“Since the last time I saw you, Layman, I sensed an aura of disaster surrounding you, marking you as one destined to face a tribulation. Upon returning to my mountain, I silently channeled my mystical powers to divine the heavenly secrets. The result of the divination was astonishing—it foretold a great catastrophe spanning heaven and earth!”
Cangwuzi’s expression became distant: “Seeing this, I could only reluctantly descend the mountain and widely invite fellow cultivators to seek countermeasures. This time, we discovered that Heishan Jun is constructing a magical realm. If He succeeds, the Three Realms will surely fall into chaos. My senior brother, the leader of the Zhengyi Sect, has sought brave warriors to investigate the underworld, yet unexpectedly found you again. This twist of fate is truly astonishing… I wonder what happened in the underworld?”
“In the underworld?”
This was no secret, so Wu Ming immediately recounted what he had seen and heard.
Cangwuzi, after listening, was greatly alarmed: “This is terrible! I previously noticed Heishan Jun preparing a ritual. The range of the formation even includes Heitai County. I never expected him to be planning something of such magnitude. If souls after death all head to Heishan’s Ghost Kingdom, we would truly have no place to bury our corpses!”
“How could it be that bad?”
Wu Ming was even more surprised: “With our orthodox sects united and the power of the imperial court, at the very least, we still have the Heitai City God and even the Prefectural City God above him. How could a mere old demon from Heishan cause such a disturbance?”
“You truly know nothing at all!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the expression on the old Daoist Cangwuzi’s face became very strange. Wu Ming, realizing he had said the wrong thing, felt a chill in his heart and awkwardly smiled: “I’m just a rustic villager from the mountains, never having left Heitai County. Could there be something wrong outside?”
“Wrong? That’s an understatement!”
Upon hearing this, Cangwuzi’s face bore an even more bitter smile: “You probably don’t know that our nation, named ‘Guzhu,’ actually consists of only three prefectures and twenty-one counties, together with this three-hundred-mile Heishan range, making up our entire territory!”
“So small?!”
Wu Ming was surprised, blurting out: “Then what lies beyond our national borders?”
“Beyond the borders, it’s an endless sea. Or to put it another way… our land is actually a vast island located in the middle of the ocean…”
Cangwuzi continued: “Ancient records in our sect mention that our sect originally came from the Central Divine Land. After a great change in heavenly Dao, the Divine Land shattered into four parts. Heishan and the nearby three prefectures were torn away to this place, and it has been countless years since then…”
“This sounds like a small, fragmented realm separated from the rest?”
A strange thought flashed through Wu Ming’s mind as he spoke again: “Even so, if all cultivators join forces, along with the city gods of the three prefectures and twenty-seven counties, a single Heishan Jun… Wait… Could it be…?”
A horrified expression appeared on his face.
“Exactly!”
Cangwuzi nodded: “Although other prefectures and counties also have their own cults, the only truly efficacious City God is none other than Heitai’s alone! In fact, one could even say that without Heitai City God, Heishan Jun would have no one to oppose him!”
“Now… the greatest master of the Zhengyi Sect in our Guzhu Kingdom, along with all cultivators, has already gathered in this small Yunji Temple…”
A helpless expression appeared on his aged, withered face.
“So the truth is like this? A small country with a sparse population, only two deities—City Gods—and the mountain guardian. Even the cultivation world is so… pathetic…”
Wu Ming was quite speechless inside. After a long silence, he finally asked the question that had been lingering in his heart: “Heitai City God is merely a former dynasty scholar who gained worship due to his contributions to the people. He went through many trials and coincidentally was recognized when Guzhu was established. Why is he the only deity with power?”
“You believe that story about the scholar surnamed Wang?”
Cangwuzi countered with a question.
“Folk tales are indeed unverifiable, and there are even cases of impostors using such stories to cultivate genuine power…”
Wu Ming mused thoughtfully: “It seems… the origin of Heitai City God must be quite mysterious. Perhaps he even used someone else’s reputation to gain worship. But why would he do that?”
“Unfortunately, I know nothing about this either!”
Cangwuzi spread his hands helplessly: “Actually… our country’s ruler has always been devoutly religious and respectful of all deities. If Heishan Jun and Heitai City God were willing, they could even be enshrined as national deities. However, these two have always remained here, restraining each other, as if locked in some life-and-death feud. It’s truly puzzling!”
“Perhaps… they just don’t look highly upon the worship of such a small nation!”
Wu Ming thought of the underworld.
Heishan Jun could establish the Heishan Ghost Kingdom, while Heitai City God independently built the Heitai Yin City, accommodating a million ghostly citizens. They practically divided the authority of the underworld between them!
Among them, the Heitai City God alone, in terms of divine fortune, was likely no less than the ruler of three prefectures and twenty-one counties. Not to mention Heishan Jun, who controlled the three-hundred-mile Heishan range.
Of course, no deity would ever refuse more human fortune and blessings.
Whether or not they value such worship is one thing, but the main reason was likely the mutual restraint between the two deities.
After all, the current situation was that the Heitai City God, relying on human affairs, could barely match Heishan Jun.
Whichever deity obtained the worship of Guzhu Kingdom would tip the balance, becoming the final determining factor in the outcome. Therefore, the result of mutual restraint was that neither would receive worship.
As for being jointly enshrined as national deities, that would be equivalent to making peace, which neither of these two divine beings would ever foolishly do.
However, what Wu Ming was most concerned about was the matter of Heishan’s magical realm, mentioned earlier by Cangwuzi.
He immediately asked: “Regarding the magical realm Heishan Jun is setting up, what do you think is his intention, Daoist friend?”
“His intentions?”
Cangwuzi was taken aback: “I don’t know, but judging solely from his ability to forcibly capture wandering souls, it must be something extraordinary… Moreover, its range is extremely wide. Besides Heitai County, it may even affect several neighboring counties!”
“Heishan Jun’s magical power is truly as vast as the sea, and he is well-versed in countless scriptures. He integrates magical arrays and rituals into the heavens and earth, naturally forming formations. I’m afraid I’m too incompetent to even understand them, let alone dismantle them…”
“But one thing is certain: Heishan Jun’s actions will inevitably lead to a battle with Heitai City God!”
Wu Ming’s expression became solemn as he nodded in agreement.
This was easy to understand.
Otherwise, if this formation continued to function unchecked, the souls of the dead from Heitai County would all head to Heishan’s Ghost Kingdom, leaving Heitai City God without replenishment. He would only grow weaker over time.
Therefore, a decisive battle was necessary—and the sooner, the better!
“It seems… the key to this mission might lie in this magical realm…”
Wu Ming thought to himself, then stood up and bowed: “Thank you, Master Daoist, for enlightening me! I’d like to go see some friends now, if that’s acceptable?”
“Of course!”
Cangwuzi nodded: “A brave warrior undertaking such a noble deed to benefit the people should remain free and unrestrained. No one within this Daoist temple has the authority to bind you!”
With that, he also hurriedly stood up, clearly needing to discuss strategies with others, as the information he received from Wu Ming was quite shocking.
…
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Li Suihan, Xu Ziquan, and others gradually recovered and met with Wu Ming several times. They confirmed that their mission was also to defeat Heishan Jun, but apart from that, they were at a complete loss.
However, they did manage to gather a few scattered pieces of information.
Firstly, in this great calamity, genuine cultivators with any achievements have basically all arrived. Unfortunately, most of them were just minor figures, with very few reaching the level of true magicians, making them hardly worth expecting much from.
The Zhengyi Sect, as the leader of the cultivation world, had also sent its sect leader, who was the only true cultivator in the entire Guzhu Kingdom!
Unfortunately, this person was extremely busy. Wu Ming had attempted several times to request an audience, hoping to receive some minor guidance in Daoist techniques, but all attempts failed.
“But… there is some good news too!”
Wu Ming patted the letter inside his robe, his face showing excitement.
“The former county magistrate of Heitai, Zhang Zhengyi, was actually a lay follower of the Zhengyi Sect. With this connection, our previous minor issues naturally no longer matter…”
At this moment, he was already wearing a new green robe, walking along the main road of Heitai County.
“People always talk and speculate, but it’s hard to see the truth. I must see things for myself to understand accurately…”
As he was thinking, two constables in black robes blocked his path ahead: “Stop there! Our patrol officer wishes to see you!”
“Patrol officer? Could it be Wu Hong? Seems like an old acquaintance indeed!”
Wu Ming smiled: “Great! I was going to the yamen anyway. I’ll see him now!”
His calm demeanor immediately made the two constables somewhat hesitant and uncertain.
Moreover, they were somewhat aware of certain events. The black wind demon that had caused such a stir in Heishui Town was subdued by this very person.
Although the result caused some chaos and headaches for the officials, for the lower-ranking personnel, it was always better to avoid offending someone with extraordinary magical abilities if possible.
Seeing Wu Ming’s attitude now, they simply waved their hands: “Please!”
They dared not use any intimidation tactics against him.
“Hmph! You actually dared to come back?”
Inside the yamen, Patrol Officer Wu Hong sneered: “You left quite a mess last time, and our magistrate had to clean it up…”
“Regardless, the Heishui Town issue was resolved in the end, right?”
Wu Ming shrugged: “As for maintaining peace in the region, isn’t that your job anyway?”
Previously, he had been small and weak, thus cautious. But now, he had improved significantly. Confident and composed, his demeanor naturally exuded an air of authority, making Wu Hong feel uncertain.
In the meantime, he naturally investigated Wu Ming’s background and knew that the previous statements were all lies. Seeing Wu Ming’s calmness now, his anger flared: “Hiding your registration, unclear origins—these are all serious crimes. Aren’t you afraid I’ll arrest you?”
“Hold on!”
Wu Ming’s eyes flashed with a red light as he lightly shouted. Wu Hong and the two constables all felt a jolt in their bodies, feeling even more surprised in their hearts.
They all carried the fortune of the public office, which could be disrupted by magic. This level of cultivation was indeed profound.
But Wu Hong directly shouted: “Are you trying to resist arrest?”
They were inside the yamen, completely unafraid of Wu Ming’s magical abilities causing trouble. If he dared to resist, they would arrest him immediately.
“Not at all! I merely have a personal letter from the county magistrate’s teacher that needs to be submitted. My origins and the entire story of the previous incident are all detailed in it…”
Wu Ming slowly took out the letter, smiling as he spoke, making Wu Hong almost furious.
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