Chapter 7

"An insignificant deity, not worth mentioning."

As Qiu Yan spoke, he carefully examined the deity before him. Although the deity was attached to a clay statue and was born as a divine being, it was confined to a small area, and this was the first time Qiu Yan had seen another deity.

The deity before him wore a yellow silk robe, was short in stature, and had a particularly peculiar face, with a prominent nose and mouth. However, Qiu Yan did not find this strange.

In this world, the way of deities was flourishing, and any place with a significant human population would have a local deity.

The local deity was a guardian of the land, ensuring peace and tranquility, managing the records of the deceased, and, though seemingly ordinary, was a grassroots deity, often of the seventh rank, yet of great importance. In rural areas, the local deity also managed the fertility of the land, the growth of all things, and the prosperity of crops, which were crucial to the survival and well-being of the people.

Generally, local deities could communicate with the underworld and were subordinate to the city's guardian deity.

Above the local deities were the greater local deities, who were often found in large cities, such as the short local deity before Qiu Yan, who, though only in charge of the southern part of the city, held a sixth-rank position.

Qiu Yan had been trapped in the mountain temple for decades, holding a magical seal. Although he had not seen other deities, the seal contained profound mysteries that allowed deities to recognize each other, thus understanding their ranks and statuses.

When deities met, except for those worshipped illicitly or wild deities, they could sense each other's ranks and qualities, which is why the local deity appeared so readily and treated Qiu Yan with respect.

Hearing Qiu Yan's vague words, the local deity frowned slightly, about to speak again, but suddenly paused, widened his eyes, and scanned Qiu Yan from head to toe, taking a deep breath. "Transparent and pure, free from dust, could it be that you are a naturally born deity?"

His face showed surprise, and he forgot his original purpose, asking with urgency.

"A naturally born deity? What does that mean? The crow demon mentioned it before. Could it be that there are different types of deities? Am I a rare type?"

Qiu Yan thought to himself but asked aloud, "What does it mean to be a naturally born deity?"

"Why wouldn't you know? Then why are you following this scholar?" the southern local deity asked, pointing to the blood-flesh clone lying on the bed.

"This scholar..." Qiu Yan was initially taken aback, then thought for a moment. "I was in the mountains and gave this scholar some advice, helping him avoid a disaster. He remembered my kindness and wanted to repay me by worshipping me, so I attached myself to his clothes..."

"That makes sense!" The southern local deity clapped his hands. "An ordinary deity's true form cannot leave its appointed place without permission."

Seeing Qiu Yan still confused, the southern local deity became even more certain of his judgment and smiled. "Brother, you may not know, but we deities need an imperial decree to be enshrined. However, these decrees vary, coming from the human court or the celestial court, making us enshrined deities. Besides these, there are two other types: those who receive the wishes of the people and those who embody the principles of heaven and earth. If one is born spontaneously, they are a naturally born deity!"

After recognizing Qiu Yan as a naturally born deity, the southern local deity's attitude changed dramatically, losing his formal demeanor. "Since you don't know these things, you must not have met other deities after your birth. But don't worry, now that you're in Yuanning City, the city's guardian deity will take care of you. If you have any questions, he will answer them."

"Really? That's a good thing?" Qiu Yan was surprised. He had prepared a story, but it seemed unnecessary now, as the local deity's attitude changed because of the "naturally born deity" label.

The local deity then suggested, "Why don't you come with me to the city's guardian temple to meet the guardian deity?"

Qiu Yan shook his head. "To be honest, I was slightly injured a few days ago, and my divine body is unstable. I need to rest for a couple of days and can't go out."

The southern local deity nodded. "That's understandable. I was too hasty. You must have been affected by leaving your domain, which explains why your divine light is dim. Your divine stars must be damaged as well."

"Exactly," Qiu Yan nodded, feeling a sense of relief.

"This local deity is quite considerate. He filled in the gaps without me saying much. He's a good person."

Qiu Yan then said, "Please convey my apologies to the guardian deity. I will visit in a few days."

"Rest assured, I'll take care of it," the southern local deity smiled. "Since that's the case, I won't disturb your rest. I'll leave now. Feel free to visit my temple. We might become colleagues, so it's good to get to know each other."

With that, he pointed his finger, and a point of starlight shot out, landing on Qiu Yan's hand.

"Of course," Qiu Yan nodded, watching the local deity bow and turn, transforming into a green light that disappeared into the ground.

"Naturally born deity? Future colleague? It seems the way of deities is full of mysteries."

Qiu Yan pondered, then turned to look at the sleeping blood-flesh clone, narrowing his eyes. "What surprised me most is that the local deity didn't realize this body is my clone!"

Qiu Yan's eyes emitted two beams of light, enveloping the clone.

"It's not surprising, though. Those three hairs are incredibly mysterious, allowing me to come to this world. My current situation after death is likely due to these hairs. Over the years, I've only discovered that the hairs can create clones, with little else to show for it."

In the glow, the clone's flesh and bones gradually became ethereal, revealing several shimmering shadows, three rotating and seven floating.

"I wonder if other clones have independent souls and spirits!"

Qiu Yan blinked, and the light vanished.

"However, this means the clone can practice normally. The cultivation methods mentioned by the crow demon, such as cultivating the soul and refining the spirit, likely correspond to these."

Humans have life and nature. Nature is related to the mind, while life is related to the body.

Nature refers to the mind, thoughts, soul, and spirit, while the spirit represents life, flesh, body, and matter.

Life and nature are the mind and body, also known as the spirit and form.

"The local deity's visit was expected. Although I don't know how the deities are distributed in this world, when I entered the city, it felt like jumping into water, clearly entering someone else's domain. The city's guardian deity must have sensed me and sent someone to inquire, which is not surprising."

Each deity has a rank and a specific domain. If an external deity crosses into another's domain, they will be immediately detected.

"The guardian deity's interest in me is an opportunity. The local deity's change in attitude, due to my being a naturally born deity, suggests that I might gain some favor. This could help me quickly gather incense offerings and form divine stars. However, the specifics will depend on the next two days of investigation. Also, I wonder if the guardian deity can see the connection between my true form and the clone."

With these thoughts, Qiu Yan's divine form looked at the clone again, then dispersed into the air, returning to the form of a scholar, attached to the blue robe.

On the other side, the southern local deity, after teleporting, slapped his head.

"Right, in my haste, I forgot to ask about his rank and origin." He was thinking about how to report when he realized he had forgotten his original purpose due to the discovery of a naturally born deity. "But a naturally born deity's rank changes with circumstances. Reporting this, the city's guardian deity won't blame me. In a few days, when he comes, I can ask then."

With that, he stepped into the temple.

...

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Qiu Yan got up early, exercised in the courtyard, had breakfast, and saw off Liu Huai and his son. He then left on the pretext of looking for books, returning only in the evening.

At dinner, Liu Huai mentioned the matter, advising Qiu Yan to be cautious and avoid going out.

However, Qiu Yan convinced Liu Huai by saying he needed to look for books. The next day, he continued his early morning and late evening routine, which lasted until the third day.

On the third evening, after dinner, Qiu Yan returned to his room early, took out a scroll from the bedside, and laid it on the table. The scroll depicted a scholar, his true divine form.

Over the past three days, he had found a scroll and transferred his true form from the blue robe to the paper, as carrying a torn robe was too conspicuous.

After laying out the scroll, Qiu Yan lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

After the hour of Dog, just as the hour of Pig began, the scroll emitted a white light, and his true form appeared.

Raising his hand, a point of starlight appeared. The starlight shimmered, scattering into a series of characters.

"Truly remarkable skills."

Qiu Yan marveled at the characters before him.

The starlight was left by the southern local deity before he left. It contained a message that could be understood with a slight touch, without needing to recognize the characters.

This was a method of using divine power, but it was more sophisticated than what Qiu Yan could do. He could only perform minor operations with divine power, lacking the skill to form coherent messages.

Divine power was mysterious and varied, but at its core, it was a method of transformation. At the seventh rank, it mainly involved consuming divine power to create and destroy.

For example, when Qiu Yan made the mountain beasts carry his scent or made Wang Qiaoying forget his name, he was manipulating existence and non-existence.

"Contacting other deities is inevitable, at least to learn methods to enhance divine power control. However, the first thing I need to ask about is the cultivation methods for life and nature. The local deity and the guardian deity should know. Once I learn, my clone will have a path to advancement."

The starlight characters provided two addresses and a method. The addresses were for the city's guardian temple and the southern local deity's temple, which Qiu Yan already knew from his explorations.

The method was more important. Temples and shrines were open to all, but the places where deities resided contained the power of the underworld, making them inaccessible to humans and even other deities without guidance or the proper method. The method presented to Qiu Yan was such a guide.

Mentally reciting the method, Qiu Yan's true form dove into the ground, the white light seeping in, and the scene changed, revealing a grand temple.

Leaving the mountain, Qiu Yan lost his connection to the forest and could no longer gather divine power, but he was free from the temple's constraints and could move and travel.

...

At the same time, in a large mansion in the city, the lights were on, and the owner was hosting a grand banquet.

In the main hall, the governor of Yuanning, dressed casually, sat at the head of the table. To his right, a muscular man with a stern face and a serious demeanor sat, out of place in the lively atmosphere.

"General Lang," the governor, Wen Anguo, raised his wine glass, "General, your sudden visit caught us off guard. Please forgive us."

General Lang shook his head. "Governor Wen, you worry too much. The food is good, but it doesn't suit my taste."

Wen Anguo smiled. "Oh? What do you prefer? I'll have the chef prepare it."

General Lang's lips twitched, revealing white teeth. "Human flesh."