Chapter 555: Gluttonous Devouring Heaven Technique

Upon hearing his words, Wu Geng's previously composed expression instantly changed. He straightened up from his respectful bow, an inexplicable regal aura emanating from him.

He looked at Zu An and said faintly, "When did you find out?"

As he spoke, the surrounding environment abruptly shifted. The battle scene, where blood flowed like rivers and the clamor of fighting reached the heavens, vanished in the next second.

They were no longer on the Muye battlefield, but atop the Lutai Pavilion, which had been built some years ago.

Pei Mianman also appeared there, looking bewildered. She hurried to Zu An's side, "A'Zu, what's going on?"

Zu An gave a wry smile. "This person before you is the creator of this trial—the true last King of Shang, Wu Geng."

Pei Mianman looked at him in surprise. It was hard to connect this quiet prince, who often bowed to her, with the final boss.

Wu Geng frowned. "You still haven't answered my question."

Zu An then replied, "Actually, ever since I entered this mystic realm, I've had a persistent doubt. King Zhou was defeated at Muye and fled to Lutai Pavilion, where he set himself on fire. He obviously wouldn't have had time to construct this mystic realm. So, the most likely candidates remaining are two people: first, Weizi Qi, King Zhou's illegitimate elder brother, who later established the State of Song; and second, King Zhou's crown prince, Wu Geng, who later became the last King of Shang."

"Weizi Qi contended with King Zhou for the throne and was, in a way, a traitor to the Shang Dynasty. Moreover, as the founder of Song, he had good relations with the Zhou people, so it's highly unlikely he would have created such a mystic realm."

"That leaves only you. After King Zhou burned himself to death and Zhou became the ruler of the realm, you became the last King of Shang. After temporarily submitting for a few years, you took advantage of the Zhou's young new monarch to lead the Shang people in a counterattack. The great war with the Zhou lasted three years, but unfortunately, it ended in failure."

After listening to his analysis, a hint of surprise flashed in Wu Geng's eyes. "You seem quite familiar with this past. However, people in this world do not know this history. Who exactly are you?"

Zu An sighed. "Just someone destined to be here."

Wu Geng clearly had no intention of delving deeper. He turned to look at the Lutai Pavilion nearby, his voice heavy. "Do you know what happened after the defeat at the Battle of Muye?"

Zu An shook his head, seeing that the other party seemed to want to unburden himself, and knew better than to interrupt.

Wu Geng waved his hand, and the air before them rippled like a mirror, quickly displaying some scenes.

An heroic, tall man was seen fleeing back to Lutai, sighing up to the sky. Unwilling to be humiliated by the Zhou people, he set himself ablaze and died.

This was naturally King Zhou of Shang, accompanied in death by Daji.

Not long after, the Zhou army entered the Shang capital. After distributing rewards for meritorious service, they began to offer sacrifices to heaven to thank the gods.

The best offerings for heaven were human sacrifices, and now there were plenty of ready ones.

A hundred of King Zhou's favored officials were escorted to the altar, their hands and feet severed with axes and halberds, left to writhe and struggle in their own blood. The louder their screams, the more violently they struggled, the more bountiful the offering was considered for the heavenly gods.

The stubbornly resisting generals from the Muye battlefield and forty clan leaders from the core Shang noble families were stripped naked and thrown into large cauldrons of boiling water.

King Zhou's bones were found. His head, along with those of his consorts, and the ears of enemies slain in battle, were piled high on a massive pyre and set ablaze. The fragrant, smoky scent was said to be the gods' favorite food.

Zu An and Pei Mianman had spent so much time in this trial, and had even been King and Queen of Shang. Witnessing the cruel scenes in the vision, their faces changed dramatically, and their hearts were filled with immense anger.

At this point, Wu Geng said, "My main purpose in creating this mystic realm was to restore the truth of that year, and at the same time, to reflect on why the powerful Great Shang Dynasty perished."

He paused, his keen gaze turning to Zu An and Pei Mianman. "You have gone through these trials. Have you summarized the reasons for the Shang Dynasty's downfall?"

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. Was this the final test? He dared not delay, quickly organizing his thoughts before replying, "In my opinion, there are primarily four reasons. First, naturally, is the rise of the Zhou people. When the Northwestern Qiang Fang were defeated, the Zhou took advantage of the power vacuum in the Guanzhong region to gain control. Looking back at history, Guanzhong is a land of imperial destiny; if managed well, it would inevitably become unstoppable. Unfortunately, the Shang Dynasty initially faced various other strong enemies around them and had no energy to manage this region. By the time Shang dealt with other threats, the Zhou had completely risen. Shang could only resort to a mix of fighting and appeasement, such as killing Ji Li and forming a marriage alliance with San Cai. However, the Zhou people were meticulously planning, and several generations were unswervingly determined to 'clip Shang,' so Shang ultimately could not escape its fate of destruction."

Wu Geng was expressionless. "And what else?"

Zu An continued, "The second reason is the issue of succession to the Shang throne. Throughout the entire Shang Dynasty, the two factions — succession from elder brother to younger brother and from father to son — had irreconcilable conflicts. The royal family was constantly in a state of internal strife and turmoil, which greatly diminished the national strength and prevented a united front against external threats."

Wu Geng sighed. "Indeed, for 500 years of the Shang Dynasty, the royal family was continuously embroiled in internal disputes. The frequent relocation of the capital throughout history was also due to this reason."

Receiving his praise, Zu An breathed a sigh of relief, taking Pei Mianman's hand before continuing, "The third reason is the struggle between royal power and divine power. In fact, rituals only deluded the common people; as King of Shang, one surely knew there were no gods. However, the Grand Priests could use the name of the gods to check royal power. No ambitious Shang King could tolerate this situation, and both sides exerted their strengths to contend for power. In fact, this is quite similar to the second reason, as those Grand Priests were also members of the royal family who had lost their right of succession."

Wu Geng nodded. "From Yi Yin in this dynasty onwards, the power of the Grand Priests was immense. Successive Shang Kings wanted to reclaim divine power, but unfortunately, apart from a few exceptionally capable kings like those during King Wu Ding's reign, divine power was controlled by the Grand Priests from other royal clans... What about the fourth reason?"

"The fourth reason..." Zu An paused, then continued, "What I mentioned earlier were the fundamental reasons for the Shang Dynasty's downfall. The fourth reason should be the direct cause of its demise. During King Zhou's reign, the old nobles led by his uncle Bi Gan and Jizi were not of one mind with the King due to centuries of tradition. Weizi Qi was discontent because his rightful throne was lost for a ridiculous reason, so he wanted to use the Zhou's power to become king, and he eventually got his wish, though he became King of Song instead of Shang."

"Also, many high-ranking officials in the court, like Shang Rong and Xin Jia, were friendly with the Zhou. There must have been many more unnamed ones. King Zhou must have felt a sense of despair, looking at the entire court and thinking that no one was truly loyal, everyone was sympathetic to Zhou."

"Actually, you missed one person," Wu Geng said. "Jiao Ge, whom my father personally promoted, had also secretly defected to the Zhou people long ago."

Zu An was startled. "Jiao Ge? Wasn't he rescued by your father from slavery and personally promoted? How could such a direct subordinate defect to the Zhou?"

Wu Geng snorted. "Because he had already been bribed by the Zhou people before my father saved him. Don't forget, he was an Dongyi. After hundreds of years of war, the hatred between the Dongyi and the Shang was irreconcilable. Moreover, the Dongyi's sacred jade *cong* was plundered by the Great Shang back then. How could they genuinely pledge allegiance to Great Shang?"

"Jade *cong*..." Zu An's heart skipped a beat. That was what the girl Jiang Jiang outside had asked him to find. He had indeed seen it during King Wu Ding's reign, and it was later buried with Fu Hao.

However, he quickly regained his composure and continued, "Besides the few individuals I just mentioned, you, the Crown Prince, also seemed dissatisfied with King Zhou and probably participated in their rebellion. King Zhou was surrounded by enemies. In such a situation, how could he not be defeated? But I don't quite understand. Others rebelling against King Zhou is comprehensible, but you were already the Crown Prince. Why did you also rebel against him?"

Wu Geng's expression was desolate. "At that time, my father favored Daji, and my mother was continuously out of favor, liable to be deposed at any moment. If Daji then bore a son, how could my position as Crown Prince be secure? It was better to strike first. In fact, many nobles in the court at that time didn't genuinely want to overthrow Shang; they merely wanted to use the Zhou to force my father to step down. Unfortunately, they never imagined the Zhou's ambition was so great, that they came with the intention of destroying Shang from the very beginning."

"They invited a wolf into the house," Zu An sighed. The power struggles among those Shang nobles were like inviting Dong Zhuo into the capital, never realizing this "Dong Zhuo" would be so ferocious.

"By the time we realized it, it was too late. The overall situation was decided; the Zhou became the rulers of the realm," Wu Geng said through gritted teeth. "At that time, the Zhou's strength was too great, so I could only bide my time and accumulate power. Later, when Ji Fa died and his young son ascended the throne, I found an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with the Zhou. Fearing failure, I prepared this mystic realm beforehand, so that even if I failed, someone in the future would know the truth of that time."

After speaking, Wu Geng looked at Zu An and Pei Mianman. "You two are very good. The previous trial participants had higher cultivation, but in this trial, I directly stripped everyone of their cultivation, turning them all into ordinary people. This is because I value not the cultivation of the participants, but whether they can understand our Shang people's anger and injustice, and whether they can find a solution."

He continued, "Among the previous trial participants, there were also intelligent individuals. However, many didn't even get past the first stage, either misled by Xiao Tuo, or falling out with Fu Shuo, or losing themselves completely after decades of imperial life, forgetting their identities and why they came here."

"In the second stage, if you hadn't genuinely cared for San Cai from childhood, she wouldn't have voluntarily offered to replace you in the marriage alliance. Once a female participant married into Western Zhou, there was only a dead end."

"As for the third stage, you actually managed to clarify the chaotic situation, knowing who were enemies and who were friends. You called back the main forces for the Battle of Muye, and had your companion lead a surprise attack into the battlefield. You even discerned my identity. If my father had been like you back then, perhaps the outcome would have been truly different."

Zu An and Pei Mianman exchanged a glance, both breathing a collective sigh of relief. Evidently, they were the first pair among all trial participants to reach this stage.

However, Wu Geng's tone suddenly shifted. "Unfortunately, you still haven't completed the trial. You only figured everything out at the very last moment. By then, it was simply too late to stop anything. As soon as I gave the order, my army would have turned on you, and the outcome would still have been predestined. You didn't change anything at all."

Zu An and Pei Mianman's expressions changed simultaneously. To fall at the very last hurdle of completion was truly frustrating.

Wu Geng's voice was also filled with regret. "Your performance in the trial was truly excellent, far better than all previous participants. But the better you are, the more I anticipate that perhaps in the future, there will be trial participants even more outstanding than you, who can perfectly resolve all this. Therefore, prepare to die."

With that, he slowly ascended, black energy swirling around him. He slowly raised one hand, revealing a hideous *taotie* pattern on his palm. Immediately after, his entire palm transformed into a black hole, from which immense suction emanated. Everything around them began to crumble; even the tall and majestic Lutai Pavilion started to disintegrate, with various objects being sucked into his palm.

Clearly, he had judged the two's trial as a failure and intended to close this trial world, waiting through the long years for the next destined pair to open it.

Zu An and Pei Mianman felt a powerful tearing force on their souls, as if they could be sucked in by him at any moment.

Pei Mianman tightly held Zu An's hand and smiled mournfully. "We've had a lifetime together. To die together now, I'm content."

"It's not that easy to die!" Zu An stared at Wu Geng in mid-air and quickly said, "We haven't failed this trial. I still have a backup plan!"

"Oh?" Wu Geng was startled, then couldn't help but sneer. "None of your methods escaped my notice. What backup plan could you possibly have?"

Despite saying this, he slightly tightened his grip, and the surrounding suction immediately lessened significantly.

Zu An felt his body lighten, and couldn't help but sigh, "It seems you subconsciously still want us to succeed."

Wu Geng scoffed. "Sentimental talk is useless. If you can't state your backup plan, then await destruction."

Zu An quickly replied, "The purpose of you designing this mystic realm was primarily to preserve the truth of what happened that year, to clear the Shang Dynasty of many slanders, and to see if there was any way to find a glimmer of hope in that desperate situation."

"So what? Although you accomplished the former, you were a little short on the latter," Wu Geng said coldly.

Zu An smiled. "Do you remember Fei Lian and E Lai, father and son?"

Wu Geng was puzzled, frowning. "I remember. You promoted them from among the humble scholars. They were quite loyal. If the battle had continued, E Lai would have died at Muye, and though Fei Lian escaped, he would have devoted his life to opposing Zhou. Unfortunately, his power was too weak, and he ultimately caused no significant ripples."

Zu An replied, "Although Fei Lian never successfully overthrew Zhou in his lifetime, he planted a seed that was passed down through generations. Fei Lian is the ancestor of the Qin people, and in the future, the Zhou Dynasty will be destroyed by the State of Qin! The Zhou spent several generations unswervingly 'clipping Shang' before they successfully destroyed Shang; Fei Lian's line did the same."

"Fei Lian is the ancestor of the Qin people?" Wu Geng was stunned. He closed his eyes, as if rapidly searching for information.

A moment later, he abruptly opened his eyes and burst into laughter. "Fei Lian raised E Lai's son, Nü Fang. Nü Fang begot Pang Gao, Pang Gao begot Tai Ji, Tai Ji begot Da Luo, and Da Luo begot Fei Zi, who established the State of Qin! And in the future, Qin will destroy Zhou! Hahaha, brilliant, truly brilliant!"

Zu An secretly congratulated himself on his luck. If it weren't for the existence of Mi Li, the Queen of Qin, he wouldn't have been so clear about these relationships. That's why when he saw Fei Lian and E Lai, he immediately put them in important positions, thinking of them as a backup plan, and he never expected it would actually come in handy.

Wu Geng completely retracted his hand and slowly descended from the air to the ground. Everything that had been collapsing around them returned to a state of stillness.

He looked at Zu An with a complex expression. "You truly surprise me, to have made such an arrangement. Although this isn't directly defying fate or changing the outcome of Shang's demise. But even if you did change it, what would it matter? After all, this is all within a trial world, all illusory, having no impact on reality. How could it compare to the satisfaction of Fei Lian's descendants truly destroying Zhou in actual history?"

Zu An cupped his hands. "It was just good fortune. Ultimately, it was the Prince's own hopes for the trial participants that gave us so many opportunities."

Wu Geng nodded slightly. "Indeed, indeed. You're not conceited. If my father had been as humble as you back then, he wouldn't have alienated everyone."

Zu An didn't get involved in that; it was fine for Wu Geng to speak of his own father, but Zu An doing so would easily cause trouble. "I wonder if our trial is considered complete?"

Wu Geng didn't look at him, but asked in a deep voice, "Answer me one last question: How do you possess the Zhou royal family's *Phoenix Nirvana Scripture*? Could it be that you've also entered a Zhou Dynasty mystic realm?"

He didn't suspect that Zu An was a descendant of the Zhou royal family, especially since in the trial, this guy had directly chopped Ji Chang and his son into meat paste. No unfilial descendant would do that.

As for the Qin royal family's *Primordial Chaos Scripture* on Zu An, he was unfamiliar with it, so he wasn't as sensitive.

Sensing the fleeting murderous intent in Wu Geng's eyes, Zu An carefully replied, "I haven't entered the Zhou people's mystic realm. It was an elder who entered it, and by chance, I benefited." He briefly recounted Old Man Mi's story.

"That's good, that's good," Wu Geng burst into laughter. "It seems you truly are blessed with profound fortune and are worthy of receiving the inheritance of our Shang Dynasty. Catch."

With that, he tossed over a bronze scroll. Zu An caught it and saw the large characters at the top of the scroll: *Taotie Devouring Heaven Art*!

"This is your reward for passing the trial," Wu Geng said. "The *Taotie Devouring Heaven Art* is a supreme scripture that only successive Shang Kings were qualified to cultivate. It's much more powerful than the Zhou people's *Phoenix Nirvana Scripture*. How could our Great Shang lose to the Zhou people in this aspect!"

Hearing the indignation in his voice, Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed this guy truly held a strong grudge against the Zhou people.

He hastily asked, "What about my companion? Can she cultivate this? What is her reward?"

Wu Geng said blandly, "The *Taotie Devouring Heaven Art* can only be cultivated by a Shang King, so she naturally cannot. However, you needn't worry; she will also gain something."

With that, a jade piece shimmering with light flew into Pei Mianman's hand. Wu Geng explained, "This is Heaven's Wisdom Jade. It can absorb the essence of heaven and earth, allowing cultivation to yield twice the results with half the effort. Additionally, it has another function: as long as this jade is not destroyed, even if the physical body dies, the soul will remain intact."

Pei Mianman placed the jade in her palm and felt her soul greatly nourished, realizing how much it would aid her cultivation. And from his words, it seemed this was equivalent to having a second life?

Wu Geng continued, "Furthermore, through this jade, you can gain the recognition of the owl *zun* at the mystic realm's entrance. That is also a formidable magical artifact, and since you were Fu Hao in your past life, it's a perfect match for you."

Pei Mianman's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Prince!"

"It should be me thanking you," Wu Geng waved his hand. "You may leave now. This sinner can finally face my ancestors in the Ancestral Temple..." With that, he turned away with a desolate expression, his form gradually fading into nothingness.