I changed the world.

Page 357

Zhang Jing could now easily guess the reason for this control.

In Zhang Jing's understanding, the world is actually a multi-layered existence. Compared to the normal world where people live normally, the subspace is located at a deeper level. In fact, the subspace is a process of going from shallow to deep, just like the real ocean. Larger creatures usually exist in areas far from the water surface, and in the subspace, those more terrifying beings also exist in the deep sea.

And in the deepest part of the ocean lies the surface of the abyss.

And the gods exist attached to the surface of the abyss.

Generally speaking, those unknown gods and beings from the deep sea are actually difficult to descend into the real world easily.

In such circumstances, these powerful beings often construct their own "anchors," relying on certain beliefs, corruptions, or rituals in the real world to build more anchor points, making it easier for them to rise and thus gain the opportunity to descend.

This is why many cult rituals are intolerable to people, because their essence is to construct an "anchor" for the descent of evil gods. Or rather, those cult members themselves have become an "anchor" in a certain sense.

Because of the unique nature of "faith," it's not just cult members who become "anchors"; ordinary people can also be influenced by them.

"Cognition" and "fear" themselves can also become "anchors," especially for evil gods who possess powers such as "fear" and "killing."

Compared to those cult members, it's just a matter of degree of anchoring.

Zhang Jing now has a deep understanding of this point. He knows that the "chains" around those floating islands are actually anchor chains.

Of course, Zhang Jing's current situation is special. Compared to those gods whose true forms are located in the abyss, his true form still exists in the normal world. His authority comes from the decree granted by the Heavenly Punishment Sword. To give an inappropriate analogy, it is somewhat similar to a company hiring a professional manager to control it. The Heavenly Punishment Sword is this company, and he is similar to that professional manager.

He awakened his true nature, which lay in the abyss, through the power of the Heavenly Punishment Sword; however, in essence, he was not yet a god.

Moreover, he no longer simply hopes to walk the path of the gods.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 715 "Confirming" History

Zhang Jing thought for a while, then opened the wishing book again:

"I pray that in ancient times, during the period when humanity was at war with evil gods, there was no ritual or technology like the 'conferring of divine titles' that I recently performed. This includes, or is not limited to, similar methods that use some superior or divine power as a seed to condense authority and faith... and such technologies."

Zhang Jing's wish seemed somewhat inexplicable, but it was a wish he made after careful consideration. Just as he had realized before, he discovered that there seemed to be a situation similar to the "observer effect" in his previous life between this world and the wish book.

For him, who possessed the wishing book, it was based on the seemingly existing observer effect. When he truly learned the truth about a certain period of history or knowledge, it also meant that this history or knowledge had been "observed" and thus "confirmed."

In such a situation, if the outcome is not what he wants, or if he tries to change it, the cost he pays will be far greater than if he had never known this history or knowledge.

Therefore, to some extent, when he hopes that "history will take a certain direction," if he is not yet certain, he can pay a certain price and use a wishing book to determine it in advance.

This can be considered a reverse observation, a way of observing the effects of events, that makes history move in a direction favorable to itself, a "development of willow trees."

Alliance

For Zhang Jing, the practice of "conferring titles upon deities" was not simply a copy of the ancient legal code. Rather, it was the first time he had "invented" a new power system based on his own understanding and the work of his predecessors.

In his view, the potential of this system is actually quite large. It can not only make good use of the existing belief systems and beliefs in human society, but also solve the hidden and extraordinary dangers that are difficult to guard against in various places.

In his view, it was highly unlikely that a similar system existed in ancient times. Firstly, he had not seen any similar records in any legal texts. Secondly, the prerequisite for an imperial decree system was a widespread understanding of a certain "deity." After all, Zhang Jing's decree was not the creation of a deity, but rather an imprint formed on the surface of the people's existing knowledge in history and culture. Such a condition should not have existed in ancient times.

Furthermore, in ancient times, especially during the millennia of war, the "sacrifice" culture was likely still in the early stages of religion, namely the "blood sacrifice" stage. In later times, especially during the thousands of years when supernatural phenomena were hidden, because the gods did not appear in the world, a more rigorous and complex religious system and a more peaceful sacrificial tradition developed.

These are all prerequisites for the implementation of the imperial decree.

Of course, these are all Zhang Jing's conjectures. Even though Zhang Jing is quite confident that history will likely unfold as he guesses, it involves the gods after all. Therefore, he had not made up his mind to directly use the wishing book to make a wish before. After all, if the number of points wished exceeds his expectations, he is afraid that he will suffer huge side effects that he cannot bear.

Even after experiencing the baptism of past life memories this time, he still did not find any similar "imperial decree" in his memories, which was enough for him to make up his mind to use the wish book to "confirm" this part of history.

For Zhang Jing, this will help him forge a path different from that of the ancient cultivators in this era. After all, the inexplicable departure of those cultivators in ancient times has always put him under great pressure. Although he still doesn't understand the reasons behind it, it doesn't stop him from knowing clearly that there must be some kind of huge crisis that even the abilities of the ancient cultivators cannot completely solve.

Currently, this is the biggest sword of Damocles hanging over Zhang Jing's head. Zhang Jing has pondered this repeatedly. With the wish book in hand, he naturally wouldn't choose to directly explore the truth of history. Instead, he chooses to "create" the truth of history himself.

Although his current strength is not enough for him to dare to directly wish to "determine" the final outcome, this does not prevent him from gradually influencing history through a "salami slicing" approach.

A moment later, further text appeared on the wishing book.

"I pray that in ancient times, during the period when humanity was at war with evil gods, there was no ritual or technology like the 'conferring of divine titles' that I recently performed. This includes, or is not limited to, using some superior or divine power as a seed to condense authority and faith... and such technologies."

That wish has been fulfilled.

45000 Wishing Points deducted.

Seeing the number of wish points consumed, Zhang Jing smiled slightly. His idea was feasible, and the number of wish points consumed this time was within his acceptable range.

He was confident that, given enough time, he would be able to remove the sword hanging over his head!

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承和三十七年 2016年4月4日9:43 建安省晋安市安家大宅

Compared to a few months ago, a simple and elegant palace has been built on the open space south of the An family mansion, with a golden plaque bearing the name "Yanfu Palace" hanging at the gate. As it is a family temple, the overall design and construction of the palace are quite exquisite. Although the area is not large, it is a typical single-courtyard layout. The main building inside the palace is the Sanqing Hall, which enshrines the three great celestial deities of the Xuanmen sect.

At this very moment, An Huiling's mother, An Xuqing, was kneeling before the statue of the Supreme Heavenly Venerable in the Sanqing Hall, chanting scriptures with her eyes closed. A middle-aged man dressed as a Taoist priest stood to the side, holding a whisk.

A maid entered through the back door. Seeing An Xuqing's actions, she stood aside with her hands at her sides, waiting. After An Xuqing finished praying and opened her eyes, the maid carefully stepped forward and whispered in her ear, "Madam, the eldest young lady has returned. She has arrived home and is on her way here."

An Xuqing smiled upon hearing this: "My son has arrived." With that, she stood up and looked at the Taoist priest beside her: "Master, let's call it a day."

"Please make yourself at home, Madam." The middle-aged Taoist priest nodded slightly, stroking his long beard, exuding an air of superiority.

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“Cousin, look, many of the components of this Yanfu Palace are designed according to the style of palaces and temples in the Qi Dynasty. The other day, I heard my aunt mention it, so I asked someone to invite Professor Ma Yawei of the Department of Ancient Architecture at Nanbin University to design it. Professor Ma is a leading scholar in this field…” Outside Yanfu Palace, Xu Hanzhang, dressed in a blue straight-hemmed robe, was introducing the family temple to An Huiling with a smile on his face.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 716 Family Temple

Today is the Cold Food Festival and tomorrow is the Qingming Festival. Therefore, An Huiling returned home today, partly to celebrate the festival and partly to prepare for visiting the graves tomorrow.

Xu Hanzhang happened to have arrived earlier, so the two chatted while Xu Hanzhang led her here to find her aunt and take a look at the newly built Yanfu Palace.

Xu Hanzhang is six years older than An Huiling and is currently the vice president of the platform interaction business group under the Qianluo Group. This is the business that Qianluo Group started with. The fact that Xu Hanzhang is being trained in this business shows that the group values ​​him. Therefore, it is believed that An Zhengquan will cultivate Xu Hanzhang to enter the senior management of Qianluo Group, which implies that he is the successor.

However, this sentiment subsided after news of An Huiling's recovery spread.

Without a doubt, the two cousins ​​in front of me are not stupid. Naturally, they will feel some feedback from various levels. As for their feelings, only they know whether they are drinking water or not.

As for An Huiling, she didn't really care. In the long run, her ambitions lay elsewhere. She even considered that if her cousin really had the talent for this in the future, she could be a hands-off manager.

After all, for family businesses, as long as they hold controlling stakes, control key financial audits, and retain the right to appoint and dismiss important personnel, they can indeed relinquish some authority.

Especially in the East, long-standing habits mean that behind the modern corporate system, there are still strong remnants of personal dependence. Employees, especially middle and senior management, identify with the company more than the normal binary relationship between company and employee.

Under this system, Eastern companies, especially family businesses or conglomerates, are unlikely to fire their employees easily. This is actually somewhat similar to certain aspects of the culture in Japanese companies in Zhang Jing's previous life.

As for what Xu Hanzhang was really thinking... at least on the surface, he was no different from usual, still visiting his aunt at the An family from time to time.

An Huiling's gaze lingered on the willow branches hanging beside the gate of Yanfu Palace, following the direction Xu Hanzhang pointed. This was a local custom, as the saying goes, "No willow branches are planted during the Cold Food Festival, lest youthful beauty turn to old age."

Then, I examined the details of the temple before me; it was indeed extremely well-made. It is said that my mother built this temple at home after I recovered from my illness, so that she could easily enshrine the Heavenly Venerable and offer sacrifices morning and evening. I originally thought it wasn't finished yet, but I didn't expect it to be built so quickly.

"Cousin, you're so thoughtful." An Huiling nodded with a smile, her gaze intentionally or unintentionally sweeping over Xu Hanzhang again. Although she smiled, An Huiling was slightly surprised. Her keen intuition sensed that there seemed to be some kind of gloomy aura about her cousin...

Without showing any unusual expression, An Huiling followed Xu Hanzhang into the gate of Yanfu Palace. As soon as they entered the temple, they saw An Xuqing greet them with a big smile.

"Lingling's back! Let Mommy see her..." An Xuqing walked forward with a big smile, followed by several attendants. She took An Huiling's hand, looked her up and down, and her face immediately lit up with surprise: "Your complexion is noticeably better than last time, you're even more beautiful, and your body looks much stronger... Mommy almost didn't recognize you..."

"Mom...it's not that exaggerated..." An Huiling immediately felt a little shy.

“No exaggeration, no exaggeration…” An Xuqing held her daughter’s hand while looking at Xu Hanzhang beside her: “Guanyun, don’t you think so?”

"Aunt is right. My cousin is back this time, and I almost didn't recognize her just now. She looks much better," Xu Hanzhang said with a smile.

An Huiling roughly guessed that this was because her body was undergoing many changes as she embarked on the path of cultivation. She had heard her senior brother say that the adjustments to various aspects of the body were greatest during the first and second stages. In fact, she herself had some awareness of this, but since she looked in the mirror every day and faced her gradually changing self, the perception was not that obvious. This also included Mei'er, because she could see her every day, so she didn't have a very obvious feeling.

However, for family members who hadn't seen her for a long time, An Huiling's changes were extremely noticeable, whether in terms of skin, physique, or even temperament.

Sure enough, An Xuqing gestured with her hands, then asked with some doubt, "Lingling, you've even gotten taller, haven't you? How could you change so much in just a few months?"

An Huiling quickly replied, "No... It's probably because I've been doing physical training and some strength training these days, and my figure has become much more upright."

“Yes, yes, it seems that this exercise is effective after all…” An Xuqing recalled that in recent days, her daughter would mention every one or two days when she communicated with the family that she was strengthening her fitness and had even hired a special coach. She thought that this was the reason.

This is also a persona that An Huiling intentionally cultivated as a "fitness enthusiast," otherwise, the changes in her appearance would be impossible to explain. As for the rest, it can only be attributed to the fact that the landscape of Linzhou is easily changed...

So, the mother and daughter chatted for a while about the scenery of Linzhou before turning the conversation to the ancestral temple in front of them...

"Who is this gentleman?" An Huiling suddenly turned the topic to the middle-aged Taoist priest behind An Xuqing, her smile fading slightly.

"Oh, this is Master Liyuan, the junior brother of Abbot Chen of Qinghe Palace. He has great cultivation. A few days ago, my mother couldn't sleep well at night and kept having nightmares. This Master Liyuan recited a mantra and she got better."

"So that's how it is." An Huiling seemed to understand something. The reason she asked about the background of this Master Liyuan was because she instinctively sensed a gloomy and resentful aura emanating from him. She had some idea of ​​where the gloomy feeling in Xu Hanzhang came from...

Could it be... that this Master Liyuan is a spiritual practitioner?

As a disciple of Kunlun, An Huiling naturally knew that there were all sorts of extraordinary people in this world.

Judging from the details of his figure alone, he didn't seem to be a person with real cultivation. However, An Huiling wasn't sure, after all, her own cultivation was only low. But, judging from the aura she sensed, this mage was probably not a good person...

She couldn't help but take another look at Master Liyuan. He looked to be over forty years old, with long, narrow eyes, a fair complexion, and a long beard. He had a refined and scholarly appearance, and was wearing a finely crafted embroidered blue robe with dark patterns. He also wore a feathered crown and held a whisk in his hand, giving him a somewhat otherworldly air.

At this moment, Master Liyuan was also observing An Huiling. Seeing her looking at him, he raised his hand in front of his chest, bent his index finger, and performed a Taoist ritual, saying, "Greetings, Miss An."

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 717 Incense Offering

"Greetings, Master." An Huiling bowed slightly in return.

"Did Master Liyuan cultivate at Qinghe Palace before?" An Huiling wondered, but she didn't show it on her face and asked casually.

“I had been traveling around Southeast Asia, seeking out like-minded people and experiencing the ways of the world. I just returned to Jin’an not long ago,” Master Liyuan said with a smile.