Chapter 102: Land

At the entrance of Wuming Valley,

thick black mist churned and suddenly parted, creating a path.

Roar! Roar!

Amidst a deafening dragon’s roar that echoed from the highest heavens, a horned, two-clawed, purple-eyed, golden-green scaled flood dragon suddenly surged forth from the mist. In the blink of an eye, it shrank into a tiny pearl no larger than an inch, revealing a young Daoist priest in its place.

“Unexpected… This Wuming Valley is actually the fallen site of an ancient land god’s blessed domain…”

Wu Ming examined the Suizhou Pearl in his hand.

After absorbing that mysterious energy, the pearl had become even brighter and more radiant, its halo shifting through myriad forms like snakes and dragons, although the snake image appeared slightly shorter.

This sight was somewhat painful to behold.

“The dragon essence within the Suizhou Pearl has decreased by about a tenth. Is this the cost of one exploration?”

Whether it was the consumption along the way or the previous clash with the guardian ghost deity, both were major drains on fortune. Moreover, Wu Ming hadn’t personally refined this fortune but merely borrowed it temporarily, causing even greater depletion.

“In the short term, this is quite a loss…”

Wu Ming stroked his chin. “Except for the Suizhou Pearl gaining some improvement, knowing this information, and possibly exchanging it for some merit points, it seems like a net loss…”

Yet in his heart, he was fully aware that without the dragon essence suppressing things, not only would it be impossible to delve deeper into the valley and find the ruins, but even the evil spirits along the way could spell doom for other ghost deities.

“Well then! With calamity approaching, I should quickly complete my mission and return to the Yang world… But before that, there are certain things I can do…”

Wu Ming flipped his hand, and the previously obtained Grade Nine Earth God Edict appeared.

Compared to before, the divine decree now shimmered with white light, undulating with strange waves, clearly revealing its extraordinary nature.

This was all due to Wu Ming’s previous soul-releasing deeds, which earned him golden merit light, which he continuously channeled into the edict.

“In the past, it was a divine object concealing its own brilliance. Now that it has recognized me as worthy, it displays its power?”

Wu Ming smiled, knowing that the certification standard for a land god, a deity of fortune, naturally focused on merit. His actions had precisely triggered this key mechanism.

Previously, the Black Wind General not only lacked merit but carried malevolent energy, making the refinement of this divine position extremely difficult. However, for Wu Ming now, merely nodding his head would immediately grant him the godhood.

“However… once I take this position, I will immediately fall under the jurisdiction of the Black Terrace City God. Who knows how many hidden traps might be embedded within this divine rank…”

Thinking thus, he immediately ceased hesitating, took out the Suizhou Pearl, and cast a magical incantation.

Roar! Roar!

Within the Suizhou Pearl, the originally circular snake-shaped energy suddenly emerged, its scales bristling, growing a horn, and opening its heaven-swallowing mouth, instantly devouring the Earth God Edict.

In ancient times, emperors traveling had a hundred gods accompanying them, and they could offer sacrifices to heaven and appoint gods, thus wielding supreme authority over lower-level deities.

City gods and land gods naturally fell under this category.

Wu Ming’s action aimed to cleanse the divine decree with dragon essence, completely erasing its original imprint.

The Suizhou Pearl radiated brilliant light, revealing the scene of a purple snake chasing a white glow. Azure clouds surged rapidly, and the consumption involved made Wu Ming slightly alarmed.

In an instant, the fortune within the Suizhou Pearl decreased by a full twenty percent, surprising Wu Ming: “Why so much? It’s just a minor land god position…”

Boom!

The white light exploded, entirely absorbed and processed by the purple snake… faintly revealing a white talisman emerging, its ink strokes flowing like dragons, the paper emitting swirling smoke, dense talismans transforming into countless glowing dots, like tadpoles violently darting about, before suddenly exploding.

A furious roar and a sorrowful sigh sounded in succession.

Then, all the light particles from the exploded talisman were absorbed by the purple snake, which spat out a completely new talisman.

The newly formed talisman became a ring of white light, landing in Wu Ming’s hand, like a rising moon, bearing something resembling a seal or talisman, its base displaying scenes of creation, a small village, and the cycle of yin and yang. Simply holding it felt as heavy as the fate of a nation!

“Didn’t expect such massive consumption…”

Sighing, Wu Ming stored the Suizhou Pearl away. With a slight touch of his spiritual sense, a torrent of information flowed into his mind.

“Grade Nine Heishui Town Land God Edict, containing divine abilities to assist in the growth of all things, protect common households, and even manage yin-yang communication…”

Land gods were legitimate national deities, possessing three core functions: nurturing all beings, blessing the people, and administering the underworld.

As recorded in the “Taiping Yulan”: “A nation takes its people as its foundation, and the people take food as their heaven. Thus, when establishing a nation and governing its people, the first act is to appoint a land god. With vast lands and abundant grain, it is impossible to worship every piece of land, so a sacrificial altar is established within the city.”

The “Soushen Ji” also records a land god’s divine proclamation: “I shall be the land god to bless the people below.” This blessing refers to protecting the peace of homes and villages, increasing population, and ensuring prosperity of livestock, while maintaining justice.

Another belief holds that land gods manage the underworld’s household registration and guide the deceased, thus possessing certain authority over the afterlife.

“I didn’t expect all these abilities to be real… Could a land god under the Black Terrace City God really possess so many powers?”

Wu Ming was astonished, realizing that his actions had not only removed the original divine restrictions but also preserved the rank while enhancing the powers, offering limitless potential for future development.

“However, there seem to be two hidden imprints left within…”

Wu Ming’s eyes flashed with sharp light as he attempted to decipher the talismanic portion representing yin-yang authority within the land god position.

“Land gods can naturally traverse between the mortal and spirit worlds, but the pull of this world is particularly strong. If I don’t ascend to godhood but merely utilize these abilities to escape, it would likely consume a massive amount of dragon essence…”

“This could serve as a last resort!”

Now, the Land God Edict had truly become Wu Ming’s personal possession. With an escape route secured, he could face any situation fearlessly.

“Hmm… A land god can also appoint three subordinate officials, one ghost general, and a squad of ghost soldiers… This divine appointment is practically a delegation of supreme power…”

Wu Ming’s eyes gleamed with sharp light. This was exactly what he had initially sought.

…

At the edge of the underworld,

a faint white light flashed, forming into the hazy figure of a young man.

This was a fresh soul, easily coveted by wandering ghosts. Thin tendrils of gray-black mist, filled with greed, continuously approached and clung to him.

“Who… am I? And where… is this?”

The young soul murmured. Newly deceased souls often questioned their existence, their forms scattered and unstable, making them an exquisite delicacy.

Pairs of crimson eyes emerged from the gray mist. Several wild dogs howled and, unable to resist any longer, lunged forward.

“I remember now! I am Huang Weiqing, a scholar of Heitai County!”

The young soul murmured, his figure suddenly solidifying into a scholar in green robes. A radiant cloud of literary brilliance, half a foot above his head, shone brilliantly like splendid brocade. The attacking dogs yelped in pain and fled with their tails between their legs.

“Didn’t I already die?”

Huang Weiqing examined his semi-transparent body and the surroundings, then smiled bitterly: “Indeed, this must be the underworld…”

Yet unconsciously, his fists clenched tightly.

He recalled how he had intervened to protect a lonely orphan girl he met on the road, offending a local noble family, which ultimately led to his drowning at night.

Regret?

Thinking of his elderly mother, beloved wife, and young son, naturally he regretted it deeply.

But not for rescuing the girl—rather, for being too careless and overly trusting the noble family’s false benevolence!

“I’ve studied the sages’ teachings and followed their ways. Confucius spoke of righteousness, Mencius of justice. When justice is fulfilled, benevolence follows. From now on, I can be free of shame!”

Huang Weiqing’s gaze was resolute as he recited aloud, the brilliance above his head shining even brighter, radiant and colorful.

“But… where exactly is this place? Where are the land gods and city gods of the underworld?”

He wandered aimlessly, his eyes witnessing only the pitiful sights of wandering ghosts and famished spirits. Fierce demons freely devoured fresh souls, turning the underworld into a living hell.

Initially, he tried to help, disregarding his own safety.

But the underworld was vast, and such tragedies were countless, nearly numbing him.

Until one day.

“Woof! Woof!”

A dog-headed giant, several zhang tall, roared, its claws pinning down a fresh soul.

“Lord, save me! Save me!”

The soul, severely wounded, spotted Huang Weiqing and cried out.

“Beast, release it at once!”

The dog-headed creature exuded a spiritual pressure unlike anything Huang Weiqing had ever encountered, making his heart tremble. Yet, driven by righteousness, he stepped forward and hurled a black stone at it.

“Woof! Woof!”

The dog remained unharmed but was clearly distracted, releasing its prey and eyeing Huang Weiqing with greed, charging directly at him.

“Haha… What a foolish ghost!”

The rescued soul, now free, sneered and transformed into a wisp of smoke, fleeing rapidly.

Bang!

Huang Weiqing was knocked to the ground by the dog’s claw, watching the beast open its bloody maw, and he smiled bitterly: “Well then… I never expected to die like this!”

“Back off!”

“Woof!”

Unexpectedly, no pain came, and he remained unharmed.

Opening his eyes, Huang Weiqing saw the dog-headed creature fleeing with its tail between its legs, while a powerful ghost deity, surrounded by crimson energy and radiant flames, stood before him.

“Tell me, do you regret it?”

“I do not. I only pity the souls of this underworld, with no path to salvation…”

Feeling the flame above his head fading, knowing his end was near, Huang Weiqing sighed.

Wu Ming nodded inwardly. In the scholar’s eyes, he saw the light of a martyr.

He couldn’t help but smile: “Coincidentally… you are the third person I’ve encountered today. It seems we are fated to meet!”

With a wave of his hand, the Land God Edict appeared, transforming into a seal: “In the name of the Heishui Town Land God, I appoint you as my subordinate official!”

A ray of white light descended, and Huang Weiqing shuddered. His wounds instantly healed, and his attire transformed into the official robe of a clerk. A flood of new knowledge filled his mind, and he immediately bowed: “Clerk Huang Weiqing pays homage to the Land God, sir!”

“Rise. These are your two colleagues. Greet each other.”

With a wave of his hand, two more ghost clerks emerged from behind Wu Ming, each radiating a flame of about a foot in height.