Seeking Fortune And Avoiding Calamity, Starting From The Heavenly Master's Mansion Chapter 300: A Different World, Another History's What-If (Part 2) - Novel Cool

Chapter 300: A Different World, Another History's What-If (Part 2)

Chapter 300: A Different World, Another History's What-If (Part 2)

To prevent the Heavenly Reason faction from regrouping and staging another attack, the Ye Clan head and the Chu Kingdom Elder from the Yuhang side intended to join forces with the forces from Mingzhou to cut off the source of the Heavenly Reason faction's delusions.

"Fang Yue came ahead, and more people will arrive later."

Lei Jun and Abbot Miaoxin naturally agreed.

After exchanging greetings, the two parties set off together to sea.

Along the way, Lei Jun and the others compared and discussed various pieces of information from the Yuhang and Mingzhou sides.

"Without access to historical records from the Heavenly Reason side, it's difficult to make a definitive conclusion, but based on what we've gathered from the Heavenly Reason cultivators, the historical processes of the two worlds were mostly identical up until the end of the Great Han Dynasty."

Lei Jun continued slowly, "But after that..."

Fang Yue and Abbot Miaoxin both nodded slightly.

Currently, it was the fifth emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, Zhang Wantong, who ruled.

Since the previous emperor, Zhang Qilong, was Zhang Wantong's sibling, the current dynasty still belonged to the fourth generation of the Zhang-Tang clan.

Prior to the Great Tang Dynasty, there had been other dynasties like the Great Sui Dynasty.

Throughout the ages, from the Qin and Han Dynasties to the present, countless changes had taken place, and countless lives had been buried.

The Great Han Dynasty was also a powerful empire that had ruled over the land for many years, producing several talented and ambitious Han emperors.

However, after the fall of this giant, chaos reigned in the world for many years.

According to Lei Jun's knowledge, it was during the late Great Han Dynasty that the spiritual energy in this world began to thin out.

It was only recently that the spiritual energy surged once more, marking a new era of prosperity.

The historical records of the Great Ming Dynasty reflected this, more or less.

However, the problem arose after the fall of the Great Han Dynasty.

The historical succession in the Great Ming Dynasty's world differed completely from what Lei Jun, Fang Yue, Abbot Miaoxin, and the others knew.

For example, in the world that Wang Feng and the others were familiar with, there was no mention of dynasties like the Great Sui or Great Tang.

Instead, heroes rose and vied for dominance.

According to the corresponding timelines, during this period in Wang Feng's known history, a different dynasty should have been ruling the world.

This dynasty was known as the Great Zhou Dynasty.

It was also referred to as the Later Zhou Dynasty by later generations in the Great Ming world.

In terms of timing, it wasn't exactly aligned with the Great Tang Dynasty, as it was established a few hundred years later, and there were other dynasties before it.

The biggest difference between the two worlds was that the Great Ming Dynasty's history spanned two thousand four hundred years longer than that of the Great Tang Dynasty.

After repeatedly confirming this fact, Lei Jun, Chu Kun, Fang Yue, Abbot Miaoxin, and Faming couldn't help but look at each other in astonishment.

According to the historical records of the Great Ming Dynasty, the Great Zhou Dynasty was succeeded by the Daliang Dynasty.

It was during the Daliang Dynasty that the seeds of Confucian philosophy first sprouted.

However, the Daliang Dynasty was eventually overthrown by a foreign tribe from the northern border.

This was a time when martial might trampled over civilization, when the true meaning of martial arts was wild, crude, and domineering, exerting a strong suppressive and destructive force on Confucian cultivators and other sects. Their aggressive expansion ultimately led to their conquest of the world.

However, as they solidified their rule, a fusion of martial and civilized ways gradually emerged.

The dynasty established by this foreign tribe eventually adopted a name derived from the civilized world of Central Plains, ultimately settling on the name 'Daguan Dynasty'.

And it was after the fall of the Daguan Dynasty that the Great Ming Dynasty rose to power.

The former dynasty's name originated from the phrase 'Great and Majestic', while the latter shared the same origin, derived from the phrase 'Great and Bright'.

Following the establishment of the Great Ming Dynasty, Confucian philosophy was once again established as the orthodox school of thought.

It was during the Daguan Dynasty, when martial and civilized ways merged, that Confucian philosophy gradually evolved and improved, eventually becoming less susceptible to suppression by the Daguan Dynasty's martial might. From then on, it continued to flourish.

Chu Kun's eyes flickered as he glanced at his senior martial brother, Lei Jun.

Lei Jun's expression remained unchanged as he gazed toward the East China Sea.

However, the direction of his gaze wasn't toward the void gateway connecting the Heavenly Reason world and the Great Tang Dynasty.

Instead, he was looking in the direction of Changjie Island.

According to Xu Yuanzhen, the broken world accessible through the gateway on Changjie Island was newly formed.

In the eyes of the Great Ming Dynasty, the once-rampant barbarian cavalry might still exist, but the Daguan Dynasty had become a thing of history.

Then, whose doing was the world accessible through Changjie Island? What was the situation with the Lone Eagle Khan Empire?

"Senior martial brother..." Chu Kun transmitted his voice quietly.

Lei Jun remained calm and responded secretly without answering, instead asking a question of his own, "Junior martial brother, if you hadn't come to Longhu Mountain, if you hadn't entered our sect, what kind of life do you think you would have led?"

Chu Kun didn't answer, but he nodded slightly, understanding Lei Jun's meaning.

If he hadn't come to Longhu Mountain to cultivate, he naturally would have stayed in Suzhou to continue his studies, joining the clan's school and becoming a Confucian cultivator.

Although he had his own little secrets, his achievements and life experiences would likely have been completely different from what they were now. He could make some speculations about the general direction his life would have taken, but the specific details and ultimate outcome were difficult to guess.

Of course, there was no use in dwelling on the 'what ifs' of life.

But...

What if?

The Great Ming Dynasty's world seemed to represent an alternate path that history could have taken.

For some unknown reason, the world had taken a different turn during the late Great Han Dynasty.

Time seemed to have forked, running parallel yet diverging.

During that period, there was severe loss of historical records, resulting in a chaotic and confusing view of the past.

Or perhaps there used to be more records, but they were largely lost at some point.

However, when comparing the timelines, that period coincided with the decline of spiritual energy in the world and the interruption of communication between the Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, and the human world...

It was possible that during that time, even greater changes had occurred in the world and the dimensions.

But the question remained: Did the split timelines and worlds contain the same person living two different lives?

Unfortunately, given the immense span of time, it was impossible for anyone from that era to still be alive, and the numerous upheavals throughout the Great Ming Dynasty's history had also resulted in a scarcity of records, with many events becoming little more than mythical legends.

As time passed, although the geographical features remained almost identical, they were now two distinct worlds, inhabited by different people, with different histories.

Aside from the initial doubts and uncertainties, as the various historical events changed, it was inevitable that many things would no longer be the same. People who once existed in this world might never have been born in the other.

However, some beings remained unique and constant.

For instance, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

The Heavenly Reason was connected to both the Great Tang and the Great Ming Dynasties.

And, of course, the Celestial Masters' Mansion.

To be precise, the Three Treasures of the Celestial Master and the Wanfa Zongtan.

Through the words of those from Heavenly Reason, Lei Jun and Chu Kun learned that in the other world, there had also been a Celestial Masters' Mansion.

However, in their world, the Celestial Masters' Mansion had long ceased to exist, and even the Taoist Talismanic Code sect had declined.

Wang Feng was well-versed in ancient texts and understood the past and present, and he could even recognize Lei Jun's Nine Heavens Thunder Ancestor Dharma Image and Dou Mu Star God Dharma Image, but he had only read a few descriptions of them in ancient books.

It was only after encountering Xu Yuanzhen and Lei Jun in the Heavenly Reason world, which was connected to the Great Tang Dynasty, that he truly witnessed their power.

The existence of another world was a huge shock to Wang Feng and his companions.

In their understanding, the Celestial Masters' Mansion was already a thing of history.

Its decline began very early, even before the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which corresponded to the current Great Tang Dynasty.

In their world, the Celestial Masters' Mansion fell less than two thousand years after the collapse of the Great Han Dynasty.

Towards the end of the Han Dynasty, for unknown reasons, the Celestial Masters' Mansion lost the Wanfa Zongtan and the Three Treasures of the Celestial Master.

According to legends, it was only through the self-sacrifice of the high-achieving elders of the Celestial Masters' Mansion, who transformed themselves into the Wanfa Zongtan, that the Taoist orthodoxy was able to continue.

For the sake of survival and development, capable individuals from the Celestial Masters' Mansion ventured north, establishing a new foundation and calling it the Celestial Master's Way.

However, the Northern Celestial Master's Way and the Ancestral Court of Longhu Mountain eventually became bitter enemies, leading to a dispute between the northern and southern branches of the Celestial Master's Way.

The Northern Celestial Master's Way claimed to eradicate the false laws of the Longhu Mountain branch, incorporating more Confucian doctrines and classical literary meanings. At that time, they collaborated with the Confucian eminent families and the imperial family, successfully overshadowing the Southern Celestial Master's Way.

But as the dynasty changed, the Northern Celestial Master's Way also perished quickly.

This Taoist holy land had become a thing of the past in the world of Wang Feng and his companions.

The Taoist Talismanic Code sect's legacy no longer held significant influence.

Upon hearing this, Lei Jun and Chu Kun, the senior and junior martial brothers, looked at each other, speechless.

Abbot Miaoxin and Monk Faming did not feel any sense of schadenfreude either.

Because in the Great Ming Dynasty, the Tianlong Temple had also become a part of history...

One aspect where the Celestial Masters' Mansion was relatively better off was that the Buddhist sect, which focused on vows, still existed in the Great Ming Dynasty, although other new representative sects had risen to prominence.

However, the Tianlong Temple was no more.

As for the Jingxiang Fang Clan in their world, it declined during the transition from the Great Zhou Dynasty to the subsequent Daliang Dynasty.

Although their bloodline continued, and even during the rule of the Great Ming Dynasty, talented individuals emerged from their clan, they never regained their former glory as a prominent clan.

Fang Yue remained indifferent to this turn of events.

Each person present had their own thoughts and emotions.

When others arrived in the Mingzhou area and learned about the situation, their feelings were equally complex.

"There was such a thing..." A scholar from the Chu Clan took a deep breath and quickly calmed himself.

Abbot Miaoxin said, "It's excellent that all of you have arrived. At present, we still lack sufficient information, and I believe we should further confirm the situation."

The newcomers greeted Lei Jun and the others.

There were three main representatives among them.

The first was Ye Chen, an elder of the Ye Clan from Qingzhou.

Next was Ye Yao, a talented young woman from the Ye Clan, known as one of the most outstanding figures of her generation, often mentioned alongside Ye Cheng.

The last was Chu Taoyuan, an elder of the Chu Clan from Suzhou.

Interestingly, Chu Taoyuan, also known as Master Yangchao, was the Chu Clan elder who had personally participated in the battle between the Li Clan and the Celestial Masters' Mansion, fighting on behalf of the Li Clan. He was a good friend of Li Song.

Facing Lei Jun and Chu Kun, his attitude was calm and polite.

However, his smile faded slightly when he looked at another person.

Fang Yue remained unaffected by his gaze.

Ye Chen, Ye Yao, and the others also observed him with calm eyes.

While they treated Chu Kun with familiarity and warmth, their attitude towards Fang Yue was markedly different.

However, when it came to Lei Jun, Ye Chen's face lit up with a smile again:

"All the clues indicate that during the previous battle in Yuhang, the Heavenly Reason faction intended to deceive us. They used the Yuhang battle as a distraction to divert our attention, while their true agenda was here in Mingzhou. Thanks to Elder Lei's presence and his decisive action, their scheme was thwarted. I am impressed, Elder Lei."

Lei Jun replied humbly, "I was merely fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. My junior martial brother and I happened to be here, and we worked together to uncover their plot."

Chu Taoyuan, Ye Chen, and Ye Yao stood to the side, each deep in thought.

They were all astonished by Lei Jun's direct and forceful killing of Wang Feng, an eightfold heaven Confucian master.

While they expected Lei Jun to be capable of defeating Wang Feng, they never imagined that he would do so decisively, leaving his opponent without even a chance to escape.

During the previous battle at Longhu Mountain, Lei Jun had relied on the Celestial Master's Sword, which channeled the Yin and Yang Double Thunder, to fight against Fu Dongsen and Hong Jie. Combined with the return of the Celestial Master's Seal to Longhu Mountain, they knew that Lei Jun had successfully cultivated the Yang Thunder Dragon and the Yin Thunder Dragon. Chu Taoyuan and Ye Yao had already anticipated Lei Jun's strength.

However, they were still astounded by Lei Jun's display of power in this battle, where he swiftly defeated Wang Feng by combining the might of his three great dharma images.

Ye Chen looked at Lei Jun with a hint of regret and relief.

He exchanged glances with Chu Taoyuan, and they both shared the same thought:

While the Yin and Yang Double Dragons, with their thunderous might, were formidable, the Yin Thunder Dragon was a recent creation of Lei Jun's, and there were still areas for improvement. Nonetheless, Lei Jun had already reached this level of power. If he had achieved the Dragon-Tiger Combo, it would have been even more challenging to defeat him. Fortunately, everyone had their limits...

(End of Chapter)

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