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Chapter 560 Dutiful Son
The old roots under the tree are twisted and gnarled.

Suddenly it came to life and transformed into the back of a giant toad.

It raised its head and looked up at Xu Huanyang, then opened its mouth and uttered in human language: "You're still too soft-hearted."

Xu Huanyang remained silent for a long time, as if explaining to the Grand Master Chan Jinye, or perhaps reaffirming his resolve: "I have lingered on the road to the Yellow Springs for too long, and my humanity has been extinguished too much. If I don't do something humane soon, I'm afraid it won't be long before I become no different from those ghosts and fierce spirits."

Grandmaster Chan Jin laughed heartily.

Xu Huanyang then stopped talking.

A vague unease crept into my heart.

The fact that these dozens of people survived is the key!
Those who wish to become worldly gods must "establish temples".

The aggrieved man's large ship is his temple, but this temple has not yet been erected.

The boat itself is a magnificent work of art. Once the aggrieved party reaches the right point, they can travel on land by boat and choose a place to settle down and build a temple.

If successful, one's rank will be higher than that of the God of Harvest.

Ghost Mountain is actually the "temple" of Lord Ruan Tian.

If these boatmen survive and are discovered by the Repentance Sect, it may alert the victims.

Xu Huanyang raised his hand, and the "bumps and lumps" on the tree roots below gathered like flowing clouds and long winds, condensing into a ball of "resentful fetus energy" in his hand.

One of them stuck out a toad head in dissatisfaction: "I'm just trying to remind you—you can't lock me up just because you don't listen to advice."

Xu Huanyang said, "It's time to get going. I'll let you out for some fresh air when we get there."

"Where are we going..."

Before the old toad could finish asking his question, Xu Huanyang took it back.

Xu Huanyang then stuffed this ball of "resentful energy" into his right eye and headed in the opposite direction from the boatmen.

……

Today's ban:
Sculpting statues, shadow walking, hunting, and building temples.

There were few pedestrians on the road, and everyone was careful when stepping on the ground.

Unless it's absolutely necessary, please stay home.

By mid-morning, news had already begun to arrive from Watanabe Town:
Dafu has successfully cleaned up the flesh and blood, but he's overstuffed it, so "Master Fu" plans to come back in a few days.

Xu Yuan nodded, then got up and went to the west courtyard.

Now the entire courtyard has been cleared out for Banlan Gong and Xiaoxian Niang and her daughter to live in.

Xiu Xiaoxian's mother was just an ordinary woman, and even now she is still somewhat uneasy, as if in a dream—she feels that such a good life should not be something she should be able to enjoy.

That means she'll have to adapt to it gradually on her own.

Xu Yuan asked from outside the main house in the courtyard, "Senior?"

The voice of Banlan Gong came: "Come in."

Inside the room, Banlan Gongzheng was teaching Xiaoxianniang some basic knowledge of "divine cultivation".

"Brother." Seeing Xu Yuan come in, Xiao Xianniang smiled sweetly and called out in a clear voice.

"Okay." Xu Yuan replied, ruffling her hair.

Little Thread Girl was originally dark-skinned and thin, with dry, yellow hair.

But in the past few days, her cheeks have visibly become fuller, and her hair has become softer and smoother, feeling great to the touch.

"I need to talk to your master about something. You should go out and rest for a while."

"Okay." Little Thread Girl obediently bowed to her master, then skipped and hopped out.

Banlan Gong looked at his disciple with eyes full of affection.

"This girl is clever; she understands everything immediately," Banlan Gong praised.

This made things so much easier for him.

Banlan Gong was clearly not a good teacher. If he encountered a stubborn student who still couldn't understand after being told the lesson two or three times, he would immediately get angry and jump up.

"Did you come to see me because of that aggrieved party?" Banlan Gong asked with a serious expression.

Xu Yuan nodded: "That's the troublesome thing about the Repentance Cult. Once you're hooked, it's like a leech that you can't get rid of."

The previous scoundrel had limited power, but this victim is different.

I don't think he'll let this go easily.

Banlan Gongdao said, "I've actually been thinking about this matter these past two days. How much of the victim's situation is recorded in your Exorcism Division's files?"

Xu Yuan did not focus solely on the aggrieved parties, but began by mentioning the secular deities of the Chan sect: "The records in the government office are somewhat broad."

The temple masters are said to be at least third-rate in terms of their abilities, but in terms of strength, they are far inferior to the worldly gods.

However, I privately believe that there are many conjectures and inaccuracies in the information provided by the government.

For example, when I met Jiamiaozi, he was a fourth-rate person. So Jiashen must be more than a third-rate person, right?

It's at least second-rate, and a strong second-rate at that.

Banlan Gong nodded and said, "The thirty-four mortal gods of the Repentance Sect vary in strength, but the weakest is at least second-rate, and most of them are first-rate."

Xu Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Does the Repentance Sect have so many top-tier sects?"

Banlan Gong raised an eyebrow: "I understand what you mean. How many first-rate sects are there in the entire Huangming? If the Chan Sect had this kind of strength, it should have rebelled long ago."

Xu Yuan nodded in deep agreement.

Banlan Gong continued, "But these secular gods of the Repentance Sect all have a problem: they ascended to their positions through special means."

The act of building temples both made them successful and trapped them.

Take Jia Shen as an example. Over the years, He has been staying in Guangfeng County and even secretly used His own abilities to transform the barren land of "Guangfeng not being rich" into a rich land with a yield of eight shi per mu.

What for?
These grains were sold from Guangfeng County. As long as one ate His grains, a 'seed' would be planted in one's heart.

If you eat too much, you will unknowingly become a believer in the god of agriculture.

The more people eat, the stronger the god of harvest will become.

His power extends to Guangdong and Guangxi, as His grain is sold there.

Once the products are sold in the four northern provinces, the business will extend to those four provinces.

His true form is difficult to leave his own temple; he needs to rely on this kind of 'extension' to radiate his influence.

Other worldly gods are much the same.

Every secular god possesses a core secular divine authority.

But they are called worldly gods because the divine is no longer manifest, and they have stolen this part of the power.

Not knowing what the situation in Heaven was like, they dared not go there and could only hide in the mortal world.

Xu Yuan nodded: "I see."

These things won't be recorded in the government's files.

Banlan Gong added, "But the imperial court isn't really doing nothing either."

Or to put it more bluntly, it is your true ancestor of the Exorcism Bureau, that Supervisor—there is nothing in this world that can escape his eyes.

He couldn't manage so many things on his own, but he would always manage to block the way out of the God of Agriculture's grain by fiddling around in some inconspicuous places.

Therefore, even now, the God of Agriculture has not been able to spread His influence beyond Guizhou Province.

Xu Yuan frowned and asked, "Why doesn't the Supervisor take direct action and annihilate these mortal gods?"
Moreover, I often hear people say that nothing in this world can escape the eyes of the Superintendent. So why didn't he send someone to stop these temple lords from establishing their temples and becoming worldly gods before they did?

Banlan Gong glanced at him sideways before saying, "You'll have to ask your supervisor about that."

Banlan Gong is a second-rate figure, yet almost everyone in the world gives him a lot of face.

Even when facing the best, one can still earn respect.

Only when facing the Chief Supervisor did he have absolutely no authority.

He dared not ask the Superintendent in person.

Even today, in the imperial court of the Ming Dynasty, there might still be some hot-headed scholars who would directly question His Majesty: How do you govern the country?
But no one in this world would ever directly question the Superintendent: How have you been protecting this land?

Xu Yuan shrank back, thinking to himself, "If you don't dare, I don't dare either."

Banlan Gong took a sip of tea and said, "But I can answer your first question."

Xu Yuan's first question was why the Supervisor didn't personally take action and annihilate these mortal gods.

"This is everyone's speculation. It's a secret for the vast majority of cultivators, but most of the top three cultivators know about it."

"You're already a fourth-rate nobody, yet you have the right to know about this."

Xu Yuan immediately adopted a listening posture.

Banlan Gong countered with a question: "Have you ever witnessed the Dragon King manifesting?"

"The miracles I speak of are real, actual descents of the true body, not those vague and ethereal legends."

Xu Yuan was taken aback by the question, and then he carefully recalled.

It seems that... apart from the time two hundred years ago, when the Ming Dynasty was on the verge of collapse and the Grand Canal Dragon King used his supernatural powers, there has been little news of his other deeds.

On that occasion, someone witnessed a giant dragon rolling in the canal.

Throughout the Ming Dynasty, everyone revered the Dragon King of the Grand Canal.

All cultivators in the Imperial Ming Dynasty were familiar with the renowned reputation of the Supervisor.

But if you were asked to name any "deeds" of these two, you couldn't think of any for a moment.

Xu Yuan understood somewhat: "They... are all unable to take action personally for some reason?"

"It is speculated that—" said Banlan Gong, but did not say who made the speculation: "Even before the problems in the heavens, those gods rarely descended in their true forms."

Even those legendary miracles are merely the manifestation of one's own power.

Banlan Gong subconsciously looked up before saying, "These are things we wouldn't normally dare to discuss lightly, but now that something's happened in the heavens, they probably can't control us anymore."

The true form descends, which means that one falls from the sky to the ground.

Even though they remain incredibly powerful, once they descend to the ground, they are no longer as invincible as when they were high above.

Banlan Gong stopped there.

Xu Yuan naturally understood that as long as something is not invincible, there is always the possibility of being defeated.

Even if the possibility was extremely slim, the gods in the heavens were unwilling to take the risk.

"Does Senior mean," Xu Yuan tentatively asked, "that the Supervisor and the Dragon King of the Grand Canal are also in this situation?"

"It is speculated that—" Banlan Gong said again, "The situation of the two of them is more delicate than that of those in the heavens."

They are likely no longer on the ground, but because of a problem in the sky, they dare not go up, so they are stuck in the middle.

If they land back on the ground, they will have more openings and be easier to defeat.

Xu Yuan fell silent.

Banlan Gong stopped discussing the topic and suddenly raised his voice, saying, "But it's also possible that the Supervisor wants to guide people to solve problems themselves, so as to prevent the world from developing a 'supervisory relationship' with the Supervisor."

After all... the supervisor was going to die sooner or later.

Therefore, when facing the repentance teachings this time, don't take any chances. The supervisor might offer some help, but ultimately, you have to rely on yourself.

Xu Yuan felt his "Unfettered" power flicker, and then a thought struck him, and he asked, "Senior, can the Supervisor also die?"

"As long as you're human, you'll..." Banlan Gong originally answered casually, because Xu Yuan seemed to have asked a "silly question".

But before he could finish speaking, Banlan Gong suddenly opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Then a sharp glint suddenly flashed in his eyes, disappearing in an instant.

Banlan Gong slowly closed his wide-open mouth, a rare deep and calm expression appearing on his face.

Xu Yuan simply looked at him, his eyes deep and unfathomable, but said nothing more.

After being reminded, Banlan Gong had already noticed it.

After a long while, Banlan Gong finally exhaled a breath of turbid air and said, "Yes, will the Supervisor die?"

"Since he's no longer on the ground, he shouldn't be dead."

"I know this perfectly well, so why do I still take it for granted that everyone dies, including the Supervisor?"

The Chief Supervisor is very likely no longer human.

Xu Yuan asked, "Is there someone who can guide this misunderstanding?"

“It’s not that simple,” Banlan Gong said. “I am only second-rate! And I’m afraid that the top three-rate people in the world all have this misunderstanding.”

Otherwise, why hasn't anyone come out to explain...?

At this point, Lord Banlan suddenly realized something and said, "Perhaps there are people like me who, although aware of this, dare not speak it out..."

Xu Yuan also understood:

This idea was planted in the minds of all the upper-class people in the world, causing them to have this misunderstanding—what kind of strength would be needed to do this?!

Xu Yuan broke out in a cold sweat instantly!
It was as if I could sense that behind this mundane world, there was a pair of cold eyes staring down at me.

Banlan Gong dared not think any further and shook his head, saying, "This matter cannot be discussed any more!"

Xu Yuan nodded in deep agreement.

Banlan Gong gave Xu Yuan another strange look and asked, "Even I was deceived and overlooked this suspicious point. How did you figure it out, kid?"

"Ahem," Xu Yuan chuckled dryly, "This junior was just struck by a sudden inspiration."

"Hehehe." Banlan Gong rolled his eyes: "If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it."

Xu Yuan, of course, didn't want to talk about it, and immediately lowered his head.

"Alright, let's continue with the matter of the Repentance Sect." Banlan Gong was indeed carefree, and didn't press the matter further: "The temple to the God of Agriculture was established ten years ago, and it should still be maintaining a first-class standard..."

Xu Yuan subconsciously interjected, "Maintain?"

Banlan Gong was still somewhat resentful about Xu Yuan's earlier concealment, and glared at him, saying, "If you interrupt me again, I won't say anything more!"

"Hehe, I was just being cheeky, please don't mind me, sir." Xu Yuan pretended to slap his lips lightly, then poured tea for the old man: "Pour tea for the senior as an apology."

Banlan Gong rolled his eyes again: "I often visit the palace, and your behavior seems familiar to me."

Xu Yuan: ...

This old guy can even be a hermaphrodite!
Xu Yuan was humiliated, and Banlan Gong became smug, sipping his tea and saying, "Even if you don't ask, I will explain it to you clearly."

The temples dedicated to the thirty-four secular deities of the Repentance Sect must have been of top-notch quality when they were built.

However, they took shortcuts to get promoted, so almost none of them could maintain their top-notch performance.

Oh, let me explain one more thing, so you won't interrupt again: their highest level is only first-class, so they can't be called 'He', they are still just ordinary mortals.

The longer they built their temples, the more their standards declined.

Therefore, most of their secular gods have actually fallen back to second-rate level.

However, they hold at least one secular divine authority, and their followers are as numerous as ants. If a real fight breaks out, they can still unleash a first-rate level of strength.

However, they impose too many restrictions, so at least for now, they lack the ability to rebel.

The reason why your Bureau of Purification's files underestimate their competence is precisely this.

They actually find it difficult to truly go all out.

My current situation is basically that... as long as other top-tier players don't provoke me, I will never provoke them.

After finishing his tea, Banlan Gong gestured with his eyes.

Xu Yuan quickly filled it up.

"Then there are the temple abbots of the Repentance Sect, such as the victim, who should also be second-rate..."

Xu Yuan had just shown a hint of joy when Banlan Gong poured cold water on his enthusiasm: "But if a real fight breaks out, I will definitely be able to escape, and I can even take my good disciple with me."

Xu Yuan was taken aback: "Huh? They're all second-rate, why are you running away..."

Banlan Gong snorted: "That's exactly what you think."

Banlan Gong barely maintained a semblance of second-rate dignity, refusing to admit that he couldn't defeat his aggrieved party.

"That's what makes these guys from the Repentance Sect so troublesome," Banlan Gong further explained. "For example, those worldly gods don't provoke the top-tier sects, but if a top-tier sect really comes knocking, they're mostly able to win if they go all out."

For example, these temple masters are all second-rate, but they have a huge number of followers and have long understood that after establishing their temples, they will seize secular divine power. They already possess some corresponding abilities in advance, so in a fight, even ordinary second-rate masters are no match for them.

Xu Yuan thought to himself: The main challenge is to deal with someone difficult to handle.

"Therefore," Banlan Gong concluded, "if the aggrieved party only sends his men, I can naturally guarantee your safety. But if the aggrieved party comes in person, you'd better make plans early."

Xu Yuan cursed inwardly, thinking he had finally found a powerful ally, but this ally ran faster than him at the crucial moment!

"I think you're cursing me in your heart!" Banlan Gong suddenly said.

Xu Yuan vehemently denied it: "Absolutely not! How could you, senior, slander someone's innocence out of thin air!"

After discussing with Banlan Gong for a while, Xu Yuan took his leave with a heavy heart.

Stepping into the courtyard, Xu Yuan took a deep breath and felt an unprecedented pressure.

But then he laughed: So what if the victim is the victim?

Could he possibly be stronger than Master Ruan Tian?

Even Master Ruan himself had the courage to face it head-on, let alone a mere victim!
Xu Yuan cheered himself up, came out of the west courtyard, and returned to his own courtyard. As soon as he entered, he saw a row of paper figures standing in the courtyard.

Xu Yuan tensed up again!

These paper figures are crudely made, but their faces are remarkably lifelike.

They were all women, dressed in different clothes, with beautiful faces. They stood side by side with a half-smile on their faces, yet they seemed to be alive, their eyes all fixed on Xu Yuan who had just entered the room.

Another characteristic is that the eight paper figures all have very strong and prominent features on their chests.

Xu Yuan swallowed the sword pellet wrapped in fire from his stomach, then slowly walked forward.

When Xu Yuan got within a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) of those paper figures, a fire suddenly started to ignite from beneath their feet.

First the feet were burned off, then the legs, and so on upwards. When Xu Yuan was about five feet away, only eight "beauty heads" remained floating in the flames.

Xu Yuan stopped.

Eight beautiful heads shook their heads, and eight pairs of eyes were still staring at Xu Yuan with a half-smile.

A moment later, flames surged upwards with a whoosh, burning all eight beautiful heads to ashes. Wisps of smoke rose, leaving not a trace of ash. The flames then extinguished without a trace.

Xu Yuan stood in the courtyard for a long time before letting out a soft breath.

Then, Xu Yuan slowly walked back to his room, closed the door, sat down, and softly called out into the void, "Father?"

When Xu Yuan first saw the eight paper beauties, he was indeed startled, thinking that some strange creature had infiltrated the government office.

But Xu Yuan was all too familiar with that "half-smile" look in his eyes.

From a young age, whenever I did something wrong or got into trouble, my father wouldn't immediately scold me. Instead, he would always stare at me with those eyes, making me feel really uneasy.

Then the filial son remembered:

Before leaving Shanhe County, after accepting Lord Ma Tianshou's invitation to join the Exorcism Division, he went to pay respects at his father's grave.

I once said at my father's grave that when your son becomes rich, I will burn eight paper effigies of beauties for you.

He was the only one who went to the grave that day.

There was no one else in the cemetery.

Only Xu Yuan himself and... Xu Huanyang knew this sentence!

Xu Yuan still felt uneasy.

Of course, it's not because I'm afraid of my father's ghost.

Rather... it was just a joke back then, which was somewhat outrageous.

At that crucial moment, I never expected you to come back!

The void was silent, deathly quiet.

Xu Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed his father had already left long ago.

So Xu Daxiaozi grew bolder again, stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the room, chuckling wickedly, and said:
"You've come back to life? Then you probably won't even look at the paper beauties anymore. I'll arrange eight living ones for you..."

"Humph!"

A cold snort suddenly came from the void.

Xu Yuan plopped back down in his chair.

After a while, the surroundings returned to a deathly silence.

Lord Xu rolled his eyes and waited a while longer.

I couldn't have misheard.

That voice just now was clearly my father's.

In a secluded spot, the Grand Master Toad Jinye poked his head out from the "Resentful Fetus Qi," cracking open a large mouth and laughing heartily.

Xu Huanyang said helplessly, "You're a hundred years old too. Is it fun to imitate my voice and scare children?"

The old toad found it very amusing and just laughed heartily.

Inside the house, Xu Yuan felt that his father was truly gone this time.

Remembering the eight paper beauties who were "powerful and prominent" just now, he grinned mischievously again: "So you like this kind, don't worry, your son will arrange it for you!"

From the hidden spot, the Grandmaster Toad Gold shouted, "Look at you! I just played a little trick on him, and you're still protecting your own!"

Xu Huanyang turned and left, saying, "I do like it this way. I gave my son a hint, and he understood. This old father is very pleased."

Grandmaster Chan Jin: ? ? ?

(End of this chapter)