By Heaven's Mandate, May It Endure Forever and Prosper

Chang'an Town.

"This town is said to have a continuous lineage that has never been broken, and it still retains ancient customs."

Meng Xiaoshi sighed softly:

"For example, there, they've set up Spirit Hall. The town has a tradition of wailing and burning paper money after someone dies, saying that the person will go to another world after death."

"The expenses for the dead are the same as the paper money burned by the living. It may seem absurd, but it's still a way of offering solace."

Beside him, Zhao Shanhe nodded calmly, standing shoulder to shoulder with the girl on the street, watching the mourning procession in the Spirit Hall.

He whispered:

"Have you found a good location?"

Meng Xiaoshi kept her eyes straight ahead.

"You can rest assured that I can handle things well. I've already found the perfect anchor point, and we're just waiting for the Chongyang World to completely separate from the Golden Province and drift towards and land on the World Plateau."

"At that time, the Great Teleportation Array can be completed immediately, and the Lord will be able to descend."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shanhe nodded.

"Luckily, we didn't contact the Investigation Bureau —the third brother and his group didn't believe the Investigation Bureau had been corrupted, so they rashly contacted the Investigation Bureau of the Golden Province, and then they disappeared."

Meng Xiaoshi paused for a moment:

"Local Investigation Bureau have never been reliable; they're either infiltrated by those damned cultists or killed by the local governor."

She sighed softly:

"But we'll finally be able to get out soon! How long have we been trapped in the Golden Province?"

"It's been several months. When they escaped in, they happened to encounter the Divine Descent of Jiangzhou, Golden Province under emergency lockdown, which is how that heretical Celestial Person was kept out."

Zhao Shanhe smiled bitterly:

"The cult's Celestial Person are waiting for us at the sea route on the World Plateau. If we can truly take advantage of the Double Ninth Festival to escape this time..."

The two looked at each other, their eyes shining.

Meng Xiaoshi nodded and said softly:

"This Supreme Treasure is definitely extraordinary, otherwise the cult wouldn't have sent Celestial Person to hunt it down. As long as we can return it to the capital in time, we will have performed a great service."

"Nature."

Zhao Shanhe smiled:

"Furthermore, I can try to guide you, sir, to this strange Chang'an Town. I know divination, and the heavens tell me that Great Opportunity is about to unfold here."

The two young men from the Federation Bureau of Investigation talked as they gazed at the mourning scene in the Spirit Hall, finding it all quite novel, as it was the first time they had ever seen such a unique funeral.

Meng Xiaoshi gazed at the woman who was crying so hard she was almost fainting, then turned her head away, feeling a pang of pity.

"When gods fight, it's the common people who suffer. I heard that a young man, about your or my age, died, but his remains have never been found."

By this time, the mourning in the Spirit Hall had ended, and the coffin was being carried to bury the fallen young man outside Chang'an Town.

Zhao Shanhe and Meng Xiaoshi followed, blending into the crowd and trying to avoid drawing attention to each other.

After all, although the Golden Province was completely isolated from the outside world, it was possible to leave but not enter.

However, there are also many members of the Tianli Faction, a cult within the province, who are searching for the two.

"Keep a low profile, keep a low profile." Zhao Shanhe whispered a warning. Meng Xiaoshi nodded and subconsciously reached into her pocket to touch the mysterious treasure.

It was a strange seal, missing a corner, with eight small characters engraved on it.

'By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous.'

"It's still here," she whispered, touching the seal in her bosom every few minutes.

They were terrified that this treasure, which the heretics of the Tianli Faction called the Human Emperor Seal, would be lost.

There's no need to worry too much.

Zhao Shanhe said softly:

"This Supreme Treasure is extraordinary; it seems to bring us great fortune—before, when the Celestial Person personally went hunting, we both managed to escape through various fortuitous opportunity coincidences."

Meng Xiaoshi gave a soft "hmm" and touched the Human Emperor Seal again.

Amidst the sounds of gongs and drums, the coffin-carrying procession had reached the outskirts of Chang'an Town. In the distance, a brilliant light illuminated the sky.

That was the flesh and blood of gods, piled up there, yet no one dared to approach—those who did were all swept away by the terrifying energy surge.

Meng Xiaoshi's expression suddenly hardened.

"I saw members of the Tianli Faction Sect at two o'clock."

"Don't panic, stay calm." Zhao Shanhe said briefly, without looking to the side, "Just follow this coffin-carrying procession and get by."

The two walked in the procession, their faces showing a sorrowful expression. A middle-aged man saw them and asked dejectedly:

"You don't seem to be part of a funeral procession. Are you friends of Fusheng?"

"Yes!" Meng Xiaoshi nodded sadly without changing her expression, "Uncle, Fusheng and I have known each other for many years."

Zhang Wentao was stunned. Many years?

He didn't dwell on it or concern himself with the loophole. His heart sank, and he sighed softly, staring blankly at the coffin being carried.

Warriors must fight, and to fight is to lose.

He had foreseen this scene when his son insisted on learning martial arts regardless of the consequences.

I never expected my son to improve so quickly, and I certainly didn't expect this day to come so soon.

"Uncle, please accept my condolences." Meng Xiaoshi glanced discreetly at the cultists in the distance and spoke softly to the middle-aged man:

"Fusheng is dead, but his soul lives on; perhaps it is there, never having gone far."

Zhang Wentao's lips trembled, but he said nothing.

The mysterious creature standing on the divine chariot rubbed its nose, then suddenly had a whim.

Who's talking about themselves?

He didn't think much of it—mainly because he didn't have time to think about it.

Zhang Fusheng gazed at the smiling Golden Armored Being before him. This was an Orthodox God, and there was no teleportation portal to block its path.

The pressure I put on myself was terrifying!

But then he smiled at himself, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and bowed.

Suppressing his discomfort at being so close to a deity, Zhang Fusheng calmly asked:

"I don't understand what you mean."

He glanced at the girl below, her bones shattered, narrowed his eyes slightly, and added:

"That's my goddaughter."

Golden Armored Being:?

Without hesitation, he cut open his palm, gently stroked it, and a massive amount of Divine True Blood poured down.

Moreover, they had all been processed and purified by him, and the divine essence contained within them was extremely gentle, perfectly permeating Ruan Yutu's body at this moment.

In a mere instant, Ruan Yutu had recovered, and this was only the beginning; the abundant divine essence was frantically nourishing her body.

Her body began to radiate dazzling divine light, as it was being refined into a [Flesh and Blood Divine Body].

In the bamboo forest, Su Qiansuan narrowed his eyes and whispered:

"What a grand gesture!"

Granting Flesh and Blood Divine Body to beings at the third or fourth level of the Divine Path is not difficult. For example, the God of Plague is actually a True Lord at the third level of the Divine Path.

However, for a Venerable of the First Realm of Divine Path, bestowing upon them Flesh and Blood Divine Body is an extremely costly endeavor.

After all, even a Venerable One is only just beginning to attain Becoming a God, and he himself has only recently acquired Flesh and Blood Divine Body.

"What does this golden-armored fellow want with Brother Zhang?"

Su Qiansuan murmured.

Meanwhile, in Golden City.

Many people peered out of their windows and quietly looked up at the sky, seeing a deity and a figure standing on the Great Sun Divine Chariot.

The deity, clad in golden armor, smiled warmly.

"Young friend, could you please introduce me to the Central Extreme Cult Master?"

Zhang Fusheng raised an eyebrow, holding his immortal bow, and stared at the Golden Armored Being:

"If there is anything, you can let me relay it; why go to see me in person?"

The Golden Armored Being pondered. This little fellow, with its bizarre methods capable of harming gods, seemed to hold a very high position in the hands of that Central Extreme Cult Master.

And it is highly likely that it is the so-called Ten Thousand Zang Ox Demon, who is also favored by a deity called the World Honored One.

After a while.

The Golden Armored Being understood the situation and said in a deep voice:

"I want to know whether the deities behind you intend to establish a new sect in the human realm?"

He emphasized the words "gods" very much, as if testing him.

Zhang Fusheng's mind raced with conflicting thoughts.

pondering the deeper meaning of the Golden Armored Being's words,

His expression remained unchanged, and he even answered quickly:

Yes, that's true.

The Golden Armored Being perked up and continued to press for answers:

"Then may I ask you, young friend—in this newly established sect, are there any vacant, unappointed positions of authority?"

Zhang Fusheng's heart skipped a beat:

"Have."

The Golden Armored Being paused, then took a deep breath in surprise:

"Perhaps what follows requires an explanation to the Central Extreme Cult Master."

Zhang Fusheng calmly said:

"I'm listening."

The Golden Armored Being didn't seem to care about his attitude and got straight to the point:

"If I were to push the Federation to classify the divine sect behind you as an 'orthodox religion'..."

"May I become a deity of the sect behind you, and sit in a celestial position?"

Zhang Fusheng understood.

Are they aiming for the highest position?

Above the six realms of humanity lies the realm of gods. In this realm, some gods sit in celestial positions, while others possess no celestial authority.

The difference between these two seems to be very, very large.

The "heavenly position" in this context actually signifies things like [authority] and [power].

Each celestial position involves one or more [rules].

However, if that's all,

This Golden Armored Being didn't seem to need to act this way—perhaps the celestial position was more important to the gods than they imagined.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Fusheng spoke:

"Let me ask the Central Extreme Cult Master."

He then closed his eyes, as if communicating with the deity he was worshipping.

After a while,

Zhang Fusheng raised his eyelids and spoke briefly:

"The revered deity has said that a heavenly position is possible, but He wants to see your sincerity—our religion does not need a god who comes for profit."

"After all."

Zhang Fusheng said in a low voice:

"Even Governor Su has not joined our sect."

The Golden Armored Being took a deep breath:

"Then let me put it another way: I can guarantee with 100% certainty that the sect behind you will become the orthodox religion of the Federation, how about that?"

Zhang Fusheng frowned slightly.

He really didn't know what orthodoxy meant; it was somewhat beyond his comprehension.

However, judging from the confident appearance of the Golden Armored Being, the benefits of orthodox religion seem to be enormous for a sect.

After much thought, Zhang Fusheng suddenly spoke in a low voice:

"The Golden Province has the backing of the gods who are behind me."

The Golden Armored Being's pupils contracted slightly, and it fell silent.

He understood what Zhang Fusheng meant.

After weighing the pros and cons for a long time.

The Golden Armored Being's eyes gleamed:

"Just how many deities reside within the sect behind you, young friend?"

Zhang Fusheng replied without hesitation:

"I can ask the All Gods for permission to see you—but not just you, but also Brother Su."

He needed to know from Su Qiansuan what the orthodox religion truly meant.

The Golden Armored Being's pupils contracted.

For a long time.

A divine light emanated from him, and he nodded firmly.

"But—where is Su Qiansuan now?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a golden road appeared from afar, guiding the Golden Armored Being and Zhang Fusheng away together.

The Golden City fell into a deathly silence. Inside the Governor's Mansion, Ruan Yutu still shone with dazzling light, while the other Grand Secretaries were all covered in sweat.

At the same time.

At the end of the golden avenue.

The Golden Armored Being and Zhang Fusheng strolled down.

We've arrived at the bamboo forest again.