Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 281 One Person Attains Enlightenment

The celestial star hangs high in the sky, shining brightly.
Although the people of Huazhou could not see it with the naked eye, they could all sense the existence of this destiny star.

Unlike ordinary people, the thirty-six City Gods had a clearer perception of this destiny star, as if they were always under the gaze of a single eye.

The starlight gradually faded, and the feeling of being watched dissipated.

But everyone understood that a new god had been sitting in the sky above Huazhou—the Heavenly God Chi Xiu!
Is this what they mean by "Heaven is watching from above"?
In mid-air, Chi Xiu's sixteen-foot-tall silver giant body slowly turned around, and a three-headed, six-armed silver giant phantom suddenly rose up behind him.

Although the phantom was not fully revealed, it made the hearts of all the masters present tremble and lower their heads.

Even some Golden Core cultivators couldn't help but restrain their spirits and dared not look directly at him!
With six arms raised high and hands forming hand seals, a buzzing sound quietly rose in the sky.

The previously concealed star chart reappeared above Chi Xiu's head, the golden points of light within it now shining even brighter.

With a thought, six golden pool phantoms appeared in the palms of Chi Xiu's six arms, totaling thirty-six.

This is exactly the same as the clear pool that Chi Xiu created with incense at the place where the star of destiny hangs high.

The illusory images of the thirty-six golden pools slowly floated up and fell into the various city god temples in the Incense Star Sky Map.

The thirty-six City Gods bowing in worship below suddenly felt a jolt in their hearts as a detailed ritual of worship was conveyed to them.

The City Gods seemed to have a profound understanding that in times of crisis, they could even invoke Chi Xiu's divine power through the ritual of worship.

At the same time, the thirty-six City God Temples standing along both banks of the Hengyang River also underwent major changes.

In Wufang City, Xiao Panshan and the others looked up at the illusory image of the City God in the sky, sensing the brilliance of the Heavenly Destiny Star above their heads.

They were all amazed by the power of the gods, which inspired awe in everyone!

Lin You, Fu Feng, Feng Sishui, and the other minor priests, along with the martial priest who had just awakened and appeared, felt inexplicably joyful and excited.

However, Xiao Panshan, the old civil official, had a hidden worry in his heart.

This Heavenly God Pool Cultivator is not the Dragon King whom the Five Directions City previously wanted to support.

Whether this change is good or bad for Wufang City is unknown.

How are the High Priest and the City God doing in Wangxian City?
Just then, the Five Directions City God Seal suddenly flew out from the back hall of the City God Temple and hovered beside the illusory image of City God Mu Tong.

A golden light suddenly shone in the sky, and a pool of gold fell rapidly, merging into the City God's seal.

In an instant, the boundary of Wufang City expanded much towards the Land of Misfortune, but in the next instant, it was drawn back to its original boundary by the City God Seal, remaining dormant.

At this moment, no one in the Five Directions City could control the City God Seal, so Xiao Panshan and the Martial God Official were naturally unable to clearly perceive the changes within it.

But that doesn't stop them from knowing that something has changed.

First, a new worship ceremony kept appearing in my mind. Second, a golden pool suddenly appeared in front of the incense hall in the backyard of the City God Temple below, exactly the same as the phantom that had just fallen from the sky.

Just as everyone was still quietly comprehending, the City God Seal slowly retracted and fell from the sky.

It was thought that the City God's Seal would fly directly back to the back hall, but to everyone's surprise, the City God's Seal quietly stopped in front of Xiao Panshan.

While Xiao Panshan and the others were still puzzled, a three-headed, six-armed celestial being's shadow quietly appeared in the sky above Wufang City.

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and they immediately bowed to the figure.

The people of Wufang City knelt on the ground, shouting:
"Greetings, God!"

The shadow of the celestial being stood silently in the void, overlooking the Five Directions City, and then slowly spoke:
"Mu Tong, the City God of the Five Directions, has made outstanding contributions during the ascension of the Heavenly Gods and is hereby promoted to City God of Wangxian City. Xiao Panshan, the former Civil Official of the Five Directions City, is promoted to City God of the Five Directions City. Lin You, the former Minor Official of the Five Directions City, is promoted to Civil Official. Fu Feng and Feng Sishui are promoted to Senior Officials!"

After he finished speaking, Xiao Panshan stood there dumbfounded.

Did I become the City God myself?

One moment he was counting the incense offerings of Wufang City on his fingers, and the next he was the City God.

But isn't this deity's assignment a bit too detailed? It's one thing for me and the Martial God Officer, since we are registered officials, it's understandable that the deity knows.

How did this deity know about Lin You and the others?

Are the gods truly omniscient?

After the celestial figure above the Five Directions City finished speaking, it ignored the reactions of the crowd and quietly pointed in the void.

A piece of the City God's tablet transformed into a golden light and fell from the sky, merging into the Yin spirit of Xiaopan Mountain.

A large amount of incense energy seeped out from it, and Xiao Panshan's somewhat shabby golden body instantly became dazzling.

The Five Directions City God Seal beside him trembled slightly, actively merging with Xiao Panshan's Yin Spirit. A moment later, while Xiao Panshan was still in a daze, the entire City God position had been refined.

The illusory image of the City God in the sky faded away, and Xiao Panshan's Dharma body rose from the ground, standing across the sky above Wufang City.

The shadow of the celestial being flickered again, and a drop of golden liquid fell from the golden pool in the sky, merging into the Yin spirit's brow of the Martial God.

The transformation and confusion of the Martial God's Yin spirit dissipated by most of it, and his aura suddenly soared.

With a thought, a clay sculpture quietly flew out from inside the incense hall. The Martial God crushed the yellow clay, took out a brain from it, and stuffed it into the Yin God. In an instant, the evil aura became even more overwhelming!

The Martial God sensed the Yin Spirit, and a look of joy appeared on his face. He bowed deeply to the shadow of the Heavenly God in the sky.

"Thank God!"

Like the other minor priests, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with the image of the celestial being.

Upon hearing the Martial God's thanks, Xiao Panshan, who was still shocked that he had inexplicably become the City God, suddenly came to his senses and became more sober. He also bowed in worship.

"Thank God!"

The shadow of the celestial being nodded slightly, then quietly disappeared.

The city of Wufang was immediately thrown into an uproar. Despite it being late at night, people still came out of their homes and headed toward the City God to celebrate.

Even some merchants from Wufang City were overjoyed. With Mu Chenghuang going to Wangxian City, they now had a reliable backer in Wangxian City!
In front of the floating palace of the suspended mountain
Chi Xiu's words about the enfeoffment of the Five Directions City spread far and wide.

The moment the words fell, the golden mirror hanging high in the main hall of the Dragon Palace in Wangxian City suddenly flew out, went upstream along the Hengyang River, passed through the Nahai Mirror, and headed straight for Mu Tong.

This is the Dragon Mystic Realm where Mu Tong previously cultivated, and it is also the City God Seal of Wangxian City.

It is also the general seal of the Huazhou City God, which can govern the City Gods of the thirty-six cities along the Hengyang River.

The thirty-six City Gods looked at Mu Tong with envy. Originally, Wangxian City did not have a City God. If there was one, then the previous City God was the Dragon King himself.

Doesn't this mean that Mu Tong will be the new Dragon King from now on?

After hearing about the enfeoffment, the others, while also envious of Mu Tong's promotion, all had strange expressions on their faces.

When did a celestial deity begin to oversee the promotion and selection of the chief priests and civil priests within a local city god temple?
This would be quite unusual even for a Dragon King in the past, let alone a celestial being.
But they quickly realized what was happening and cautiously glanced at the tall, slender figure in the Yin-Yang Taoist robe sitting in the main seat.

This newly emerged giant of Huazhou who turned the tide was born in the City God Temple of Wufang City, and even served as the High Priest!

It seems that this deity is also a shrewd and worldly-wise person.

This did not make people look down on it; on the contrary, it made people even more aweful. A wise god is always more likely to win people's hearts than a fool.

Just then, the Dragon King on the main seat suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a drop of dragon blood that floated towards Mu Tong.

"Congratulations to City God Mu on ascending to the rank of City God of Wangxian! This City God Seal was originally forged from the reverse scale of my old body. City God Mu has refined my golden scales, and with this drop of dragon blood, the refining process will be even faster!"

Mu Tong was taken aback. At this moment, she knew that the Dragon King had shed his old body and embarked on the path of immortality again.

The Dragon King's condition was clearly not as good as before, and this drop of dragon blood was of paramount importance to him at this moment.

"This"

Seeing that Mu Tong was still hesitating, Li Wushou waved his hand and said:
"Take it, it's a token of the Dragon King's goodwill."

The moment he finished speaking, Li Wushou bowed to the Dragon King beside him and thanked him:

"Thank you, Dragon King!"

Seeing this, Mu Tong absorbed the drop of dragon blood into her body and, together with Li Wushou, bowed to the Dragon King in gratitude.

The Dragon King stroked his beard with a smile and waved to the two of them repeatedly.

"We're family, why are you saying this!"

Upon seeing this, the two patriarchs, Fu and Kong, twitched their brows.

These two, Shenchi Xiu and the Dragon King, are truly shrewd and clever. If you're not careful, they'll find an opening to flatter the High Priest.
Having lived on Suspended Mountain for hundreds of years, the two of them had always been flattered by others, and were clearly not as sensitive to flattery as the Dragon King and Chi Xiu.

They exchanged a glance, and then spoke at the same time:
"Congratulations, City God Mu! This is Floating Cloud Jade, which can be used to refine the divine position and better accommodate incense offerings."

"This is a Void Crystal, which can be used to refine storage treasures. Congratulations to City God Mu as well."

Having just finished thanking the Dragon King, Mu Tong was somewhat dazed. She stole a glance at the High Priest, and after seeing him nod, Mu Tong put away the gifts bestowed by the two patriarchs.

Then, Li Wushou thanked the two floating patriarchs. The two stroked their beards and laughed heartily, and the scene became celebratory.

After seeing Mu Tong take over the Wangxian City God Seal, Chi Xiu spoke again:
"Now that I have successfully elevated the Heavenly God, let us not forget the conquest of the Land of Misery in a month and a half!"

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up and respectfully accepted the order!
Chi Xiu nodded slightly, dispelled the illusory image of his Dharma body in the sky, stepped down from the void, clasped his fists at the four people in the main seat, and then sat on the empty seat next to the Void Ancestor.

The patriarch of the Fuzi lineage smiled and waved. A boy riding a crane continuously transported wine, fruits, and melons, and the grand ceremony of the gods officially began.

The people present drank wine, celebrating Chi Xiu's successful ascension to the heavens.

But most of the attention was focused on the figure in the Yin-Yang Taoist robe sitting in the main seat.

It wasn't simply because the High Priest ate a lot, but because everyone had a clearer understanding of the High Priest's imposing presence.

From the moment the Heavenly God was mentioned, up to the Patriarch, the Heavenly God, and even the Dragon King, who among them didn't have to watch the other's expression?

Unbeknownst to them, the High Priest seemed to have become the most powerful person in Huazhou!
The banquet didn't last long before it ended.

Too many people died today; nearly ten elders and golden-level protectors of Suspended Mountain died.

Aside from the lineage that selected protectors, the Gongsun family suffered the most casualties, losing one elder and one Golden Core protector. Currently, only Gongsun Huoyao and another protector remain, two Golden Core warriors, almost dropping them out of the top five clans.

To make matters worse for the Gongsun family, Gongsun Wang, who was considered the most promising candidate to surpass Elder Gongsun, also disappeared during the extermination of the Moth King flying insects and is likely dead.

Besides the Gongsun family, the Liu family in Qiwangzhong suffered heavy casualties and was almost wiped out.

The An family, the Yue family, the Fu, Bai, and Wei families on the north bank, and even the neutral Cheng family, were all severely affected by the moth-like flying insects. They were all the subjects that the painter focused on.

Although the crisis has been averted, many people are still filled with anxiety and want to return to Wangxian City to stabilize the situation.

Fortunately, Chi Xiu didn't care much about the so-called celebration, and he wanted to seize the time to go into seclusion and consolidate his destiny star.

Therefore, they hit it off immediately, and the celebration quickly came to an end.

The Dragon King immediately set off back to the Dragon Palace.

He originally intended to give up the Dragon Palace for Li Wushou and Chi Xiu to rest in, but Li Wushou refused.

Li Wushou declined the invitations from both Ancestor Fu and Ancestor Kong to stay, and returned to the Wufang City God Temple in Wangxian City with Mu Tong. Chi Xiu thought for a moment and followed.

Seeing that Li Wushou was resolute and did not care about these worldly things, Master Fukong did not say anything more.

However, they secretly accelerated the construction of the three floating islands.

One is the Supreme Floating Island for the Dragon King, one is the Heavenly God Island for Chi Xiu, and the other is specially prepared for Li Wushou.

The construction of this island was not difficult for the two patriarchs, Fu and Kong; however, the construction would still take time.

This is different from the floating palace. The founder of the Floating Lineage did not intend to build it with floating clouds, otherwise it would be too presumptuous!

Wangxian City Wufang City God Temple
Unlike the previous quietness, the City God Temple was now filled with the smoke of incense.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Mu Tong, Li Wushou led Chi Xiu to the back hall of the City God Temple.

Chi Xiu led the way, saying to Li Wushou as they walked:
"Fellow Daoist Li, I delivered that junior you mentioned here this afternoon."

As they were talking, Chi Xiu pushed open the door to the side room, and Li Wushou immediately saw Gongsun Wang, who was still unconscious inside.

At this moment, the other party was sitting cross-legged on the ground, and a faint light appeared between his brows.

Chi Xiu raised his hand and waved it, and the eerie light between Gongsun Wang's brows dissipated. Gongsun Wang let out a few soft groans and slowly woke up.

Although he had regained consciousness, he was still somewhat dazed. Chi Xiu's suppression had put immense pressure on Gongsun Wang's mind, and he seemed to be overwhelmed.

Li Wushou nodded to Chi Xiu beside him and thanked him. Chi Xiu didn't say anything more, cupped his hands in greeting, and walked out of the room.

Li Wushou sat at the square table to the side, poured himself a glass of water, and watched the somewhat bewildered Gongsun Wang with interest as he drank:

"What? Young Master Gongsun is still not awake?"

Gongsun Wang suddenly shuddered, raised his head in alarm, and looked at Li Wushou.

"High Priest? How did I get here? What brings you here, High Priest?"

During this period, because he was instigated by the Liu family, he caused a conflict between the Gongsun family and Li Wushou, which resulted in the death of many people in the Gongsun family, a great loss of face, and even the head of the family had one eye gouged out.

This severely damaged Gongsun Wang's prestige.

Therefore, he has been in Wangxian City these days, trying to salvage his image.

Deep down, he hated Li Wushou to the core, but after learning from his uncle Huoyao that Li Wushou was a disciple of the Great Venerable Zhenhai, Gongsun Wang suppressed his desire to take revenge on Li Wushou.

He transferred this hatred to Wufang City!

Li Wushou will leave sooner or later. After the painter raises the title of Heavenly God, he will make Wufang City understand the consequences of offending Gongsun Wang!
Today, Gongsun Wang waited at home for the results of the painting of the Heavenly God, but instead of receiving news of the painter raising the Heavenly God, he was greeted by a plague of moths.

His memory was still stuck on eradicating the insect plague from the Gongsun family. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself here. Looking at Li Wushou in front of him, he had a vague sense of unease.

Li Wushou found it amusing to watch Gongsun Wang's constantly changing expression.

These scions of prominent families, regardless of their actual abilities, all possess an exceptional talent for reading people and situations.

Muttering a curse to himself, Li Wushou downed the water in his cup and placed it on the table. He then spoke softly to Gongsun Wang:
"We invited Young Master Gongsun here to see an old friend!"

Gongsun Wang was taken aback upon hearing this. "Seeing an old friend?"
He was somewhat confused, but it didn't sound like it was about to kill him.

Gongsun Wang breathed a sigh of relief; at least it wasn't going to kill him!

So he quickly stood up, bowed to Li Wushou, and replied:
"It's just to see a friend. The High Priest can simply give the order, and Gongsun Wang will certainly not refuse!"

A slight smile appeared on Li Wushou's lips as he nodded and said with a smile:

"That's good!"

After he finished speaking, a vertical line appeared between Li Wushou's eyebrows, and a dark green tree seed quietly flew out from between his eyebrows.

The seed gently fell to the ground and instantly took root, growing into a dark green tree.

The tree grew taller and taller, its branches and leaves rustling and humming. A dark green fruit appeared in the canopy, instantly draining the tree of all its nutrients.

The trees are withered, and a graceful woman stands quietly on a pile of dead branches.

"My love, it's been so long!"

Gongsun Wang's expression changed drastically as he looked at the woman in front of him, his face showing astonishment.

Then he suddenly realized that the tree seeds he planted in the Burial Forest outside Wufang City were indeed destroyed by the High Priest Li Wushou!
He actually thought he was being instigated by the Liu family!
Hatred welled up in his heart, but he remained outwardly calm. Gongsun Wang was unwilling to expose the truth, lest the conflict escalate to an irreconcilable point.

But Li Wushou's actions had already laid the facts in front of him, and Gongsun Wang feared that Li Wushou's intentions were not good. After thinking it through, he immediately felt uneasy.

He laughed loudly, then readily admitted it, saying generously to Li Wushou:
"So the acquaintance the High Priest was referring to is this type of wood. My Gongsun family is most skilled at cultivating the five elements. If the High Priest likes it, how about I go back and pick out a few more for you?"

Li Wushou shook his head, somewhat speechless.

"Young Master Gongsun, you're too kind. I've already made my selection!"

After speaking, Li Wushou stood up, patted Gongsun Wang on the shoulder, and went out to the study next door.

Behind him, Gongsun Wang stood rooted to the spot, unable to budge an inch no matter how much he struggled!
Suddenly, his eyes widened in terror as he stared ahead.

The Tree Goddess walked lightly to Gongsun Wang's side, looking at him indifferently.

"My beloved, won't you even look at me now? It's truly disheartening!"

Gongsun Wang kept turning his eyes, wanting to speak and comfort the Tree Goddess, but he couldn't speak.

The Tree Goddess remained unmoved and murmured softly:
What is the heart of the man longing for his lover made of?

The moment the voice fell, his two index fingers silently transformed into two sharp tree branches, piercing directly into Gongsun Wang's chest with a forceful slash.

Gongsun Wang's chest was cut open, and his internal organs were exposed in front of the Tree Goddess.

"The heart of a faithless person is no different from that of an ordinary person, so does it taste different?"

"what!"

A series of piercing screams, mixed with resentful swallowing sounds, echoed in the room.

A moment later, the Tree Goddess pushed open the door to the side room.

Bloodstains remained on her face, and with each step, blood dripped from her dark green dress, leaving long streaks.

The Tree Goddess stood before the study door, suddenly prostrated herself on the ground, and respectfully kowtowed, saying:
"Thank you for your kindness, Second Master!"

(End of this chapter)