Inside the City God Temple, within the divine statue space.
Shen Zhui and Wang Long reappeared beneath the starry sky.
"Shen Zhui, do you know why I had you look at these things?"
Shen Zhui pondered for a moment. After experiencing these three scene reversals, he could more or less guess Wang Long's intentions.
"Was it to make this subordinate understand why that Li Family young master cannot be killed?"
"Then tell me, why can't you kill him even though you were ambushed and I personally witnessed it?" Wang Long countered.
Remembering the figures that had vanished from the scenes he had witnessed, Shen Zhui said, "Because there's no evidence."
Wang Long nodded. "That's right. Because they possess treasures that can conceal them from investigation, you couldn't see the two masterminds inside the divine statue space."
Shen Zhui couldn't help asking, "Squad Leader, can't we convict him using witnesses, physical evidence, and testimony?"
Wang Long shook his head. "Even the clearest-minded official and the most rigorous chain of evidence will have loopholes to exploit as long as power is wielded by people."
"Witnesses can be bribed, physical evidence can be forged, and confessions can be beaten out of people. At best, they can only guarantee relative justice."
Shen Zhui nodded. Setting aside the divine laws of this world, in his eyes, those methods and procedures for solving cases were crude to the point of being outrageous.
"Rely on the petition to interrogate the facts, use the law to decide the punishment, and base the verdict on the testimony!"
Someone submitted a legal petition, the authorities sent people to arrest the suspect, and they ultimately determined the case based on the confession. Then that was the end of it.
The entire process was decided by a single word from the highest local official!
If the judicial official was an upright and good official, a relatively fair result might still be obtained.
But if he was a corrupt official who neglected his duties, perhaps because he feared the powerful or colluded with them, or for one reason or another—
Then the result was self-evident.
Even with the advanced judicial system and brilliant methods of his previous life, no one dared claim they could achieve absolute fairness.
Much less here.
"Sealing the gods, establishing divine law—that is to seek justice for all the people under Heaven."
"Absolute fairness requires absolute evidence. Only results obtained through divine investigation can be considered irrefutable proof."
Shen Zhui sighed.
Without divine law in this world, the loopholes in the law and the methods of handling cases were both hopelessly backward.
Yet with divine law overseeing everything, it seemed to become absolutely fair.
The government's gods were different from the Yin Gods of the clans.
The government's gods had no desires and no demands. They absolutely obeyed the Heavenly Regulations of the imperial court, and possessed wondrous methods to replay the scenes of crimes. They could never make a mistake.
Yet after experiencing the ambush earlier, Shen Zhui felt an indescribable sense of absurdity.
This absolute fairness decided by the gods seemed difficult to extend to every person.
Otherwise, Li Ming and the others wouldn't have been able to remain beyond the reach of the law.
Seeing Shen Zhui shake his head slightly, Wang Long asked, "You seem a little puzzled."
Shen Zhui shook his head. "I just feel that ordinary people seem to have a hard time obtaining this kind of fairness."
Wang Long sighed. "You're right. That's the problem—and it's also the main trigger behind Destroying Sects and Temples."
"Clan and aristocratic households have the protection of their ancestors' Yin Gods. They can obscure heavenly secrets and block the gods' investigations through divine law."
"To execute the descendants of those clans and aristocratic households, we must first break through that layer of protection around them."
"The best method, and the most fundamental method, is of course to destroy all the ancestral temples throughout the world, leaving behind only the City God Temples belonging to government institutions."
"That is precisely what Destroying Sects and Temples did. Three years ago, Great Scholar Wei Xuancheng was the first to submit a memorial proposing it."
"But after three years, although the various provinces and prefectures pushed it forward with great force, the results have been minimal."
"In my Heyuan County alone, after three years, among the thirty-six large and small lineages, there are still two whose Yin Gods' true bodies haven't been found."
"However, although we can't immediately eliminate those Yin Gods for now, it isn't as if there's no way at all. Do you know why I was able to kill that Xiantian Master from the Li Family?"
"Are you referring to Summon Deity?"
"That's right," Wang Long said. "First Summon of Deity: Distinguish Good and Evil. Second Summon of Deity: Discern Right and Wrong."
"Besides doubling the strength of the person borrowing divine power, it also has the effect of breaking through the Yin Gods' concealment of heavenly secrets."
"There are conditions for us to borrow the power of the gods. Likewise, there are requirements for them to use the power of Yin Gods to conceal heavenly secrets."
"First Summon of Deity can break the concealment surrounding the crimes of all Houtian Martial Artists."
"Second Summon of Deity can break through that surrounding all Xiantian Martial Artists."
Shen Zhui asked in confusion, "Then why could the Li Family young master..."
"Although his strength is merely equivalent to that of a Houtian Martial Artist, he walks the path of a Qi Cultivation True Person. Moreover, he is a direct blood descendant of the Li Family, so the level of concealment around him is naturally higher than that of outsiders."
"To break the Yin God's protection around him, you need at least Third Summon of Deity."
"The power of a Yin God isn't infinite. Every time a clan descendant granted the Yin God's power to conceal his crimes is killed, the strength of that Yin God's true body is weakened by a fraction."
"When that weakening reaches a certain degree, the county magistrate can borrow the power of this temple to find the location of those Yin Gods' true bodies and eliminate them completely!"
"Of course, our borrowing of divine power isn't unlimited either. First, if we use it too many times, it consumes our own lifespan. Second, it also consumes the power of the City God Temple in the county seat. That's why we can't act recklessly. Once we act, we must strike with thunderous force!"
City God Temple, Hall of the Seven Divine Statues.
"Shen Zhui, you've now reached the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm. You can try holding the county magistrate's edict and borrowing the power of the gods."
"As long as you reach the level of First Summon of Deity, you'll be comparable to an Xiantian Master for a short time. Moreover, your technique has reached Unity of Heaven and Man. I estimate you should be able to kill an Early-stage Xiantian Martial Artist."
"With your strength, you should only be able to reach the level of First Summon for now."
"To reach the level of Second Summon, I'm afraid you'll have to attain Peak Houtian."
"However, I must make one thing clear first: Summon Deity has certain restrictions."
"In the short term, you can only use it once, and its duration is extremely brief. You must seize the opportunity, confirm that your opponent is unquestionably deserving of death, kill him in one strike, and withdraw immediately."
"Otherwise, if you want to borrow the gods' power again, you'll have to pay with your lifespan! The exact cost varies from person to person and also depends on how much divine power you borrow."
"In severe cases, it may even exhaust your entire lifespan. Think it over carefully. If you're unwilling, you can still withdraw now."
Shen Zhui didn't hesitate and immediately replied, "This subordinate is willing."
You're joking. Withdraw now?
He already knew so many secrets and had gained so many benefits. If he announced his withdrawal now, he probably wouldn't meet a good end.
Although it wasn't to the point of endangering his life, given his current realm and the fact that he had offended two major lineages, unless he never left Heyuan City for the rest of his life, he would be risking his life every time he left the city!
As the saying went, working for one person was still working. At least he was standing on the side of righteousness, and the county magistrate had treated him well.
"Please enlighten me, Squad Leader. What must this subordinate do to reach the level of First Summon of Deity?"
Seeing Shen Zhui state his position, Wang Long nodded in satisfaction. A small booklet appeared in his hand, and he passed it to Shen Zhui.
"To Summon Deity, reaching the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm is only the first condition."
"The second condition is to have faith in the gods and a sincere heart, achieving Clear Mind. Only then can you control divine power."
"This book, Heyuan Biographies, records the heroic deeds of the seven gods during their lifetimes. Read it with your whole heart, and it can help you fulfill the second condition more quickly."
"Read a book?" Shen Zhui was stunned, but he still quickly accepted it.
"So heavy." Shen Zhui was startled. He carefully examined the yellowed book. It wasn't very thick, only about a finger's breadth, but it was incredibly difficult to hold in his hand.
One had to know that Shen Zhui was currently at the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm, with nine hundred jin of physical strength. In his previous life, that would have made him a strongman capable of lifting a bronze cauldron.
Yet merely holding this thin book made him feel somewhat strained.
"For the next few days, you'll live in the courtyard behind the temple. Once the book feels one-fifth lighter, you'll have reached the level of First Summon of Deity."
"The temple has the statues of the gods of the Seven Divisions, and Heyuan Biographies also records the deeds of the seven gods during their lifetimes. You may choose one to study in depth. I suggest starting with General Gan Gong of the Division of Punishing Evil."
"Don't be in a hurry to summon the principal god, Earl of Heyuan."
"I estimate you should be able to reach the level of First Summon in one month."
Sorry, the author moved to the city today to look for a job... It took a long time to get everything arranged, and I didn't have internet either, so this came out late. I'm sorry, everyone.