Clouds and Mists Swirled; Upon Entering Fourth Grade, Kun Was Held Within the Chest

The ascension of a deity is not always earth-shattering. Sometimes, it is simply a matter of having everything in place, and the ascension will come naturally. Moreover, Qiu Yan's true form is located in the Netherworld, where he resides in his own Domain of Law. The Netherworld is vast and the divine Domain of Law is deep and unfathomable, so any movement would be difficult for others to detect.

However, Qiu Yan's advancement this time was indeed somewhat unusual. The most obvious point was that the Divine Power Stars in his Divine Body did not reach the peak of the Fifth Grade.

Fifth Grade deity can contain 9,999 stars. Although the number of stars within the deity's body is considerable, it clearly does not reach the peak of nearly 10,000.

"The stars are above, the Divine Pool is below, and the land extending around the Divine Pool is not an illusion, but a projection of a mortal sacrificial site formed by divine power, as if the heavens and earth were created. Thus, the divine being's body carries talismans, stars, pool water, and the earth, and can be called..."

"Divine Power Space!"

At this moment, the deity himself was still sitting cross-legged in that pavilion, but compared to before, his Divine Body contained an immense power, which he did not unleash, while he was comprehending the supernatural Divine Ability of Fourth Grade.

"A region that emerges as a projection within the Divine Power Space can then be used to Domain Derivation!"

With a thought, the Divine Body underwent an immediate change. Within the Divine Power Space, amidst the earth, cities, mountains, rivers, forests, and marshes shrouded in misty clouds, specks of light shone forth, and several divine statues began to take shape!

In fact, Qiu Yan's advancement to the Fourth Grade was thanks to the Marsh God. In the Marshfolk's territory, he experienced the vicissitudes of life by dividing his Marshfolk into hundreds of parts. Combining this with the Human Path of the Central Plains, the comparison led to a transformation in his understanding, thus expanding the Humanistic Fire Seed within the Core Talisman.

Upon returning to the Netherworld, after comprehending, brewing, and settling, he finally achieved the Fourth-Grade Netherblue, and even faintly glimpsed an even higher level!

"Fourth Grade deities. Their Domain Derivation Domain of Law statues or memorial tablets are placed, directly transforming People's Wishes into divine power and incense offerings into Divine Sense. Furthermore, the deity's physical form can create temporary Domain of Law anywhere. For example, the Gate God and the Prison God once created temporary Domain of Law in their Land of the Divine Remains, altering the properties of surrounding matter to align with their divine power, manipulating it at will..."

Jiannan Circuit had long been cut off from the transmission of incense offerings by Circuit City God Lü Liang's magic. Qiu Yan had previously relied on his scholar clone as a transit point, but now that he held Fourth Grade divine Divine Rank and his Domain Derivation, every statue and tablet could serve as an entrance to the Yin-Yang Road, thus breaking Lü Liang's plan.

As he pondered this, the deity himself stood up, and the hidden power emanating from his Divine Body erupted forth!

Rumble!

The attic instantly shifted, trembling and twisting!

Outside the attic, the courtyard swayed, the ground extended, and the courtyard walls expanded;

Outside the courtyard, in the area where the Domain of Law is located, the ground, mountains, and rivers are all trembling!

"What happened?"

"This is the place ruled by the gods. Why has this sudden change occurred?"

"This is clearly a sign of a major change!"

Many of the Believers' Souls, just like ordinary people in the Netherworld, possess Divine Body. Given the current chaos, they are bound to be panicked, and even Lu Jing's best efforts to calm them down are insufficient.

These folk spirits were relatively easy to deal with; it was the spirits of wild beasts in the mountains and waters that were truly troublesome and difficult to communicate with. Qin You and the other ghost servants racked their brains to barely maintain Order.

Sudden!

A powerful thought descended upon the souls of the believers, calming their panic and quelling their unrest.

With the comfort of the gods, the souls were finally at peace.

Soon, the tremors subsided, and everything returned to normal. The souls and ghosts resumed their lives, but they were unaware that the Netherworld Domain beneath their feet had expanded tenfold during the recent mountain tremors!

The mountain range and river, which stretch for over a hundred miles, meander and twist, resembling two True Dragon coiled on the ground, intertwined with each other, when viewed from afar.

Once the Netherworld was calm, the deity himself appeared and gave a few words of instruction to his ghost servants. When Qin You and the other ghosts saw the dark blue light emanating from the deity, they immediately became solemn and respectful, their eyes filled with even greater awe.

After giving a few instructions, the deity himself turned and returned to the pavilion.

This time, he sat down cross-legged, opened his mouth and spat out the Crimson Divine Sense. He grasped it in his hand, pinched it between two fingers, and the Divine Sense dissipated, turning into wisps of energy that he inhaled through his nose.

The next moment, the Incense Divine Pool in the Divine Power Space began to boil, and countless Dao Heart flew out, converging to analyze and classify the Crimson Divine Sense.

Before long, all the information contained in his Divine Sense was revealed, and the gains it brought surprised Qiu Yan, even delighted him. He clearly realized the value of several pieces of information.

This Crimson Divine Sense originated from the Fire Sovereign and was mainly divided into two parts. The first part was the information about the Divine Office contained within it, and the second part was the fragmented memories. After all, it was a part of the consciousness of a god, so it naturally carried some memories, although some were incomplete. However, one piece of information caught Qiu Yan's attention.

"It seems Lü Liang has ascended to heaven. No wonder my Domain Derivation in several cities of Jiannan Circuit haven't encountered much resistance these past few days; it turns out Lü Liang, our pillar of strength, is gone..."

Qiu Yan pondered for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly. His Domain Derivation over the past few days, extending his domain and appearing in various places, were certainly intended to strengthen the worship of the Kitchen God and enhance his influence, but they were also to clear the scholar's clone of suspicion. At the same time, it was a second test, and he had prepared a backup plan. He did not expect that Lü Liang would not react at all, and only now did he realize the reason.

"His choice to ascend to heaven at this time must be for some purpose, and I must prepare for the worst. However, this matter also highlights our lack of intelligence. The Kitchen God's duties are close to the people, and he can collect information from all the masses, which is an aid to the scholar's clone, but it does nothing to help the main body fight against the City God Underworld Office. Since that's the Divine Office..."

The deity rubbed his fingers together, and residual Divine Sense lingered between his two fingers, gradually forming an idea.

"Lü Liang and I are both racing against time. I have now entered the Fourth Grade, but I cannot underestimate others because of this. Lü Liang may still have trump cards he hasn't used. He is not in Jiannan right now, and with the experience left by Fire Sovereign, it will be at least a few months before he returns. During this time, the highest -Divine Rank deity in the entire City God Divine Office will be no more than the Fifth Grade. This is a good opportunity, but we still need to think carefully and plan properly. Before that, there is something we need to do first."

Upon realizing this, the divine power within the body stirred, completely shattering the Crimson Divine Sense, extracting the content related to fire control, and integrating it into the Core Talisman.

The next moment, a Fire Star flew out from the talisman, merging with the Incense Faith. Following the connection of the incense, it broke through the body, traversed distance and space, and landed in the statue in the Land of the Divine Remains.

The statue trembled slightly.

"If this continues, even if the Heavenly Gods take pity on us, the clan leader's health will collapse. I wonder if he can survive the winter!"

The people of the Lianxi Tribe watched those figures and whispered among themselves.

The tribal settlement has now been largely rebuilt. In the center of the settlement stands a statue, covered in cracks from which flames seep out and burn fiercely, as if they will never go out.

Before the statue of the deity, clan leader Shao Jing and twelve others knelt on the ground.

For the past ten days or so, regardless of wind or rain, these thirteen people have not moved an inch.

However, compared to the twelve people behind him, Shao Jing, who was in the lead, was extremely thin. He had lost a lot of weight, his strong flesh had withered, his face was ashen, and his eyes were bloodshot. This was caused by long-term lack of food and sleep.

The people of the Land of the Divine Remains are generally stronger than those outside, with superior physical strength and constitution. Shao Jing is one of the best among them, which is why he was elected as the clan leader.

However, even the strongest physique has its limits. After so many days, Shao Jing a single grain of rice and had long since lost his strength. Even his vitality had diminished considerably. If it weren't for the rain over the past few days, which had moistened his body and mind, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer.

Now, kneeling before the statue of the god, Shao Jing's body swayed from time to time, making the twelve people behind him feel sorry for him. They wanted to comfort him, but they didn't know how to speak.

The twelve of them looked equally pale, but much better than Shao Jing. Although they had been kneeling there, just like Shao Jing, they had been enduring it, but a few days ago they couldn't bear it any longer and ate continuously without leaving.

The tribespeople initially complained that Shao Jing had said something inappropriate that displeased the Heavenly Gods, but after seeing him kneeling motionless these past few days, they felt compassion and understood the key point: the chieftain had said those things for the sake of the tribe's continuation.

However, after this Shao Jing, Shao Jing's physical strength has been greatly reduced, and he is no longer the number one warrior in the tribe. People's hearts are fickle and unpredictable. Some people pity and understand him, while others will naturally have their own schemes.

In a corner not far from the statue, several burly men were gathered. The leader was a short but muscular boy who exuded a dangerous aura, like a leopard eyeing its prey, ready to pounce at any moment.

These people, too, were gazing at the thirteen figures before the statue, but most wore mocking expressions, some showing disdain.

One of Human Path, "Shao Jing is too greedy. He's not satisfied with being protected by the Heavenly Gods; he actually wants more. He's angered the Heavenly Gods, and he won't have a good outcome."

Immediately, someone echoed, "That's right. He always acts recklessly under the guise of ensuring the continuation of the tribe. This behavior must be stopped. In his current state, he probably no longer has the strength to lead the tribe."

Human Path else said, "In that case, we should suggest to the elders as soon as possible that a new clan leader be elected. After all, our Lianxi Tribe is expanding rapidly, and all the affiliated tribes are watching us. If the clan leader is weak and incompetent, trouble is bound to arise."

As they spoke, their gazes fell upon the young man.

This young man, named Huo Zhu, is the eldest son of the previous clan chief. He possesses Natural-born God and enjoys considerable prestige within the tribe. There have been calls for him to succeed as clan chief and lead Lianxi.

Seemingly sensing their gazes, Huo Zhu said calmly, "Let's see how Shao Jing handles this first. If he gains nothing and angers the Heavenly Gods, I'll bring him down. But if..."

He stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking, then his eyes widened, as did the others.

At the edge of their line of sight, the statue suddenly burst into a blinding light, and the fire raged, instantly engulfing Shao Jing and the others!