Establishing a Divine Statue in Five Marshes

The little demon Ascending Life incredible speed and agility, carrying the book as it approached, but dared not look closely at the cover, appearing as if still shaken.

The four characters on the book cover possess a rhythmic quality; even Qiu Yan was momentarily captivated upon first glance at them, let alone a mere little demon.

Halfway there, the little demon was startled when the book suddenly flew out and landed in the original body's hand.

Qiu Yan obtained the book "New World Observations" from Yan Yongjie.

According to Yan Yongjie, the book originally belonged to a Daoist priest and recorded many anecdotes and stories, including battles between cultivators, which captivated him and led him to embark on the path of seeking immortality.

"The New World..."

Looking at the book in his hand, Qiu Yan's mind raced, while the deity himself murmured those two words.

The battle at Wuxin City allowed him to come into contact with Law Treasure and gain control of Stove Mountain, greatly increasing his strength. However, he also gained other benefits.

"The Ancient Seal Script and the longsword are often debated, and both reveal a lot of information. Although they are only fragments, combined with the information I have, I can still roughly deduce a lot of things. In addition, with Chen Yan's explanation, it is enough to draw a conclusion--"

"The structure of the world I live in may very well be layered! There may even be another world on this land."

After the Battle of Wuxin City, Chen Yan of the Demon-Slaying Way had a conversation with Qiu Yan. In recent days, the Ancient Seal Script and the longsword have inadvertently revealed a lot of information, allowing Qiu Yan's understanding of the world's structure to gradually take shape.

"If I'm not mistaken, the land where the Great Rui Dynasty is located is a Continent. And Tang Lai comes from the heavens."

The deity himself looked up at the sky.

"Deep in the sky, there is a powerful pressure that is difficult to overcome. I wonder if there are similar restrictions above. Regardless of the answer, let's assume that the world is divided into layers. In the eyes of the celestial beings or people from other Continent, this land I am on is a brand new world, and what happens on this land is New World Observations!"

Thinking of this, he looked down at his hand again. It was something he had sent with his Divine Sense after gaining some insight, ordering someone to retrieve it from Qingchang County.

"The scholar's avatar is not powerful enough to decipher the book's mysteries. Moreover, carrying such a thing could easily cause trouble if exposed. In comparison, it would be better to let the deity's true body take over."

Thinking of this, he had a sudden thought. His Divine Body separated a wisp of blue flame, which contained the power of Fourth Grade and could transform the properties of external objects.

The flames, upon touching the object, gradually turned blue, then transformed into light. They entered the Divine Body and hovered beside the Divine Pool, emanating a faint aura of People's Wishes.

However, in the perception of the deity himself, this People's Wishes was different from what he usually encountered. It carried a sense of envy and longing for immortality, a desire for carefree life and Transcendence.

"There is indeed something strange, but I must first arrange the matters at hand before I can focus on the Incense Faith analysis."

Thinking this, the deity first praised the little demon for its accomplishments, then talked with the other demons to understand the situation, and finally banished them.

The surroundings immediately fell silent.

"Should we return to the Netherworld first...? Hmm?"

He was pondering this when suddenly a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Hmm, in that land of Five Marshes, there actually stands a statue of me!"

Surprised, Qiu Yan's mind raced, and the divine being sent a wisp of Divine Sense through the Divine Office connection to transmit the message...

The Five Marshes Land, besides vast swampy forests and poisonous thickets, also features rolling mountains and deep, dense forests, where hundreds of Marshfolk tribes of varying sizes are scattered.

Historically, the Marshfolk frequently came into contact with the Central Plains court and were sometimes subordinate to it, but their relationship would change when the Barbarians became powerful.

In official history, the Marshfolk are described as "sometimes rebelling, sometimes allied, unpredictable and fickle."

However, the Marshfolk were also skilled warriors, adept at utilizing mountains, dense forests, and miasma, and successively repelled several attacks from the Central Plains dynasties. Some of their tribes even earned a reputation for their prowess.

The Saluo Tribe is one of them, and among the most powerful tribes, it is one of the top.

The location of the Saluo Tribe is very close to Jiannan Circuit. Every spring, they would go north to plunder and have some contact with Song Yuan of Wuxin City. The two sides can be considered to have a cooperative relationship.

A few days ago, Prince Geluolan, who went to Wuxin to propose marriage, returned in a sorry state. It is said that he encountered many things in the city and returned in a huff, which angered Chief De Ying, who even threatened to raise an army to retaliate, but Geluolan persuaded him to stop.

Since the young prince returned, his temperament has changed significantly. He often talks about the importance of education and has made many plans for the tribe in the past few days, establishing etiquette and regulations. In the last two days, he even said that he would invite a great god to bless the tribe with peace.

"My son, is this the Kitchen God you mentioned?"

Looking at the statue in front of him, De Ying, the chieftain of the Saluo Tribe, frowned and asked a question.

The statue was two zhang tall and stood in the center of the tribe. It depicted a person in a gray robe with hair as red as fire.

Geluolan replied, "Indeed, the Kitchen God Divine Ability incredibly powerful, capable of moving mountains and filling seas, and even protecting peace! He will surely make my Saluo Tribe even more prosperous!"

"I'm afraid this will anger the Marsh God." De Ying shook his head. His son seemed like a different person since he came back this time, showing great admiration for the people of the Central Plains, which made him somewhat worried.

However, after this, the tribe was indeed much more Order than before, and Geluolan even personally led people deep into the dense forest to find fruits that could be used to fill their stomachs, saying that he would try to cultivate them to improve the situation of food shortages and starvation during the dry season every year.

This made De Ying somewhat gratified, so although he didn't think much of the Kitchen God, he didn't reject the idea. After all, according to Geluolan, if it weren't for the Kitchen God's intervention, they would have been buried at the bottom of the mountain long ago during Wuxin's trip.

"After a while, when my son's enthusiasm for worshiping the gods has waned, we'll have someone take down this Kitchen God, so as not to anger the Marsh God."

Once the statue was erected, Geluolan led a few people in worship, solemnly offering sacrifices. The Marshfolk were short of resources, but it was the height of summer and the rainy season, so there was plenty of wild game in the forest, which allowed them to offer blood offerings.

After a while of busy work, the prayers were finally finished. At this point, De Ying called to Geluolan, and the father and son entered the council hall one after the other.

The name of the council hall was given by Geluolan, but although it was called a hall, it was actually a simple hut made of wood, drafty from all sides, and had to be covered with thick leaves to block the wind.

"Father called me, is there something you need?" Noticing that De Ying's expression was somewhat serious, Geluolan asked.

"Indeed, you've been busy with the rituals these past few days and may not know some things. A few days ago, the messenger from Biaoxin came to invite our Saluo Tribe to join forces with them to attack Yuanning Prefecture!"

"Attack Yuanning Prefecture?" Upon hearing this, Geluolan's mind went blank for a moment, as if some scriptures were flowing through his mind. He then shook his head repeatedly, saying, "No, no, we have an agreement with Song Yuan not to disturb the Two Offices under the jurisdiction of Wuxin Commandery."

"Foolish!" De Ying slammed his hand on the table. "You think everything will be fine just because we don't participate?"

"Hmm?" Although Qiu Yan had planted scriptures in Geluolan's heart and she was wholeheartedly devoted to his teachings, her mind was still sharp. She picked up on a clue from her father's words. "Could it be that something has happened in Yuanning Prefecture?"

"Indeed," De Ying nodded. "There seems to be something amiss in the capital of Yuanning Prefecture. The prefect has transferred garrison troops from several surrounding counties. The defenses of these cities are currently lax, making this the perfect opportunity! Besides, Biaoxin hasn't just invited us; everyone from several major tribes is included. If our tribe doesn't go, not only will we not gain anything, but we might also be isolated afterwards!"

"The garrison soldiers have been transferred? Are they planning to attack the city directly? These Biaoxin are incredibly audacious! If they anger the Central Plains court, it could very well bring disaster upon them!" Geluolan's eyes widened.

"Ha!" De Ying sneered. "Biaoxin is bolder than you think, but even bolder is his appetite. He wants to be the Swamp King, commanding all the tribes! He'll probably be even happier if we don't participate."

Geluolan's expression changed. "In that case, the people in that city..." He was speaking when suddenly a glint flashed in his eyes, and his entire aura changed abruptly. He continued, "Since that's the case, my Saluo Tribe cannot lag behind!"

"Hmm? Okay!" De Ying hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

The father and son continued their discussion, unaware that since the Kitchen God statue was erected, the Kitchen God's Domain of Law had extended outwards. Qiu Yan's Divine Sense had already spread over, taking in their conversation and even gathering the scriptures in Geluolan's heart, causing him to change his mind.

"Since an attack by the Marshfolk is unavoidable, we might as well plant a traitor among them to make things easier."

After spreading his Divine Sense throughout the entire tribe, Qiu Yan withdrew his attention. Then, the deity himself, residing on the Stove Mountain, gave the boy in green a few instructions before returning to the Netherworld.

Meanwhile, the scholar's clone, who was in the Zhang Residence, approached the Zhang Family patriarch and inquired about some matters.

"Oh? You've heard about it too, sir? The prefectural city did issue a conscription order, mobilizing soldiers from several counties. But the order wasn't given by the prefect, but by the military commander. I heard his staff suggested that there's something strange in the city, and that more soldiers should be brought over to use their yang Qi and Blood to counteract it. What? Is there something wrong?" Zhang Yunling noticed Qiu Yan's unusual expression.

"It's true." Hearing this, Qiu Yan nodded. "The advisor who made this suggestion does have some insight, but he doesn't understand military matters and doesn't realize the chain of changes this action will bring."

Just as he was about to say this, a servant came in from outside, holding an invitation card, and handed it to Qiu Yan.

Qiu Yan took it, glanced at it, and then his face showed surprise.

"Hmm? The Pan Household invites me over?" Qiu Yan was slightly surprised as he looked at the invitation. "This doesn't seem to fit the style of the Third Young Master Pan family." He still remembered the face of Pan Zhi, the third young master of the Pan Household, back then.

"It wasn't Pan Zhi who invited you," Zhang Yunling walked over, "Sir, you probably don't know, but the third young master of the Pan Household went mad over a month ago. The one in charge now is the second young master of the Pan family, Pan Xiang, who was transferred from the capital. Moreover, he is the newly appointed commander-in-chief, sent by the Emperor to appease and pacify the Marshfolk. He has the authority to mobilize the garrison troops of Yuan Ning, Rong Prefecture, and Ya Prefecture!" (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 "A Touch of Mockery" for the monthly vote!