Enfeoffing Subordinate Deities

As the mountains expanded and rivers took shape, the Netherworld Domain began to fluctuate violently, shattering the divine power that Yin Xiao'e had used to conceal the Domain of Law, and the entire Netherworld Domain reappeared.

Upon seeing this, the wandering Wandering Soul that had been roaming around retreated and fled.

However, the mountain that appeared was completely different from before. The valley peaks had transformed into a mountain range, with a long river flowing alongside it. The pavilions and courtyards were still located in the valley, but now the valley had become the center of a mountain range.

The mountains and rivers stretched for over a hundred miles, accompanying the Domain of Law, which expanded rapidly.

"This..."

In the courtyard, Bai Wenpan, Huang Jue, and the two ghost servants felt the tremors beneath their feet and watched the expansion of the entire Domain of Law, and were immediately dumbfounded.

The deity ignored their surprise and pondered for a moment.

"The mountains and rivers stretch for over a hundred miles. By that calculation, the Domain of Law has indeed expanded considerably and should be sufficient to accommodate those souls."

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he flicked his sleeve, and a gust of wind arose from it, sending out countless souls that danced in the sky and landed on the mountains and riverbanks.

As soon as these souls landed, they each manifested their own forms; some were human, some were birds and beasts, and some were fish with scales and armor. There were no demons or monsters among them.

The Domain of Law is connected to the gods, and the true self immediately grasped the situation.

"Have those demons all become atheists after achieving success in their cultivation? Not one of them believes in or reveres the mountain god and the River Earl. That's right, when demons die, their souls are usually taken away by people, so how could they come to the Netherworld?"

As he changed his mind, the fallen souls had already taken action. The group of people were initially confused, but then they came to their senses and knelt down, bowing towards the pavilion and courtyard. The beasts and birds wandered aimlessly, while the fish and scaled creatures went directly into the water.

However, as the soul landed, pure Incense Thoughts arose on everyone, whether human or otherwise.

"Hmm? I didn't expect that the Believers' Souls in the Netherworld could provide some offerings. This is quite an unexpected gain."

Suppressing his thoughts, Qiu Yan used his Domain of Law to soothe the souls.

Those humanoid souls were mostly hunters killed by demons or drowned people. Devil Cultivator know how to devour souls, and with the passage of time and the impact of Yang Qi and Blood, only a few have survived to this day, only a thousand.

In contrast, there are far more birds, beasts, and fish. These wild creatures, Spirit Aperture and ignorant, with hearts as blank as a sheet of paper, are particularly strong when they develop a fear of ghosts and gods.

"This can be considered as getting back on track. However, the expansion of the Netherworld Domain must be gradual. If we use two Divine Rank to expand it rapidly now, we can only allow the Domain of Law to expand slowly in the future."

As Qiu Yan was pondering this, the deity himself suddenly noticed a unique soul outside the courtyard.

The spirit stood motionless outside the courtyard, its aura faintly connected to the Stove Fire inside.

"This person is not a believer of the Mountain God and the River Earl, but a believer of the Kitchen God. Strictly speaking, he is the first believer of mine to come to the Netherworld."

Having figured this out, the deity himself pondered for a moment before summoning the soul in and inquiring about it. Only then did he learn that this person was actually the owner of the famous teahouse, Fengyu Teahouse, in Yuanning City. He had been crushed to death when the teahouse collapsed during a fierce battle.

"You said that in Yuanning City, Daoist priests and demons fought in broad daylight for more than an hour, affecting almost half of the city?"

Hearing Lu Jing's words, Qiu Yan became puzzled.

"Yuanning City's Divine Path is well-maintained. Even if Divine Ability individuals were to fight, it would only last a short time, like what happened to me back then. If it goes on for too long, a deity would intervene... By the way! The Metropolitan City God was suddenly taken to the Heavenly Court, and that Circuit City God Lü Liang, is focused on rebuilding his cultivation and has no time for anything else. It's not impossible that Yuanning City has fallen into a void in its Divine Path as a result..."

Thinking of this, Qiu Yan couldn't help but feel a little worried. Yuanning City was the seat of Yuanning Prefecture, the place where the scholar's clone was registered, and also the hometown of Liu Huai and others, involving this kinship and Karma.

"However, now that we've fallen out of favor with the Circuit City God, if I were to leave the Nine Spirits Mountain area and venture deep into Jiannan Circuit, I would immediately be attacked. Even if Lü Liang's Divine Rank is unstable, he still possesses at least the abilities of Fourth Grade and can mobilize the People's Wishes. Only by accumulating sufficient strength can we resist him. In that case..."

As he pondered, he gradually came up with an idea. After exchanging a few more words with Lu Jing, he separated a portion of his divine power and merged it into Lu Jing's body.

"You've been to school and run a teahouse, so you're skilled in management and coordination. Why don't you become the leader of these souls in the Netherworld and guide them in building their homeland?"

Lu Jing was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly expressed his loyalty. "I will certainly not fail the deity's trust!" Then, he tactfully withdrew from the courtyard to make arrangements and organize things.

Watching Lu Jing retreat, the deity's gaze swept over Bai Wenpan and Huang Jue, and he said, "You two have been with me for some time now, and I know your intentions well. Now that I am about to establish the Divine Office, I wonder if you two would be willing to lend me a hand?"

Hearing this, Huang Jue was still a little confused, but Bai Wenpan was overjoyed and stepped forward happily, repeatedly agreeing.

"All the hard work has finally paid off!"

Huang Jue also realized what was happening and stepped forward.

"I govern the Nine Spirits, which have nine branches. Five of them are small hills, with the gods Seventh Grade, and four are great mountains, with the gods being of the Sixth Grade. You two are colleagues with me, so you cannot accept this position. You will both become Sixth Grade mountain gods."

As soon as he finished speaking, the deity spread his five fingers, and a seal flew out from his hand. On the back of the seal, mountains and rivers intertwined, manifesting two illusory talismans that exuded a Divine Path aura.

These two talismans are not Divine Spirit Talisman, but rather two projections of talismans derived from the position of the Great Mountain God. They possess the same power as Divine Spirit Talisman and can be used to confer titles upon Subordinate Deity.

Subordinate Deity Orthodox God, these deities are not granted titles by the Heavenly Court. Their Divine Body contain projections of talismans, thus they can be subject to the life-and-death power of higher-ranking deities.

This is different from the fish demon who was stripped of his Divine Rank. The fish demon's Divine Rank was of illegitimate origin, and Qiu Yan stripped him of it by virtue of his divine Divine Office, making it difficult for him to resist.

The talismans spun and landed on Huang Jue and Bai Wenpan respectively.

"Huang Jue is hereby conferred the title of Mountain God of Panluo Mountain, with the rank of Sixth Grade."

"Bai Shi is hereby appointed as the Mountain God of Lixiu Mountain, holding the Sixth Grade."

"Your subordinate thanks you for your kindness, sir!"

As soon as the talisman's projection landed on them, the two deities immediately bowed in respect. Bai Shi Bai Wenpan already possessed the power of Sixth Grade, and after being conferred the title, he gained control of a mountain 'Domain of Law. His aura immediately surged, becoming exceptionally majestic.

Huang Jue Divine Rank and was stripped of his original form, but he absorbed pure thoughts at the entrance of the ruins and reconstructed his Divine Body. He was only at the Seventh Grade, but now that he had been sealed, he immediately recovered to the Sixth Grade. The aura of dejection and weakness on his body was swept away, and his face was beaming with joy.

"Having received the title bestowed upon me by Your Excellency, I, Huang Jue, have returned to the Sixth Grade and am now in charge of a mountain. In the future, I will be able to bring my clan's descendants to the mountain and protect them!" Huang Jue couldn't contain his joy as he expressed his gratitude.

The deity himself laughed and said, "You will receive even more benefits in the future."

"Huang Jue is truly lucky. A supernatural being who has become a spirit, and because of his connection with Lord Min Yuan, he not only returned to the Sixth Grade, but judging by his appearance, his future looks very promising. Truly, a foolish god with foolish good fortune..."

Bai Wenpan thought to himself with a hint of envy, but then, sensing his own Domain of Law, his expression changed slightly. He stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the Great Mountain God, there is a small sect on Lixiu Mountain. I wonder what should be done with it?"

The deity himself simply said, "Now that you have become the Lixiu Mountain, I will not interfere with how you are dealt with."

"Yes, then I will observe the situation first," Bai Wenpan said, respectfully taking a step back.

Then, the deity himself said, "Now that you have Divine Rank and temples and shrines on the mountain, you no longer need to hide in the Netherworld. I will now send you two back to the Mortal World."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Yan's thoughts shifted, and the Stove Fire in the courtyard roared and surged, opening a door. Upon seeing this, the two deities bowed to each other, then flew into the fire and disappeared without a trace.

This scene filled the two ghost servants with envy.

After seeing the two gods off, the true deity looked at Qin You and his two ghost servants. "You don't need to be envious. Without rewards and punishments, even Sage cannot govern. With the two gods gone, the Order of this Netherworld Domain still needs someone to maintain it. You were both capable people in your previous lives, so why not give it a try? If you do well, why should I begrudge you a Divine Rank?"

Upon hearing this, the two ghost servants perked up and quickly expressed their gratitude.

The deity nodded, then turned and went into the building. With a flick of his sleeve, the Li Trigram flew out.

"My comprehension was interrupted by the events in Wuxin City. Now that everything has come to a close, it's time to continue my research and integrate the divination into the rituals as soon as possible. By the way, I wonder what those Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription are up to now."

As he pondered this, the deity himself sat down cross-legged.

Five days later, at the gate of Wuxin City.

Qiu Yan, carrying a package, was saying goodbye to everyone who came to see him off.

"Brother Qiu, are you leaving so soon?"

The person speaking to Qiu Yan was Luo Jiayun, a good friend he had made at the post station.

"Yes, something came up at home," Qiu Yan replied.

Luo Jiayun shook his head and said, "After today's parting, I don't know when we will meet again."

Qiu Yan laughed and said, "Brother Luo, you're also going to take the Imperial Examinations. Then we can discuss books and philosophy again."

"It's not that easy. After more than ten years of hard study, I really have to give it my all. The Autumn Examination are approaching, and in a few days, I'll have to go home to prepare." Luo Jiayun said, stepping aside.

Behind him, three people emerged: Liu Hong and Yang Huang, who were helping a pale-faced man walk over.

"Brother Qiu, you left in such a hurry, we brothers didn't even have a chance to thank you." Liu Hong's face was full of regret.

Yang Huang added, "That's right. We were planning to host a banquet after Zhang Qi recovered, but Brother Qiu's sudden departure caught us off guard."

As soon as the two finished speaking, the man they were supporting struggled forward and laboriously clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

This man was the soldier who had been ambushed by the Marshfolk that day. He had only recently been able to get out of bed and walk, but he was still weak. However, upon hearing the news that Qiu Yan was leaving, he insisted on coming over to thank him in person.

"Thank you so much, Brother Qiu, for saving my life. I heard about what happened that day. If it weren't for your help and your words that forced the Marshfolk Prince to leave, I'm afraid I would have lost my life."

As Zhang Qi spoke, he was about to kneel down. The life-saving grace was a great favor, and Qiu Yan had left in such a hurry that he hadn't had time to express his gratitude. He felt somewhat guilty, and with this emotion rising, he was about to perform a deep bow.

The Great Rui ruled the world with filial piety, and revered Heaven and Earth. He would not kneel unless it was for a great favor. Even the officials in the court did not need to kneel to the emperor except during sacrificial rites.

"Brother Zhang, you flatter me." Qiu Yan quickly stepped forward and helped him up. His cultivation of Fate Dao was far superior to that of the others. Zhang Qi was ill, so how could he have broken free? He was pulled up.

Behind him, Fang Ziyan glanced disdainfully at the soldiers, flicked his sleeves, and led the scholars forward. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m. qidian. com to read.)

P. S.: Thanks to "Riding a Horse to Fight" for the monthly vote!

Thank you to "Blasphemer of the Clouds" for the donation!