The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 132 Flexible Thinking
Three months later, Wang Wen returned to Huangshan.

Last time, he personally led a hundred cavalrymen from Yangzhou to Huangshan, a journey that took four days.

This time, he traveled through the air and on the wind, and in just half a day, he traveled from Yangzhou to the Bright Summit of Huangshan, which spans more than 500 miles of mountains and rivers. He even landed to drink water and rest three times along the way.

He had just broken through to the Innate Realm, which was a critical period for the sublimation and transformation of his physical body. He shouldn't have overdrawn his true energy so excessively, as it would damage his origin.

If there was enough time, he would prefer to have Hei Erniu drive him here...

But in urgent situations, one must act expediently; he had no other choice.

As soon as Wang Wenfang entered Huangshan territory, Chen Sandao in the temple sensed his presence and led many Yellow Turban warriors out of the temple to greet him, bowing with folded hands and saying, "This humble general, Chen Sandao, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"See you, Your Majesty!"

Wang Wen slowly landed in front of the Mountain God Temple. The evening wind that howled on the mountaintop turned into a gentle spring breeze as it passed through other places, slightly swaying his wide, dark-black, silver-blue robe. The primordial energy flowing through the mountains rushed around him like a dog guarding its home welcoming its long-lost master, gathering into a canopy of five-colored auspicious clouds. It seeped into his body through every pore, cleansing him of impurities and replenishing the energy he had lost during his rapid journey.

As Wang Wen breathed in the rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the weariness between his brows eased slightly... He suddenly felt that this trip back was worthwhile.

The god of Huangshan should stay within the territory of Huangshan!

In the outside world, he needs to circulate his own true energy, like a vortex, to drive the surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy). How much天地元气 he can drive depends on the quantity and quality of his own true energy.

Within the Huangshan Mountains, he only needs to think once, and all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within the Huangshan Mountains will actively converge towards him and be used by him!
From the outside perspective, it might take him a hundred days to smoothly navigate this period of transformation.

Within the Huangshan Mountains, he might only need three to five days to complete his transformation...

If the various natural treasures found in the mountains are added to the process, it can be shortened even further, and the completion rate can be higher, with better results!
It's like getting a hundred times the result with half the effort!
"Get up!"

Wang Wen flicked his sleeves, and a gentle, invisible force lifted up the many Yellow Turban warriors who came to greet him. Then he strode towards the Mountain God's Hall, with colorful light, condensed from the primordial energy of heaven and earth, accompanying him with every move.

Chen Sandao stared in shock at his elder brother's back, feeling that in just three months, his elder brother had changed completely... He was more imposing and had a more divine air about him.

As Wang Wen walked toward the main hall, before even entering, he saw the large, ugly-cute-looking seated statue in red and green above the hall.

He paused, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

He whirled around, his gaze turning menacingly to Chen Sandao, who was following closely behind: 'Where's my statue? Where's my handsome, Daniel Wu-like statue?'

When Chen Sandao met his gaze, he was stunned for two seconds before he suddenly realized what was going on and quickly recounted how the imperial court had issued an edict at the foot of the mountain that day, bestowing upon him the title of "Duke of Manifest Sage, Righteousness, Courage, Martial Prowess, and Spiritual Might".

Then he cautiously added, "I was thinking that if people come from afar and we, as the hosts, don't even show our faces or offer any thanks, they might think your shrine is fake when they go back. As the old saying goes, seeing is believing."

Wang Wen agreed with his statement.

But you think you can just give away such a huge statue of a deity?

What do you think divine power is? A fingernail?
Wang Wen nodded with a forced smile, then waved his hand to dismiss the many Yellow Turban warriors following behind him.

Chen Sandao felt a chill run down his spine when he saw that malicious smile. He secretly cast an invisibility spell, intending to slip away, but suddenly found himself frozen in place by an invisible force, unable to move...

He understands Wang Wen.

Doesn't Wang Wen understand him at all?

After the Yellow Turban warriors withdrew, Wang Wen rushed forward and pinned him to the ground with a simple grappling move, then proceeded to deliver a barrage of punches: "Why didn't you give me something else? Do you think you can just give away that statue like that? Do you know how painful it is to have your divine thoughts divided, you idiot? And if the emperor keeps nagging in my ear every day, I'll be driven crazy by him!"

Chen Sandao was beaten so badly that he covered his head and howled, but his hands, which were covering his face, were clenched between his legs as he secretly observed his boss's expression.

Wang Wen beat him for several minutes before letting go and said irritably, "Stop howling! Can you at least act a little more convincingly?"

"Hey hey hey..."

Chen Sandao grinned and grimaced as he got up, rubbing his body and muttering under his breath, "Isn't this because I was afraid you wouldn't be satisfied with the beating?"

"go with!"

Wang Wen was too lazy to deal with this shameless fellow, and waved him away: "Get me some food, pick out the good stuff, something nourishing... don't touch those things that have spirits."

Chen Sandao sighed and turned to leave.

"return!"

Wang Wen stopped Chen Sandao and pointed to the stone cauldron outside the main hall, which bore the marks of smoke and fire: "Have believers come to offer incense?"

Chen Sandao nodded repeatedly: "It's always been like this. At first, it was some farmers and herb gatherers from the surrounding areas. After the imperial court officially recognized it, people from the surrounding prefectures and counties also started to come more often. A few days ago, Jiao Wenyan, the prefect of Huizhou, also came and even said that he wanted to repair the mountain road to make it easier for the people of Huizhou to come and offer incense..."

Wang Wen turned his head and glanced at the offerings placed in front of his and Chen Sandao's statues in the main hall. He nodded and said, "If you have received a favor from someone, you have to do things for them. I am not stationed here permanently, so you have to take charge and protect the peace and tranquility of this area. If you encounter any demons or monsters that you cannot handle, inform me immediately, and I will rush back to deal with them as soon as possible."

Chen Sandao solemnly crossed his hands and said, "This is my duty, and I would never dare to be careless or negligent in the slightest!"

Wang Wen looked him up and down, then nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, you're starting to look decent. Go on now..."

"Hey!"

Chen Sandao responded and withdrew, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Wang Wen turned around and walked into the main hall. He first waved his hand to move the ugly-cute statue off the shrine, and then pulled up a seated statue wearing civil and military robes. As usual, he used the method of consecrating the statue to infuse a wisp of divine thought into it.

After a while, he turned around and looked up at the dim sky outside the gate. Soon, a dark light shot out from outside the gate and transformed into a piece of dark wood as thick as a thigh and as long as a foot, which floated quietly in front of him.

Wang Wen stared at the piece of dark wood, pondered for a few moments, and then calmed down.

Then, the ebony automatically peeled off pieces of dirt and scattered wood chips on the ground, slowly transforming from head to toe into a neat ancestral tablet. The tablet was engraved with the words "The Spirit Tablet of Ji Gong, a High Priest of Maoshan, whose given name is Liang and whose Taoist name is Jingxu".

He stepped forward, picked up the ancestral tablet, and placed it at the feet of the statue.

Then, he performed a soul-summoning ritual, pointing at the ancestral tablet and chanting: "Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, all living beings in the four seas and eight wastelands, listen to my heart's voice, convey my will, hasten as the law commands... Ji Liang, soul, return! Soul, return!"

This is why he was willing to damage his own resources and rush back to Huangshan from Yangzhou.

There are limitations to the art of summoning a soul. A complete summoning ritual requires three elements: the soul must be alive, the remains must still exist, and the deceased's birth date and time must be available.

Even an incomplete soul-summoning ritual requires either the presence of skeletal remains or the individual's birth date and time.

But Wang Wen had neither Ji Liang's birth date and time nor could he see Ji Liang's remains. He didn't even know where Ji Liang died, so how could he summon his soul?

Since we cannot use a proper soul-summoning technique, we can only try to use the divine authority of the earth deity to forcibly search for the soul!
The term "earth deity" refers to both the gods of mountains, rivers, land, and peaks, as well as the gods of the human world, in contrast to "heavenly gods."

Strictly speaking, all human affairs fall under the jurisdiction of the earth deities, depending on which deity's territory they fall within.

For example, matters within Huangshan should be under the jurisdiction of the Huangshan God, while matters occurring in Yangzhou Prefecture should be under the jurisdiction of the Yangzhou City God. For matters beyond the jurisdiction of the God of Huangshan, the appropriate measures should be taken, such as issuing a notice for assistance in the investigation. If the matter is too serious, it should be reported to the Underworld or to the Heavenly Court.

This is the proper work process. However, Wang Wen is now the only Earth Deity existing in the Great Zhou Dynasty. There are no other gods above him, so in principle, as long as the rules allow him to search for souls on this land, he can search for souls on this land.

Wang Wen figured that as the head servant of the Heavenly Lord, there was no reason for the old man to make a big deal out of such a trivial matter with him.

Moreover, it's not that he doesn't want to go through the work process, but he's the only one left in the entire company, and he can't even send out the OA system. What can he do?
To put it another way, he's the only one left in the company fighting alone, and he's still trying his best to keep his business afloat. Surely the big boss wouldn't expect him to strictly follow the rules and regulations?

Since we need to use the divine power of the earth deities to accomplish important matters, we must first return to our headquarters to obtain the full blessing of the earth deities' divine power.

In Yangzhou, he could only barely pry open a trace of the power of the God of Huangshan through the intermediary of the Heavenly Lord.

Only within the Huangshan Mountains is he a true god.

As Wang Wen chanted in a low voice, a gentle breeze swept across the entire Huangshan Mountain. The "whooshing" wind carried his divine thoughts, resonating with the winds of all the mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, and deserts on this land. In an instant, it traveled eight thousand miles, spreading his call to the soul to every corner and every crevice of this land...

Ordinary people cannot hear the summoning of souls in the wind.

Only a very few people who are skilled in the arts of Yin and Yang can faintly hear the faint voice saying, "Ji Liang, Ji Liang, come back to me, come back to me."

"Ji Liang? Lord Ji?"

Inside the Yangzhou Demon Suppression Office, Zhang Youming, a junior official who was making paper figures, heard this voice and muttered in surprise. He then realized that the voice sounded strangely familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it before.

After a long pause, he suddenly threw down the bamboo strips in his hand, got up, and rushed out of the workshop. With mixed feelings of joy and worry, he looked up at the dim night sky: "The Earth God? The Underworld has returned to this world?"

Scenes like this occur all over the Great Zhou Dynasty...

Lean less.

Wang Wen, who was inside the Huangshan Divine Hall, opened his eyes, frowned, and muttered to himself in bewilderment, "Why is there no response?"

Just now, his divine sense traveled with the sound of the wind to every nook and cranny of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Logically speaking, even if Ji Liang had already been completely destroyed, there should have been some reaction from him.

He personally performed the soul-summoning technique as the god of Huangshan. Even if the old Taoist Ji Liang's soul had been scattered, as long as there was even the slightest trace of his remnant spirit, it would give him a slight feedback, at least letting him know that the old Taoist Ji Liang's soul had been scattered.

Furthermore, no matter how incompetent Ji Liang is, he is still a high-ranking Taoist master of the orthodox sect who has cultivated for many years. Destroying his physical body may not be difficult, but to completely kill his primordial spirit, it would take at least a ruthless character of the level of a Grand Celestial Master or Ghost Immortal to accomplish this...

After ruling out the possibility of the soul being scattered...

Only two possibilities remain.

First, Ji Liang, the old Taoist, never died at all; or rather, after his physical body died, his primordial spirit found a new body.

Secondly, the place where Ji Liang, the Taoist priest, died was a mysterious space that was not under the jurisdiction of the earth gods and could not even be reached by their divine authority.

After pondering for a moment, Wang Wen leaned more towards the second possibility.

After all, he had personally witnessed that dark and chaotic space in the "video" with Hunkun Zhenren in the early morning, and Hunkun Zhenren had also said that he himself did not know where they were now.

This possibility goes beyond the normal workflow...

As the managers of this world, the gods of heaven and earth should, in principle, have no place within this world that is not under their jurisdiction.

Since they exist, it means that place shouldn't be under their jurisdiction...

More accurately, they should not be subject to the jurisdiction of the local deities.

After all, Wang Wen doesn't yet have the identity of a god, and doesn't know if a god's authority can govern that dark and gloomy space.

Wang Wen paced back and forth in the main hall, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression shifting between light and dark.

Chen Sandao led a group of Yellow Turban warriors outside the door, carrying a large amount of steaming food, but they were not allowed to enter the main hall.

Logically speaking, Wang Wen should stop now.

After all, the result just now was tantamount to the Lord of Heaven telling him that this matter could not be done in principle.

But as a modern person with a flexible mind, he still has a solution to this situation.

But the price...

Wang Wen struggled for a while before gritting his teeth and thinking, "Nephew, I'm repaying the favor I owe you!"

He turned and walked back to the ancestral tablet, once again forming the summoning spell and aiming it at the tablet, starting with a zero-frame incantation: "Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, may the Great Lord of Heaven display his mighty power..."

Wang Wen: "Sir, what do you think of this matter..."

The Heavenly Lord said, "Little Wang, this is not allowed in principle!"

Wang Wen: "Sir, I know this is a bit taboo, but what can I do? Don't worry, I understand the rules!"

The Heavenly Lord: 'This isn't a matter of rules or regulations...'

[Merit - 500].

Wang Wen felt a slight sense of relief as he watched the red light drift across his field of vision.

He's not afraid of the Heavenly Lord collecting merits; he's afraid that the Heavenly Lord won't even collect merits.

But the next second, a line of red text floated across his field of vision: [Merit -1000].

Wang Wen was stunned for two seconds, then barely managed to suppress his eye-roll: 'You're such a big boss, and for such a small matter as transferring money between your own pocket, you actually charge me a handling fee? Is there no justice? Is there no law?'

Before long, a gentle breeze carried a ghostly spirit, so transparent that its face was blurred, into the main hall.

Seeing that the ghostly spirit looked like it might disintegrate at any moment, Wang Wen didn't dare to think too much and immediately used what he thought was the safest method.

A faint, dark golden light shot out from the Baihui acupoint on Wang Wen's head, transforming into a valiant deity draped in civil and military robes and surrounded by golden light of merit. Pointing at the indistinct ghost below, the deity solemnly declared, "Your Highness Ji Liang, would you be willing to be the judge of good deeds under my command?"

The ghostly figure stood motionless beneath the throne, its form flickering between light and shadow for a long time before finally uttering a faint voice: "I wish to serve Your Majesty..."

As soon as the word "wish" was uttered, a beam of golden light of merit shot out from behind Wang Wen's spirit, striking the prince's spirit directly.

[Merit - 1000].

Wang Wen stared at the small print, his heart aching so much he could hardly breathe. He couldn't help but mutter the curse he hadn't uttered in a long time: "Fuck you!"

You can't earn money anywhere else but spend it all in Huangshan; you can't even bring home a penny!
(End of this chapter)