The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 125 Manifestation of Divine Power and Martial Might of Duke Anwei

Not long after Wang Wen left, a group of Shaolin monks came to the Huangshan Temple.

Before even entering, the group of martial monks were so agitated by the four large characters "Huangshan Temple" on the plaque above the gate that they were practically jumping out of their skin.

Huangshan God?
I've never even heard of it!

"What kind of mountain spirits and monsters dare to steal my Buddhist temple!"

The leading, burly old monk with a bushy beard, his beard trembling with rage, strode angrily across the threshold, leaning on his jingling staff, and headed straight for the main hall.

Then, the group of warrior monks saw the faded seated statue of Shakyamuni Buddha on one side of the Mahavira Hall.

Instead of the Buddha Shakyamuni sitting in the shrine, there stood a strange statue wearing civil and military robes.

What was someone's unintentional mistake, in the eyes of these martial monks, turned into the Buddha being made to guard the gate of the unfamiliar deity on the shrine...

"In broad daylight, this is outrageous..."

The old monk with a bushy beard turned pale with anger, his whole body trembling, and his staff kept jingling.

"This is an insult to Buddha! This is an insult to Buddha!"

"This audacious demon will surely fall into the deepest hell!"

"Why say such useless things..."

The group of warrior monks following behind him cursed angrily and rushed forward, rolling up their sleeves to move the statue on the shrine.

Just then, Wang Wen, who had traveled only two miles, had a sudden thought. He turned the ox around and looked back at Kuaiji City, sneering angrily, "Very good, it took the bait so quickly!"

Thinking of the heroes and outlaws in the city, who were almost all the leading figures of the major forces in the martial arts world, Wang Wen decided to make a big fuss to assert his presence, so that no Tom, Dick, or Harry would dare to jump out and compete with him in the future!

With this thought in mind, he summoned the Mountain God's Token and glanced at it:
【Huangshan God】

[Achievements: 683285]

[Yin De: 516.6]

[Yin Shen: Daytime Wanderer]

【Shrine: Huangshan Temple】

[Hundred Schools: Taiyi Salvation and Protection Scripture (Fourth Heaven) (+), Boundless Ocean Divine Skill (Eighth Heaven) (+), Lightning Thunder Fist (Third Heaven) (+), Black Tiger Fist (Perfect), Six Harmonies Spear (Divine Mastery)...]

Seeing the number after the "Virtue" column, Wang Wen almost gave up on the idea of ​​teaching those bald monks a lesson.

Now that his abilities have improved, he earns more than before.

But he's spending way more now than before!
For example, these 600,000+ merit points seem quite substantial.

However, if one were to upgrade the Boundless Ocean Divine Skill, half of those merit points could be spent in one go!
The Boundless Ocean Divine Skill, from level seven to level eight, cost 86400 merit points. From level six to level nine, each level requires four times that amount, so from level eight to level nine, it would cost 345600 merit points!
Not to mention the good deeds he accumulated; he earned a total of 1500 good deeds during his trip south to Kuaiji.

But he spent over 2,600 yuan, and ended up losing over 1,000 yuan.

Of course, the main reason is that good deeds done in secret are just too useful.

You can buy official positions and spend money to cultivate your skills.

It can also be used to access backdoors, apply buffs, and remove negative status effects...

It's practically a form of hard currency that can be used like money by the Heavenly Lord!

Wang Wenshi became increasingly adept at and addicted to using his good deeds, wanting to use them to enhance his own fortune in everything he did.

For example, right now, he habitually wants to do some good deeds and ask the Heavenly Lord to give him a buff.

Wang Wen didn't have much time to think, because the group of bald thieves in the Huangshan Temple had already climbed onto the shrine...

So he immediately put away the Mountain God's Token, pointed his sword at the sky with one hand, and his magical power surged outwards like a flood under the guidance of his divine thoughts. He muttered incantations: "Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, the Great Lord of Heaven, show your mighty power, majestic heavenly might, guided by thunder, the Heavenly Venerable of Universal Transformation of Thunder in the Nine Heavens... discern good from evil!"

The gist is: 'May Heaven, the Great Ruler, bear witness! I'm going to strike those wicked bastards with lightning! Please, Your Majesty, grant my request and take a look!'

He then swung his sword downwards with a heavy flick of his wrist and roared, "Hurry!"

In an instant, hundreds of dazzling golden lightning bolts descended from the sky and landed in Kuaiji City.

Just then, as the group of martial monks inside the Huangshan Temple were working together to topple Wang Wen's statue, streaks of golden lightning appeared out of thin air and landed precisely on the heads of most of the martial monks in the hall, illuminating dozens of bright, electric skeletons in the dark hall.

On the contrary, the old monk with a fierce face and a beard who didn't look like a good person at all looked around in horror from the center of a group of electric skulls, but no lightning strikes him.

Meanwhile, among the hordes of martial arts heroes scattered throughout the city, many "innocent" people also suffered, struck by lightning and reduced to electric skeletons. Some who were not strong enough were killed on the spot!
I wonder if these people made some kind of solemn oath, a vow that they would be struck by lightning.

Or perhaps, they've done something behind the scenes that incurs public wrath...

Anyway, after Lin Baichuan, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, saw who his subordinates had been struck by lightning, many things that were previously unclear suddenly became clear.

"Rumble..."

After the dazzling flashes of lightning began to dim, the rolling thunder followed.

Wang Wen, equally stunned by the density of the lightning, finally blurted out, "So many?"

He stared at the words "Virtue -500" flashing across his field of vision, then looked up at the sky with some suspicion, wondering if the Heavenly Dao was using his virtue as an excuse to do something...

He felt a pang of regret, but he dared not say it.

He glanced inside his temple again with his divine sense. Good, many familiar faces...

But that big-bearded, bald monk who didn't look like a good person at all was actually unharmed?
"You can't judge a book by its cover..."

Wang Wen turned the ox's head around: "Let's go, Erniu!"

"Hey!"

Hei Erniu swallowed hard, his respect for his master growing ever stronger.

Inside the city, all the martial arts heroes were scrambling for high positions, straining to look towards the Huangshan Temple.

They all saw clearly that the lightning bolt just now was aimed in that direction.

They scattered only after they fell.

After a short while, seeing that there was no unusual activity on the other side, people began to slowly approach the Huangshan Temple.

From that day on, the revered name of the God of Huangshan resounded throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, known to all.

From that day on, no one in the martial arts world of the Great Zhou dared to swear oaths like "may I be struck by lightning."

Later, whether or not one dared to swear a solemn oath of "may be struck by lightning" even became an important means of verifying the truth.

"You really didn't kill him?"

"I really didn't kill him!"

"Then swear to heaven that if you killed that person, may you be struck by lightning!"

"No!"

……

Three days later.

Thousands of imperial guards, clad in bright armor and adorned with red and green sashes, arrived at the foot of Mount Huangshan with great fanfare and erected a three-story platform overnight. Then, a wealthy, white-haired eunuch in a crimson python robe ascended the platform, holding aloft an imperial edict embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon. Facing the mountains, he unfurled the edict and proclaimed: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Wu Yanzu, the revered deity of Mount Huangshan, is upright and righteous, saving the nation from peril and relieving the people from hardship… He is hereby conferred the title of Duke Manifesting Holy Righteousness, Courage, Martial Prowess, and Spiritual Might, commanding the Three Mountains, and granted the title of Grand Master of the Palace, with the rank of Grand Master of the Palace. This is the imperial decree!"

The high-pitched sound echoed leisurely in the quiet mountain forest. Just then, a gust of wind blew away the clouds and mist that covered the mountaintop, and all the towering ancient trees on the mountain swayed.

Upon seeing this, the old eunuch, filled with awe, closed the imperial edict, clenched his fists, and bowed deeply, saying, "This servant greets Duke Weiling!"

Upon hearing this, the numerous imperial guards standing around the high platform clapped their hands in unison and exclaimed, "Greetings, Lord Weiling!"

Amidst the unified shouts, a golden-armored general, standing eighteen feet tall, appeared in mid-air and slowly descended onto the high platform. His deep, resonant voice seemed to drown out the shouts of thousands of soldiers: "This humble general, Chen Chuan, on behalf of my esteemed master, receives the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude."

The old eunuch stiffly and slowly raised his head, looking up along the sturdy figure in front of him until the back of his head was almost touching his back, before he could finally see the face of the golden-armored figure.

For a moment, he was at a loss, unsure whether to laugh or not. Standing to reply would be disrespectful, while kneeling to reply would be taboo. He was completely at a loss, just like a newly arrived eunuch.

His inner monologue at that moment was probably something like, "Holy crap, nobody said gods would appear!"

The fact that Emperor Hongtai sent him here shows that he trusted his abilities.

He dared to step onto the stage to recite the paper, which naturally required a lot of mental preparation.

But it was only at this moment that the old eunuch suddenly realized that, in the face of such a transcendent being, all the worldly experience and trials he had gone through were nothing but fleeting clouds!

After receiving the imperial edict from the stiff-faced old eunuch, Chen Sandao waved his hand without turning his head, and immediately a team of twelve-foot-tall Yellow Turban warriors carried a statue of a deity in an eight-bearer sedan chair, which floated down from the mountain peak and came to a steady stop on the high platform.

"His Majesty's decree: We, the people of the mountains and fields, have nothing good to offer but a consecrated statue of a deity, which can protect our home and ensure its safety. We trouble the envoy to bring it back to the capital and present it to His Majesty!"

After bowing to the statue, Chen Sandao spoke in a deep, muffled voice.

He was actually confused too.

He had heard his elder brother mention the matter of the imperial decree.

But my older brother never mentioned this!
It caught him completely off guard. If he showed up, he was afraid of breaking the rules and bringing trouble to his elder brother. If he didn't show up, he was afraid of being impolite and tarnishing his elder brother's reputation.

Moreover, he thought that since the emperor had sent such a generous gift, if they didn't reciprocate, wouldn't it make their elder brother seem petty?

But what in these mountains and forests could we possibly give in return?
A thousand-year-old precious medicine?

He couldn't bear to part with it.

Rare and exotic animals?

That's petty...

After thinking it over, he simply carried the statue of the god down from the temple hall, wondering if this would be enough as a return gift.
The old eunuch had served Emperor Hongtai since childhood. He had seen many eunuchs slipping gold and silver jewels into the emperor's sleeves when they went out to deliver imperial edicts, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone directly return the favor to the emperor.

However, as he gazed at the imposing statue of a warrior, clad in civil and military robes and holding a spear, he also felt that this gesture of respect was both weighty and novel...

"I cannot accept the trouble caused by the Venerable One."

The old eunuch had regained his composure and, with a smile, bowed to Chen Sandao, saying, "This servant will certainly bring the statue of the revered deity back to the capital intact and present it to the Emperor!"

Chen Sandao lowered his head and gently patted the old eunuch's shoulder, saying in a friendly tone, "Come visit Huangshan often when you have time," before disappearing along with the imperial edict.

Upon hearing this, the old eunuch's smile grew even brighter, and he respectfully clasped his hands together and bowed deeply, saying, "Respectfully seeing off Your Excellency!"

……

Just as the old eunuch uttered "So be it,"

Wang Wen, who was sitting at a roadside stall in Hangzhou, eating a plate of soup dumplings, suddenly saw the Mountain God's Decree pop out from the bottom of his eyes.

The rows of pale gold characters on the Mountain God's Token blurred for a moment, then reappeared:
[The God of Huangshan (Manifesting Holy Righteousness, Courage, Martial Might, and Spiritual Power)]

[Achievements: 683285]

[Yin De: 16.6]

Merit: 5781

[Yin Shen: Daytime Wanderer]

【Shrine: Huangshan Temple】

[Hundred Schools: Taiyi Salvation and Protection Scripture (Fourth Heaven) (+), Boundless Ocean Divine Skill (Eighth Heaven) (+), Lightning Thunder Fist (Third Heaven) (+), Black Tiger Fist (Perfect), Six Harmonies Spear (Divine Mastery)...]

'Duke Manifests His Holy Power, Righteousness, Courage, and Might, Awe-inspiring

Wang Wen stared at the extra line of text on the Mountain God's decree, stunned for a few seconds, before quickly realizing: 'The imperial edict has arrived? Duke Weiling, both majestic and divine, sounds quite pleasant!'

'But why is this talk of merit now?'

He hooked his little finger, the only one without any oil stains, scratched his forehead, and carefully examined the Mountain God Token, somewhat puzzled.

He always thought that "yin de" (hidden virtue) was the same as "gong de" (merit), only called "yin de" because of his status.

In his practice, the function and use of unseen virtue were indeed similar to his impression of merit!

In those online novels, don't they all say that merit can help cultivators break through the barriers of their cultivation realm and eliminate the invasion of external demons?

Good deeds done in secret can also be done.

But now, the mountain god clearly told him that hidden virtue is hidden virtue and merit is merit, and the two are not the same thing.

Moreover, it seems that the Mountain God's Decree cannot utilize merits. Neither official rank nor realm has a "+" sign appearing due to the appearance of merits.

Of course, it's also possible that one's merits are still insufficient to elevate their official rank and spiritual level.

However, Wang Wen preferred merit and the official rank of the Earth God and the realm of the Yin God, which did not quite match.

It's like humans eat food, while ghosts eat incense. If you give food to a ghost, it won't eat; if you give incense to a human, the human won't eat either...

However, this perspective doesn't seem entirely accurate. For example, good deeds can elevate the rank of a local deity, but merit cannot elevate the imperial decree bestowed by the Great Zhou Dynasty.

'How about we try practicing a mystical martial art later?'

Wang Wen pondered, "Perhaps accumulating unseen merit can elevate one's cultivation level in the Xuanmen (Taoist sect)?"

However, this still seems to be somewhat conflicting. Xuanmen cultivation also requires the condensation of the primordial spirit, but his three souls and seven spirits have already condensed into the Yin spirit. Although these two paths of cultivation lead to the same goal, there is no possibility for them to coexist.

Moreover, the power within his body is already chaotic enough. He has exhausted countless brain cells to finally grasp the slightest hint of dual cultivation of martial arts and magic. If he were to rashly introduce the power of the Xuanmen sect, he would truly fear dying from the clash of powers...

'Forget it, why think so much? There's always a way out!'

He lowered his head, picked up a soup dumpling that wasn't too hot, put it in his mouth, and then looked up with a look of pure bliss.

Then, unexpectedly, I saw someone across the table who shouldn't be there.

The newcomer crossed his two thick arms and looked him over with great interest; he was clearly there for him.

"Aren't you in Kuaiji? What are you doing here?"

Wang Wen wiped his mouth and asked in surprise.

"You're quite well-informed..."

The visitor chuckled and teased, "But shouldn't I be asking you that question? You've already left, so why did you come back?"

(End of this chapter)