Wu Ming was certainly not a land god.
Ghost immortals and divine paths were the last refuge for the various schools of thought and heterodox sects, and such actions were not taken lightly.
What he was doing now was almost treating the land god’s decree as a real land god for ritual forging, while he himself acted as a proxy.
Although this method created a layer of separation and brought many inconveniences, it could also avoid numerous karmic entanglements.
Of course, to Huang Weiqing and the other two, since Wu Ming controlled the land god’s seal, their lives and deaths were entirely in his hands. After exchanging greetings, they respectfully bowed and addressed him as Master.
“Hmph, as officials under my land office, you shall receive the ‘Bao Gao Jing of the Land,’ and must recite it sincerely, bestowing blessings upon countless ghosts!”
Wu Ming nodded, and three beams of white light flew from the land god’s seal, entering the heads of the three yin officials.
“Heaven and earth are impartial; divine beings observe and discern. Blessings are not bestowed merely for offerings, nor calamities inflicted for lack of rituals. Mortals should not exhaust their power when they possess it, nor enjoy blessings to their fullest, nor oppress the poor relentlessly. These three principles reflect the cyclical nature of heavenly fate, endlessly recurring. Thus, performing good deeds for just one day, although blessings may not immediately arrive, calamities will naturally recede. Committing evil for merely one day, although calamities may not immediately arrive, blessings will naturally fade…
Here is the translation:
—
With utmost reverence, we pay homage to the divine presence:
In the Qinghua Changle Realm, the Eastern Paradise of Sublime Radiance,
Amidst the seven-jeweled fragrant woods, seated upon the nine-colored lotus throne.
Surrounded by countless immortals, bathed in infinite auspicious light,
The revered Blackwater Earth Deity, manifesting as the primordial Mysterious Origin.
Through endless kalpas, boundless compassion flows;
The nectar of great mercy, the gateway to liberation.
The sublime true form, the golden auspicious image,
Responding to prayers with infinite vows and compassion.
The Great Sacred One, infinitely compassionate, infinitely merciful, infinitely benevolent,
Manifesting throughout the ten directions, universally saving all beings.
Across countless ages, liberating immeasurable souls.
O Merciful Venerable One, answering cries for aid—
The Blackwater Savior of Suffering!
—
This translation preserves the poetic and devotional tone of the original while ensuring clarity and reverence in English. Let me know if you’d like any refinements.
Huang Weiqing trembled: “This… this is…”
“This ‘Bao Gao Jing of the Land’ is the supreme scripture for salvation. Those who save themselves shall receive divine aid. You must carry this scripture and spread its teachings throughout the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom, bestowing blessings upon countless ghosts!”
Wu Ming’s eyes radiated compassion as he spoke gently.
In this world’s underworld, the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom had no concept of reincarnation, serving merely as an endless hell.
In Heitai Yin City, although the mechanism of reincarnation existed, it had to be earned through virtuous deeds.
Wu Ming, having deeply studied the underworld reincarnation systems of both worlds, keenly recognized his opportunity:
“The Daoist salvation scriptures from the Zhou world are far more complete than those in the spirit world, and require much less spiritual energy to spread widely…”
“Heitai City God acts that way partly out of concern for divine power consumption and partly to accumulate merit. But I have no need for that. This ‘Bao Gao Jing of the Land’ secretly contains hidden techniques, including methods for transcendence. Any spirit with even a foot of spiritual flame can utilize it. Even ordinary yin souls, through prolonged recitation, can invoke the reincarnation forces of the netherworld, becoming their own means of salvation!”
Wu Ming neither needed to expend his own spiritual energy nor required much merit for guiding souls to reincarnation, giving him the immediate power to overturn the table.
The prerequisites were two-fold: first, acquiring high-level transcendence techniques from the Zhou world, and second, harnessing the yin-yang reincarnation forces of this world. Originally, Wu Ming couldn’t fulfill the second condition, but after obtaining the divine ability from the land god’s decree and carefully studying it, he finally revised and perfected the transcendence rituals and incantations originally found in the Yin Fu Jing, adapting them even for use by other local spirits and deities.
“Those who help themselves shall be aided by heaven; those who save themselves shall be saved by heaven. When spreading this doctrine, remember this well!”
Saving every wronged soul directly would require an enormous amount of divine power—enough to overwhelm even the position of a city god, not to mention a mere land deity.
But if the ghosts could save themselves, there would be no energy cost at all, and for the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom, it would be a fundamental undermining strategy.
“I shall bring peace to this world!”
For some reason, Wu Ming felt a deep sense of emotion—this was the true meaning of salvation.
As for the three divine officials below him, imbued with a martyr’s spirit, they were naturally the necessary sacrifices—pioneers and vanguards for this endeavor.
“Countless merits to the Land Master!”
Huang Weiqing and the others sensed little of the deeper implications, only feeling that this grand aspiration and ideal deeply resonated with their hearts. They knelt, tears in their eyes.
Boom!
At that very moment, an imperceptible change seemed to occur.
“Hmm?”
Wu Ming looked at the land god’s seal on his hand. Thin strands of green descended, faint yet continuous.
“Heaven favors me—this is heavenly virtue…”
He immediately understood.
Heitai City God, by liberating wandering souls, benefited humanity and thus earned human virtue. Wu Ming’s actions, while yielding little personal reward, aligned with the grand trend and harmonized with heavenly principles, thus attracting the descent of heavenly favor in the form of green threads.
The land god’s decree was originally a ninth-grade divine rank, emitting pure white light.
Now, with traces of green interwoven, although extremely faint, a profound transformation was silently taking place.
“It seems… this approach truly holds great fortune…”
Wu Ming chuckled lightly: “Pity… this isn’t yet what I seek!”
He knew that if this continued for a long time, most of the merit would be absorbed by the divine seal. Eventually, the land god’s decree would develop sentience, becoming a naturally born deity completely beyond his control. If it ascended on its own, he could only watch helplessly.
But this was the price of not being bound by divine rank. Wu Ming felt he was not yet at the point of total loss.
“Go! Remember above all to protect yourselves!”
With a wave of his hand, the three divine officials bowed again, transforming into three differently colored beams of light that vanished completely.
…
“Pity I only have three subordinates. I still need more sacrificial pawns!”
Wu Ming immediately began wandering the border between the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom and Heitai Yin City, searching for suitable wandering souls.
This border area, a lawless zone between the two realms, was the most suitable place for his forces to grow.
Moreover, although he incited his subordinates to wreak havoc in the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom, he himself dared not recklessly venture deep inside.
“Were it not for the dragon aura protecting my body, I would not dare undertake such a major endeavor. Otherwise, a single finger from a higher spirit could crush me, and the consequences would be dire…”
Wu Ming touched the Suihou Pearl in his bosom.
Undeniably, his audacity in defying the great taboos of the underworld was entirely due to possessing the dragon aura, granting him unimpeded fortune.
Otherwise, if he were still a minor spirit with a flame only three or four inches high, attempting to meddle in reincarnation matters? He would have surely faced divine retribution long ago!
“Monk! Spare my life!”
Just as he was pondering, a thin voice came from below, barely audible, like a mosquito buzzing. If not for Wu Ming’s keen hearing, he might have accidentally stepped on it.
“Hmm? Are you… Qing Mangzi? How did you become like this?”
He squatted down and saw a giant on the ground, no more than an inch tall, with a very weak flame above his head, clearly severely injured, which surprised him.
In the netherworld, although abilities aren’t solely determined by size, shrinking one’s form when gravely injured is also a helpless survival tactic.
Just now, if Wu Ming hadn’t suddenly shifted slightly, Qing Mangzi would have pathetically perished.
“You don’t know?”
The giant transformed by Qing Mangzi retained his bold personality: “If you’re here to avenge your friend, just take my life directly… I’d rather die than suffer humiliation!”
“My friend?”
Wu Ming’s eyes flickered: “Were you reduced to this state by Xu Zi Quan?”
“So you really don’t know!”
Qing Mangzi sat cross-legged: “I was originally suppressing ghostly disturbances when your friend lured several Black Mountain Ghost Deities to attack me, while he himself escaped. Heh heh… To be frank, that man has a narrow heart and is jealous by nature. If you don’t recognize his true nature, your fate will be grim!”
“Indeed, that is the nature of Legalist disciples. A gentleman may take ten years to avenge a wrong, but a Legalist may take a hundred!”
Wu Ming sighed and asked Qing Mangzi: “You’re in such a condition, what are your plans now?”
“What plans could I have?”
Qing Mangzi sighed again: “I’ve made many enemies among the ghosts and deities. If they discover my current state, I’ll surely face torture and hardship. I spoke out just now out of a desperate will to survive. Thinking it through, quietly fading away might not be so bad…”
“A real man, are you really willing to accept this?”
Wu Ming’s eyes gleamed strangely as he asked: “How about lending me your strength?”
“You?!”
Qing Mangzi looked surprised, scrutinizing Wu Ming up and down: “If you can save me, of course I will, but let me make clear three things first: I will never abandon my revenge. I will make sure your friend knows the consequences of his actions eventually. Second, I won’t harm any of my former friends or relatives. Third, I won’t do anything that harms Heitai Yin City. If you agree to these three points, I will serve you with my life. Otherwise, just step on me and be done with it!”
With that, the man actually lay down spread-eagled, displaying a rather brazen attitude.
Of course, one could also say he was free-spirited and heroic, which left Wu Ming both amused and exasperated.
“Agreed!”
Since this man possessed abilities and had previously been nearly equal to Xu Zi Quan in power, Wu Ming immediately decided without hesitation. The land god’s seal appeared, and with a point of his finger, he declared: “I hereby appoint you as a yin general under my land office, commanding a unit of yin soldiers!”
A beam of milky white light descended.
“Ahh…”
Qing Mangzi roared, bathing in the white pillar of light. His form rapidly grew, soon towering over Wu Ming. The flame above his head blazed brilliantly, reaching two feet in height.
“After all, he was once a ghost deity. His foundation is much stronger than those three previous literary officials…”
Wu Ming nodded inwardly in approval.
At this moment, Qing Mangzi had already transformed into armor of black iron, half his face covered in dark mystical patterns, appearing powerful and mysterious. He immediately knelt on one knee: “Your humble servant greets the Land Master!”
“Good. I command you to go to the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom, recruit your own yin soldiers, and spread this scripture!”
Wu Ming pointed a finger, and the ‘Bao Gao Jing of the Land’ transformed into a glowing dot, entering Qing Mangzi’s forehead.
“This… this is…”
Qing Mangzi’s tiger-like eyes widened. As a knowledgeable spirit, he understood the significance even more clearly.
His gaze toward Wu Ming changed repeatedly.
Initially, he had thought Wu Ming was merely a slightly stronger ghost deity. After seeing the land god’s decree, he had assumed Wu Ming was under Heitai City God. But now, he realized Wu Ming was not aligned with either side.
“What do you think? Will you accept?”
Wu Ming asked calmly. If he refused, no matter how capable the general might be, he would have to be eliminated.
“What is there not to accept?”
Qing Mangzi knelt deeply: “Your humble servant thanks the Land Master for his great kindness on behalf of the people of the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom!”
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