Myriad Laws, Myriad Gods

In a corner of the teahouse, Ge Xian, who had stirred up trouble and then concealed his name, was listening with great interest. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart:

"No matter how vast the territory of this [Dayuan Dynasty] is, it's probably useless. It's destined to fall apart and be replaced by a new dynasty."

"Ordinary people can openly discuss rebels without any scruples, which shows it won't last for many years."

"If it were according to my past life's history, among these rebels and chaotic armies, the one who would succeed should be that [Zhu Hongwu], who supposedly started with nothing but a bowl..."

At this thought, Ge Xian shook his head.

Although there were some similarities, it was clearly very different.

Not only was "this Yuan not that Yuan," but in the original body's memories, the dynasties before the Dayuan Dynasty also had many strange and bizarre aspects, enough to make Ge Xian realize he couldn't blindly apply his past life's history here.

Because of these things, Ge Xian was currently in a complex state, both fearful of the horrors of this world and excited about exploring the unknown.

What made his smile even brighter was that after listening to the strange tales of the countryside and the rebel armies, martial artists soon took over, starting to talk about some anecdotes and strange stories related to cultivation, which made Ge Xian perk up his ears, unwilling to miss even a single word.

"Alas, what's the point of accumulating more worldly wealth and glory? We all eventually escape birth, aging, sickness, and death. It would be great to achieve longevity, but unfortunately, I don't have that fortune. I've only heard that we mortals, either by birth or by chance, awaken special talents and powers, and may be noticed by Immortals and Gods and taken as disciples."

"I've heard of such things. A woodcutter once met two gods playing chess on the mountain, and it felt like a hundred years had passed in a flash. What a strange event."

"I heard that in the region of Zhejiang West, a scholar fell into a well. Not only did he not die, but he also married the daughter of the Well Dragon King and became an Immortal God as a live-in son-in-law."

"These are too ethereal. I heard that in my hometown, there was a scabby child covered in pus and sores who, by chance, met an Immortal God in the wilderness. He was called [Shenyang Immortal], the master of Shenyang Cave. His immortal lifespan is already eight hundred years. That child must have stepped on countless piles of dog shit to be able to become his disciple."

"Hahaha... Brother, don't be jealous. That child's flesh and blood have probably all turned into excrement. The so-called Shenyang Immortal is actually an eight-hundred-year-old ape demon, who usually wreaks havoc and eats people in Guizhou."

"We children of the martial world already have our own paths. Why should we seek these illusory things? Take the [Shaolin Temple], for example. I heard that the temple's secret divine skill, the Muscle Tendon Classic, can transplant the tendons of demons and evil spirits into one's body, thereby cleansing the marrow and transforming the body, making one no different from an Immortal God. There is also the Kasaya Demon Subduing Skill. As long as the divine patterns of demon subduing are engraved all over the skin, resembling a kasaya, one can also possess extraordinary powers."

Hearing this, Ge Xian almost dropped his teacup.

Good heavens!

So this is what the Muscle Tendon Classic is?

It was clear that it wasn't just the mundane world that had become a version of demons and Immortals; the martial world was the same.

However, before Ge Xian could develop an interest in these "Bizarre Martial Arts," an old man in the crowd shook his head and interjected:

"Immortals and Gods are hard to find, and these strange martial arts are not easy to learn. The Beggar Sect, the largest and most numerous sect in the martial world, created martial arts such as the Dog Beating Staff Technique, Lotus Falling, Lotus Palm, Bronze Hammer Hands, and Eight Immortals Palm. But to cultivate these, the disciples of the Beggar Sect must first master Life Harvesting Dismemberment and Blood Sacrifice Hundred Ghosts... What is the price? Nothing else, but humanity."

"Listen to this old man's advice. It is harder for us mortals to become Immortals and Gods than to ascend to heaven. What we painstakingly seek is either unorthodox paths or evil methods. Even if we step onto the Dao Path through them, the outcome will not be good."

"If you truly want to achieve righteous results, you should probably seek out the [Myriad Laws Sect]. By awakening your talent and finding the corresponding Spirit God Hall, you can naturally enter the Dao."

At first glance, what the old man said made a lot of sense.

Even Ge Xian was about to nod in agreement.

But soon, a rebuttal rang out from the crowd:

"Heh, from what I know, both the Fuyang County Magistrate and the Qiantang County Magistrate are members of the Myriad Laws Sect, and they happen to worship the sect's Four Spirit Gods. It's just that one follows the [Spirit God Without Apertures], and the other follows the [Gu Spirit]."

"When the Fuyang County Magistrate acted up, he ate half the population. This Qiantang County..."

"Bad luck. The Fuyang incident was an accident. The Myriad Laws Sect has been the state religion since ancient times. Where did this young brat come from to dare to spout nonsense?"

Just as they were about to start a big argument, the teahouse owner seemed to remember something. He slapped his forehead and directly interrupted.

"Today seems to be the day County Magistrate Lu sacrifices to the Gu Spirit Temple. I heard they'll be giving out Taisui Grains and reward money."

"Huh, it's almost time."

Almost as soon as the owner finished speaking.

On the main street of the county town, a commotion suddenly erupted from the other end. Immediately, a large number of ghouls, dressed in yamen runner uniforms and soldier's armor, surged out, roughly clearing and cleaning the street. Then, a grand procession, complete with gongs and drums, emerged from the direction of the county yamen.

On both sides, front and back of the procession, yamen runners were scattering reward money and bags of pre-packaged Taisui Grains.

As they scattered, they shouted:

"Today is a great day! The County Magistrate personally sacrifices to the [Gu Spirit]. All county residents may go to watch and participate in the sacrifice."

"Today is a great day! The County Magistrate personally sacrifices to the [Gu Spirit]. All county residents may go to watch and participate in the sacrifice."

When pressure, reward money, and food were gathered together, the common people had no power to resist.

Amidst cheers, the sacrificial procession swelled madly. Qiantang County seemed to enter a festive atmosphere.

Ge Xian was among them.

In fact, this was the scene he had been waiting for.

Although he had accepted invitations from more than one spy organization, he hadn't submitted any intelligence yet. He wasn't even on the periphery, so he couldn't get any benefits from these organizations, let alone truly join them and step onto the path of cultivation.

This was his chance. The task lists issued by those organizations were numerous and troublesome, and varied greatly. However, there was a rare commonality: they were all extremely interested in "Qiantang County Magistrate Lu Hualong."

As long as Ge Xian could glean some acceptable intelligence related to him, he could pass the test.

However, at this moment, as Ge Xian moved forward with the sacrificial procession, he was still pondering the path of cultivation the old man had mentioned in his mind.

Bizarre Martial Art!

Myriad Laws Sect!

There were only two types. He couldn't access the former for now, so he'd put it aside.

As for the latter, as Ge Xian began to meticulously sift through the memories of his original body, his expression gradually became complicated.

After all, it was the semi-complete memories of a stranger from another world, which he had only hastily digested before.

It would still take some time to completely become the true Ge Xian of this world.

"Myriad Laws Sect, also known as Myriad Gods Sect."

"It seems to have existed since ancient times, constantly expanding and growing stronger. Finally, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the [Great Yan Han Dynasty], a Dong Clan Protector within the sect gained Emperor Wu's complete trust. Other schools of thought were dismissed, and only Myriad Laws was honored. Although there were ups and downs afterward, the Myriad Laws Sect occupied the position of state religion most of the time, and it remains so in the current Dayuan Dynasty."

At this thought, it still didn't seem particularly surprising.

It was just a powerful sect that held the position of state religion.

But soon, Ge Xian learned more, and the surprise in his eyes grew.

"The reason Myriad Laws is also called Myriad Gods, and why this sect seems to have no taboos, is that it accepts any [Immortal God] that pledges allegiance and grants them corresponding titles and honors. Thus, the number of deities worshipped within this sect has expanded immeasurably, making it difficult even for the most learned Myriad Laws priests to know them all."

"However, generally speaking, they seem to be divided into two factions: Spirit Gods and Flesh Gods."

"There is only one [Myriad Laws Sect Master], who also has titles such as Supreme Emperor Lord, Haotian Supreme, and so on."

"Underneath him are numerous powerful Immortal Gods as subordinates, with heavenly soldiers and generals to command. Listening to this, it sounds so much like the... Heavenly Court of my previous life?"

As this last thought arose, Ge Xian shook his head and dismissed it himself.

What Heavenly Court could produce believers like the "Man-eating County Magistrate" and "Thigh-cutting Magistrate"?

As soon as he thought of these things, he suddenly realized that he had already followed the group to the sacrificial grounds.

Ahead, a very luxurious and bizarre great temple suddenly appeared.

Not only were its shapes strange, but the materials used to build it were mostly black stone, broken iron, and other objects, all carved with disgusting patterns. Above the great temple was a rusty bronze plaque, inscribed with five tadpole seal characters.

Although his original body boasted of being able to write miscellaneous contracts, they were all standardized, and he was essentially semi-literate, naturally unable to recognize tadpole seal script.

However, there was no need to recognize it now; he could guess.

What was written on the plaque must have been:

Gu Spirit Temple!

As the many county residents approached, they all showed troubled expressions, clearly unwilling to enter.

But under the coercion and temptation of those ghouls, they all entered with tearful faces, still cheering.

Ge Xian also followed, carrying his goods, his eyes filled with intense curiosity.

This temple had been built for some time, but his original body had been terrified and had never entered to observe it. Therefore, he did not know what kind of Immortal God the so-called [Gu Spirit God] was.

The next moment!

The answer is revealed.

The moment Ge Xian stepped over the threshold, his eyes immediately reflected a statue, four to five zhang tall, entirely cast from iron.

The deity depicted had a tiger's head and a human body, with sharp spines on its back and wings. It was ferociously unmatched, yet it wore a colorful Daoist robe, its posture as if it were truly a Spirit God Celestial Lord who punished evil, ate gu, and drove away demons.

In that instant, Ge Xian stood before the temple.

His face bore an indescribable, complex expression. He initially felt horrified, but the brief experiences after his rebirth, the memories in his mind, and the strange tales he had recently heard...

All clearly reminded him that in the current world he inhabited, whatever happened or appeared had a bizarre kind of reasonableness, nothing to be too surprised about.

"Even... an ancient fierce beast that enjoys eating humans."

"Transformed into a [Gu-Eating Spirit God], worshipped by humans and offered incense and sacrifices."

"Since this beast-turned-Spirit God holds a considerable position within the Myriad Laws Heavenly Court, there's no need to even guess what kind of place that Heavenly Court must be like."