Chapter 224: King Wu

In the city of Leye, within the palace of King Wu,

A pine tree stands tall and straight, its canopy drooping like a royal parasol.

Under the pine tree, two men are engaged in a game of strategy.

The first man has a broad forehead, neatly combed sideburns, rosy lips and white teeth, and sharp eyebrows with bright eyes radiating brilliance. This is King Ji Yi of Wu, the master of fate who now commands millions of soldiers and civilians across two provinces. He is destined to become the founding emperor of the great Zhou dynasty!

He holds the white stones in one hand but seems somewhat distracted as he speaks: “This royal palace was previously occupied by the King of Linshan. It spans hundreds of acres and contains thousands of grand buildings, far too extravagant. I have only activated the front section of the palace and ordered that all expenditures within the palace be cut back as much as possible. Moreover, the refugee camps are the foundation of our future strength, so supplies must be sufficient. As for those corrupt officials and local bullies, if they dare to act now, I shall not hesitate to use force!”

Historically, those who dared to embezzle the imperial supplies usually had formidable networks of connections, even reaching into the palace itself, making it difficult for the emperor to take action.

However, Ji Yi is a newly risen ruler, full of vigor and determination. If he truly resolves to act, he can indeed succeed!

This aura of killing intent is icy cold, causing the Taoist opposite him to shudder involuntarily.

The Taoist wears a jade-colored robe, appearing quite ordinary at first glance, except for his warm, jade-like eyes. At a distance, he seems about fifty or sixty years old, but up close, he appears younger, around thirty or forty, an oddly mystical sight.

“Your Majesty shows compassion for the people and practices frugality, living more modestly than a governor of a province. Now is the time to work diligently, overcome hardships, and expand your great cause. Surely all the officials in court will support you?”

The Taoist smiles, his voice clear and melodious like jade.

“Haha… Master Yuqing, you truly overestimate human nature. However, now is indeed the time for advancement, so your words are most appropriate…”

Ji Yi places another stone: “How is the situation at Shijue Pass?”

As the ruler of two provinces, a contender for the Nine Tripods, he naturally pays close attention to the movements across the land:

“Shijue Pass is a natural stronghold. Xu Zongwu managed to capture it by force, though his attempt to advance on Shengjing failed. Still, with his brilliant strategists and mighty generals, he must not be underestimated…”

As he speaks, a shadow of worry crosses his face.

Seeing this, Master Yuqing inwardly feels a flicker of joy but outwardly says: “Your Majesty, please hear me out. The Shang dynasty has reigned for a thousand years on ancestral virtue. Even though there have been tyrannical rulers, the dragon aura remains strong, and it is now beginning to strike back!”

Boom!

This mention of fate seems to resonate with the heavens. As the words fall, dark clouds gather in the sky, accompanied by thunder and lightning.

—Even Wu Ming’s previous feat of flooding seven armies did not provoke such a furious reaction from heaven and earth!

“Your Majesty, it is about to rain!”

“Hurry and bring umbrellas and raincoats!”

Several palace attendants quickly step forward, anxiously urging: “Please return to the palace, Your Majesty!”

“Just a bit of wind and rain—what is that to me? I have built my reign through countless trials, fought more than thirty battles, big and small. What hardship can compare?”

Ji Yi dismisses their concern with a wave of his hand, his eyes flashing with determination. He then commands: “Everyone, withdraw from the garden! Anyone who intrudes shall be executed!”

“Yes, sir!”

The sound of armor and footsteps echoes from all directions, quickly forming an impenetrable defense.

Observing this, Master Yuqing inwardly sighs: “Indeed, this is no less formidable than the imperial guards of the Shang dynasty!”

When a ruler rises, many loyal followers inevitably gather around him. Now, the foundation of the Palace of King Wu is gradually strengthening. Although the surrounding forces seem only slightly stirred, Yuqing, with his profound cultivation, clearly senses the strictness of the defenses. Even a Celestial Master or a Martial Sage would find it impossible to cross this threshold!

“Now, only you and I remain here. Master Yuqing, speak freely—whatever you say, I shall grant you immunity!”

After issuing his orders, Ji Yi turns to Master Yuqing.

As these words fall, the rain clouds above seem to thin slightly. The thunder and lightning remain, but they are no longer as fierce or oppressive as before.

“Understood!”

Master Yuqing bows respectfully, inwardly relieved. He knows that although revealing heavenly secrets has incurred some divine wrath, gaining the favor of the ruler and the blessing of the dragon aura has proven to be a successful gamble.

As long as the future restoration of the Dragon Throne succeeds, there will naturally be great fortune. Indeed, his Taoist sect may even rise to become the dominant school in the land!

“Pity… If I truly use the power of the dynasty to unify the Taoist sects, my Yuqing lineage will gain great merit with King Wu. In the future, we must produce a worthy successor to complete this karmic cycle!”

“As for myself, I now seek only merit to break through my cultivation bottleneck. As for future generations, they will have their own fate—there is no need nor ability for me to interfere!”

In an instant, several thoughts flash through Yuqing’s mind, nearly amounting to heavenly secrets.

But to Ji Yi, Yuqing merely nods slightly before responding without hesitation: “Your Majesty, I have traced the foundation of the Zhou dynasty’s dragon aura and discovered that capturing Shengjing will require a blood sacrifice!”

“A blood sacrifice?”

Ji Yi shudders involuntarily: “Explain further!”

“Understood!”

Master Yuqing bows again, carefully shifting the burden of fate onto the ruler while positioning himself merely as an executor of orders to minimize backlash: “The Shang dynasty has endured for a thousand years, protected by the ancestral dragon aura. Xu Zongwu possesses an extraordinary fate, a reincarnation of a Star General. Yet even he suffered heavy losses capturing Shijue Pass, losing half his fortune in the process. This is a sign that he is paving the way for Your Majesty! His failure to take Shengjing proves this!”

Originally, once Shijue Pass fell, the best strategy would have been to march directly on Shengjing, the capital of the Shang dynasty. Capturing it would have thrown the entire realm into chaos and brought immense prestige—akin to when Li Zicheng, the rebel leader of Wu Ming’s past life, breached the Ming capital. Such a victory could have led to the surrender of half the empire overnight!

“And with the Shang dragon aura weakened by this blow, it is clear that heaven favors Your Majesty!”

Master Yuqing continues solemnly. By now, King Ji Yi is already sweating coldly, asking anxiously: “Then should we launch a campaign now?”

“Hmm…”

Master Yuqing shakes his head: “Xu Zongwu merely broke the aura of Shijue Pass. How deep is the Shang dynasty’s foundation? A single rebel king is far from enough. At least thirty are needed!”

“Thirty?”

“Exactly, at least thirty!” Yuqing says firmly, clenching his teeth: “As the saying goes, ‘When Heaven unleashes its wrath, stars shift their courses. When humans unleash their wrath, the world is turned upside down!’ In times of chaos, fallen stars become malevolent comets, wreaking havoc on the mortal world. These thirteen rebel kings and twenty-seven bands of rebels are the greatest of these comets! Only they, combined with the blood and killing intent of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, can shatter the dragon vein of the Shang dynasty!”

Crack!

As these words fall, the entire sky trembles. A blinding bolt of lightning tears through the heavens, as if slicing the firmament itself!

Invisible, grayish mists, imperceptible to the naked eye, descend. Yuqing bears their weight, his body trembling briefly before straightening once more.

“In other words… this alliance led by Xu Zongwu, Your Majesty should not join?”

Ji Yi sits upright, asking directly.

“Indeed, you must not go. That place is already a death omen. To go there would mean certain death!”

Yuqing replies solemnly: “Your Majesty, please remain patient and wait. Within a few months, the world will surely undergo great changes! Then, you may act with calm and decisiveness, and victory will be assured!”

“I had some doubts and hesitations before, but now, hearing your words, my mind is clear!”

Ji Yi laughs heartily, then bows respectfully: “The affairs of the world are in chaos, but with your guidance, Master, it is as if a blind man has gained sight, seeing the world anew!”

“Humbly, I wish to serve Your Majesty with all my heart and strength, praying for the success of Your Majesty’s great cause!”

Master Yuqing also solemnly kneels and performs a grand bow.

Boom!

In that moment, unfathomable changes occur in the unseen realm.

Yuqing secretly opens his spiritual eyes and sees that Ji Yi’s appearance was already of great fortune, now tinged with purple, gradually transforming into an aura of supreme nobility!

Above his head, a single-horned, four-clawed red dragon roars, spiraling upward. As it passes through a layer of thunderclouds and descends again, its dragon-like nature deepens. A new horn sprouts atop its head, and an additional toe grows on each claw, nearly indistinguishable from a true dragon. Just gazing upon it causes Yuqing’s heart and spirit to tremble uncontrollably.

“After overcoming this calamity, his fortune has indeed surged!”

Seeing this, Yuqing inwardly rejoices: “It was not in vain that I painstakingly studied fate and destiny. I have finally found the true dragon—I have achieved my Tao!”

He knows in his heart that when a dragon fights in the wild, its blood stains the heavens in black and yellow. No true dragon emerges fully formed; otherwise, it would immediately be discovered by those skilled in observing auras, bringing unpredictable fortune or disaster!

When Ji Yi was born, his fate merely indicated a governor’s destiny, supported only by the blessings of his ancestors. Yet after his rise to power, sweeping across two provinces, his forehead became full and bright, his vitality flourishing, and his destiny now hints at kingship!

All dragons across the land rise from humble beginnings, like serpents or carp.

Indeed, before this, Ji Yi’s dragon aura was slightly inferior to that of Xu Zongwu.

But now, with Yuqing’s aid, Ji Yi has escaped a deadly calamity, and his fate has surged with storms and thunder. He now holds the advantage in the struggle for supremacy, blessed by the Mandate of Heaven.

Others may still surpass him, but the difficulty is nearly insurmountable. They must defy both heaven’s will and the people’s wishes, defeat Ji Yi, and even then, they would likely only become another Xu Zongwu—merely paving the way for another king, their own fortune depleted.

Quickly, Yuqing withdraws his divine sight but catches one last glimpse as the red dragon bestows a stream of purple energy.

The purple energy flows from the east, thick and rich, carrying an immense aura of authority that suppresses all laws and dominates the five elements. With the blessing of heavenly mandate and earthly fortune, Yuqing feels a great tremor in his body. The previous calamity is instantly suppressed, and a brilliant light shines from his body, marking a sudden breakthrough in his cultivation.

“It is done! From now on, our fates are intertwined. When King Wu ascends to the throne of the world, it will surely be the day of my ascension!”

Yuqing feels a mix of sorrow and joy in his heart but remains resolute.

At this moment, the dark clouds disperse, revealing a clear sky. Rain evaporates, and a rainbow arches across the heavens, like a mystical scene in a serene mountain valley, breathtakingly beautiful.

“Haha… This is heaven itself celebrating the harmony between ruler and minister!”

Seeing this, Ji Yi and Master Yuqing are overjoyed.

…

At the same time, within a Taoist temple elsewhere, Wu Ming is also observing the strange celestial phenomena.

“This storm cloud carries an unusual heavenly wrath. Calculating the timing, could it be precisely the moment when that famous ‘Fisherman’s Strategy’ begins?”

As a Grand Master who communicates with heaven and earth, Wu Ming’s perception of such omens has grown increasingly acute. Seeing this, his expression subtly changes.