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Chapter 805: Proclaiming the Edict

Chapter 805: Proclaiming the Edict

"A third-rank Daoist title. . . "

"Back then, this old man achieved top honors in the imperial examinations and diligently served the Dao Court for decades, yet even now, I'm only a fourth-rank 'Three Caverns Five Thunder Precious Daoist Title of the Supreme Dao Court'. . ."

Zhang Zichun couldn't describe the taste in his heart as he asked, "And what if he still refuses?"

Eunuch Wang's eyebrows immediately shot up: "By the Emperor's grace, directly bestowing a third-rank Daoist title—what an immense honor! If he still refuses, then he is naturally a rebellious subject and a traitor, and ought to be executed!"

The Dao Court's rule rested upon its Daoist titles.

To not acknowledge the Daoist titles, to not be restrained, to not obediently surrender one's vital weaknesses, and from then on, have one's life and death depend on the superior's will—such a one was naturally a rebel!

Many evil gods were, for the most part, forced into being by such circumstances.

...

Mei Changkong carried a massive bamboo basket on his back, and in his hands, he clutched two bulging bundles, striding swiftly through the mountain forest.

Although he was already a cultivator, he was unfortunately a miserable, unaligned cultivator with nothing to his name, not even a storage bag.

Ever since Fang Xi had given him the task of 'procurement manager,' he had lost count of how many times he'd done this.

Mei Changkong arrived at a certain spot on the mountain peak and saw that a Mountain God's Manor was already taking shape.

At the entrance, a stone archway stood tall.

A short, shifty-eyed old man, seeing Mei Changkong, immediately smiled: "You've finally arrived. . . Bai Tongzi has been waiting for you for ages."

"This time, among the procured items, there were some that Master Mountain God required, so I was delayed a bit."

Mei Changkong explained, then handed the old man Song a roasted chicken.

The roasted chicken, wrapped in oiled paper, still retained warmth and emitted a savory aroma when opened.

Old Man Song's eyes immediately lit up: "Master Mountain God's affairs are naturally more important than our cave abode's arrangements. . . It's rare for you to remember that this old man enjoys this. By the way, where are Bai Tongzi's writing brush, ink, paper, inkstone, and books, and Little Deer's rouge and powder?"

"All here, all here. . ."

Mei Changkong put down his bundles, feeling a slight sense of novelty in his heart.

These mountain spirits and monsters, after transforming into human form, were quite envious of the mortal world.

Unfortunately, without Master Mountain God's permission, they dared not descend to the mortal world on their own, only able to entrust him with procuring some items.

Fortunately, they would also give him recompense, such as spirit fruits and pine nuts, which wasn't bad.

Even though Mei Changkong didn't particularly value them, he didn't refuse, thinking it wise to maintain good relations with the Mountain God's subordinates.

Just then, his heart suddenly seized up, feeling a gust of strong wind blow past.

This wind was not a mountain breeze; it carried wisps of yin qi.

"This is. . . a ghostly wind? !"

Mei Changkong immediately formed a hand seal, a spiritual light flashing in his eyes.

Following that, he 'saw' outside Black Cloud Mountain, clusters of yin clouds gathering.

Within the yin clouds were, astonishingly, a large number of ghost soldiers. Each of them was expressionless, clad in black armor, led by ghost generals, and displaying their banners.

City Gods, Mountain Gods, and Water Gods—these kinds of 'local deities'—mostly cultivated Dao Soldiers.

City Gods and Earth Gods had yin soldiers and yin generals, while Dragon Lords had shrimp soldiers and crab generals. When properly trained, they could enter the divine domain during battle and greatly amplify divine power.

Moreover, their processions were grand and impressive!

"It's the Panlong Prefecture City God on patrol!"

Gazing at the banners being unfurled, Mei Changkong stated.

"It's actually the Prefecture City God!"

Old Man Song was startled, almost dropping the roasted chicken in his hand.

Compared to Mountain Gods and Water Gods, City Gods were humanistic deities. They possessed abundant power of incense and worship and could recruit many human heroes as yin soldiers and generals. Their strength actually far surpassed that of Mountain Gods and Water Gods of the same rank.

However, remembering that his own master was exceptionally gifted, a fourth-rank Great God, Old Man Song tightened his grip, barely managing not to drop the roasted chicken.

"Is the Black Cloud Mountain God present?"

Amidst the throng of yin soldiers, Zhang Zichun's figure suddenly became immensely tall, radiating golden light as he shouted, "The Celestial Emissary has arrived! Why do you not swiftly come forth to greet him?"

This was the plan he and Eunuch Wang had devised earlier: first, deploy their formation to intimidate.

Many innate deities were like this: they initially lost a bit of momentum in terms of aura, then were pressured step by step, eventually falling into the net and paying homage to the Dao Court.

Once they bowed and accepted the edict, even if they wished to regret it later, it would be impossible.

Black Cloud Mountain stirred, an earthen-yellow radiance flashing.

A young Mountain God appeared, looking at Zhang Zichun: "Panlong Prefecture City God? And a Dao Court Emissary?"

Eunuch Wang had two golden-armored divine generals guarding him. Hearing the term 'Dao Court Emissary,' his brow furrowed, feeling extremely displeased.

Under Heaven, all is the Emperor's land; within the realm, all are the Emperor's subjects.

If one accepted the title 'Celestial Emissary,' it implied viewing the Dao Court as 'Heaven,' inherently lowering oneself by a head, and many matters would then be much easier to handle.

But now, he was merely referred to as 'Dao Court Emissary,' which immediately made his heart tremble, knowing that this task would indeed be difficult.

'If it truly won't work, then we can only launch a punitive expedition. . . The Connecting Cloud Mountain God and the Dragon Lake Lord nearby have all been officially enfeoffed by the Dao Court; a single edict can summon them. '

Eunuch Wang stroked a golden token hidden in his sleeve, a cold glint in his eyes.

"An edict!"

A flash of light in his hand, and a bright yellow imperial edict appeared: "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Hereby, the Black Cloud Mountain God, having profound blessings and a divinely bestowed position, is hereby granted the title of Proper God and commanded to accept sacrifices. . ."

This was the majesty of the Dao Court's rule over this world!

Under the Daoist Law, Old Man Song, Bai Tongzi, and others were completely overwhelmed, immediately falling to their knees.

"This. . ."

Mei Changkong's bones creaked, but he gritted his teeth, blood trickling from his lips, and in the end, did not kneel.

'Is this the might of the Dao Court? Just proclaiming an imperial edict is like this. If the edict were to order my death, wouldn't I have no choice but to offer my neck for execution, and even have to face death with a smile? '

Mei Changkong felt the unfathomable might of the Dao Court, his Dao heart almost shattering in despair.

Fortunately, at this moment, there was still one person, or rather, one god!

Fang Xi stood majestically in mid-air, golden-green light patterns rippling around him, his face calm and unconcerned: "Are you done speaking?"

"Black Cloud Mountain God?"

Zhang Zichun felt jealous in his heart, yet his expression remained unreadable, and he instead said: "The Dao Court is the foremost among all divine paths under Heaven. Your esteemed deity is brought into the sacrifices and will enjoy the third rank. . . This is imperial favor; why do you not swiftly express your gratitude?"

This was a mix of coaxing and deceiving.

As long as this god bowed in thanks for the imperial favor, he would immediately fall into the trap!

After learning the secret, Zhang Zichun's heart also gave rise to many dark thoughts.

Why could these innate divine spirits live free and unfettered, even elevating their divine rank?

Why must humanistic deities like them have their lives and deaths determined by the will of their superiors?

This was unfair!

Naturally, bringing everyone into the Dao Court, treating everyone equally, that was true 'benevolence'!

At this moment, the entire scene was utterly silent, quietly awaiting the young Mountain God's decision!

"Heh heh!"

Abruptly, a laugh emerged.

It was Fang Xi, who had suddenly let out a soft laugh.

"Black Cloud Mountain God, before the Celestial Emissary, you must not be rude! Why do you not swiftly receive the edict and express your gratitude? " Zhang Zichun coldly shouted.

Coupled with the countless yin soldiers and ghost generals around him, he indeed had quite an imposing aura.

"You are a deity of the mountains and wilderness, ignorant of imperial law. This servant can pardon you this once, but if you still don't know what's good for you, you can only turn to ash!"

Eunuch Wang's voice was shrill. The imperial edict in his hand transformed into a five-colored radiance, and within it, a Daoist title appeared, descending towards Fang Xi.

'This actually comes with coercion? '

Fang Xi had never seen such an imperial edict before; it was truly an eye-opener. He stretched out his hands.

Golden-green divine power emerged, forming two large hands that gripped the imperial edict and the Daoist title. Only then did he say: "This deity holds a divinely bestowed position; strictly speaking, I am an official of the Heavenly Court and am not subject to the jurisdiction of the mortal Dao Court! Therefore, this Dao Court edict can only be refused!"

This was, in fact, the special privilege of all innate beings!

However, some couldn't see the situation clearly, while others were simply deceived, willingly entering the Dao Court system. It was equivalent to giving up the Heavenly Court's golden rice bowl for a muddy one, and by then, no amount of regret would suffice.

Crack!

The words had barely fallen when the five-colored imperial edict was instantly torn to pieces by Fang Xi.

On the other hand, the third-rank 'Supreme Dao Court's Great Cavern Precious Daoist Title' was suppressed by him, prepared to be taken to Trapped Sky Island for study later.

"You dare to defy the imperial edict? Rebellion! This is utter rebellion!"

Eunuch Wang's eyes immediately turned red; he seemed to wish he could eat Fang Xi's flesh raw.

Any hierarchy of power, fundamentally, boils down to whether a subordinate obeys.

Now that Fang Xi had clearly stated he was not subject to their jurisdiction and would not heed their commands. . . then, indeed, there was no other way but forcible military suppression.

Moreover, if he wasn't swiftly suppressed, others would follow suit, and it would immediately lead to an era of great chaos, with the dynasty collapsing and imperial decrees not even leaving the palace.

"Heh heh, the Dao Court is truly brazen. Not subject to your jurisdiction, and that makes one a rebel?"

Fang Xi shook his head: "This deity only knows one thing: when others slander you as a rebel, it's best if you actually are rebelling!"

He let out a long howl, and five talisman seals appeared on his chest, transforming into the shapes of mountains—it was precisely the innate divine ability of the 'Five Sacred Peaks True Form'!

Rumble!

In the sky, colossal mountains appeared out of thin air, five in total, like the Five-Finger Mountain, crashing down with a deafening roar!

The countless yin soldiers and ghost generals shrieked. Before the Five-Finger Mountains even landed, their ghostly bodies were crushed by the terrifying gravity, dissipating into wisps of yin qi. . .

"Ah!"

Eunuch Wang shrieked, golden divine power erupting around him. The two golden-armored divine generals beside him stepped forward, their bodies instantly swelling to immense size, their four hands reaching up to prop up the sky, seemingly trying to hold up the mountains.

But in the next moment, the Five-Finger Mountains descended without hesitation, smashing the golden-armored divine generals' arms, and then their divine bodies. . .

By the time the Five-Finger Mountains had completely descended, Eunuch Wang had long vanished, utterly annihilated, body and soul. . .

"Heh. . . boasted shamelessly, yet couldn't even take one strike from this deity."

Fang Xi let out a soft laugh, looking towards another spot.

A flash of light on the ground, and Zhang Zichun's figure emerged, his face filled with terror.

If Fang Xi hadn't intentionally let him go just now, this fifth-rank Prefecture City God would have likely followed in Eunuch Wang's footsteps!

"Today, I spare your dog's life. Go, tell the Dao Court: so what if this Mountain God has rebelled?"

Fang Xi laughed heartily, kicking with his right foot.

Zhang Zichun had no power to resist whatsoever, resembling an earthen-yellow rubber ball, sent flying a long distance by the kick. . .

"This. . ."

Mei Changkong witnessed this scene, his eyes bursting with brilliant light: "Good! A true man should be like this!"