Slay a God, Ascend a Throne!

The room was dimly lit and solemn.

For thousands and thousands of years.

Zhang Fusheng's eyebrows twitched violently. Grandmasters and Great Grandmaster, although they live longer than ordinary people, only live to be around two hundred years old!

For thousands and thousands of years.

How long ago did this woman live until now?

No wonder her clothing and demeanor exude an ancient charm.

She is far more than just Great Grandmaster; no wonder she dared to plot to bring down the God of Plague!

A faint smile appeared on Mingyue's lips, which suddenly turned into a chilling expression.

A wisp of energy suddenly enveloped Zhang Fusheng, bringing him pressure far exceeding that of Shi Zhengyuan back then!

Most importantly, when he first faced Old Shi, he was just a junior martial artist at the third or fourth level of cultivation, but now he has reached the Thirteenth Refinement, approaching the level of Martial Arts Master!

This woman is much better than Old Shi.

"This question..."

The Mingyue said gently:

"I heard that just a month ago, Young Master Zhang was just an ordinary person, but now, how come he was able to kill even Niu Dali, who possesses the power to Devour God?"

Although her tone was gentle,

Zhang Fusheng dared not be negligent or lax in the slightest, and immediately gave his reply.

"To be honest, Miss Mingyue, I have some talent, especially in the White Bone Meditation. I mastered it in just half a day and gained my master's Great Accomplishment."

He continued without changing his expression:

"Nearly half a month ago, when I went to Longzhou City, I was still at the second or third level of training. When I came back, I was already at the Twelve Refinements."

"Oh?" Mingyue asked calmly, "What has caused such a drastic change in Young Master Zhang?"

I met someone in Longzhou City.

Zhang Fusheng calmly said:

"Shi Zhengyuan."

"Shi Zhengyuan?" Mingyue frowned slightly, looking at the Black Eyes. After a moment of recollection, the man immediately replied:

"I know this person. He was once a Great Grandmaster of the Spirit Mountain System, but he disappeared after the decline of the Lingshan lineage and has been gone for decades."

Mingyue seemed lost in thought, then turned her gaze back to Zhang Fusheng:

"Young Master Zhang, please continue."

Zhang Fusheng said, with a mix of truth and falsehood:

"Seeing my talent in the White Bone Meditation, he believed I was an Arhat or Bodhisattva incarnate, and thus bestowed upon me many treasures."

"Among them, there was a White Bone Lotus Seed that added to my century-long Mental Accumulation, and I immediately advanced the White Bone Meditation to the level of Minor Perfection."

Black Eyes and Old Ghost Chai both widened their eyes. Minor Perfection?

Zhang Fusheng didn't waste any words. At the Minor Perfection level, one couldn't interfere with reality; one could only pull others' spirits into one's own divine realm.

He naturally dared not drag this Miss Mingyue, who claimed to have lived for thousands of years, into the room. On a whim, he pulled Black Eyes and Old Ghost Chai inside as well.

In an instant, the two of them were transformed from a house into a vast wasteland.

The divine realm dissipated, and they returned to the main hall.

After a long silence.

Old Ghost Chai swallowed hard, both surprised and envious, and sighed:

"It truly is a divine realm."

Miss Mingyue nodded slightly:

"You've been hiding it well. I can't see a trace of divine power in you. I suppose it's thanks to your practice of the White Bone Meditation."

She commented:

"This method is one of the four fundamental Visualization Method of the Spirit Mountain System, and it truly possesses great wonders. If you are only at the Divine Realm, I'm afraid it won't help you achieve the Twelve Refinements, will it?"

Zhang Fusheng answered honestly:

"Not only that, Shi Zhengyuan also possesses a Supreme Treasure called the 'Nine-Ringed Zen Staff'."

The Miss Mingyue's hand trembled:

"Nine-Ringed Zen Staff??"

She was somewhat lost in thought, waving her hand and saying:

"Continue."

Zhang Fusheng went from being nine parts true and one part false to spouting seven parts true and three parts false nonsense:

"Shi Zhengyuan activated his Nine-Ringed Zen Staff to protect me, saying it would shield me from poison?"

He recalled the mythical story about the Nine-Ringed Zen Staff from his past life.

He simply incorporated the brocade cassock as well, and continued:

"Shi Zhengyuan also said that the Nine-Ringed Zen Staff had been imbued with the power of other Supreme Treasure."

It will not only save me from poison, but also spare me the suffering of hell and the torment of evil.

The Miss Mingyue was slightly moved:

"Continue."

Zhang Fusheng spoke recklessly:

"He also gave me some unknown treasures: a crimson fruit, a peach that, though rotten, still gleamed with a faint luster, and another fruit that resembled an infant's arm."

"After that, I inexplicably became Twelve Refinements."

The Miss Mingyue sighed softly:

"Shi Zhengyuan? It seems he's no longer just a major figure; he's reached the Innate Great Realm and unearthed many treasures from Different Dimension through that divine realm."

"Speaking of which, where is Shi Zhengyuan now? You must have anchored yourself to some Different Dimension scene with your Nine-Ringed Zen Staff, right?"

"Miss Mingyue is very insightful."

Zhang Fusheng spoke eloquently:

"Senior Master Shi Zhengyuan came from afar, but after meeting me, he disappeared on his travels."

"He treated me like Living Buddha or a living Bodhisattva, saying that I would have to go through Nine Tribulations before I could return to my rightful place, so he wouldn't protect me."

"As for anchoring, I anchored myself to a Danxia Divine Mountain."

Miss Mingyue nodded slightly:

"That's quite true. So Young Master Zhang had such a fortuitous encounter. That explains many things."

She turned her head and gazed at the handsome young man:

"I won't hide it from you. The reason I've come to you is to ask you to do something—to obtain the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron from your grandmaster."

Zhang Fusheng felt relieved, knowing that he had passed this hurdle.

As long as Miss Mingyue doesn't directly confront Old Shi, this lie won't be exposed for the time being—and precisely because of this, coupled with Old Shi's kindness towards her,

Zhang Fusheng did not reveal Old Shi's true identity, only saying that he was traveling the world and happened to meet him in Longzhou City.

He simply nodded:

"To be honest, Miss Mingyue, I came to the Lower-Level District hoping to use the opportunity to obtain the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron in exchange for the Western Sect sending me away from the Jiangzhou Desolate Land."

Miss Mingyue nodded again:

"There is also unrest within my sect, with open and covert struggles, and quite a few people have come to Yuan Feidao's other disciples and grand-disciples."

I will fully support you.

Zhang Fusheng cupped his hands in greeting:

"Thank you, Miss Mingyue. I'm curious, why didn't the Western Sect just kill my master and seize the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron?"

Miss Mingyue shook her head:

No one knows where he hid the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron; they can only wait quietly for him to pass it down to future generations.

As she spoke, she gracefully stood up:

"Since I have asked Young Master Zhang a question, then by right, Young Master Zhang can also ask me one. That little matter from earlier is no longer valid. Does Young Master Zhang have any other questions?"

Zhang Fusheng took a big gulp of Calming Tea and pondered very seriously.

He could sense that no matter what the question was, this Miss Mingyue would probably answer him truthfully.

After a moment of contemplation,

Zhang Fusheng took a deep breath:

"I do have a great doubt. Isn't the God of Plague one of the deities worshipped by the Western Sect?"

"If that's the case, why would the Western Sect want to include Him?"

The light veil on the Miss Mingyue fluttered slightly.

She smiled and corrected her:

"Young Master Zhang is mistaken. It is not the Western Sect that wants the God of Plague to fall from his position, but rather I..."

Zhang Fusheng swallowed.

Miss Mingyue didn't care at all and continued:

"The six realms of martial arts are not the limit; above them lies the realm of the gods."

"But reaching the sixth realm does not mean becoming a god—divine positions are fixed."

She spoke softly:

"The various divine and celestial positions are all predetermined; only when one person descends can another ascend to the divine position."

Zhang Fusheng was shaken, yet suddenly felt it was all perfectly natural.

Those gods and Buddhas in Different Dimension are probably, as I suspect, usurpers who have taken their heavenly positions.

There are only so many positions available.

"I see," Zhang Fusheng exclaimed.

Miss Mingyue seemed particularly talkative, offering a few more words of advice:

"Of the four major religions, only Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism venerate deities who reside in positions of divinity and heaven."

"Do you know what kind of gods those numerous small Myriad Gods Cult that make up the Pantheon worship?"

Zhang Fusheng sincerely offered his greetings:

I would like to hear the details.

Miss Mingyue smiled faintly:

"The Myriad Gods Cult worships those who have reached the seventh or eighth realm but have not obtained a divine or celestial position. In a sense, they are the true Evil God."

Zhang Fusheng solemnly bowed deeply in gratitude.

It's not just for show, it's from the bottom of my heart.

He knew that what Miss Mingyue spoke of so casually was probably a truly earth-shattering secret.

If it weren't for what happened today, I don't know how long, how many years, it would have taken me to understand.

"Divine Position. Heavenly Position"

Zhang Fusheng was suddenly startled.

Since Miss Mingyue initially wanted Niu Dali to 'Devour God' to leave the position of the Great Emperor Wenguang vacant...

So she did this so that someone who stands in the realm of gods but has no divine or celestial position could benefit.

Who could it be?

Could it be,

Was it herself?

Zhang Fusheng felt a chill erupt from his tailbone, instantly spreading throughout his entire body.

"Alright."

The gentle voice of the Miss Mingyue finally rang out:

"Take Young Master Zhang away to rest. By the way, since Yu Chengzong and Li Qiuhua seem to be acquainted with Young Master Zhang..."

"Then let them continue acting as undercover agents for the Investigation Bureau. There's no need to expose them; it'll just be a good opportunity for them to leak some false information."

"Yes!" Old Ghost Chai and Black Eyes bowed in unison, while Zhang Fusheng wore a bitter smile.

He was just wondering if Uncle Yu and Aunt Li could really remain hidden in the face of this mysterious figure when...

Really.

In a daze, at Old Ghost Chai's invitation, Zhang Fusheng entered a room next to the main hall, a room untouched by the blood and flesh threads.

He closed the door, slowly lay down on the bed, and let out a long sigh.

"That's scary!"

Zhang Fusheng's gaze shifted uncertainly. Although he had been promised that the Divine Descent would be completed in three days, after which he would be sent out of Jiangzhou,

But he didn't relax at all.

Just as he had expected, leaving Jiangzhou in this way would lead to him being entangled with the Western Sect.

In fact, it's not just that she's entangled with the Western Sect. This Miss Mingyue is suspected to be an old monster who has lived for thousands of years and is only one step away from becoming a god or a celestial being!

But something still feels off.

He frowned, not daring to look at the Miss Mingyue for long, and even less daring to make eye contact, for fear of being discovered.

Although I sensed something was off, I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

So be it.

"The Gate of the Past depends on you!!"

Zhang Fusheng closed his eyes, as if taking a short rest after exhaustion, but his thoughts had already sunk into a state of deep meditation.

In the divine realm, he made his usual trip to Five Villages Temple and noticed that the ink characters on the Daoist scriptures had changed again.

That plague demon descended upon Jiangzhou. Since he's in Jiangzhou, why not use his flesh and blood to build my Blood Shrine?

[If you still refuse]

I'm about to find you.

Zhang Fusheng's lips trembled as he stared intently at the strokes of the Daoist scripture, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of saliva:

"If you're so awesome, why don't you build your own Blood Shrine? What do you need me for?"

"Idiot!"

Zhang Fusheng chuckled. At this moment, he was absolutely certain that this person was merely a usurper of Zhen Yuanzi's position, so naturally he showed even less respect.

What Blood Shrine or ritual altar? Are you trying to fool me?

If we truly erect Blood Shrine for you, if we truly build a ritual altar for you, would I still be alive? Please tell me.

He turned and left, using the bridge between heaven and earth formed by the Contract Book, and suddenly entered the Eight Sceneries Palace.

Then, he happily ran to the Gate of the Past and pressed himself against the crack in the door.

"High-dimensional perspective, open it up!"

"Let me see what's so strange about you?"

Behind the crack in the door, the dark and chaotic scene was suddenly tinged with vibrant colors, revealing glimpses of moments that had occurred in the hall just moments before.

Old Ghost Chai, Black Eyes, and that Miss Mingyue...

They all extended and appeared before Zhang Fusheng in an indescribable form.

"Whoa!!"

(I'm thinking about whether to move the update time to noon; midnight feels a bit like the underworld -- and by the way, please vote for me! Hehehe!)