After breaking up with my girlfriend, I became a Great Sage of the Demon Clan.

Zhou Yan rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"No, Your Majesty, I think what the Phoenix Lady meant by not understanding fate is not that you are bad to the people, but that you don't know how to divert disaster eastward."

Zhao Wenhe asked in confusion.

"Drawing the floodwaters eastward?"

Zhou Yan got up from beside the brazier.

"Your Majesty, the predicament you encountered back then was nothing more than collusion between officials and merchants, land annexation, and the common people who had no land had no choice but to rebel in order to survive. However, the Taisho army could not suppress these rebellions because the source of the rebellions was the court, those high-ranking officials and relatives of the emperor who claimed to 'love the people like their own children' and 'share joy with the people'."

Zhao Wenhe nodded.

"Indeed, the enemy is within the Taisho era."

"But Your Majesty, at that time, did you not know that the thirty-six foreign kingdoms outside the Taisho Dynasty were engaged in fierce internal strife, and that their warships, firearms, and other inventions were developing rapidly?"

Zhao Wenhe shook his head.

“They are all lewd and depraved. Our Great Righteousness is a celestial empire and will not associate with them.”

Zhou Yan shook his head.

"So the Taisho Dynasty closed its coastline and shut itself off from the world?"

Zhao Wenhe refuted this.

"This is the way of the king."

Zhou Yan shook his head again.

"What if Bai Ze said that if His Majesty were willing to go against the ancestral terms, build a large navy, expand overseas bases, plunder overseas technology, and complete the military merit agenda, perhaps the country's lifespan could be extended by a hundred years?"

Zhao Wenhe looked puzzled.

Zhou Yan began to talk about how industry can support agriculture.

When the Taisho Dynasty collapsed, the country was still an agricultural nation with very little output of various resources, making it difficult for people to survive without land.

Meanwhile, some overseas countries had already begun the vigorous Industrial Revolution. When Zhou Yan was teaching history, several history experts pointed out that if the rulers of the Taisho Dynasty had been smarter at that time, opened up the coastline, wantonly plundered foreign resources and land, absorbed the technology of the Industrial Revolution, and perfected the military merit reporting system, creating many military nobles like Rome, the Taisho Dynasty might have been able to extend its life by several decades or even a hundred years.

Of course, as a typical agricultural and conservative country, it was almost impossible to get the Taisho Dynasty to give up farming and expand its territory overseas.

Therefore, the Taisho era ended.

"...That's the situation, Your Majesty. You all only have your eyes on your own little plot of land and never thought of exporting conflicts abroad. Such ignorance of fate and arrogance make it no wonder that your country has perished."

Zhao Wenhe murmured.

"Expanding territory, diverting disaster eastward?"

After a long silence, Zhao Wenhe shook his head.

"This matter sounds simple, but it's far too theoretical..."

"But it is indeed a good approach."

Zhao Wenhe bowed to Zhou Yan.

"Wenhe has learned a lot."

Zhou Yansan smiled.

"Since Your Majesty is reasonable, you also know that there are things that cannot be done. Bai Ze, well, I'll be going now."

Zhou Yan stood up, preparing to leave with the Chongming Bird.

He had only taken one step when Zhao Wenhe straightened up and said something.

"Since Minister Bai has mentioned the method for prolonging the dynasty back then, I now have an idea. Minister Bai, listen to it and make your judgment."

Zhou Yan, who was carrying the Chongming Bird and preparing to run away, felt a chill run down his spine.

Um, can we refuse?

Ignoring Zhou Yan's darkening face, Zhao Wenhe continued speaking to himself.

"The Eastern Xia Federation has been established for over two hundred years, but its national strength has declined. Local officials control the government, harming others for their own benefit, and it is already showing signs of national collapse. Minister Bai, is that right?"

Zhou Yan wanted to shake his head. The Eastern Xia Federation was currently relying on industry to support itself, and no matter what, the people could still have enough to eat. It was far from being destroyed.

Zhou Yan believed that the Eastern Xia Federation would remain stable for at least the next sixty years.

Zhao Wenhe walked to Zhou Yan's side and walked around him.

"At this time of national grievances, I was rescued from the bottom of Mount Dawu by a sage, and Minister Bai also happened to arrive in front of me. Is it a series of coincidences that I am destined to do something great?"

Zhou Yan couldn't hold back any longer.

"Your Majesty, the Eastern Xia Federation is now peaceful and prosperous, and the people have no worries about food, drink and entertainment. Why would they have any thoughts of rebellion?"

In short, the Eastern Xia Federation is far from being destroyed. As long as the people can work for a day and afford to eat for a few days, the government of the Eastern Xia Federation will be as stable as Mount Tai.

In this situation, talking about national subjugation or popular rebellion is simply a joke.

Zhao Wenhe walked around to the opposite side of Zhou Yan, stopped, and said something meaningful to the former empress.

"What if a great disaster strikes the world, killing most of the people and causing widespread resentment?"

Zhou Yan stared blankly at Zhao Wenhe.

Zhao Wenhe smiled with his eyes narrowed.

"A great calamity has struck the world, causing countless deaths and injuries. The living are all dissatisfied with the court. At that time, I will be born with Minister Bai, wielding the Bai Ze Map to support the country, save the people, and win the hearts of millions."

"My dear minister, tell me, with these actions, is it possible to overthrow the Eastern Xia Federation and restore the Great Zheng Dynasty?"

Zhou Yan: "..."

Zhao Wenhe approached Zhou Yan and said coldly.

"Bai Aiqing..."

Zhou Yan interrupted.

"Did you say that to the Great Sage Lingxin before?"

Zhao Wenhe said angrily.

"Leaving aside that scoundrel, Minister Bai, the world is in chaos now, with heroes rising up everywhere. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we cooperated to restore the nation?"

Zhou Yan stared at Zhao Wenhe's explanation of the divine duties of the Plague God, thinking about what Zhao Wenhe had said: a great calamity was about to occur in the human world, and then he was forced to be born with it.

Phoenix's assessment of Zhao Wenhe is as follows.

"She is... a true god..."

"...Unfortunately, they didn't understand fate..."

……

Lingxin Dasheng's assessment of Zhao Wenhe is as follows.

"You think yourself exceptionally clever and courageous by acting this way, but you are truly deceiving Heaven! Using your position as a righteous god in this manner will only lead to your downfall!"

……

Zhou Yan took a breath and responded in a trembling voice.

"Your Majesty, have you ever considered that your actions are tantamount to deceiving Heaven?"

Zhao Wenhe looked up at the sky through the roof.

Deceiving Heaven?

Zhao Wenhe was so obedient and docile back then, just so that Heaven would give her a second glance, but in return, she suffered the destruction of her country and the ruin of her family.

If the heavens are not going according to your wishes, what's the point of worshipping them?

Zhao Wenhe lowered his head and spoke to Zhou Yan.

"Man can conquer nature!"

Chapter Twenty-Six: Following the Dragon

A body of water in the East China Sea.

Four beams of light converged at one point, and the Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Vermilion Bird each emerged from their respective beams, gazing solemnly at the sea.

After a long while, the four divine beasts raised their heads and looked at each other.

Azure Dragon spoke first.

"I have been to Penglai, but I don't have the courage to stay there when Penglai disappears."

The white tiger agreed.

"Same."

The Four Divine Beasts have all been to the human forbidden zones, but apart from Wenquxing and Wuquxing who have ventured deep into the Kunlun Immortal Palace, the Four Divine Beasts have only wandered around the core areas of the human forbidden zones. In particular, the legend of Penglai Island appearing and disappearing on time, and the saying that anyone who dares to disappear with Penglai Island will never appear again, makes the Four Divine Beasts even more fearful.

Therefore, the four mythical beasts do not know much about Penglai Island.

Xuanwu said with a sigh.

"I've never been to Penglai Island before, so I don't know what this place is. But we're not here to conquer Penglai Island; we're here to find Zhao Wenhe on Penglai Island. So, everyone, do you have any ideas on how to bring this vanished Penglai Island back to life?"

The other three divine beasts looked at each other, and none of them looked too happy.

"I'll try to find someone to help. Everyone should also show off their own resources. This is not the time to be prejudiced against different social classes."

The white tiger spoke.

The other three mythical beasts agreed, and then each took out their phones to call for reinforcements.

……

The coast of Penglai Island.

Zhongdou Xingjun packed up his beloved erhu, jumped off the rock where he was sitting cross-legged, and slowly left in the sight of Wenquxing.

Wenquxing watched sadly as Zhongdouxingjun went from being far away to disappearing.

"I should have brought Little Yama along too."

Wenquxing muttered to himself, knowing he couldn't defeat Zhongdou Xingjun, so he could only let Zhongdou Xingjun mock him.

However, now is not the time to worry about whether or not Zhongdou Xingjun can be beaten up. Wenquxing looked around and saw that Penglai Island had disappeared from the human world.

Penglai Island disappears from the human world on schedule every month and then reappears on schedule. Awakened beings must evacuate before Penglai Island disappears, or they will disappear along with Penglai Island.

No one can disappear and return with Penglai Island, and therefore no one knows what will happen to the island after it disappears.

The God of Literature is now on the vanished Penglai Island.

and so……

Wenquxing looked at the coastal environment where he was, and it was just darkness. It was like entering the night. The seawater that was originally on the shore had become completely dark. Looking out, there was only chaos and nothing at all.

Wenquxing walked towards the coast. When he reached the shore, a thick, dark fog spread back and forth. As Wenquxing was covered by this black fog, a faint light emanated from it, dispelling some of the surrounding darkness.

Wenquxing frowned instantly.

This light wasn't from him using his literary energy as a shield to stop the black mist from getting closer; rather, it emanated naturally from Wenquxing's body. As it was emitted, Wenquxing's body felt a pound lighter.

Are these black mists eroding my physical body?

No, no, no, Wenquxing didn't feel like he was missing any flesh or tissue; it was just that his weight had suddenly dropped.

It's as if I'm missing something beyond my flesh and blood.

Wenquxing quickly stepped back. He didn't mind losing a few pounds, but he was a little afraid that his weight would be reset to zero.

While the flesh and blood are still intact, the weight is reduced to zero...

As expected of a forbidden zone for humans, comparable to Kunlun Immortal Palace, Abyss Underworld, and Ten Thousand Miao Mountains, even Wenquxing, a true god with a high level of awakening, couldn't help but tremble at this moment.

"Hey, what happened?"

"What's going on? Isn't it still half a month until Penglai Island disappears?"

"Is it too late to get out now?!"

A series of panicked exclamations came from behind Wenquxing.

Wenquxing turned around and saw more than a dozen awakened individuals walking out from an intersection. These were people who had come to farm immortal plants and magical artifacts while Penglai was open. Based on their previous experience, Penglai Island was supposed to disappear in half a month, but Penglai just disappeared in such an unusual way.