He changed Tiwat

If one holds the principles of Heaven in one's heart, there is nothing to fear from external things.

The Sea God, unaware of the meaning of the poem Han Fulai recited, pointed his spear, and the dragon-shaped water cannon erupted, carrying an aura of destruction as it hurtled towards Han Fulai in the air.

Han Fulai remained completely unfazed, even a smile appearing on his face. He extended his right index finger, pointing it at the menacing water cannon:

"The sea is calm and the waves are three thousand miles long, the moon is bright and the wind blows down from the sky."

The power of the earth's veins solidified, transforming into one object. Suddenly, a nine-ringed tin staff appeared in the void, piercing through the water cannon and striking the giant dragon directly.

The water cannons in flight suddenly stopped, shattered, and turned into a torrential downpour that fell into the sea. The giant dragon made of seawater also vanished and returned to the ocean.

The sea was still, without a ripple.

Behind Han Fulai, a phantom of an elderly man with a scholar's cap and a gaunt face was chanting softly: "Do you know that in the vast expanse of heaven and earth, there is only this spiritual light? People are separated by their physical forms. My spiritual light is the master of heaven, earth, ghosts, and gods. Without my spiritual light, who would look up to the heavens? Without my spiritual light, who would look down to the earth? Without my spiritual light, who would discern good fortune and misfortune among ghosts and gods? Without my spiritual light, heaven, earth, ghosts, gods, and all things would cease to exist."

In Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, there exists a priori and eternal existence—the principle of Heaven.

All things are governed by a single principle of nature; by understanding this principle, one understands all things.

—And thus it came to rule over all things.

Although this place is in the sea, the Cloud Sea belongs to Liyue. The land of Liyue shall be governed by the principles of Liyue.

Now, with the power of the earth's veins energies empowering him and resonating with the principles of Liyue, if he was considered a "pseudo-immortal" when he used Zhongli's immortal power before, he is now a "pseudo-god." In this space, he is the very essence of Liyue!

The phantom disappeared, and Han Fulai looked down at the bewildered Poseidon from his high position—just as Morax had looked down at his opponent back then.

Han Fulai had already realized—that book of ancient poems was a cultivation manual given to him by Zhongli!

Gu Hua was a figure from four thousand years ago. Four thousand years is enough time for the world to change drastically. How could the poems and lyrics passed down by Gu Hua not have been lost? How come this book of ancient poems and lyrics can still be preserved so completely? Because it was compiled and written by Zhong Li, a rock demon who has lived for six thousand years! Only someone with such an "excellent memory" as Zhong Li could have written down the entire book of ancient poems and lyrics from memory.

When Zhongli spoke with him at the teahouse on the rock, he instructed him to find the secret of the Ancient Hua Sect, and everything was already arranged! As long as he has enough comprehension, he will naturally obtain the power that Zhongli has prepared for him.

As a gamer, Han Fulai knew that each of the seven kingdoms on the continent of Teyvat had its own laws. For example, Mondstadt's law was "Freedom," Inazuma's was "Eternity," and Liyue's was "Contract." These laws represented the philosophies of the seven ruling governments of the seven kingdoms.

But why is Liyue called the "Land of Contracts"? Just because Zhongli is the "God of Contracts"? Then why isn't Liyue called the "Land of Commerce"? Zhongli is clearly also the "God of Commerce".

Because a so-called "contract" is a kind of "ethics"! Ethics unfolds according to contracts, fulfilling responsibilities and obligations according to contracts, and bearing moral consequences for breach of contract.

As the saying goes, "the law is the minimum standard of morality." The essence of Liyue is "rule by virtue," and it emphasizes "ethics and morality."

Just as Confucianism in China emphasizes "rule by virtue," Zhongli, the Geo Archon, is essentially a Confucian monarch from ancient China! Liyue's contract is about political achievements, outwardly Confucian but inwardly Legalist.

Once you understand these things, you'll be able to understand the unique aspects of Liyue.

For example, Zhongli is clearly a demon god, so why does he cultivate immortality? How did he become the "ancestor of all immortals"?

—Because Neo-Confucianism teaches that "there is only one Dao between heaven and earth, and only one principle; all things follow the same principle. Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows nature."

For example, how did the Yaksha from the Buddhist Eight Legions of Devas and Asuras become the "Asura Yaksha" of Liyue?

—Because Neo-Confucianism teaches the Buddhist concept of self-discipline, "preserving heavenly principles and eliminating human desires," and is "outwardly Confucian but inwardly Buddhist."

For example, why did Zhongli "have no interest in vying for power but know the suffering of the common people"? And why was he able to easily give up the throne he had held for 3,700 years?

—Because Neo-Confucianism teaches the Confucian ideal of "governing the country and bringing peace to the world," and emphasizes that "the people are the foundation, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important."

Liyue's inclusiveness and Zhongli's eclecticism represent the syncretism of the three schools of thought in Neo-Confucianism!

Zhongli's philosophy is based on Confucianism, and Zhongli's "Heavenly Principle" is the Heavenly Principle of Confucianism! The essence of Liyue is a country ruled by a Confucian sage. Zhongli uses virtue as the outward form of governance and the rule of law as the inner essence, cultivates the mind through Confucianism, and governs through practical achievements.

If Han Fu were to summarize, it would be in eight words—

"Outwardly Confucian, inwardly Legalist; inwardly a sage, outwardly a king!"

He snapped his fingers at the sea god on the ground, and a celestial star reappeared above the sea god's head.

"Heavenly Justice Will Resist!"

Chapter 119 I humbly request, the Sea God to offer his head

Han Fulai is the kind of player who's very "meticulous" when doing weekly dungeons. What does "meticulous" mean? It means that if conditions allow, he'll switch to Zhongli when the boss has only a sliver of health left and unleash "Heavenly Movement". Well, there's no special reason; it's just that the Emperor looks really cool when he uses his ultimate skill.

He believed that there was nothing that "Heavenly Movement" couldn't solve, and if there was, then he would use "Heavenly Principles" to resolve it.

This time, the sea god was no longer able to gather seawater to fight against the celestial stars.

This is not only related to the excessive consumption of his demonic power, but also because Han Fulai now has the power of law to suppress the Sea God.

Han Fulai is now wielding the power of the Liyue ley lines with a Confucian mindset, and he also possesses the immortal power bestowed upon him by Zhongli. Except for his insufficient cultivation, he is essentially equivalent to Zhongli himself. In Han Fulai's own words, he is currently in a state of "borrowing authority," having borrowed the power of the Rock King.

Poseidon, a daemon who does not agree with Liyue's ideology, will be suppressed by the laws of authority when fighting on Liyue's home turf. Therefore, Poseidon's control over the water element has now dropped to its lowest point, while Han Fulai's power has reached its peak, even achieving the feat of smashing two celestial bodies.

However, the sea god would not sit idly by. He mustered his remaining strength and transformed into an avatar of his true form, a giant standing tall between heaven and earth. He unleashed all his demonic power and launched a fierce attack on the falling celestial star.

This attack was insufficient to destroy Tianxing, but it prevented Tianxing from being directly struck.

The clash between the fists of Tianxing and the incarnation of the Sea God caused an unexpected explosion, petrifying the entire sea surface and making it seem as if an island had instantly sprung up from the sea.

Poseidon was clearly also severely injured and could no longer hold on. He knelt on one knee, his breathing disordered, and he seemed on the verge of fainting at any moment.

With Han Fulai's current abundant earth vein power, he is fully capable of delivering another blow to the Sea God, but this would inevitably harm Shen He's body. This is a situation he must avoid.

Han Fulai landed slowly from mid-air.

He began by asking, "Now, can we talk this out calmly?"

"Talk about...what?" Poseidon asked breathlessly.

"Let's talk about possession. I still sincerely invite you to possess me, of course, while I am still conscious. As for who will prevail between your consciousness and mine, that's up to fate," Han Fulai said calmly.

“...It seems I have no choice.” Poseidon lowered his spear, a bitter smile on his face.

“Yes, you have no choice but to accept it.” Han Fulai walked closer to the Sea God step by step until he was a few steps away from him.

The sea god formed a series of mysterious hand gestures, and black phantoms gradually emerged from Shen He's body. Clearly, these were the true forms of the demon god's remnants.

“...Remove...the Jade Shield...otherwise...we can’t get in…” The Sea God’s voice was broken and intermittent, clearly very weak.

"Okay." Han Fulai nodded, clasped his hands together, and the golden shield slowly disappeared.

The moment the shield completely disappeared, a spear suddenly sprang up from the ground and pierced straight into Han Fulai's chest!

Poseidon had long been prepared for this counterattack, just waiting for Han Fu to fall into the trap.

Bright red blood flowed down the tip of the Disaster Relief Spear.

"Hehehe... Heir of Morax, you will eventually die by my hand!" Poseidon laughed wildly as he watched the tip of his spear pierce Han Fulai's chest.

"...Heh, you've fallen into my trap." Han Fulai's voice was completely calm. He had been waiting for this moment to make this proposal to the Sea God.

Seize the moment the Disaster Relief Spear is ready!

Although the spear tip pierced his chest, it did not penetrate too deeply, and the spearhead did not damage his heart—because Han Fulai's hands, as if anticipating the opponent's attack path, were waiting in front of his chest and grasped the tip of the Xizai Spear at the first moment.

If he were skilled in martial arts and reacted faster, the spear thrust by the Sea God in his weakened state wouldn't have even scratched his chest. Moreover, even if he were wounded, with the blessing of "Descending Heavenly Splendor," Han Fulai believed he would recover quickly.

Poseidon increased the pressure in his hands, hoping to push the spearhead into Han Fulai's chest, but Han Fulai's hands were as strong as a thousand pounds, gripping the tip of the Disaster-Suppressing Spear, and no matter how much Poseidon urged him, he couldn't advance an inch. After all, Han Fulai was now empowered by the earth's veins, and in terms of strength, he was by no means weaker than Poseidon in his current state.

“Killing is for the sake of protecting life; cutting off karma is not the same as killing a person.” Han Fulai recited this sentence.

The Disaster-Suppressing Spear trembled suddenly, and the spearhead once again shone with a blood-red radiance, mingling with the blood flowing from Han Fulai's chest, creating a strikingly beautiful sight.

The Sea God was horrified to discover that Xi Zai seemed to possess a self-awareness, struggling to break free from his grasp. He tightened his grip, holding the weapon that was not originally his. His intuition told him that if the gun fell into Han Fulai's hands, something even worse would likely happen.

At the same time, another consciousness within the sea god's body is gradually awakening.

Shen He felt as if she were sinking to the bottom of the sea, surrounded by seawater, with a faint light above her head. She heard a familiar voice calling her, but the voice was blocked by the layers of seawater and was not very clear to her ears.

She struggled to swim towards the surface of the sea along the light, but the surrounding seawater seemed to be getting thicker and thicker, as if it were pulling at her limbs and preventing her from floating to the surface.

"Shen He! Wake up, Shen He!" Han Fulai shouted.

Poseidon's face was pale, and large beads of sweat poured from his forehead. He was currently exerting all his mental strength to suppress Shen He's consciousness. He couldn't understand why the girl's consciousness had been able to awaken. Based on his past experience, once the consciousness of a possessed person was swallowed up, they would fall into a deep slumber in the sea of ​​consciousness, with no possibility of regaining their body.

—But this girl was able to suppress his consciousness when she was only six years old. This strong will even amazed him, a demon god. If given more time, she might really be able to regain control of her body.

Seeing this, Han Fulai increased the force in his hand, pulled the Disaster-Suppressing Spear from his chest, and slowly pushed it toward the Sea God's chest.

Poseidon didn't know what Han Fulai was planning, but he was certain it wasn't anything good. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "It's no use! My possession can never be broken. At most, I'll just perish together with this girl!"

For the sea god, such a threat was an abhorrence of his dignity; for a dignified sea god to use the girl he possessed as a hostage was utterly despicable. But he couldn't care less; only by living could he exact revenge and find another body.

Han Fulai didn't answer. Theoretically, what the Sea God said was true. Trying to expel the demonic remnants possessing the body by external force was virtually impossible, as evidenced by Xiao's behavior and the information Bai Shu provided. If he truly killed the Sea God, he would also kill Shen He. The best outcome would be to reseal the demonic remnants—but even that wouldn't solve the problem or truly save Shen He.

Han Fulai decided to believe in himself and in his unique status as a transmigrator from China. Although this was unprecedented on the Teyvat continent, Han Fulai was determined to give it a try.

He read aloud the last poem in the collection of ancient Chinese poems, a poem titled "Man Jiang Hong".

"So many things, always in a hurry."

Han Fulai unleashed the power of the earth's veins, his aura surging, seemingly intent on crushing his enemy. The Sea God, who was already kneeling on one knee, was forced to kneel down involuntarily by Han Fulai's oppressive aura.

"The world turns, time presses on."

Although there are many demons and monsters on the continent of Teyvat, in China, after the founding of the nation, it is forbidden for them to become spirits.

"Ten thousand years is too long, seize the day."

There are gods on the continent of Teyvat, but in China, the gods said, "Let there be light," and after research, discussion, and approval by the organization, light came into being.

"The seas are churning and the clouds are raging; the five continents are shaking and the winds and thunder are roaring."

Souls exist on the continent of Teyvat, but in China, they cannot be reincarnated without permission.

"We must eradicate all harmful pests and be invincible!"

Han Fulai gripped the tip of the Disaster Relief Spear, let out a loud shout, and channeled every last bit of power from his body into the spear.

The butt of the Calamity-Suppressing Spear pierced Shen He's chest, splattering blood everywhere.

The sea god's eyes widened, and a black phantom appeared outside Shen He's body.

"...You...you actually..."

"We, the successors of the Great Harmony Society, will sweep away all demons and monsters."

Han Fulai reached out and pinched the black phantom that was overflowing from Shen He's body.

"For Shenhe's return to the mortal world, for Liyue's prosperity and military strength... I humbly request that the Sea God offer his head!"

He crushed the head of the sea god's remains.

Chapter 120 I've Come to Take You Home

Having successfully destroyed the consciousness of the remnants of the Sea God, Han Fulai breathed a sigh of relief and carefully pulled the Disaster-Suppressing Spear slowly from Shen He's chest.

The spearhead of the Calamity-Slaying Spear is sharp, causing deep wounds. Even though Shen He is a disciple of an immortal and has a special physique, such wounds could still be life-threatening.

—If he hadn't shown the determination to kill the Sea God even at the cost of Shen He's life, the Sea God wouldn't have so easily broken free of his possession. He wanted the Sea God to believe, in his panic, that Shen He was no longer of any value as a hostage.

This is the "Russian-style hostage rescue" that Han Fulai often saw in the news in China: shoot the hostage first, and then the kidnappers will have no more hostages to use!

Han Fulai dared to do this because he was confident that he wouldn't really harm Shen He.

As the saying goes: "Everyone has their own compass, and the root of all changes lies in the heart. Yet we laugh at our past misunderstandings, searching for answers in the branches and leaves."

—From the perspective of "Yangming's philosophy of mind", the "mind" is the master of all things.

Zhongli is the "Ancestor of All Immortals," and as the patriarch, his immortal power naturally governs all beings. When Han Fulai comprehends the mental cultivation method and uses the principles of philosophy to drive the power within his body, all power can be controlled at will, and the immortal power that Gan Yu left in his body is also under his control.

He dared to take the Sea God's spear to his chest because he had Gan Yu's "Heavenly Splendor of Descending the Masses" within him, and he dared to stab Shen He because he also relied on Gan Yu's "Heavenly Splendor of Descending the Masses".

He just transferred all the power in his body to the Disaster Relief Spear, which included not only the power of the earth veins but also Gan Yu's "Heavenly Descending Flower"!

As soon as the Disaster-Suppressing Spear left Shen He's body, his wounds were healed by "Heavenly Splendor of Descending Masses," leaving no trace.

Of course, the ability to expel the remnants of the sea god's consciousness from Shenhe's body wasn't solely due to this small trick. Otherwise, the immortals would have already used similar methods to eliminate the remnants of the demon god, and Xiao wouldn't always be suffering from karmic burdens.

What truly made a difference was the earth vein power he infused into the Disaster Relief Spear—his "Dao".

Legend has it that when a person's desire is strong enough, the gods will cast their gaze upon him—this is the origin of the "eye of God".

On the continent of Teyvat, every holder of a "Vision," also known as a "Genshin Impact" or "Spirit," possesses a powerful desire. However, as a gamer, Han Fulai knows very well that a strong enough desire alone is not enough to obtain a Vision. Almost every merchant in Liyue desires to become incredibly wealthy, their desires are undeniably strong, yet very few obtain a Vision. This suggests that the legend may not be entirely true, or at least not the whole truth.

According to Han Fulai, the process of obtaining the Eye of God is less about "a strong desire being seen by the gods" and more about "ideas being recognized by the gods." In more mystical terms, the holder of the Eye of God receives "feedback from the Great Dao." Ultimately, each holder of the Eye of God has their own "Dao."

For example, Xingqiu has the way of chivalry, Yanfei has the way of law... and the demon gods above the holders of the Eye of God, such as Zhongli, also have their own way of philosophy.

Han Fulai's "Dao" is the "Dao" from China.

Every successor to the Great Harmony Society inherits the "Dao" from that gentleman.

As the saying goes, "literature carries the Way," and the poems passed down through the ages in China also contain the poet's "Way." The power that Han Fulai just exerted was a resonance of the "Way."

The demon gods on the continent of Teyvat are virtually immortal. Even if they lose their bodies and powers, and their divine status is extinguished, their remaining will and power are still indestructible. At least on the continent of Teyvat, there is no way to destroy the will of a demon god; at most, it can only be sealed.

But that gentleman's "Tao" can break through the shackles of a thousand years, shatter the chains that bind people all over the world, break down an old world, and build a new world!