Chapter 20

The divine palanquin sailed through the sky, surrounded by a retinue of deities, with a series of divine carriages trailing behind, banners fluttering. Many local deities, including mountain gods, land spirits, forest lords, and river deities, accompanied them in smaller vehicles.

In the vast territory of Longchuan County, all the city gods and some of the local deities accompanied Xun Yi to the Zhou Dynasty Dragon Palace.

Xun Yi sat in the largest black divine palanquin, scratching his head, and asked Bai Fu, "Isn't the dispute over land something that should be discussed in the human world? Why should the city gods and underworld spirits be concerned?"

"How can you agree to something without knowing anything about it?" Bai Fu said irritably, "You said you would follow our lead, but now you've created a mess. Will you participate in the divine war?"

"If there's a divine war, we can choose a proxy war, and I'll do it," Xun Tan said from a corner. "I have the combat power of a third-rank deity. I don't think a mere county city god can match this power."

The three of them huddled in the divine palanquin, discussing the upcoming divine war.

Bai Fu frowned and said, "I am not a deity but a ghost cultivator, and my role is to exert effort during the proxy war. I can participate, but a proxy war requires at least three people."

"Hey, can you two explain this to me?" Xun Yi repeated his question.

Xun Tan smiled and said, "We are now in the era of divine departure, but the divine world and the human world still influence each other. Divine calamities bring chaos to the world, and human actions change the divine path. If the boundaries between the two counties can be determined by the city gods, they can then send dreams to the governors, who will report to the national rulers to establish the boundaries in the human world."

Bai Fu added, "The struggle over land ownership is the greatest conflict among city gods. Each city god is like a deity cultivator, and to strengthen themselves, they can only focus on land, apart from their subordinate deities and incense offerings. The Chu Valley is a mountainous area with many spirits and monsters. If it can be incorporated into Longchuan County, it will be a significant boost. Moreover, the Chu Valley conceals a spiritual vein, making it a rare treasure in Longchuan. In recent years, the city god has been preoccupied with conflicts on other continents and temporarily compromised with the city god of Bayang County, sharing control. Now, the city god of Bayang County is trying to determine ownership while our lord is absent."

"So, how will the ownership battle be fought? Will both sides send troops to attack the Chu Valley?" Xun Yi was nervous. Although he had studied military strategy since childhood, he was not skilled in it and had no experience leading troops.

"The final battle on the divine path is a crucial battle for the future of the deities. However, since we belong to the Heavenly Court deity system, which adheres to the principle of conflict without destruction, there will be no large-scale slaughter. The type of strategic battle you mentioned is one form of divine decision, but it is used by high-ranking deities. For lower-ranking deities, it usually involves a direct fight between the main deities or choosing a game to determine the winner, or selecting proxies to fight."

The Heavenly Court deity system and the Nine Pillar deity system differ mainly in their unity.

The Heavenly Court is a unified deity system, led by the Heavenly Emperor, with dozens of imperial lords commanding various deities. The deities each have their roles, forming a complete divine system that spans the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity. The Nine Provinces and Ten Directions all revere the Heavenly Court. Under the banner of the Heavenly Court, conflicts are minimized, and mutual slaughter is rare.

However, the Nine Pillar deity system is different. This system is led by nine deity kings, each commanding their own deity system, forming a pantheon. The management of the deities is loose, with no supreme authority to make final decisions, leading to slow action and lack of constraints. In the wars against the Heavenly Court, the Nine Pillar pantheon has been at a disadvantage, with the nine deity kings being repeatedly defeated by the three Heavenly Emperors, leading to several cycles of dormancy.

In the Nine Pillar pantheon, if deities have similar or identical paths, their battles are more intense than anything else. The nine deity kings emerged from such battles, accompanied by blood and slaughter, leaving them no room to question their traditions.

"Brother, you know that Emperor Huang established the foundation of the spirit path, but do you know what the spirit path cultivators are used for besides providing firepower for external wars?"

"Is it this kind of divine decision?"

"Exactly. Many deities are unwilling to engage in physical combat. After all, many deities in the Heavenly Court deity system are incense spirits who have become deities after death, with very weak combat power, only storing divine power to fulfill their duties. Many deity lords create worlds, but their combat power is even weaker than their war deities. Physical combat can damage relationships, and as fellow subjects, such actions would undermine the unity of the Heavenly Court. Therefore, in the human world, proxies are chosen. The spirit path cultivators we find engage in battles to determine the ownership of the spoils, which is our most common method."

In the Nine Heavens world, why are they deity lords? Apart from their subordinate deities, it is because they control various resources, with many cultivation sects under their command. Even high-level celestial deities can create their own worlds, perform creation, and choose their own proxies for proxy battles.

"Every deity lord cultivates their own proxies. If I'm not mistaken, this ghost cultivator should be a proxy cultivated by the city god?"

"Exactly," Bai Fu said. "The reason the lord hasn't deified me is to use my third-rank combat power for the proxy battle. Sir, Miss, do you know the territory of Longchuan County at the beginning of the founding of the kingdom?"

"Qinglong City, plus Yonglong City and Jinglong City. Both cities are satellite cities of Qinglong City, using the former dynasty's imperial palace as a base, gradually developing over time. In the past hundred years, Longchuan County has undergone three re-districting processes—" Xun Yi realized, "So, these three re-districting processes were all due to divine path battles?"

"Exactly. The lord has exceptional combat power and has made bets with the surrounding county city gods, using proxy battles to win pieces of land and incorporate them into Longchuan County. Speaking of which, the Qingyuan Hall, founded by the Xun family, has also helped once. The reason the Xun family established the Qingyuan Hall and cultivated their own cultivators is to provide proxies for the Heavenly Realm's Lord Mao."

After Lord Maode's death, he was deified, becoming the deity of the planet Suixing, ranking in the fifth heaven. The cultivators of the Qingyuan Hall are his natural proxies.

Bai Fu continued, "According to the rules, the location is in the divine palace designated by the higher authority. Since the city god of Bayang County has chosen the time, you can choose the method of battle. Don't choose a deity lord battle; directly choose a three-on-three proxy battle."

Bai Fu and Xun Tan gave Xun Yi advice, and Xun Yi nodded. "Alright, I'll do as you say." As the leader, one doesn't need to be both literate and martial, but must know how to use people. Knowing when to plan and when to delegate is essential.

After the discussion, Bai Fu felt relieved and pointed to the world outside the divine palanquin. "Sir, you can see the mountains and rivers of the city god world. Each city god's world is rooted in this land, surrounding the core capital city of the Zhou Dynasty—Longcheng. The capital city god, also known as the Bright and Martial King, is the totem ancestor spirit enshrined by the founding emperor. He is your nominal superior."

Xun Yi gazed at the mountains and rivers, the city god world existing in the gap between the human and underworld. All the city god lords of the Zhou Dynasty have gathered their power to create this unique city god world.

Green mountains and clear waters, every landscape is shaped by divine power.

"We have just left the territory of Longchuan County and are now in the territory of Chaoyang County. You can see the projection of Danyang City below, and the temples scattered across the vast land are the homes of the local deities."

The local deities are managed by the local city god, who is in turn governed by the county city god, and ultimately by the capital city god. This hierarchical structure is the embodiment of the Zhou Dynasty city god system.

Visibly, a yellow aura flows from this city god land into the cities, refined in the cities, and then flows into the county as the Yellow River. Finally, the thirty-five county cities send thirty-five yellow dragons to worship the capital city.

The Zhou Dynasty Dragon Palace is the divine domain where the capital city god resides.

When the Longchuan city god's entourage arrived, many city gods from other regions had already gathered, all there to watch the spectacle.

The city god of Bayang County is a bold old man, stroking his beard and chatting with the Bright and Martial King. This city god also has the power of a fourth-rank deity. When Xun Yi arrived at the entrance of the Dragon Palace, he said to the Bright and Martial King, "Your Highness, I leave it to you to preside over this."

The Bright and Martial King is not in human form but a golden-horned python, coiled on its dragon bed. It said with half-closed eyes, "The city gods of Chaoyang County and Hongyang County are both here. Let them help me arbitrate. But let's let this new city god show himself first."

The city god of Bayang County frowned: Indeed, even with Cao Hou transferred to the underworld, this snake king still favors Longchuan County?

The reason Longchuan County has grown to its current size is inseparable from the secret support of the Bright and Martial King.

"After all, I, the city god of Bayang County, inherited my position from the previous dynasty," the old city god said with a bitter smile. He was a city god appointed by the previous dynasty and was not deposed after the founding of the Zhou Dynasty because he joined the right side in time, and the Bright and Martial King tacitly allowed him to retain his position. However, his status is definitely not as high as those who were deified after the founding of the Zhou Dynasty.

Cao Hou was one of the earliest followers of the founding emperor, and his deification treatment was certainly special.

But today, he received news that Cao Hou had been transferred to the underworld, leaving only a proxy city god, who could not participate in the divine path battle. Therefore, he seized this opportunity to initiate the battle.

He subconsciously looked at a scar-faced man beside him, who had secretly reported, allowing him to seize this opportunity.

"Even if the Bright and Martial King favors the people of the Zhou Dynasty, what right does a mere proxy city god have to participate in a divine battle? Moreover, I heard that this proxy city god hasn't even mastered the divine seal and is just a mortal. Even if he comes, he can only admit defeat."

He stared at the entrance, where a young city god in black robes led a group of Longchuan deities. The Longchuan deities and the Bayang deities met, eyeing each other coldly, sparks flying.

"Your servant pays respects to the Bright and Martial King." Seeing the large snake on the bed, Xun Yi, after a moment of shock, quickly recalled the legends about the founding emperor.

"The founding emperor was a reincarnation of the imperial star, and when he was born, a yellow dragon coiled on the roof, staying for three days."

This so-called yellow dragon refers to a yellow giant python, the guardian spirit of the Li family. In many battles, the founding emperor was often protected by a yellow dragon. Once, when his army was in a difficult situation with no water, a yellow dragon appeared in a depression, and after digging three feet, a clear spring emerged. This is one of the most famous Three Virtue Springs of the Zhou Dynasty.

Another time, when he was poisoned, the yellow dragon brought a lingzhi mushroom to save him.

After the founding emperor ascended the throne, this yellow dragon was enshrined as the capital city god, guarding the national fortune of the entire Zhou Dynasty.

The snake king looked at Xun Yi, moved its eyes, and transformed into a dignified man in a dragon robe. "You are the new city god of Longchuan County?"

"Indeed. The previous city god passed the divine seal to me." He only mentioned that Cao Hou gave him the seal, not that the Heavenly Court appointed him.

The capital city god had a document from Cao Hou, knowing that Cao Hou had chosen a proxy city god to temporarily take over.

The snake king thought, "I was supposed to help him, but now it seems there might be a chance for a battle? And this kid..."

The spiritual power emanating from Xun Yi was stronger than that of the city god of Bayang County, a power left by Cao Hou that had not yet been taken to the underworld.

While speaking, Xun Yi observed the Bright and Martial King. Generally, the capital city god is the spirit of a founding emperor or an ancestor from several generations back. But the founding emperor of the Zhou Dynasty had the imperial bloodline of the Dragon Emperor, and his ancestors were the Heavenly Emperor himself. How could the Heavenly Emperor be the capital city god?

The founding emperor himself had no such idea, so he gave the totem spirit snake that had protected him since childhood.

"However, why does this snake king look somewhat familiar?" Xun Yi was puzzled. Beside him, Xun Tan looked back and forth between Xun Yi and the middle-aged snake king, his eyes widening: Why does this snake king look somewhat like my brother!

Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

Page turning AD starts

Page turning AD ends