Chapter 392

Time slipped away, and people remained stunned for a long time.

Even a three-year-old child could see that the Babylonian mythology would change, certainly tied to that so-called scheme—forced to act in order to escape it.

But the true cause began with the mysterious figure who entered the Babylonian mythology realm.

After the figure entered the Babylonian mythology realm, Abzu soon left the Babylonian mythology realm and headed for Hangu Pass.

Immediately after, the Four Mythologies and all other mythologies arrived; from the initial conversation between Cangjie and others, it was clear they hadn't come merely as guests to Babylonian mythology, nor was it some coincidence that they all arrived together.

They clearly came for that mysterious figure, to question it.

One could say the entire affair was inextricably linked to that mysterious figure, who played a crucial role in the betrayal within Babylonian mythology.

Combined with Shamash's cryptic words, it wasn't hard to deduce that the mysterious figure may have made the Babylonian mythology gods aware of the scheme.

Every time people recalled these events, many even speculated whether the divine figure might be the one who set the scheme—the one from "over there."

Otherwise, why would Cangjie and the others have come?

Most likely, they sensed the presence of "over there" in the Babylonian mythology realm and came to inquire.

At the moment the scene froze and vanished, Abzu's voice rang out.

It made people's imaginations run wild even further.

No one expected this matter to be connected to Him.

"Damn! I should've realized that mysterious silhouette was His—He made the future seek to obliterate the past, and Babylonian mythology is tied to 'over there'; no matter how you look at it, this affair can't be separated from Him."

Director Takahashi slapped his own head.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Unconsciously, even the gods, demons, immortals, and devils shivered—not just their bodies, but their souls and spirits too.

Babylonian mythology was one of the Four Mythologies, one of the oldest forces in the Initial Realm, teeming with gods and demons, its strongest among countless others.

He had inserted into the past a being whose true identity came from "over there."

Even Babylonian mythology itself was unaware of this—so much for deceiving heaven and earth; first, deceive your own people.

What exactly is He trying to do?

If it were just an ordinary mythology, it might be bearable—but this was Babylonian mythology, one of the Four Mythologies of the Initial Realm, a terrifying force ruling over countless heavens.

Such a mythology betraying the "past" would be a fatal blow, enough to tip the scales of victory and alter the battlefield's entire situation.

First, the future seeks to obliterate the past; now, a "Four Mythology" is inserted into the past—what exactly is He trying to do? Destroy all past, present, and future?

At this moment,

Saito Director and many others around the world suddenly spoke up.

"The schemer, First Sacred Spirit, lured and slaughtered seven Supreme Beings; schemed against Babylonian mythology, aiming to stab the past in the back? Each scheme spans ten thousand ages—surely there are more than two."

Silence fell so thick the air felt dead.

Everyone held their breath, trembling all over.

My god! With His terror, it's entirely possible He set up no fewer than two schemes—there may be more.

What are the other schemes? Who is He targeting?

"Hey, I just remembered something from Chinese history—could that also be His doing?"

Online, a netizen's legs were shaking violently; he slapped his trembling hands hard, his palms turning red before he could finally stop them from shaking enough to type.

"My god, you thought of it too?"

"I thought I was the only one who thought of it—didn't expect the two above me also thought of it."

"You're thinking of the same thing I am, right?"

"What are you thinking? Stop being cryptic—I'm ready to stab you right now."

"Above me, I'll hand you the knife!"

Some netizens who hadn't figured it out felt like a hundred claws were scratching their insides.

Then, the earlier netizen slowly typed two characters.

"Xia Dynasty."

Silence—then chaos erupted.

At that moment, many understood.

The Xia Dynasty, the most controversial mysterious dynasty in Chinese history.

It was the first hereditary dynasty recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian, generally believed to have passed through fourteen generations and seventeen rulers (Xia rulers were called "Hou" while alive, "Di" after death).

The dynasty lasted approximately 471 years before being overthrown by the Shang Dynasty; later generations often referred to themselves as "Hua-Xia," making it a synonym for China.

The reason the Xia Dynasty is so controversial is simple: there is no precise historical record of its timeline.

According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of Xia, Dayu became emperor due to his success in controlling the floods, thus beginning the history of the Xia Dynasty.

However,

Researchers lack conclusive evidence for the actual existence of the Great Flood, and there is no precise historical record of the Xia Dynasty's timeline.

In the 1920s, suspected ancient-school scholars questioned whether Dayu was a god or a real historical figure.

Due to the absence of clear primary sources, the "Xia-Shang-Zhou" chronology in ancient Chinese history remains an unresolved problem.

This mysterious Chinese dynasty is still debated today, with some even doubting whether it ever existed.

Unfortunately,

Chinese historians have long sought to prove the Xia Dynasty's real existence but have yet to find decisive evidence.

Thus, the Xia Dynasty became the challenge Jin'an sought to solve.

It seemed as if the Xia Dynasty were veiled in a mysterious, hazy curtain, making any inquiry into it impossible.

In China, on DingTalk, a lecture was being given.

"Wasn't the Shang Dynasty founded right after the Xia Dynasty?"

A history dropout asked the history teacher a question on DingTalk.

"Hmm, the Shang Dynasty was founded after overthrowing the Xia Dynasty. What's the issue?"

The history teacher's lip twitched.

How bad was this student's history knowledge? Didn't the simple rhyme "Xia, Shang, Zhou" clearly indicate the chronological order of these dynasties? How could he not remember that?

The history dropout asked again:

"The Shang Dynasty was destroyed by the Zhou Dynasty, right?"

"I said, Hou Wu, didn't I already explain Shang-Zhou history on DingTalk yesterday?

I even used Su Daji as an example to illustrate it. Fine, let me summarize again: You know Su Daji, an immortal being, she was King Zhou's wife.

And King Zhou was the last emperor of the Shang Dynasty. Zhou Wuwang defeated King Zhou, overthrew the Shang Dynasty, and established the Zhou Dynasty."

The history teacher pushed up his reading glasses, his cheek twitching as he suppressed the urge to punish the dropout with extra copying assignments.

At that moment,

the history dropout asked another question.

"Teacher, I remember you said that during the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, ancient rulers were called Renhuang, but by the Xia Dynasty, the notion of the Mandate of Heaven suddenly appeared.

And after King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, no later dynasty ever had another Renhuang, right?

Moreover, starting from the Zhou Dynasty, rulers called themselves Tianzi; after Qin Shi Huang unified the world, the title 'Emperor' emerged.

The Mandate of Heaven in the Xia Dynasty, the absence of Renhuang after King Zhou, and King Zhou now being captured by 'the other side'—then Zhou Wuwang established the Zhou Dynasty and declared himself Tianzi, giving rise to the title Tianzi.

Teacher, don't you think all these might be connected to Him?"

"I mean, the Mandate of Heaven, the end of Renhuang, the rise of Tianzi—all of these."

…

(PS: There are many interpretations in historical texts; I chose the one that suits my novel.)