Uncle, Times Have Changed

Great Qin world, Xianyang.

Ever since Ying Zheng obtained the Investiture of the Gods - Human Dao Scroll from the God Lord, the entire upper echelon of the Great Qin Empire had been enveloped in an atmosphere of fanaticism.

Investiture of the Gods!

This was something that only existed in legends!

To be listed on the divine roll meant attaining eternal life and prosperity alongside the empire.

What an honor, what a temptation!

In an instant, countless memorials rained down upon Xianyang Palace.

Some were requests for self-ennoblement, others for their ancestors, and still others for the mountains, rivers, and lands within their jurisdictions.

Ying Zheng looked at the mountain of memorials, his head throbbing.

There were only so many divine positions.

Three hundred and sixty-five City Gods and Earth Gods, the proper gods of the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas.

Each position was incredibly precious.

Deciding who to grant them to, and who not to, was a profound art.

"Li Si, who do you think should be granted the first batch of divine positions?"

In the imperial study, Ying Zheng posed this difficult question to his Prime Minister.

Li Si pondered for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this minister believes that the matter of enfeoffment concerns the foundation of the nation and must be approached with the utmost caution."

"The recipients of this first batch must be individuals who have rendered meritorious service to Great Qin, are loyal to the core, and are revered by the populace. Only then can the masses be appeased, and a good precedent be set for subsequent enfeoffments."

Ying Zheng nodded. "The Prime Minister speaks wisely. Then, who do you deem most suitable?"

"Bai Qi, Wang Jian, Meng Tian, Li Xin…"

Li Si listed several names in succession.

These were peerless generals who had achieved glorious victories in unifying the six states for Great Qin.

They had died on the battlefield, their loyal souls buried in the earth, and they held immense prestige among the people.

It would be most fitting for them to assume the first divine positions.

"Excellent!" Ying Zheng slammed the table. "It shall be as you say!"

"Issue my decree: construct the Investiture Altar atop Mount Tai! Three days from now, I shall personally preside over the first Investiture Ceremony! I will confer the title of Nation-Protecting God of War upon our Great Qin!"

"Your will be done!"

Three days later, atop Mount Tai.

A towering Investiture Altar had already risen from the ground.

The altar was constructed from massive stones, inscribed with arcane runes.

In the center stood a majestic statue of the Primordial God Lord.

Beneath the statue, Ying Zheng, clad in imperial regalia, held the Human Dao Scroll of the Investiture of the Gods, his expression solemn.

Behind him stood civil and military officials, as well as elite soldiers selected from across the empire, a dense mass radiating an oppressive aura of killing intent.

Below the mountain, hundreds of thousands of commoners had gathered to witness the ceremony.

All eyes were fixed upon the high platform, filled with anticipation and reverence.

The auspicious hour had arrived.

Ying Zheng took a deep breath and unfurled the Investiture of the Gods.

He picked up a vermilion brush, dipped in a special ink mixed from the blood of spirit beasts and cinnabar.

"By the command of the Primordial God Lord, and in accordance with the wishes of the people of Great Qin!"

"Today, I, the First Emperor Ying Zheng, do hereby enfeoff gods atop this Mount Tai, acting on behalf of Heaven!"

Ying Zheng's voice, amplified by Magical Power, resonated throughout Mount Tai, clearly audible to everyone.

"I hereby decree that Bai Qi, Lord Wu'an of Great Qin, shall be enfeoffed as the 'Nine Heavens Demon-Quelling Nation-Protecting God of War,' to command all the world's weaponry, protect the territory of Great Qin, and remain so for eternity!"

As Ying Zheng's brush stroke fell.

The words "Bai Qi" on the Investiture of the Gods erupted with brilliant golden light.

Simultaneously, outside Xianyang City, within Bai Qi's tomb.

A terrifying surge of killing intent shot skyward.

A majestic figure, clad in black armor and wielding a blood-red scythe, slowly emerged from the tomb.

It was Bai Qi, who had died many years ago.

At this moment, awakened from reincarnation by the power of the Investiture of the Gods, his divine body had been reshaped.

His gaze, no longer the cold and murderous one of his lifetime, now held a hint of divine majesty.

He knelt on one knee, facing the direction of Mount Tai, and bowed in reverence.

"Your subject, Bai Qi, accepts the decree!"

His voice, like the clash of metal, echoed through heaven and earth.

Atop Mount Tai, Ying Zheng felt Bai Qi's response, his heart filled with soaring ambition.

He picked up his brush again.

"I hereby decree the enfeoffment of Great Qin's High General Wang Jian as the 'Nation-Protecting Demon-Subduing Grand Marshal,' to assist the God of War and command the three armies!"

"I hereby decree the enfeoffment of Great Qin's General Meng Tian as the 'Northern Frontier Barbarian-Slaying Heavenly Lord,' to guard Jiuyuan and resist the Xiongnu!"

"I hereby decree..."

One by one, familiar names were inscribed by Ying Zheng onto the Investiture of the Gods.

With each stroke of the brush, a loyal soul of Great Qin transformed into an eternal, inextinguishable deity.

Across the entire territory of Great Qin, streams of golden light shot up into the sky.

Countless citizens personally witnessed this divine spectacle.

They saw generals from legends transform into gods, standing tall between heaven and earth.

A feeling of reverence and fervor, born from the depths of their hearts, surged forth.

"The God Lord has manifested!"

"Long live His Majesty! Long live Great Qin!"

Cheers like mountains and seas roared to the heavens.

Vast power of faith, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, surged madly towards the Investiture of the Gods and the statues on Mount Tai.

Ying Zheng could clearly feel the Investiture of the Gods in his hand growing stronger and stronger.

He even felt that with just a single thought, he could mobilize the power of these newly ascended deities for his own use.

This feeling of controlling everything intoxicated him.

"Hahaha!"

Ying Zheng threw his head back and laughed again.

He knew that from this moment on, his Great Qin would truly embark on the path of "Immortal Qin."

He would be the sole Heavenly Emperor of this land!

In the Chat Group.

Ying Zheng, unsurprised, began his "live broadcast" again.

He recorded the entire process of the Investiture Ceremony and sent it to the group.

[Great Qin Ancestral Dragon: @All members, come and see! My Great Qin Divine Court has officially been established today! Are you envious?]

The scene was indeed breathtaking.

Golden light filled the sky, divine generals manifested, and the populace paid homage.

[Wudang Hundred-Year Old Daoist: Your Majesty wields great power! You have actually established a Human Divine Court! This old Daoist admires you, admires you!]

Zhang Sanfeng was genuinely impressed.

He was still busy enfeoffing Mountain Gods and Earth Gods one by one.

Meanwhile, Ying Zheng was mass-producing guardian war gods.

This was the power of a nation's machinery.

[Yin-Yang School's Foremost Enigmatic Woman: To deify the souls of fallen generals, to establish divine positions with the aura of slaughter... Ying Zheng, you are forging Great Qin into a war machine that will never cease.]

Yan Fei saw deeper.

She perceived the immense ambition hidden behind it.

[Human Empire Emperor: ...]

The Emperor did not speak.

But he was the most profoundly shaken.

Ying Zheng's "Divine Court" gave him immense inspiration.

The Empire also had countless heroes who died fighting for humanity.

Those Space Marines, those Imperial Guards, those Tech-Priests...

Their souls should not be devoured by daemons in the Warp after death.

They should be remembered, worshipped, and become guardian spirits protecting humanity!

"I will also enfeoff gods!"

"I will build a Pantheon for our humanity, belonging to us!"

On the Golden Throne, the Emperor's soul let out a silent roar.

He immediately used his faint telepathic connection to issue a vague command to the nearest Imperial Guard Commander.

"Seeking... the soul... of a hero..."

"Establish... a God Hall..."

"Believe... in the Primordial Beginning..."

Although these commands were fragmented, to the fanatical Imperial Guard Commander, they were the highest divine oracle.

A religious reformation sweeping across Holy Terra, and even the entire Imperium of Man, was about to begin.

And the instigator of it all, Shen Zhaochi.

At this moment, he was seated cross-legged within the Investiture of the Gods Space, reveling in the pleasure brought by the surge of faith.

"Not bad, not bad."

"My workers are really pulling their weight."

He could feel his Divine Power growing at a terrifying rate.

He was only one step away from breaking through to the Golden Immortal level.

"Once I reach Golden Immortal, I can start making some small moves in the Primordial Era."

"For example, I could go 'visit' that Fellow Daoist Randeng, who is currently trying to detoxify himself."

A malicious smile spread across Shen Zhaochi's face.