Others follow advice and imitate celebrities, but you start by pretending to be a god?

And he's with Yang Jian?!

What exactly is happening in the outside world?

Under the meticulous planning of the Heavenly Court...

The chaos that has engulfed the Southern Continent, especially the most powerful human nation in the East—the Great Tang Dynasty—far exceeded everyone's expectations!
The order of the six realms of reincarnation has collapsed!

The dead cannot enter the underworld; instead, they transform into ferocious ghosts, becoming demons and monsters that madly destroy everything!
Humanity is currently unaware of the truth, but under the manipulation of the Heavenly Court, the entire Tang Dynasty is gradually turning into a ghost realm.

Ghosts roam the land, and the once bustling streets and restaurants are now deserted.

The people dared not go out and all hid at home, trembling with fear.

It might be able to hold out for a short period of time.

But as time went on, it became increasingly difficult.

Apart from the wealthy, ordinary people had no grain stored at home, and the demand for food in various cities rose sharply.

In addition, only large cities have protective formations, and the number of refugees pouring in from the surrounding areas is increasing day by day, making management increasingly difficult!

At this time, the people of the Tang Dynasty also discovered that once someone died, their soul would turn into a vengeful ghost within a few hours and slaughter the surrounding area!
This could cause even more serious harm!
Demons and monsters slaughtered the people, and the people, in turn, became vengeful spirits and vengeful ghosts...

This has become an unbreakable vicious cycle!
Inside Chang'an, Li Chengqian frowned deeply, his heart filled with anxiety; he had never been so anxious before!
"Your Majesty, the riot on Fuyun Street has been investigated and confirmed!"

"It's not that villains are committing evil; rather, people in Chang'an are already starving to death!"

A dark figure appeared, and the Tang Dynasty assassin personally trained by Li Chengqian appeared to report.

"People actually starved to death in Chang'an?!"

Li Chengqian suddenly looked up, his eyes burning with rage, and a powerful aura filled the surroundings, causing the entire house to tremble!

"Didn't I already order the granaries to be opened and grain distributed to relieve the people? Why are people still starving to death!"

The dark figure, as if weighed down by a mountain, answered with difficulty, "Your Majesty, it is because... the granaries of the Great Tang are almost empty."

"The granary is empty?"

Li Chengqian was stunned. How could the Tang Dynasty's treasury have become empty so quickly? How long has it been!
Could someone have embezzled the funds?!

Li Chengqian's face immediately turned ashen.

The assassin seemed to have read his mind and hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, the empty granaries are no accident."

"Because Chang'an was well-defended, a large number of refugees fled here."

"Now, in addition to the original residents of Chang'an, countless people have poured in, greatly increasing the burden on the granaries!"

"That's what led to the sharp decline in inventory!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian's expression turned even more unpleasant!
Has the situation really become this critical?

If even the grain reserves in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, are insufficient to sustain the city, what will become of the other cities?
Moreover, it is currently the autumn harvest season, and the crops in the fields urgently need to be harvested.

If the harvest cannot be obtained due to the rampage of demons and monsters,
When the harsh winter arrives, even more people will perish!
"By imperial decree, all officials in the court are ordered to donate their private grain."

"Those with higher official positions and greater wealth must donate large sums!"

"To be used to provide relief to displaced people!"

Li Chengqian spoke slowly, his eyes gleaming, and tossed a pre-prepared ledger into the hands of the assassin.

"The people listed here should be given special attention!"

"Anyone who disobeys will be immediately taken inside and searched!"

"Among these officials, there are countless corrupt ones; not a single one should be let off the hook!"

The assassin's eyes flashed as he took the ledger and respectfully withdrew.

"I will obey His Majesty's will!"

The black-clad assassins vanished silently. Li Chengqian stared at the map of the Tang Dynasty's territory, which was covered in red crosses, and pressed his forehead tightly.

Why does this happen?
I originally intended to lead the human race to rise again, so how did I end up in such a predicament?

There is absolutely no root cause...

He took a deep breath, slumped into his chair, and tried his best to sort out all the clues.

But no matter how hard they tried, they still couldn't find the root of the problem. "If only Master were here... With Master's boundless power, he would surely be able to see through everything instantly..."

"I wonder how my master is doing now..."

Just as Li Chengqian was sighing,
A calm voice quietly rang out in the room.

"Sighing in vain is of no use."

"Our master is indeed powerful, but as his disciples, we cannot rely on him for everything."

"As a human emperor, one should demonstrate foresight and wisdom, especially in times of crisis."

“These are words that your master should have taught you.”

Li Chengqian trembled upon hearing the voice and hurriedly stood up to look at the person who had come.

The man was dressed in a black and gold robe, exuding heroic spirit and bright, piercing eyes. He was like an ancient city wall, radiating the aura of vicissitudes of time!
"Senior Brother!" Li Chengqian was taken aback at first, then overjoyed. "Why have you come!"

The visitor was none other than the senior disciple of the Heavenly Daoist Temple, Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng!
"I heard from my senior brothers that you went to search for the Fire Cloud Cave of the Three Sovereigns, Senior Brother. Why are you here?" Li Chengqian asked happily.

"Naturally, it's because the human race is in trouble," Ying Zheng replied calmly, strolling over to Li Chengqian's side and examining the map on the table.

Upon seeing this, Li Chengqian quickly stood up.

Facing this ancient emperor whom he had heard of since childhood, who was also the senior disciple of the Taoist temple, Li Chengqian felt sincere respect!
It is no exaggeration to say that if Qin Shi Huang had not unified the world, the human race in the Southern Continent would not be so prosperous today!

Ying Zheng's arrival made him feel as if he had returned to the time when he was in the Taoist temple.

At that time, the master usually did not show his face in the temple.

The eldest sister, the Queen of Xiliang, was responsible for handling many affairs.
The eldest disciple, Ying Zheng, was responsible for teaching and instructing his disciples.

Before Ying Zheng, Li Chengqian revealed everything he knew without hesitation.

Ying Zheng nodded slightly and narrowed his eyes.

"Just as I expected."

Along his journey, Ying Zheng witnessed too many tragedies and too many deaths of the human race.

At the same time, he also discovered many clues.

If my guess is correct,

"This upheaval among the human race may be related to the underworld."

Ying Zheng spoke slowly.

"The underworld?" Li Chengqian was taken aback. In front of Ying Zheng, he did not seem like the current emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but rather like a fanatical junior, full of doubts.

How could matters of the human world be related to the underworld?

"The connection is very strong."

Ying Zheng noted down several cities on the map that were most severely affected by the disaster, then asked:
"Where are the others? Didn't your other junior brothers come to help you?"

Li Chengqian smiled wryly and spread his hands: "The distance is too far. It's obvious that someone is targeting the Tang Dynasty this time."

“I’m afraid that if I invite my senior brothers and sisters to come, it will expose their identities as disciples of the temple. Our master once instructed us not to reveal our identities.”

"Many senior brothers and sisters have secretly helped, but I did not allow those who were already famous to come."

Those who are too far away, too busy, or cannot be contacted have not yet arrived.

Ying Zheng nodded in approval.

Li Chengqian did not do anything wrong.

Although he wanted to lead the human race to rise and save the people of the Tang Dynasty, his primary task was to keep his identity as a disciple of the Daoist temple a secret.

Everything should be done with the temple as the priority!

This is the guiding principle in the hearts of all disciples in the temple.

Without the temple and the master, there would be no people today, and no opportunity for the rise of the human race!

"I've already learned a lot along the way." (End of Chapter)