Heavenly Book of Otherworldly Celestial Demons Governing the Desire Realm

Inside the [Morgue], Wang Ping opened his eyes.

Then he suddenly clutched his head, his pupils shaking violently as one demonic passage after another continuously surfaced in his mind.

[Heavenly Book of Otherworldly Celestial Demons Governing the Desire Realm]!

Merely looking at those words, Wang Ping vaguely seemed to see a strange bodhisattva with both male and female forms, embracing itself as it sat upon a lotus dais and chanted sutras.

It said that the mortal world was a vast sea of desire. Countless living beings struggled within that sea, sinking into pleasure. Indulging one's desires was only natural. Yet mortal desires had their limits. Once one had tasted every pleasure, one would naturally free oneself from them and never again keep them in one's heart.

This was [Emptiness].

Thus, "indulging in pleasure is emptiness." This scripture acknowledged all desires and even encouraged people to fulfill them, for only then could they break free from them—

The scripture ended abruptly.

The chanting in his mind suddenly vanished, leaving Wang Ping standing blankly where he was, just short of drooling. Only after a moment did he come back to himself.

"...Why is that all there is?!"

That was right. This [Heavenly Book of Otherworldly Celestial Demons Governing the Desire Realm] had only written an opening. It had barely finished describing its central philosophy before it simply ran out of steam.

If this scripture's goal was to lead cultivators from [Pleasure] to [Liberation], then its actual contents only contained the [Pleasure] portion... no, not even the [Pleasure] portion had been fully written. After cutting away the complicated and retaining the essential, Wang Ping had only barely managed to summarize a secret art from it.

[Desire-Realm Celestial Birth Method].

"This is a secret art for transforming one's own body. Once cultivated, it will turn the body into a special cultivation physique called a [Desire-Realm Celestial Being]."

This physique could not only sense the thoughts and emotions of others, but could also condense the Spirit Sense possessed by cultivators even without formally cultivating.

"Good stuff!"

Wang Ping excitedly pumped a fist. He had thought he had gained nothing from being livestock in the Immortal Sect, yet at the very end, before death, he had instead obtained a great opportunity.

And You Daoist Nun had forcefully stuffed it into his hands.

She truly was a good person.

For such a kindness, next time he had to find a good opportunity to repay her with every ounce of his heart and soul.

"Unfortunately, the scripture is incomplete. It only has a secret art for altering one's physique, without any true method that can let me formally cultivate immortality. Otherwise, that would have been a massive profit."

At that thought, Wang Ping hurriedly took a deep breath.

"Calm down. Don't be greedy."

"Besides, cultivating immortality isn't my only path. Isn't there still the Great Shun Dynasty, where martial arts are only beginning? If I train to the peak, there may not be no future in it."

Wang Ping had always let his buttocks determine his head, and his bottom line was flexible.

Although he had previously wanted to return to Great Shun and bully weaker opponents, since the path to immortality was now barred to him, he became a firm supporter of the Martial Dao. A good martial artist was no worse than an immortal!

With that thought, Wang Ping immediately settled on a plan.

"First, return to the Great Shun Dynasty and cultivate the [Desire-Realm Celestial Birth Method]. It would be best to learn a few martial arts too. Once I have some strength, I'll come back and explore the Immortal Sect's world!"

Then he looked toward the [Peace Scripture].

However, at that moment, Wang Ping discovered that new writing had suddenly appeared beneath [Otherworldly Celestial Demon] on the title page of the majestic book before him:

[Current identity: Refugee Commoner.]

[Current destiny: One (White Lotus Sect Hall Master)]

[Consume destiny to exchange for a new identity?]

"This is...?"

Looking at the words on the scripture, Wang Ping immediately recalled another function of the [Otherworldly Celestial Demon]: he could consume destiny to exchange for a new identity!

However, the description said it could only be used in specific worlds.

"Does this specific world refer to the Great Shun Dynasty?"

After all, this [White Lotus Sect Hall Master] was the identity he had held when he first died, yet when he traveled to the Immortal Sect's world, there had been no prompt allowing him to choose a new identity.

"Identities have six ranks."

"Commoner, petty clerk, Azure Scholar, Vermilion Robe, Purple Minister, Golden Noble... Each time my destiny rises by one rank, I can exchange it for an identity of the corresponding rank."

This was simply perfect!

It was the White Lotus Sect's destiny anyway. Once it was gone, it was gone. And that position had been given to him by that old bastard Shouchong. Wouldn't it be a loss if he did not use it?

At that thought, Wang Ping immediately nodded. "Exchange it!"

As soon as he spoke, the writing on the [Peace Scripture] began to shift. His destiny was instantly reduced to zero, while his identity gradually erupted with light.

It was a mysterious glow.

Then Wang Ping saw the description in parentheses beside his identity change from [Refugee Commoner] to [Petty Clerk], and his identity changed along with it.

Merchant, wealthy clan member, scholar... countless identities flashed past one after another. Yet in the end, it settled on an identity that even Wang Ping found somewhat unexpected:

[Constable].

The next second, Wang Ping took a deep breath and strode into the gateway of the [Otherworldly Celestial Demon], his vision gradually swallowed by light.

Wang Ping opened his eyes.

What entered his sight was a small room.

He stood in the room before a bronze mirror, which clearly reflected a face in its twenties, wearing a somewhat weary expression.

"This... is me?"

Wang Ping immediately realized something. This time, he had not possessed another body. This face was exactly the same as before, except it had become the face of a young man.

At that moment, Wang Ping felt rather conflicted.

"Good. I didn't possess some stranger's body. It directly arranged a new identity for me. I am still myself, a firework of a different color..."

Memories soon surfaced.

Rather than memories, they were more like a background introduction. Wang Ping quickly understood his circumstances, and his expression, which had just relaxed, turned solemn once more.

"This place... is Longxing County!"

"In my previous life, I was killed by the constables of Longxing County's government office. In this life, I've become a government constable? And a newly recruited rookie at that?"

"According to the setting, three generations of my ancestors were constables, and our names were registered in the government office. We count as a constable family. This time, because my father died heroically, his position became vacant, so I was recruited into the office to fill that vacancy. The letter of appointment and all the equipment have been prepared for me."

At that thought, Wang Ping shifted his gaze.

Then he saw the constable appointment document placed on a nearby table, along with an Ox-Tail Saber, a constable's uniform, and a martial arts manual.

...Wait, a martial arts manual!?

In an instant, Wang Ping, who had still been somewhat nonchalant, perked up. He hurried to the table and seized the martial arts manual.

[Yama's Three Demon Blades]

"This is the standard martial art of Longxing County's constables... no, of all government constables under the Great Shun Dynasty. It is a ruthless martial art dedicated to slaughter!"

Wang Ping opened the manual and read it word by word.

Then he reached for the Ox-Tail Saber on the table. With a clang, the long blade left its sheath, and a patch of cold white saber light instantly gleamed through the room.

"This saber art... has both good and bad points."

Wang Ping casually flourished the Ox-Tail Saber while frowning in thought.

The good point was that this saber art only had fighting techniques and breathing methods, with no forging method. That was because the imperial court had already forged standardized Ox-Tail Sabers for every constable.

Thus, constables did not need forging methods. With an Ox-Tail Saber in hand, entering the saber art was only a matter of time. In this regard, it was far simpler than the [Plain Moon Lotus Blade] passed down by old Shouchong. The latter required some comprehension and money spent on forging iron, while the former had already been arranged for constables by the imperial court.

Yet the bad point lay here as well.

"Without a forging method, a martial artist is essentially without a foundation. Once the Ox-Tail Saber is damaged or taken back, this martial art is practically crippled too."

"The imperial court really has a fine calculation going." Wang Ping could not help muttering in admiration.

"With this method, they can bind constables to the government office while ensuring that even if the cultivation method is leaked, no one can truly master it."

Just as Wang Ping was studying the martial art, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

"...Who is it?"

Wang Ping raised an eyebrow. Still holding his saber, he cautiously pushed open the door, only to see a servant carrying a food box outside.

"Sir Constable, this humble one has brought your meal."

The servant bowed and scraped as he respectfully handed over the food box. "Please have a look, Sir Constable. Is there anything not to your taste?"

Only then did Wang Ping recall that he was now a constable.

The meal before him was one of the "benefits" of being a constable. All three daily meals were provided free of charge by Joyous Arrival Tower, the largest restaurant in Longxing County.

Calling it free was merely a polite way of saying protection money.

After all, constables held considerable authority in Longxing County. Otherwise, they would not have earned the title of street-clearing tigers. This authority could allow merchants to make money.

It could also drive them into bankruptcy.

Everyone knew that collusion between officials and merchants made money faster than robbery. Joyous Arrival Tower had grown to its current scale precisely by supplying three daily meals.

After sending the servant away, Wang Ping carried the food box back into the room.

When he lifted the lid, a rich fragrance rushed at his face. Each grain of rice was plump and translucent, while the vegetables and meat were all of the finest quality. Eating this before practicing martial arts would make the effort yield twice the result with half the work.

"This is... Scorched Earth Rice?"

Wang Ping's mouth fell slightly open as he recognized the rice in the food box. It was a rare breed cultivated through secret methods, countless times more precious than ordinary fine rice.

Furthermore, the meat seemed to come from some kind of demon beast, while the vegetables had been specifically grown and harvested from medicinal fields. They replenished blood and nourished qi. Let alone eating them, merely standing nearby and smelling them made Wang Ping feel the qi and blood in his body boil, circulating ever more smoothly.

"These vermin..."

Looking at this scene, Wang Ping could not help recalling his previous life in the countryside. Back then, he had thought having rice and meat to eat was already quite good.

Yet compared with people in the county seat, what difference was there between that and eating shit?

And these were only the lowest-ranking constables in the county government office. What did the true official lords eat? Wang Ping could not even imagine it.

For a moment, grief welled up from his heart.

Thinking back to years ago, his greatest dream had been to finish that undercover assignment and enter the county government office through his merits, so he could openly eat a mouthful of imperial grain.

He had put in enormous effort for that purpose, only to be betrayed and die a violent death.

At that thought, Wang Ping looked at the [Peace Scripture], which had effortlessly allowed him to enter the county government office as a [Constable], and sighed from the bottom of his heart:

"Sure enough... personal effort may be important, but when all is said and done, you still need cheats!"

For a moment, rage rose from Wang Ping's heart and evil sprang from his guts. He grabbed a spoon, viciously dug out a huge scoop from the food box, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Hiss... Delicious!

In a residence in the eastern district of Longxing County, at the same time Wang Ping revived under his new identity, a pair of tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open in alarm.

"What is going on...?!"

As a voice filled with shock and fury rang out, lightning seemed to flash through the room. The depths of those opened eyes were brimming with confusion and hatred.

Then another voice sounded.

"Master? What happened?"

If Wang Ping had been here, he would have immediately recognized the speaker as his dear senior brother, Xie Shi.

As for the shocked and furious man, he was naturally Shouchong, the old Daoist and leader of the White Lotus Sect.

At that moment, the corners of Shouchong's eyes twitched madly. His once fairly ruddy complexion grew increasingly crimson, and his clenched teeth trembled faintly.

The next second.

Pfft!

He threw back his head and spat out a mouthful of hot blood. His crimson face instantly turned pale, faintly revealing a deathly whiteness.

Then a hoarse, night-owl-like voice drifted eerily through the room:

"My destiny... is gone."

"The destiny of my White Lotus Sect—the reputation and destiny this old man painstakingly built through traveling north and south, fighting the government troops to the death three times—it has suddenly lost nearly half!"

At that thought, Shouchong felt his heart bleed.

After all, with his destiny gone, his plans had to be revised from the beginning. It would also add countless uncertainties, and his hope of taking his martial arts another step forward had become distant.

"Who was it? Who is plotting against this old man?"

Rumble!

Rolling thunder echoed within the room, yet not a trace of sound reached outside. This displayed Shouchong's profound cultivation while also showing that he had not lost his reason.

After a long while, Shouchong spoke again.

"Someone must have tampered with the [Lotus Blade], otherwise this would not have happened. We must retrieve the saber. We cannot let it remain in the government office any longer."

Upon hearing this, Xie Shi beside him immediately revealed a concerned expression.

"Master, the county government office is an important imperial stronghold, and those black-clad hounds from the Divine Constables Bureau guard it. It is far too dangerous. One misstep could lead to disaster."

Shouchong looked at Xie Shi and tilted his head.

"This reasoning... of course your master understands it as well. Good disciple, do not worry. Your master has long prepared a foolproof plan. A mere county government office cannot trap your master."

At that, Xie Shi immediately looked admiring. "Master, are you going to force your way into the county government office?"

"No. You are going to force your way into the county government office."

Xie Shi: "...???"