One year later.
Mystic Continent, the Great Qian Dynasty.
Thirty li outside Yunzhong City, incense smoke curled through a place called the Plague God Shrine, where prayer power hung thick in the air.
Many ordinary people came here to worship, praying for the epidemic to recede and for people and livestock to remain healthy.
For a time, crowds surged everywhere, shoulders brushing shoulders.
The bustle lasted a full four hours and more. Only near noon, when the crowds dispersed, did quiet return.
As coincidence would have it, eighteen months earlier, a plague capable of infecting humans had broken out in this region, inflicting devastating losses on prefectures and counties across hundreds of thousands of li.
But after the court issued a decree to rebuild the Plague God Shrine, the epidemic happened to subside.
The people all said the Plague God had manifested his power. They flocked to worship, contributing considerable incense offerings to the newly established shrine.
The Heavenly Pavilion Libationer, the Imperial Preceptor responsible for apotheosis at court, immediately followed the tide of events. He installed the divine tablet and statue prepared specifically for Shu Changsheng here and formally appointed him the Plague God of Yunzhong Prefecture.
This was equivalent to a noble's fief, with a revenue estate accompanying the title. From then on, he could enjoy incense offerings and faith of his own here, becoming a genuine deity worshipped by the people.
Although Zhu Lisheng had no authority to interfere with apotheosis, he was still one of the Great Qian Dynasty's three Imperial Preceptors. After advancing to Core Formation, he had secured his position and possessed considerable authority.
He repeatedly dispatched disciples to worship with great fanfare, while secretly treating illnesses and eliminating the epidemic, allowing the miracles of the past to continue.
Seeing that even immortal masters