Chapter 334: Curtain falls!

You, who had made up your mind, slammed the accelerator on the road to destruction, sending this aberrant prosperous age into ruin……

Of course, in fact, given the current productivity of mortals, even without divine power they could easily exceed the old era by nearly tenfold, and mortals have not stopped progressing in self-reliance.

But the problem is, under your efforts of nearly four hundred years, the human population has already swollen by at least a hundredfold!

Moreover, mortal technology has always been founded on the basis of divine power; it was so from the start, and over the past four hundred years the two have become inseparable… or rather, in this world of divine transcendence, mortals originally had no other path—without divine power they could never reach today's level.

And now the die is cast; humanity is already tightly bound to divine power in fact, and a rash severance would only cause a great recession, with chaos and death rampant across the world… until… until death reduces numbers to match productivity.

All these ills are what you planted at the beginning; back then you single-mindedly wanted to use divine power to secure an age of peace for humanity, never imagining that one day humanity's demand for divine power would become a thousand‑jin burden oppressing cultivators and spirits……

You couldn't help but think of the Heavenly Court of those days.

The Heavenly Court fell due to its slackness, you fell due to your efforts—two different directions leading to the same result, which cannot help but be lamentable.

"Perhaps I should never have harbored grand ambitions in the mortal realm……"

You sighed ruefully; back then you scorned the Heavenly Court's slackness, but in the end you realized it was actually a method beneficial to everyone.

And now, it's too late to say anything.

The New Dynasty's demise has already begun its countdown……

……

Year after year after year.

Things indeed unfolded as you had foreseen: as the population swelled day by day, the slightly over a thousand true gods gradually found themselves stretched thin……

Population growth brought not only immense resource pressure but also great trouble for social governance; under such multifaceted pressure, even though mortals had already been working hard on R&D, it was still a drop in the bucket.

Left with no choice, they could only continue to demand of the true gods……

In fact, it wasn't that no wise person had proposed limiting the population; extremist suggestions even included the outrageous slogan "Kill the disloyal and unfilial!"

After all, they weren't stupid either; the pressure from overpopulation was obvious, and limiting the population was the simplest and most effective way to relieve the burden.

Whether normal population limits or extreme population culls, the essence is the populace's demand to reduce numbers!

But all these population‑reduction proposals were blocked by the higher ups…… Don't ask, just know that the General is far‑sighted; mortals just need to live well, and the General will figure something out!

And what plan did the General come up with?

General: Cancel your household registration!

In the year 130 of the New Calendar, under mounting population pressure, you issued an edict: the Consort ordered the thousand true gods of the Eight Banners to leave the banners in batches.

That move really stirred up a hornet's nest!

The last batch of true gods who had happily joined the banners back then are now in an uproar: after all that fuss, the General's turn out to be a delaying tactic, and those who raised the banners haven't even been Eight Banner lords for many years—now they're to be expelled again?

The gods were dissatisfied and thus filed memorials one after another!

At first, everyone's memorials still contained workable suggestions—such as urging the General to limit population, or urging him to reactivate mortal cultivators… in any case, they were all loyal words for the state and the people.

But as your "withhold and not issue" and "ignore" attitudes persisted, everyone's wording grew increasingly harsh, and their proposals turned into "kill, kill, kill"—suggesting you find a pretext to condemn mortals, like "kill the disloyal and unfilial," "kill the inhumane and unjust,"……

Afterwards, they stopped advising via memorials and instead confronted you face‑to‑face, laying out the pros and cons, even secretly indicating: although they were loyal to you, loyalty could change……

Faced with such threats, you naturally understood the reasoning, and you ought to have yielded to their suggestions to preserve your position and the current prosperous age.

But you, whose resolve to die was firm, ultimately gave them no face, instead snarling to their faces: "If we don't listen to you, will the Great New perish?"

The crowd: "Hard to say."

……

Because you repeatedly refused to give face, everyone secretly cursed you as refusing a toast and drinking a penalty, truly thinking that just being called "General" or "Holy Lord" a few times would let you ride roughshod over them?

One must know that the mandate of heaven changes, divine instruments shift, and they go to the virtuous……

Saying it's hard to say, it's hard to say!

They openly threatened you in court while secretly beginning to gather troops.

First came over two thousand true gods of the same generation; upon sensing that you seemed truly intent on expanding the ox‑and‑horse corps, they, feeling lip‑gone‑tooth‑cold and sharing each other's suffering, secretly formed a faction……

After all, everyone raised the banners to be above others, yet now they're being made to tend oxen and horses—no normal person would be happy about that… so they hit it off immediately!

Of course, they thought their faction‑forming plot was secret, but in fact it had been exposed before you from the very start……

"That's how it is……"

Li Ziliang sat in the shogunate, sighing helplessly at Lin Liu: "They even came to me—since I'm a criminal, they think I must hate you to death and can be won over……" Hearing Li Ziliang's informing, Lin Liu chuckled.

"So do you actually hate me to death or not?"

Li Ziliang: ……

What's the matter? I've come all the way to inform you, and you're still doubting my loyalty?!

Li Ziliang rolled his eyes, got up and walked away: "Believe it or not!"

"Wait."

Lin Liu called out to him, and in his puzzled gaze Lin Liu earnestly said: "If they keep trying to win you over, just agree."

Li Ziliang frowned: "You want me to be your inside man? Fine……

"No."

Lin Liu shook his head: "What I mean is, you should really join them!"

What?!

With Li Ziliang wearing an expression like he's looking at an idiot, Lin Liu sighed: "After I fall from power, if you still haven't joined them, that will clearly show you're on my side, and they'll surely purge you as a double‑dealer……"

"You join them, then finally, in front of them, cut me a blow together with my disciple…… it will behead me, you'll cut off my hand, and this pledge of allegiance will surely let you save yourself."

"You……

Li Ziliang's gaze grew complex, and after a long while he asked:

"Really can't survive?"

"In fact, if you're now willing to reform, they'll immediately issue orders and settle things; the chief culprit will be reported by many or even beaten to death, while you…… you'll still be the one whom, wherever you go, people will shout loyalty to the General Holy Lord……

Lin Liu said nothing.

He, whose earnest advice had borne no fruit, could only let out a long sigh and turn away.

The gears of fate have already begun to turn.

……

【While you were massively issuing banners to the Eight Banners disciples, the dissatisfied began to secretly collude……Thus, the over two thousand new gods whom you had once split again moved toward unity.】

【This time, their organization is tighter, and their goal is clearer.】

【In your fickle behavior, they have seen your true nature: you are nothing but an extremely stubborn donkey!】

【Clearly all this could have been avoided; clearly we could have just watched the rise and fall of mankind……It's all because you insisted on handing out benefits to mortals, because you refused to exploit human cultivators, because you kept raising and issuing banners, driving the knife into your own foundation……】

【All the ministers are not ministers of a fallen state, but you are truly the ruler of a fallen state!】

【In the year 138 of the New Calendar, at the rebel leader's command, over two thousand cattle-and-horse true gods angrily launched a rebellion against the new dynasty!】

【"Chief! Who is the enemy?"】

【Everyone knows full well but asks anyway.】

【And the chief also knows what everyone thinks, after all the general's kindness is not yet repaid; General Lin truly bestows immense grace upon all people, and even the gods owe their chance at divinity to his grace.】

【Although the reasons for rebellion are now more than sufficient, if we were to openly call for an attack on General Lin, everyone would still hesitate……】

【Then the chief changed his mind and shouted, "The enemy is at the general's mansion! The general has given me a sash decree, ordering me to defend him……General Lin's orders pass down!"】

【"The enemy is at the general's mansion!"】

【"General Lin's orders pass down!"】

【The anxious gods repeatedly chanted these two lines as a slogan, their feelings rising, rushing toward the general's headquarters as they shouted, as if they truly meant to defend General Lin.】

【Such commotion could not be hidden from others; upon discovering the rebels, the eight hundred true gods of the Eight Banners' main unit stationed here immediately cursed nonstop as they rushed forward, launching a great battle!】

【Divine power surged, thunder rumbled, killing intent shot to the heavens! The battle almost instantly destroyed this prosperous metropolis, casualties countless!】

【This northeastern city, which witnessed the rise and heyday of the Lin clan's shogunate, is now about to witness its decline.】

【The battle to overthrow the shogunate is imminent!】

……

(End of chapter)