Divine Name as Foundation, Talismans Divided in Two

"Even gods would be implicated? I wonder to what extent."

Watching the City God depart, the god's true self fell into contemplation.

"The Upper Spirit Sect is a branch of Daoism, yet its influence is not confined to Daoist sects. It can even affect the local deities of the Divine Path. The City God's visit this time was less a warning than an advance notice. She seemed certain something would happen. Yet she told me to carefully experience the changes in Divine Power. Could it be..."

With that thought, his mind shifted, and his attention turned inward.

"Over the past few days, I have continuously investigated. Aside from sensing changes in the nature of Divine Power, I have also noticed the expansion of my Divine Office. Strictly speaking, my current Divine Name should be Yuanning City God Registrar. Stove Fire is merely one Divine Office."

Qiu Yan's consciousness sank into the Core Talisman, and streams of information surfaced in his mind—

Divine Name: Yuanning City God Registrar and Mingyuan Mountain God.

Grade: Sixth Grade.

Divine Office: Record the good and evil of living beings within the city; review the register of local deities; convey the orders of the Yuanning Metropolitan City God; inspect the City God's incense offerings; govern the lighting of fires and cooking, ensuring peace with every meal; govern the Withering and Flourishing of Mingyuan Mountain; communicate with the Yin-Yang of Mingyuan Mountain.

"No wonder Bai Wenpan was displeased. Nearly all the Divine Offices I now govern overlap with his, with Stove Fire added on top. The position of Registrar is an aide to the City God; its Divine Offices can only function by relying on the City God. Once separated from the City God, it can accomplish nothing. But with the City God at its back, it still holds considerable influence throughout the entire Divine Office. However..."

His consciousness traveled through the specks of Divine Power Stars, reaching the Core Talisman.

"A Divine Name often reveals the fundamental Divine Offices of a god. My current Divine Name contains two parts: Registrar and Mountain God. Yet the Core Talisman within my Divine Body still retains its Original Edition appearance. The new Divine Offices are not reflected within it."

Having been trapped in the mountain temple for nearly eighty years, Qiu Yan had long since examined every inch of his talisman inside and out. Though some parts remained unclear, he already knew its structure by heart.

Now that he had joined the City God Divine Office and gained further contact with the Divine Path World, he had spent the past several days residing in the City God Temple, gathering incense offerings. His understanding of Divine Power had gradually deepened. He had also obtained the Upper Spirit Sect's Curse Compendium, bringing his knowledge of talisman structure to a new stage.

"The Core Talisman is divided into two parts: the central Divine Script and the peripheral Law Script. Together, Divine Script and Law Script form the talisman."

As Qiu Yan's consciousness drew near, the Core Talisman rapidly expanded within his perception. The talisman glowed with a lustrous blue light. Its center contained countless strokes and lines, intricate and slightly darker in color; the edges had fewer lines, weaving together into several strange patterns, their glow somewhat fainter.

"The central Divine Script represents the Divine Name and Divine Rank, while the peripheral Law Script displays the Divine Offices and Divine Abilities. In my Core Talisman, the central Divine Script signifies Mingyuan Mountain, while the peripheral Law Script signifies the two Divine Offices of Withering and Flourishing and communicating with Yin-Yang. But they are limited to the bounds of Mingyuan Mountain. In other words..."

"The Divine Name Yuanning City God Registrar, along with the Divine Offices it represents, has not been recorded in my Core Talisman. Then why has my Divine Rank risen? Where exactly have this bestowed Divine Name and Divine Offices been placed within my Divine Body?"

"Unless I get to the bottom of this, it will be difficult to uncover the mysteries of the Divine Path. No matter how high my Divine Rank rises in the future, I will never feel secure."

With that thought, the god's true self gradually closed his eyes. An indescribable ripple spread across his body. The power of People's Wishes and incense offerings gathering from all around was swiftly drawn in, passing through his body and being absorbed by the Core Talisman. As the talisman rotated, it was transformed into Divine Power, then released to merge with the surrounding Divine Power Stars.

The stars drifted and sank, forming a Stellar Vortex. At its outermost edge, several dim points of starlight gathered together, on the verge of forming new stars.

Time flew. The moon set, the sun rose, and a new day arrived.

The previous night, wolves howled and ghosts wailed throughout Yuanning City, disturbing the peace of half the city. Many people had remained awake all night. When daylight came and they stepped outside, they discovered collapsed houses and cracked roads throughout the city. Rumors ran rampant. Some claimed demons had entered the city, while others linked the matter to the prefect's moral conduct, saying it was a warning from Heaven.

Bang!

Wen Anguo, the Prefect of Yuanning, slammed a hand onto the desk, his face full of fury. "Those people who gossip in private and slander this official are going too far! Are court-appointed officials to be freely discussed by common folk? Go, post a notice and inform the entire city. Anyone caught gossiping in private is to be arrested and interrogated! There are still plenty of empty cells in the prefectural prison!"

"My lord, please calm your anger," the middle-aged man dressed as an adviser hurriedly counseled from the side. "Stopping the people's mouths is worse than stopping a flood. Those ignorant commoners merely enjoy the excitement for the moment. Send a few bailiffs to keep watch at the taverns and teahouses; a warning will suffice, and the rumors will fade on their own."

Hearing this, Wen Anguo suppressed his anger and nodded. "You are right. We shall do that first." Wen Anguo had originally spent the night in the room of his newly acquired concubine. He had been awakened in the predawn hours, already in a foul mood, and then received reports that many people in the city were criticizing the prefect's virtue. His waking temper had immediately flared. Now, after hearing his adviser's words, he calmed down again.

Seeing that Wen Anguo's emotions had stabilized considerably, the adviser continued, "My lord, commoners' gossip is no great matter. The urgent matter is still General Lang and the Pan Household. General Lang's personal attendant has been waiting in the outer hall for nearly an hour. If we still cannot produce a plan, they may start making trouble. These soldiers have always relied on their strength to act arrogantly and lawlessly."

Wen Anguo nodded. "Investigate General Lang's matter at once! I heard the entire relay station collapsed. One of the two guards died and the other was injured, yet none of the Wuxin Commandery soldiers staying within were harmed. So why has Lang Shi, who had only just returned, vanished without a trace?"

"That is precisely what this subordinate wished to say." The adviser paused, lowering his voice. "It is said that a Wolf Demon several men tall caused this incident. Quite a few people from the Pan Household saw it with their own eyes, so it should be true. That relay station had stood for years, yet it suddenly collapsed. It was likely the work of demons as well. General Lang is most likely facing great adversity..."

"A demon dared to act within the city?" Sweat formed on Wen Anguo's forehead. "This is not something we can handle. Quickly invite the masters from the city's Daoist temples to deal with it."

The adviser revealed a helpless expression. "My lord, the masters from the city's four major Daoist temples had originally gathered at the Pan Household. But after an entire night, though they still breathe, none of them can be awakened!"

"What? All four masters are unconscious? Why did they go to the Pan Household? What exactly is going on with the Pan Household? How could Pan Yuanwai simply die like that? If the Imperial City questions this, how is this official supposed to respond?"

As Wen Anguo spoke, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside. A bailiff rushed in, and before he had even steadied himself, he cried, "My lord! My lord! The young master of the Pan Household has forced his way in!"

"What?" Wen Anguo's eyes widened. Then a commotion arose outside, followed by a young man's voice—

"Uncle Wen, you must uphold justice for me in this matter! Otherwise, I will immediately write a letter and send it to the Imperial City!"

The air in the room grew heavy, thick with a pressure that made breathing a chore. Lu Ming stared at the flickering screen, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. The characters danced before his eyes, shifting and morphing like liquid shadows, mocking his attempt to decipher their true intent. He had spent hours tracing the origin of the anomaly, yet every lead dissolved into a haze of digital static.

This is far beyond a simple glitch, he thought, his fingers hovering over the mechanical keyboard. The system logs were clean, devoid of any unauthorized access or corrupted code, yet the text itself seemed to possess a life of its own. It was as if the very fabric of the data had been rewritten by an unseen hand, turning mundane instructions into cryptic, divine proclamations.

[System Status: Integrity Compromised]
[Anomaly Detected: Linguistic Mutation]
[Current Stability: 42%]

He let out a sharp, ragged breath, the sound swallowed by the hum of the cooling fans. The word "god" stared back at him from the monitor, stark and unyielding. It was a weight he hadn't intended to carry, a label that felt both blasphemous and terrifyingly accurate. If the previous chapters were tainted by this same corruption, then he had been reading a script written by something that viewed humanity as nothing more than ink on a page.

The silence of the apartment felt predatory now. Lu Ming pushed his chair back, the screech of metal against hardwood echoing like a gunshot. He walked to the window, peering out at the city lights that shimmered like fallen stars in the dark. Somewhere out there, the source of this madness was waiting, watching him unravel the threads of a reality that was never meant to be questioned. He gripped the windowsill, his knuckles turning white. He would find the truth, even if it meant tearing the entire system down to its foundation.