Earth Temple

The main body of Ludong County City was divided into nine wards and four markets. Jin Guan Ward, located in the center, was where the various county offices and official residences were chiefly situated.

Among them were the two important sites, the Heavenly Altar and the Earth Temple.

And the entrance to the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm was within the Earth Temple.

Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, Tai'an Year 186, eighth day of the eighth month. The weather was clear.

On this day, Minor Zhongzheng Guo Zhenren summoned the cultivators from each family participating in the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm gathering to assemble before the Earth Temple.

They would offer sacrifices and open the temple, open the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm, and conduct the evaluation of the great clans.

There were a total of seven families participating in Ludong County's Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm clan assessment this time.

Standing at the very front was the Seventh-Rank County Magnate, the Black Thorn Lin Family. The Lin Family excelled at spirit planting arts; nearly eighty percent or more of Ludong County's Spirit Rice, spirit plants, and the like were produced by the Lin Family.

The family head, Lin Changdao, held the post of Ludong County's seventh-rank county magistrate, but this time he had not come. Those who came from the Lin Family were two Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivators, one Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator, and twenty Qi Refining cultivators.

Behind the Black Thorn Lin Family was the Eighth-Rank County Magnate, the Medicine Dust Zhang Family. The Zhang Family was highly skilled in planting spirit herbs and refining pills, and had practically monopolized Ludong County's pill business.

In particular, the Zhang Family's unique Medicine Dust Pill, when taken together with other spirit pills, could lower the pill toxins within medicinal pills to a certain extent and speed up the rate and efficiency of refining spirit pills. It was quite popular.

The Zhang Family head, Zhang Junxiang, held the post of Ludong County's Principal Eighth Rank county deputy. This time, he personally led the team, followed by two Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators and twenty Qi Refining cultivators.

Behind the Zhang Family should originally have been the position of the Hundred Beasts Sun Family, but now the Sun Family had already been destroyed. Occupying that place now was the Ninth-Rank County Magnate, the Diamond Sand Shi Family.

The Shi Family excelled at refining all kinds of spirit sands, which could not only be used to refine various magic tools and spirit tools, but were also used in large quantities for various spirit buildings.

Spirit architects were also a rather popular profession in the cultivation world.

They could construct all kinds of spirit buildings, combining them with the surrounding environment, connecting with spirit veins and nature itself, to achieve all manner of effects such as gathering spirit energy, creating illusions, and defense.

The Shi Family clan head, Shi Shaofeng, held the post of Ludong County's ninth-rank patrol inspector. At this moment, he was also the one leading the team, followed by two Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators and fifteen Qi Refining cultivators.

Behind the Shi Family was the Ninth-Rank County Magnate, the Cloud Water Lu Family. The family head, Lu Shiming, likewise held the post of ninth-rank patrol inspector, but what he was mainly responsible for was river patrol inspection.

Yang Province was known as a land of water. The second-largest river of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, the Yangtze River, passed through the province, splitting into countless tributaries. A web of waterways spread throughout the commanderies of Yang Province.

Ludong County was likewise densely covered in waterways, with more than a dozen rivers, large and small, and seven or eight lakes.

River patrol inspectors were mainly responsible for inspecting these rivers and lakes.

With this convenience, and because the Lu Family cultivated water-element techniques, they had always been in the water transport business. Their routes reached in all directions, and business was quite thriving.

The one leading the Lu Family's team this time was precisely the family head, Lu Shiming, followed by two Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators and fifteen Qi Refining cultivators.

After the Lu Family came the Ninth-Rank County Magnate, the Spirit Leaf Talisman Ye Family. The Ye Family head, Ye Junzhi, held the post of Ludong County's ninth-rank registrar.

The Ye Family truly passed down their family through talismans. Their talisman arts were far beyond what the Liang Family could compare to, and they had practically monopolized the low-grade talisman business across the whole of Luyang Commandery.

The Five Talisman Hall opened by the Liang Family merely picked up some leftover soup and water from the Ye Family, mainly doing business among the Humble Gate. The main body of the Ye Family's business, however, consisted of the great clan families within the commandery and counties.

Every year, more than half of the Spirit Mulberry leaves in the Liang Family's Mulberry Forest would be purchased by the Ye Family. The Ye Family possessed a special method, using all kinds of spirit leaves to produce their unique Spirit Leaf Talisman Paper.

This kind of Spirit Leaf Talisman Paper could even, to a certain extent, raise the success rate of talisman crafting, as well as the power of the talismans.

Therefore, the Spirit Leaf Talisman Paper produced by the Spirit Leaf Talisman Ye Family could even be sold throughout several provinces.

Every time the Cloud Ship of the Changfeng Liu Family landed outside Yang Province City, merchants would purchase large quantities of Yang Province's local specialties and transport them to other provinces for sale.

And the Ye Family's Spirit Leaf Talisman Paper was one of the specialties those merchants purchased.

They did not buy talismans, only talisman paper, transporting it to other provinces to sell to those talisman masters. It was said to be quite popular.

The one leading the Ye Family's team was also the family head, Ye Junzhi, followed by two Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators and fifteen Qi Refining cultivators.

The Black Thorn Lin Family, the Medicine Dust Zhang Family, the Hundred Beasts Sun Family, the Diamond Sand Shi Family, the Cloud Water Lu Family, the Spirit Leaf Talisman Ye Family.

These were the original six county magnate clans of Ludong County. They controlled more than half of Ludong County's resources and authority, had dominated Ludong County for several hundred years, and their positions were unshakable.

Until this time, when the Hundred Beasts Sun Family was destroyed at the hands of the Commoner's Alliance, leaving only five of the six county magnates.

After these five county magnates were the Liang Family and Wang Family, newly joining this time and hoping to be promoted to ninth-rank county magnate clans.

The Little Wang Village Wang Family's leader this time was precisely Wang Chengen, whom they had met before. He was at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, and behind him followed ten Qi Refining cultivators.

On the Liang Family's side, the leader was naturally Liang Zhaohuang. Behind him likewise followed ten people, all clan juniors at the late stage of Qi Refining. Among them were five from the third-generation Zhao character generation, and five from the fourth-generation Rui character generation.

At this moment, the doors of the Earth Temple stood wide open. Liang Zhaohuang could see that in the center of the Earth Temple stood a great cauldron.

Minor Zhongzheng Guo Zhenren led everyone in setting out an incense table before the Earth Temple, burning incense and offering worship to Heaven and Earth. Then he took out a memorial, stamped it with his official seal, bowed in sacrifice, and burned it. Wisps of blue smoke rose and sank into the void.

It was said that this memorial could reach the Heavenly Capital directly and be presented to the Holy Sovereign. The opening of the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm required the consent of the current Holy Sovereign; only with the power of the Immortal Dynasty and Human Way Destiny could it be opened.

Everyone waited solemnly before the Earth Temple for about half an hour. Suddenly, the great cauldron standing within the Earth Temple began to tremble slightly, and resplendent light shone out from within the cauldron, falling upon the doors of the Earth Temple.

At once, the doors of the Earth Temple began to undergo a profound transformation. Spiritual light gathered, multicolored radiance shone, and gradually they turned into a gate of light, leading to who knew where.

"Many thanks, Holy Sovereign!"

Minor Zhongzheng Guo Zhenren was the first to bow and give thanks. Liang Zhaohuang and the others followed close behind and bowed in thanks.

"Very well." After giving thanks, Guo Zhenren turned to look at everyone and said, "The doors to the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm have already opened. For this evaluation, ninth-rank county magnate clans must hand over twenty second-rank low-grade Spirit Source Ores and two thousand first-rank high-grade Spirit Source Ores; eighth-rank county magnate clans must hand over twenty second-rank middle-grade Spirit Source Ores and five thousand first-rank high-grade Spirit Source Ores; seventh-rank county magnate clans must hand over twenty second-rank high-grade Spirit Source Ores and ten thousand first-rank high-grade Spirit Source Ores."

"Other than that, whatever each family gains within the secret realm shall belong to that family."

"The secret realm will remain open for one month this time. If there are no questions, then enter the secret realm."

As Guo Zhenren spoke, he looked at everyone. No one raised any objections, so he stepped aside, clearing the Earth Temple doors and the entrance into the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm.

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