People in Conferred Gods: Rising from humble beginnings, I am the God of Wealth

Chapter 374 Nezha angrily rebukes Lei Zhenzi, Jiang Ziya's soul returns to the underworld!
Inside the commander's tent in the Xiqi army camp.

A group of immortals from the Chan Sect gathered here, their brows furrowing slightly as they looked at Jiang Ziya's headless corpse.

Jiang Ziya was not only an inner disciple of the Chan Sect, but also the person in charge of the Investiture of the Gods within the Chan Sect.

In the Investiture of the Gods, Jiang Ziya's importance was even greater than that of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect.

Now that the war between Shang and Zhou has just begun, Jiang Ziya, the person in charge of bestowing titles upon the gods, has died. How can they explain this to Yuanshi Tianzun?
“Uncle-Master Jiang is a person destined to be on the list of those to be listed. His life is not meant to end. As long as we can retrieve his soul, his physical injuries will not be a problem.”

A strangely shaped creature with wings of wind and thunder on its back, a blue face and fangs, and holding a golden iron rod, broke the deadlock by speaking.

This person was none other than Lei Zhenzi, a disciple of Yun Zhongzi and a third-generation disciple of the Chan Sect.

Although his cultivation level wasn't high, only at the initial stage of Taiyi Golden Immortal, he was a third-generation disciple of the Chan Sect and one of the most powerful cultivators present.

Even these Great Immortals had to obey Lei Zhenzi's orders in the matter of the Investiture of the Gods.

"If I am not mistaken..."

One of the Great Immortals pondered for a moment and then looked towards the southeast.

"After the people of Da Shang and Xi Qi died, their souls all flew in that direction."

"If Senior Brother Jiang was truly destined to survive and his primordial spirit was not on the list, he must have been drawn by the underworld's messengers and ghosts, flying in that direction."

"The underworld officials and ghosts are only acting according to the rules of the underworld. If we want to get back Senior Brother Jiang's soul, we will be breaking the rules of the underworld, and I'm afraid these ghosts and gods will not agree."

His brows were furrowed, and he looked worried.

The Heavenly Court is no longer just an empty shell; it wields significant influence in the prehistoric world. Although the Underworld still lags behind the Heavenly Court, it is still a first-rate power in the prehistoric world.

Especially after the Styx Daoist severed his own corpse and became the only Quasi-Saint with three corpses in the prehistoric world, the influence of the Underworld increased dramatically.

Even they, as Great Immortals, did not want to go against the Underworld.

After all, they were not disciples of the Chan Sect and did not have the protection of the Primordial Heavenly Lord. If they provoked the Styx Daoist, they would not even have a chance to escape.

Lei Zhenzi, however, was unimpressed. He turned his head to look southeast, his wings flashing with wind and thunder.

“Uncle-Master Jiang is a disciple of the Chan Sect, and he was ordered by his master to preside over the Investiture of the Gods. How can his life and death be entrusted to the Underworld?”

"Everyone, come with me to retrieve Uncle Jiang's soul. If these underworld ghosts and gods are uncooperative, let them know that the disciples of the Chan Sect are not beings they can afford to offend..."

However, before Lei Zhenzi could finish speaking, a 'clang' sound came from the side, interrupting him.

Turning his head, he saw a child of only seven or eight years old holding a spear taller than himself, slamming it heavily on the ground and sneering at Lei Zhenzi.

"What? Should disciples of the Chan Sect have any special privileges?"

This person is none other than Nezha, the disciple of Taiyi Zhenren, who recently left Skull Mountain.

He was also a third-generation disciple of the Chan Sect, one of the three highest-ranking people among them. He was not afraid of Lei Zhenzi, nor did he need to obey him.

Nezha, barefoot, jumped onto the table, pointed his Fire-Tipped Spear at Lei Zhenzi, and said without any politeness:
"The underworld officials arrest the souls of the dead on the orders of the Central Ghost Emperor and that goddess, in order to maintain order in the primordial world. As disciples of the Chan Sect and followers of the sages, how can we do anything to disrupt the order of the primordial world?"

"If you go to snatch Uncle Jiang's soul, you will be disrupting the order of the prehistoric world and tarnishing the reputation of the Chan Sect."

"As a member of the Chan Sect, I will never allow such a thing to happen!"

Nezha's eyes flashed with a fierce light, looking as if he was about to attack at the slightest provocation.

Although Nezha's nature remains unruly, he has clearly made a lot of progress over the years he has spent with Shiji and the ghosts and gods of the underworld on Skull Mountain.

In the past, if he didn't want Lei Zhenzi to cause trouble for the ghosts and gods of the underworld and to snatch back Jiang Ziya's soul, he would most likely have taken direct action and fought with his fellow disciple Lei Zhenzi.

How could he be so eloquent now, directly accusing Lei Zhenzi of smearing the Chan Sect and finding a good excuse for his actions?

If you really intend to do this, then you are smearing the reputation of the Chan Sect. I only had to stop you for the sake of the Chan Sect's reputation. It pains me to have to take action against my fellow disciples!
"you……"

Upon hearing Nezha's words, Lei Zhenzi pointed at Nezha, his expression agitated, his lips trembling slightly, but for a moment he didn't know how to refute him.

Yun Zhongzi, known as the Golden Immortal of Fortune and Virtue, was considered an honest man among the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect.

Lei Zhenzi cultivated alongside Yun Zhongzi, and aside from preaching, their daily interactions could be summarized with words like "uh-huh" and "oh." In terms of eloquence, how could he possibly be a match for Nezha?
It's important to know that during the years Nezha spent on Skull Mountain, besides cultivating his character and laying a solid foundation by following Shiji, he would also spend time with the two attendants, Biyun and Caiyun, mingling with the ghosts and gods of the underworld.

These underworld spirits and deities come from all over the primordial world, and have different personalities. Some are treacherous and cunning, some are eloquent, and some are extremely murderous.

Having spent these years mingling with these ghosts and gods, Nezha's eloquence has improved significantly. Not to mention Lei Zhenzi, even the Great Luo Golden Immortals present might not be able to out-argue him.

In the eyes of Lei Zhenzi and his ilk, the Chan Sect was above all else, and even the underworld had no right to detain the souls of the Chan Sect immortals.

Since Jiang Ziya's soul was taken away by the underworld officials, they should go to these officials to demand an explanation and reclaim Jiang Ziya's soul.

But after hearing what Nezha said, they felt that doing so was indeed not right. If they really tarnished the reputation of the Chan Sect, Yuanshi Tianzun, who valued his reputation so much, would probably punish them.

Especially those beings who belonged to the unofficial forces of the Chan Sect, who were already wary of the Styx Daoist and unwilling to make things difficult for the ghosts and gods of the underworld, nodded directly and chose to stand on Nezha's side.

If Jiang Ziya were to die like this, they would indeed have no way to explain it to the Chan Sect, but it would also be Jiang Ziya's fate to perish.

Even if they are not entirely unrelated to this matter, the main reason is not on their part. Even if the Primordial Celestial Venerable punishes them, it will not be too severe.

Comparatively speaking, going to cause trouble for the underworld officials and trying to seize Jiang Ziya's soul would not only tarnish the reputation of the Chan Sect, but would also provoke the great killing god, the Styx Daoist.

They would naturally prefer to stand on Nezha's side, at least because the risk is relatively small.

Lei Zhenzi was not good with words, but he was not stupid. He immediately guessed what the people around him were thinking by observing their reactions.

This enraged him. Even if it disrupted the order of the prehistoric world, it might tarnish the reputation of the Chan Sect.

But if the underworld officials were allowed to arrest Jiang Ziya's soul, wouldn't that mean that the Chan Sect would also be subject to the jurisdiction of the underworld? Where would that leave their reputation?

Lei Zhenzi was so angry that his face turned red and his fingers trembled, but he didn't know how to refute Nezha's statement and make him lose face.

Just then, a young man with a vertical pupil between his eyebrows and holding a three-pointed double-edged sword stood up and shook his head at Lei Zhenzi.

“Snatching Uncle Jiang’s soul and disrupting the order of life and death is indeed inappropriate.”

This person was also a third-generation disciple of the Chan Sect, named Yang Jian.

However, the Yang Jian of today is quite different from the one in later legends. Although Yang Jian was still born to Fairy Yunhua, Fairy Yunhua did not do anything to secretly meet with mortals, nor was she suppressed under Peach Mountain, so Yang Jian naturally could not harbor any resentment towards the Heavenly Court.

On the contrary, thanks to Fairy Yunhua's early teachings, although Yang Jian was unaware of his relationship with Yang Xuan, Yang Xuan held an unparalleled position in his heart.

Even after being taken back to Kunlun Mountain by Yuanshi Tianzun and becoming a disciple of Yuding Zhenren, Yang Xuan remained the person he respected most.

Yang Jian had been paying attention to Yang Xuan's affairs, so he naturally knew that in addition to being the Heavenly Emperor, Yang Xuan was also the Central Ghost Emperor of the Underworld, the one who governed the Underworld.

If you go looking for trouble with the underworld officials and disrupt the cycle of reincarnation, wouldn't that be the same as going after Yang Xuan? How could he possibly let that happen?
Even if Nezha hadn't said anything, he would have stopped it.

Even if Jiang Ziya couldn't just die like that, he couldn't go to the underworld officials to snatch back his soul.

Upon hearing this, Nezha, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but show a look of surprise. He hadn't expected that Yang Jian would choose to stand on his side.

Currently, there are only three inner disciples of the Chan Sect in the Xiqi army camp. Both Nezha and Yang Jian oppose seizing Jiang Ziya's soul, so Lei Zhenzi's suggestion can only be abandoned, and another method must be sought.

This left Nezha somewhat disappointed, as he lost an opportunity to shine.

He had originally thought that Yang Jian would remain neutral or stand on Lei Zhenzi's side, and that Nezha was fighting Lei Zhenzi to save face for the Underworld and make a good impression.

It would be best to make a big fuss and let the news reach the Heavenly Court and the Underworld, so that Yang Xuan would know about his actions.

As for Jiang Ziya's life or death, and the reputation of the Chan Sect...

To paraphrase Nezha, it's none of my business!

If he could, he would have liked to shoot Taiyi Zhenren two hundred times; he wouldn't care whether Jiang Ziya lived or died.

Unfortunately, there's no chance to perform like that now.

Nezha scoffed, picked up his Fire-Tipped Spear, sat on the table, and stopped paying attention to Jiang Ziya's affairs.

After some discussion, Lei Zhenzi finally took out a green pill, a look of heartache on his face.

Clearly, this pill was no ordinary pill; it was one of his trump cards for survival.

But now, if we want to revive Jiang Ziya, this is the best option.

Lei Zhenzi gritted his teeth, placed it on Jiang Ziya's headless corpse, and used his magic to refine it, releasing boundless vitality.

In just a short while, Jiang Ziya's head, which had been smashed by Wang Mo, regrew up, and his hidden injuries were instantly healed.

There was even a considerable amount of medicinal power remaining in his body. If his soul could return and be resurrected, this medicinal power could even improve his cultivation.

Lei Zhenzi and the others had a simple idea: since Jiang Ziya was not destined to die, as long as his physical body regained its vitality, he would not be considered dead. Under the pull of the physical body, his soul would return on its own.

This wouldn't be considered a disruption of the order of life and death. Furthermore, Jiang Ziya was an inner disciple of the Chan Sect, protected by the fortune of the Investiture of the Gods, and was personally appointed by the Primordial Heavenly Lord to be in charge of the Chan Sect's Investiture of the Gods.

It is likely that the underworld officials and deities would not prevent Jiang Ziya's soul from returning.

According to later legends, after Jiang Ziya received treatment and his physical body regained its vitality, his soul did indeed return to the mortal realm on its own, thus enabling him to be resurrected.

But the underworld today is not like the one described in later legends.

The underworld in later legends was an appendage of the Heavenly Court, and was entirely controlled by the Xuanmen (Taoist sect).

Even the top-ranking deities of the underworld, such as the King of the Underworld and the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, were granted to Huang Feihu and this mortal in the Xuanmen Investiture of the Gods. It was as if they were playing house.

In such a hellish place, how could they dare to prevent Jiang Ziya's soul from returning to the mortal world?

Even after Jiang Ziya died, his soul was invited to the underworld by the underworld officials, and they dared not show the slightest disrespect.

But now, the Xuanmen sect doesn't work in the underworld anymore!
Let alone Jiang Ziya, a second-generation disciple of the Chan Sect with the cultivation level of Taiyi, even Randeng, the vice leader of the Chan Sect, was stopped from entering the Netherworld by the Da Luo of the Wu Clan who guarded the Ghost Gate.

There is now an unwritten rule in the underworld, and even in the entire Netherworld, that disciples of the Chan Sect are not allowed to enter the Netherworld!
Who told Yang Xuan to kindly leave Ju Liusun and Cihang in the Netherworld to participate in the construction of the Underworld and thus gain merit?

As a result, Ju Liusun wanted to take advantage of Yang Xuan's absence from the Netherworld and establish the Di De Money House to seize Yang Xuan's opportunity.

Such behavior prompted Houtu to personally intervene and throw them out of the Netherworld.

Nowadays, the entire upper echelons of the underworld have no good impression of the Chan Sect, and even some of the lower-level ghosts and gods feel the same way.

Looking across the entire prehistoric world, the Nine Provinces are the place most closely connected with the underworld. City God Temples are everywhere, and there are more underworld gods and spirits residing in the Nine Provinces than in other places, making the cycle of reincarnation more complete.

In addition, Yang Xuan knew about the Investiture of the Gods calamity very early on. When selecting sites for the Heavenly Temple and the Underworld City God Temple, he set up many large City God Temples in Chaoge and Xiqi, the main battlefields of the Investiture of the Gods in the Nine Provinces.

Arrange for more powerful and knowledgeable spirits to guard the area.

Right on the border between the Shang Dynasty and the Xiqi alliance, there happened to be a large City God Temple, which was built so that when the great calamity came, the souls of the dead could be successfully guided to the afterlife, so that the spirits would not wander around the Nine Provinces.

After Jiang Ziya died, his soul was guided and soon arrived at this City God Temple.

Depending on their cultivation level, background, techniques, and lifestyle during their lifetime, the spirits of the deceased are also different.

The higher one's cultivation level in life, the more solid one's soul will become, and the characteristics of the cultivation techniques practiced in life will also be reflected in the soul.

For example, if someone primarily practiced fire-based techniques during their lifetime, their soul after death will often retain characteristics of fire.

Jiang Ziya was a disciple of the Chan Sect, and he cultivated the Jade Purity Daoist Method, which was the most advanced cultivation method in the prehistoric world. His soul after death was also very special, as it was accompanied by the Jade Purity Immortal Light.

Among a sea of ​​ghosts, it stood out like a lighthouse on a dark sea.

Jiang Ziya had barely arrived at the City God Temple when he attracted the attention of the surrounding underworld officials and spirits.

If Jiang Ziya had come to an ordinary City God Temple, the ordinary underworld officials might not have recognized the Jade Purity Immortal Light on his body, but would have just felt that this soul must have an extraordinary origin and would have treated him better.

But this City God Temple is different. Not only are there many Taiyi ghost gods residing here, but a few years ago, Yang Xuan even transferred a Daluo Golden Immortal to sit in it.

Ordinary underworld messengers might not recognize the Jade Purity Immortal Light, so how could they not?
"Wow, a big fish has arrived!"

The great demon revealed a sinister smile. To avoid any unforeseen complications, he immediately exercised his authority and unleashed a divine light to obscure Jiang Ziya's spiritual consciousness.

He then dispatched a powerful deity to open a back door for Jiang Ziya, using the teleportation array in the City God Temple to personally send him to the Gates of Hell.

No matter who you were in life, after death, the underworld is in charge!

(End of this chapter)