Start with a photographic memory and build a memory palace

Chapter 313 Destiny
……

Upon hearing Li Shimin mention this point, Wu Wen suddenly realized a crucial issue.

The Yellow Emperor defeated Chiyou of the Jiuli!
But if things are really as Li Shimin described, then the current situation should not be so simple.

Wu Wen did not interrupt Li Shimin, but chose to continue listening and wait for what was to come.

Li Shimin's subsequent words also provided the answer to Wu Wen's doubts.

"Back then, due to the different gods they worshipped, conflicts frequently arose between the Central Plains and the Jiuli, and finally the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan and Chiyou of the Jiuli broke out in the final battle."

"With the help of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, the Yellow Emperor finally defeated Chi You and brought the Jiuli under his rule!"

At this point, Li Shimin couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.

"However, despite the victory of the Yellow Emperor, for some unknown reason, as the Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven from Dinghu, he left the mortal world together with the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady."

"Therefore, the Jiuli, who were not completely wiped out, continued to pose a threat to the rule of the dynasty left by the Yellow Emperor."

"It was not until King Wu's conquest of Zhou that the theocratic rule established since the time of the Yellow Emperor was completely ended, ushering in a new era of divine mandate and monarchical power!"

Li Shimin's words were all summaries, fragments of ancient information he had gleaned from the remaining fragments.

From the time of the Yellow Emperor's ascension to the throne at Dinghu Lake to King Wu's conquest of the Shang Dynasty, countless magnificent stories must have unfolded during this long period.

Wu Wen recalled the records about the Yellow Emperor's ascension to heaven from Dinghu.

Legend has it that after unifying China, the Yellow Emperor, guided by the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens, collected copper from Shouyang Mountain and cast a tripod at the foot of Jing Mountain. On the day the tripod was completed, a golden dragon descended from the sky, carrying the Yellow Emperor and more than seventy others to ascend to heaven.

At the same time, Wu Wen also combined the various experiences he had encountered during his cultivation and the ancient mysteries he had discovered with Li Shimin's summary.

Surprisingly, they were found to be connected, forming a complete historical picture.

After the Yellow Emperor came the Yu, Xia, and Shang dynasties.

From an institutional perspective, the ruling model of these three dynasties was a highly centralized tribal alliance system.

Detailed records can be found in classic texts such as Zuo Zhuan, Records of the Grand Historian, and Han Feizi.

All three dynasties established a bureaucracy and various systems, implemented the "Five Codes," reformed the criminal law, collected tributes, and carried out cultural development, among other things.

This indicates that during the reign of the Yellow Emperor, his rule already possessed a complete institutional system.

On the contrary, the feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty undermined this centralized system.

While the Zhou Dynasty did indeed arbitrarily allocate territories outside its borders to feudal lords, this nominal enfeoffment undoubtedly undermined the system. Once something is given away, it's very difficult to take it back.

—

Wu Wen still remembers the information he obtained from the 'Nine Vine God', a former sacrificial spirit from beneath Gaochang.

The 'Nine Vine God' was originally a sacrificial spirit of a tribe outside the territory of the Shang Dynasty.

They originally lived a peaceful and stable life, but the entire tribe was destroyed by the invasion of the Shang Dynasty. The sacrificial spirit, the Nine Vine God, was also strangled, leaving only a single root that has survived to this day.

This incident reveals the Shang Dynasty's suppression of surrounding tribes and sacrificial spirits.

This was actually a continuation of the war between the Yellow Emperor and the Jiuli.

Fundamentally, this is actually a confrontation between two theocratic systems.

Although a centralized system is perfect, if people are ruled for too long, it is like being trapped in a cage, and they will always want to break free.

However, if the world remains in a state of fragmentation, it is very easy for chaos to form, which is also not conducive to development.

Thinking about this, Wu Wen suddenly felt that the cyclical pattern of division followed by unification and unification in this world might not be a bad rule. Just like the alternation of yin and yang, this cyclical pattern is more likely to lead to stable development.

"This...could this be the 'destiny' model that the gods have set for humanity today?!"

The more Wu Wenyue analyzed it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Because through his interactions and understanding, he had already discovered that the polarization of this world was extremely severe.

Ordinary people are just ordinary folks, but there are countless extraordinary practitioners in religions such as Taoism and Buddhism.

However, despite the extreme polarization between the two sides, they have been able to coexist peacefully, which suggests that there must have been a system in place to constrain them.

Looking back on his past actions, Wu Wen realized that although he had been touching the bottom line of the system, he had never truly crossed it.

Even if he were to stir up trouble, it would still be in a foreign land.

Thinking of this, Wu Wen looked up at Li Shimin and thought to himself: If he gave the elixir of immortality to Li Shimin, what awaited him afterward would definitely be no ordinary storm.

Despite Wu Wen's awareness of this, he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

It's because he's been living a comfortable life for too long; sometimes, taking a slight leap can bring unexpected rewards.

Wu Wen suddenly fell into deep thought.

His mind was racing with rapid deductions and analyses, weighing the pros and cons and constantly debating between the two options: following the established path of cultivation and forging ahead against the current.

Seeing Wu Wen suddenly become conflicted, Li Shimin immediately stared intently at him, trying to glean something from his expression.

After analyzing and contemplating for a long time, Wu Wen suddenly calmed down, exhaled slightly, and looked at Li Shimin with a smile. That strange look made Li Shimin somewhat puzzled.

Based on the analysis just now, Wu Wen has already arrived at the answer.

Sometimes you really need to be flexible and adaptable. While you are practicing your spiritual cultivation steadily, you can also try to seek some radical methods, as long as you can grasp the right degree!

"Your Majesty, sometimes the pursuit of eternity does not necessarily mean living forever."

Wu Wen said calmly, "After all, immortality is, to some extent, a curse."

"So, why don't you try thinking about it from a different perspective?"

"Sometimes, there is more than one path to immortality."

Hearing Wu Wen's words, Li Shimin felt somewhat puzzled. After thinking for a moment, he asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

Wu Wen looked at him with a smile: "How many times can an emperor in the mortal world enjoy such glory?"

"Have you ever thought about becoming the emperor of the underworld?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's expression changed abruptly, and he asked solemnly, "What do you mean by that?"

"What it means is, of course, the literal meaning!"

Wu Wen said to him with a smile.

"How boring it is for you to live alone in this world, watching the people around you grow old and die one by one. Sometimes, immortality is truly as lonely as snow."

"How about I help you become an emperor in the underworld, so you can truly enjoy eternal rule?" Wu Wen's whispered words echoed in Li Shimin's ears like a devil's seductive enticement.

……

(End of this chapter)