577 Be (1/2)
”Fang Yuan…”
Nuwa observed the goings-on of the mortal realm up in the heavenly palace. She muttered to herself.
”I can feel that the heavenly mandate is still with Zhou. Even though Zhou experienced a decline after conquering Shangyi and forcing King Xin to self-immolate, they are still capable of gaining the submission of the other feudal lords and feeding off the energy of these feudal states. They will live on for about 800 years!”
As the premier deity, she was aware that the heavenly mandate followed its own laws!
Heaven and earth were neutral entities. There was no way that a family would be fated to rule the world for 800 years! The fates could never afford to give such a thing.
Whether it was the witch race, the Shang or Western Zhou, the so-called 'heavenly mandate' was like starting capital that allowed a chosen family to rise quickly and place them in a good position to achieve dominion over the world. Only when they themselves work towards building up infrastructure and gaining popular support would they be able to ensure the longevity of their dynasty. A state that relied entirely on the grace of heaven to survive would be a complete joke!
The witch race was an example of an entity that failed despite being favoured by the heavens.
The Shang Dynasty performed better. It rose at a time when the Xia Dynasty was declining. Later, it won overlordship of the world following an epic battle with the Xia and sustained their power for 500 years by absorbing the energy of their vassals.
Now, it was Western Zhou's turn.
If external forces had not interfered, Western Zhou would have been able to dominate the other feudal states and create a tributary system that would have kept them nourished for a long time.
However, things were falling apart.
In fact, if Western Zhou had lost the heavenly mandate, Nuwa would have washed her hands of their affairs.
It was because Western Zhou remained in heaven's favours that Nuwa had to stay on.
Of course, this was a precarious situation.
'If the heavenly will was still on the side of Western Zhou, I would have been able to destroy King Xin openly when he received the help of external forces...now, however, it seems like I must proceed with caution!'
Nuwa pondered on. Suddenly, her face took on a shocked expression.
”Also...his enemy seems to be the Ancient One, which benefits me to some extent. Could it be...that everything that had happened had been part of his plan?”
If this was the case, it would be truly horrifying.
This meant that the other party was not only scheming but he also had a firm understanding of the workings of this world and how the heavenly will operated.
”Most importantly...he is different from the Ancient One, who is easily manipulated. This person's original body isn't in this world. Even if he dies here, his true aura would most likely get away and become a future threat…”
The current situation had been caused by the accumulation of minor alterations developing into a new trend. Even the goddess Nuwa was at a loss.
”Be it as it may, I'll have to do something!”
Nuwa was the premier deity after all. Determined, she waved a hand and sent colourful lights shooting up into the skies.
”Ding! Ding! Dang! Dang!”
The soldiers of the retreating Western Zhou army found that layers of colourful lights had enveloped their bodies like suits of armour. They were rapidly regaining their energy.
”Lady Nuwa is here!”
The Marquis of Western Zhou and Young Master Wu were overjoyed.
”Kill them! Counterattack!”
”Sigh…”
Fang Yuan exhaled. He knew that even though his methodology had been effective, it was unable to prevent Nuwa from intervening.
'In truth...even in my original plan, I had expected Nuwa to act anyway. This is already one of the better case scenarios!'
Fang Yuan waved a hand. Sword essence descended to the ground and carved out a deep gully, putting a halt to the charge of the Western Zhou army.
”Lady Nuwa, may we request an audience with you!”
The War God Chi appeared beside Fang Yuan in a flash of flames. They levitated high up in the air and stared at the rich and colourful lights.
”Buzz!”
In a flash of light, elegantly-dressed and beautiful goddess Nuwa appeared.
”Greetings, Lady Nuwa!”
She was a Sage after all. Fang Yuan and the War God Chi respected her power and they bowed first.
”Gentlemen, is there a need for this?”
Nuwa returned their bows and asked in a perfectly neutral voice.
”The battle between the Shang Dynasty and the Western Zhou state had been destined to happen anyway. Let us leave the mortals to settle it among themselves. What do you say?”
Fang Yuan smiled. Western Zhou had lost their final chance to overthrow the Shang Dynasty. There was even a huge possibility that they might be defeated. Nuwa would never agree to this arrangement.
”No way!”
Fang Yuan had barely finished speaking when Nuwa rejected his suggestion with a frown.
”In that case, I'll compromise!”
Fang Yuan could tell that even with her powers, Nuwa was unwilling to involve herself with human military conflicts -- they were rich in blood and hatred!
Fang Yuan thought for a moment before speaking.
”You, I and the War God Chi won't intervene. If the Western Zhou army can overcome my array, they would be in a good position to defeat the Shang Dynasty! If not, then we will take it as heaven's will! Whatever follows will be self-determined by the mortals!”
”In that case...fine!”
Nuwa rolled her eyes and agreed.
The War God Chi sighed in relief.
They would be lucky to survive a clash with Nuwa. This opportunity to settle their differences through a bet was greatly appreciated.
Of course, Fang Yuan had begun to set this up a long time ago. His little preparations combined to form a major developmental trend!
After all, even though Fang Yuan might have recovered his peak prowess and was now a higher being, having to face a Sage did not bode well for him.
Fang Yuan and Nuwa took up their positions in their separate arrays.
”Mister…”
Prince Pan advanced uneasily. Even though he had already gained the upper hand, the prospect of fighting Nuwa was terrifying.
”Don't panic!”
Fang Yuan waved his hands and explained the bet with Nuwa.
”Go get Hei Zhong, Ge Nie, Er and Lian!”