The God of the Human Realm!

Chapter 9 Blessed Land Daoist Master: Clenching the fist is grasping power; power and martial arts are one.
The autumn night was deep and chilly.

A misty fog hangs over the Jade Belt River.

Wow!

The oars stirred up ripples on the clear water, guiding the slightly off-course awning boat back to the shore. The journey had been relatively smooth.

Yang Lie stood at the bow of the boat, rowing. The cold wind blowing across the river carried water vapor, soaking his clothes. He couldn't help but mutter, "If only I could have a drink."

As a trained martial artist, I have strong muscles and bones, so this bit of cold and dampness is nothing to me. But just because my body can withstand it doesn't mean I'm immune to heat and cold.

He unconsciously turned his gaze to the cabin, his eyes fixed on the wine jug in Wu Duxiong's hand.

Hong Yuan was no exception; his body was soaked through, and he felt the coolness clinging to his skin, but his mind became increasingly active.

He was quite concerned about Master Qin. To be precise, what piqued his interest was the 'Blood Pact'. He turned his head slightly, stared intently at the cabin for a moment, and confirmed that Master Qin was still unconscious.

He leaned closer to Yang Lie, hesitated for a moment, and then asked in a low voice, "Brother Yang, what's the deal with that Master Qin?"

“Master Qin?” Yang Lie glanced into the cabin before lowering his voice and sighing, “He was originally a teacher at a private school in the county. He had been friends with my uncle for nearly twenty years. He had an only son named Qin Ziyue…”

Master Qin and his wife were childhood sweethearts, deeply in love. Sadly, when he was thirty, his wife suddenly fell ill and passed away. Master Qin was devastated and never remarried, pouring all his affection into his only son.

Over time, Qin Ziyue developed a spoiled habit and began associating with all sorts of people from various walks of life. However, because his teacher, Master Qin, doted on him too much, couldn't bear to discipline him with a stick and could only offer verbal advice. Furthermore, as a tutor, he couldn't keep an eye on him all the time...

Then, one day, Qin Ziyue disappeared.

Master Qin inquired everywhere and reported to the government, but despite his best efforts, he found nothing and finally turned to Yang Erhu for help.

It turns out Yang Erhu is Yang Lie's uncle.

Hong Yuan's focus was clearly off; he had initially guessed that the two were father and son or master and apprentice.

Yang Erhu was a man of honor. Seeing his old friend weeping and pleading, how could he refuse?

But he was just a martial artist with limited connections. In the blink of an eye, nearly a month had passed, and he had only managed to catch a few clues.

He felt that if this dragged on any longer, the hope of saving people would become increasingly slim, so he immediately went to Xinfu City to ask for help, and thus he gathered Wu Duxiong and Yang Lie as his two allies.

Together with Master Qin and the other three, they expended tremendous effort to discover the so-called 'Azure Phoenix Wonderland,' which led to Yang Lie and even Master Qin risking their lives to infiltrate and infiltrate. Yang Lie recounted the perilous events in detail, while the crucial details were glossed over with a brief, understated approach.

"Brother Yang is truly public-spirited and righteous; I admire him greatly." Hong Yuan cupped his hands in praise, "But, Brother Yang, you've had a hard time."

"Alas, it's a long story!" Yang Lie sighed, his young face bearing the marks of a past he couldn't bear to look back on.

Hong Yuan actually felt that Yang Lie was hiding something. Just the kerosene alone was not something that three or four people could prepare, let alone transport it into the heavily guarded manor. However, since Yang Lie didn't mention it, he didn't want to pry.

Hong Yuan expressed sympathy for Master Qin's tragic fate and then let it go, after all, he himself was also quite unfortunate, having transmigrated inexplicably without offending anyone.

"What is that 'blood pact'?" Hong Yuan's main purpose in mentioning Master Qin was to lead people to this point, as the concept of talismans always inevitably evokes some speculation.

"It's just a strange talisman technique. Once you've crafted this talisman, you can use your own blood essence as a catalyst to locate the position of your closest relatives..."

Seeing Hong Yuan's solemn expression, Yang Lie couldn't help but laugh: "Brother Hong is a scholar, and he has probably read a lot of miscellaneous records of gods and monsters. However, the strange arts in this world are not as mysterious as those in the books. The range locked by this 'blood talisman' is only within twenty or thirty feet."

His voice lowered.

"Within a range of twenty or thirty feet, if the inhabitants are alive, this talisman is unnecessary; only..."

Yang Lie sighed again.

Hong Yuan immediately changed the subject.

A light boat drifts with the wind, gliding down the waves.

During their conversation, Hong Yuan learned more about Yang Lie. Yang Lie's father and Yang Erhu were not only brothers but also fellow disciples from the same school. They had both roamed the martial arts world in their youth, but now that they were older, one had acquired property in the prefectural city and become a wealthy man, while the other had opened a school in the county town to teach students.

As for Yang Lie's kung fu, although he received guidance from his father, it was not the true transmission. Instead, he was taught by another famous teacher.

When this topic came up, Yang Lie was both puzzled and inevitably harbored a hint of resentment.

Before they knew it, the boat had traveled more than ten miles. When they could see lights faintly ahead, Yang Lie called out in a low voice, "Uncle Wu, Uncle, we've arrived!"

The covered boat slowly approached the shore. Yang Lie jumped ashore first and used the rope on the boat to tie the small boat to a wooden stake on the shore.

Hong Yuan jumped down.

Following Wu Duxiong, Yang Erhu carried Qin Fuzi ashore one after another. The group walked silently into the night, the lights growing brighter and brighter, and the outline of a small town appeared ahead.

As you get closer, you can see that the town has only two streets, one running vertically and the other horizontally. The houses on both sides of the streets are low and almost all are single-story buildings, with only a two-story restaurant and shops in the center.

The lights were also coming from the restaurant, and occasionally a few noises could be heard from inside, as if there were still some idle people drinking and making merry at night. Coughing and barking could be heard from various rooms from time to time.

Yang Erhu and his companions were quite familiar with the town and knew the way well. Without disturbing anyone, they went around to the back door of the restaurant and knocked on the door a few times.

Knock knock knock!
After a while, he tapped the door a few more times in a rhythmic manner.

With a creak, the back door opened gently, and in the dim light, a thin, wrinkled old man wearing a long robe came into view.

Hong Yuan saw it clearly: the old man raised his cloudy eyes and quickly scanned the group, pausing only on him for a moment before lowering his head and coughing, "You're back!"

"Let's talk after we go in."

Yang Erhu nodded calmly and led everyone inside. Inside was a cramped courtyard with a few small houses where people could live.

Yang Erhu chose a room with little fancy furnishings, consisting almost entirely of a table and a bed. He placed Master Qin on the bed, tucked him in, closed the door, and came out. Seeing Yang Lie and Hong Yuan both soaking wet, he said to the withered old man, "Bring over two sets of clean clothes."

"Alright, I'll take care of it right away." The thin old man nodded.

Yang Erhu waved his hand, signaling him to wait a moment, and then said to Yang Lie and Hong Yuan, "Your robes can no longer be worn outside. Please take care of them as well, sir."

The thin old man stretched out his dry palm, touched Yang Lie's sleeve, rubbed his fingers a few times, and grinned, "These two robes are made of the finest silk. On the black market, they could fetch at least twenty taels of silver."

"It's up to you. Just send fifteen taels over tomorrow," Yang Erhu said.

"Thank you very much, thank you very much!" The old man's wrinkled face seemed to bloom like a chrysanthemum.

Listening to their conversation, Hong Yuan felt a strong sense of disconnect. On one hand, he knew the importance of money, but on the other hand, having just arrived in this world and with less than a night gone, he felt indifferent to everything. These two conflicting emotions created a very complex situation.

Yang Erhu and Wu Duxiong also felt conflicted. They had just witnessed the extravagant spending of those pretentious women in the "Biwu Wonderland," and now they were suddenly haggling over a few taels of silver. It seemed absurd to them.

They did consider getting some valuables from 'Biwu Wonderland' to exchange for money, but they were afraid of alerting the enemy and not knowing their worth, which would lead them to sell the stolen goods to the rightful owner and get themselves caught.

Clothing and the like are fine; they can be disassembled and remade at any time.

Hong Yuan and Yang Lie immediately took off their robes, leaving only their thin undershirts. They each chose a small room to enter. Although there were oil lamps in the rooms, there were no lights. Fortunately, Hong Yuan could see in the dark, so he lay down on the bed in the room.

The house and even the bedding had a slightly unpleasant odor, but Hong Yuan didn't feel disgusted at the moment. Having transmigrated and then suddenly killed someone, he felt physically and mentally exhausted as soon as he relaxed. Wrapped in his damp thin shirt, he still wanted to drift off to sleep.

He roused himself, got up, and used the small table and wooden stool inside the room to prop up the door. With a thought, rows of tiny, mosquito-like characters floated out.

Hong Yuan stared intently at the four characters 'Lord of Blessed Land'. The next moment, all the smaller characters began to spin rapidly, transforming into a gray-white vortex.

Hong Yuan took a breath, relaxed, and let the suction force in the vortex pull him. The next moment, his vision suddenly changed.

Swish!
When Hong Yuan opened his eyes again, he suddenly appeared in a large gray-white square, but he could clearly feel that his physical body was still in the small room of the restaurant. What appeared here was just a manifestation of his will.

Hong Yuan looked around. The gray square was surrounded by a hazy, white expanse of mist, seemingly impenetrable, like an abyss. Only in front of Hong Yuan was a huge, gray-white stone gate, which appeared to be embedded in the mist, sometimes visible and sometimes hidden.

Down from the gray stone gate were nine steps, each as tall as a person. Hong Yuan walked towards the gray stone gate almost instinctively, but when he reached the first step and was about to reach up, a gentle force suddenly sent him flying.

Bang!
Hong Yuan was thrown a long way and landed on the gray square. He was not injured, but of course, Hong Yuan, whose body was formed from his thoughts, did not know how he could have been injured.

"what happened?"

As Hong Yuan was surprised, his vision suddenly changed.

【Master of Blessed Land (Gray) - Beyond the Gate: Hong Yuan (18)】

[Body Constitution: 2/100]

Comprehension: 2/100

[Talent: Qi flows through the entire body, and vision is clear and penetrating]

The "Blessed Land Daoist Master" section has changed, with an additional "Beyond the Gate" added. Hong Yuan looked at the plaza beneath his feet and the gray-white stone gate, with nine steps leading down from the gate, and had already made some guesses.

Immediately afterwards, the stone gate trembled a few times with a 'humming' sound, and suddenly, an ancient and profound thought surged into Hong Yuan's mind.

After a moment, Hong Yuan processed the information, his expression shifting in shock.

This stone gate—

To be precise, the area behind the stone gate is called the "Tai Sui Blessed Land"!
When he transmigrated here, he somehow became bound to this [Tai Sui Blessed Land] and became the [Blessed Land Dao Lord]. However, it is only a title at the moment. To truly take control of it, he must achieve two accomplishments.

Tai Sui, also known as Tai Sui God or Sui Jun!

The one with the greatest power and strongest military force in the year is called the Emperor of the Year and the leader of all gods.

The key point of this passage is power and force!

If Hong Yuan wants to ascend the nine steps, knock on the stone gate, and enter the [Tai Sui Blessed Land], he must achieve two things: reach the pinnacle of personal martial prowess, unmatched by anyone, and wield power that is unparalleled in the world.

Might makes right!

Power comes first!

Double crown!
Only in this way can one not only have the empty title of "Lord of the Blessed Land," but also real benefits. Once one steps into the "Tai Sui Blessed Land," one's lifespan will become one with the blessed land. As long as the blessed land exists, one's own life will be immortal, and one will live as long as the heavens.

Even though he was a physical being, Hong Yuan felt his breath catch in his throat, and his heart felt as if it was about to burst out of his invisible body.

After a long while, Hong Yuanfang gradually calmed down. It was a huge pie, but it was extremely difficult to get his hands on it.

Firstly, in terms of power, the Great Yin Dynasty has now abolished the imperial examination system, which has almost cut off the channels for commoners to rise in society. If they want to become officials, they have to become dogs for powerful clans, aristocratic families, and nobles.

If you flatter these important figures and they're happy, they might just throw you a few bones or give you a chance to become an official.

Even if one were to become an official and a powerful minister, doing the things Wang Mang did, it would be nothing but a pipe dream.

Because the Great Yin Dynasty has reached this point, there are actually many local warlords in various prefectures who outwardly obey the imperial edicts but in reality withhold taxes and turn the imperial army into their own private army.

Leaving aside other matters, take Linjiang Prefecture, where Hong Yuan is located, as an example. This is how it is operated. Otherwise, how could a mere prefecture support three military units like the 'White Scale Guard', which together number over ten thousand soldiers?

The idea of ​​entering the court as an official and then climbing step by step to the highest position is unacceptable; there is simply no room for internal reform.

Even if one reaches the highest position in the court and wants to ascend to the top of power and become emperor, one still has to conquer the entire country and defeat all the powerful nobles and warlords. Isn't that still a rebellion?
'Force, at this stage, is the most important thing—individual force!'

No matter how big the pie is, you still need to be alive to eat it. Only by constantly becoming stronger can you avoid being nipped in the bud.

Fortunately, Hong Yuan was able to continuously improve his physical constitution and comprehension; otherwise, his attitude towards eating the pancakes would not have been extremely difficult, but almost impossible.

'Both physical combat and medicinal baths can potentially increase one's physical constitution and comprehension.'

'Therefore, the goal is to increase military strength, protect oneself, and then seize power by force; only by clenching one's fist can one grasp power!'

'Power and force combined.'

Hong Yuan thought silently, there was another problem that worried him: did this world have any extraordinary people, and to what extent were they extraordinary?
With a thought, Hong Yuan withdrew from the gray-white square.

"Upon initial contact with the gate to the blessed land, my mind and spirit have been elevated, and my state of mind has been transformed. Comprehension +2 strands."

"Ok?"

Hong Yuan's expression shifted, and a cool sensation lingered in his mind, giving him a sense of clarity once more. Looking at the "Comprehension: 4/100" column, he once again entered the gray-white square.

A few breaths later, Hong Yuan opened his eyes in the pitch-black room, stroked his chin, and sighed inwardly, "As expected, I can't repeatedly test my comprehension..."

　After more than 30,000 words, I've finally gotten to the point...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)