I use my supernatural powers to prove my immortality

Chapter 319: Seeking Peace through Struggle
"This place is called Lizhigang. The mountain god is an old ghost who calls himself Fengchun Patriarch."

"My lady, are you going to get rid of him?"

"I don't think it's necessary for now. Although Fengchun Patriarch is a ghost, he has done a good job over the years, apart from enjoying some incense and sacrifices. The people around him are quite respectful to the Earth God."

Ning Yunzhi listened carefully and did not express any opinions.

After a while, the two arrived at a small temple with a stone tablet. Not far behind the temple was an old pine tree.

Zhong Lixiao: "The local land god is an old pine tree that has attained enlightenment. The locals call it Doctor Song and Old Ancestor Song."

Ning Yunzhi was surprised.

Is this the tree in front of you?
The old pine tree looked sick and seemed like it would die at any moment.

Judging from what the Queen Mother said, the local people should be very fond of this old pine tree.

Why has it become like this now?
Zhong Lixiao: "Not long ago, this old pine tree encountered a disaster and was forced to join a force it didn't want to join."

Ning Yunzhi seemed to be thinking about something.

But she subconsciously recalled the troubles that Lady Fujun had told her when they first met.

Only then did she realize how cautious the Lady of the Mansion was when talking about these troubles.

From the beginning till now, the name of that force has never been mentioned!

Is the Queen planning to hint something to her?

Then, Ning Yunzhi saw a pure bottle suddenly appear in the hand of the Queen.

The empress just recited the incantation silently, and a large amount of sweet spring water gushed out of the mouth of the jade bottle.

All the spring water was soon poured onto the roots of the old pine tree!
Under Ning Yunzhi's astonished gaze, the old pine tree began to vibrate at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Then, after a puff of smoke, Zhong Lixiao took Ning Yunzhi and left the old pine tree again.

What Ning Yunzhi didn't know was that not long after they left, an extremely old face appeared on the sickly old pine tree.

He looked at the direction the two left, but remained silent for a long time.

He didn't know who the two were, let alone why the woman suddenly gave him such precious spring water.

But from what the woman said, she knew about the suffering he had endured in the past.

Thinking of this, the old pine tree suddenly felt some anticipation again.

I hope that this Shinto will one day bring about a new beginning.

but.

When the old pine tree thought of the "nobility" that the gods' messengers always mentioned, it suddenly became completely gloomy.

"This place is called Feihujian. The river god in this section is a tiger spirit. Every year, the local people must pay tribute with a pair of young boys and girls."

Ning Yunzhi raised her eyebrows when she heard that.

She subconsciously thought of the Bishawan River God, who required the people to pay tribute of young boys and girls, and to die in a proper way.

Ning Yunzhi was eager to fight and asked, "My Lady, do you need me to get rid of it?"

Zhong Lixiao said calmly, "If you try to get rid of it, the local people will hate you."

Ning Yunzhi frowned.

"Could it be that this tiger is so trustworthy that after enjoying a pair of children, a boy and a girl, every year, he really ensures good weather and good harvests in the area?"

Zhong Lixiao: "Not only that, the area around Tiger Leaping Gorge is the tiger's territory. With it around, other alien species dare not invade."

"Also, the mountains around Tiger Leaping Gorge are steep. Although there are large rivers and streams all around, it's difficult for the surface water to be stored, making it very prone to drought."

"According to my spiritual perception, the people around here are quite grateful to this mountain king."

"Even if it's not a day for sacrifice, if the people catch good prey or have meat at home, they will willingly offer it to the mountain king first."

"The mountain king has now become a spiritual being, his wisdom is improving rapidly, and he has also gained the faith of the gods of land and rivers. I believe he will have a bright future."

Ning Yunzhi didn't know what to say for a moment when she heard this.

Every year the people were required to pay tribute to him with a pair of boys and girls, but he turned out to be a good god who was deeply believed by the people.

After another jump, the two arrived near a bay stream again.

All around, I saw fishermen casting their nets, woodcutters carrying firewood, and farmers tilling the fields. It was a very harmonious scene.

Ning Yunzhi did not speak rashly, but carefully sensed everything around her with her spiritual sense.

Soon, she figured out some tricks.

The villages nearby seem to be extremely devout in their faith.

Almost every household invites the land god back home to worship him, and incense is often burned in front of the shrine.

but.

This situation made Ning Yunzhi feel that something was wrong.

Unless it’s a festival or the first or fifteenth day of the month, who would burn incense and worship gods every day for no reason?
If this is the case, either there is a great terror here, and worshipping God is a necessity.

Or the land god was extremely greedy and forced the people to burn incense and worship him day and night.

Then, Ning Yunzhi heard, "The land god here is a cultivator who has just begun to enter the immortal path, but his aptitude is extremely limited, so he turned to the divine path."

"Since becoming the land god, I have worked diligently for my faith and for the path of Taoism, and have gained great popularity among the people here."

"But recently, this land has appeared in dreams to local people many times, asking them to burn incense every day and offer sacrifices every night. The incense money alone has become a considerable expense for local people."

Ning Yunzhi seemed to be thinking about something, but then she thought about how the people in the nearby towns seemed to be living quite well, and she felt that the land was not owned by people who were particularly greedy.

Thinking back to what the Lady Lord had said, that this person was once a cultivator of immortality, she suddenly recalled a piece of knowledge she had read in a book.

"Could it be that this land wants to gather 'incense and incense'?"

The so-called "incense of faith" is the incense produced by ordinary believers after burning incense to worship gods.

The gods can absorb and refine it directly, or they can store it and refine it into tangible incense.

The unit uses the word "household".

"Hundred households" is equivalent to silver among the people, and "thousand households" is equivalent to gold.

It is very precious to gods and ghosts.

The Queen Mother of the Mansion naturally also has this thing. As long as she is willing, she can condense some "Thousand Households" level incense at any time.

But if there are more, there won’t be any more!

This is also one of the important reasons why Zhong Lixiao intends to spread his faith and expand the number of believers in his jurisdiction.

Ning Yunzhi was a little surprised and asked, "How big is this area? There are only a few hundred households around here, and yet they're trying to cultivate 'incense and faith'? This is like a corrupt official who's trying to extort money from the land. Your Majesty, should we execute him?"

Faith is all about the word "faith". For ordinary people, burning three incense sticks a day is a huge fortune.

You have to know that for many ordinary people, they may never have seen silver in their entire lives.

Moreover, how pious can this kind of tax-like incense be considered?

Zhong Lixiao laughed when he heard that.

"Haha, if you kill him directly, the local people might blame you again!"

"what?"

Ning Yunzhi was a little confused, but subconsciously thought of the prosperous scene near the Bay Area.

Zhong Lixiao smiled and said, "This land is worthy of being a cultivator, he wants to improve himself too much. Perhaps it is because he came from the lower class that he understands very well what the lower class people need."

"So, when he set such a high standard of burning three sticks of incense every day, he also set extremely high standards for himself."

"He worked tirelessly, performing the 'fertile land magic' every day, so that the crops of those very pious people were obviously more vigorous than those of other people's homes."

“May those fishermen who have devout faith always catch big fish.”

"As for those woodcutters, when they go into the mountains to collect firewood, even if they encounter danger, they can always turn danger into safety."

"Even if someone is sick, if their faith is strong enough, they can get treatment in time."

Ning Yunzhi was speechless for a moment, feeling it was very difficult to comment.

but.

Just as what Lady Fujun said, this mountain god who was born as a low-level immortal cultivator really wanted to make progress.

And it seems to be doing a good job!
Afterwards, Zhong Lixiao took Ning Yunzhi on a tour of the jurisdictions of various gods.

It feels like going on a picnic hand in hand, or like discussing heroes over a glass of wine.

In a short period of time, Ning Yunzhi listened to the Queen Mother's evaluation of the mountain gods, land gods, river gods, and even some city gods in various places.

The more Ning Yunzhi came into contact with gods, the more she felt that the Shinto system was a mixed bag.

Mountain spirits, water monsters, ghosts, and demonic plants, almost regardless of race, good or evil, as long as they have cultivation and ability, and can gain the faith of the people, they are basically qualified to become gods.

Moreover, under the Shinto system, due to the different personalities and styles of doing things of different gods, the characteristics they exhibit are also very strange.

However, Ning Yunzhi was more trying to figure out the deeper meaning behind the Lady Lord's taking her along the way to see the gods from all over the place.

Especially when thinking about the various situations during the flood control in Bisha Bay, Ning Yunzhi suddenly had an idea.

Power does not like a vacuum. Does the Queen intend to rectify the Shinto religion?

Thinking of this, Ning Yunzhi suddenly became excited, feeling as if she was participating in a great cause.

Thinking of this, Ning Yunzhi immediately expressed her loyalty, "Your Highness has been very kind to me. If you are interested in restoring the way of God, I will definitely serve you wholeheartedly."

Zhong Lixiao burst into laughter when he heard this.

"I am just a small lord, how dare I have such a big ambition? Not to mention the current Shinto system..."

Zhong Lixiao thought of the "Lord," and his heart suddenly sank. "I've shown you all the way, commenting on all the gods along the way. Besides broadening your horizons, I actually wanted to personally grasp firsthand information."

First-hand information?
Ning Yunzhi seemed to be thinking about something.

Thinking about what the Empress had just said but hesitated, she suddenly realized that the "trouble" the Empress was facing might be bigger than she had imagined.

Even the Empress herself hadn't figured out how to deal with those troubles yet. Ning Yunzhi was filled with gratitude when she thought about how the Empress, despite having such a hard time, still took the time to teach her.

"Your Majesty, you have been watching and thinking all the way. How do you feel?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Lixiao pursed his lips for a moment and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, Zhong Lixiao finally said, "After walking and looking around, I found that many gods have done a good job."

"Sacrificing two children every year in exchange for a year of good weather is a good deal, right?"

Ning Yunzhi remained silent upon hearing this.

After a long moment, she frowned and said, "Let's not talk about the distant past. Take the Bisha Bay incident as an example. Even if sacrificing only a pair of children, a boy and a girl, is cost-effective, as long as such evil sacrifices exist, it will inevitably breed the likes of witches and priests."

"If the local tyrants and evil gentry continue to collude with each other, the common people will basically have no good life!"

"Yunzhi thought about it again and again and decided that the Shinto must be reorganized."

After expressing this view, Ning Yunzhi suddenly became enlightened and said in a resounding voice, "That's right, we must rectify the Shinto!"

"People believe in God, and they have already offered their faith, and this is the source of the power of the gods."

"If the number of believers is huge, the deity sitting high on the altar can even gain unimaginable power and status."

"If you can use some more tricks, you can even condense a large amount of incense and faith. Strength, fame, status, and money will all be obtained by the gods."

"How can they continue to demand sacrifices of virgin boys and girls?"

The rabbit dies and the fox grieves, and things harm its kind.

What's more, Ning Yunzhi is a true disciple from a famous and upright sect, and the slogan she often shouts is "Save the people of the world."

If you truly see the suffering of the people, how can you retreat in the face of danger?
When Zhong Lixiao heard this, a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"Yes, they have already asked for so much, how can they ask for more? Yunzhi, you said it very well!"

When Ning Yunzhi heard this, a smile suddenly appeared on her face, but she couldn't help but feel a little worried in her heart.

It is easy to have the Tao in your heart, but it is difficult to defend it with your body.

If you want to help the world and save the people, it will be even more difficult!

If you are not careful, you may even end up being martyred.

Ning Yunzhi suddenly felt a little regretful for being so clever, but in the end she still didn't say anything to dissuade him.

After all, she is a cultivator and understands what it means to seek the truth.

What reason does a seeker have to stop another seeker?
Zhong Lixiao smiled and said, "I felt a little uncomfortable when I first met them. I walked all the way and saw all the way. The more I saw and the more I thought about it, I found that I really couldn't get along with them."

"I don't understand. Since everyone who has met him says he is 'noble' and has great confidence in him, and he himself has great ideals and ambitions, why can't he just do something about Shinto?"

Ning Yunzhi was silent.

Seeing that the Queen continued to move forward, she followed behind obediently.

"The tree wants to be still, but the wind does not stop. It turns out that we can't just sit back and take a beating!"

Ning Yunzhi saw herself surrounded by mist again, and she immediately realized that the Queen was going to take her on the journey again.

The next moment, Ning Yunzhi felt that they had arrived at an extremely dangerous canyon.

The water flows extremely fast, and there are undercurrents everywhere. You can often hear the cries of monkeys on both sides of the river.

Zhong Lixiao: "This is the Evil Dragon Gorge, the most turbulent section of this waterway. If shipping wants to pass smoothly, it even has to rely on trackers to pull the boats."

"The river god of this section of the river is a black water snake, Yunzhi. Go and kill it!"

what?
Ning Yunzhi was stunned.

Because the empress took her along the way and commented on the gods along the way, but she had no intention of killing any of the gods.

But the river god of Elong Gorge is indeed an exception!
That can only mean that the river god of the Evil Dragon Gorge is absolutely full of evil and has already violated the bottom line of the Queen.

"Yes, Yunzhi will definitely live up to your high expectations."

Ning Yunzhi had no doubts and immediately began to search for the traces of the river god in the Evil Dragon Gorge River.

During the following period of time, Ning Yunzhi searched everywhere and finally investigated the deeds of the river god in the Evil Dragon Gorge River.

The Elong Gorge River God does not require the people to sacrifice young boys and girls alive, but the Elong Gorge River area is an area where accidents occur frequently.

Almost every once in a while, a ship would hit a "reef", resulting in the ship being destroyed and people dying.

Occasionally, even batches of trackers were dragged into the water, which was extremely tragic.

As time passed, boatmen and trackers gradually discovered that as long as they worshipped the river god of Elong Gorge from time to time, shipping would be much safer.

of course.

This is also relative. When the river god of Evil Dragon Gorge is angry and when he is in a good mood, his divine power is really unpredictable.

After obtaining this information, Ning Yunzhi immediately realized that the main way for the Evil Dragon Gorge River God to gain faith was through intimidation.

Ning Yunzhi had also read this in a book.

Using intimidation to scare people and then providing them with safety protection is like selling umbrellas while it is raining.

This kind of evil god is the most hateful!
A few days later.

Suddenly, roars like thunder were heard in the Evil Dragon Gorge River area, and many merchants who often traveled through this section of the river were trembling with fear.

The river god of Evil Dragon Gorge is moody and has both great power and great grace.

Are they going to never come back this time?
But soon, careful people discovered something was wrong.

Although the river god's roar was extremely majestic, there was also a lot of fear in his voice.

Then, some lucky people discovered that the water in the Evil Dragon Gorge was rushing, but a black water snake was rolling back and forth in the water, trying to escape many times.

But no matter how it tried to escape, it could never escape from the shallows.

That shallow beach seems to be completely blocked!
at the same time.

There was also a fairy with a blurry figure, but her figure was elusive, and there seemed to be a cold light in front of her that had turned into substance.

Wherever the fairy pointed, a large amount of ice appeared.

Is this a Taoist priest coming here to slay demons and monsters?

The lucky audience was both scared and couldn't help but look forward to it.

The battle lasted for about half a day, and finally the domineering evil black snake was killed, and its blood dyed the entire river red.

After the noise completely died down and a long time had passed, some brave people went to investigate cautiously.

After seeing the large amount of snake blood on the ground and the many remaining ice remnants that had not yet completely melted, everyone dared to believe that the river god who had usurped the throne of the Evil Dragon Gorge River was really beheaded.

The most important thing is that everyone found a piece of cut rock in the snake-slaying ruins.

It was clearly written on it: Ning Yiguang, under the seat of Fairy Su, killed the evil god here.

In just a short time, the legend of Fairy Yi Guang beheading the evil god in the Evil Dragon Gorge became widely known.

Not long after, Fairy Yi Guang killed the black snake in the Evil Dragon Gorge, and then she transformed into Fairy Yi Guang who killed the evil dragon in the Evil Dragon Gorge.

After spreading for a while, it simply became the Black Dragon Slaying.

There were even folk storytellings, in which the storytellers had never seen the real situation, but they described it vividly.

Even the almost dried snake blood left on the ground by the evil god was auctioned for a high price.

As for the scales on the evil snake, they were sold at sky-high prices.

From this we can also see how much the people hate the Elong Gorge River God because of his many evil deeds.

Of course, Fairy Yi Guang also became very famous.

As for the master of Fairy Yi Guang, when he met Fairy Su, he transformed himself into a powerful and hostile person.

Even in some vernacular stories, scenes about meeting the Su fairy gradually began to appear.

but.

What ordinary people don’t know is that shortly after the river god of the Evil Dragon Gorge was beheaded, some gods’ messengers wearing golden armor went to the ruins of the beheaded god to investigate in person.

However, their faces were gloomy and they were furious!

at the same time.

Fairy Yi Guang, who was praised by everyone for her great glory, could not be happy at all at this moment.

Even if the Queen Mother of the Mansion copied the most turbulent Dharma power of the Evil Dragon Gorge River in the same way, refined it into a drop of water and pressed it into her sea of consciousness, she still could not be happy.

because.

She had clearly sensed that the Queen was about to leave.

Apart from Master Zhong, no one had ever been so kind to her.

Seeing this, Zhong Lixiao felt quite reluctant, but he also knew that there would be no peace around him from now on.

If I continue to keep Yunzhi by my side, it is very likely that she will be harmed!
However, Zhong Lixiao has now begun to imagine what Yunzhi would feel if she knew that the Queen Mother of the Mansion was his incarnation.

Zhong Lixiao smiled and said, "All good things must come to an end. Can I teach you one last lesson?"

Ning Yunzhi immediately said solemnly, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

Zhong Lixiao: "After we separate, let's temporarily forget about Ning Yiguang's identity, and don't use the Taoist name Fairy Yiguang anymore. If you really want to do something in the future, remember to use a fake identity more often."

Ning Yunzhi was slightly stunned when she heard this.

She really didn't expect that the last lesson the Empress gave her was to let her use fake identities more often.

Even the Taoist name Yi Guang should not be used for the time being.

Ning Yunzhi immediately felt the difficulty of the future. Although sad, she still followed the instructions and said, "Then I will keep to my simple and honest ways from now on, and strive to achieve long-term success."

"good."

(End of this chapter)