Chapter 276: The Great Ritual Debate, Ancestral Master's Mission, Yaksha Yin Spirit

"What?" Zhou Huai and Lei Guangming's hearts instantly pounded wildly.

Danger!

Extremely dangerous!

When the ninety-seven Heavenly Thunder Fingers slammed down, the two felt the sky turn black.

Ninety black vortexes of thunder sealed off every direction.

Nowhere to escape!

They could only endure it head-on!

"Thunder Body That Destroys the World!"

"Infinite Wind Evil!"

Both cast their strongest spells immediately.

Lei Guangming used thunder magic to counter thunder magic, while Zhou Huai's strongest was wind magic.

What they knew were both top-tier spells, and both had reached the minor success realm of the fourth transformation of spell arts.

"Boom~"

An incredibly condensed thunder barrier surged over Lei Guangming, a human-shaped barrier that enveloped him from all sides.

"Boom boom boom boom boom!!!"

Lei Guangming endured nineteen Heavenly Thunder Fingers in a row.

Two kinds of Yang Thunder forces collided and annihilated each other.

But by the twentieth, his Thunder Body That Destroys the World could no longer hold.

"Pfft!"

The flawless Dao-body defense instantly sprouted a black gap.

"Pfft Pfft Pfft!"

After the defense broke, forty-five more Heavenly Thunder Fingers rushed through the gap and slammed directly into his flesh.

Lei Guangming's body seemed to become a sieve, leaking dozens of flashes of thunder light.

"The next moment!"

His entire form turned into plasma and exploded into dust!

As for Zhou Huai.

His Infinite Wind Evil was an offensive spell; from a defensive standpoint, it was nowhere near as strong as Lei Guangming's. By the sixth Heavenly Thunder Finger, the wind evil surrounding him had been pierced through by the finger.

The Heavenly Thunder Finger was a spell with extreme penetration power, derived from the Ultimate Spell.

Zhou Huai's Infinite Wind Evil merely blew the first six Heavenly Thunder Fingers slightly off course before it could no longer sustain itself.

"..."

He shattered even faster than Lei Guangming.

Two plumes of plasma spread outward.

The Fourth Rank Agricultural Officials watching from the Transport Office had expressions that turned completely terrified.

They retreated frantically; even though they had already moved far enough to a safe distance when Zhang Ping dueled Zhou Huai and Lei Guangming earlier.

But now that Zhao Xing had acted, they discovered this range was still not safe enough.

"Ahhh—!"

"My Dao body!"

Two Yuan Souls emerged from beside the exploding bodies.

At the Third Rank realm, the Fate Soul could exist independently of the flesh for a period of time.

However, as soon as the two Yuan Souls emerged, they began to annihilate.

Because the Heavenly Thunder Finger was a Yang Thunder spell!

As a top-tier Yang Thunder spell, it had a killing effect on Yin Souls.

"Whoosh whoosh~"

The moment the two Yuan Souls appeared, they tried to burrow into the Yin Realm.

Zhou Huai, who was faster, had even already thrust half his head into the void of the Yin Realm.

This was the ability of a Third Rank Yuan Soul: to wander the Yin Realm.

Yet, with only half his head thrust in, his soul body had already completely vanished.

Lei Guangming fared even worse; the moment his Yuan Soul appeared, it was crushed by the violent plasma vortex.

"You, you——"

Zhang Ping looked at Zhao Xing, his heart filled with utter shock.

Especially since so many Zhao Xings were present, each casting the top-tier spell Heavenly Thunder Finger, completely silencing him.

Who could have imagined Zhao Xing could turn the Heavenly Thunder Finger, a spell with such extreme single-target penetration, into an area-of-effect attack!

"All those granted titles by Liang Wang, die!"

Zhao Xing did not pause; his gaze sharp as lightning locked onto the thirty-six people around him.

Among these people, five were Fourth Rank, and the rest were all Fifth Rank.

Sensing something was wrong, half of the thirty-six began to flee, while the other half knelt and begged for mercy.

"Clang! Clang!"

Zhao Xing paid them no heed at all; the Fate Soul within his body reached out, holding aloft a golden great bell formed of soul power, which began to vibrate.

The Soul-Destroying Bell activated!

"Thump~"

"Plop!"

All who took flight plummeted, their bodies crashing heavily onto the ground.

Their bodies remained intact, but their souls had vanished, leaving only empty flesh shells.

Some who tried to burrow underground were stuck halfway; their corpses couldn't even be preserved, crushed into fragments by the powerful earth vein force of Fucheng.

"Do not move!"

Zhang Ping realized what was happening and immediately warned the other subordinate officials to stop moving.

He didn't know how Zhao Xing distinguished them, but this fellow really killed without blinking!

Even Zhang Ping felt chilled to the bone.

"They all say Liu Tianning is so and so formidable; I've never seen him act, but today I know that fame does not match the reality," Zhang Ping thought silently.

If the disciples are this powerful, what kind of strength must Liu Tianning possess, with tens of thousands of Dharma bodies?

Actually, Lu Tingzhi had run away just now, but purely out of fear.

From Lu Tingzhi's perspective, everything that happened today was simply too terrifying.

First, two Third Rank deputy officials ignored the laws of the imperial court and attacked their superior, Zhang Ping.

The other superiors and colleagues suddenly acted like different people, beginning to eliminate their rivals.

Then, Zhao Xing, who clearly held only a Fifth Rank official position, defeated two Third Rank officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, destroying both their forms and spirits.

What has happened to this world?

I only slept for one night, yet it feels like I slept for several decades?

"?" You actually haven't received a title?" Zhao Xing stared at Lu Tingzhi with some suspicion.

He observed Lu Tingzhi with the Great Expansion Qi-Gazing Art and discovered that this person had not actually rebelled.

"Let me see what's going on." Zhao Xing grabbed Lu Tingzhi's hand, and seven stars lit up in his eyes.

"Look into my eyes!"

Hearing these words, Lu Tingzhi instinctively looked at Zhao Xing.

The stars rolled like millstones.

Lu Tingzhi's entire face showed pain; his current state was as if he were cultivating the Expansion Spirit Art in the Star Palace, except the secret pattern stars had no cultivation effect on him at all, bringing only pain and hallucinations.

"What did you do last night?"

"I, I, your subordinate—was enjoying chamber pleasures with Zhen Ji, the Female Attendant, Ming Zhi Nu, Lady, Lady Yamei, and Lady Ying; Zhen Ji and Lady Yamei played gambling games, so we stripped naked—"

Zhang Ping: "..."

The officials: "..."

"From the Hour of Zi to the Hour of Yin, what were you doing?" Zhao Xing asked again.

"I got tired playing, drank some Thousand-Year Drunkenness, and fell asleep; I only woke up at the seventh quarter of the Hour of Si," Lu Tingzhi answered foolishly.

"After waking up, I heard Lord Zhou Huai call me to the government office. But my energy was excessively depleted, so I dragged it out until exactly the Hour of Wu."

Zhao Xing glanced at Zhang Ping, and the latter nodded; this person had indeed arrived at the government office exactly at the Hour of Wu.

At this point, his expression became extremely dramatic.

This fellow Lu Tingzhi actually missed the Yin Spirit delivering his sealing edict because he was playing with his wives and concubines and had drunk Thousand-Year Drunkenness.

"Do you have any cases of embezzlement or bribery?" Zhao Xing asked again.

"Yes, but Lord Liu discovered it at the end of the twenty-ninth year of the New Calendar... and I was punished once. Since then, I haven't embezzled; I've just focused on indulging in beauty."

Zhang Ping:...

The officials:...

This is truly outrageous—this fellow actually reformed; after being punished by Old Liu, he stopped embezzling, focused solely on indulging in beauty, and didn't join the rebellion either.

How can you be like this? You are Lu Tingzhi!

Could it be that you had no choice in your past life either? Do you want to be a good person now?

Zhao Xing thought for a moment, then released Lu Tingzhi's collar.

"Hmm?" Lu Tingzhi came to his senses, recalled what he had just said, and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

This person felt absolutely no social death; having reached this position, his face was thicker than the city wall formation array.

Lu Tingzhi only felt fortunate to have escaped a calamity.

Although he didn't know what kind of calamity he was originally supposed to suffer.

"Lord Zhao?" Lu Tingzhi straightened his clothes, "Does my lord have any further orders?"

"You, stand aside and listen to the orders." Zhao Xing looked at Lu Tingzhi's head with some regret.

What a fine head! Not being able to chop it off is truly a pity.

"Lord Zhang." Zhao Xing bowed to Zhang Ping, "Now that chaos has arisen in Tianhe Prefecture, does Lord Zhang have a plan to stabilize it?"

Zhao Xing was only Fifth Rank in the Transportation Bureau; in terms of official rank, he was far inferior to Zhang Ping.

If a Fifth Rank official orders a Third Rank official, this is overstepping authority and would be criticized by others.

His other identity as the Inspector allows him to command civil and military officials, but that only extends to officials below the Third Rank.

Killing Zhou Huai and Lei Guang was because they committed errors; it fell under emergency handling.

Now, how to arrange the transportation routes for the five prefectures in eastern Haizhou, and how to transfer the resources of the prefectural treasury, these matters must be decided by Zhang Ping.

If Zhang Ping were a corrupt official or a rebel, it would be easy to handle. But he is not.

Then we must still act according to the laws of the imperial court.

In this special period, the more we must abide by the rules of the imperial court, so that the post-event review can withstand scrutiny.

Zhang Ping snapped out of his shock: "Tianhe Prefecture cannot fall into chaos; especially the City Defense Bureau, the Temple, and these three places must be controlled as soon as possible."

"As long as Fucheng remains orderly, the eleven garrison armies of Tianhe Prefecture will not dare to act rashly."

The Agricultural Supervision of Tianhe Prefecture; the Transport Office is the largest agricultural agency, while the other offices—the Registered Fields Office, the Pinghuai Office, the Grain Administration Office, the Inner Treasury Office, the Grand Granary Office, the Fengchen Depot, the Zhihou Depot, and the Pang Yuan Feng Depot—all must obey the leadership of the Transport Office.

Therefore, Zhang Ping is the Chief of Agricultural Supervision of Tianhe Prefecture and also the highest-ranking agricultural official.

Now that Zhang Ping is unoccupied, the celestial order cannot be thrown into chaos; the three major Transport Depots and the commanders of each granary will not encounter trouble.

Only the Pinghuai Office still harbors hidden dangers, because its waterways connect multiple prefectures.

If a neighboring prefecture suffers a flood, Tianhe Prefecture cannot remain unscathed.

Of course, the immediate priority is still to ensure that the City Defense Bureau and the Temple do not fall into disorder.

"What about the Patrol Office and the Sikou Guard led by the Prefect?"

"And the Censor, the Ritual Hall, and the Ritual Cultivators from the various academies."

The harm caused by Ritual Cultivators is not small; they are most skilled at bewitching the hearts of people.

Zhang Ping explained: "The martial artists within the prefectural city serving as the security army are few and not strong; the powerful ones are all outside the city... Duels between Ritual Cultivators often take a long time to determine a victor."

"The Earth Official Wang Situ has already used the Yellow Registers to protect the land within the city; for two days, there is no need to worry about the bewitchment of Ritual Cultivators' spells."

"The academies and learning halls of Tianhe Prefecture are few and weak; there are not many powerful Ritual Cultivators present."

"I believe he can control the situation."

Hearing this, Zhao Xing nodded; Zhang Ping did have ability, and Liu Tianning had not placed him in the wrong position.

If not for Zhou Huai and Lei Guang having greatly increased their strength after receiving their titles, they truly could not stir up any waves.

"Zhao Xing, what is your suggestion?" Zhang Ping asked.

"None; let us proceed according to my lord's plan," Zhao Xing said. "First, stabilize the celestial phenomena and the City Defense Bureau."

Zhang Ping immediately shouted loudly: "Zou Yong, Ouyang Zhen!"

"Here!" Two agricultural officials immediately stepped forward.

Zou Yong and Ouyang Zhen were Zhang Ping's subordinate officials, both holding the rank of Senior Fourth Grade.

"Take all Fifth Grade agricultural officials and immediately ascend into the sky with this official to correct the celestial order above the prefectural city; using this as a foundation, expand it to cover the entire Tianhe Prefecture."

"Yes!"

"All five Prefecture Transport Commissioners, immediately issue orders to notify the Juncheng; correct the Great Celestial Order according to the 'Wu Ji Treatise on Celestial Order: Four Surrounding Volumes' and maintain a unified pace with the prefectural city."

"We obey!" Another group of agricultural officials departed.

"The thirty-six Fourth Grade agricultural officials from the Fengchen Depot, the Zhihou Depot, and the Pang Yuan Feng Depot, immediately proceed to the three major depots to guard them."

"Yes."

"All chief officials of the Hundred Waterways Office, take the Water Vein Instruments with you and monitor the sixteen waterways of Tianhe for twelve hours; if any anomaly occurs, report immediately—"

"We obey—"

Zhang Ping's command was impeccable; soon, the agricultural officials within the prefecture immediately began to act.

Just as Zhao Xing waited for Zhang Ping to assign him a task.

"Pfft~"

Zhang Ping, who had ascended to mid-air, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Zhao Xing's true body and his clone immediately surrounded Zhang Ping; fortunately, he reacted quickly, and no one else saw it.

"Lord Zhang," Zhao Xing hurriedly supported the other party and transferred a portion of his primordial energy to him.

"I am fine," Zhang Ping shook his head.

"My lord, you have already suffered heavy impact," Zhao Xing said, grabbing the other's hand, only to discover that the Five Elements Qi within Zhang Ping's body was constantly surging chaotically.

Primordial energy, fine as silk and threads, permeated his bones, meridians, and flesh and blood; like steel wires, it severed many of his meridians, and even several of his bones were broken.

Before this, he had already activated the Solar Term Order to ascend and attempted to stabilize the celestial phenomena; after such consumption, he had already suffered a severe blow.

"My lord, if you do not treat your injuries, they will likely worsen. Your Inner Heaven and Earth is already chaotic, generating an Extreme Yuan Storm that is ravaging your body," Zhao Xing said. "If you cast spells again, the possibility of qi deviation and exploding from within is very high."

"I am fine, do not worry," Zhang Ping smiled. "I will not die for the time being."

Having finished speaking, he was about to bend his fingers to issue an order.

"Let me do it," Zhao Xing pressed down on his fingers. "This subordinate will cast the Solar Term Order to stabilize the celestial order."

"Chen An, to which realm has your Solar Term Order cultivation reached?" Zhang Ping asked. "The Great Celestial Order of the prefectural city is not like that of a county."

"It is currently early February; the natural operation of the Great Celestial Order is the Start of Spring. This subordinate's Start of Spring Solar Term Order has achieved some small success."

Seeing that Zhang Ping was about to say something else, Zhao Xing said: "With so many people assisting, let me try."

"If it fails, my lord can intervene."

Hearing this, Zhang Ping nodded: "Very well."

Zhao Xing's true body flew up another ten or so meters, surpassing all the agricultural officials.

Zou Yong and Ouyang Zhen, seeing that it was actually Zhao Xing who came out to lead, could not help but feel somewhat uneasy in their hearts.

"Strong spells do not necessarily mean one understands how to fix the celestial order."

"Regulating the changes of the celestial order requires years of immersion in the 'Solar Term Order' and also requires understanding the various theories of the Celestial Order School."

"Can Zhao Xing succeed?" Zou Yong was somewhat doubtful. "Did something happen to Lord Zhang?"

"Restoring the celestial order involves Yin and Yang Qi; whether there is one more or one less is all a matter of scholarship," Ouyang Zhen said, somewhat expectant. "What you say is correct; there is a great difference between the Practical School and the Theoretical School, which has also created the distinction between Civil Agricultural Officials and Military Agricultural Officials."

"However, since he can use the Ten Thousand Methods Clone to cast top-tier Thunder Arts, what is impossible?"

"Let us wait and see."

Zou Yong nodded and waited quietly for Zhao Xing to cast his spell.

After Zhao Xing flew up, the twenty-four Solar Term Orders within his Origin Dantian began to rotate at high speed.

Soon, one of them, a pale green Start of Spring Solar Term Order, lit up.

"Celestial Order and Solar Terms, heed my command!"

"Start of Spring!"

Zhao Xing extended a finger, and the Festival Command spell floated upward.

At the same time, the Great Li Festival Command fused within his Origin Dantian also glowed faintly.

Zhao Xing's original realm was Ding Jing Sixth Turn.

But now, with the Festival Command's enhancement, he immediately reached Ding Jing's Fullness.

The three realms of the Festival Commands are Zhi, Ding, and Gai.

Ding Jing's Fullness is essentially the upper limit that Third Rank Agricultural Officials can reach.

Among higher ranks, even Second Rank officials rarely reach the Third Realm and achieve Gai Tian Shi.

Only First Rank Realm Agricultural Officials enter the Third Realm.

And even then, only one Festival Command reaches it.

The Grand Agricultural Official, however, fully enters the Third Realm, aided by treasures, ensuring all Third Realm attainments are complete.

The moment Zhao Xing released the Start of Spring Festival Command, the heavens and earth fell silent.

A surge of vitality erupted from the earth; above, the thunderclouds dispersed.

"What? His Festival Command is already Ding Jing's Fullness?" Zou Yong froze in shock.

"Each generation produces its own talents," Ouyang Zhen squeezed his palms excitedly. "Our Tian Shi Sect has another extraordinary genius!"

Zhao Xing is a Fifth Rank official, yet his realm is Fourth Rank Fullness.

He can slay Third Rank foes with Tian Shi magic, and now this Festival Command is also at Second Realm's Fullness.

"This youth's potential is boundless," Zhang Ping glanced at the sky.

Then he focused on healing his injuries.

"The Tian Shi restoration reaches Wei Shi one ke." Zhao Xing's voice spread. "Jun Yang, Xiang Huo, Hui Qi sixteen turns and four ke."

"Eastern Shao Yang advances nine turns and eight ke; Western Jue Yin eight turns and four ke."

Zhao Xing had certainly read the "Wu Ji Tian Shi Lun: Four Cycles Volume."

It was written by Wu Cheng, the founding Grand Agricultural Official, summarizing nearly a thousand years of observation of the Xuan Huang Realm's Tian Shi.

His Tian Shi treatise applies to celestial phenomena after temporal interference.

It emphasizes the alignment of Gan-Zhi with the Four Seasons, while weakening the Five Phases' alignment.

Wu Cheng believed that as long as Gan-Zhi and the Four Seasons remain balanced, the Five Phases' qi within heaven and earth would not become chaotic,

and would naturally return to their proper positions.

Because each province's environment differs, some regions have chaotic Five Phases qi, where yin qi in the earth veins constantly generates interference.

Thus, weakening the Five Phases' operation and emphasizing Gan-Zhi and Four Seasons alignment is universally applicable across the entire Xuan Huang Realm.

This Bian Da Shi theory has been used by Zhou Dynasty Agricultural Officials to this day.

"Today, before Mao Shi, the sky was already bright—this is because the Liang Wang rebelled, using a divine artifact to split the qi of two provinces, causing Tian Shi chaos."

"All almanacs have become disordered; Agricultural Officials adjusting celestial phenomena easily make mistakes," Zhao Xing thought. "Now, guiding the restoration, I may still be wrong—but at least not wildly so."

"Because my internal Five Phases Tian Shi has always been stable, aligning the inner with the outer eliminates temporal lag—this is the auxiliary effect of the Yin Yang Ben Wo Jing."

As for the remaining deviation, it is because the Liang Wang's Tian Shi disruption is powerful enough.

Zhao Xing, situated within heaven and earth, his cultivated Dao and perception must obey the rules of this realm.

To fully correct it, only Li Baqian can do so, for only he can achieve "perfect correction."

His correction truly conforms to heaven and earth's ultimate principle, for he has already reached Fullness in the Third Realm.

Of course, what Zhao Xing has done now is sufficient.

"The Six Qi have returned to pre-rebellion levels—at least in my perception, they are perfectly aligned," Zhao Xing thought. "To me, it is perfect."

He looked down upon the surroundings of Fucheng; as Tian Shi was restored, the Five Phases qi in this region no longer raged, nor worsened further.

The effects are comprehensive: earth vein fluctuations will gradually calm over time.

"This is governance at the root. Merely casting spells on a single spot is merely treating symptoms."

This was Zhao Xing's first time casting a large-scale Tian Shi Festival Command—and one that regulated a Fucheng-level region.

Several Fourth and Fifth Rank officials had aided him.

He gained deeper insight into controlling the Eighth-Rank Supreme Festival Command.

"Through practical combat insight, my mastery of the Eighth-Rank Supreme Start of Spring Festival Command has deepened by half a tier."

Zhao Xing's gaze settled on a mountain outside the city.

A faint red glow from the volcanic crater was barely visible.

"Zhou Huai, Lei Guang, and Zhang Ping's battle caused a volcano to form outside the city."

"If left unchecked, based on the fire vein's fluctuation frequency, it will erupt in seven days."

Zhao Xing's mind stirred, and he immediately summoned clouds.

"Go!"

A full, dark cloud instantly flew above the volcanic crater.

It completely covered the crater.

"Whoosh—"

"—"

Vast amounts of water vapor were vaporized, then absorbed and gathered by a small gate above the cloud.

"Tian Shi magic can also govern land features—it all depends on how you use it," Zhao Xing ordered the cloud to remain over the volcano.

Then he carefully observed Fucheng's surroundings for any abnormal phenological changes.

"Ninety-six abnormal phenological shifts."

But at this point, Zhao Xing no longer handled them personally.

With so many Fourth and Fifth Rank Agricultural Officials here, he didn't need to do all the work himself.

"My lord Zhang, there are ninety-six abnormal climatic anomalies around Fucheng; please assign the Agricultural Officials skilled in this art to perform their spells."

"Good." Zhang Ping immediately called out names.

There were also Agricultural Officials from the Tian Shi Hou Pai here.

The sky grew slightly darker.

This was because the restored hour returned the previously reversed celestial timing.

Thus, the heavens had turned dim.

"Hum～"

Below, Fucheng suddenly trembled.

"Hmm?"

Zhao Xing immediately looked downward.

He saw the Tianhe Prefectural Office erupt in a burst of Bai Guang, with countless characters floating out and sealing the office.

Different three-dimensional characters twisted together in midair.

Each character was pitch-black as ink, as if independent soldiers thinking for themselves, attacking one another.

"The void as paper, thoughts as soldiers—how many is He Fujun fighting at once?"

Zhao Xing immediately sent out fifteen clones, descending below.

The once solemn and dignified Prefectural Office now lay utterly silent.

Light snow still fell around it.

This was not real snow, but an illusion created by the Ritual Cultivators' spell.

Zhao Xing felt a faint chill.

"Illusions affecting reality—that is 'Words Become Law.'"

"Yet this power stems entirely from the dynasty's own institutional structure."

Zhao Xing gave a slight shake, and the chill vanished.

Zhao Xing's current Third Rank soul, aside from lacking the trait of Yuan Hun exiting the body, surpassed Third Rank early-stage in resistance, willpower strength,

and overall capacity.

The trait of Yuan Hun exiting the body must be cultivated at the Third Rank.

At that time, the Yuan Hun must merge with the celestial qi, driven by the Five Elements' power, involving bodily transformation as well,

and the Yuan Hun must leave the body's Seven Souls—the house—without damaging the house itself.

Zhao Xing now possessed most of the abilities of a Third Rank Yuan Hun Realm cultivator, but could not yet let his Yuan Hun exit the body. It was like a rogue mage in some game who, at level ten-something, still hadn't learned the ultimate skill—but the impact wasn't great, and some even specialized in playing that way.

As Zhao Xing approached, the black characters were all swept away by the tolling of the Soul-Annihilating Bell.

He stopped at the entrance, now able to see the scene inside.

"—The sovereign and kin show no mercy; a general must be executed!"

"Thus, no crime of a minister outweighs regicide!"

"Betraying righteousness, disobeying the sovereign, plotting rebellion."

"Kin turning against kin, sovereign against minister—what righteousness is this?"

A middle-aged man in a white long robe stood at the center of the square, holding a scroll; golden light constantly radiated from him, and black characters surged like torrents toward the surrounding Ritual Cultivators.

"This is Fujun He Zhengchen—he is refuting Liang Wang's essay." Zhao Xing watched silently.

One of them, named Wang Chengsi, shouted loudly: "Liu Si received imperial mandate, reformed laws and systems, changed governance to promote prosperity, discarded institutional norms, coerced the imperial clan, encroached upon the feudal lords, alienated vassal ministers, estranged blood relatives—this is great evil, worthy of ten thousand deaths!"

Yu Tianhai interjected: "Liu Si's governance caused the sovereign to resent ministers, ministers to distrust the sovereign, law and ritual to vanish; over two hundred thirty-six years, households withered, families torn apart by separation and death—can the sovereign claim innocence?"

He Zhengchen sneered: "You who have accepted rewards from princely houses dare speak of law and ritual?"

Yu Tianhai did not answer this point, but continued: "The state traitor harms the people, harms the sovereign twice over, harms the ancestral spirits by extinguishing their fire—countless wandering ghosts abound, bearing hatred and malice—"

"Absurd!" He Zhengchen roared, two golden characters shooting from his mouth, cutting off Yu Tianhai's words.

Around him, weaker Ritual Cultivators began to grow dizzy, collapsing unconscious.

Then He Zhengchen began refuting each one in turn.

Zhao Xing watched this scene and couldn't help but inwardly gasp.

"Ritual debates among Ritual Cultivators truly kill without blood—just this short while, hundreds of civil officials have died."

The duel continued; Zhao Xing left two clones behind to await the outcome.

Then he flew toward the shrine.

At this moment, the shrine remained shrouded in a black vortex—Dawang She Zhong Dian Gan Guo, he understood a little of Zong Qi Dao.

Within this black vortex, no living beings were visible—only crowds of yin souls wailing.

"The shrine's eighty-nine halls are now eighty percent empty—all have descended from their altars." Zhao Xing, using his supreme Heavenly Eye Spell,

still saw clearly through the thick mist. "Most could not preserve themselves; only those ancient divine statues and First Rank True Gods remained in statue form."

"I wonder how my Agricultural God fares."

Zhao Xing turned his gaze toward a section of the shrine.

Since the founding emperor, there have been seven Grand Agricultural Officials.

Six First Rank Agricultural Gods exist—all are the divine statues of past Grand Agricultural Officials.

Li Baoqian is still alive; when he dies, he too will receive incense offerings.

Prefectural shrines generally display these six Agricultural Gods.

Of the six Agricultural Gods, four each have their own separate hall for worship.

The other two, both former leaders of the Dili Sect, have their halls relegated to secondary status—

The main seat was occupied by the Earth God.

The statue of the Earth God had a thousand faces; at this moment, this particular one was quite fierce and menacing.

The Benwo Sect's God of Agriculture was also present.

Also You De, and the Wei Zuo Ma You Hall.

The position of the Wu Cheng True Lord Hall was in the exact east, and the space was larger.

The positions of the six halls also held significance.

When Zhao Xing looked over,

the statue of Wu Cheng suddenly opened its eyes.

Zhao Xing was startled.

He had not summoned any deity.

Please do not descend; my life is still useful.

Wu Cheng seemed to know Zhao Xing's thoughts, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes, and then he closed them again.

It was as if what had just appeared was an illusion.

Zhao Xing sighed in relief and intended to shift his gaze away.

However, in the temple located in the northeast direction, another statue suddenly came to life.

"Wait." A voice sounded by Zhao Xing's ear.

Zhao Xing's expression stiffened; he could only turn back.

At this moment, the statue inside the northeast hall vanished, and outside the temple gate, an old man holding a black jade staff suddenly appeared.

He was also the teacher of Li Boqian and Wang Tianzhi.

"Greetings, Tianyang True Lord," Zhao Xing clasped his hands.

"What True Lord? Call me Grandmaster," Fu Tianyang said.

Zhao Xing was stunned.

"You have cultivated the Art of 'A Foot Away, A Thousand Miles Away'; you are Li Boqian's student. Is it not fitting to call me Grandmaster?" Fu Tianyang asked.

"Yes, Grandmaster." Zhao Xing bowed again. "I do not know what orders Grandmaster has for me."

"Hurry and move my Golden Body out," Fu Tianyang scolded. "The Tianhe Temple has been made chaotic by them, and there are those with ulterior motives constantly buzzing in my ear, asking me to join them in purging the monarch's entourage. I cannot stay here."

Wait, just by learning 'A Foot Away, A Thousand Miles Away' from Li Boqian, could one trigger such a mission?

Zhao Xing had not intended to get involved in the temple's strife just yet, because he had perceived that within the Tianhe Prefecture temple, although the high priests of the main halls were vying for power, the Imperial Faction's influence still outweighed that of the Liang Wang Faction.

This was because Liang Wang had been cultivating Ping Haizhou, focusing mainly on the northern and southern regions. He had not been operating in the eastern and western regions for long.

Therefore, he had planned to wait until the priests of the Tianhe Temple fought it out among themselves.

There was no need to seek trouble unnecessarily!

Who would have thought that merely coming over for a look would trigger a mission.

How could it be so coincidental?

The Golden Body of the former Grand Minister of Agriculture contained only a fragment of a soul; even if it were lost, it would not matter.

Could this have been arranged for me by Li Boqian?

Just as Zhao Xing was pondering, Fu Tianyang spoke again.

"Boy, will you save me or not? Why are you dawdling?"

"If you rescue my Golden Body, and afterwards invite me to possess your body, you will only need to provide incense; it will not consume your lifespan," Fu Tianyang said. "Decide quickly; once the time passes, I will not wait."

"I will save it!" Zhao Xing immediately replied. "Please wait a moment, Grandmaster!"

"Then I shall await your rescue!" Fu Tianyang smiled and vanished.

Zhao Xing shook his head and found that there was no figure in front of the temple at all; it seemed like his own illusion.

Inside the Tianhe Temple, the statue of the Tianyang True Lord was also completely motionless.

"Calculating the Six Qi Destinies, or was it arranged by Li Boqian?" Up in the sky, Zhao Xing's true body could not help but glance at the panel.

"Perhaps both are true. My fortune has risen to calculating the Six, yet nothing good has happened."

"In that case, let us charge at the Tianhe Temple."

"I did not expect to encounter the priests so soon."

He could now fully multitask, supporting the Solar Term Token while doing other things.

"Even so, I must remain vigilant."

The fragment soul of the Great Zhou Yin God could also be turned during such chaos.

For instance, Fu Tianyang's original Yin Soul might not even know what his fragment soul had done.

Unless it was recalled, just as when the Blood Spirit Venerable was tricked by Zhao Xing into losing his divine power; only after recalling the fragment soul and absorbing its memories did he learn what had happened.

"Cloud Gate!"

Zhao Xing pointed his finger, and immediately, clusters of Jin Guang auspicious clouds appeared above the Tianhe Temple.

The auspicious clouds connected with each other, swiftly forming a great gate.

The gate descended rapidly, lowering to an extremely low level, almost pressing down upon the temple.

"Hoo~"

The black vortices inside the temple suddenly shrank.

The Cloud Gate had the effect of stabilizing the boundary wall.

The reason the vortices connecting the Yin Realm and the Great Thousand World had shrunk was that tearing open the Yin Realm passage had become more difficult.

Inside the temple, the Tianhe Priest Wu Xuanying immediately looked up.

"Top-tier Cloud Technique? Does someone intend to attack the temple?"

"The city's fallen?"

Wu Xuanying's face instantly darkened.

In that moment, he thought of many terrible scenarios.

But he never considered it could be friendly forces.

Because at this time, the Ministry of Agriculture should simply do its duty.

Doing anything else would easily invite suspicion.

Besides, Zhang Ping cannot use Cloud Arts.

That means a strange high-rank Ministry of Agriculture official has appeared inside the city.

"I must deal with Zhu Qingyou as soon as possible." Wu Xuanying gritted his teeth, spat out a mouthful of blood, then stuck a talisman to his forehead.

He walked out of the temple, carrying a giant statue of Mao Shen.

"What's going on? Where did this military Ministry of Agriculture official come from?" Zhu Qingyou looked up at the sky. "Zhang Ping absolutely cannot use such a top-tier art."

"Could it be the rebellion has been quelled, and someone has come to aid the temple?"

"No, I must resolve Wu Xuanying quickly and seize control of the situation!"

"Puh~" He punched his own chest, then spat out a stream of blood, willingly sacrificing his lifespan to accelerate the absorption of divine power.

"Everyone, absorb the divine power quickly!"

"Don't fear the consumption—after this is done, you can all make it up!"

"Yes."

Many priests responded in unison.

Zhao Xing had no idea his appearance had accelerated the confrontation between the two factions of priests.

After casting the Cloud Gate, he was still unsatisfied; he took another handful of talismans from the box, sticking some on himself and sending others flying into the air.

There was no choice—the Yuan Yin Sacred Scripture could only be used by the original body.

It was extremely difficult for a clone alone to activate a ninth-rank treasure.

The burden was too great; it was better not to use it at all.

Otherwise, if a clone held the sacred scripture, it could easily be stolen.

If that happened, it would be amusing indeed.

"Soo-soo-soo-soo-soo-soo-soo~"

The myriad clones in the sky all retracted, appearing around Zhao Xing.

They formed a guard of clones, surrounding the original body completely.

Thunder Finger was a Yang Thunder Art—this was an art capable of clashing with priests.

"Boundless Starlight! Boundless Vortex!"

Zhao Xing summoned another underground palace beneath him.

He did not choose the Ganhai Underground Palace or the Xuan Shui Underground Palace.

Because these two arts were not specifically designed for killing, and moreover, they were unsuitable for use here.

Unless he wanted to flood Tianhe Prefecture.

To do that, he'd be quelling nothing—himself becoming a rebel!

"That's enough."

Zhao Xing summoned a cold wind that circled his formation, then swiftly entered the temple.

"Ssiiii-miiiiing~"

The howling wind made all the palace buildings in the temple area grow eerily dark.

"Who are you?!"

A fourth-rank priest appeared ahead.

Zhao Xing stared closely—his appearance was bizarre.

His ritual robe had split open, revealing eight arms.

Two horns sprouted from his head, and he held a trident in his hand.

"Eight-Armed Yaksha? Isn't that a demon god?" Zhao Xing blinked in surprise.

How could they even summon a demon god?

That shouldn't be possible.

"Hmph, you naive boy have no insight. I am the Rakshasa spirit enfeoffed by the Great Ancestor! Second-rank Moon Night King!"

"I once fought alongside the Great Ancestor against the sixteen states of Dongzhou and earned great merit!" the fourth-rank priest bellowed.

But clearly, it was not he speaking—it was the Rakshasa yin spirit behind him.

"Oh, there was indeed such a spirit. Then I'll accept you as legitimate." Zhao Xing nodded.

This yin spirit, not being human, was rarely worshipped and was a relatively obscure Mao Shen.

"Damn it, what do you mean 'accept'? You're just ignorant!" The Yaksha roared in fury.

"Then, Lord Moon Night King, could you please step aside?" Zhao Xing said.

He did not know whether this yin spirit was a rebel or not.

"Are you here to rebel—or to quell the rebellion?!" Before Zhao Xing could ask, the spirit asked first.

"Of course to quell the rebellion! I've come to summon the Ministry of Agriculture deity."

"Good." The Yaksha's eyes rolled, then stepped aside. "Then I'll escort you there."

"No need. Just move out of the way."

"Fine, go ahead."

Zhao Xing immediately sent out a clone to clear the way.

When he passed that Yaksha Yin Spirit,

"Boom!"

"Shoo!"

The trident sliced through empty space, straight toward one of Zhao Xing's clones.

At the same time, sixteen black Lei Guang streaked toward the Yaksha Yin Spirit.

"Boom-boom~~"

The Yaksha's arm dripped blood; four of its eight arms were severed.

Zhao Xing's clone also lost one arm.

"Damn it, I was ready for you!"×2!

"Cowardly!"×2!

Zhao Xing and the Yaksha Yin Spirit spoke in unison.

Neither this man nor this spirit had ever trusted the other from the start!

"The Yaksha King of the Rakshasa clan is infamous for his treachery—do you really think I'm ignorant?"

"You even served the founding emperor and earned great merit? You're just a damn gatekeeper! You were granted your title only because you surrendered early!"

The Yaksha King's severed arms reattached rapidly, as if Zhao Xing had pierced his defenses: "Filthy dog! How heartless was the Zhou royal house?!"

"You promised my clan eternal worship, yet since the Cheng'an era, my entire lineage of Yin Spirits has been sealed within the palace, our spirits locked away."

"Only this year did the Liang Wang release us—ha! Even after we gave our blood and sweat, you still look down on us!"

"Ji Mingjing, you corrupt ruler! Die!"

The Yaksha King roared and slammed a fist straight toward Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing thought he was preparing for a final battle and remained alert to threats from all sides—but the bastard unleashed a storm of shadow fists, then turned and fled.

Yet before he could flee far, eight clones suddenly blocked his path.

The Yaksha Yin Spirit froze in shock.

"Puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff!"

The Heaven's Thunder Finger struck, reducing it to shattered fragments—only its horned head remained.

"You didn't even recognize my true body, yet you still tried to trick me with fake weakness and delay tactics? —I've used those tricks since before you were born," Zhao Xing sneered.

Unbeknownst to him, he too was buying time—to seal off the Yaksha Yin Spirit's escape routes.

Yet the Yaksha Yin Spirit's ranting did give Zhao Xing some useful information.

"If the Liang Wang has already unsealed the Yin Spirit Palace this early, might he have also opened the Yin Realm's prison long ago?"

"The Yin Realm's prison—how many vengeful Yin Spirits must be locked inside?" Zhao Xing thought. "This 'quest reward' from the Tianhe Temple is truly hard to claim, Ancestor—why didn't you just escape yourself?"

But since he'd come this far, Old Man Zhao wasn't afraid.

After killing the Yaksha Yin Spirit, the watching eyes diminished greatly.

He immediately ordered his clones to carry the fused head of the Yin Spirit and the priest deeper into the temple.