If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1054 Conflict and Resentment

Bee Taoist did not come alone.

He made a stunning entrance with a group of Xuanjia guards.

Hundreds of Xuanjia guards were divided into four detachments, each of which formed a military formation.

In the dark dream dimension, the "God of War" form displayed by the military formation is a dark cloud.

As Chen Long and Song Hu fled in panic, they soon discovered that large patches of dark clouds were surrounding them from all directions.

They are still struggling.

Struggling, he ran wildly toward the Fuli City God Temple.

But soon, dark clouds blocked their way, preventing them from going forward or retreating.

"Brother, our thousand-year journey in the divine path is coming to an end today!" Chen Long cried out in despair.

On the surface, "Song Hu" appeared anxious and panicked, but in his heart he was very happy.

She was recuperating from bee venom in Dazexiang, and taking the opportunity to scout out the surrounding area in order to gather intelligence for capturing the Bee Taoist after she recovered.

She overheard the Earth God and Earth Goddess talking about the "Feather-Killing Feast," which piqued her interest.

But it's just a small interest.

The case of the Land Lady is not even a trivial matter.

It was purely by chance that he encountered a mortal woman named Li being humiliated by the gods and her husband. He couldn't stand by and watch, and wanted to intervene, otherwise he wouldn't feel at ease.

Unexpectedly, by a twist of fate, the Bee Taoist was actually brought out.

It wasn't just Bee Taoist; he attracted a group of "wild monsters" (Qi cultivators of unknown strength).

"Brother, now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to use the original trump card."

"Song Hu" secretly transmitted his voice using divine magic.

"Could it be...?" Chen Long's expression changed slightly as he turned to look at Chen Sheng's soul, which he was still holding in his hand.

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes: Now that things have come to this, we can only use Chen Sheng's life as leverage!

“Brother, I understand, let’s do it this way!” He nodded in agreement almost without hesitation.

Then he saw his brother's burly and fierce body suddenly lower down and slide smoothly forward to his knees.

It really is a sliding kneeling motion.

His knees hit the ground while he was running, but he continued to glide at high speed.

His knees were slipping, and he cried out, "Father Immortal, spare us! We are not bad people, we are the 'Front Hall Commanders' of the City God of Fuli, the righteous gods of the underworld!"

Chen Long was stunned for a moment before recalling the agreement his brother had made with him earlier: it would be best if he could successfully take away King Chen Sheng, but if he failed, he would immediately kneel down and beg, "Father, spare my life!"
—In the past, Brother Song Hu was also a proud and unyielding man, but today he calmed down so easily, unlike me, who was so hot-blooded that I foolishly thought of using King Chen Sheng's life to threaten the immortal.

My wisdom and magnanimity are far inferior to Brother Song Hu's!

Chen Long thought to himself, but his knees felt like they were rusted, making it really difficult to kneel down.

"Whoosh~~"

He was still trying to suppress his worthless arrogance when a beam of dark light shot over like lightning.

It's that "sting of a poisonous wasp" again!
Even Xiaoyu, who was careless that day, couldn't dodge it, let alone Chen Long.

"Pfft!" Chen Long gripped Chen Sheng's right arm, and the poisoned spike pierced through the shoulder armor.

"Awooo~~~" The pain was like a tsunami under a category 13 typhoon, instantly drowning all his reason, leaving only endless agony, causing him to let out inhuman howls.

Chen Long's divine body was melting at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just a few breaths, he was left with only two-thirds of his remaining body.

His right arm turned into black water, and his right chest melted rapidly, like ice cream under the sun.

This is still the tail needle of an ordinary "Xuanjia Guardian", not the "Bee Queen Body Outside Body" of the Bee Taoist.

If it were a few days ago, when the "queen bee stinger" pierced Xiao Yu's hand, Chen Long wouldn't even be able to scream before turning into water.

"My lord, please forgive me for being late!"

The Bee Taoist appeared before the still-shaken Chen Sheng in an instant, cupped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed deeply.

He was still as flamboyant as he had been a few days ago.

Although aged like a dried cucumber, it wears a bright pink coat and has a delicate fragrance.

Song Hu didn't understand before, but now he has realized that the fragrance probably comes from the nectar!

It must be the special nectar he raised, collected from the dream dimension by the "Blood Lotus Bees".

"Phew, Bee Fairy, you've finally arrived."

Upon seeing the Bee Taoist, Chen Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, his expression relaxed, and he smiled, "With the immortal master here, I have nothing to worry about! However, these two ghost messengers don't seem to be bad people."

Glancing at Chen Long struggling pitifully beside him, his groans growing weaker, and seeing his miserable state, he shuddered again and turned his head away, no longer wanting to look.

Before the Bee Taoist could speak, "Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~"

There were also twenty-three Yin Gods, seventeen Yuan Gods, and five Qi Refiners with physical bodies who entered the dream dimension.

More than forty people, like a meteor shower, landed in large groups around Chen Sheng.

There are extraordinary people who did not become immortals, as well as true immortals, and even a mysterious immortal!
"General Chen (my lord), are you alright?"

"Thank you for your concern, all you immortal masters. I am fine." Chen Sheng was even more confident, and his smile was no longer forced. It was very sincere, and he even had a bit of pride.

"You scoundrel, tell me honestly, where did you come from, you old ghost, daring to steal the soul of King Chen Sheng? What exactly do you want?"

A Qi cultivator noticed "Song Hu" kneeling beside him, and Chen Long, who was actually lying dead, and immediately shouted angrily.

With a loud shout, all the unorthodox practitioners and true cultivators turned their gazes to the only lively "Song Hu".

Chen Long has stopped even groaning; there's definitely no hope for him now.

They could only interrogate "Song Hu".

"Father Immortal, spare me! Father Immortal, spare me!"

The fierce and imposing indigo demon "Song Hu" was filled with terror as he kept changing positions and howling loudly at the surrounding Qi cultivators.

He was overjoyed to see the activation of one new "method of killing the godfather" after another, especially after confirming that Bee Taoist was among them.

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm asking you, where do you come from, and why are you trying to steal the soul of King Chen Sheng?" Bee Taoist said coldly.

"Song Hu" announced loudly, "Reporting to all the immortal fathers, I come from the City God's Office of Fuli County."

Our master slaughtered the City God, and then held a banquet, sending out eight steeds in a palanquin to specially invite King Chen Sheng to the City God's office as a guest.

We are not bad people, nor are we trying to steal the soul of King Chen Sheng.

You venerable immortal fathers are all knowledgeable and experienced; surely you understand the way the underworld treats its guests?

The underworld is the abode of ghosts; the living are not allowed to enter.

Especially for mortals, the yin energy of the City God's Office can harm a body full of yang energy!
Therefore, even when inviting a great mortal, one must summon their soul from a dream.

"Inviting your soul to the realm of the gods won't harm you at all!" "This fellow seems familiar; he's indeed a ghost messenger from the City God's Office of Fuli, I think his name is 'Song Hu'."

Chen Sheng and Wu Guang started their uprising in Dazexiang ten years earlier. It should be called "Gathering of Righteousness".

Similar to the grand gathering at Liangshan Marsh, because they did not explicitly shout the slogan "Down with the tyrannical Qin, restore the great Chu" back then.

The prophecy "The Great Chu will rise, and Chen Sheng will be king" was forged and spread just a few days ago, and Xiao Yu just happened to stumble upon it.

The gathering of heroes in Daze Township has been going on for ten years, and among the Qi cultivators who have come to pursue them, there are "veterans" of ten years.

Having spent ten years at Tianzhu Peak in Daze, one would definitely find the local ghosts and spirits to be benevolent.

“That’s right, I am Song Hu. Esteemed immortal fathers, this is my brother Chen Long.”

Oh, Brother Chen, you died such a tragic death!

Originally, we were just inviting King Chen Sheng to a feast, but now we're all going to eat at your feast!

Of the forty-five Qi cultivators present, forty-two responded to "Immortal Father's" call to activate the Great Destroyer, resulting in a great harvest. Overjoyed, "Song Hu" couldn't help but indulge in debauchery.

"Waaah, Brother Chen, you not only died tragically, but you also died unjustly! Over the past thousands of years, you have invited so many important people, including kings and generals, but they all only appeared in your dreams."

Often, when we entertain very important guests, we even receive a personnel fee from them. But today, you died on the way to greet a guest—what an injustice!

"Song Hu" did more than just wail; he also kept using his divine powers to try and salvage Chen Long's soul.

The divine body was destroyed, and the divine soul died.

If a part of the soul is rescued, even if the divine body is not rebuilt, at least it can be reincarnated in the underworld.

Chen Sheng was filled with hatred.

This old ghost still dares to make veiled sarcasm at him. Hasn't he seen what happened to Chen Long?
"Old ghost, how dare you!" The other immortal masters weren't stupid either, and they all chimed in with their curses.

"Who do you think you are, daring to mock my general (lord)?"

"Sneaking around like that, you deserve to be beaten to death."

"What a crucial moment this is! Why is a mere county town god not behaving himself and holding a banquet? Who is General Chen Sheng? Can he afford to invite him?"

"Just kill this bastard! How dare he spout nonsense in front of our lord! He's utterly audacious!"

“This guy is no good. He already harbors resentment. Let’s kill him sooner rather than later.”

“The Bee Taoist shot the wrong person. He should have killed this fellow and kept Chen Long for questioning.”

"What are you asking now! Chen Long is suspected of holding our lord hostage, so he should be killed immediately. Both brats are dead."

The Qi cultivators were filled with righteous indignation and none of them said anything kind.

Chen Sheng hesitated for a moment, intending to demonstrate the "benevolence and righteousness of a ruler".

"Ahem, esteemed immortal masters, this ungrateful wretch has just lost his companion, it's only natural that he harbors resentment; this is human nature, there's no need to be harsh—"

Before the words were finished, a loud shout suddenly rang out from "below" them.

"Song Hu, is that you? Where are you? What are you yelling about? Did something happen to Chen Long?"

The Bee Taoist's expression changed slightly, and he turned to Chen Sheng and said, "My lord, we have unknowingly arrived outside Fuli County, and are only about ten miles away from the county seat."

The commotion here alarmed the City God and led to his execution.

He is breaking through the illusionary barrier I have set up; he will be here soon.

Should we return to Tianzhu Peak immediately, or—"

“Fellow Daoist Feng, with so many of us, are we afraid of a mere county city god? Even if he doesn’t come, we will go to the City God’s Office in person and demand an explanation from his lord.”

"Fellow Daoist Bee, you don't need to use any dream barrier to stop him. Just let him come over and see what he has to say!"

The Bee Taoist turned his questioning gaze to Chen Sheng.

Chen Sheng hesitated for a moment, then said, "I met Tu Chenghuang at the 'Feast for Killing Feathers' the other day, and we had a very pleasant conversation. We agreed that he would help me on the day of the uprising. Alas, he is an old neighbor of many years. Since he has already come, we have no reason to avoid seeing him."

The Bee Taoist nodded and secretly ordered the Blood Lotus Bee Guards to open the magic array and dispel the Dream Barrier.

The surrounding dim "fog" quickly dissipated.

This dream space did not become brighter; it remained purplish-red, but the "crystal ball" (the dream of the villagers outside Fuli County) could be seen in the distance.

The next instant, a majestic-looking and imposing deity appeared before them.

Upon seeing so many primordial spirits and yin spirits gathered together, he was clearly taken aback, and a look of fear appeared on his face: Tianzhu Peak is indeed a dragon's den and a tiger's lair, and one should not trespass!
As the crowd dispersed, revealing Chen Sheng in the center, he forced a somewhat strained smile, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Tu pays his respects to King Chen Sheng. I have invited Your Majesty to a small gathering tonight. Why does Your Majesty not come into the city? Has my subordinate neglected Your Majesty?"

"Master, Chen Long is dead! He died a terrible death! Only half of his three souls and seven spirits are left!" Song Hu wailed.

Tu Chenghuang frowned and glanced at him, then his gaze moved to the remains of Chen Long beside him. His pupils contracted and a look of anger appeared on his face.

However, he didn't lash out in the end, but the smile on his face became even more forced, and he could barely maintain it.

Chen Sheng's "strategist" Chen Yu stepped forward and bowed to him as a gesture of respect.

Then, with a blank expression and a questioning tone, he said, "Tu Chenghuang, why did you send ghost messengers to sneak into Tianzhu Peak and even call away General Chen Sheng's soul in a dream?"

Tu Chenghuang glanced at the crowd and said, "This is not the place to talk. If you do not mind the humble state of Fuli Divine Palace, please invite King Chen Sheng and all the immortal masters to have a drink in the back hall."

Chen Yu turned his head to look at Chen Sheng.

Chen Sheng remained calm, neither refusing nor hinting at agreement.

Chen Yu frowned and said, "Tu Chenghuang, thank you for your kind invitation, but it's already late tonight. Just say what you need to say! There's no need for a banquet."

Tu Chenghuang sighed, "The main reason for inviting King Chen Sheng tonight is the case of the Earth God Yu Xichi at the Egret Pavilion."

Li, a woman from Sanhe Village in Shangyangli, came to the City God Temple to file a complaint against the local land deity and his wife.

The case itself is simple, but the background of the people involved is anything but.

I had no intention of disturbing King Chen Sheng.

But I sent someone to summon Yu Xichi before, but he fled in fear of punishment and escaped to Tianzhu Peak.

If it were anywhere else, I would definitely send Judge Wu to arrest him.

I respect King Chen Sheng and dare not act on my own. So I sent the military judge and the civil judge to invite the king to my residence for a chat.

Who would have thought it would turn out like this? Sigh!

Chen Sheng said, "I know about the Earth God Fish Xichi. He also told me about you sending people to arrest him."

I just don't understand, is it worth going to such lengths for the sake of a woman surnamed Li?

Just as Tu Chenghuang was about to explain, several figures suddenly flew over from a distance.

"Master, something's happened! Over at Tianzhu Peak—" The shout abruptly stopped.

When Tu Chenghuang turned around, he saw Judge Wang and Judge Zeng, who were in charge of driving Chen Sheng to the City God's Office.

Besides the two of them, there were also several clerks from the City God's Office.

(End of this chapter)