Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 409 Destiny and Fate, Seeing Kunlun, Knowing Heaven and Earth, Great Terror

As one enters the path of destiny, all sorts of mysteries naturally arise in one's mind.

Zhu Jinzhen's perspective on all things underwent a dramatic change, as if he had acquired the perspective of both man and heaven. Once he activated the method of governing the dynasty, he viewed things from the perspective of heaven.

Not only can they see through fortune and misfortune at a glance, but they can also discern a person's destiny and fate.

It also allows one to see the flow of the earth's energy through rivers and mountains.

The universe changes naturally.

Space, time, matter, nature.

The mysteries of all laws are profound, and one can sense them all through a stroke of good fortune.

In short, it all boils down to one sentence.

If Zhu Jinzhen viewed everything from the perspective of the ruler of a dynasty, he would no longer be a human being, but the heavens—the heavens of the dynasty, the heavens of the Ming Dynasty. Nothing that happened in the Ming Dynasty could be hidden from him.

Everything changes, and life and death are a cycle.

He can see right through things at a glance.

"When one's fortune deepens, it becomes destiny."

"But destiny is uncertain, and there is no eternal protagonist."

"So that's how it works."

Zhu Jinzhen's gaze fell on the many so-called "protagonists" of the Ming Dynasty, except for a few such as Lu Xiaofeng, Brother Gou Shi Potian, who had a connection with his destiny and the Ming Dynasty, and whose destiny and fortune did not fluctuate much.

Characters like Xu Fengnian of Beiliang, Xiao Ruofeng of Beili, and Cheng Shifei, all so-called protagonists destined for greatness, are experiencing a decline in their fortunes.

Some even suffer a dramatic drop in fortune due to interference from certain events, transforming from protagonists with a sliver of destiny into mere extras.

Such as...

"The mandate of heaven is no longer with us; we can no longer turn danger into safety or crisis into peace."

"Even with such a miraculous encounter, could things really go so smoothly again?"

Zhu Jinzhen's gaze turned towards Luoyang in the Ming Dynasty, where he saw Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying meet. The encounter in Hengyang City was absent, and with the intervention of Lian Ni Chang and other secret guards, the Sun Moon Sect had changed hands again.

Linghu Chong's destiny and fortune plummeted to rock bottom.

Although he had better luck than most people, he still met Ren Yingying by chance.

But he was no longer the protagonist of destiny. Without the influence of destiny and fortune, Ren Yingying's feelings for Linghu Chong plummeted, and she never even considered relying on him to rescue Ren Woxing.

After ordering Old Man Green Bamboo to give him a superficial treatment for his injuries, he simply threw him out.

Their destined connection was severed.

"How interesting!"

"Fate, fate. The destiny ordained by heaven and earth is not unchangeable."

"All the protagonists are destined by fate."

"With mutual influence and competition, the strong become stronger, their fortunes flourish, and they can go further. Conversely, if their fortunes clash and they cannot compete to become stronger, but instead plunder, they will only gradually fade into obscurity."

Zhu Jinzhen smiled as he gazed at the so-called protagonists of the entire martial arts world, whose fortunes were presented to him in the form of luck, as if all things were vying for them, and the faintly visible trajectory of their destiny. He felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.

"The so-called protagonist of destiny, whose fortune is enhanced, may be favored by heaven, chosen by earth, or even more so by human fortune."

"And the fate of the nation..."

Zhu Jinzhen's gaze swept across the surrounding barbarians, and he saw dozens of remaining pillars of national fortune. Among them, the most dazzling and eye-catching were the Heavenly Fate Black Bird and the World-Suppressing Black Dragon.

"A thousand years have passed."

"The national fortunes of the Qin and Han dynasties still retain such a strong remnant."

"It's really awesome!"

Although the Heavenly Mandate Bird, representing the fate of the Great Qin Dynasty, was already hazy and ethereal, as if it would be scattered by the wind and erased by time at any moment, Zhu Jinzhen, from the perspective of the ruler of the dynasty, could clearly see the Heavenly Mandate Bird's resilience and power.

Even after a thousand years, this unique destiny belonging to the Qin Dynasty will not dissipate. And the destiny of the Han Dynasty…

This is what caught Zhu Jinzhen's attention the most.

"The Han dynasty has been gone for hundreds of years, yet the remaining national fortune is still so enormous."

"Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever the rivers flow, all is Han territory; indeed, its reputation is well-deserved."

"I'm afraid that even today, countless people still yearn for the glory of the Han Dynasty!"

Zhu Jinzhen couldn't help but sigh. He could naturally see at a glance the real reason why the national fortune of the Han Dynasty had already perished, yet the remaining national fortune was still so enormous.

One reason is naturally the two rises of the Han Dynasty, the accumulated national fortune and the recognition of the Han people throughout the world.

Secondly...

"Black Dragon Town is located in Kunlun, where demons cannot escape and immortals cannot cross it."

"Is this what Emperor Wu of Han left for posterity?"

Zhu Jinzhen's gaze pierced through the void, landing in the direction of Kunlun. The massive Kunlun Mountains, which he couldn't discern or detect even from his celestial perspective in the past, now appeared as a terrifying gaping maw, like an abyss, seemingly about to devour the entire Martial World, from Yunchao's perspective.

And the Black Dragon, representing the Great Han Dynasty, guarded that place.

only……

It has fallen into a deep sleep.

"Although the Han dynasty is gone, the Han people still live on."

"Otherwise, if the remaining national fortune of the Han Dynasty completely collapses, the Black Dragon Totem will cease to exist."

"There……"

As soon as Zhu Jinzhen's thoughts stirred, a terrifying will, as if it were the will of Heaven, enveloped the vast Kunlun Mountains. Looking down at Kunlun, his will rippled: "The darkness beyond the world? An enemy beyond the world?"

"What exactly is that?"

"Even I feel a chill run down my spine at this moment."

At this moment, Zhu Jinzhen seemed to be the embodiment of divine will.

Heaven and earth are unkind and regard all things as stupid dogs.

At this moment, Zhu Jinzhen viewed celestial beings and ordinary mortals, as well as the chickens and ducks they raised, no differently. Moreover, as the ruler of the dynasty, even if he had only recently assumed the position, with the support of the Ming Dynasty, his current power was enough to shatter thousands of mountains and boil ten thousand rivers with a flick of his finger.

Even looking through the black dragon at that enormous, abyss-like maw, a strong sense of unease would rise in one's heart.

This shocked Zhu Jinzhen.

"Not just here."

Zhu Jinzhen's gaze swept across the vast world of the martial arts world. On a distant island overseas, there was something similar, but it was not as terrifying as the one in Kunlun Mountain. Compared to Kunlun, it was just a small rift.

And in the Sui Dynasty...

"The Temple of War Gods has appeared simultaneously in the Sui Dynasty and deep in the grasslands."

"Spatial rift, twisted and folded?"

Zhu Jinzhen's thoughts flashed through his mind, but he quickly stopped paying attention. Although he was curious about the War God's Record in the War God's Temple, he didn't really crave it. What really caught his attention was the demonic dragon inside the War God's Temple.

The terrestrial celestial dragons are not worth mentioning.

But Zhu Jinzhen couldn't help but take another look at the dragon itself.

"That demonic dragon, is it from beyond this world?"

"Were you captured and suppressed by Guang Chengzi back then?"

"Or have they been infected by something that's either demonic or ominous?"

Zhu Jinzhen's will trembled. He knew that this was the tremor of the time when the Lord of the Dynasty, who was incarnation of the Heavenly Will of the Dynasty, was about to end. However, he still insisted on scanning his surroundings a few times, wanting to see more of the terror and darkness hidden beneath the calm of the martial arts world.

(End of this chapter)