Greatly Increased Strength

It was already late June. Inside a quiet room in the Land God's Divine Domain, Fang Ming sat cross-legged.

His face flushed red, then pale, while flames of light flickered erratically around him. It seemed he was undergoing some kind of change.

Quite some time had passed since he brought the Four Great Families of Anchang to heel. The families had gradually spread the worship of the Land God. Together, they commanded nearly forty percent of Anchang County's strength, so their move was no small matter. Fang Ming's followers had doubled, and they were still increasing.

But building temples in the county seat would have too much impact, and it was difficult to discuss openly. So the four families could only take statues of the Land God home to worship. They first had their clansmen and household servants pay their respects. Since it was a matter of each family's internal rites, even the county magistrate couldn't say much.

From the county seat, the faith had also spread to Anmin and Changyuan Townships. The Four Great Families had done much to help. Fang Ming kept his word, taking in the souls of some of their recently deceased and caring for them in Qingshan Village, thereby establishing trust.

Neither township had a Sacrificial Spirit, and the protective aura there was thin. When Fang Ming's Land God arrived, he was warmly welcomed. Nearly every village built a temple to the Land God, and the townships were planning to do the same, making preparations now.

By this point, Fang Ming's followers had grown from around two thousand to nearly four thousand. The Incense and Fire Prayer Power he received each day had surged, supporting his ascent to the next rank. But now, it seemed, he had run into trouble.

Fang Ming hadn't expected this promotion to be more difficult than the previous ones. His followers had doubled, and the Fortune they brought had long since filled the Golden Seal. Red and white filled it in equal measure; the rest could only turn into clouds of red and white aura that swirled around the seal and steadily dispersed, a sight that pained Fang Ming.

The problem lay with his Life-Bound Qi. Although Human Dao Merit had already begun to alter it, not enough time had passed. His Life-Bound Qi was trending toward pure red, but at its core it was still a mix of red and white. At most, it could support him to Principal Eighth Rank. It couldn't sustain any further promotion.

Fang Ming was now in a state where his Fortune exceeded his Fate. He could feel not only his Fortune but even his Divine Power becoming unstable, as if it were about to surge out of control. His strength had grown too great for him to contain; he needed a higher divine rank to keep it in check.

If things continued like this, the situation wouldn't end well.

Fang Ming looked up. Golden Human Dao Merit was still seeping steadily into his Life-Bound Qi, reshaping his Fate Pattern and turning his Life-Bound Qi red, but the process was painfully slow and would take a long time.

Things are at a critical point. I can't afford to be cautious now! Fang Ming steeled himself. As his thoughts shifted, he began pouring vast amounts of golden merit into his Life-Bound Qi. Before long, the golden merit was completely exhausted, and the faint golden light around his Fortune vanished. Still not enough? Fang Ming gave a bitter smile. Human Dao Merit reshaped one's Fate Pattern through gradual, imperceptible change. As a deity, he could force the merit to act. Though that wasted a great deal and was inefficient, it sped up the process. He had used up all his merit, and still hadn't changed his Life-Bound Qi. Fang Ming couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Then, all at once, something changed.

The red-and-white Life-Bound Qi shuddered and burst apart. From within it emerged a strand of pure red Life-Bound Qi, rising straight up to command all the others.

The Golden Seal changed dramatically as well. It grew several times larger and became far more solid. The surrounding red-and-white Fortune rushed into it, filling roughly sixty percent of the seal.

Scarlet qi swirled within the Golden Seal, its brilliance dazzling. Only a layer of white remained at the bottom. Threads of scarlet qi streamed down and wound around Fang Ming's divine form, transforming the Divine Power within him.

Inside Fang Ming, the white Divine Power suddenly came under immense pressure. It compressed violently and turned red. The change happened in the blink of an eye: seventy percent of the Divine Power within him became red. It obeyed him like his own arms and hands, flowing at his command, and the earlier restlessness vanished completely.

The scarlet qi surged and wrapped around the divine office talisman. As more of it flowed in, the talisman was enclosed in a sphere, like a fireball suspended in the air, its scarlet flames rising high. Red and white light blazed from it, dazzling to behold.

In an instant, the scarlet light flashed, and the divine talisman turned red as well. Its appearance changed dramatically, and several mysterious runes appeared upon it. Spiritual light shimmered, sending a message into Fang Ming's sea of consciousness: "Subordinate Seventh Rank Land God, governing Qingxi, Anmin, and Changyuan Townships, and part of Anchang County's seat." It also gave rise to a new divine ability, making Fang Ming's face light up with delight.

The promotion of his divine rank was now complete, but Fang Ming remained still, eyes closed as he savored the insights he had gained when the divine talisman's runes advanced. They were special laws born of the interaction between Heaven and Earth, infused with the laws of his previous world and even traces of the changes caused by his journey through time and space. They were profoundly mysterious and deeply enlightening to Fang Ming.

After a long while, Fang Ming confirmed that the insights had settled in his mind and would not be forgotten. Only then did he get up and go outside.

"My lord, please use these." Pearl had waited outside for a long time. When Fang Ming emerged from seclusion, she handed him hot water and a towel, attending to him with utmost care.

Though Fang Ming was a deity, he enjoyed the comforts of mortal life. A deity could accomplish these tasks with a mere thought, but physical things felt more pleasant. They also brought back fond memories of his former life as a mortal.

After washing up, Fang Ming gave his orders. "This time, I gained a great deal from my seclusion. Pass down the word: hold a grand banquet. I have matters to announce!"

"Yes!" Pearl bowed in acknowledgment and went out to deliver the order. Servants waiting outside would pass it along.

As Fang Ming's rank continued to rise, his subordinates had grown numerous. More attendants and guards now served him in the Divine Domain day and night. He would no longer find himself in the old situation, with so few people that he had to deliver orders in person.

That night, the main hall of the Qingxi Township Land God's Shrine was brightly lit.

A banquet was underway, and all of Fang Ming's subordinates who held any kind of leadership position had arrived.

A long table stood before each guest, laden with fine wine, savory dishes, fruit, and pastries. The food was exquisite, and maids and servants came by from time to time to change the dishes and bring out more delicacies.

The dishes had been prepared by a chef Fang Ming had selected from among the wandering souls he had taken in some time earlier. They were exquisitely made and fragrant, every bit as good as the chefs at the Yingke Restaurant.

The man had once been the Zhou Family's head chef and was a member of a collateral branch of the family. He had passed away not long ago, just in time to fulfill Fang Ming's agreement with the Four Great Families. He had certainly been fortunate.

Fang Ming had also selected some maids and servants to work in the Land God's Divine Domain. He wasn't raising them for nothing; he was putting them to good use.

Only now did Fang Ming finally feel like a true Land God. Looking over the hall filled with his subordinates, strong in both numbers and spirit, he felt even better knowing that his divine rank had risen and his power was growing by the day. His heart swelled with delight, and he raised his cup and drank deep. Seeing their lord in such high spirits, his subordinates kept offering toasts and enlivening the mood. For a while, host and guests alike were thoroughly merry.

Only after the banquet ended did it come time to discuss business.

Once the servants had cleared away the cups and plates and tidied the hall, the assembled officials stood solemnly in two rows, civil officials on the left and military officers on the right. Seeing his subordinates gathered around him, a host of talent, and the scarlet qi filling the hall, Fang Ming was quite pleased.

Fang Ming turned to one side and asked, "Lady Gu, you're well versed in Daoist arts. What can you tell me about my Fate Pattern and Fortune?"

Gu Xiaolian had thought it over for several days before deciding to enter Fang Ming's service. This world was still a feudal agrarian society, where men outranked women. Women naturally couldn't hold office; only within the imperial palace were there a few female officials.

Fang Ming didn't want to defy the world's conventions too openly, so he gave her the position of Spirit Maiden in the Land God's service. She stayed by his side and regularly advised him on important affairs, serving as something like a counselor.

Gu Xiaolian stepped forward, bowed, and said, "The ability to read a person's aura requires profound cultivation and instruction in the proper method. With my meager Daoist arts, how could I discern my lord's bearing? But I do know a little technique for sensing qi, which lets me glimpse a thing or two—enough to amuse my lord!"

She silently circulated her Yin Power and focused her thoughts on the Gate of Heaven. Her lineage had a method for glimpsing a person's general Fortune. At that moment, she sensed a brilliant red light and a tremendous surge of scarlet qi, almost enough to make her lose herself. She couldn't help saying, "Scarlet qi swirls around my lord. It must be because your power has greatly advanced. It faintly resembles a full moon, a sign of perfection. I congratulate you, my lord!"...

"Oh?" Fang Ming became interested. It seemed Daoist arts in this world really did have something to them. After a moment's thought, he asked, "How would you rate my current power among the great sects?"

"My lord bears the hopes of the countless people and carries the Fortune of all living beings. What can any one person do against you? But the great Daoist sects possess many treasured artifacts that suppress their Fortune and ensure its enduring prosperity..." That was the honest truth, but Gu Xiaolian didn't dare say more.

"Heh... The Daoist sects' treasures receive much worship and carry great Fortune of their own. I must avoid their sharp edge; there's no need to hide that." Fang Ming knew what Gu Xiaolian wanted to say, but he didn't take offense.

Ever since taking Gu Xiaolian in, Fang Ming had learned more about the Daoist sects of this world. Daoist practitioners focused on individual cultivation. They couldn't accumulate Fortune; instead, they consumed blessings. That was why people in both his former life and this one said that practicing the Dao could ruin a household.

Daoist practitioners envied the Fortune of the government, so they often sent their disciples to take official posts and absorb Fortune for their cultivation. But entanglements of cause and effect made that troublesome as well.

What Daoists wanted most was to help a hidden dragon ascend the throne, then be appointed Imperial Preceptor and absorb the Fortune of an entire nation to become an Immortal. Of course, rulers throughout the ages had granted no more than a few titles of True Person; none had given away their own nation's Fortune.

A Daoist's own strength was also limited to the mortal world. There was once a record of several hundred armored soldiers surrounding and killing a True Person.

As for Daoist arts and divine abilities, their power naturally dwindled against those blessed with great Fortune. A Daoist who used his own strength to contend with the Fortune of all the people under Heaven would have his cultivation ground away bit by bit, no matter how profound it was.

Fang Ming's power was slightly inferior in quality to that of the core disciples of the great sects, but he far surpassed them in quantity. He could wear them down through sheer force. But if he faced a True Person, he still wouldn't be strong enough to prevail.

As for treasures that suppressed Fortune, they were the foundations of a sect's Fortune. They wouldn't be used unless the sect faced destruction. As long as Fang Ming didn't attack their mountain gates, he basically had nothing to worry about.

The subordinates below heard their exchange and realized that their lord's power had greatly advanced. They all bowed to offer their congratulations.

Fang Ming smiled in response. Only after the greetings were over did he say, still smiling, "My promotion today is certainly cause for celebration. You have all worked together, strove forward bravely, and spread the Land God's incense ever farther. It has greatly pleased me. Your merits must be rewarded!"

"Wang Liulang, you have served diligently and loyally for a long time. You have also brought blessings to the people of one region. I now appoint you the Principal Ninth Rank Land God of Baishi Village. May you continue to bless the people and protect the region!" Baishi Village was under the jurisdiction of Anmin Township.

"Ah!" The crowd below burst into an uproar, amazed that their lord had even bestowed a divine rank. Having served under him for so long, they knew how precious such a rank was. Now that they had seen their lord truly confer one, their hearts burned with excitement.

Wang Liulang's head spun, and his heart raced. Seeing the encouragement in his lord's eyes, he felt the grievance of being removed from the army and watching Xie Jin gradually rise in his place melt away like snow in a spring breeze.

He dropped to his knees, bowed, and said, "I thank you, my lord!"