I attained immortality in the real world.

Chapter 132 The Crisis of the Nation
Great Immortal?

Who do you scold?
They call people "immortals" without even considering what species they are.

Yuan Qiyi transformed into a half-human, half-tiger, resembling more of a monster than a god. He was inferior to even the golden-armored generals under the City God, let alone the City God himself; his aura was so weak that he could be crushed with a single claw.

However, it can manifest in broad daylight, although ordinary people still cannot see it, but it is fundamentally different from evil spirits.

Chen Jinghu looked him up and down with his tiger-like eyes. He was half-human and half-tiger but still had his intelligence. He asked curiously, "Since you are a local god, why don't you stay in your own temple to receive blessings? Why are you coming to a wild temple to steal incense?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qi burst into tears and lamented, "The number of spirits of the land god is increasing every day, and the incense offerings for the local temple are getting less and less. I can't even survive."

The state is plagued by evil spirits.

The conflict between Confucian and Taoist priests over the Yin Dragon arose because the City God system, which oversees the entire realm, had loopholes.

Just like the setting of traditional cultivation novels, the increase in the number of cultivators leads to a shortage of spiritual energy in the world, thus bringing about a great calamity.

But spiritual energy doesn't actually exist, or rather, spiritual energy isn't a gas.

Cultivators rely entirely on themselves for their cultivation. The energy that can be converted from a single bite of rice or meat requires an astronomical amount of spiritual energy.

Only those who become immortals or gods and live long lives need to consume spiritual energy to maintain their survival.

Having finally caught a sage within the system, Chen Jing naturally wouldn't let the opportunity slip by. He paused for a moment and said, "Tell me about the state system, and I won't pursue your theft of incense offerings."

Once upon a time, a courier lost his job and led troops to the capital, forcing the emperor to commit suicide.

Yuan Qi's resentment towards the Daye Dynasty was no less than that of the courier, and he readily agreed: "No problem, the Earth God Temple is part of the dynasty's social system."

"Although the temple is very popular, the incense is directly integrated into the dragon vein of the nation and is then purified and transformed into spiritual energy before being distributed."

"Great Immortal, have you ever learned anything about Confucian rites, such as sacrificial rites? How many tripods does the emperor consume?"

"........."

The study of rites, the fundamental knowledge of Confucianism, is equivalent to the status of knowledge in Buddhism.

Asking about the weight of the tripod, performing the Eight-Row Dance in the courtyard—if this is tolerable, then what is intolerable? These are all classical allusions related to the study of rites.

After becoming a cultivator, Chen Jing's learning efficiency was now vastly different from before, and he read all the relevant materials from the three schools.

Although the classic texts do not contain information about cultivation, it is not difficult to analyze them from the perspective of a cultivator.

Physiognomy states that etiquette is the way of a person and etiquette is the way of a nation. Etiquette can nurture a person's appearance, but can etiquette nurture a nation's appearance?

When studying the third realm of physiognomy, Chen Jing had already learned about the relevant knowledge of Confucian etiquette.

"Confucianism's approach to engaging with the world is highly intertwined with the ruling machine, namely—the state."

"The most important matters of state are sacrifice and war."

"The most essential ritual vessel for sacrifices is the ding (a type of ancient Chinese cooking vessel), which is why the ding is used to distinguish the levels of sacrifices."

“In Confucian rites, the emperor maintains seven ancestral temples: temples for the four paternal relatives (father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather), temples for the two ancestral lineages (father and grandfather of the great-great-grandfather), and the temple of the founding ancestor.”

"Because the Daye Dynasty did not worship Heaven, and was not the Son of Heaven but the Emperor of Man, not only could the living enjoy the Nine Tripods and Eight Vessels, but the standards for the dead could also be maintained, and the number of ancestral temples could be increased from seven to nine."

“The scale of the sacrifices was reduced from top to bottom. The feudal lords could enjoy seven tripods, while officials of all ranks could enjoy five tripods, three tripods, or one tripod.”

The Emperor!

Human Emperor!

Both are supreme rulers of human races.

The Human Emperor is the supreme ruler, and after his death he can be called Emperor, and the rites for him will not be reduced due to his death.

After the founding ancestor, all emperors were Sons of Heaven. If they were to follow the will of Heaven, they could not become emperors after the founding ancestor's death. Therefore, the ancestral temples were reduced by one level, and only seven temples could be established.

As a deity within the Confucian social system, Yuan Qi naturally possessed this knowledge.

Nodding in agreement, he said, "The Great Immortal is indeed worthy of being called the Great Immortal. He even has some knowledge of Confucian rites. I was a scholar in my lifetime, but I knew very little about rites." "It was only after I died and became the Earth God that I learned about the Confucian way of entering Taoism from the City God."

Although Yuan Qi was merely a minor deity in Mingtan Village, he had lived for two or three hundred years, and his knowledge was certainly no less than that of a great Confucian scholar of his time.

Chen Jing did not underestimate the opponent because of their weakness.

Too lazy to listen to the other party's pointless flattery, he waved his hand and said, "Let's get straight to the point! Let's talk about the God of the State again."

Upon hearing the word "death to the state," a flash of resentment crossed Yuan Qi's eyes.

He said, "If everyone follows etiquette, the Daye Dynasty can easily maintain its social system. As long as the dynasty is not overthrown, it will last for thousands of generations."

"However, the Daye Dynasty has lasted for four hundred years, and there have been many short-lived monarchs. Today, it is the nineteenth generation."

"No emperor throughout history has exercised the power of the human emperor to remove ancestors from the ancestral temple for more than eight generations."

"As the superiors set an example, officials at all levels of the court also lost their manners."

“Those who use their official positions and authority to perform ancestral rites can not only support their closest relatives, but also uncles and distant relatives, and even elders who are not related to them, and thus enjoy the blessings of the state.”

“Those who enjoy the support of the state but do not seek profit for the state, and are not bound by the rules of the state system, are called—the ghosts of the state.”

“Even if there is no incense offering at the local temples and city god temples, they can still receive enough offerings to maintain their basic survival.”

"However, as the number of spirits in the land increases, the spiritual energy available to the dragon veins decreases. Forty years ago, the basic sustenance for the gods was lost."

"The conversion rate of incense offerings is getting lower and lower. The local gods in remote areas already had few incense offerings, and now they can hardly even survive."

"........."

Listening to the other party's complaints, Chen Jing pondered for a moment and said, "Even without the God of the State, the gods still have appointments and dismissals. You, a mere minor deity, cannot live and die with the nation."

Yuan Qi replied very frankly: "The capable should live. I have never thought about immortality. I just don't want to starve to death because of termites."

I never expected him to be half an evil god.

They have such a high level of ideological awareness.

Chen Jing examined the spirit attached to the stone tiger statue: "You haven't even reached the first realm. By consuming completely unpurified incense offerings, you will soon become an evil god."

“I have a way to bypass the Great Dragon Vein and provide pure spiritual energy, so that you won’t fall into becoming an evil god.”

Yuan Qi looked suspicious: "You want to take me in? What use am I to you?"

Gods and spirits of the state.

Equivalent to a ferryman in the celestial realm.

He could barely be considered a half-immortal, but due to his own limitations, he couldn't bestow supernatural powers upon others.

It possesses a unique characteristic that cultivators lack: the ability to enjoy the spiritual energy of the dragon vein for longevity, which is entirely self-serving.

Chen Jing, however, did not find it offensive and encouraged, "Even a toilet paper stick or a pair of underpants has its use. Don't worry about how I use it. If you agree, you can join my Human Emperor Banner to work together for a great cause."

After saying that, Chen Jing conjured the Yin Spirit Banner in his hand. Even without activating it, the second-realm magic weapon was surrounded by wisps of black mist.

It possesses a wisp of dragon vein aura, and even if the underworld has not yet been established, it can be temporarily used as a secondary soul banner.

Yuan Qi's eyes widened: "The Human Emperor's Banner? Why is it shrouded in ominous black aura?"

Chen Jing offered no explanation, simply injecting a wisp of divine thought to activate the magical artifact, easily capturing Yuan Qi within the banner.

He shook it and summoned it again, asking, "Where is the Earth God Seal of Mingtan Village?"

Yuan Qi replied, "It's still in the temple; we can retrieve it anytime."

(End of this chapter)