Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

I haven't been feeling too well lately, but I'll try my best to adjust and finish this book before National Day.

The basic worldview and timeline are pretty much set.

Chapter 5 Micro-management Master Hinako Akuta

The bronze incense burner flickered, releasing a fragrant aroma of wine; the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The First Emperor, standing before the table, stroked the wine cup between his fingers, his brow furrowed, deep in thought for a long time before finally looking up at the person opposite him and speaking slowly.

"【Steel Earth, Star Elegy】, so, you've come for this?"

"Yes."

Samael took a sip of his drink to moisten his throat and nodded frankly.

"This is what we see as [Destiny]..."

To show his sincerity, he had already told the First Emperor the warnings he had received from Alaya and Gaia, as well as his purpose of using the "Emperor Shun's Seal" to reopen the connection between heaven and earth.

After all, it's not some shameful secret.

"Destiny? If there truly is such a thing as a predetermined destiny, then people should remain stagnant, staying in caves and forests, eating raw meat and drinking blood, living a life no different from wild beasts. How can they achieve prosperity comparable to that of the gods?"

The First Emperor drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, a sneer in his eyes, and waved his hand with a flick of his sleeve.

"Therefore, I have never believed in any so-called 'Mandate of Heaven'! The same is true for all the people of China, throughout the nine provinces and four seas!"

The declaration was as powerful as thunder, possessing an undeniable arrogance.

This is a confidence that comes from the core, and a pride that comes from the bloodline.

Since the beginning of time, the Chinese people have fought for thousands of years, constantly driving away evil gods and fighting fierce ghosts, expanding their territory, and finally establishing themselves in the land of China.

Throughout the long years, our ancestors were always breaking free from the various shackles that bound them.

Suirenshi drilled wood to make fire, dispelling darkness and ushering in the beginning of civilization;

Fuxi observed the sun, moon, and stars, and understood the changes of Yin and Yang, enabling his tribe to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune.

Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs, learned their medicinal properties, and enabled people to prolong life and avoid death.

Xuanyuan created the guide, built boats and vehicles, established order in the four directions, swept away the Jiuli, and completed his work in the Battle of Zhuolu.

Emperor Zhuanxu severed the connection between heaven and earth, thus bringing peace to both humans and gods;

Yu the Great quelled the floods, quelled the demonic disturbances, and cast the Nine Tripods to stabilize the vital energy of the Chinese nation.

The great achievements of the Three Sovereigns in governing the world and the accomplishments of the Five Emperors in establishing order were all achieved by overcoming what was considered "impossible" time and time again.

Turning the pages of history, the history of China is a constant struggle between human effort and so-called destiny.

In the end, they achieved victory after victory.

The four characters "Man can conquer nature" are the belief flowing in the blood of the Chinese people.

"Although I do not like the words of pedantic scholars, some of the words of Xunzi, Li Si's teacher, are quite to my liking."

The First Emperor picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. His long, narrow eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke leisurely.

"The course of Heaven is constant; it does not exist for Yao, nor does it perish for Jie. We should seize the Mandate of Heaven and use it!"

"So, here I am."

Samael chuckled and looked up, his gaze meaningful.

The First Emperor was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, indeed!"

A mutual appreciation began to blossom between them as their eyes met.

The First Emperor looked at this foreign ruler who seemed to share some kind of resonance with him, and a hint of appreciation appeared in his eyes.

Can I drink it again?

"of course."

"Cheers!"

As they spoke, two wine glasses, refilled with fine wine, flew off the table and landed in their hands.

As the wine entered his throat, the First Emperor, thoroughly enjoying himself, threw down his cup and solemnly opened his mouth.

"I have made up my mind. I will accompany you on this trip in person!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"What is there to thank me for? Since it concerns the destiny of the entire planet, the nine provinces of China will inevitably be affected. I should shoulder the responsibility of protecting this land myself, and it is not up to you, a foreign ruler, to do it for me."

"It was my rudeness; I should punish myself with a drink."

Samael chuckled, picked up his wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp, thus respecting the First Emperor's pride.

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming more and more harmonious, he then asked about the next arrangements.

"Then when do we set off?"

"Let's go tomorrow, we'll travel the same road together..."

The First Emperor glanced at the deepening twilight outside the palace, answered casually, then shifted his gaze to the other two people who were dozing off in front of the table, and changed the subject.

As for them, let's just forget about them.

"Why should I? If you want to get rid of me, first ask your great-aunt's sword if it agrees!"

"I agree!"

In an instant, two completely different answers came from Hinako Akuta and Tamamo-no-Mae respectively.

One of them had a fierce expression and a menacing look on his face, while the other was beaming with joy and couldn't wait to see what was happening.

The sudden defection of her teammate left Hinako Akuta, who was also a celestial maiden, stunned.

"It seems I still have chicken soup simmering in my Siberian kitchen. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now..."

With that, the fox spirit turned and slipped toward the door, clearly having no intention of getting involved in the journey.

"return……"

A faint voice drifted over, and the fox spirit, who had already walked along the wall to the door, turned around with a stiff smile, obediently sat back down in her original seat, and then changed her words.

"Never mind, I'm still a little worried. After a thousand years, I don't even know what the situation is like inside Kunlun. I suggest you bring a guide, like us, the 'Celestial Maidens' from Kunlun."

Under duress from someone nearby, Tamamo-no-Mae explained her own value and tried her best to promote herself.

"I think so too. Why not bring them along? At least we can look out for each other."

Samael, while pulling back Akuta Hinako who jumped up to draw her sword, smiled and echoed her words.

"In that case, so be it."

When his partner made repeated requests, the First Emperor did not insist further, but simply offered a gentle reminder.

"However, let me give you a piece of advice: as a king, it's best not to get too involved with them."

As they spoke, their long, bee-like eyes made no attempt to hide their wariness and disdain for the two celestial maidens.

"Hey, what do you mean by this? Since ancient times, we celestial maidens have been sent down to the mortal realm by the orders of Kunlun to act on the will of Heaven and educate the people. We have worked so hard to relieve the worries of you mortal emperors. It's one thing for you not to appreciate it, but you are even slandering our achievements. It's simply unreasonable."

The hot-tempered Hinako Akuta wasn't going to tolerate the other party's behavior and retorted without any politeness.

"It's no wonder that the tyrannical Qin Dynasty only had two generations of emperors!"

"Since Emperor Zhuanxu severed the connection between heaven and earth, according to the agreement, the celestial beings should have returned to Kunlun, lived peacefully and kept to their own ways, and returned the power of the mortal world to us, the original beings. The rise and fall of the world and the change of dynasties will be determined by others."

The First Emperor sneered, his gaze filled with disdain.

"When will the succession of the throne be decided by you Kunlun?"

"As for his achievements..."

The First Emperor glanced at a fox spirit to the side and pointed out the negative example on the scene with an annoyance.

"Perhaps it did before, but after her, it's not necessarily the case."

Migu?

Tamamo-no-Mae, caught in the crossfire, looked completely innocent.

However, upon seeing the industry veteran's signature fox ears and tail, Hinako Akuta, who had been so confident, instantly fell silent, her eyes filled with a disappointed and resentful look.

Samael observed the tense standoff with great interest, his eyes revealing a clear understanding.

The current conflict is nothing more than the classic debate between the divine right of kings and the human right of kings.

In the early Three Sovereigns period, when the Primordial People were first born, the Celestial Maidens, as representatives of Kunlun, often acted as divine messengers and teachers of emperors, permeating all aspects of the Primordial People's civilization and shaping their rituals and beliefs.

Among the most famous were the Mysterious Woman who bestowed upon the Yellow Emperor nine volumes of military strategy, and the Plain Woman who transmitted the art of Yin-Yang complementarity and medical classics.

After Zhuanxu severed the connection between heaven and earth, the immortals and gods, as "celestial beings," did not give up easily. They continued to send "celestial maidens" down to the mortal realm in an attempt to regain control of the secular world's royal power.

For example, Jian Di, the wife of Emperor Ku, was "ordained by a black bird that descended to give birth to the Shang dynasty";

Yu Shun's wife, Ehuang and Nüying, transformed into the goddesses of the Xiang River;

The wife of Yu the Great, the fox chief of the Qingqiu Kingdom, and the beautiful Lady Nujiao...

According to the confession of a certain fox spirit, these were all "celestial maidens" sent by Kunlun to these emperors.

The mission bestowed upon the celestial maiden was to assist and influence the monarchy, and to reshape people's reverence for the gods.

To be fair, the early "celestial maidens" played a significant role in advancing human development.

However, as the divine era faded and the barrier between heaven and earth widened, the influence that Kunlun exerted on the secular dynasties through the Heavenly Maidens became increasingly weak.

The more this was the case, the more the celestial maidens had to interfere with earthly royal power in order to strengthen the connection between humans and gods.

As the story progresses, the social structure becomes more complex, and the celestial maidens increasingly interfere in politics and overstep their bounds in interfering with royal power, naturally drawing discontent from various factions in the mortal world.

It could even be a rebound.

Ultimately, eight hundred feudal lords raised the banner of rebellion and marched all the way to Chaoge, igniting a war to establish the gods.

With the conclusion of the Shang-Zhou Investiture of the Gods war, the Qi cultivators and various immortals, gods, and demons of famous mountains and great marshes turned to ashes, and the tentacles extended by Kunlun were also completely severed.

The empress known as "Daji" also vanished into the dust of history along with the Shang Dynasty, which placed great emphasis on worshipping gods and immortals.

In its place came the Zhou dynasty, which emphasized rites, laws, and human relations.

Thus, the debate over the "divine right of kings" and the "human right of kings" came to a general conclusion.

Even though that fox spirit disguised herself as "Bao Si" and staged a grand spectacle of "lighting the beacon fires to amuse the feudal lords and the Rong barbarians entering Haojing" for the dynasty established by her old enemy, she still could not shake the already mature system of worldly monarchy.

The one who should succeed to the throne is still King You's eldest son.

From then on, Kunlun's move was a complete failure, and it essentially withdrew from the historical stage of the Central Plains dynasties.

The Eastern concept of "the right of kings by man" and the Western concept of "the divine right of kings" present a stark contrast.

What's worse is that with Tamamo-no-Mae's meddling, the good reputation that the Celestial Maiden lineage had accumulated over thousands of years was completely ruined by this dead fox, making it even more impossible for them to participate in the change of royal power.

As a cancer in the industry that caused a huge mess, Tamamo-no-Mae certainly dared not return to Kunlun to report back in order to protect her own reputation, so she had no choice but to flee to India and Japan to avoid trouble.

"She's already been expelled from Kunlun, so she doesn't count!"

At this moment, after thinking for a long time, Hinako Akuta finally decided not to take the blame and decisively expelled the notorious cancer in the industry from the "Celestial Maiden" roster.

"Whether it counts or not, it doesn't matter."

The First Emperor neither confirmed nor denied this, only offering a disdainful smile.

"What I want to tell you is that the era of Kunlun has long passed. Even if you are the new [Celestial Maiden], even if you possess the Kongtong Seal, so what?"

It seemed that a certain remark struck a nerve with Hinako Akuta, for her face darkened, her eyes became lost and dim, and the hands that gripped her twin swords turned slightly white.

"Ahem, by the way, what are you so determined to find in Kunlun?"

To prevent the hot-tempered Lao Jie from losing his temper and accidentally killing the First Emperor, Samael quickly smoothed things over and changed the subject.

Hinako Akuta was silent for a moment, then spoke softly.

"Find out why I was left behind, figure out why I became like this..."

"How much do you remember about things from a thousand years ago?"