Chapter 804: Conspiracy
Chapter 804: Conspiracy
Gods have ranks, and naturally, divine power also has ranks.
The divine power of an ordinary, unranked divine official is mostly grayish-white.
Then, a ninth-rank deity's divine power is pure white; an eighth-rank's is white-red; a seventh-rank's is scarlet red.
All the way to the fifth-rank, where divine power transforms into pure gold!
Golden divine power is already quite advanced in the Divine Dao, capable of supporting a deity's Yang transformation!
Alas. . .
Entering this stone seal was like a clay ox entering the sea.
“It seems the rank of this item far exceeds my imagination. . . ”
He wasn't a fifth-rank deity; he was a fourth-rank Righteous God!
He could already refine a portion of green divine power!
Those with green divine power could be called Great Gods in the Divine Dao. If even this proved ineffective, Fang Xi would have no choice but to wait for another day.
Strands of green divine power, like fine rain, enveloped the stone seal, seeping into its crevices.
A green light flashed on the surface of the stone seal, and it floated upwards.
“It works? ! ”
A trace of joy appeared on Fang Xi's face as he continuously refined the fifth-rank golden divine power within him into green divine power, injecting it into the stone seal.
Half an hour later, he stopped, his expression somewhat unsightly.
The divine power within him was now almost entirely depleted; he would have to wait some time for it to slowly recover.
Yet, at this moment, the stone seal showed little change.
No!
Fang Xi's divine consciousness converged on the divine seal, and he suddenly made a discovery.
He reached out and took the stone seal. The small seal was square, seemingly unchanged from before.
Not even the tiny cracks had healed.
However, the ancient script at the bottom seemed a bit clearer, allowing him to barely discern a few divine characters.
“Green. . . ”
“Tongjun. . . ”
Fang Xi squinted for a long time, barely making out the five ancient characters: "Treasure of Green Tongjun."
“This ‘Jun’. . . it can't be the one I'm imagining, can it? ”
A sudden tremor of awe struck his heart!
In the Divine Dao, there are nine ranks: ninth-rank is the lowest, first-rank is the highest.
But above the first-rank, there are Heavenly Peerages!
Heavenly Duke, Heavenly Marquis, Heavenly Earl, Son of Heaven. . .
And above Heavenly Duke, there is ‘Heavenly Monarch’!
Even in the Heavenly Court, they were truly great figures.
According to Fang Xi's previous conjecture, their status might be equivalent to a Void Amalgamation grand elder in the Earthly Immortal World!
“If this ‘Green Tongjun’ is truly a Heavenly Peer, then this divine seal is truly extraordinary. . . ”
Fang Xi gazed at the stone seal in his hand: “No wonder it can ignore Daoist laws and absorb spiritual energy. . . Mei Changkong actually inherited such a supreme treasure. Could he be the fated child? The protagonist of the next era, possibly establishing a new ‘Son of Heaven’ dynasty? ”
“No, no, he's far too down-and-out; it doesn't seem like him. . . This stone seal can only be activated with green divine power. He's fallen so low, it's impossible for him to join the Dao Court and climb past the fifth rank. . . ”
“If not him. . . then could it be me? ”
Fang Xi suppressed the tremor in his heart, suddenly looking up. Through the mountain, his gaze met the vast azure sky.
Was there, at this very moment, a pair of eyes watching him from above the firmament?
Otherwise, why would the Heavenly Peerage treasure of ‘Green Tongjun’ coincidentally fall into his hands?
‘Heavenly Monarch peerage, Void Amalgamation cultivation. . . they truly correspond one-to-one, fitting perfectly. . . just right. . . ’
‘However, this might not be a grand elder manipulating things from behind the scenes. It's also possible. . . that it's the influence of the Law of Karma? ’
‘The subtlety of karma in this world is truly incredible. Heaven and Earth are a vast net, and even an outsider like me will be forced into it. . . ’
‘Of course, there are benefits. If I refine this ‘Treasure of Green Tongjun’, after ascending to the Heavenly Court, I would be a major figure. . . equivalent to a lord endorsed by the Heavenly Emperor. ’
‘If my main body's cultivation breaks through to Mahayana, wouldn't I even be able to become a Heavenly King or Heavenly Venerate? Like the Antarctic Immortal Venerate? ’
Many thoughts inexplicably surfaced in Fang Xi's mind, and the stone seal in his hand felt like a hot potato.
“Forget it, since it's here, I'll make the best of it. . . It's been in my hands for so long; any arrangements should have already been completed. Throwing it away now would mean losing all benefits and suffering a loss for nothing. . . ”
“But by that logic, I'm now essentially the leader of the current Son of Heaven, aren't I? ”
Fang Xi stroked his chin, feeling a strange, secret delight.
Others thought he was merely the fourth-rank Black Cloud Mountain God, but in reality, he could ascend to the first-rank at any time!
Others thought he was a first-rank, but in reality. . . he could inherit a Heavenly Peerage at any time, several ranks higher than the current Son of Heaven!
Others thought he was a Heavenly Peer, but in reality, he was a Void Amalgamation cultivator. . .
“Dao Court. . . this is going to be fun. ”
Fang Xi looked in a certain direction, a playful smile playing on his lips.
...
Coiled Dragon Prefecture.
Prefecture Yamen.
Not far from the Prefecture Yamen was the ‘Prefecture City God Temple’!
City Gods and Earth Gods held quite numerous divine positions within the Dao Court. Taking City Gods as an example, the County City God was the lowest, but still held a seventh-rank divine position!
Following that, a Prefecture City God held a fifth-rank position!
Finally, there was the ‘Capital City God’, a third-rank!
Zhang Zichun, the Prefect of Coiled Dragon Prefecture, was the Prefecture City God, a fifth-rank deity.
At this moment, he sat cross-legged in a small pavilion, his divine soul silently exiting his body to transform into the City God, overseeing all matters of the prefecture city.
With the Divine Dao's oversight, the common folk of this world lived somewhat better than the mortals in the Earthly Immortal World.
For Zhang Zichun, the Prefect's official duties were far less important than his divine position as the Prefecture City God.
The Dao Court had a vast surplus of officials, making it truly rare to find a place that still lacked a City God. Many fifth-rank officials could only reluctantly serve as County City Gods, or await posthumous enfeoffment by the Dao Court after death.
Dao Court enfeoffments at most conferred an honorary title, which, while breaking some restrictions and allowing them to receive widespread incense offerings, were vastly inferior to a City God in terms of authority and other aspects.
Time passed, how long, he didn't know. On the table before Zhang Zichun, the incense sticks in the beast-eared bronze censer had all burned to ash.
Zhang Zichun opened his eyes, a flicker of alarm crossing his face.
Just now, in the City God Temple, he had received official documents stating that a Heavenly Envoy was about to descend!
“Someone! ”
Zhang Zichun immediately called out.
“Your Excellency, Prefect? ”
The servants, maids, armored guards, and strategists waiting outside the pavilion immediately entered, lining up in an orderly fashion.
“Prepare the incense altar to receive the Heavenly Envoy! ”
Zhang Zichun said with a solemn expression.
“Yes! ”
No one found it strange; they immediately bowed and withdrew, beginning to make preparations.
Divine Dao communication was extremely convenient; they were long accustomed to such situations.
Not long after, an incense altar was set up, draped with bright yellow silk, bearing an incense burner and seasonal fruits as offerings.
As soon as the altar was ready, Zhang Zichun changed into his official robes, then knelt with the many officials of the Prefecture Yamen: “Your humble servants respectfully welcome the Heavenly Envoy! ”
At this moment, the sky was clear for thousands of miles, the sunlight excellent.
Suddenly, a patch of multicolored auspicious clouds drifted over. Within them was a eunuch in red robes, followed by two golden-armored divine generals, who gracefully descended: “Zhang Zichun, Prefect of Coiled Dragon Prefecture, receive the imperial decree. . . ”
“Your humble servant. . . Zhang Zichun respectfully listens to the Sacred Edict. ”
Zhang Zichun bowed again.
“By the mandate of Heaven, the Son of Heaven decrees: Whereas the Black Cloud Mountain God possesses profound blessings and a divinely bestowed position, it is fitting to additionally confer upon him the title of Righteous God, and command that he receive sacrifices. . . You are hereby appointed as the Imperial Envoy's Deputy, to jointly proceed with the enfeoffment! ”
The eunuch, his voice sharp, finished reading the imperial decree, a smile appearing on his face: “Master Zhang, this time, I am the chief envoy, and you are the deputy. We should work together with one heart to handle this imperial assignment well. ”
Zhang Zichun looked at the imperial decree in the eunuch's hand. It was bright yellow, three feet long and one foot wide, adorned with auspicious cloud patterns and coiling dragon motifs on both sides. The scroll itself was made of redwood, inlaid with beautiful jade.
Such an imperial decree, involving additional enfeoffment, bestowal of title, and commanded sacrifices. . . it was a dream come true for countless civil and military officials.
Why, then, did it seem like a troublesome task to this eunuch?
He formed a plan in his mind, immediately ordering a feast to entertain the Heavenly Envoy and his entourage.
After the banquet, he even invited the envoy to his study for a detailed discussion.
“Eunuch Wang, this enfeoffment of the Mountain God, what makes it different? ” Zhang Zichun clasped his hands, his attitude exceedingly polite.
“Heh heh, Master Zhang is a clever man. You've surely never enfeoffed this type of natural-born deity before, have you? ”
Eunuch Wang chuckled, then sighed: “This is a tough assignment. If we can't complete it, both I and Master will face repercussions. . . ”
“Please, Eunuch, enlighten me. . . ”
Zhang Zichun bowed again, then slipped a golden ingot from his sleeve into the eunuch's hand.
This golden ingot, though appearing brilliantly golden, was in fact entirely condensed from incense offerings—it was Divine Dao incense money!
Even for Zhang Zichun, a fifth-rank City God, he would have to accumulate for who knew how long to acquire such a piece.
Eunuch Wang accepted it, his eyebrows immediately twitching into a wide smile. He offered a tip: “These natural-born deities are mostly unruly and unwilling to accept imperial enfeoffment. . . Why is that? In truth, they possess innate spirituality and know that entering the Dao Court's system and receiving a Daoist title is harmful rather than beneficial! ”
“Ah? ! ”
This was the first time Zhang Zichun had heard such a secret. He couldn't help but bow again: “How so? ”
“We, mere mortals of flesh and blood, cannot become deities without enfeoffment, so that's fine. . . ” Eunuch Wang said: “Natural-born deities are gods by nature; they don't actually fall under the Dao Court's jurisdiction. Their divine rank is Heaven-bestowed; as long as they meet the conditions, they can promote themselves! ”
“This. . . this is an act of outrageous rebellion! ” Zhang Zichun wasn't sure if he felt envy or jealousy in his heart, but his face was filled with indignation.
Such an act was equivalent to promoting oneself before the Dao Court even issued a decree—wasn't that rebellion? Where was the law of the land, the Daoist law?
“Master Zhang truly is a loyal minister. . . Therefore, enfeoffment is essential to incorporate these innate deities into the system. The key lies in the Daoist title; once they accept it, that trace of innate essence vanishes. In the future, even if they rebel again or cast off the Daoist title. . . it will be futile. Without the Dao Court's enfeoffment, no matter what they do, it will be difficult for them to raise their divine rank again! ”
Eunuch Wang smiled triumphantly: “Take the Coiled Dragon Lake Lord, for example. He had quite a foundation back then but accepted the enfeoffment. . . If the Dao Court grants no further favors, he'll remain as he is for life. ”
“Then what exactly should we do? ” Zhang Zichun steadied his mind and continued to ask.
“Another day, I will accompany you to meet that Mountain God and bestow upon him the third-rank ‘Grand Supreme Dao Court Great Grotto Treasure Daoist Title’. . . As soon as he accepts the decree, all will be well. These natural-born deities are often ignorant; a little coaxing, a little trickery, a little intimidation. . . and they'll comply. ” Eunuch Wang chuckled: “Don't think the rank given is too high. No matter how high, aren't they still subjects of the Son of Heaven? Once this master-subject relationship is established, heh heh, then we hold the moral high ground, and he'll find it difficult to resist. Even if he takes the case all the way to the Heavenly Court, we will be in the right. . . ”
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