called heroes forced into such a terrifying world to survive?
How could he possibly cooperate with that group of bloodsucking parasites? What was he thinking?
The crucial point is that those self-righteous Federation high-ranking officials were actually willing to cooperate with Chen Qing, using the risk of a power outage in an entire region to lure him into a trap. If he hadn't had a backup plan, he would have been doomed!
Upon hearing this, the emperor nodded, his opinion of Chen Qing growing even more.
The King of Qin was an extremely cunning man. The reason I was able to outmaneuver him was not only because the other party did not expect me to betray him, but also because of other factors, such as the power of the Outer Heaven Demon Statue and the sudden rebellion of the Mr. Five Poisons.
Otherwise, he would never have won even a fraction of the world back then. The world would have been in his hands long ago, and it's even possible that, as he thought, the ancient past would have been completely sealed away, and there would have been no more large-scale battles in the world, at least a golden age lasting ten thousand years.
He only succeeded in betraying Chen Qing because he had all the advantages in terms of timing and location, while Chen Qing managed to scheme against him and almost got him killed. That kid is really something.
But he was more curious about the other party's so-called final trump card.
"Is the final trump card the golem that we were kept in the dark?" the Emperor asked, gazing at the World in the Painting.
"This is all thanks to you." King of Qin sneered, "Originally, I didn't plan to use this golem. The power of the Outer Heaven Demon Statue is forbidden; using them is more dangerous than playing with fire. You should know that all too well, right? You, a mediocre illegitimate son, now possess power that even King Xiang might not be able to match. This shows how powerful that thing is. However, high returns mean high risks. It's like walking on thin ice, isn't it, Your Majesty?"
"There are some," the emperor nodded. "It's like something is forcing you forward, and every path behind you disappears the moment you walk it. Turning back means certain death, and stopping also means certain death. From the moment you choose it, there are no other choices. I thought only someone as mediocre as me, abandoned by heaven, would take such a perilous path. I never imagined that someone as exceptionally talented as Your Highness would also choose such a path."
"Wasn't it because we were forced into it?" the King of Qin laughed.
Bai Hua, one of the four great golems, had his name engraved on the golem's body when they first met. As Reincarnator, he knew immediately what a terrifying thing it was. The arrival of this fourth version of the golem was clearly a sign that this world no longer accepted the Four Great Guilds' continuous Samsara.
What a temptation, yet what a danger!
My original goal was to seal away the ancient things, so naturally I couldn't let something even more dangerous emerge. Therefore, my first priority was to seal it away.
But at that moment, the other person took the initiative to strike up a conversation.
That thing, as if it could see through all my thoughts, sent a gentle yet delicate voice directly into my mind.
Are you sure? Are you sure your plan will succeed? How about leaving me a way out, and leaving yourself a way out too?
The suggestion was made so casually that it left him stunned for a long time.
In the end, he couldn't resist the temptation.
Just as the other party said, leave a way out. In case his plan fails, at least he will have something to fight against those ancient players. His greed at the time was magnified by the other party, which made him unable to resist signing the contract!
Fortunately, he had left himself a way out; otherwise, being outmaneuvered by Chen Qing this time would have meant certain death.
"I wasn't forced, I was merely tempted," the emperor laughed. "It seems you and I are both susceptible to temptation."
"So what do you intend to do?" the King of Qin stood up.
The guy in front of me suddenly rebelled, displaying astonishing power. Together with the Mr. Five Poisons and Liu Yu, who also temporarily rebelled, he set a dead end for himself.
At that time, his own strength was absolutely overwhelming. The emperor was just a talented military man with exceptional military skills, and in terms of strength, he couldn't even pass the threshold of Fifth Rank military officer.
Yet, when betraying oneself, one can possess such power.
Perhaps even the Black Queen met a similar fate?
He now desperately wants to know: which demonic figure had seduced the emperor back then?