Following his gaze, Zhu Zhengwei said, "This is what a true Human Emperor of an era is. The many kings throughout history were all far inferior to you."
"Yes, I think so too." The old man turned around and smiled brightly.
After he finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.
The two resumed drinking tea, enjoying this brief moment of tranquility in the evening sunset.
"What a marvelous line. That one sentence just now elevated the whole scene!"
"What do you mean? This line—'Lead by example and accept the most tragic thing of all, your own death'? I only felt that it had an incredible presence."
"You history-illiterate blockhead! Looking throughout human history, most of the heroic emperors feared death in their later years. They sought immortality, refined elixirs, neglected government affairs, and committed all sorts of absurd acts, ruining their reputations in old age. The Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng before us wanted to set an example for all future Human Emperors, preventing them from taking that crooked, evil path."
Everyone suddenly understood.
As the first Human Emperor in the history of civilization, he would inevitably become an example for all the "people" who came after him. He had to live out a complete human life—birth, aging, illness, and death—and openly accept his own death in old age, rather than seek some other Evil Method, "Qi Consumption," to extend his life, commit atrocities to cling to existence, or become a tyrant and plunge the world into chaos. This was telling those who came after him that this was the integrity a Human Emperor should possess!
And was this really just a game?
If it was only a game, it was too incredible!
It had perfectly acted out the personalities and schemes of every faction with exhilarating vividness.
One had to admit that every line in the dialogue and monologue of this imposing and terrifying sage emperor before them was enough to shake the heart.
The entire scene and atmosphere left people dazed, as though they were truly facing the Torrent of History, listening to the sorrowful sigh of a great historical figure and master of his age before death.
What kind of great man was this?
He was simply inspiring and admirable.
A plant swayed its branches.
"I've got goosebumps all over. Everything the Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng did for humanity makes me want to cry. He's a true human hero of integrity! He chose a short life, completely unlike the cowardly, life-hoarding Stone Light Emperor Changshou of the previous generation. They're worlds apart!"
"Is this kind of charisma and dominance really acting? Before my eyes, he seems like a real person—domineering and ruthless, yet fond of showing off his realm before the gods and basking in his own satisfaction."
"Gathering slaves and building a huge wall to defend against the barbarians! Casting sacred scriptures to bring future generations an age of peace and prosperity! This reminds me of an Eternal Emperor from my Huaxia."
"My blood is boiling!"
"The Torrent of History rolls on, washing away so many heroes!"
Their blood was practically boiling.
They felt as though history was repeating itself. This was a fresh yet weighty human epic and myth steeped in history. The most beautiful thing in this Mortal World was none other than the civilizational epic humanity had written with blood and tears.
"Shh!"
"Don't make a sound. This is a scenery game. We're here to listen to the wind, watch the evening glow, and witness the end of a great era's king."
Someone spoke.
The surroundings instantly fell quiet.
The Immortal Herbs bloomed with wisps of multicolored radiance. Swaying in the distance, they set off the beauty of the two people drinking tea in the Tea Shed.
After a long while, the Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng finally spoke again:
"To be honest, by this day, I have laid the foundation for civilization throughout the world and done everything I could. I have no regrets in death. Yet after pondering again and again, there is still one matter that has left me hesitant."
"What matter?"
"The All Living Beings Scripture I cast has been called perfect by the world. It encompasses an overview of every species and can be called a Daoist Canon. Yet I know that it still has one omission. This book is incomplete, and I wish to complete it before I die."
As soon as these words fell, not only did Zhu Zhengwei understand his meaning, but some quick-witted Immortal Herbs also caught on.
This classic contained, in its general outline, an overview of all things and species in the world.
Those that ate water, those that ate earth, those that ate wood, those that ate grass, those that ate flesh, those that consumed qi, and those that consumed years—it encompassed all the myriad kinds of nature, yet one category was still missing.
Gods!
What, exactly, did gods consume?
The general outline described all the kinds of things in existence, yet uniquely omitted the category of "gods." It had not been recorded in the scripture. No wonder he had to ask.
At this thought, some people were already shouting in amazement, growing even more respectful of this terrifying sage.
"As expected of you, Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng. To perfect your sacred work, you actually want to ask what species gods belong to and add them to the book!"
"That's absolutely brilliant!"
"I'm afraid that the previous request for the gods' descent was because he got stuck while writing his book. He wanted the gods to descend and clear up his confusion so he could continue writing!"
"He still wanted to make one final attempt for humanity, so he yearned to meet an immortal, long-lived god."
The Immortal Herbs began whispering among themselves again, uttering evil, indescribable mutterings, while Zhu Zhengwei looked at the emperor.
What did gods eat?
What sort of creatures were gods?
How would he know?
This world had only just begun. The Shaman Zhu Era had formally begun with the foundation you laid, but no superexistence that could truly be called a "god" had appeared yet. It was still in its embryonic stage. You had only just set out.
He was the Creation God, but clearly not that kind of being, because in a certain sense, he was an ordinary human.
Clearly, he could not answer this question.
Zhu Zhengwei asked, "Is that your question?"
"That is only the first question."
The Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng was extremely calm and composed. "I have three questions in total. I wish to voice them to the gods on behalf of this short-lived and weak human race."
There were three?
Zhu Zhengwei was somewhat dumbfounded.
Instead, the Immortal Herbs began discussing among themselves.
"This plot is marvelous. It's fate unfolding exactly as it should! If such a history really existed and gods truly existed, mortals would inevitably try every possible way to find the gods and ask them some questions."
"What's so marvelous about it? What do you mean by fate unfolding?" someone asked in confusion. "What do you understand now?"
"You wouldn't understand. I study history and theology! Throughout the five thousand years of human history on Earth, people have always been filled with ignorance and confusion about nature. They lived in fear and anxiety, and eventually placed their unease and terror toward the unknown on the nonexistent 'gods.'"
"Thus, people built temples and altars to worship the 'gods,' yearning for divine protection and answers. They wished for 'the gods to love all people.' This was the original source of humanity's feudal superstition."
"As you know, people prayed for their children to pass exams safely, for a boy, or for safe travels the next day. On a national scale, emperors knelt before the gods, hoping droughts would disappear and floods recede, holding all sorts of extravagant, useless ceremonies that drained the people and treasury."
"Throughout the five thousand years of feudal civilization on Earth, when no true gods appeared, people in both the East and the West were all eager to kneel before statues of gods and ask them all kinds of questions. But what happens when there are truly gods before us?"
Everyone suddenly understood.
They felt that there truly was a sense of destiny in all this.
Zhu Zhengwei sat drinking tea. Listening to the whispers in the distance, he gradually felt at peace. He had not expected these players to include so many knowledgeable people. They had studied history quite well and had even discovered such a pattern. Pooling their wisdom really was useful.
Zhu Zhengwei could not help but be moved. "Is it once again the desire to obtain an answer from the gods? Looking across the long history of the past and future, humans have always yearned to gain divine enlightenment, placing their hopes in faith that was never meant to be fulfilled. This was the original source of humanity's superstition toward the 'gods.'"
The Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng trembled inwardly, as though he had also sensed the meaning of those words and the inevitable historical pattern within them.
He could not help exclaiming, "So that is how it is! As expected of a god. In ages past, mortals must often have prayed to the gods as well. This is an inevitability of history. I am neither the first nor the last."
Zhu Zhengwei did not care. "Ask your questions."
The Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng immediately began: "First question, regarding souls that consume qi. I cast the All Living Beings Scripture, encompassing all the species beneath heaven, yet the category of 'gods' alone is missing. May I ask what category gods belong to, and how long are their lifespans? What do gods consume? I hope to record it in the scripture for the world to worship."
"Second question, regarding the fleshly body. Qi does not flow through the entire body. Is the path we have taken in studying the circulation of qi through flesh and blood the correct one? Can the flesh reach immortality at its ultimate limit? Is there a future for it?"
"Third question, regarding the world and all beneath heaven. I built the Wall of Ten Thousand Stones to defend against the External Enemy, and used various forms of government to manage domestic affairs. After I die, will my realm be passed down from generation to generation, and will humanity prosper forever? If it does prosper forever, can its golden age reach the era of the ancient gods?"
Zhu Zhengwei suddenly froze.
These three questions.
They seemed familiar.
He had seen them before when he was looking through materials on The Interpretation of Dreams.
Of course, quite a few Immortal Herbs had also realized it.
"These three questions are profound. Personally, I think they represent an inevitable stage in humanity's historical exploration of the world, and they also have something to do with the three books written by modern humans on Earth."
"What do you mean? Scholar, please explain!"
"The Interpretation of Dreams was a book ranked alongside Darwin's On the Origin of Species and Copernicus's On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. Together, they were considered to have sparked the three great revolutions in human thought at the time, symbolizing humanity's first step into modern society."
"From a certain perspective, these three works respectively embodied the three great directions in which humanity began exploring the world and all things: the soul, the flesh, and the environment."
"And the Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng before us actually asked these three questions. The first was about the All Living Beings Scripture, the great work of the spirit and soul. The second concerned the body and flesh. The third explored the external world and environment."
Everyone was stunned.
This Human Emperor of a feudal civilization had directly asked the three great questions that human thought had explored from the Renaissance through the end of the nineteenth century.
"The Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng actually dared to ask the ancient gods such questions! Wasn't he afraid of death? But I feel that this exchange, question and answer by question and answer, is simply incredible. I'm covered in goosebumps!"
"The vision behind this game is unimaginably profound! It feels as though the beings, scientists, and seekers of knowledge from real history are constantly exploring the world! And now humanity is asking the gods about the three ultimate subjects it has always pursued: spiritual consciousness, the fleshly body, and the external environment!"
"This isn't a game at all!!! I feel as though I'm witnessing a conversation between a true human emperor and the true god of humanity in another spacetime!"
"This premise is too outrageous. If the questions are answered well, it will definitely become a masterpiece, perhaps even revealing the answers to some of modern humanity's doubts and pointing the way forward."
"This is insanely awesome!"
"The questions and answers between the god of heaven and the tyrant of the human world! At this moment, I can feel the joys and sorrows of the world and the continuation of civilization, as history's song is composed with the blood of elephants and the tears of humanity!"
Everyone could not help discussing it. It was simply astonishing.
"I have my own views on these three questions as well, and I'd like to offer an answer. Everyone can see what they think. Maybe it will even match the gods' answer."
"Don't! What's the point of rushing to answer? Everyone, stop fooling around. Let's see how the gods will respond."
Before you continue