Chapter 669 - 672: Ambush

Chapter 669: Chapter 672: Ambush

Hua Manman walked swiftly, heading straight for the palace gates.

Along the way, her path was blocked by a squad of Yulin Guards.

The leading Yulin Guard looked her up and down and asked in a deep voice.

"Which palace are you from? Why are you here all alone?"

The System, transformed into a bee and perched on Hua Manman, was extremely nervous. It secretly prepared to transform again; if Hua Manman’s identity was exposed, it could immediately intervene to save her.

The next moment, however, it heard Hua Manman speak.

"I serve in Huan Sha Pavilion. I heard the Saint has passed away, and the nanny sent me to the storeroom to get some white linen and pine branches in preparation. This is my waist token."

She took a wooden waist token from her sleeve and presented it with both hands.

The Yulin Guard took the waist token and examined it. The words "Huan Sha Pavilion" were carved on it.

This was a waist token that only those who served in Huan Sha Pavilion could possess.

After confirming her identity was not in question, the Yulin Guard returned the waist token to Hua Manman and waved his hand, signaling that she could leave.

Hua Manman curtsied to him, then turned and left with her head lowered.

Seeing her pass through the crisis smoothly, the System was both surprised and very curious.

"How do you have a waist token from Huan Sha Pavilion?"

Hua Manman gave a mysterious smile. "I just borrowed it from someone."

Just now, while everyone was kneeling to greet the Crown Prince, Hua Manman had stealthily snatched the waist token from the palace maid in front of her.

She ran into several more interrogations by the Yulin Guards after that, but because she had the waist token, she managed to bluff her way through each time.

Seeing that they were almost at the palace gates, the System relaxed a little.

It recalled the scene that had just occurred at the entrance of Hanzhang Hall and couldn’t help but mutter.

"Just now, I had a very strange feeling."

Hua Manman didn’t slow her pace and asked casually, "What’s wrong?"

The System recalled, "When we were at the entrance of Hanzhang Hall, I felt like someone was staring at us. The feeling was both strange and familiar, and it made me very uncomfortable."

Hua Manman thought back on her experience at the entrance of Hanzhang Hall but hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

But to be cautious, she still asked, "Do you know who it was?"

System: "I’m not even sure if my feeling was real or not, so how would I know who it was?"

Hua Manman: "But you said the feeling was familiar. Could it be someone you know?"

System: "I’m not from this world, how could I know anyone here? If I had to say I know anyone, besides you and Li Ji, it would only be the Main God..."

At this thought, its voice came to an abrupt halt. A very bold guess suddenly surfaced in its mind.

Its voice trembled violently. "C-Could it be that the Main God has descended?"

Hua Manman was so startled she stopped in her tracks.

She said in disbelief, "That’s not possible, right? Don’t scare me!"

The more the System thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, and its tone grew urgent.

"Why not? You’ve completely wrecked the original plot of *Palace Intrigue*. Even I have betrayed it. It can no longer control the plot, so under these circumstances, its only choice is to personally intervene. That’s the only way it can force the story back on track."

Hua Manman was incredulous. "But it’s the Main God! Aren’t gods supposed to be all-powerful? How could it intervene personally? That’s so beneath it."

System: "You don’t understand how important the plot is to it. As long as it can get the story back on track, it will do anything."

Hua Manman’s steps grew slower and slower.

Finally, she stopped where she stood.

The System asked, "Why did you stop walking?"

Hua Manman’s expression was more solemn than ever before.

"If the Main God really has descended, it must have already discovered us. It won’t let us go easily. It has probably already set an ambush near the palace gates, just waiting for me to walk into its trap."

...

「Near the palace gates.」

Under the Commander’s orders, hundreds of Yulin Guards methodically hid themselves.

They concealed themselves silently in the shadows. At a single command, they would rush out like arrows loosed from a bow to capture their target.

The Commander of the Yulin Guards spoke respectfully to an elegant, middle-aged man.

"Mr. Zhu, everything has been arranged as you instructed."

Mr. Zhu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the tall, imposing palace gates before him. He let out a soft chuckle.

"Then let’s wait. Remember, I want them alive."

"Yes!"

...

At this point, Hua Manman was already very close to the palace gates.

She only needed to round two more corners to see them.

But she stood firmly rooted to the spot, not taking another step.

The System, frantic with anxiety, fluttered its wings and took flight. ℴ

It circled around Hua Manman as it asked.

"What do we do? What should we do?"

But Hua Manman answered with an unrelated question, "I have a question I’ve been wanting to ask you."

The System said urgently, "This is no time for that! You need to think of a way to deal with this! We can talk about other things later."

During her confinement in Yufu Palace, Hua Manman had had nothing but time to think about many things, including the Main God.

From all the signs, it was clear that the Main God was dead set on killing Li Ji.

Hua Manman couldn’t let the Main God get its way.

The most direct and effective solution was to make the Main God disappear from this world completely.

To deal with the Main God, she first had to understand what exactly the Main God was.

Hua Manman said unhurriedly, "Only after I understand this question can I decide what to do next."

System: "Then ask quickly!"

Hua Manman: "What kind of existence is the Main God, exactly? Why does it want to control the course of this world’s history? What is its goal?"

The System stopped in mid-air and stammered.

"W-Why are you asking all this?"

Hua Manman reached out and pinched its little wing. "Things have come to this; I can’t let the Main God continue to cause trouble. Between me and the Main God, only one of us can survive. Who are you going to help?"

System: "You, of course."

Hua Manman: "Then tell me everything you know."

The System was intimidated by her solemn gaze and no longer dared to be evasive. It said in a small voice.

"I can’t say for sure what the Main God is, exactly. It has no physical form and can travel between dimensions. As long as it has a continuous supply of energy, it can even achieve immortality. Tens of millions of years are but the snap of a finger to it. To you humans, it’s no different from a god."

Hua Manman keenly caught the key words. "Energy supply?"

System: "Energy is extremely important to the Main God, and the source of that energy is consumption. Take this world we’re in as an example. When the Main God can completely control the development of this world’s history, it means this world has been devoured by it. This world’s energy will then be entirely at its disposal."

Hua Manman: "After being devoured, what happens to the people of this world?"

System: "They become its puppets, to be manipulated and controlled as it pleases."