The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 136 Beating the Drums to Call the Generals
"Dong dong dong..."

Before long, the powerful drumbeats of the rallying ceremony resounded throughout the desolate and simple town.

Suddenly, a two-story earthen and stone command platform rose up in the center of the town.

Standing at a height of eighteen feet and clad in golden, gleaming armor, Chen Feng stood to one side of the command platform, passionately beating a large cowhide drum.

Ji Liang, wearing a black gauze hat with stiff wings and a parrot-green judge's robe, stood in front of the platform, holding a pen in one hand and a book in the other.

Fifty Yellow Turban warriors, each twelve feet tall, stood with their heads held high and hands on their swords, positioned on either side of the command platform. An invisible aura of solemnity and killing intent enveloped a three-legged cauldron in the center, inside which a large incense stick, as tall as a person, was burning at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The many wandering souls of heroes, drawn by the drumbeats of the assembly, thronged into the training ground, curiously observing the command platform.

They had dealt with the Yellow Turban Warriors quite a bit these days, so they weren't surprised by their existence.

They noticed that Ji Liang looked unfamiliar and wondered if today's events were a sign of a new broom sweeping clean.

Thousands of ghosts huddled together in a chaotic throng, their whispers and murmurs blending into a cacophony that nearly drowned out the thunderous drumbeats.

Looking out from Ji Liang's perspective, one can only feel that these once-obedient and disciplined spirits of the Imperial Guards have lost even the slightest trace of their former ranks.
They're nothing but a bunch of rabble!
This was only a little over two months ago.

If it took a little longer...

'My uncle is wise!'

He exclaimed sincerely.

A short while later, the incense stick burned out, but around the training ground, a large number of scattered heroic souls were still yawning and walking slowly towards this side.

Without hesitation, Ji Liang waved his sleeve, and the square training ground was immediately enveloped by a pale golden transparent array shaped like an inverted bowl, blocking the lazy heroic souls on the outside who had not yet entered.

Upon seeing this, the thousands of heroic souls inside the training ground immediately erupted in commotion...

"Boom!"

The muffled drumbeats suddenly rose dozens of times higher, like a spring thunderclap, instantly suppressing the commotion that was like a tsunami.

"quiet!"

Chen Feng shouted sternly.

The fifty Yellow Turban warriors standing below the stage shouted in unison, "Majestic!"

Once the vast training ground was completely silent, the Yellow Turban warriors finally quieted down their imposing manner.

"Gentlemen!"

Holding the judge's pen and the book of merit, Ji Liang clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and solemnly bowed to everyone, saying in a loud voice, "I, Ji Liang, am fortunate to have been favored by His Majesty and appointed as the Judge of Good Deeds of the Huangshan Divine Palace. I pay my respects to you all."

He clasped his hands in a deep bow, then, without giving the nearly ten thousand fallen heroes below the stage a chance to return the greeting, rose and continued unhurriedly: "In your lives, you were all elite soldiers and generals, guarding the borders and protecting the people, making great contributions to the country and the people; in the decisive battle against the White Lotus Sect at Huangshan, you disregarded your own lives, bravely taking the lead and working together to save the people from fire and water and prevent the collapse of the great edifice, making great contributions to heaven and earth and to all living beings!"

"His Majesty, moved by your kindness and courage, could not bear to see you die and your souls perish, turning into dust in the world. Despite his own divine power not yet being restored to its former state, he overdraws his great power to gather your heroic souls into the Divine Palace to enjoy your remaining lifespan in the underworld."

"Because of collecting the souls of all of you, His Majesty has consumed a great deal of energy and has no time to renovate the interior furnishings of the Divine Palace... I apologize for the inconvenience."

At this point, he clasped his hands in a gesture of respect once again.

This time, the nearly ten thousand heroes below the reviewing stand finally showed some emotion.

Having been trapped here for more than two months, they were indeed harboring resentment.

But even they themselves didn't take their resentment too seriously.

Just like in their lifetime, during those years when they endured layers of embezzlement and exploitation by officers at all levels, and risked their lives fighting against foreign invaders while suffering from hunger and cold, they also harbored deep resentment towards their superiors and the imperial court...

But no one cared.

Nobody ever cared!
The sandstorms they ate at the border didn't reach the tables of the generals, which were laden with large amounts of fish and meat.

Their desperate roars on the battlefield could not reach the peaceful and serene capital city.

Half the soldiers died on the battlefield, while beauties sang and danced in their tents...

They have long been accustomed to being ignored and disregarded.

So much so that when someone takes their feelings seriously and says to them, "We've been wronged," most of their resentment suddenly dissipates.

Upon further reflection, just how wronged am I?

It doesn't seem like I've suffered much injustice...

Although the environment was poor and they couldn't leave, it was still better than their souls being scattered. Moreover, the revered god of Huangshan never asked them to do anything in return.

Even this humble little town was built by the Yellow Turban Warriors, who carried materials and built it up by hand, without them being used much.

Compared to those adults and generals of the past who didn't even give them a full meal and forced them to fight against foreign invaders in thin cloth armor...

"I'm not upset at all!"

Finally, the spirits of the fallen heroes cried out.

Immediately, a large number of heroic spirits echoed in agreement.

"Yes, there's nothing to be wronged about!"

"The deity has been very kind to us!"

"That's right, we haven't even offered him a stick of incense as a sign of respect, yet he still cares about the lives of us soldiers. We are already extremely grateful..."

Swept up in the herd mentality, more and more voices responded, and the resentment that had been building up in their hearts melted away completely, like snow melting in spring.

Even the very few narrow-minded people felt that their resentment was completely unreasonable. It was understandable for them to blame the White Lotus Sect, the imperial court, the Three Mountains Talismans, or even their own lack of skill. But what kind of nonsense was it to blame the Huangshan Venerable God's hometown?
People took pity on these lowly soldiers, and couldn't bear to see their souls scattered, so they collected their souls and gave them a place to live, but they instead complained about him... What's wrong with the revered god of Huangshan taking pity on them?
Ji Liang greeted them with a smile, letting them chatter away, and he felt a real sense of relief.

From his current perspective, the emotional changes he experiences with these heroic souls are the most direct.

At first, whatever he said, the spirits below all looked at him with the expression of watching a monkey show, their mocking expressions masking a numb and indifferent attitude.

If the antagonistic feelings in their hearts are not resolved, even if he publicizes his master's benevolent and virtuous policies, it will probably be difficult to achieve the desired effect. Not only will it waste his master's kindness, but it will also cause him to lose face...

After a long while, Ji Liang raised his hands and pressed them down, suppressing the noisy discussions.

He smiled and spoke again, "Yesterday, His Majesty emerged from seclusion and toured the Divine Palace. Moved by your distress, He bestowed the following benevolent policies:"

"First, we will promote three hundred virtuous and courageous gentlemen to serve as underworld officials in the Divine Palace, specializing in protecting the territory and its people, and guiding the souls of believers to the afterlife. Those with outstanding performance may also be promoted to Yellow Turban Warriors, Mountain Gods, or Earth Gods..."

He threw out his trump card first, which instantly caused the nearly 10,000 heroes who had just quieted down to erupt into chaos again!

Holy crap, a stroke of luck?
Holy crap, a Yellow Turban warrior?
Holy crap, the Mountain God and the Earth God? Some say the end of the universe is the underworld.

Some say that the end of the universe is the fabrication.

At this point, the two no longer conflict... This is the organization of the underworld!

In an instant, countless heroic souls had the same thought in their minds: 'This time, we died for the right reason!'
……

Inside the main hall of the temple.

Wang Wen leisurely sipped his old tree tea while using his divine sense to watch the live stream inside the divine palace.

He witnessed firsthand how Ji Liang manipulated the thousands of heroic souls of the Heavenly Guards, using a carrot and stick approach to control their emotions. Like a rollercoaster, they quickly went from disdain to howling and crowding towards the command platform. They not only completed the task he assigned but also established his own authority. In just a quarter of an hour, he was more effective than that fool Chen Feng, who led dozens of Yellow Turban Warriors to repair houses for these heroic souls for more than two months.

He clicked his tongue in amazement and thought, 'No wonder I've only heard about the suppression of Buddhism, and never about the suppression of Taoism...'

Those bald monks only know that 'if you don't understand the scriptures, I, this old monk, am somewhat skilled in martial arts.'

These old Taoist priests, if angered, are actually capable of rebelling!
Inside the shrine, Ji Liang had already announced his three-point plan...

The spirits of the more than 10,000 heroic souls of the Celestial Guards were also renewed with these three arrangements. All the heroic souls clenched their fists, their faces full of anticipation, reverence, and longing, eager to try.

As the ancients said, "To return home in wealth and honor is like wearing fine clothes at night."

His three arrangements exceeded his life's dream... granting him wealth, a return to his hometown, and a public display of divine power.

Even though the environment was still barren and the town was still as simple as a slum, the temple was already showing signs of life and vitality.

This is exactly what Wang Wen wanted to see!

He raised his glass in celebration: "It wasn't for nothing that I went through all that trouble to get you out of trouble!"

After announcing the three arrangements made by Wang Wen, Ji Liang opened the Book of Good Deeds in his hand and, based on the amount of good deeds done, began to select the ghost messengers in front of everyone.

To gain the respect of the people, he went to great lengths, loudly reciting the life story of each chosen hero...

The Book of Good Deeds in Ji Liang's hand is a weakened version of the Book of Life and Death, a magical artifact with the powerful ability to view the virtuous deeds and life stories of all living beings under the jurisdiction of Huangshan Divine Palace. This is also the origin of his official position as "Judge of Rewards for Good Deeds".

As the residence of the Earth God, the number of soldiers in Huangshan Divine Palace is not fixed. In theory, as long as Wang Wen has enough good karma, he can convert 100,000 Yellow Turban warriors to serve him.

However, the Yellow Turban Warriors are only low-level divine soldiers. The Earth Master realm of Xuanmen cultivators is the ceiling of their combat power. In low-level situations, they can still win by sheer numbers. But in high-level situations, even 100,000 Yellow Turban Warriors might not be enough for those great demons to swallow whole!
Therefore, the mass troop build is definitely not the answer for the development and expansion of the land race.

The number of high-ranking civil and military officials with relatively high potential is fixed.

The current civil and military officials of Huangshan Temple are on the same level as those of the City God, consisting of four judges and four generals.

The four judgments are: rewarding good, punishing evil, investigating, and the law of the underworld.

The difference between the four judges is not just the name; they have a professional template bonus and a companion magic weapon when they take up their posts.

For example, the accompanying magic weapon of the Judge of Rewards for Good Deeds is the Book of Good Deeds; the accompanying magic weapon of the Judge of Punishments for Evil is the Nine-Section Whip; the accompanying magic weapon of the Judge of Investigation is the Bone-Illuminating Mirror; and the accompanying magic weapon of the Judge of Yin Laws is the Judge's Pen.

The four generals, being called "family generals," are naturally determined by the main god and do not have any class template bonuses.

However, when they take office, they are accompanied by a body of yin virtue and a corresponding incense-based body-refining technique. They are also growth-oriented professions, and the deeper their foundation, the stronger their combat power. The retainers under some veteran earth deities are even stronger than some newly promoted earth deities.

It took Ji Liang more than two hours to select three hundred heroic souls from nearly ten thousand.

However, these two hours were not in vain. The thousands of unselected souls looked at the three hundred souls in front of the reviewing stand with expressions of resentment and acceptance. Among them were many who secretly clenched their fists to encourage themselves and strive to be selected in the next round...

Wang Wen, who was watching the live broadcast with his divine sense, saw all the reactions of these heroic souls and greatly appreciated Ji Liang's work.

"Please welcome Your Excellency!"

After selecting the three hundred heroic souls, Ji Liang closed the Book of Merit, crossed his arms, and bowed deeply to the heavens.

At the same time, his low voice of guidance rang in the ears of the three hundred heroic souls. As if waking from a dream, the three hundred heroic souls clasped their hands and bowed deeply, shouting in unison, "Greetings, my lord!"

"Tsk!"

Wang Wen suppressed the upward curve of his lips. Although his vanity was greatly satisfied, he still said something that didn't mean what he said: "This Ji Liang doesn't learn anything good, but he's a natural at learning these dregs. I must criticize him later!"

As he spoke, his spirit left his body and stepped into the sky above the divine palace, radiating golden light of merit. His voice was like rolling thunder: "Darkness and chaos are coming to the world. You should all strive to overcome them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, beams of golden light descended, precisely entering the heads of the three hundred bowing heroes, transforming into billowing black mist that enveloped them.

Before long, a series of imposing figures emerged from the black mist, clad in black armor with gold trim, long swords with black sheaths at their waists, square veils on their heads, a large "差" character on their foreheads, and bodies as robust as living people.

Every proud figure that emerged from the black mist automatically knelt down on one knee and offered their loyalty to the golden-red figure shrouded in golden light high in the sky!

Upon witnessing this scene, the unchosen souls looked at Wang Wen with extraordinary fervor!

"Your Majesty, look at me! Look at me!"

'I can do it too, I can do it too...'

After watching the line of red text 'Merit -1500' float across the center of his vision, Wang Wen, with a straight face, stepped out of the divine palace and back into his physical body, put his hands on his hips and said, "It's just 1500 merit points, right? I can get it back by killing a couple more bosses, no big deal!"

Ever since he discovered the diverse uses of merit and virtue, his spending on these two things has become increasingly limited.

He used to think that getting 500 points to show off was worth it.

Today, even when the Daoist Master took a lighter from him, he kept grumbling in his heart, making the Daoist Master so angry that he almost stopped eating his incense.

Someone's heart is bleeding.

Wang Wen denies who it is.

……

Wang Wen stayed in Huangshan for three days.

On one hand, by using the authority of the Huangshan God to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, and the primordial energy of heaven and earth, he took advantage of this physical transformation to further solidify his foundation and prepare for advanced body refinement in the future.

While leisurely collecting various refining materials in the mountains, he calmly and skillfully refined another divine palace artifact that was infinitely close to the level of a magic weapon. He planned to take it back to Yangzhou and place it under the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, turning the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion into a major port that spans both the Yin and Yang realms, managing demons by day and ghosts by night.

On the evening of the fourth day, Wang Wen collected the hundred underworld messengers, led by Ma Feng, into his personal divine artifact and set off back to Yangzhou.

Just as he left Huangshan, he crashed straight into a mountain filled with eerie and ghostly energy.

Of course, he did it on purpose.

(End of this chapter)