Chapter 1248 The Road Ahead 4k
Xiqi Palace.

"Mr. Guigu! The manuscript I promised you. After so many years, I have only completed thirty-two hexagrams."

"Not bad, managing such a big business in Xiqi, and completing the thirty-two hexagrams."

Wang Ming was holding a bamboo slip in his hand, on which were engraved the first thirty-two hexagrams of the Book of Changes.

That is what makes up the bamboo slips.

The "Book of Changes" was no longer the original version in later generations and was extensively modified by Confucianists, but the images of the sixty-four hexagrams were still passed down, with only some of the hexagram words being tampered with.

Wang Ming knew the sixty-four hexagrams, but he could not give any hint to King Wen Jichang.

Feel the bamboo slips in your hand.

It is now just a more refined and high-end bamboo slip from the mortal world, without any extraordinary features.

Only after Ji Chang has completed it will the special characteristics of his spirit be revealed.

Just when Wang Ming was still checking the bamboo slips.

Suddenly a servant came to report that Prime Minister Jiang Ziya wanted to see him.

Wang Ming and Ji Chang both wondered what Jiang Ziya was doing here.

When Jiang Ziya was invited back to Xiqi by Ji Chang, he naturally did not immediately raise an army to attack King Zhou. Even if Jiang Ziya was willing, Ji Chang would not allow Jiang Ziya to send troops to attack the Shang Dynasty.

"See you, Your Majesty!"

Jiang Ziya walked into the hall from outside, wearing a luxurious silver cloak and a golden crown on his head.

His mental state at this moment was completely different from that of previous years.

Before, he looked like a shabby old man with a spirited look, but now he exudes an air of nobility and a hint of a superior.

"Why is he here?" Jiang Ziya glanced at Wang Ming, who was standing not far from where Ji Chang was going to attack. His eyes suddenly became stern and he became confused.

During these years in Xiqi, he found that Wang Ming basically stayed in the yard and rarely went out, so his hostility towards Wang Ming gradually dissipated.

"The Prime Minister is here, but is there anything unusual happening in Chaoge?"

No matter what Jiang Ziya was thinking, he could not behave impolitely in front of King Awen Jichang, so he had to get down to business immediately.

"I saw the border report yesterday that King Zhou dug out Bigan's heart and made soup to cure Daji's illness. Chonghouhu disrupted the government and tyrannized the ministers... Now the people are in dire straits. Your Majesty should be kind and righteous. If you follow my humble opinion, you should first kill these traitors and eliminate those who disrupt the government. Then there will be no slanderers around the emperor, and he may become the emperor." Jiang Ziya said with a righteous expression.

Wang Ming stood aside and listened quietly. Jiang Ziya's words could be simply described as "destroying the emperor's entourage and punishing the treacherous minister Chong Houhu."

The crime charged against Chong Houhu was that he supervised the construction of Lu Tai, which caused great waste of money and manpower and brought disaster to the country and the people.

Wang Ming almost couldn't control his expression at this charge.

When Emperor Xin built the Lu Tai, it brought disaster to the country and the people; when Xiqi carried out large-scale construction of the Ling Tai, it benefited the country and the people.

If Zhou had not won in the end, Jiang Ziya would have been criticized to death by historians for this excuse.

and,

Xiqi built not only one Lingtai, but also a Fengshentai.

Wang Ming looked at Jiang Ziya and thought to himself, "Is he targeting Chonghouhu so much because he failed in supervising the Lutai Tower and now Chonghouhu has succeeded in building it, so he can't lose face?"

After listening to Jiang Ziya's proposal, King Wen Jichang thought for a moment and said, "Chonghouhu and I are both your subjects. It is not right for me to take the initiative to attack Chonghouhu."

What Ji Chang cared most about was that his expedition must be well-known.

Combining the orthodox teachings and the Xiqi teachings, we can see that the bigger the fist, the more powerful it is. The victors are the kings and the losers are the bandits. History is written by the victors.

But Ji Chang knew very well that he was playing a game of power.

He has to follow the rules.

You cannot break the rules. Rules are power. If you break the rules, you are breaking the power.

Xiqi was very powerful in this era.

Except for the Shang Dynasty, the other princely forces could be crushed.

But no matter how powerful Xiqi was, he could not withstand the attack from the princes.

So he must have a legitimate reason.

Overthrowing Emperor Xin requires a correct reason, a reason that everyone can accept, and the reason must be within the rules.

otherwise,

Even if he overthrew Emperor Xin, he, Xiqi, would not be able to hold on to the throne.

Just as he rebelled against Emperor Xin, the other princes could rebel against him in the same way.

For example: Dong Zhuo rebelled against his superiors and deposed the emperor, so Cao Cao took a knife and stabbed Dong Zhuo; Cao Cao used the emperor to control the princes, and Sima Yi followed suit; Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate, and Sima Zhao followed suit; the Sima family...

The rules cannot be broken arbitrarily, otherwise it will become an endless cycle.

"My lord, you have the white flag and yellow axe bestowed by the emperor, which gives you the power to fight and suppress violence and eliminate evil. It is just the right time to kill treacherous people like Chong Houhu." Jiang Ziya immediately added to dispel King Wen's hesitation.

Ji Chang thought about it and decided that attacking Chonghouhu would be a legitimate move. Firstly, it would spread his reputation, secondly, it would expand his territory, and thirdly, it would weaken the power of King Zhou.

King Wen thought for a moment, then asked, "Would the Grand Master be willing to lead the troops on my behalf to defeat Chonghouhu?"

"I don't know how to lead troops, and I'm afraid it will delay important matters." Wang Ming quickly refused.

A trace of disappointment flashed across King Wen Ji Chang's eyes at an imperceptible speed.

Ji Fa went to study with Wang Ming every day of the year, and learned all kinds of knowledge from Wang Ming.

It was through Ji Fa that Ji Chang learned that Wang Ming's interests were so broad that he was truly an all-rounder.

Political economy, farming and animal husbandry, military strategy, diplomatic lobbying...

Very proficient in all aspects.

Ji Chang finally sighed in his heart: "Alas! After all, I, Xiqi, have nothing that can impress him!"

Jiang Ziya, who was standing by, immediately bowed and said, "I am willing to serve the king as a servant."

Immediately,

Ji Chang said to Jiang Ziya, "I am worried that the Prime Minister will kill too many people this time. It would be better if I go with the Prime Minister. If there is any other problem, we can discuss it together."

To put it bluntly, I'm still a little worried about Jiang Ziya.

When Jiang Ziya entered Xiqi, he had no experience in leading troops.

Jiang Ziya naturally did not dare to refuse since his boss had spoken: "Your Majesty, please come and lead the army in person. The whole world will respond."

When Wang Ming saw that they were about to start discussing sending troops, he immediately said goodbye to Ji Chang.

Although Wang Ming has the ability to kill the two people in front of him at any time, he does not have the mentality of being superior and looking down on others like ants.

Not to mention the loss of luck that would result from killing Ji Chang, the forces behind Jiang Ziya are not easy to deal with.

and,

Wang Ming himself rose from a weak mortal, so naturally he would not discriminate against or look down on mortals.

After practicing for a long time, it is indeed easy to develop a self-centered and arrogant attitude towards all living beings as ants.

For example: Emperor Shitian is a typical example. He lived too long and became bored and crazy.

Wang Ming’s strength comes from traveling through the worlds.

At this moment, you have reached the highest point in one world, and because of the world limit, you will immediately go to a more advanced world.

When you reach the advanced world, you will immediately lie down on the ground and develop in a sneaky way.

Naturally, there will not be any kind of arrogant, self-centered, or egocentric mentality.

·······
A courtyard with a minimalist style.

Wang Ming lay on the chair, holding a bamboo slip in one hand and reading it carefully. This bamboo slip was the "Book of Changes" taken from Ji Chang.

The current Zhouyi is still incomplete, and Wang Ming originally did not want to take it, but when he thought about Ji Chang and Jiang Ziya going to fight Chonghouhu, he would not have time to continue compiling the Zhouyi.

The content on the bamboo slips is very exquisite.

Although incomplete, the content is absolutely valuable.

It can be regarded as the Bible for fortune tellers, but unfortunately it is still too simple for Wang Ming.

Since Wang Ming was an illegal resident, he had never specifically studied the method of deducing the secrets of heaven, but with his cultivation level, he could see the fate of many mortals at a glance even without deducing it.

One only needs to look at the strength of his luck to understand that person's life or death, good or bad fortune.

but,

That's all.

He came to pick up and continued to wait.

Wang Ming shook his head and was about to put down the bamboo slips in his hand when he felt a familiar yet strange breath coming from his palm.

He was stunned for a moment, then reacted instantly, opened his third eye, and scanned the bamboo slips in his hand a few times.

"It seems that I have underestimated the Book of Changes. There are only 32 hexagrams, but they actually contain some meritorious power.

This book, once completed, can probably be used as a magic weapon to suppress destiny. No wonder the Zhou Dynasty lasted for eight hundred years."

Wang Ming speculated that when the "Book of Changes" was completed, its function would probably be comparable to that of an innate spiritual treasure.

"Unfortunately, what I need now is not merit, but the understanding of rules and the direction of the future."

then,

Wang Ming lay flat on the wooden reclining chair, holding the bamboo slips in one hand, and began to meditate with his eyes closed.

After breaking through to the Golden Immortal level on his own, he no longer had any subsequent skills to practice, and now he only had three options.

One is to create your own skills, two is to give up the immortal path and turn to practicing special energy, and three is to find a saint in this world to become his disciple.

It is easy to deduce the skills at a lower level, but it is not easy to reach the level of Daluo Jinxian.

The normal path of immortality, after cultivating to the level of Daluo Jinxian, focuses on comprehending the rules of heaven and earth, while at the same time balancing one's own magic power with the rules of heaven and earth.

Finally, after one's own magic power and main cultivation rules have reached perfection, one can switch to practicing another technique.
-
"The Method of Killing the Three Corpses".

He used special means to cut out the good corpse, the evil corpse and the self corpse from his body, and used three innate magic weapons to carry the clones.

Killing off one corpse can bring you to the early stage of quasi-sainthood, killing off two corpses can bring you to the middle stage of quasi-sainthood, and killing off three corpses can bring you to the late stage of quasi-sainthood.

Finally, if the three corpses are united with oneself again, one can obtain the position of Hunyuan Daluo Jinxian, which is commonly known as a saint.

Wang Ming was skeptical about the "Method of Killing the Three Corpses".

Wang Ming was not sure how many people this technique had been passed on to, but so far the only one who had successfully practiced it was Hongjun Daozu himself.

The Supreme Sage, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Tongtian Jiaozhu all gained merit from heaven and earth by establishing religions and finally attained sainthood.

Wang Ming is very confident in his understanding and qualifications, but he has never been so arrogant as to think that he is more powerful than Taishang, Yuanshi and Tongtian.

Even these top-notch innate creatures cannot succeed in their cultivation, let alone an acquired creature like Wang Ming?

Therefore,
Wang Ming had been trying to carve out his own path a long time ago.

In the endless cycle of the "Super Beast Armed World", he deduced the skills 30,000 times, which allowed him to successfully find a direction.

pity,

The reincarnation in that world is so deceptive.

One reincarnation lasts only 7 days.

Although deducing and experimenting with skills in the cycle of time can offset the impact of failure on the body, it still takes seven days to go back and forth.

If you deduce a beginning, you won’t be able to proceed with the rest.

Just like planting a tree, you find the first step of planting a tree, dig the soil and then bury the tree. But if you want to see the progress later, it takes more than 7 days to verify.

Especially after reaching the Golden Immortal stage. It takes thousands or even tens of thousands of years to cultivate without any progress, so what can be accomplished in seven days?
It is precisely for this reason that Wang Ming broke free from the cycle of that world and left.

Otherwise, it would be a perfect place to experiment with martial arts.

Wang Ming, who was lying on the recliner, suddenly woke up, sat up abruptly, then glanced around and found that no one was watching here.

He immediately focused his eyes on the bamboo slips in his hand.

"There is actually such a method?" Wang Ming looked at the bamboo slips in surprise.

Just now, after Wang Ming was fascinated by the laws of heaven and earth and the deduction of a technique, some fluctuations of magical power unconsciously emanated from his body.

The magic power quietly entered the bamboo slips in his hand.

then,

The thirty-two hexagrams of the Book of Changes appeared in Wang Ming's mind. They began to assist Wang Ming in deducing the martial arts and comprehending the laws of heaven and earth.

Its assistance,

It is mainly to help avoid mistakes and detours.

"It seems that the Book of Changes will be my greatest gain in this world." Wang Ming was overjoyed and kept stroking the bamboo slips in his hands.

"It turns out they have such effects. I wonder if I can deduce faster if I get the "Hetu" and "Luoshu"." Wang Ming thought to himself.

The River Chart and the Luo Shu are the origins of this world's calculation method.

but,

Wang Ming quickly dispelled this idea. The "Hetu" and "Luoshu" still deduced everything through the way of heaven, and Wang Ming, an illegal immigrant, did not dare to use them.

After a brief moment of excitement, he immediately tried to enter that mysterious state again.

result,

After a few minutes, he opened his eyes.

"What's going on? Why can't the Book of Changes enter that state?" Wang Ming wondered.

He opened the bamboo slips in his hand one by one and checked them, but could not get the answer.

Finally, through the observation of "Heaven's Eye", I understood the reason.

The practice of deducing from the Book of Changes is not accomplished out of thin air; it involves consumption.

And this consumption is exactly the power of merit attached to the bamboo slips.

"The power of merit!" Wang Ming murmured to himself.

The power of merit is not so easy to survive.

People usually think that doing good deeds can gain merit from heaven and earth, which is a big mistake.

Good and bad, good and evil, those are attributes given by humans.

It is not recognized by heaven and earth.

Therefore, there will be a situation where saving tens of millions of people will not bring any merit, and killing millions of people will not cause any loss of virtue.

Wang Ming pondered, "At this time, the merits that will be clearly gained should be: the merit of completing the Book of Changes. The merit of changing dynasties in accordance with the trend of heaven and earth, and the merit of the gods returning to their positions in heaven."

The Investiture of the Gods may seem like a recruitment of lackeys for the Lord Haotian, but in fact it is a way to complete a piece of the incomplete puzzle for heaven and earth.

The way of heaven is not perfect and needs to be completed by gods.

Ps: Thanks to book friend 20220917103808317 for the reward.

(End of this chapter)