Promise and Accumulation

As for using a Split Spirit Possession to become a mortal and contend for the dragon's destiny with the Hidden Dragon, Fang Ming wanted to abandon the idea as soon as it crossed his mind. Not to mention the time limit on the Split Spirit Possession, even if there wasn't one, the fortune of the Split Spirit and the main body are not connected; they are one. The struggle for the dragon's destiny involves killing, and the Hidden Dragon's fortune would be greatly diminished, let alone Fang Ming's, which is red.

However, this idea took root in his mind like a shadow, refusing to dissipate.

Now, as long as the Split Spirit is sent into Samsara, becoming a mortal, it can naturally contend with the Hidden Dragon. Of course, there are many problems involved.

First, Samsara is all about luck. Being reincarnated with memories is like smuggling, and there might even be heavenly punishment.

Also, if Fang Ming were reincarnated as a pig or dog, or as a female, what would be the point of contending? Although he could immediately commit suicide and try again, firstly, he might not be reincarnated in Wuzhou, and how to guide him would be a problem. Secondly, with the soul constantly reincarnating, memories would surely become increasingly blurred.

Third, and most importantly, each reincarnation takes time. If he were reincarnated poorly and had to try again, he might miss the opportunity to contend for the dragon's destiny. This is entirely possible, as the Heavenly Way authority of the Hidden Dragon is so high. If Fang Ming opposes it, his luck certainly won't be good. It's possible he could be reincarnated as an animal every time!

Even if he were reincarnated as a male in the Wuzhou region, influenced by the Hidden Dragon's great fortune, the fortune of Fang Ming's mortal body would surely be inferior to his. Then, there would be all sorts of calamities: choking to death while eating, drowning while drinking water, falling to his death while walking – these would be no joke! Even if Fang Ming's main body were to guard him at all times, mistakes could easily happen. Moreover, since he has entered Samsara and finally separated their fortunes, he must abide by the rules and not cross the boundary. In this way, even if the clone fails to contend for the dragon's destiny, at most the clone would be eternally damned and his soul scattered. The main body would lose its divine position and fall into a deep sleep, but at least there would be a sliver of a chance to start over!

These were all problems, but after thinking about it, Fang Ming felt it was still very feasible.

First, regarding reincarnation, he could request it from the Heavenly Way. The Heavenly Way is impartial. If Fang Ming were to ask the Heavenly Way to let him reincarnate as the Hidden Dragon, it would be impossible and would bring great disaster, unless his authority was higher than the Hidden Dragon's. But if Fang Ming were merely to request the Heavenly Way to let his Split Spirit be reincarnated smoothly with memories as a male, it might be possible by consuming Heavenly Dao Merit.

Of course, you get what you pay for. After the Heavenly Way successfully reincarnates him, it will let go and he might encounter great disaster and die the next moment. Fang Ming would be helpless then, as he would just be a male infant with no power to resist.

If he were to ask the Heavenly Way to help his Split Spirit grow smoothly, it would be equivalent to asking the Heavenly Way to directly abandon the Hidden Dragon. The Heavenly Dao Merit consumed would be at least over a million, which Fang Ming could not afford at all.

"It's just this last bit. My main body cannot go to guard him personally, as there are taboos between the Yin and Yang realms, and rules must be followed. I need to leave a safeguard." Fang Ming's thoughts flashed, and suddenly his eyes lit up.

"The reincarnated body will contend with the Hidden Dragon, with weak fortune, thus facing great calamities. Even if the entire fortune of the main body is wagered, it will be of no avail."

"But if there is a supreme treasure of fortune to protect him and stabilize his foundation, he can withstand the influence of the Hidden Dragon's great momentum and grow smoothly. Moreover, with this supreme treasure, the clone will have the potential of a Duke or Marquis. Even if he cannot compare to the Hidden Dragon, he will have the power to protect himself and be considered a significant figure."

Fang Ming's mind was clear. He had found a way to break the deadlock and couldn't help but laugh heartily at the sky. Then he stood solemnly, looking west with a thoughtful expression.

Several days later.

In the suburbs, although there were ghosts causing trouble, it was still livable during the day, and the farmhands took this time to cultivate. Although Anchang County was large and could accommodate a hundred thousand people, its population was sparse, with most residing in the city. The farmlands in the countryside were also as close to the county town as possible. Although other areas could still be reclaimed, they remained barren due to fear of ghosts.

"Within Anchang, there are currently no fierce ghosts. In reality, tens of thousands more mu of fertile land could be cultivated, and this way, the county could have many more people!"

The one speaking was Guo Sheng, sighing as he said:

"It's a pity that although Lord cleared the fierce ghosts for the entire county and pacified the region, no one is willing to cultivate the land. Otherwise, at least tens of thousands more people could live here, and Lord's believers and worshippers could also increase."

"That's natural. I haven't informed the common people that the fierce ghosts have been eliminated. Those places are far from human habitation and close to the mountains. If something happens, there's nowhere to run. The common people are afraid, so naturally, no one is willing to cultivate there. After all, even good farmland requires life to enjoy it, let alone working there in the future."

"But it's not far off now. I have informed the Four Great Families of this news, and they are already making arrangements. As long as they obtain authorization from the government and purchase this land, they can organize the cultivation!" Fang Ming said with a smile as he walked ahead.

The price of this land was naturally very low. After the Four Great Families purchased it, they could cultivate tens of thousands of mu of fertile land, greatly increasing their strength. This was also Fang Ming's reward to the Four Great Families for their support in the mortal realm. Moreover, it was too slow for commoners to come and cultivate; collective planning could achieve results faster.

"From now on, we will have to manage this county with all our might..." Fang Ming sighed again, saying.

Guo Sheng bit his lip, remaining silent.

Fang Ming and his entourage were on their way back. He had just finished his appointment at the White Cloud Temple. Knowing that they were bluffing, he naturally did not bring any Yin Soldiers and concealed his strength, only bringing Guo Sheng with him.

They agreed to meet at a location outside the county.

Fang Ming also met True Person Qingxu. As expected, pure energy surrounded him, golden auspicious energy gathered, and the Imperial Destiny was constantly replenishing it, which was extraordinary.

Next came various probes. Fang Ming was at a slight disadvantage while concealing his strength. Of course, the other party did not go all out. According to Fang Ming's estimation, if they truly let loose, he would still be slightly inferior.

True Person Qingxu then revealed his intention to recruit him. Fang Ming knew that the other party had ill intentions and naturally did not agree.

Qingxu did not force the issue, but instead set several agreements with Fang Ming.

Among them was allowing Fang Ming to preach in Anchang County, but not to actively leave the county.

Although Fang Ming was "furious," he was suppressed by True Person Qingxu. In the end, he added many conditions and set the time limit to twenty years before reluctantly agreeing.

Internally, he sneered.

These conditions, although adding many benefits and some loopholes, were essentially restrictions. Fang Ming would not be able to spread his teachings outside the county openly in the future. How could he compare to the Ghost Suppression Cao Divisions and White Cloud Branch Temples of the neighboring counties? His spread would surely be slow, or impossible.

Twenty years later would be when the Hidden Dragon made his move. He would be eager to act, without time to stabilize, his foundation would be unstable, and his faith would not penetrate deeply into people's hearts. Even if he spread his teachings throughout the prefecture for a time, it would crumble with a single gust of wind. During these twenty years, he would consider Wenchang Prefecture his territory, and would have to spend money and effort to stabilize the region. Truly a well-thought-out plan!

However, he was currently recuperating and biding his time, and he had a grand plan, so he pretended to agree.

Coincidentally, comprehending the laws of the Heavenly Way also required a long time. He could also use this time to solidify his foundation and accumulate strength, expanding his capacity from a water tank to a lake or sea. When the opportunity arose and he went out to spread his teachings, even if faith poured down like a river, he would be able to accommodate it and improve rapidly.

Guo Sheng was naturally unaware of these plans, which was why he was somewhat indignant.

"Alright, let's not talk about this. Guo Sheng, have you done what I instructed you to do?"

Fang Ming looked into the distance, watching the farmers work, and asked indifferently:

"Reporting to Lord, as per your instructions, I have added a selection for believers' wandering souls to the charter. However... there are very few believers with over a hundred incense offerings, most of them are in the mortal realm, and now there are none at all! This selection is practically useless."

"Alas!" Fang Ming knew this well.

It was just that he urgently needed Heavenly Dao Merit now. Even if he only sought reincarnation, a few wisps of cyan merit would definitely not be enough, so he had to replenish it quickly. However, sending souls into Samsara consumed too much, and at the same time, there weren't that many living souls.

"Issue my command: I, the main body, pity the wandering souls and have reduced the fee to fifty incense offerings. Also, ask those who are filial. If they wish to reincarnate, I can also help, without any charge."

This was truly a loss-making venture. The hundred incense offerings Fang Ming previously charged were a fair price, basically working for free, only gaining Heavenly Dao Merit. Now, charging only fifty incense offerings meant Fang Ming himself had to subsidize fifty divine powers. If it weren't for the urgent need for merit at this moment, he wouldn't do this. After this matter, the price would be raised back.

Guo Sheng solemnly obeyed the order. When Fang Ming first informed him of this option, it was like a bolt from the blue, and it made Guo Sheng recognize his Lord's great power even more. However, Samsara in this world was terrifying, relying entirely on luck. Those filial wandering souls would certainly not risk being reincarnated as animals and give up their current stable lives.

Fang Ming could naturally conceal the truth and say, "You will definitely be reincarnated as a human in your next life," and then many people would be willing to enter Samsara. Afterwards, with their memories wiped clean, who would remember? But these were his believers. Fang Ming had always been honest with his believers, which was also to minimize karma. Therefore, he did not use this method.

However, this method could be used on wandering souls who were not his believers.

Fang Ming made up his mind and said:

"Bring over the believers in the Law Domain who are about to dissipate. This venerable one will send them into Samsara." Although these believers' souls would be at ease for a while, letting them dissipate before the public eye would likely cause panic in the villages. Originally, Fang Ming had planned to gather those close to dissipation at a specific location and let them fade away naturally. However, with the urgent need for Merit, they were considered lucky.

"Also, once we return, immediately order Xie Jin to capture all the wandering souls in the county!"

Although this would cost a hundred strands of white divine power for each soul, a significant loss, Fang Ming had accumulated enough divine power over time. Since he urgently needed Heavenly Dao Merit, he would do it even at a loss.

He decided that if the souls in the county weren't enough, he would have no choice but to send Xie Jin out of the county to round up wandering souls.

This policy would continue at least until enough Heavenly Dao Merit for reincarnation was accumulated, and he hoped his divine power would suffice!

Upon arriving at the City God's Law Domain, Guo Sheng immediately went down to relay Fang Ming's orders.

The entire divine system sprang into action.

An endless stream of various souls was sent to the City God's Law Domain.

They were then sorted and arranged according to their degree of dissipation.

Fang Ming then used his divine abilities to wash away their memories before collectively sending them into Samsara. For secrecy, Fang Ming usually completed this task within his own Grotto-Heaven, which was attached to the Great Gan world and thus within the scope of Samsara.

This way, even if a single word leaked out, no one would be able to uncover the truth.