I couldn't help but say, "But how are you going to use them? The Four Heavenly Kings you resurrected don't have any magical power. Apart from opposing me, they can't put any pressure on the Heavenly Court."
He Tiandou smiled mysteriously: "That's what you don't know. The retribution from the Heavenly Dao caused by magical power is just child's play. What can cause a cataclysmic calamity is changing history and the overall environment! Once such a thing happens, those guys in the Heavenly Court will inevitably be severely punished."
I seemed to understand, but not quite, so I quickly asked, "According to your prediction, has the overall environment changed now?"
He Tiandou shook his head and said, "No."
I yelled, "Nonsense! Do you think you'd come after me if you hadn't been causing trouble for the Mafia?"
He Tiandou said, "That doesn't count as the overall environment, much less as changing history. When the axis of the human realm collapsed, it was impossible for things in the human world to remain completely unchanged. It just meant that a few individuals might have more or less of a different experience. History didn't go astray at all. It's wrong for the Heavenly Court to use this to criticize me. Actually, I restored the Four Heavenly Kings to oppose you just to prove to them that the axis of the human realm doesn't represent everything. Even with my exaggerated attempts to change the environment, I couldn't succeed. The axis of the human realm was only slightly touched. How could anything have happened?"
I said, "Now that you've done it, what more do you want? Do you expect them to invite you back?"
He Tiandou suddenly said dejectedly, "No, I didn't do it."
I asked in surprise, "What?"
Liu Laoliu suddenly said, "Jing Ke is missing."
I was so shocked that I stood up abruptly and shouted, "What do you mean! What do you mean he's gone? Shouldn't he be reincarnated?"
Liu Laoliu said with a wry smile, "Actually, it can't be said that he disappeared; strictly speaking, it should be said that he went back."
"Where did they go?" I asked loudly.
"Go back to the Qin Dynasty, back to before he assassinated Qin Shi Huang. He wasn't reincarnated as a child; he became Jing Ke again!"
For a moment, I didn't know whether to be surprised or delighted. After a long while, I stammered, "How could this be?"
He Tiandou said, "Let me tell you slowly. When the Heavenly Court attacked me, the Heavenly Dao was already triggered. Then I descended to the mortal realm and opposed the Heavenly Court, which triggered the cycle of the Heavenly Dao. Until recently, when Jing Ke died, the Heavenly Tribulation finally broke out—Xiao Qiang, we have been punished by the Heavenly Dao!"
I laughed out loud: "Serves you right! But you still haven't explained to me where Jing Ke went?"
He Tiandou said, “The divine retribution I’m referring to isn’t the attack by the Mafia, but rather the matter of Jing Ke’s return to the Qin Dynasty. If my reinstatement of the Four Heavenly Kings and my actions against you are minor matters, then it’s truly unacceptable to have brought the Mafia into the picture. Do you remember? Jing Ke didn’t actually leave on the day he was supposed to; he was attacked and killed by members of the Mafia. It’s not a big deal that your clients had their Book of Life and Death mixed up; after all, it’s still within acceptable limits, and the Heavenly Court has already made compensation. But they lost their lives again because of the Mafia I brought in, which finally angered the Heavenly Dao. Now it has fully mobilized; after Jing Ke’s death, he didn’t go through the Underworld but was directly sent back to the Qin Dynasty…”
I raised my arms and shouted, "Long live Brother Dao!"
He Tiandou said with a bitter face, "Xiaoqiang, don't be too happy yet. Jing Ke has gone back, but he doesn't remember anything about what happened here with you. Besides, we are all subject to the cycle of punishment in the Heavenly Dao."
I was taken aback: "What does this have to do with me?"
He Tiandou snorted and said, "Don't you think about how Jing Ke will go back? He can't just crawl out of his own grave. Once he goes back, he'll still be that assassin. So it's not just him; Qin Shi Huang, Xiang Yu, Liu Bang—all your clients, once this matter is brought up, will all be back to their own dynasties."
I was stunned and asked, "You mean Kezi won't remember anything after going back, but he'll still keep stabbing Fatty?"
He Tiandou smiled wryly and said, "That's right. After Xiang Yu and Liu Bang returned, they continued the Chu-Han Contention in their own era."
Hearing this, I was in a state of turmoil. After a long while, I finally said, "Well... it's alright. At least I feel a little better than if I knew they were dead."
He Tiandou finally said weakly, "It's not as simple as you think. They were sent back by the will of Heaven, and everything will start anew. All the coincidences and inevitabilities that caused history in the past have been reset to zero. In other words, Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin might not fail this time; Liu Bang and Xiang Yu might one day win the world... And if Jing Ke succeeds in assassinating the King of Qin—spanning from 2007 to the Qin Dynasty—it won't just be a change in the environment or history. The change in the human world's axis structure caused by my initial dereliction of duty will happen at that moment..."
I asked nervously, "What will happen to us?"
"We will be wiped out by the will of Heaven, from gods to humans, from the celestial realm to the human realm. Humanity will randomly restart a period from 2007 to 2008."
I felt a chill run through me from head to toe, but I still asked, "Why is it from BC to 2007?"
"Because this is exactly what happened when I knocked over all the markings on that axis of the human world, and also because—you were there!"
"I?"
"Yes. After I was banished to the mortal realm, a new Heavenly Official was appointed according to the Heavenly Dao's instructions, and that is you. You are the god who governs the axis of the human realm, Xiaoqiang. On the first day of the new Heavenly Official's appointment, the Heavenly Dao will return to peace."
I chuckled and said, "That sounds impressive, but I know it won't do you any good. Let's get back to our business. According to you, if Kezi goes back to assassinate Qin again, he probably won't succeed. What if we just ignore him?"
He Tiandou said with a stern face, "What if it succeeds? Don't forget how much chance there is in history. What if Qin Wuyang had shown his power when we assassinated Qin Shi Huang? What if Zhao Gao, who reminded Qin Shi Huang to draw his sword, suddenly forgot what he was supposed to say? A small mistake could lead to our complete defeat."
I shrugged and said, "Then what do we do?"
He Tiandou gritted his teeth and said, "Go and stop him!"
I laughed and asked, "Is there a bus to the Qin Dynasty?"
Liu Laoliu suddenly said leisurely, "You can drive there yourself. Have you forgotten your salary?"
I:"……"
Liu Laoliu said, "This matter is no longer just about one or two people, or simply about the human and celestial realms; it's about all of us. We considered reconciling with Lao He as soon as the Heavenly Dao was angered, but now, neither side has a choice. If we don't cooperate, we're all doomed. So he'll tell you some things to keep in mind for celestial officials, and our Heavenly Court will do its best to help you complete your mission. Your vehicle is already incredibly sturdy; I just need to give it a little more acceleration, and you'll be back in the Qin Dynasty."
I chuckled and said, "Relativity? Exceeding the speed of light?"
"Pretty much. What do you care about the theory? Anyway, what I give you will take you to the Qin Dynasty. But you'll have to drive it yourself. Old He will tell you the specific operation method in a while."
He Tiandou nodded and said, "These are minor matters that can be discussed later. You need to understand that only you can save this world right now. You have been registered as a god but do not possess divine power, making you the most suitable candidate for this task. Also, you need to understand what you should do each time. This time it was to stop Jing Ke from assassinating the King of Qin, and next time it might be to stop Xiang Yu from killing Liu Bang at the Hongmen Banquet. Don't forget, your clients have all returned to their original positions."
I was like a monkey listening to gibberish, completely indifferent, because I simply couldn't believe I had to do all of this...
"In the end, Xiaoqiang, you should still thank me. If I hadn't knocked over the Human Realm Axis, you would have had an even bigger headache."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's very simple. Before the Qin Dynasty collapsed, the axis of human existence was vertical, meaning that every person and every dynasty was a cause-and-effect relationship. Take what you're about to do, for example. If you had stopped Jing Ke from assassinating the King of Qin by using other methods and prevented Zhao Gao from rising to prominence, that wouldn't have worked either. If Zhao Gao hadn't been given important positions, many things wouldn't have happened in the future, and the Qin Dynasty might not have lasted only a few decades."
"But now it's all good. After the human world axis was reversed, all dynasties are parallel and there is no cause and effect relationship. This means that you only need to prevent major historical events from changing, and you can ignore the connecting points and related figures in these events."
As he became more and more serious, I couldn't help but jump up and say, "You can't be serious, right, boss? Take Ke Zi for example, how am I supposed to stop him? Do you think I'm a match for him?"
He Tiandou smiled slightly and said, "Would he have the heart to harm you?"