Gods Everywhere

Ta-da!

While Chen Jing and the others were still in surprise, Qiu Yan and his two companions had already left Jiannan Circuit and arrived at Xiongwu City.

Xiongwu City is not under the jurisdiction of any single region, but rather under the command of the Xiongwu Commandery Governor. On both sides of the city gate stand several soldiers with upright military bearing, looking at the passersby with arrogant expressions.

Hu Qi looked at the soldiers, then turned his horse around and whispered to Qiu Yan, "Young master, Xiongwu City is the garrison of the Xiongwu Commandery. The Xiongwu Commandery is exceptionally arrogant. Because the military town is located at the intersection of two routes, any trouble will attract a large number of soldiers. Be careful when you act in the city."

Qiu Yan nodded and replied, "I know your concerns. Don't worry, we are just passing through. We will stay in the city for one night and set off for Shannan Circuit tomorrow." He knew that Hu Qi was subtly advising him not to cause trouble.

Along the way, wherever they went, Qiu Yan would always get involved in any troublesome matters, which made people like Hu Qi and Dai Guo, who were used to traveling the martial arts world, feel a little uncomfortable.

Upon hearing Qiu Yan's reply, Hu Qi said somewhat embarrassedly, "Young Master, that's not what I meant. You've been helping those in distress and doing good deeds all along the way, but many people in the world are foolish and don't understand, often failing to recognize a kind heart."

"They are not foolish, they are just deceived," Qiu Yan shook his head. "People in the world dare not blame the gods, but the Essentials take their anger out on people."

"What you say makes sense, young master," Dai Guo said, spurring his horse to catch up. "Those bastards are ungrateful now, but what you've done will eventually spread, and sooner or later everyone will praise you. Although I'm illiterate, I know that the things you've made are of great value!"

He and Hu Qi had only joined Qiu Yan's ranks to avoid trouble and because they had no other choice due to the circumstances. However, now that Qiu Yan had gone north and witnessed his actions, they were gradually won over and truly submitted to him.

Qiu Yan smiled and said, "Alright, no need for further words. Let's enter the city first."

The three dismounted and passed through the gate. The guards checked Qiu Yan's document and let them pass. According to the Great Rui Code, ordinary people who wanted to cross the border had to show a travel permit. However, Xiucai and those who had achieved official rank did not need a travel permit; they could travel anywhere as long as they had documents proving their identity.

As Qiu Yan passed by the gate, he deliberately observed several soldiers and compared them in his mind to the soldiers and officers of Wuxin City. He noticed the differences between them.

The soldiers of Wuxin City, in terms of military appearance alone, are not as spirited as the soldiers of Xiongwu Commandery, but they have a more Sha Qi, which is probably due to their experience in fighting enemies on the frontier.

"These inland military towns haven't seen Sand Battlefield for a long time, so in terms of combat strength alone, they should be inferior to the border garrisons. However, the Xiongwu Commandery's military bearing is superior, which means their training methods are better. Also, their armor and weapons are clearly better than those of the Wuxin Commandery."

Qiu Yan achieved the top score in the Imperial Examinations, which means he has made some progress in his studies, but he still has shortcomings. The art of Military School is one of them. He did not pay special attention to it in his previous life, and his identity in this life makes it difficult for him to access it. Therefore, he must pay extra attention to it in order to make up for his shortcomings.

Soon, the three of them found an inn to settle down.

Upon entering the room, Qiu Yan placed his longsword on the table and put down his luggage.

As soon as the bag moved, the Ginseng Baby crawled out and lay motionless on the table.

Qiu Yan glanced at it, said nothing, then opened the package, took out a piece of white cloth, and spread it out on the table.

There was a row of eight seal characters on the cloth, which read "Heavenly Fire is called disaster, Human Fire is called fire", but there was no movement on it, as if it were just eight ordinary Ancient Seal Script.

Looking at the longsword and Ancient Seal Script on the table, Qiu Yan remained silent.

That day, Qiu Yan lost control of his hand seals. His longsword and Ancient Seal Script assisted in guiding him, and since then, he has been silent, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

"These two creatures, though they call themselves demons, have already transcended the realm of demons. I can't even detect their presence. Because they are by my side, there is a slight connection through Karma and Fortune, which is why I can barely sense them. This period of slumber is not very dangerous. When the time is right, they will awaken."

Thinking this, he folded the cloth containing the Ancient Seal Script again, put it back in the bundle, and then flicked his fingers.

On a level invisible to ordinary people, wisps of Crimson Divine Sense seeped out from his hands.

This Divine Sense was filled with a burning, pulsating intensity, unruly like a flame, yet it was bound by the doctrinal intent, unable to break free, as if it had been tamed.

"The Divine Office of the Fire Sovereign is indeed limited to a small area; once it leaves the Jiannan Circuit, it becomes difficult to intervene."

A few days ago, Qiu Yan was making a blower in Star Platform Town, which alerted the Fire Sovereign who controls flames, and he clashed with him in the world of consciousness.

In the end, Qiu Yan transformed the chapter of Yasheng into the word "people", shattering the world of consciousness, so that the spiritual thoughts had no time to escape, broke off from the original body, and stayed in his heart.

Afterwards, this Divine Sense repeatedly tried to escape, but it never succeeded. Instead, Qiu Yan captured it with the bookshelf of scriptures and restrained it with the principles of scriptures, which is why it is in its current form.

However, since this was ultimately a fragment of divine will, the deity would naturally be aware of it after it was severed. But for a deity like Fire Sovereign, who had been in power for decades or even centuries, the rituals and responses had long been established. The reason he reacted to Qiu Yan that day was only because he used a portion of his Incense Faith. After the fragmentation, he was also deceived by Qiu Yan for a moment. By the time he came to his senses, Qiu Yan and the others had already left the Star Platform.

However, whenever Qiu Yan and his companions encountered anything related to fire along the way, they would often run into accidents, such as sudden fires or people getting angry for no reason while they were talking to each other, which caused them some trouble.

Qiu Yan knew that these things were caused by Fire Sovereign, but the other party did not actually descend, but only performed the ritual from a distance. This prevented Qiu Yan from carrying out some of his preparations, but it also reduced the risk. As long as they were careful and stayed away from Fire Warden Tablet and statue, and with the protection Fortune the Dragon Court's fortune, they would ultimately be fine.

After the three left Jiannan Circuit Realm, none of the unexpected events occurred.

Xiongwu City, located between Jiannan and Shannan Circuits, does not belong to either circuit but is independent. The Xiongwu Commandery Governor has more power to control the military and political affairs of the two cities.

"The God of Fire Sovereign, who was deified by the People's Wishes, should not be subject to geographical restrictions. However, as soon as I left Jiannan Circuit, he became silent, indicating that his Divine Office were insufficient to intervene. He interfered with me along the way using minor spells, without ever appearing in his true form. I wonder if this is due to restrictions from the Underworld Office Heavenly Court, or because he is concerned about his Fortune, or perhaps both..."

Before Qiu Yan made the blower, he had already anticipated that it would provoke Fire Sovereign. As a god, he knew the bottom line for gods. However, this step had to be taken eventually. Rather than having his main body take action, he decided to have the scholar's clone test the waters.

When the main body makes a move, it involves a conflict between two gods, which could very likely escalate the battle. But the clone is different. It is just a mortal. If something happens, it can be excused as unintentional. In addition, it has fame and is protected by the Dragon Court's Fortune.

Now that we're outside the Jiannan Circuit, it's difficult for them to interfere across borders. From now on, everything will be smooth sailing. After passing the imperial Imperial Examinations and being officially granted an official position, I'll have the air of Official Qi and won't have to worry about not being able to return to Jiannan.

"My main body has a grudge against Lü Liang, and my clone is not involved. However, this test of the Fire Sovereign is a way of getting involved from another angle. In fact, the Fire Sovereign should be a god under Lü Liang's command. In this way, whether it is my main body or my clone, we will have a target to explore the mysteries of the Divine Path in the future. We can try to choose the Jiannan Dao as much as possible and start from all aspects to avoid making more powerful enemies. Anyway, it's better to have more debts than more debts."

Based on the conclusions drawn from the trial, Qiu Yan set the tone for the future: to be both cautious and bold; rather than making enemies everywhere, it would be better to focus on one thing.

"Speaking of which, on this journey north, we encountered gods in the Lin Zhong, gods in the wilderness, and even gods in the villages and towns. Just as Hu Qi said, gods are everywhere. In comparison, the border region of Jiannan Circuit is the most lenient. It is still most suitable to choose that place as my infiltration point, but I cannot confine myself..."

As he pondered, his gaze fell upon his fingertips.

Crimson Divine Sense coiled around it.

A thought flashed through Qiu Yan's mind, and he knew the time had come.

"This Divine Sense has been restrained by me using scriptures. Although it cannot be called refined, it has been completely isolated from Fire Sovereign's main body after leaving Jiannan Circuit. It can be transmitted to my true self for analysis."

The scholar's avatar, in terms of rank alone, is no match for a deity and cannot analyze Divine Sense. However, this Divine Sense contains information about a deity, and rashly transmitting it could potentially leave hidden dangers. In the past few days, Qiu Yan has not been idle, constantly suppressing and taming it to prevent future troubles, and now he has achieved his goal.

Having made up his mind, he didn't waste any more words. He flicked his fingers, and the Divine Sense flew up, entering his heart through his eyes, and then turning around to enter the Soul Aperture.

Qiu Yan's attention then shifted along with this Divine Sense, but along the way, the Soul Aperture trembled slightly, causing him to pause in surprise.

"Hmm? That's the reaction from the Heart Demon Clone. It seems to be drawn by this Divine Sense, moving slightly..."

After the Heart Demon Clone entered the dark world, it was like a drop of water merging into a river, difficult to control. Now, it was affected by Divine Sense and changed slightly, but it was still unable to break through the obstacles to return. However, it gave Qiu Yan a little inspiration.

"However, now is not the time for research. We need to put this Divine Sense into practice first. Also, we need to take care of things at the Lianxi Tribe."

As this thought arose, Crimson Divine Sense flew out from the Subordinate Deity's true form.

This Divine Sense traveled upwards, breaking through the pool of water formed by Incense Faith, and entered the body of the original being.

Above are twinkling stars, below is a rolling pool of water, and all around is shrouded in mist.

Looking down from above, a vast expanse of land, shrouded in mist, stretches out around the Divine Pool, with cities and towns, as well as dense forests and swamps.

The outline of Jiannan Circuit can be roughly seen, divided into several cities. Yuanning Prefecture and Wuxin City are the clearest, while most others are blurry. The outermost part is a forest and a swamp.

Amidst the drifting clouds and mist, the stars seemed to shimmer and change color, gradually transforming from emerald to deep blue.

The stars swirled, and in the center of that Stellar Vortex, flames originating from the World-Troubling Copper Furnace in the courtyard burned, enveloping the Core Talisman within the flames.

This talisman is entirely a deep blue!

Fourth Grade!

The deity himself has already reached the Fourth Grade of Divine Rank!