Starting with the Earth God, the path to immortality is deduced!

"call……"

"call……"

Heavy breathing.

Wandering through this eerily silent underground cavern.

That tattered scarlet Taoist robe.

It's like a lifeless rag.

It lay quietly on the altar strewn with bones.

As the Yin Sha Cave beneath the altar ceased spewing forth black energy.

The Taoist robe was weathering at a visible rate.

It turned into a grayish-black powder.

That arrogant man.

He attempted to defy fate and change his destiny with the body of a demigod.

Lin Xuan, who wanted to devour the souls of all the people in the city to prove his Dao.

Gone.

It's completely gone.

Not even a trace of his soul remained.

It was completely devoured by "Strange Tales of the Gods and Monsters".

It turned into a bunch of cold, hard data and rewards.

"Is it... over?"

The broken peach wood sword in Ma Ling'er's hand clattered to the ground.

She felt as if her spine had been removed.

He plopped down on the ground covered in gravel.

They didn't care whether the ground was dirty or not.

They didn't even care about the still-drying black blood.

All she wants to do right now is lie down.

The battle that lasted for more than ten minutes.

It was more thrilling than anything she had experienced in the past sixteen years.

"Awooo..."

The iron-eating beast rolled around nearby.

Although blood was still seeping from his body.

But then I saw that the big bad guy disappear.

Surprisingly, this guy didn't cry out in pain immediately.

Instead, it very humanely wiped the blood off its face with its bear paw.

Then he plopped down on the ground.

Pick up an unpolluted stone.

They started chewing it with a crunching sound.

This was done to calm the nerves.

"It's not completely over yet."

Zhou Yuan's voice was a little hoarse.

He stood at the top of the altar.

His body swayed twice.

But its spine remains perfectly straight.

His gaze.

He didn't look at the pile of Taoist robes that had turned to ashes.

Instead, he looked toward the center of the altar.

There.

There was a golden light that was extremely dim.

It is swaying in the wind.

It seemed as if it could go out at any moment.

That is the City God of Pingyang County.

Zhang Zhengming.

"Cough cough..."

"Thank you... sir... for saving my life..."

The golden light struggled to coalesce into a human form.

His face was aged and tired.

Zhang Zhengming at this moment.

Where is even a trace of the majesty of a county god of the eighth rank?

His official robes were tattered.

Originally a pure golden divine body.

Now it is covered with black lines that look like mold.

That was a consequence of the "God-Eating Seed".

Furthermore, it was caused by the irreversible damage resulting from Lin Xuan's previous forceful absorption of the divine soul.

Those black lines.

It's like a maggot clinging to a bone.

It is still relentlessly consuming his remaining divine power.

"The difference is..."

"I'm afraid I'm not up to the task..."

Zhang Zhengming gave a wry smile.

The light in his eyes began to fade.

"This poison... has already entered the very essence of the soul..."

"This old man is now..."

"They can't even connect with the earth's ley lines anymore..."

Pingyang County…

"It seems the world is about to change..."

A sense of melancholy pervades the air.

It emanated from this old deity.

"Don't rush to give your last words."

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath.

I forcibly suppressed the feeling of weakness in my body.

He walked a few steps to Zhang Zhengming.

In those clear, black and white eyes.

It shimmered with a strange light.

That's the hunter seeing his prey...

wrong.

It's the doctor's excitement when he sees the lesion.

"Lin Xuan just gave me a very generous gift."

"I'll use you as a test subject."

Zhou Yuan's lips curled up slightly.

A confident smile appeared on his face.

"A trial run?"

Zhang Zhengming was stunned for a moment.

Before he could react...

Then I saw Zhou Yuan's long, slender, fair hand.

It was already pressed down on his head.

"No, not!"

"This evil poison was created using a secret method of the Wukong Sect!"

"It stains upon contact!"

"It will damage your foundation..."

Zhang Zhengming was shocked.

It wanted to dodge.

But he found that he couldn't move at all.

"Shut up."

"Watch."

Zhou Yuan's voice was not loud.

Yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.

He was in his mind.

The newly acquired icon was immediately activated.

[Special Supernatural Power: Divinity Stripping!]

【launch!】

hum!

Zhou Yuan's palm.

Suddenly, a tiny black crack appeared.

But this gap.

It wasn't as ferocious as when it devoured Lin Xuan earlier.

Instead, it exudes an extremely subtle suction force.

It's like the scalpel in the hands of the most skilled surgeon.

"Give it to me..."

"Peel it off!!"

Zhou Yuan gave a low shout.

He clenched his fingers tightly.

"Squeak squeak squeak—!!!"

A chilling scream rang out.

It suddenly came from the depths of Zhang Zhengming's soul.

All that could be seen were the black mold spots that had been clinging tightly to his golden body.

It looked like a living insect.

It began to twist and struggle wildly.

They don't want to leave their host.

They want to burrow deeper.

But in the face of that rule-based force from a higher dimension.

All struggles are in vain.

Oh!

Zhou Yuan suddenly lifted his hand upwards.

Wisps of pitch-black smoke.

He was forcibly pulled out of the golden light!

"ah--!!"

The exhilarating sensation of having one's soul torn apart and then reassembled.

This prompted Zhang Zhengming to let out a long howl.

pain!

But it's even more fun!

It's like a long-standing, festering sore being completely removed.

That feeling of ease.

It made him burst into tears.

As those wisps of black energy were swallowed by the crack in Zhou Yuan's palm.

Zhang Zhengming's originally dull golden body.

It begins to regain its shine at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The golden light grew brighter and brighter.

It's becoming increasingly pure.

The body was originally somewhat illusory.

It also began to solidify.

Rumble!

Just as the last wisp of black energy was removed.

The entire underground cavern.

Even the entire Pingyang County.

They all trembled slightly.

This tremor.

Without any malicious intent.

Instead, it was filled with a joyful and jubilant mood.

That's the earth's veins cheering.

That's the land welcoming its owner back!

hum!

A thick beam of golden light emanated from the earth's veins.

It penetrated through thick layers of rock.

It gushed out directly from underground.

It was injected into Zhang Zhengming's body.

God has returned to his rightful place!

The earth's veins are reconnected!

"this……"

"How is this possible?!"

Zhang Zhengming stared blankly at his hands.

Feeling the surging divine power within my body.

Although it's still far from its peak.

However, the damage to the very essence of the soul was severe.

He actually recovered!

even……

Because it has undergone this tempering.

His soul became purer than before!

"Many thanks to Zhou Shangchai for saving my life!"

thump!

Without any hesitation.

This was the county god, a rank of eighth grade.

They actually did it in front of Zhou Yuan, this nobody.

He knelt down heavily!

This kneeling.

They were kneeling to repay a life-saving debt.

They were kneeling because of this extraordinary power!

"You flatter me, Lord Zhang."

"We are both followers of Shintoism."

"We should help and support each other."

Zhou Yuan was not arrogant.

Instead, he turned sideways and accepted the half-bow.

He then reached out and helped Zhang Zhengming up.

"Now is not the time for reminiscing."

"What a mess."

"We still need to clean up."

Zhou Yuan pointed around.

at this time.

Although Lin Xuan is dead.

But those thousands of zombies whose life force had been drained.

There were also the evil corpse puppets that Lin Xuan had crafted.

They were still lying haphazardly on the ground.

It was eerily gloomy.

"The superior is right!"

"I'll get to it right away!"

Zhang Zhengming has regained his strength.

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

He formed a mudra with his hands.

He was muttering to himself.

"Pingyang territory".

"Hear my command!"

"Yin and Yang return to their proper places."

"The gates of hell are open!"

Whoohoo!

A virtual gate.

It slowly opened in mid-air of the cave.

That is the passage to the underworld.

"All wandering spirits!"

"Get back to your positions immediately!"

With a loud shout from Zhang Zhengming.

Those who were originally trapped inside the walking corpses.

The souls of ordinary people who were almost refined into blood pills.

They floated out of their bodies one after another.

They looked around in confusion.

Finally, their gaze fell on Zhang Zhengming.

That was an instinctive closeness.

"Lord City God..."

"It was the City God who saved us..."

Although he was not in his right mind.

But they know.

The nightmare is over.

"Ling'er".

"The rest is up to you."

Zhou Yuan turned to look at Ma Ling'er, who was still resting.

"These people were terrified."

"The soul is unstable."

"Your Ma family's soul-soothing curse."

"This is the best job for me."

Upon hearing this, Ma Ling'er

She rolled her eyes.

He struggled to his feet.

"Zhou the Skinflint!"

"My great-aunt just risked her life."

"He didn't even drink a sip of water."

"You just order people around!"

Although he complained.

But her hands moved quickly.

She took it out of her small bag.

He took out a handful of glutinous rice.

It is mixed with cinnabar.

It was sprinkled into the air.

"The ancestors of the Ma family are above."

"Disciple Ma Ling'er."

"Do good deeds and accumulate merit today."

"To soothe the soul and calm the spirit!"

"disease!"

Points of red light fell.

Those originally panicked souls.

After being exposed to these red lights.

It immediately became quiet.

The fear on his face vanished.

Instead, tranquility prevailed.

Looking at this scene.

Ma Ling'er's dirty little face.

A relieved smile appeared on his face.

"hey-hey."

"This wave of merit."

"We made a killing!"

"My second uncle will definitely praise me when I get back!"

Ma Ling'er is rescuing people here.

Zhou Yuan over there.

But he turned his gaze to those evil corpses.

these things.

They were all living people originally.

They were turned into killing machines by the Wukong Sect using secret methods.

The soul has long since vanished.

All that remained was a shell filled with malevolent energy.

Keeping it is also a disaster.

Rather than...

Waste utilization!

Zhou Yuan licked his slightly chapped lips.

He raised the invisible book of "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters" once again.

"Since you're here..."

"Don't waste it."

"Give me all of them..."

"Sacrifice!!"

boom!

At Zhou Yuan's feet.

Another black crack appeared.

This time.

This gap is like a greedy, gaping mouth.

It spread along the ground.

In an instant, those dozens of mangled evil corpses were destroyed.

Completely enveloped!

The evil energy and corpse energy remaining in those evil corpses.

It was as if I had been summoned.

It transformed into streams of black torrents.

It surged wildly into Zhou Yuan's body.

[Sacrifice successful!]

[Target: Iron Corpse Puppet (Damaged) *36]

[Reward Received:]

[I. One hundred and eighty years of Yin energy!]

[II. Experience points for the supernatural ability "Copper Skin and Iron Bones" +500!]

[III. Proficiency in the supernatural ability "Divine Stripping" increased by 200!]

Comfortable!

As this massive amount of yin energy entered the body.

Zhou Yuan's originally dried-up dantian.

It instantly filled up.

Along with the meridians that were damaged from using supernatural powers beyond their level.

It was also mostly repaired at that moment.

His aura.

Not only did it recover to its peak.

There was even a hint of improvement!

"What a monster..."

Looking at Zhou Yuan's seemingly bottomless ability to devour.

Zhang Zhengming's eyelids twitched.

This is the plundering of heaven and earth.

The means of turning evil into one's own.

Even in the ancient times when the divine way flourished.

This is unheard of!

This child...

It is definitely not something that can be confined to a small pond!

One hour later.

Pingyang County.

City God Temple.

The sky was originally covered with dark clouds.

The clouds and fog had now cleared.

The long-awaited sunshine.

It was sprinkled on the ancient temple.

Although the statues in the temple were already dilapidated.

Although traces of filth left by the Wukong Sect still remain on the ground.

But in the eyes of the people of Pingyang.

This temple.

Alive.

That feeling of gloom that had been weighing on my heart for months.

That feeling of fear that you could die at any moment.

At this moment.

The smoke disappeared.

"The City God has appeared!"

"The City God has driven the monster away!"

I don't know who shouted.

Followed by.

The surviving people.

People flocked to the City God Temple.

Some were carrying incense and candles.

Some carried the last of their family's offerings.

Even if it's just a few steamed buns.

Even if it's just a bowl of water.

They knelt in front of the temple.

They prostrated themselves in worship.

Streams of white willpower, invisible to the naked eye.

They came from all directions.

They poured into the broken statue.

at this time.

Inside the divine realm of the statue.

Zhou Yuan and Zhang Zhengming sat facing each other.

Two cups of clear tea, made from the power of incense offerings, are placed in front of me.

"I really didn't expect that."

"In just half a day."

"Pingyang County will then see the light of day again."

Zhang Zhengming took a sip of tea.

However, the expression on his face was not particularly relaxed.

Instead, he seemed very worried.

"Superior."

"Some things to say."

"I am unsure whether I should speak or not."

Zhou Yuan put down his teacup.

His eyes were sharp and piercing.

"Lord Zhang, are you referring to the Wukong Sect?"

Zhang Zhengming nodded.

He sighed.

"good."

"Although the superior officer executed Lin Xuan."

"Destroy their altar."

"But... this also completely offended the Wukong Sect."

"Do you know?"

"The 'Ancestor' that Lin Xuan mentioned."

"Just who is this person?"

Zhou Yuan shook his head.

"I don't know."

"But I know."

"That thing that was connected by the umbilical cord just now."

"Very strong."

"Outrageously strong."

Zhang Zhengming gave a wry smile.

"It's more than just strong."

"That was... a great terror from beyond the heavens."

Zhang Zhengming's eyes became deep.

It seems that he has fallen into some kind of terrible memory.

Two hundred years ago.

"The divine way flourished in the Great Ling Dynasty."

"When the incense was at its most abundant."

"There was once a powerful Yang God."

"Trying to break free from the shackles of this world."

"Ascend to the outer heavens."

"result……"

"He saw something he shouldn't have during the lightning tribulation."

"That thing..."

"This is the source of the Wukong sect's worship!"

Zhou Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.

Even the powerful Yang Gods have suffered?

You mean...

"Behind the Wukong Cult"

"Is there a fallen Yang God?"

"No."

Zhang Zhengming shook his head.

The voice was kept very low.

As if afraid of being overheard by something.

"There is more than one."

"That's what they want."

"It's not about rebelling and becoming emperor."

"It wasn't just simple murder and arson."

"What they want..."

"It's a divine system that will overturn the entire Great Ling Dynasty!"

"They want to replace good with evil!"

"Replacing God with Demon!"

"This vast world."

"Turn it into their breeding ground!"

"And we, the gods who receive incense offerings."

"In their eyes."

"It's just a slightly more advanced... fertilizer."

Speaking of it.

Zhang Zhengming's body was trembling slightly.

That was a fear that came from the depths of one's soul.

fertilizer.

These two words.

It was like a heavy hammer blow.

It struck Zhou Yuan hard in the heart.

No wonder.

Lin Xuan wants to arrest Zhang Zhengming.

No wonder.

He wants to devour the soul whole.

So this is what the Wukong Sect sees.

God.

It's also a dish!

"Zhou Yuan".

Zhang Zhengming suddenly changed how he addressed him.

His gaze was fixed intently on Zhou Yuan.

"You possess a rare treasure."

"Such methods again."

"He is by no means an ordinary person."

"The position of the Earth God of Fengzhou."

"Too small."

"It can't contain a true dragon like you."

Zhou Yuan frowned slightly.

"What does Your Excellency mean?"

Zhang Zhengming stood up.

Facing north.

That's the direction of the capital of the Great Ling Dynasty.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"The chaos in this world is already evident."

"The divine way has collapsed."

"I want to survive in this chaotic world."

"I want to protect the people I want to protect."

"The only way... is to climb up!"

"The higher you climb, the better!"

Zhang Zhengming turned around.

He pulled a gleaming golden token from his sleeve.

That was his City God's decree.

But at the moment.

He carved a special mark on it.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation."

"With it."

"You can freely enter and leave the Pingyang area."

"It can also leverage 30% of the earth's energy in Pingyang County."

But that's not enough.

"Zhou Yuan".

"Go and fight for it."

"Let's go and fight for the position of County God!"

"Even... the City God!"

"Only by possessing sufficiently powerful divine authority."

"Only you are qualified."

"In that impending great calamity."

"Be the one who plays the game."

"Instead of... a chess piece."

Zhou Yuan accepted the token.

It feels warm to the touch.

heavy.

This is more than just a token.

It is also a heavy responsibility.

It's also a pledge of allegiance.

He glanced outside the temple.

Ma Ling'er is with Gun Gun.

He was handing out candy to a group of children.

That girl's smiling face.

It looked especially radiant in the sunlight.

He thought of Uncle Liu again.

That was to investigate the truth.

A man who has lived in anonymity for so many years.

If it's not strong.

If it's just a small earth god.

next time.

When a stronger "Lin Xuan" appears.

When that so-called "ancestor" descended.

Can he still protect them?

It can still be like today.

Can they turn the tide?

Zhou Yuan's fist.

It slowly tightened its grip.

His fingernails dug deep into his palm.

"Thank you for your guidance."

Zhou Yuan raised his head.

The confusion in his eyes vanished.

Instead.

It was an unprecedented firmness.

Since this world is full of strange and supernatural phenomena...

Since this divine way has rotted to the core.

Since someone wants to use us as fertilizer.

Then I'll...

Charge in!

To carve out a bright and clear world!

Fight your way to the true immortal path!

"The location of the county's City God."

"I want it!"

Zhou Yuan put the token into his pocket.

He turned and walked out of the temple.

Sunlight shone on his back.

It cast a long shadow.

That shadow.

It was as if it were a high and mighty idol.

They overlapped.

And deep within his consciousness.

That book, "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters".

It seemed to sense its master's intentions.

I turned the page gently again.