Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 272 The Descent from the Western Paradise! The Power of Illusion!
"Hook literature?"

Watching this series of bizarre events unfold, Zhou Liang couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine:
Based on the current plot developments, it's highly likely that Zhao Gou has targeted "Zhou Chi" as a person to be violated...

To be honest, this turn of events was quite surprising, but if you think carefully about the previous plot developments, you'll find that it makes perfect sense:

If Zhao Gou hadn't been plotting against Zhou Chi, why would he have shown such favor to a transmigrator from elsewhere?

Zhou Chi didn't get an official position, so Zhao Gou promoted him to "Grand Tutor"!
When Zhou Chi's reforms failed, Zhao Gou took the initiative to take the blame for him!

Zhou Chi's economy was ravaged by the Jin army, and Zhao Gou issued an edict of self-reproach...

This level of care and favoritism cannot be explained by ordinary ruler-minister relationships; it clearly shows that Zhao Gou had ulterior motives towards him!
Considering Zhao Gou's plan to become stronger, Zhou Liang couldn't help but suspect that He was trying to create "hook literature" using simulated characters...

Despite his doubts, Zhou Liang gradually dismissed this alarming conjecture after careful consideration.

The reason is simple: the mechanism for generating the power of lust has always been "insubordination"!
It is an act of the poor and lowly to invade the rich and powerful, and it is also an act of the weak Southern Song to invade the powerful Jin Dynasty. It is precisely because these two methods are in line with the mechanism of generating divine power that Zhao Gou proposed these two ways to become stronger.

But based on this, does "Zhou Chi" really meet Zhao Gou's standards?
"Obviously not..."

Zhou Liang fell into deep thought:
"To put it bluntly, Zhou Chi is at best a minor outsider. Even though he was promoted to the highest position of Grand Tutor due to undeserved favor, he is still far inferior to Zhao Gou..."

"He was inferior to Zhao Gou in both status and power. How could Zhao Gou possibly dare to defy him? That makes no sense at all!"

Thinking of this, Zhou Liang, who had been startled by the terrible conjecture, finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to ponder it more deeply:

Since Zhao Gou could not possibly "disrespect" him, why did he not react when he knew Zhao Gou was thinking the wrong thing?

"There are two possibilities: one, He might just be playing a joke on Zhou Chi; two, He might be deliberately misleading us!"

Yes! Deliberately misleading!

Zhou Liang's thoughts flowed instantly:
Zhao Gou was neither a foolish person nor someone who liked to joke with others; all his words and actions must have had some purpose.

The question is, what was Zhao Gou's reason for deliberately misleading him?

Zhou Liang frowned again:

"Zhao Gou's entire purpose can be reduced to 'insubordination,' and this time is no exception... In other words, he believes that misleading Zhou Chi will give him an excellent opportunity to commit insubordination..."

"But how could Zhou Chi possibly possess such an ability?"

Zhou Liang couldn't help but scratch his head:

Zhou Chi was merely the reincarnation of his own divided soul. In essence, he could not possibly grant Zhao Gou that kind of opportunity. Moreover, judging from the false identity he presented to Zhao Gou, he was merely an envoy of the "Savior God." Neither of these identities was sufficient to satisfy Zhao Gou.

Therefore, even if Zhou Chi was misled by Him, it would be difficult for him to come up with any effective countermeasures... The two options available to Zhou Chi were either to "sacrifice himself" and actually sell the hooks, or to fight desperately for his own dignity...

Indeed, the two countermeasures that Zhou Chi himself came up with were compromise and resistance!
"Assuming Zhao Gou had anticipated both of these reactions, which one was actually what Zhao Gou expected?"

The answer is obvious: what He wants is resistance!
After all, He didn't really care about the weak Zhou Chi himself, so He must have felt that forcing Zhou Chi to resist was more likely to achieve His goal...

Therefore, theoretically, Zhou Liang should try his best to avoid falling into the enemy's rhythm and plans:
Since you think my resistance is more in line with the plan, then I'll do the opposite and create hook literature, focusing on a character with a rebellious spirit...

Unfortunately, Zhou Liang would never make that choice!
"Whatever Zhao Gou's scheme may be, the only option left for me now is to resist!"

"While compromise might thwart Zhao Gou's plans, it also means that the simulated characters will bear enormous and unbearable risks..."

To avoid this risk, even though Zhou Liang knew that resistance would lead to "Zhou Chi" falling into Zhao Gou's plan, he had to bite the bullet and move forward...

Zhou Liang sighed helplessly:
"Fine, I'm going to die sooner or later anyway, might as well fight Zhao Gou... I'll die a glorious death!"

"Choose B!"

[Ding! You selected option B, "I want it all, big or small! Who cares about anything else, my reasoning is the most important! Forget about all that quack literature, get lost!"]

The world can be saved little by little after reincarnation, but your dignity will truly be gone after reincarnation... Therefore, for the sake of your last shred of dignity, use the power of the Western Paradise against the god Zhao Gou!

【…】

In an instant, you made up your mind: to rebel!

So you bowed deeply to the Prime Minister, who was sitting cross-legged under the old, crooked-necked tree, and solemnly said, "Please grant me divine power, Prime Minister, I want to fight Zhao Gou to the death!"

However, the Prime Minister did not immediately grant your request, but instead slowly shared his speculations about the matter with you...

Just as you arrived at your answer from an outsider's perspective in real life, your advisor, also an outsider, saw the problem: "Zhao Gou most likely deliberately provoked you to rebel!"

[After the Prime Minister's earnest explanation, you were first taken aback, then your brows furrowed...]

[Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. As someone directly involved, you naturally hadn't considered these things, but after listening to the Prime Minister's advice, you gradually came to understand.]

But... so what?

Having mentally prepared yourself for anything, you said seriously, "It's better to be safe than sorry! Although my compromise might result in a clean getaway, but... who can be sure that this isn't part of Zhao Gou's plan?"

"Besides, I've endured this for far too many years, and today is a good opportunity to vent my pent-up frustrations!"

Hearing your resolute answer, the Prime Minister sighed, said nothing more, simply rose from under the tree, and slowly walked towards you.

[Until your figures overlapped, and his illusory form completely merged with yours...]

【…】

In the imperial palace, the supreme "Divine Zhao Gou" sat atop the dragon throne.

[He was excited, He was thrilled... and the last time He felt such excitement and thrill was more than a hundred years ago!]

[Because in that year, the man who called himself "Emperor Zhu Youjian of the Great Ming Dynasty" came to this world... His powerful, otherworldly divine power and noble imperial aura brought Zhao Gou a tremendous shock!]

[Amidst the shock, a strange thought also arose in Him...]

It's a pity that the powerful Ming Emperor was unwilling to make even a small sacrifice, and even though he tried to use force in the end, he still failed... This is truly a regrettable matter!

After that incident, I thought I would never have the chance to fulfill this wish.

But who would have thought that what I sought so desperately would suddenly come to me so easily! Just when I had given up all hope, fate unexpectedly presented me with another opportunity...

This is a blessing, an immense blessing!

And of course, I must hold onto this blessing tightly...

[“Here we come!”]

[The more Zhao Gou thought about it, the more excited he became. Suddenly, he tilted his head and could clearly feel a powerful and familiar aura rapidly growing stronger on the land of the Song Dynasty!]

[And the other party's identity was naturally obvious...] [Following the aura, He looked into the distance and saw a golden, sun-like true god walking step by step towards the palace!]

[So alike! So incredibly alike!]

But...it doesn't quite look like it.

[Because the Great Ming Emperor in my memory was merely a blazing, golden sun, while the light of this true god before me was warm and pleasant, and within this light, many shadowy figures were faintly visible...]

Zhao Gou couldn't see clearly, but he felt that there were mountains and rivers, plants, insects and fish, as well as fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees and bamboo groves, with crisscrossing paths and the sounds of chickens and dogs... The houses were neatly arranged, and people were going about their work, and the men and women were dressed just like outsiders...

It was as if that place were a separate world!

However, this "world" seemed bizarre and fantastical. One moment Zhao Gou saw fertile fields and houses, the next he saw the sea and mountains, and then a bustling market... and the people always wore satisfied smiles, as if there was only happiness here, without a trace of sadness or sorrow...

But how could a perfect world be one where everything goes smoothly and everyone is happy?

Therefore, although its owner tried his best to turn it into a perfect world full of laughter, this perfection itself meant imperfection... and this imperfection was naturally equivalent to falsehood, fantasy, and impracticality...

"An imperfect perfect world..."

Zhao Gou couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: Zhu Youjian, who only knew brute force, certainly didn't possess such flashy abilities... Therefore, in the "story" told by the Grand Tutor, there was clearly only one person with this ability!

He is...

"Heavenly Venerable!"

【…】

After the Prime Minister took the initiative to merge with you, you immediately felt an immense, expanding power!

[Before your eyes, the Western Paradise begins to appear, except for the old crooked tree: there are surging rivers flowing with milk and honey, rice paddies as tall as coconut trees, blue whales raised in the rice fields, an old sow climbing a tree with her cubs, and a tyrannical god-emperor attempting suicide by hanging himself with an old eunuch...]

[A dazzling array of bizarre and fantastical sights, displaying strange and inexplicable scenes that could never exist on earth!]

But after seeing these scenes, you won't find them eerie; instead, you'll feel that the place is incredibly beautiful, like a fairyland...

This is the true "Western Paradise"!

And this is the first time in your life you've ever witnessed this vast and fantastical world!

[You understand: the reason you could only see the Prime Minister and the old crooked tree before was because you were too weak... After all, you are not the original body, but only a small remnant soul separated from the original body, so of course you cannot control the entire Western Paradise.]

The reason you are able to control it now is not because your primordial spirit is more complete than before, but because you are forcibly exercising control over the entire Western Paradise at the cost of rapidly burning your "lustful divine power"!

[This burning speed is so fast that the divine power of lust you have accumulated over the years is rapidly running out, and it won't be long before you are reduced to your original state...]

No! It's not a return to your original form, it's immediate death! Because once the fire is lit, it can only burn until it's completely consumed; your lustful divine power and your primordial spirit are the fuel!

Therefore, you clearly know that your time is running out...

"But that's enough!"

You slowly raised your head, and in your two golden eyes, which burned like the sun!

"Brutal divine power!" you whispered.

[The next moment, boundless golden, tyrannical divine power surged forth like a long river, supporting your increasingly aged body and restoring its upright posture. Centered on you, the wildly surging divine power periodically inhaled and exhaled, making you appear like a sun descended to earth!]

"The power of the Western Paradise!" you exclaimed softly again.

[Then, in the next moment, various illusions belonging only to the "Western Paradise" began to appear within the boundless golden light of divine power surrounding you.]

The illusory Western Paradise has already descended upon the world!

[With dual great power now upon you, you are even stronger than the tyrannical God-Emperor at his peak!]

And your enemy...

Looking across the distance, your piercing gaze already falls upon the "Divine Zhao Gou," seated high on the dragon throne in the imperial palace.

[So you took a step forward without flinching, and at the same time, the illusion of the Western Paradise rippled slightly like water... The next moment, you appeared out of thin air in the sky!]

Looking down at the Lin'an Imperial Palace, you unleashed a powerful punch...

【Boom! 】

A deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth were being created, resounded, followed by a grayish-brown mushroom cloud slowly rising into the sky...

[That...resolved?]

You stood there, somewhat bewildered, in the sky. While this Lustful God-Emperor was on par with the Tyrannical God-Emperor, his power primarily lay in illusion, making his actual combat strength relatively weak… In other words, he was essentially a fragile mage, completely different from a high-HP, high-attack berserker like Chongzhen.

So, in your expectations, you don't think this fragile mage would dare to take your "Imperial Grace Earth-Shattering Fist" head-on...

Shouldn't He have used magic to block it? Even if He didn't block it, shouldn't He have at least dodged it?

How come I actually managed to eat a whole big one of yours?

Faced with such a bizarre situation, you instinctively feel that something is amiss...

And just as you were staring blankly at the mushroom cloud, a gentle breeze suddenly brushed your face.

The next moment, the enormous mushroom cloud vanished into thin air, and the palace, which should have been razed to the ground, inexplicably rose back to its original position, as if nothing had ever happened...

The next moment, before you could even recover from this bizarre turn of events, you found yourself inexplicably standing in the palace!

[And Zhao Gou, sitting on the dragon throne, smiled at you... He said nothing, yet it was as if he had said everything.]

[And you, as if waking from a dream, looked around, then suddenly realized what had happened, your face filled with bitterness...]

"Illusion? When...?"

"I've been using it for a long time."

[Zhao Gou laughed heartily, then said with great interest.]

"I'm not sure how to address our guest? Grand Tutor? Your Majesty? Or..."

"Celestial Venerable?"

……

(End of this chapter)