No taboos

Chapter 552 Flesh and Blood Crops

For the Repentance Sect, raising a treacherous master means having another "saintly protector" in the future.

Jiamiaozi was unaware of the true purpose of the "Holy Protector of the Faith".

The temple's position within the "farming temple" was second only to the emperor.

However, within the entire Repentance Sect, he was not considered a high-ranking figure.

Unfortunately, Xu Yuan got involved in the matter of the scoundrel catching the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.

After that incident, Xu Yuan speculated: "The so-called saints who protect the faith are just resources that some people in the Repentance Sect are storing up for their own advancement to worldly gods."

Jiamiaozi had no idea why the already established Jiashen Temple would interfere in "mundane affairs" and raise a strange master at Sanxian Lake.

He was simply faithfully carrying out the temple god's decree.

However, based on his own knowledge, Xu Yuan guessed that Jia Shen was helping someone else make preparations.

The Three Immortals Lake is not large in scale, which means that the God of Agriculture's plan has succeeded. To cultivate a strange master, it would take at least several decades, or even hundreds of years.

In other words, act now—reap the rewards a hundred years from now.

So those who truly need this treacherous master as provisions are most likely just beginning their training.

Xu Yuan secretly speculated: Is he Jia Shen's illegitimate son?

Or is he a descendant of the Grand Master of the Repentance Sect?

Ordinary "followers" cannot ask the God of Harvest for help.

However, Xu Yuan felt a sense of vigilance at this moment!

There were still more than three months until the Ghost Festival (July 15th of the lunar calendar), and it was precisely at this time that I encountered this matter.

This incident can serve as evidence and test for the actions of the Ghost Festival!
"What a coincidence..."

Xu Yuan muttered to himself, as if an unseen hand was orchestrating all of this from behind the scenes.

And yet... it feels like this is a tempting bait that's been thrown out.

"Could it be that the Lord of the Dirt is holding a grudge and has invited the God of Agriculture to stage this play to lure me into a trap?"

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then quietly shook his head again.

Only the people of Hegong Lane know about what happened on the Ghost Festival.

Even the emperor thought that this time it would be the same as in previous years, just reinforcing the restrictions to continue trapping Lord Ruan Tian.

Around the fast ship, Lang Xiaoba and Di Youzhi had already dealt with the remaining believers of the Repentance Sect.

"Sir, should we inform the nearby canal administration office, or continue on our way?"

Xu Yuan thought for a moment: "Go to the Grand Canal Administration Office."

The fact that the Chan sect dared to take action on the river likely means they had already made arrangements with the nearby canal administration.

But Lord Xu was indignant and wanted to cause a scene.

At the very least, this should leave a record in the canal administration department.

Let that old Dragon King know that someone is disrespecting Him and daring to attack a court official on His territory!

The fast ship sailed downstream and soon arrived at the next canal dock.

This is a county town. Xu Yuan barged in and loudly denounced the wicked members of the Chan Sect for being arrogant and reckless, causing trouble on the canal, and simply not taking His Majesty the Dragon King seriously!

Having said this, the canal administration could no longer take it lightly.

I had no choice but to log in and record this "murder case".

Xu Yuan watched them complete all the procedures before leisurely leaving.

Back on the fast ship, Xu Yuan invited Lord Wei over. After closing the door and leaving only the two of them, Xu Yuan said, "Lord Wei, the Repentance Sect will never let this go."

Wei Gang sighed and said, "We'll be able to enter Jiaozhi territory tomorrow. The Chan Sect should back down then, right?"

After arriving in Jiaozhi, they will soon reach Champa.

Wei Gang believed that once he obtained the official seal and officially became the prefect of Champa, even if the Chan sect was extremely fanatical, it would not dare to openly assassinate the official in charge of the imperial court.

Xu Yuan shook his head slightly: "I'm afraid they will chase us all the way to Champa."

Wei Gang was taken aback: "They..." Then Wei Gang frowned and said, "What exactly do they intend to do?"

Xu Yuan said, "I discovered from that Jiamiaozi's consciousness that they want to transform you into a treacherous master of the uncivilized land of Sanxian Lake!"

The adults thwarted their plot, but they still had a chance to salvage the situation.

Their goal is to wipe out the entire family of the Lord, instilling despair and rage in him. Then, by causing trouble in the Three Immortals Lake, they can continue their previous conspiracy, expanding the area of ​​the Three Immortals Lake and slaughtering hundreds of thousands of people—the Lord is the only candidate to become the master of the Three Immortals Lake!
It's even more suitable than the monstrous master they had previously arranged.

Xu Yuan had previously suspected that the Chan Sect's relentless pursuit of Wei Gang was not simply a matter of venting their anger.

Later, after examining Jiamiaozi's memories, it was found that this was indeed the case.

Wei Gang stood there, stunned.

If Xu Yuan hadn't pointed this out, the repentance teachings might have actually succeeded.

Imagine how Wei Gang risked countless dangers and painstakingly thwarted the conspiracy of the Repentance Cult.

However, the imperial court did not protect him, which ultimately led to the death of his entire family.

The hundreds of thousands of people he had saved through countless hardships were ultimately devoured by evil spirits!

If Wei Gang, who is trapped in despair and anger, is killed and left only as a ghost, then he will most likely undergo a bizarre transformation.

Wei Gang, drenched in cold sweat, stood up and bowed deeply to Xu Yuan: "Thank you, Lord Xu, for saving us!"

Xu Yuan sat upright and accepted the greeting.

This is not simply about saving their lives.

If the Repentance Cult succeeds, Wei Gang will become a treacherous master who wreaks havoc on the region!
Wei Gang sat back down and sighed, "Lord Xu, I'm at a loss. What should we do next?"

Xu Yuan's fingers tapped slowly on the table.

After reading Jiamiaozi's memories, Xu Yuan's first thought was to send Wei Gang to Lord Ma's side, and then quietly sneak back to Shangsha County to completely destroy the Repentance Sect's arrangements.

However, Xu Yuan also suspected that the incident in Shangsha County might be a setup specifically targeting him.

So a second idea came to mind.

"Does Lord Wei believe me?"

"I, Wei, naturally have complete trust in Lord Xu."

"Then let's pretend we know nothing. Sir, come back to Champa with me to take up your post!"

This tactic is called "responding to all changes with constancy".

The premise is that Xu Yuan has strong confidence in his own abilities.

As long as we can withstand the increasingly powerful assassination attempts from the Repentance Cult, the Repentance Cult will fall into disarray, giving Lord Xu an opportunity.

Wei Gang gritted his teeth and said, "Okay!"

Wei Gang was not a cultivator, so he couldn't tell that the Jiamiaozi who had come to assassinate him last time was a fourth-rate cultivator.

Since Jiamiaozi failed, the one who comes next time will surely defeat Jiamiaozi!

If he knew this, it's hard to say whether he would still have such strong confidence in Lord Xu.

The fast ship entered Jiaozhi and arrived at Luocheng a day later.

Xu Yuan went ashore to pay his respects to Lord Ma, had a private talk, and returned to Champa the next day.

One inconvenience is that the prefectural government office and the Champa office of the Exorcism Bureau are quite far apart.

Xu Yuan then simply moved into the prefectural government office.

Dafu has been away from home for many days, and the goose sisters and waterbird sisters miss him very much.

Dafu really wanted to keep following Fanzhezi's lead, but he could only comfort his sisters at home for the time being.

Zhu Zhanmei and Xu Miaozhi, knowing that Xu Yuan had returned, came to visit him together.

Xu Yuan felt inexplicably guilty upon seeing the two beauties.

The two women told him about some of the changes that had occurred in Champa during this time.

Most importantly, Xu Miaozhi's military camp has been completed.

Moreover, a watchtower was built in the military camp, where a "net for catching the sky" was secretly installed!
The "Sky Net" project was extremely expensive; the imperial court really went all out this time.

Nothing much went wrong at the Exorcism Division during Xu Yuan's absence.

Xu Yuan was stationed in the prefectural government office, but he couldn't find any peace and quiet.

The original plan was to keep Wei Gang put in his place, but Wei Gang only stayed for one day. After settling his family and briefly looking through the files and accounts in the yamen, he couldn't stay any longer.

No matter how much Xu Yuan tried to persuade him, he insisted on going down to visit each county first.

Wei Gang is a conscientious official. Now that he has taken office, he must fulfill his duties in his position.

Wei Gang disregarded his own life and death, telling Xu Yuan, "Lord Xu, you don't need to follow me. You stay in the Champa government and guard my family. Even if I die, I will not let the Chan Sect's conspiracy succeed!"

Xu Yuan then sneered.

Without hesitation, he snapped his fingers and used the animal sinew rope to tie up Wei Gang!
"You better stay here in the yamen and behave yourself!"

"Your family has to live, and you have to live too!"

"You may be focused on your work, but you must also take care of yourself."

“Good officials like you are rare in my Ming Dynasty, and we cannot afford to lose any more.”

Wei Gang shouted angrily, "Let me go!"

Xu Yuan's eyes flickered, and Pidan flew out, sealing Lord Wei's mouth shut.

"Uh-huh--"

At noon, Madam Wei came to invite her husband to lunch, but was shocked to see that her husband was sitting upright in a chair, but had turned into a rice dumpling!
The lady was shocked: "What...why is this?"

Xu Yuan then explained the situation.

Madam Wei immediately said, "Lord Xu did the right thing!"

She then said to Lord Xu, "Please release him, my lord. From this moment on, I will personally guard him and make sure he cannot escape!"

Xu Yuan laughed and beckoned with his finger, and Jin Dan and Pi Dan flew back together.

Relieved, Wei Gang called out wistfully, "Madam..."

Madam Wei's eyebrows shot up, and she snapped, "Shut up! Calling me 'Grandma' won't do you any good!"

Wei Gang: ...

Xu Yuan was relieved, waved his sleeves, and walked away gracefully.

……

Three hundred li east of Shangsha County lies the territory of Guangfeng County.

There was originally a proverb in the countryside that said, "Guangfeng is not prosperous."

The county has suffered from floods and soil erosion for years, resulting in barren farmland.

The people worked hard from the beginning to the end of the year, but they couldn't even harvest a bushel of grain from an acre of land.

Starting about ten years ago, the weather suddenly became favorable, and even when disasters struck, the crops in the fields always yielded a bumper harvest for some reason.

But after eating the grain produced in this field, one will develop a deep faith in the "God of Agriculture".

The more one eats, the more steadfast this belief becomes.

Over the course of more than ten years, even the county magistrate became a believer in the god of agriculture.

The villagers also paid this kind of grain as their annual tax.

Once the food was transported out of Guangfeng County, people elsewhere who ate it would feel confused and would then learn of the existence of the God of Harvest, and subsequently build temples and shrines for the God of Harvest in the countryside.

The first county magistrate, because he paid the full amount of taxes, was promoted to prefect several years ago.

He was Wei Gang's immediate superior in Shangsha County.

In the very center of Guangfeng County, there is a small plain shaped like a gourd. At the mouth of the gourd stands a large temple with thriving incense offerings.

This is Jiamiao.

The temple is here, but it is not actually here.

This real temple was built for ordinary people to worship.

The true sacred site of the God of Harvests is actually in another void.

So-called worldly gods are still rooted in the mortal world.

This is because—the Heavenly Court collapsed, and they dared not ascend to heaven.

The underworld was in chaos, but the various lords of the underworld were still alive, so they dared not descend to the earth.

That would occupy this middle section of the mundane world.

The instant Jiamiaozi was killed, a fleshy embryo, resembling an infant, burst open in the back hall of the temple and began to grow.

Before long, a complete "person" grew out.

This back room was very secluded, with no doors or windows, and not a single ray of light could be seen coming in.

In front of this embryonic body, four other embryonic bodies had already ruptured, leaving only traces of dried flesh and blood. Behind it... there were countless other weak embryonic bodies, dormant in the depths!

Only when the previous temple dies can the next physical body begin to "sprout" and "grow".

Except for the first temple, all the others grew out in the same way.

All the temples are exactly the same as the original one.

The various believers in the temple were unaware that the temple had been replaced time and again.

I thought it was just one person.

That's why they had so much faith in the "temple," believing that as long as they went out to do things under the temple's guidance, they were bound to succeed.

Those who knew it wouldn't work all died outside.

Darkness began to writhe, and the void, like some kind of lip, opened and swallowed the new temple.

Then this new body of the temple squeezed through a narrow passage of flesh and blood, like a newborn baby, covered in slime and filth, and landed with a splash in a huge stone lotus basin.

As it emerged, a "spirit" ignited within the temple's body.

His soul carried "innate wisdom," so he knew everything that the temple was supposed to know.

The stone lotus basin is filled with all kinds of seeds, from grains to fruits, vegetables, and even herbs and poisonous plants.

Miao Zi's eyes were closed, and his chest and abdomen rose and fell gently; he had already begun to breathe.

Before long, he was able to grow from the lotus pot to a fourth-rate level.

In front of the lotus pot, there is a fleshy crop.

It was incredibly tall, surpassing all the ancient giant trees in the mortal world.

Yet it happens to resemble a rice seedling.

The fleshy roots are deeply embedded in nothingness.

All the grains, fruits, and other crops on the surface are ripe.

Countless ghostly flames dotted the ears of grain and the fruits.

The spirit of the temple was a tiny spark of ghostly fire within it.

Fundamentally, it is a fragment separated from the "divine soul" of the god of crops.

But after falling into the temple's body, it completely lost contact with the god of crops.

The arrangement of the God of Harvest at the Three Immortals Lake was not for any "descendants".

Rather, it was for the “law of harvest” in His “law of harvest”.

When He built the temple, He was not strong enough, and He only managed to gather the power of "harvest" within the temple.

He needs to use the temple to establish a second temple in order to bring "the way of harvest" into it as well.

Of the thirty-four secular gods in the Repentance Sect, He is the only one who has worked so hard even after becoming a "god".

After becoming a worldly god, their life form has been completely transformed.

Just like this god of crops, it is already a flesh and blood crop rooted in the void.

When one is a "human being," all kinds of desires and motivations naturally disappear.

But the difference with the god of harvest is that after becoming a mortal god, it suddenly discovered that the power of "harvesting" had expanded... to the point that it was able to covet the great power of reincarnation!
His continuous creation of temples is, in fact, a process of "rebirth".

It has something to do with "reincarnation".

But as long as you get involved, you have something to hold onto.

Throughout the history of Heaven, many immortals and gods seized fleeting opportunities over a long period of time, transforming themselves from subordinates of a powerful divine authority into supreme gods who completely controlled that authority!

But all of this must be done with utmost care and caution, especially to avoid being detected by the Venerable One in the Yin Heaven Palace of Zhou Jue.

The temple is still under construction.

At the back gate of the temple, a person knocked on the door in broad daylight, carrying an old lantern.

The entire backyard was deserted.

But that little back door opened automatically.

The man carried a lantern and went inside.

Although his movements were somewhat slow and stiff, he seemed to be very familiar with the route and walked to the gate of a grand hall.

If someone were to get closer to look, they would find that the person's eyes were covered with a thick layer of grime.

He shouldn't have been able to see anything.

The door to the main hall opened a crack.

It was deep and secluded inside.

The light from outside was swallowed up as soon as it entered.

The man handed the lantern inside, and it floated in automatically.

Then the doors of the main hall closed again.

The old lantern entered the main hall, its light dim, illuminating only a three-foot radius around it.

The lantern walls were covered in grime.

As the candlelight flickered inside, a voice came from the lantern: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

The lantern dipped down, as if in a gesture of respect.

A massive crop of flesh and blood appeared.

A dry, heavy voice echoed throughout the space: "Lord, everything you've arranged is ineffective; the fish won't bite."

Lantern said, "Your Majesty, please be patient. That boy is very cunning. But as long as we keep sending out stronger assassins, he will definitely not be able to resist coming to Three Immortals Lake to find out what's going on!"

The voice of the God of Harvests rang out again: "I have begun to doubt whether your plan will be effective."

Lantern strongly advised, "Your Majesty, that boy is absolutely the best candidate to become the master of the Three Immortals Lake!"
Even Wei Gang is far inferior!
He can greatly shorten the time it takes for you to establish a second temple. I predict that as long as you capture him and cultivate him into a treacherous master, your request can be fulfilled in twenty years at most!

The enormous, fleshy crops lay silent in the darkness, seemingly deep in thought.

After a long silence, His voice rang out again: "This time, you'll need at least a third-rate person to take action."

Thousands of miles away, the owner of that ancient tomb couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

His condition is poor, and it will really cost him a fortune to promote one of his subordinates to a third-rate position.

But if he disagrees, the god of crops will abandon the plan.

"Okay." He gritted his teeth and agreed.

Because he can't afford to delay any longer.

He needed to lure the Great Sage Equaling Heaven as soon as possible, and he needed Xu Yuan as bait even more.

After learning that Jia Shen's plan at Sanxian Lake had failed, Gou Zhu took the initiative to approach him seeking cooperation.

However, the plan was somewhat different from what Xu Yuan had guessed.

They used Wei Gang as bait to lure Xu Yuan to Sanxian Lake.

The Lord of Gou gave a comprehensive evaluation of Xu Yuan's strength and felt that a third-rate opponent was no longer able to deal with Xu Yuan.

So they brought in the god of crops.

Sanxian Lake is very close to Guangfeng County. As long as Xu Yuan arrives at Sanxian Lake, Jia Shen can take action remotely.

The roots of the God of Agriculture are in Guangfeng County, and it is not easy to leave.

He can only move freely after His "food" has been "spread" within the territory of the Ming Dynasty for another hundred years and been consumed by more people.

"As long as we keep sending out powerful assassins, making Xu Yuan believe that we are determined to get Wei Gang, he will eventually lose patience and go to Sanxian Lake to find out for himself!" Lantern said.

These words foreshadowed what was to come for the God of Harvest.

The master of the dungeon believed that a third-rate person could not kill Xu Yuan.

So what about next time? At least two third-rate people will have to be sent.

As for second-rate...

Even the god of agriculture cannot cultivate second-rate crops.

The gods of the mortal world are not the true gods.

But the next time, when there are two third-rate people, it will be Jia Shen's side that will have to provide people.

"I hope your plan works."

The voice of the god of crops echoed in the void.

The lantern had somehow already been sent out of the main hall and returned to that person's hands.

He carried the lantern and walked outside.

Completely unaware that the lantern in his hand had gone out.

He came out through the back door the same way he came, and when he got to a hillside, his whole body suddenly collapsed and turned into a pile of flesh and blood fertilizer!
The lantern's handle, planted diagonally in this patch of flesh and blood fertilizer, quickly grew into a jujube tree.

……

The lantern was extinguished as soon as it was sent out of the main hall, and the consciousness of the Lord of Slaughter returned to his body.

He pondered in the tomb which of his fourth-rate subordinates could be promoted to third-rate to carry out this mission.

During his years in the tomb, his power steadily dwindled.

Even the Great Sage Equaling Heaven's "resources" were almost lost, and were about to be snatched away by other members of the sect.

This is one of the reasons why he is in such a hurry.

If it weren't for the fact that Xu Yuan was indeed very suitable to be cultivated into the master of the Three Immortal Lakes, Jia Shen would not have paid any attention to him.

Now, his team is dwindling in talent.

Some outstanding ones even wanted to be kept so that they could continue to serve them after the temple was built.

But those who are too weak won't do either; it's too much trouble to promote them, and the current ruler doesn't have that kind of foundation.

He shortlisted three candidates in his mind and prepared to choose one from them.

Outside the tomb, in the vast mountains and forests, a figure suddenly appeared.

The tomb keepers immediately tensed up.

This place is sparsely populated, and there are secret sentries of the Chan sect on the outskirts.

But as the figure drew closer, they received no warning!

"Quickly inform the Lord!"

Four of the tomb keepers immediately surrounded the figure from different directions.

The filthy master in the tomb also found out and couldn't help but snort.

Even in my fallen state, I am not someone that any little brat can offend!

Before the ancient tomb, an old, ever-burning lamp slowly rises.

The lights illuminated the area for miles around the ancient tomb.

Within this scope, the skill level of the tomb keepers will be temporarily elevated.

But by the light, he saw the four grave keepers who rushed forward suddenly lose their spirits and fall to the ground with thuds.

Even the Lord of the Gou didn't understand how that figure made his move!
The figure drifted over, and the tomb keepers fell one by one!

The master frowned deeply.

The figure had already arrived at the tomb. He casually destroyed the various decorations inside the ancient tomb, which did not pose any obstacle to him.

In just half an hour, he arrived outside the huge coffin in the ancient tomb.

The Lord of the Defiled then lay down inside.

"Who are you?" the voice of the Scoundrel came from behind.

Although he was shocked and angry, he was not particularly panicked.

Although I am not in good condition, it does not mean I cannot make a move.

His skill level remains unchanged.

The figure patted the coffin and said, "I didn't want to talk to you, but you shouldn't have tried to kill my son."

I only have one son. Of the six families in Hegong Lane, only this one son remains.

If you want to kill him, I'll have to kill you first.

In his other hand, he held up something as thin as a cicada's wing, with a shadow swaying on it.

"Look, doesn't it look like you?"

Suddenly, a shadow appeared out of thin air in the deep void.

A terrifying being saw it and seized it with a single claw.

With just a tug, the Lord of Sludge was utterly powerless to resist and was dragged directly from the ancient tomb in the mortal world into the deep void!
(End of this chapter)