Starting from the two realms, cultivating immortality by taming beasts

Chapter 650 Dragon King Sacrifice (Supplement)

Activating his divine sense to release the restrictions on the storage ring, Chen Beiwu flipped his hand, revealing an official seal wrapped in silk cloth in his palm.

The official seal has a simple and ancient design, and is dark blue in color. A reclining tiger is carved on the seal knob, and the seal face is engraved with four unified Shang Dynasty seal characters: "Guanxian Zhengling".

"That's quite a coincidence."

Chen Beiwu casually flipped the seal over and lightly touched the seal script on the surface with his fingertips.

In the Southern Wilderness, the strongest cultivation forces are undoubtedly the major sects.

Within the region, strong sects can be considered superior sects, while weak sects are relegated to inferior sects and must regularly offer rare and precious materials to the superior sects in order to maintain peace in their territory.

It is precisely because of this that the powerful figures of the major cultivation sects in the Southern Wilderness are almost all elusive, with some even choosing to conceal their cultivation levels and travel the mortal world, playing the trick of pretending to be weak while actually being strong.

The Eastern Territory differs from the Southern Wilderness Territory, possessing its own unique national conditions.

Within the Shang Dynasty court, cultivation level was the foundation for an official.

Those whose cultivation level is insufficient, no matter how amazing their talent or how profound their background, cannot freely hold a position in the court of the Great Shang Dynasty. Only those who pass the imperial examination can be given a slight exception.

Therefore, to some extent, the official position in the Great Shang Dynasty often represented a cultivator's realm.

For example, a county magistrate, a position that may seem low-ranking with only the seventh rank, still requires the candidate to have the cultivation level of Foundation Establishment Perfection.

"With Chen Zi'ang's cultivation level, he is actually able to serve as the magistrate of Guan County." Chen Beiwu looked at the official seal in his hand.

Unlike other counties, Guanxian, as the core county of Minxin Prefecture, allowed the county magistrate to automatically be promoted by half a rank.

Therefore, the magistrate of Guanxian County held a similar position to a sixth-rank official in the Shang Dynasty, and generally needed to possess the Golden Core realm.

Under normal circumstances, even if Chen Zi'ang were a newly appointed third-ranked scholar, it would be impossible for him to be appointed as the magistrate of Guanxian County based on his perfect Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Moreover, after Chen Zi'ang became the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination, he once wrote a memorial in court, which severely offended the Ninth Prince.

Yes, that's right. Don't underestimate Chen Zi'ang just because he's only a Foundation Establishment cultivator; he's incredibly resolute and truly willing to take on any challenge.

Despite having a bright future, she insisted on submitting a memorial claiming that Princess Yinling was fond of men, promiscuous, licentious, bloodthirsty, and tyrannical. She frequently held banquets to seduce court officials or their sons, building up a large following, and also sought out young men from the common people of Chaoge who were not yet of age to have intimate relations with her, after which she would torture and kill them.

It was that remonstrance that made Chen Zi'ang famous in Chaoge, and he became a well-known upright official among many ministers of the Shang Dynasty.

The reason is simple: Princess Yinling holds an extraordinary position in the Great Shang Dynasty. She is the grandniece of the current Immortal Emperor, deeply favored by him, and a high-ranking member of the Ninth Prince Ji Xin's faction. She wields considerable influence in the court, and few ministers dare to provoke her.

Therefore, in the eyes of many cultivators, Chen Zi'ang's remonstrance to Princess Yinling was tantamount to suicide.

Unexpectedly, the Celestial Emperor was not angry. Instead, he issued an edict reprimanding Princess Yinling, ordering her to close her residence and reflect on her actions. He also praised Chen Zi'ang for his uprightness, outspokenness, and concern for the country.

However, no matter how good Chen Zi'ang's reputation was, it could not compare to the power and influence of Princess Yinling and the Ninth Prince. After some maneuvering, he was promoted in name only but demoted in reality, kicked out of the core of Chaoge, and exiled to the most remote and wild Minxin County of the Great Shang Dynasty, far away from the Great Shang court.

Chen Zi'ang's family had long since fallen into decline, and this was most likely a ploy orchestrated by the Ninth Prince or Princess Yinling to undermine him.

"Chen Beiwu thought to himself."

Being exiled to a remote place meant that Chen Zi'ang would only gain some empty fame, and his future prospects were bleak.

In addition, Guanxian County is located near the mouth of the Jianjiang River, and is frequently plagued by natural disasters and calamities, making it extremely difficult to govern. As a result, every Guanxian County magistrate has been rated as unqualified.

Princess Yinling and the Ninth Prince could easily manipulate Chen Zi'ang at any time through the officials' examinations every ten years.

As for the abduction and murder of the former county magistrate in the temple today, it was too outrageous and most likely not the work of the Ninth Prince or Princess Yinling.

It was most likely done by their political enemies in the court, who were trying to use Chen Zi'ang's good reputation to smear them.

"In this world, if your cultivation is insufficient, no matter how great your reputation, you can only become someone else's pawn," Chen Beiwu thought to himself.

Compared to the Southern Wilderness, the Eastern Territory is relatively well-ordered.

If Chen Zi'ang, a mere Foundation Establishment disciple, dared to remonstrate with the Nascent Soul True Monarch of his sect in this way, he would surely be stabbed in the back eight times and commit suicide, or even be killed by a powerful figure with a single palm strike, without even needing to give a reason.

"Huh?" (Why not change your identity?)

Schiller was somewhat confused.

While it's easy to replace someone with the same name, Chen Zi'ang also attracts a lot of trouble, making him a target of the Ninth Prince and Princess Yinling's attention, which seems to contradict the Northern Martial Arts Academy's philosophy of steady development.

"You don't understand. Chen Zi'ang held an official position, but he was promoted in name only and demoted to Guanxian. He had plenty of room to maneuver," Chen Beiwu said with a calm smile.

"Huh?" (What if we get promoted and transferred to Chaoge later?)

"Golden Egg asked curiously."

It did not doubt Chen Beiwu's abilities, but Chen Zi'ang was a cultivator who had once met the Immortal Emperor. It would be extremely difficult to replace him without the Immortal Emperor's knowledge.

"To rise to a high position in a major business empire, one cannot avoid taking risks. Replacing Chen Zi'ang is the least risky option."

Chen Beiwu activated his Nine Breaths Qi Absorption Technique with a thought.

"Buzz!"

Under his gaze, the official seal in his hand shone brightly, slowly revealing a phantom image of a black bird.

The illusory image of the black bird was barely perceptible, as if it would vanish at any moment, but it deliberately avoided Chen Beiwu, showing no intention of exchanging or connecting with his energy.

Clearly, even if Chen Beiwu used the power of the Heaven-Illuminating Mirror to transform into Chen Zi'ang's appearance, his cultivation, realm, magic power, and aura would be exactly the same, which could deceive those below the Refining Void Dao Venerable level, but it could not deceive the Great Shang official seal.

If this issue cannot be resolved, Chen Beiwu will be unable to take over Chen Ziang's position.

"Shoot!"

With a thought, Chen Beiwu activated the Nine Breaths Qi Absorption Divine Power, using the power of nine breaths of chaos to seize the national destiny from the official seal.

"Buzz!"

As expected, a mere official seal of the Great Shang Dynasty was utterly powerless against the Nine Breaths of Chaos.

In just three breaths, a barely perceptible black bird appeared on Chen Beiwu's noble purple aura.

The rumors are true; no wonder every cultivator wants to serve in the Great Shang Dynasty!

With the blessing of the Great Shang Dynasty, Chen Beiwu felt his mind become slightly clearer, and his understanding of the Great Dao of this world seemed to become simpler.

It should be understood that this is only the national fortune that a county magistrate can enjoy, and it is insignificant in the grand scheme of the Shang Dynasty.

If he could ascend to the position of one of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, he could probably use the fortune of the Great Shang Dynasty to cultivate all the way to become a master of immortal cultivation, or even a half-step Void Refinement cultivator.

"Let's go, it's time for us to take up our posts in Guanjiang."

Chen Beiwu left the ancient temple, displaying the speed of a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the peak of his cultivation, and headed towards Guanxian County.

Minxin Prefecture, Guan County.

Before dawn, the county magistrate and county constable were already waiting outside the city gate, causing the passersby to lower their heads and remain silent, for fear of attracting the attention of the two magistrates.

"Brother Li, it seems we've arrived too early," the burly county constable said.

"It's always better to welcome our superior sooner rather than later," another gray-robed county magistrate sighed.

Now the entire Minxin Prefecture knows that a remarkable figure has arrived in Guanxian. At such a young age, he dared to submit a memorial directly to Princess Yinling, openly offending the Ninth Prince.

Now that this important figure has become their superior, if they are not careful in entertaining him and showing him proper hospitality, some trouble might arise later.

-

After all, these important figures from Chaoge are likely to be unfamiliar with the customs and habits of small places, and they tend to make assumptions when it comes to governing.

Before long, a figure slowly appeared on the official road in the distance.

"They're here!"

The two men's hearts tightened, and they both quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"Li Jin, the magistrate of Guan County, greets Lord Chen."

"Guangyu, the county magistrate of Guanxian, greets Lord Chen."

Chen Beiwu's gaze swept across the room, and he found that County Magistrate Li Jinxiu was the most accomplished, at the peak of the early Golden Core stage, followed by County Lieutenant Guangyu, who had only recently entered the Golden Core stage.

Without a doubt, both of them were above Chen Zi'ang in cultivation level, but they still had to pay their respects to their superiors in accordance with the laws of the Great Shang Dynasty.

"Um."

Chen Beiwu nodded slightly, intending to take out the official seal from his sleeve.

Li Jin and Guang Yu exchanged a glance and quickly invited Chen Beiwu into the yamen.

After briefly reviewing the handover process and confirming that the official seals and documents were correct, Li Jin hesitated for a moment before explaining the recent situation in Guanxian to Chen Beiwu.

"Due to the mid-year floods, the rice production near Guanxian County has been greatly reduced, and all thirteen surrounding counties are experiencing food shortages, requiring food assistance from Minxin County and neighboring counties."

"Where are the documents for applying for grain release and transfer?" Chen Beiwu glanced at Li Jin.

"Here it is." Li Jin took out a stack of documents.

Chen Beiwu glanced at it, picked up the official seal, and pressed "agree".

"Thump!" "Thump!" "Clang!"

"Thump!" "Thump!" "Clang!"

Just then, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly rang out.

Chen Beiwu's eyes flickered slightly, and he calmly asked, "What is this?"

Li Jin and Guang Yu pursed their lips, unsure how to answer.

A bunch of damned troublemakers!

I said to keep things quiet for a while and avoid any trouble. There shouldn't be any major problems with food and land after the disaster.

As it turns out, these unruly people were still incredibly stupid, not even realizing they were being used as pawns.

Now Li Jin could only bite the bullet and explain, fearing that Magistrate Chen would misunderstand that today's events were a show of force on his orders.

"Some people in Guanxian County believe that the floods are caused by the anger of the Dragon King, so they often hold Dragon King sacrifices in hopes of obtaining peace and blessings. I have repeatedly reprimanded these sacrifices, but they have never stopped."

"The same goes for me," Guangyu added subconsciously, making his stance clear.

Everyone knows that the newly appointed magistrate is a true gentleman with the country at heart. In order to protect the young people in Chaoge City who have not yet come of age, he even wrote a letter to confront Princess Yinling.

"Oh, the Dragon King Festival? What are the offerings?"

Chen Beiwu pretended not to notice and got up to walk out of the county government office.

Li Jin and Guang Yu hurriedly followed, sensing something was wrong.

Outside the Guanxian County Government Office.

Two drummers led the way, stopping and striking the drum with each step, while behind them a group of ordinary people dressed in coarse clothes carried two bamboo sedan chairs.

The bamboo sedan chair has a strange shape, with its body wrapped in red cloth and painted with some obscure and difficult-to-understand seal script.

In front of the bamboo sedan chair was a small jar, on which were densely packed burning incense sticks.

Behind the bamboo sedan chair hung two red curtains, through which a young figure could be vaguely seen, whose cultivation level was at the early stage of Qi Refining.

One sedan chair carries one person, while two sedan chairs carry a boy and a girl.

Chen Beiwu's eyes turned slightly cold as he looked at Li Jin and Guang Yu: "Using young boys and girls as sacrifices, Guanxian truly has a simple and honest folk culture, reminiscent of the primitive people who ate raw meat and drank blood."

Upon hearing this, Li Jin and Guang Yu disregarded their dignity as Golden Core cultivators and bowed slightly, saying, "It is our incompetence that has led to this."

A higher-ranking official can crush you.

Even if they were confident they could kill Chen Zi'ang with a single finger, they wouldn't dare to defy their superiors in public, as that would undoubtedly tarnish their future.

"Eek?" (Boys and girls? Would dragons really like such offerings?)

Zhiling turned her head to look at Jindan and Aji, and asked curiously.

Li Jin and Guang Yu, both Golden Core cultivators, were too weak to detect their presence.

Therefore, Zhiling made no attempt to hide anything and directly used her divine sense to inquire about the two dragons in the team.

"Hoo." (I don't know, I've never eaten it.)

The golden egg shook its head.

Even though it possessed the profound power of the Three-Phase Furnace that could devour everything, it had never eaten a cultivator, let alone a young boy or girl.

"Is it that the rare and precious herbs are not good enough, or that the elixirs of creation are not fragrant enough?"

Aji rolled his eyes at Zhiling, feeling that his reputation had been dragged down by the so-called Dragon King of Jianjiangkou.

Ignoring the children's chatter, Chen Beiwu strode to the front of the sacrificial procession.

Stop.

As Chen Beiwu's voice rang out, the two gong and drum players were slightly taken aback and subconsciously looked at the county magistrate and county constable standing next to him.

Ordinary people who dare to obstruct the sacrificial ceremony or blaspheme the Dragon King should be killed on the spot without any fault of their own.

But they were natives of Guanxian County, so they naturally knew the significance of having the county magistrate and county commandant as their companions.

"My lord, who are you, and why are you stopping the Dragon King's sacrifice? Aren't you afraid of the Dragon King's wrath?"

An old man with white hair and beard, who had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage, leaned on a cane and swayed forward, questioning him without any politeness.

He was over two hundred years old, all alone, and had only a few years left to live, so naturally he was not afraid of power.

"I am Chen Zi'ang, the newly appointed magistrate of Guan County."

Chen Beiwu bluntly stated, "You may hold the Dragon King Festival, but you must follow the rules noted in the laws and regulations of the Great Shang Dynasty. The quantities of the five grains, three sacrificial animals, incense, candles, and prayers are all fixed, and living people must not be used as sacrifices."

Article 7 of Volume 3 of the Shang Dynasty's "Sacrifice Regulations" states that sacrificing young boys and girls is considered an evil ritual, and the person presiding over the sacrifice can be torn apart by five horses. Those who spread heresies and incite others to perform sacrifices can be beheaded.

At this point, Chen Beiwu glanced around the sacrificial procession and said calmly, "I have only just taken office today, and you are already holding such a grand cult. Are you perhaps trying to add to my record?"

"???"

The crowd of people offering sacrifices immediately became chaotic, and everyone's eyes instinctively turned to the old man, their eyes filled with barely concealed panic.

They didn't want to suffer such a severe punishment, which would be torn apart by five horses or beheaded.

"Lord Chen, you flatter me. In urgent situations, we must act expediently."

The Foundation Establishment elder shook his head, showing no fear: "It is recorded in Article 33 of Volume 10 of the Great Shang Dynasty's 'Order on Sacrifices' that whether a worship is evil or not depends on whether the local cultivators have the strength to contend with the gods they worship."

"If they cannot resist, in order to avoid causing even more serious damage, the people of the Great Shang can feign compliance with the matter of the sacrifice until the imperial court sends reinforcements."

At this point, the Foundation Establishment elder looked up at Chen Beiwu and asked, "We can forgo the sacrifice now, but can Lord Chen guarantee that the Dragon King won't be angry and that there won't be another flood?"

"If not, the Dragon King will be enraged and the flood will come again, causing countless deaths and injuries in Minxin County, and devastation to the people. Can Lord Chen bear to see this hell on earth?"

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