The Investiture: Unlimited Blade Works Nezha
Chapter 249 - 248: The Shang Destroy Zhou and Establish Their Own Dynasty

Chapter 249: Chapter 248: The Shang Destroy Zhou and Establish Their Own Dynasty

Queen Jiang received the answer she desired and bowed in gratitude once more. Rising, she returned to Yin Shou’s side. The two exchanged glances, all emotions conveyed without words.

Yin Shou and Queen Jiang embraced, and before the eyes of eighty thousand people at Mu Ye, they took their own lives.

Their souls ascended together onto the Investiture of the Gods.

The Capital City, Chaoge, surrendered without resistance, bringing an end to the six hundred-year reign of the Yin Shang dynasty.

Ji Fa was overwhelmed with an unspoken excitement.

At this moment, his foremost concern was not what lay ahead, but the infant cradled in Li Jing’s arms.

In the original timeline, concessions were made to appease the Yin Shang old people; Zigeng was spared, and they were even rewarded lands elsewhere. But now, the attitude of the Yin Shang people was glaringly apparent, even to the blind.

The West Zhou itself was hanging by a thread. Should the Yin Shang old people rebel again, whether this empire could be stabilized was a question no one could comfortably answer.

Li Jing clearly noticed Ji Fa’s gaze but refused to back down. Old Li had vowed in front of all under heaven to protect Zigeng, and he would not make a mockery of himself now.

For a moment, the two stood at daggers drawn.

A flicker of an enigmatic light passed through Ji Fa’s eyes, but ultimately he said nothing. Making a move against Zigeng now was not in his best interest.

Firstly, such an action would provoke enmity with Nantang. At present, his own precarious position was evident; securing his place as the World Ruler was his priority.

Secondly, doing so would only inflame the hatred of the remaining Yin Shang old people, introducing yet more instability.

But if Zigeng were to meet his end in Nantang...

Old Li was no fresh-faced youth. In matters of strategy, Ji Fa didn’t need to spell things out; Old Li could discern his intentions simply by observing his demeanor.

In an age filled with mystics and talents, his cultivation was insufficient to ensure Zigeng’s safety.

Just then, Nezha’s voice rang in his ear, bringing him a wave of relief.

As a gesture of respect towards Yin Shou and Queen Jiang, he did not retrieve the Linglong Pagoda, instead holding the child directly in his arms.

Thus, Tuo Ta Li Tianwang transformed into Tuo Ying Li Tianwang—The Heavenly King Who Cradles an Infant.

Old Li’s actions were not an elaborate performance to enhance his reputation. He had no ambitions and no need for fame—did he not already possess enough renown?

Whose thumb would not instinctively rise at the mention of the Heavenly King Li Jing? Who didn’t flock to him constantly, forming visitors in groups of three?

His actions were solely to send a message to Ji Fa: I, Li Jing, hold Zigeng in high regard, so don’t even think about plotting against him.

He knew that even if Zigeng were killed, Nezha could resurrect him a hundred different ways. But that wasn’t truly a solution—you need only look at Jiang Ziya to know what kind of state that leads to.

...

Ji Fa led his troops, carrying with them the composure of victors, to where fifty thousand citizens of Chaoge still knelt. Gazing upon the seemingly boundless sea of bowed heads, a sense of satisfaction surged within him.

This was the essence of power!

Summoning what little strength remained, Ji Fa strained to assume a dignified posture and proclaimed, "The Great Shang has fallen. From now on, you shall be citizens of the Great Zhou! Rise, all of you!"

Not one person moved.

"Rise now!"

Still, no one stirred.

Ji Fa’s face darkened to an extreme.

Producing his treasure sword, he struck down an elderly man in the robes of a doctor before him. Blood spurted as the man’s head separated from his body, but the fallen head’s gaze remained resolutely disdainful.

We defy you. Even in death, our defiance remains!

This was the united voice of every Yin Shang old person.

The old man’s piercing eyes deeply wounded Ji Fa.

Defy me? On what grounds do you defy me?

I, Ji Fa, spent thirty years leading West Zhou to conquer Shang, and today stands as my ultimate triumph! I am the victor!

Defy me? Then you deserve to die!

And so he began to slaughter.

After thirty grueling years on the battlefield, with immense pressure crushing his nerves, the tension that had bound Ji Fa tightly finally snapped with Yin Shou’s death. On the surface, Ji Fa appeared composed, but was he truly stable within?

Stability was a pipe dream.

To call this madness "falling to the demon" might be overstating it. To put it simply, his mind had unraveled.

In this era, the concept of mental illness didn’t formally exist, but by every account, nine out of ten soldiers on the battlefield were mentally unwell.

"Without madness, there can be no life."

Witnessing Ji Fa’s escalating frenzy, Zhou Gongdan—the scholar with the most insight and capability—understood the danger. If this continued, the resistance of the Yin Shang people would only swell beyond control.

With gritted teeth, he wrapped his arms around Ji Fa, determined to stop him.

"Second brother! Come to your senses! You can’t kill anymore!"

In a blood-red frenzy, his mind clouded, Ji Fa swung his blade at Zhou Gongdan’s arm.

Slash!

An arm flew.

The deep bond between brothers, the literal sacrifice of Zhou Gongdan’s right arm, finally succeeded in awakening the felled Ji Fa.

Madness gave way to boundless emptiness.

Seeing Ji Dan—his cherished brother from childhood—kneeling in agony, clutching his wound, Ji Fa collapsed atop a pile of corpses and shouted, "Quick, save Ji Dan! Hurry and save him!"

With those words, he fainted immediately.

...

As Ji Fa lost consciousness, the Chan Sect Immortals exchanged helpless glances before Guang Chengzi stepped forward. He reattached Ji Dan’s arm and, with a shake of his head, examined Ji Fa’s condition.

The Chan Sect’s merits were brought to perfection, awaiting Jiang Ziya’s final act of Divine Enthronement.

But who would handle this mess?

Ji Fa’s brothers tried valiantly to take charge, but the Yin Shang old people wouldn’t even bestow Ji Fa with face value, let alone his siblings.

In the end, they had no choice but to seek out Old Li.

They had no alternative—Old Li’s reputation was simply too grand.

Old Li doubted his own ability to manage the situation, but the reality was that fifty thousand people couldn’t remain kneeling there indefinitely. Elderly men and women numbered among them, and in less than three days, tens of thousands could perish.

"Elders and kin, do you trust me, Li Jing? What’s done is done—return to your homes now. The Great King fought and died for the Yin Shang people. Are you truly willing to disappoint his expectations?"

Cradling the infant, Li Jing presented no aura of majesty, yet his words struck home.

Esteemed elders among the Yin Shang began to organize and lead the people back.

Nezha, observing from the skies above, found himself deeply moved. Did Old Li truly possess some innate air of dominance?

Old Li performed remarkably—so well, it seemed almost excessive.

Ji Fa wasn’t entirely wrong, but alas, such was fate.

From the heavens, Nezha saw clearly Ji Fa’s present state: his body depleted, his spirit waning, severely wounded, and burdened with the overwhelming backlash of innumerable karmic ties from the destruction of Shang. He was nearing his end.

Finally, Guang Chengzi administered several Golden Cores to prolong Ji Fa’s life.

...

Three days later, Ji Fa rose weakly, proclaiming the establishment of the Great Zhou and his ascendancy as World Ruler.

The rise of Zhou and fall of Shang—this was the Heavenly Mandate.

No matter whose mandate it was, it had now reached its conclusion.

The Investiture of the Gods was sealed completely.

Henceforth, Primordial Immortals would no longer preserve their Divine Souls under the protection of the Investiture of the Gods. Death would now mean true extinction.

On the Sealing God Platform, Shen Gongbao, long unseen, held a black Sealing Demon List that he had torn from the Investiture of the Gods. Without a word, he turned and departed.

On the seventh day of the Great Zhou’s founding, King Wu of Zhou passed away...

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