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

"You flatter me."

Zhao Wenhe looked somber. His Great Zheng Dynasty had fallen due to land annexation and years of natural disasters. For this reason, Zhao Wenhe had lamented more than once why he did not have Zhuge Liang as his deputy to help him govern the country.

Zhuge Liang's strength in domestic affairs lay in his ability to suppress powerful families and nobles, preventing them from seizing land and causing harm to the people.

Regardless of other comments, Zhao Wenhe believes that Zhuge Liang deserves the title of a prime minister for all time.

Wenquxing shook his head.

"Talent is uninteresting, and governing a country is tedious. Your Majesty, let's talk about something simple. Let's discuss which scholar was the most capable throughout history."

Zhao Wenhe was taken aback.

The most capable fighter?

To put it bluntly, in this world, the poor are scholars and the rich are warriors, and the six arts of a gentleman are passed down from generation to generation. Only those poor families who hope that their children can improve their social class through education or earn a living will be powerless. Other large families with abundant resources will generally be well-versed in both literature and art.

Therefore, in Zhao Wenhe's memory, there were actually many civil officials who were good at fighting. At most, they were just old and their martial arts training had become rusty due to the burden of state affairs.

Similarly, throughout history, there have been many military officers who could easily compose a stirring poem like "Man Jiang Hong" by Yue Fei, and many civil officials like Xin Qiji and Wang Yangming whose tempers and martial arts skills were even more fierce than those of ordinary military officers.

Most importantly, the historical records rank the civil officials' ability to govern the country and also record in detail the military officials' ability to kill enemies and break through enemy lines. Many enthusiasts have also made rankings of them, such as the three generals of the Warring States period, the ten heroes of the Tang Dynasty, and the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai.

But Zhao Wenhe had never heard of scholars arguing against force.

Zhao Wenhe became curious.

"My dear minister, then tell me, which scholar do you think was the strongest throughout history?"

Wenquxing took a deep breath, opened the still-vibrating Analects in his hand, and spoke again.

"Among all the scholars of the past dynasties, the strongest was undoubtedly that one Sage Confucius, the most powerful being on earth during the Spring and Autumn Period who dominated the Warring States Period."

"Confucius!"

The Analects held by the God of Literature transformed into rays of light and spread out.

"Boom! Rumble!"

"Boom! Rumble!"

"Boom! Rumble!"

The deafening roar, like the engine of a heavy industrial machine starting up, filled the air.

Zhuge Liang, who was standing next to Wenquxing, cracked his knuckles and turned to ask Wenquxing.

"This is... a heartbeat?"

……

A mountain valley in the distance.

Zhou Yan asked in surprise.

"That sound, from the Emperor Engine?"

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Benevolence, Righteousness, and Propriety

"Boom... Boom..."

Perhaps the sudden, heavy, and clear heartbeat drowned out the background sounds provided by the mirage dragon Arona, along with various wind noises.

In the mountain valley, Zhou Yan suddenly had a feeling that this heartbeat was the heartbeat of heaven and earth, the pulse of God's blood.

And this divine pulse slowly moved, converging on the area a hundred meters away from where the Wenqu Star was located.

"Snapped"……

A large claw suddenly pressed down beside Zhou Yan, and a hurricane swept up dust, covering half of Zhou Yan's body with a layer of dust.

Zhou Yan, his nostrils and mouth full of dirt, turned around and said angrily.

"Arona...are you...are you alright?"

The mirage dragon Arona beside Zhou Yan collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily and trembling as if electrocuted.

You should know that just now, when Arona was hit by Zhao Wenhe's full-spirited Huangji Jingshi Fist, he only spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, and then he was still jumping around and playing background music for Wenquxing.

Arona said in a trembling voice.

"I, I... that old bastard... summoned something, I... can't take it..."

Zhou Yan turned back and looked in the direction of Wenquxing. There, a man who was shirtless and wearing only black pants walked out. He was incredibly strong.

For the first time in his life, Zhou Yan felt the same masculine aura he had when he first met Chi You, with his mountain-like muscles and surging masculine energy.

The person behind Wenquxing began to appear in the light of the Kongming lantern, and everyone saw a man whose muscles were sculpted as if by a master artist with the most perfect tools.

A fellow with the same perfect physical body as Chi You, but whose face is not violent, and even somewhat gentle.

According to historical records, Confucius was nine feet six inches tall, about 2 meters high. At the same time, the "Lüshi Chunqiu·Shenda" states: "Confucius was so strong that he could lift the gate of the state, but he refused to be known for his strength."

Contrary to the image of a gentle old man in past Chinese textbooks, the real Confucian sage was a strong and powerful man, skilled in riding and archery. If you were willing to talk to him about principles, he could talk to you calmly and peacefully. If you were not willing to talk to him about principles, he could use physics to make you talk to him calmly and peacefully.

The most famous example is Zilu. From a young age, Zilu was "exceptionally brave and strong when playing with the children in the village, which amazed the villagers."

In short, he was exceptionally brave and skilled in martial arts from a young age and loved to fight. Once, when he traveled to the place where Confucius preached, this rough and unruly Zilu rolled up his sleeves and became defiant. The Records of the Grand Historian states that Zilu looked down on scholars and "disrespected Confucius."

Then Confucius persuaded Zilu with emotion and reason, and Zilu immediately covered his mouth where several teeth had been knocked out. Tears blurred his swollen eyes, and he sincerely admired the power of Confucius's teachings. He then worshipped Confucius as his lifelong follower.

Zhao Wenhe, who was standing in front of Wenquxing, nodded slowly.

"Is the visitor Confucius?"

Zhao Wenhe did not stop Wenquxing from summoning Confucius, because when Confucius's heartbeat was so powerful it shook heaven and earth, Zhao Wenhe felt a sense of worthy adversary that he had not felt for a long time.

At the age of eighteen, Zhao Wenhe had already surpassed Zhao Kuangyin, who was considered a martial arts master. Later, he combined the strengths of various schools to create the Huangji Jingshi Fist, and with the top-notch mental cultivation method "San San Gui Yuan Jing" secretly passed down in the imperial palace, he was already the top martial artist of his time. He had fought Sun Beitang, the Tiger Head Protector of Luobei, Guo Yunsheng, the Half-Step Bengquan of Nanhe, and Li Wenshu, the Divine Spear of Xili.

Zhao Wenhe had no defeats, but no close friends.

The height is not cold.

From the moment she felt Confucius's heartbeat and sensed his otherworldly aura, Zhao Wenhe felt an unprecedented chill rising from her tailbone.

Zhao Wenhe shivered with relief.

This is his opponent, the one Zhao Wenhe desperately sought but could not obtain back then, an opponent he deeply regretted.

Confucius, standing under the Kongming lantern, stared straight at Zhao Wenhe without glancing to the side, then stretched out his perfectly muscular arm and pointed it directly at Zhao Wenhe.

"You are no benevolent ruler!"

Zhao Wenhe said unhappily.

"Confucius, I respect you as the founder of Confucianism. Let me give you a piece of advice: I am the emperor, the sovereign of Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher. You do not think of repaying my kindness, but instead harbor disrespect. Does this not chill the hearts of all Confucian scholars in the world?"

The person opposite is the Confucian patriarch, the supreme teacher, and a human god who has been conferred titles by successive generations, and can be called the source of the culture of the Eastern Xia Federation.

If we could bring such a Confucian patriarch to our side...

He not only had a land immortal to feed him punches, but he also had an ancestor from the Eastern Xia Federation who could announce to the Eastern Xia Federation that he had been there since ancient times.

Confucius narrowed his eyes, and with that narrowing, a storm arose, thunder roared, and the whole world became shrouded in darkness.

Confucius said coldly.

"What is a ruler, and what is a king? A ruler is a model for the world, who cultivates himself with virtue and governs the country with benevolence. A king serves the people with propriety and protects all living beings."

"Now that the king does not cultivate virtue and does not protect the people, what use are you!"

Confucius clenched his fist, which was as big as a clay pot.

In the past, his disciples asked him what would happen if a ruler did not practice benevolent governance?

Confucius said: Then beat the king until he is willing to implement benevolent governance!

The disciples praised: "Strong and powerful, strong and powerful indeed!"

Even in this era, there are so many argumentative people who can go to construction sites to argue. In ancient times, there were even more argumentative people who had no ability, couldn't even read, and looked down on others.

So when faced with someone who's just arguing or picking a fight, don't try to reason with them. Just punch them and make them believe your reasoning.

Confucius, born into a declining noble family during the Spring and Autumn Period, eventually became a sage. He did not rely on his words alone, but rather on his travels throughout the states with three thousand armed and powerful disciples, which instilled fear in the rulers of other countries and earned him fame.

Similarly, there were the Mohist knights-errant who were everywhere during the Spring and Autumn Period. Why was the Mohist school so prominent back then? It was because the Mohists were full of martial spirit and would fight anyone who disagreed with them.

And a certain Shakyamuni Buddha, who was able to spread the Dharma in his time by leading thousands of strong and powerful monks to subdue heretics and suppress demons. When necessary, Shakyamuni Buddha's monks also mediated wars and conflicts between many countries.

How can we mediate? It's because you refuse to make peace; you're a heretic and evil spirit. Just wait for my Buddhist monks to subdue you.

Zhao Wenhe's face tightened.

"Confucius, I respectfully call you a sage because of your illustrious virtue, yet now you intend to deceive the emperor?"

Confucius walked towards Zhao Wenhe.

With this step, the ground shook, and a large number of stones rose up and fell back down.

Confucius took another step forward, and with each step he took, the ground trembled. Amidst this continuous tremor, Confucius roared in anger.

"You son of a bitch, how dare you utter such nonsense!"

When Confucius traveled to various states, he encountered demons who claimed to be gods and devoured human children, witches and shamans who dominated the region and oppressed the people, and ordinary people who sought help from gods in everything and did not seek help from themselves.

In response, Confucius would go and beat all those witches, shamans, demons, and ghosts to death with his fists, and then earnestly tell his disciples, "I do not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits."

Now, Confucius stood before Zhao Wenhe and delivered the punch he had used during his travels throughout the states, where he had killed countless mountain spirits and monsters and punished those who worshipped gods indiscriminately.

This punch was a straightforward straight punch, without any fancy moves or variations, but as straight as a pillar supporting the sky, as straight as lightning tearing the heavens and earth apart. The moment it appeared, everything in this world left before this punch.

Zhao Wenhe's eyes widened.

She has met more than ten martial arts masters in her life. These masters either achieved harmony between heaven and man or between man and sword. She has learned from all of them, and her fists move with the heavens and earth. Under the pressure of her fists, the entire world seems to collapse and all things become one.

Confucius's punch, on the contrary, made the heavens and earth yield to it, as if the entire world was unimportant and illusory. Only his fist was real and unique in the whole world.

This is also why Confucius is considered the founder of Confucianism. He firmly believed that he held the ultimate truth of heaven and earth, and that everything else outside of this ultimate truth was illusory and false.

With this single punch, everything shattered, and all living beings scattered.

"Great punch!"

Zhao Wenhe shouted loudly, and she also raised her fist, which was wrapped with a thick and almost tangible qi. Combined with Zhao Wenhe's supreme Huangji Jingshi Fist, Zhao Wenhe threw a punch with all his might.

The fist of the Confucian patriarch clashed with the fist of the monarch.

A flash of light illuminated the heavens and earth.

Zhuge Liang, who was next to Wenquxing, grabbed Wenquxing's shoulder in an instant, and then easily ran several kilometers away with his feet.

But that wasn't enough. The massive, ring-shaped aftershocks of the explosion spread outwards, causing the ground to crack and trees to break wherever they went. Zhuge Liang and Wenquxing were directly blown into the air by the gusts of wind exceeding level ten, and it took them quite a while to regain their footing.

There is already a five-kilometer-wide crater in the center of the boxing ring.

Inside the crater, Confucius did not retreat an inch, while Zhao Wenhe took several steps back. The skin on her hand, which had received Confucius's fist, was cracked and the flesh was torn, revealing the black bones beneath.

Zhao Wenhe, who had spent half his life in the world of martial arts, had never lost so humiliatingly in a boxing match.

Confucius, standing opposite, clenched his fist to the side of his face and said solemnly.

"Do you know why Mr. Kong threw this punch?"

Zhao Wenhe's hands were covered with protective energy, and his flesh and blood were repaired at a speed visible to the naked eye. At the moment of treatment, Zhao Wenhe asked.

Why?

Confucius straightened his perfectly sculpted physique.

"The benevolent are invincible."

Zhao Wenhe waved her hand, which had been repaired by powerful internal energy, and said disdainfully.

"All I know is that Heaven and Earth are ruthless."

Confucius shook his head.

"stubborn……"

Confucius stretched his shoulders, and the muscles beneath his bronze skin began to move. As his bones and muscles came alive, the crackling sound of roasting beans filled the air.

That punch just now wasn't even a warm-up.

"you……"

Feeling his body getting warmer, Confucius pointed at Zhao Wenhe again with his left index finger.