Late at night.
Li Yue looked at Ghost Messenger Liao Xiu'er, who was kneeling outside the Land God Temple, and spoke in an even tone:
"What is it?"
Liao Xiu'er replied respectfully:
"Revered Deity, two men in the village have been found to be spies from the Wei Clan of Cangmu Town. Should they be apprehended?"
She had been a Candidate Ghost Messenger for two months and had never presumed to act on her own.
Moreover, she had carried out her duties conscientiously whenever she was tasked with guiding souls within a Ghost Messenger's jurisdiction.
"No need to bother with them."
Li Yue remained calm.
Spies?
They didn't affect him.
At most, they would make the Wei Clan of Cangmu Town half-believe the rumors.
After all—
For the people of the Human Race in this world, a true, living Deity was simply too hard to believe.
"Speaking of which—"
"I wonder where the nearest Blue Star Deity to me is..."
Li Yue murmured to himself.
He had originally thought there would be a Blue Star Deity nearby.
But—
More than three months had passed, and he still hadn't heard a single rumor about another Deity manifesting.
It was obvious.
Even the nearest Blue Star Deity might be quite far away.
His gaze fell on Liao Xiu'er, kneeling outside the Land God Temple.
After more than two months of observation, he had found that Liao Xiu'er was capable, and most importantly, knew her limits.
It was time to let her advance.
"Liao Xiu'er."
"From this day on, I appoint you as a full Ghost Messenger."
"I also bestow upon you the Yin Soldier Artifact, the 'Soul-Binding Chain,' and promote you to a 'Grade C Ghost Messenger,' in command of the other Ghost Messengers."
He raised a hand. Ten strands of divine power surged from within him, transforming into a "Strengthened Yin Soldier Divine Talisman" that flew through the air and landed on Liao Xiu'er.
At once—
The ghostly aura around Liao Xiu'er surged. Her body visibly grew more solid, and even a hint of color appeared in her cheeks.
The Ghost Messenger Uniform she wore deepened in color, a trace of Underworld authority appearing upon it.
Then—
A jet-black, ominous Soul-Binding Chain flew out and landed in Liao Xiu'er's hand.
As she held the chain, the ghostly aura around her mingled with it—
In the blink of an eye, she refined the Soul-Binding Chain. A powerful ghostly aura poured from it, causing her own aura to surge once more!
It took only a moment.
Liao Xiu'er had gone from a Candidate Ghost Messenger whose strength was only equivalent to the middle stage of the first rank—
To leaping straight past a Grade D Ghost Messenger and becoming a Grade C Ghost Messenger with the strength of the upper stage of the second rank!
"Thank you for your gracious gift, Revered Deity!"
Liao Xiu'er exclaimed, overcome with excitement.
As she felt the immense power coursing through her, her body trembled slightly.
She had never imagined she could become this powerful!
At that moment—
The other four Candidate Ghost Messengers emerged from the ground within the "Underworld Dharma Domain." They knelt, gazing at Liao Xiu'er with undisguised envy.
"Li Youtang."
"From this day on, I appoint you as a full Ghost Messenger, of the 'Grade D' rank."
"Assist Liao Xiu'er in leading the Ghost Messengers."
Li Yue looked at Li Youtang and spoke evenly.
He had been the oldest man in Li Family Village, and one of the five Grade B Believers.
A little over half a month ago, he had fallen and died.
Liao Xiu'er had brought his ghost back, and Li Yue had appointed him a Candidate Ghost Messenger.
Whoosh—
Another ten strands of divine power flew out. They gathered before Li Yue into a "Strengthened Yin Soldier Divine Talisman," then flew out of the "Divine Domain" and merged into Li Youtang.
The ghostly aura around Li Youtang surged. He rose directly from the middle stage of the first rank to the lower stage of the second, becoming a "Grade D Ghost Messenger"!
"Thank you for your gracious gift, Revered Deity!"
Li Youtang replied with utmost reverence.
Liao Chengping seemed a little disappointed, but when he thought of his younger sister becoming a Grade C Ghost Messenger, he was still very happy for her.
The other two Candidate Ghost Messengers, however, felt no disappointment at all.
They had been Grade B Believers when alive, and now that they had died, Lord Zhangyue had appointed them Ghost Messengers. What more could they ask for?
The Revered Deity's favor was an honor.
If the Revered Deity didn't favor them, then they simply hadn't done well enough.
"What did you say?"
"Four Seas Village is protected by a true Deity?"
In the main hall of the Wei Clan in Cangmu Town, the clan leader stared at the middle-aged man below him, utterly dumbfounded.
He wondered if the man had been so frightened by the Demonic Creatures in the Land of Demons that he'd lost his mind.
How could he say something so absurd?
Where in this world were there any Deities?
There were only Demonic Creatures and Evil Specters!
Even if there were Deities, they had to be Demonic Creatures in disguise, trying to make it easier to eat people.
Wasn't there a River Lord in the Shunling River beyond Cangmu Town?
Didn't the shamaness select three people every month and send them into the river to feed the River Lord?
"How does that Deity usually eat people?" he asked.
"Eat people?"
A look of astonishment crossed the middle-aged man's face. He hurriedly shook his head.
"Clan leader! That is a true Deity. He doesn't eat people!"
"Ah Wei, what Deities are there in this world?"
The Wei Clan leader shook his head.
"They're all Demonic Creatures in disguise. They all eat people."
Hearing this, Wei Wei's expression turned hesitant.
Demonic Creatures in disguise?
He began to waver.
After all—
He had only spent a little over half a month in Four Seas Village. Maybe Lord Zhangyue, the village's Deity, simply hadn't reached feeding time yet.
But why would a Demonic Creature bestow Spirit Fields?
And why had it made so many villagers in Four Seas Village into Martial Artists?
Or—
Perhaps those weren't real Spirit Fields at all, but a trick of the Demonic Creature?
Had it granted them the strength of Martial Artists just to make them easier to eat?
At that thought, he swallowed the words that had been on the tip of his tongue and didn't mention the Spirit Fields.
"Since you're back, don't go back there."
"The Demonic Creatures in the Land of Demons have killed seven monsters at the hands of that Four Seas Village. I heard the news even alarmed the great demon from the Land of Demons."
"That great demon might come down the mountain, swallow the Demonic Creature pretending to be a Deity in Four Seas Village, then seize everyone in the village and carry them off as blood offerings."
"That great demon from the Land of Demons ranks among the most powerful in Cangmu Town's territory. It's terrifying."
"That great demon?"
Wei Wei's face changed. The blood drained from it, and fear shone in his eyes.
That was the great demon who had created the Land of Demons!
Rumor had it that it was a Mountain Lord, no weaker than the River Lord of the Shunling River, who ruled over Cangmu Town. The two had been enemies for decades.
"I'll go bring my younger brother back."
Wei Wei said at once.
He had returned to town to report the news, but his younger brother was still in Four Seas Village.
Anxiety gripped him.
If the great demon from the Land of Demons had already gone to Four Seas Village, his brother might have been swallowed whole!
Whether or not the Deity of Four Seas Village was a Demonic Creature in disguise, it was confined to a single village. How powerful could it be?
The great demon from the Land of Demons, on the other hand, was renowned far and wide, with power that blotted out the sky!
The Wei Clan leader nodded and sighed.
"Go, and come back quickly."
He looked utterly exhausted.
After all, as the clan leader of the Wei Clan, the largest family in Cangmu Town, he was under immense pressure.
Every year, the River Lord demanded two Martial Artists to eat.
The shamaness had set the rules.
One of those Martial Artists had to come from his Wei Clan.
If the Wei Clan couldn't provide one, they would have to bear the River Lord's wrath.
He didn't dare incur the River Lord's wrath.
So—
He could only desperately urge the clan members to have children, do everything he could to raise them into Martial Artists, and send them to the River Lord to be eaten!
That was the fate of his Wei Clan.
His Wei Clan could only cling to life like this.
"But at least—"
"Each year, the River Lord only needs to eat one person from my Wei Clan..."
"Our Wei Clan can still carry on..."
The Wei Clan leader murmured to himself.
In this world—
To stay alive, to let one's family line endure—that was already the most coveted dream of countless people...
Before you continue