Chaos Spirit Field

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, half a year has passed. Just half a month has passed since the Huashan Mountain God Temple was completed, and its popularity has grown steadily. This is all thanks to the spread of the Huashan Mountain God's autobiography. Legend has it that worshipping the temple with sufficient piety will strengthen men's health, while women's beauty will be enhanced. Couples who worship together will be blessed with many children.

At first, few people believed the rumors, but example is powerful. Zhang Aniu of Luoyi City had been lame for years, but his leg healed because of his piety. Li Yuhuan of Haojing, who was too fat to marry, became a devout believer in the Huashan Mountain God and has visibly lost weight. She recently found her ideal husband. Examples abound.

Yang Xiaochan had only been an immortal for a few years, so of course she didn't have such ability. Not only could she, but even Erlang Zhenjun couldn't do it, to help so many believers at once. Just because an immortal couldn't do it didn't mean Zhao Shanhe couldn't do it; the truth was often unexpected.

The series of movements performed during the homage to the Huashan Mountain God is actually a physical fitness exercise created by Zhao Shanhe. Piety, in essence, means complete concentration, which yields twice the result with half the effort. With a healthy body, everything else naturally improves. Li Yuhuan wasn't actually ugly, just a bit overweight. After losing weight, she'd have no trouble finding a husband. All this was the result of her hard work. If she gained the weight back, it would indicate she wasn't pious enough and was being punished by the gods.

Zhao Shanhe spared no effort for Yang Xiaochan, and the Huashan Mountain God Temple's popularity even surpassed that of Erlang Zhenjun Temple. The deities were divided into thirty-three levels, corresponding to the thirty-three heavens. The lowest level was the household god, worshipped by a single family. The highest was the Celestial Emperor, worshipped by all three realms.

Sages are generally ranked 30 and above, with the highest ranking not exceeding 32. A high rank doesn't necessarily mean greater combat power; at least the Celestial Emperor can't defeat a Sage. Yang Jian's rank is 15th, which is about average. Yang Xiaochan is only 5th, but that's because of Wen Zhong, and the Celestial Emperor compensated her. Otherwise, she would have had to start from 1st level and slowly accumulate followers.

Ever since Zhao Shanhe built the Erlang Zhenjun Temple and the Huashan Mountain Temple, their deity status has skyrocketed. Yang Jian's rank has risen two notches, reaching level seventeen. Yang Xiaochan's has even risen from level five to level nine, just one level away from intermediate deity status, though that's coming soon. Deity status is crucial for deities, serving as a crucial means of increasing their cultivation, and this is where the conflict of faith stems from.

Yang Xiaochan's luck was the envy of countless lower-level gods, as she was about to ascend to the mid-level divine rank. Thanks to Su Qin's eloquence and the financial backing of the Zhao family's trading company, Zheng State was finally conquered. The Erlang Zhenjun Temple and the Huashan Mountain God Temple were completed almost simultaneously. Zhao Shanhe personally participated in the consecration ceremony and witnessed the surging crowd. Gazing at the bustling scene before him, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

After the ceremony, Zhao Shanhe was strolling alone through the streets of Guxing. Just as he was enjoying himself, an old man suddenly blocked his path. He smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, please stay. Let's talk."

Zhao Shanhe was shocked. His cultivator identity had actually been discovered by someone else—this was the first time in his life. He realized the old man before him was only at the Earthly Immortal level, so he said, "Senior, there's a teahouse up ahead. How about we go there and discuss this in detail?"

However, the old man shook his head and said, "The fish along the Suoshui River are at their best right now. It would be a shame not to go fishing now. How about going there?"

On the banks of the Suoshui River, in a secluded spot, an old man and a young man were fishing. If one looked closely, one would notice that both of them were using straight hooks. Zhao Shanhe smiled and said, "Jiang Taigong fishes, and whoever wants takes the bait is truly worthy of his reputation."

The old man said regretfully, "It's a pity that I still lost. Mr. Zhao, you won, let the fish go."

Zhao Shanhe replied, "Senior Jiang, the fish finally has a chance to atone for its sins. If we let it go, it would be a waste of its efforts. We should eat it. Eating grilled fish and drinking fine wine in this scene is a unique experience."

High-end ingredients only require simple cooking methods. Jiang Ziya initially refused, but it was so delicious that he couldn't stop eating. He drank a glass of wine handed to him by Zhao Shanhe and couldn't help but exclaimed: "Great! May I ask the name of this wine?"

Zhao Shanhe replied, "How can I relieve my worries? Only Du Kang can do it. I wonder what the senior wants to talk to me about."

Jiang Ziya replied coldly: "I don't want Zheng to become like the Zhou Dynasty."

"Senior, how can you say that? Luoyi, Haojing, and Xiqi, aren't they doing well now? The people live and work in peace and contentment, and the population has increased several times."

"Is its surname Huan Ji?"

Jiang Ziya's aura suddenly erupted, but Zhao Shanhe effortlessly defied it. He said, "Senior, the world belongs to everyone. Does surname matter? As long as the people live and work in peace and contentment, that's all that matters. Emperor Ziwei forcibly extended the life of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Do you intend to make the same mistake again?"

Zhao Shanhe's words left Jiang Ziya silent, and he couldn't help but fall into reminiscence. He still remembered the time when he was ordered by his master to preside over the Conferred God Ceremony. Because he failed to control the situation well, it led to chaos in the world, and both the Orthodox and Demonic sects suffered heavy casualties, leaving him with no gods to confer. The disciples of the Demonic sect hated him to the core, and they hated him until his death. This was why he had always been at the Earthly Immortal realm, because he couldn't survive the heavenly tribulation. It was his own fault.

Jiang Ziya bowed to Zhao Shanhe and said, "Thank you for your enlightenment, fellow Daoist. I am willing to lead you into Yuxu Palace."

Zhao Shanhe was quite interested in this proposal. Yuxu Palace was the top sect. After much deliberation, he decided to give up. He had too many secrets and it would be better not to show up in front of the saint. If he refused directly, it would seem too ungrateful. So he said, "Senior, you may become a disciple of Tianzun."

Now it was Jiang Ziya's turn to be embarrassed. He hadn't expected Zhao Shanhe to be so greedy, actually wanting to become the saint's apprentice. Who could guarantee that? So he said, "Master, I don't accept apprentices anymore."

"Forget it then. Better to have nothing than to have something less than perfect."

"Friend Zhao, I can introduce you to my fellow brothers."

"Senior Jiang, please don't use your little pride on an outsider like me. I only do business and benefit the people. I won't seize the Jiang family's Zheng State. I think you can rest assured."

"Friend Zhao, who are you and what is your relationship with Emperor Xin?"

"Senior Jiang, who are you asking this for? Emperor Ziwei? You're quite loyal, and you truly deserve King Wen's kindness. Historical records show that Emperor Xin was licentious and immoral. He originally had only three concubines and two children. King Wen of Zhou, on the other hand, had hundreds of sons. You should be the most familiar with how the Shang Dynasty fell. Putting aside unavoidable factors, was Emperor Xin a tyrant?"