Qi-Reading Divine Art

Amid the dead silence, Su Hu suddenly rose to his feet, walked to the Land God Temple, gave a slight bow, and began lifting it. He shouted, "What are you standing around for? Come lend a hand! The villagers are waiting to be saved!"

Someone hesitated. "It's outside, so it's fine to worship it normally, but moving it into the village... wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

Wang Er saw that it was Qi Da, and his temper immediately flared. He strode forward and kicked Qi Da to the ground. Qi Qin quickly went up to help him up.

Wang Er went before the temple, knelt, and kowtowed. Then he stepped forward to help, saying, "Hurry up and move it! We're about to lose our lives, so what are we still afraid of?"

Only then did several young men snap out of it and hurried forward to help.

The temple was not heavy, only around a hundred catties. Four people could carry it steadily, and they made their way all the way to the village entrance.

The familiar scenery of ordinary days now looked like monstrous beasts opening their blood-filled maws, making the villagers shudder.

After another moment of hesitation, warmth surged from the Land God Temple. Su Hu immediately felt his body grow warm and strength return to him. He called to Wang Er and the others, and without further delay, charged toward the threshing ground.

The scar-faced man was in the midst of feeding happily when a flash of white light caught the corner of his eye. He spotted Su Hu's group, especially the figure within the white light inside the Land God Temple. Hatred flared in him at once. "Why is there still an Ancestral Spirit here?" he roared. "Kill them! Don't let them reach the altar! Whoever kills the Ancestral Spirit will be rewarded with ten living humans!"

Worthy of being fierce ghosts, they immediately realized something was wrong. The scar-faced man led over twenty savage ghosts in a charge.

Fang Ming took a deep breath. Knowing this was the moment of life and death, he no longer spared his Divine Power. White light surged forth, and the savage ghosts that lunged at him were reduced to ashes in the white radiance.

Seeing this, the man ordered again, "Ignore the temple! Deal with those four carrying it! Go, drain all the living breath from them!"

He took the lead in pouncing forward. Wang Er immediately felt a sinister wind batter his face, and his legs began to tremble.

Fang Ming frowned and emerged from the temple. The ghosts saw a flash of white light, then a youth rushed out from the temple. His body was extraordinarily solid, wreathed in white radiance. He took several swift steps forward and threw a punch, blasting a savage ghost into utter annihilation.

The scar-faced man hesitated slightly. "Isn't he an Ancestral Spirit?" Then his killing intent intensified, and he charged forward, forcing his way before Fang Ming in the blink of an eye.

"Die!" Fang Ming punched forward, white light blazing in his hand.

A savage grin spread across the man's face. Black light flashed in his hand, and a long blade appeared. "Pfft!" The blade came down. Fang Ming instinctively rolled aside, only to feel his body jolt as black light flashed past and searing pain tore through his chest. The next instant, Fang Ming saw the man grinning cruelly as he raised his blade again.

He instinctively rolled away again, dodging the blade's edge. The man laughed madly. "I'm on the verge of becoming a Vengeful Ghost! You're no match for me, brat. Today, I'll use you to consecrate my blade!"

Fang Ming remained expressionless. Glancing aside, he saw that, because he had held the ghosts back and had poured a great deal of Divine Power into Su Hu and the other four before leaving the temple, the Land God Temple had already been carried to the threshing ground and was being placed atop the altar.

The man was startled. Why does he still look hopeful? Not good—could there be another Ancestral Spirit in the temple? He was about to order the ghosts to stop the villagers.

Unfortunately, it was already too late. With a collective "Heave!", everyone securely set the Land God Temple upon the altar.

In that instant, Fang Ming felt vast, vigorous Incense and Fire Prayer Power continuously pour from the altar into the Land God statue within the temple. It connected through the statue to the divine office talisman within him. Like a giant whale drawing in water, the talisman absorbed the Incense and Fire Prayer Power, which was wrapped into a ball by white qi. In but an instant, the white qi dispersed, revealing a brand-new talisman. Fang Ming understood its meaning at a glance: "Principal Ninth Rank Qingyu Village Land God Divine Office."

A great surge of Divine Power flowed from the divine office and continuously entered Fang Ming's body. The man saw his opponent suddenly enveloped in white light. When the light dispersed a moment later, the youth had changed form. His previous blade wound had vanished without a trace. His clerk's official robes had become the robes of a Principal Ninth Rank official. He held a Golden Seal in his hand, imposing and dignified, as he stared coldly at him.

The man's heart turned cold, and he already wished to retreat.

Killing intent flashed across Fang Ming's face. He tossed the Golden Seal at the man. The seal swelled in the wind, growing to over a zhang in size. The man's expression twisted viciously as he roared and swung his blade at it. With a clanging sound, the long blade snapped. The Golden Seal struck the man without hesitation. Amid flashing white light, black qi continuously rose from the ground. Fang Ming sneered and recalled the Golden Seal. Nothing remained on the ground.

Looking around, one savage ghost cried, "Big Brother!" and tried to rush forward for revenge. Another said, "We should retreat first!" It had fed its fill and wanted to flee.

Fang Ming paid it no mind. White light flashed beneath his feet, and he arrived inside the Land God Temple in an instant. Earth Escape truly deserves to be a Land God's essential art. It is exceptionally convenient. He entered the main hall, sat in the seat of honor, and felt everything within ten li of Qingyu Village fall under his grasp. He could not help thinking, Is this the power of a Principal Rank Land God? It truly is formidable.

Seeing that the ghosts of Qingyu Village already intended to retreat, he sneered. They wanted to run after causing trouble? How could there be such a good thing under heaven? He said, "Rise!"

At once, white light even stronger than that of the grand sacrifice rose from the Land God Temple, transforming into a white pillar. White waves, centered upon it, surged relentlessly in all directions. The ghosts swept up by the waves screamed miserably, then turned into black smoke after only a few moments.

At that moment, every Qingyu Village villager heard a voice in their hearts: "The ghosts have been destroyed. Go in peace." Su Hu, Wang Er, and the others immediately cheered. "It's the Land God! The Land God has revealed his divine might!" After cheering, they began weeping uncontrollably. Qingyu Village had no Ancestral Spirit, but the days of living in constant terror were gone forever. Seeing the dried corpses on the ground, tears fell like rain.

The fifteenth day of the third month, light rain.

The fine rain fell in an endless drizzle, adding another measure of sorrow to Qingyu Village.

At this time, nearly every household in Qingyu Village wore mourning clothes. Weeping could be heard from time to time, chilling the heart.

The muddy yellow earth was especially difficult to travel over, and a young man dressed as a constable complained bitterly. "Master, this road is truly hard to walk. It's far worse than the roads in Qingxi Township."

His master was a middle-aged man dressed as a constable captain. His hands were covered in calluses, and sharp glints occasionally flashed in his eyes. He smiled as he cursed, "Those of us who serve in office have to travel every village for ten li around and know them like the backs of our hands, or we won't be able to eat from the government's bowl. You're three parts more delicate than the girls of Fragrant Rain Pavilion. If you can't endure this hardship, get lost and go home. If your brother-in-law hadn't begged me, I wouldn't have brought you along."

At dawn, Qingyu Village had sent someone to report the ghost horde's attack on the village to the county seat. The county magistrate was greatly alarmed and immediately dispatched people to investigate.

The young constable protested, "It's not that I fear hardship—I fear death! Master, seeing all those dried corpses in every household makes my heart pound with terror. There aren't any Evil Ghosts left here, are there? I'd only heard of a horde of ghosts wiping out a village from storytellers. I never imagined it was real!"

The constable captain's expression also turned grave. "It is real. Whenever you go to the villages in the future, you must be extremely careful. Qingyu Village is considered fortunate. An Ancestral Spirit suddenly appeared and protected it. In a true village massacre, not a single living person remains. That sight... tsk, tsk, that is what you call tragic!"

"But this matter of the Ancestral Spirit is somewhat strange. Sir, what do you think?" The man stroked his chin and looked toward the elderly man dressed as a Daoist at the head of the group.

The old Daoist's hair had already turned half white. Stroking his sparse beard, he said, "I examined the corpses. Their living breath was entirely gone, and their bodies were completely withered. They were indeed killed by ghosts. As for the Ancestral Spirit, there is nothing much to it. My talisman had no reaction, so it does not appear to be the likes of a Vengeful Ghost."

Because Evil Ghost incidents were common in the world, the founding emperor of the Great Qian Empire established the Ghost-Banishing Bureau. At first, it was only Seventh Rank and specifically managed cases of ghosts harming people. It had branches in every county and prefectural city. Usually, it did not handle much, and its posts were mostly filled by disciples of the various Daoist Sects, who earned some merit, collected some of the court's Fortune, and supported their cultivation. Over two hundred years, the human emperors had no choice but to rely heavily on it and continuously raised its rank. Now, the director of the Ghost-Banishing General Office was already Subordinate Third Rank. One more step upward, and it would be of the same rank as the Six Ministries; then the Ghost-Banishing Bureau would have to be renamed the Ghost-Banishing Department. This old Daoist was the county's Ghost-Banishing Office official, holding a Subordinate Ninth Rank office, while the other six offices were all Principal Ninth Rank.

The Daoist continued, "No matter what its origins were before, once it mounts an altar, hehe, it can no longer control its own fate. It can only obediently keep one region safe, unable to free itself from then on. Should it violate the law in any way, the prayer power of the altar will burn it alive. This spirit has some ability, but how unwise was this move! Sigh, how can it compare to the freedom of our Daoist Sect? Even if one cannot become a True Person while alive, one may become a ghost cultivator after death and still climb the immortal path!" His words were filled with disdain for what Fang Ming had done.

The Daoists of this world were skilled in nurturing and refining qi. They could perform rituals and capture Evil Ghosts. Those of high attainment could read feng shui, observe Fortune, support dragon thrones, and took becoming immortals and attaining the Dao as their highest goal. Yet regrettably, not a single person had succeeded. They were divided into:

Daoist: Received Daoist teachings and began refining qi.

Mage: Could drive away ghosts and perform small rituals.

Grand Mage: Possessed profound cultivation, could perform large rituals, drive away Vengeful Ghosts, and take disciples to impart Daoist teachings.

True Person: Had completed qi refinement and attained a flawless Dao body, with a lifespan of one hundred and fifty years.

Immortal: A legendary realm, with no confirmed records to date.

Fang Ming stood nearby, listening to the three converse, and gained a few more insights into the Great Qian court and the Daoist Sect. At this moment, he steadied his mind and looked above their heads, immediately witnessing a wondrous sight.

Above each of their heads stood a Life-Bound Qi, rising high into the air. Both the constable captain and the young constable possessed white qi. Around the captain's Life-Bound Qi were over a dozen strands of white qi gathered into a cluster. The young constable had only one strand of white qi. Fang Ming understood that this was the Fortune gained from serving as a constable.

The Daoist was different. His Life-Bound Qi was also white, but thick and robust. A mass of white qi hung above his head, constantly transforming into a layer of pale white radiance that spread over his entire body in rippling waves. The white qi above his head gradually diminished, but from time to time, a small stream of white qi surged from the void in the direction of the county seat and replenished the cluster. Fang Ming immediately understood that once Daoist Sect cultivators accepted official positions, they drew upon the court's Fortune to support their own cultivation.

No wonder the founding emperor of Great Qian had not granted the Ghost-Banishing Bureau high status. Yet his later descendants were ignorant and could not withstand the lobbying of the Daoist Sect, eventually opening this breach. Still, there were clear-headed men among the court officials, and they had kept it suppressed, preventing another incident like Lin Lingsu's in the Song dynasty.

Fang Ming meditated upon himself and saw a pure white Life-Bound Qi standing high. The white qi at its peak was exceedingly dense, forming a seal that was faintly translucent, with white qi filling roughly one-third of it. Above his head was white Fortune, while Divine Power was also white and stored within him. The two were as distinct as the Jing and Wei rivers.

The Qi-Reading Divine Art truly deserves to be called a great divine art. It can see Life-Bound Qi and Fortune. With this art, my future actions and use of people will become much more convenient. Fang Ming pondered. The Dream-Entering Divine Art and Qi-Reading Divine Art surpass a Land God's official divine arts by heaven knows how much. They must be related to the advancement of the divine office. In my previous life, the Land God divine office was suppressed by the Heavenly Court and did not advance even in ten thousand years, so no such marvels appeared. I never expected that in this world, it could absorb Incense and Fire Prayer Power and advance on its own, even giving rise to divine arts.

The Dream-Entering Divine Art could break through the barrier between yin and yang and was of enormous benefit to Fang Ming. It even had extensions such as Yellow Millet Dream and Daydream. It was vastly different from the dream-sending art of Land Gods in his previous life, which could only enter believers' dreams when they slept soundly at night. It was plainly superior by an unknown measure.

At present, the Land God's official divine arts were:

Earth Escape: Could be used within ten li of Qingyu Village, arriving in an instant.

Land-Fertilizing Art: Could consume Divine Power to fertilize Qingyu Village's land, with an effect similar to natural fertilizer.

Disease-Dispelling Art: Could dispel diseased qi from livestock and treat minor livestock illnesses, but could not treat people.

Child-Bestowing Art: Consumed a great amount of Divine Power to increase the chances of conception.

As for the rest, they were merely applications of Divine Power itself. Anyone possessing Divine Power could slowly figure them out on their own, so they did not count as divine arts.