Starting from the two realms, cultivating immortality by taming beasts

Chapter 651 Dragon King of the Misty River

"Indeed, what should we do if the Dragon King becomes angry?"

"What else can we do? Offering sacrifices means death, not offering sacrifices also means death. What can we do but thank our Guanxian County for having such a good magistrate!"

"It's all over. If all thirteen surrounding counties hold Dragon King Festivals but Guanxian doesn't, the Dragon King will get angry and the entire county will be flooded."

"There's no other way. If Guanxian doesn't worship the Dragon King, then I'll move my family to Jiangxian!"

The sacrificial procession suddenly stopped moving, and the sound of gongs and drums ceased, causing the people of Guanxian to come out and gather together to whisper among themselves.

Some of the more uncouth men clenched their fists and cursed the corrupt official in their hearts.

They were definitely prepared.

Chen Beiwu was not surprised. He had already sensed what would happen before the old man even spoke, using his Heavenly Eye Profound Insight.

This old man who has reached the Foundation Establishment stage may seem to be full of lofty ideals, but in reality he is deliberately inciting public opinion and is a petty person who will stop at nothing for power and longevity.

"Huh?" (Should we kill them all?)

Golden Egg looked up with a keen gaze and made a suggestion.

It is said that a new broom sweeps clean.

The first fire will burn the sacrificial procession right in front of us.

As for the second fire, it can be set on the so-called Dragon King who is entrenched in the tributary of the Jianjiang Estuary.

Are you kidding me? These days, even the most worthless nobody can call themselves the Dragon King!

As a three-headed dragon with bloodlines extremely close to those of the Creation Beasts, it dares not call itself the Dragon King. How dare a mere little dragon that wreaks havoc in a remote place be so arrogant? It's courting death!

Unlike the golden egg, which was eager to try, Aji remained calm.

It doesn't care about empty fame; all it cares about is how to attain the fifth realm of demon lordship.

If the golden egg is interested, it can simply avoid making a move.

"Eek?" (Kill them all? Are you stupid?)

Zhiling stared wide-eyed at the golden egg in disbelief.

In her view, this was not an attempt to establish authority, but rather a manifestation of illness that would instill fear in the people of Guanxian and neighboring counties towards Beiwu, and might even cause them to flee Guanxian altogether.

Under normal circumstances, such Dragon King sacrifices are basically prepared by the people of the whole county, with those who have money contributing money and those who don't contributing labor.

If the punishment is severe, very few people in Guanxian County will be able to remain uninvolved, which could easily trigger public unrest.

Hey!

Schiller nodded slightly, indicating that listening to Golden Egg's advice was worse than ignoring it, as it would only cause more trouble.

Golden Egg looked at Schiller with its three dragon eyes for a long time, then said nothing more.

Ever since Shele attained the Dao of Demon Lord, he has become increasingly arrogant.

When it attains the status of a Demon Lord in the future, it must have a good sparring session with Schiller.

"How will my grandson survive if we don't worship the Dragon King?"

Suddenly, an old woman collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face, her arms tightly clutching the child in her embrace. As a result, some of the people in Guanxian County looked at Chen Beiwu with increasingly strange expressions.

What kind of Chen Zi'ang was he, with a heart for the country? He was clearly just a corrupt official in name only!

Although the previous magistrate was greedy and would often increase taxes when he had nothing else to do, he would not have gone so far as to cut off the sacrificial rites and drive them to their deaths.

"Who says I'm not allowed to hold the Dragon King Festival?"

Chen Beiwu said calmly, "Holding the Dragon King Festival is fine, but it must be conducted in my manner. What do you, esteemed citizens, think?"

Upon hearing this, the people present were slightly taken aback, unsure whether to believe the new magistrate.

If the Dragon King at the mouth of the Yangtze River were so easy to appease, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths this time, sacrificing young boys and girls.

The Foundation Establishment elder was overjoyed and quickly said, "We commoners naturally trust Lord Chen."

A gentleman can be deceived by his principles.

After Chen Zi'ang takes over the sacrificial ceremony, all he needs is an unprecedented flood to easily destroy the complete trust that the people of Guanxian place in him.

As for civilian casualties, those who achieve great things never concern themselves with trifles.

Ignoring the presence of the Foundation Establishment elder, Chen Beiwu took two steps forward to the bamboo sedan chair, then raised his hand to lift the red curtain, revealing a young girl with a bewildered look in her eyes.

"It's alright, come down now."

Chen Beiwu reached out his hand and smiled.

The girl paused, saying nothing, but glanced at Chen Beiwu before lowering her head and placing her hand on the palm in front of her.

The warm touch made the girl feel a little dazed. She had clearly survived, but there was no joy in her eyes.

"This is a cruel world," Chen Beiwu thought to himself.

After pulling down the girl, Chen Beiwu lifted another red curtain and rescued another boy as well.

"Big brother, is this really okay? Da Shi is fine," the boy asked, bewildered.

He didn't know what death was; he only knew that after getting into the sedan chair and going into the water to worship the Dragon King, his family's meager land and his parents and brothers would be saved, and no one would shed tears anymore.

It was clearly a good thing, so he didn't understand why the new magistrate was trying to stop it.

"The matter of the Dragon King sacrifice needs to be handled with caution. I will come up with a plan within two days. You may all leave." Chen Beiwu waved his hand, showing no intention of taking action.

To deal with a villain like the Foundation Establishment elder, it's better to strike at his heart than to kill him directly.

Upon hearing this, the entire sacrificial procession looked up at the old man.

"What are you all staring at me for? The righteous official has spoken, so why aren't you leaving?"

After saying this, the Foundation Establishment elder immediately turned and left, and the procession that had just completed the ritual dispersed.

The local residents who had gathered nearby to watch the spectacle were talking in small groups, their eyes filled with worry.

In their simple and unpretentious impression, all the previous magistrates of Guanxian County were nobles who had been demoted from the Shang Dynasty.

These influential people are either engaged in spiritual practice and enlightenment, or are greedy for money and lustful, or travel around mountains and rivers, ignoring worldly affairs; none of them are reliable.

Although the newly appointed magistrate has a good reputation and is praised for his concern for the country, he is still not enough to gain their trust.

"What are your names?" Chen Beiwu asked gently.

"Little Grass, also called Zhu Zhu," the girl said in a clear voice.

"The big stone is also called Shi Gandang." The boy was a little nervous and subconsciously imitated Zhu Zhu's answer.

"A good name."

Chen Beiwu nodded and looked at Li Jin and Guang Yu: "Send these two children back to their respective families."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Beiwu frowned slightly, used his Heavenly Eye to see a part of the future, and changed his tone: "Never mind, let's settle these two children properly first, and send them back to their respective families after the Dragon King Festival."

"Yes." Li Jin clasped his hands in a salute.

"Well, it's getting late, let's call it a day."

Chen Beiwu turned and went back to the county office, leaving Li Jin and Guang Yu looking at each other in bewilderment.

This important figure from Chaoge is quite something; he dared to say it was getting late just as dawn broke and went straight back to his government office to rest.

County Magistrate's Office.

"Brother Li, this matter today is quite strange. What do you think?" Guangyu pondered.

"Of course we'll stand and watch; what other way is there?"

Li Jin glanced at his colleagues: "We just need to obediently carry out Lord Chen's orders; there's no need to cause any trouble."

.

"But—" Guangyu looked troubled.

If the Dragon King Festival is handled well, there may be no merit to be gained.

If things aren't handled well and another flood occurs, he'll probably have to take the blame for what he did to his superiors.

That's why he and Li Jin chose to let things take their course and do nothing, so they wouldn't be blamed and would at most be charged with negligence.

To put it bluntly, Guangyu didn't have much prejudice against Chen Zi'ang.

Even without Chen Zi'ang's arrival, the position of magistrate of Guanxian County would not have fallen to him; he is only concerned about his own official position now.

Chen Zi'ang's interference with the Dragon King's sacrificial ceremony made Guang Yu feel deeply uneasy.

If it weren't for the fact that disobeying one's superiors would mean cutting oneself off from the Great Shang Dynasty, Guangyu truly wouldn't want to get involved in the Dragon King Sacrifice.

"No buts, Brother Guang, are you confident in dealing with that evil dragon at the mouth of the Jianjiang River? Or are you confident in dealing with Lord Chen?" Li Jin took a sip of tea.

"I?"

Guangyu laughed speechlessly: "Even the prefect couldn't deal with that evil dragon. With my meager cultivation, I'd probably just be feeding the dragon in vain."

"As for dealing with Lord Chen, I still want to live a few more days. Everyone knows that Lord Chen's backing is the Earth Cult."

Guangyu's bitter path.

Within the Shang Dynasty, there were three powerful and influential Taoist sects, each claiming divine mandate: the Heavenly Sect, the Earthly Sect, and the Human Sect.

Among them, the Heavenly Religion advocated following the natural way and believed that the Mandate of Heaven was in the hands of the Black Bird and that the will of Heaven could not be defied. Therefore, the Heavenly Religion held an extremely high position in the Shang Dynasty and it was no exaggeration to call it the state religion.

Earth religion reveres the virtue of earth, worships mountains and rivers, respects ghosts and gods, and is in charge of worshipping mountains and rivers, suppressing the earth's veins, and comforting the common people. It was often appointed as a righteous god by the Shang Dynasty.

The Human Sect is different from the Heaven and Earth Sects. It aims for the Great Dao of Immortality and advocates great freedom and ease. Most of its cultivators come from humble backgrounds and have only cultivation in their hearts.

Therefore, while the evil dragon at the mouth of the Jianjiang River is certainly not to be trifled with, the Earth Sect behind Chen Zi'ang is no less formidable, and may even be more terrifying.

"There's no use in worrying. Let's have some tea and wait for Lord Chen and that evil dragon to settle their score," Li Jin said nonchalantly. "Whoever wins, we'll side with them."

Guangyu jolted awake, startled: "The evil dragon won, does that mean we must betray the imperial court?"

"That's impossible. It's just that the scale of the Dragon King Festival needs to be raised." Li Jin shook his head. "I'm just like you, not optimistic about Lord Chen, a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"You also think that Lord Chen can't solve the Dragon King Sacrifice?" Guangyu stroked his chin.

"More or less," Li Jin said, his eyes deep.

Evening, at the county government office.

Chen Beiwu finished his cultivation, opened his eyes, and saw the golden egg still resting beside him.

He reached out and poked the golden egg's nose, and the egg immediately woke up.

"roar?"

Golden Egg yawned, still a little sleepy.

"Do you still remember the Guixu Emperor Dragon I mentioned back then?" Chen Beiwu chuckled.

"The Returning Void Emperor Dragon?"

Upon hearing this title, the golden egg's dragon body trembled slightly, and its eyes lit up.

That is a terrifying true dragon that wields the power of the Black Emperor, whose very existence is the source of all waters, and who can fight against immortals!

The fact that Beiwu is suddenly bringing this up now suggests that he might have some way to make his bloodline evolve towards the direction of the Guixu Emperor Dragon.

"You've become much smarter this time."

Chen Beiwu nodded and asked directly, "Do you know why the Emperor Dragon of Guixu has the title of 'Black Emperor'?"

Golden Egg was dumbfounded.

It had no idea how much it knew; it had only seen the fictional image of the Guixu Emperor Dragon on the Immortal Alliance's official website.

"The answer is actually very simple. In the ancient times, the water element of Tianyuan Star was at its peak, and the entire world was almost entirely black water."

The being capable of ruling and dominating all the waters within Tianyuan Star is revered as the Black Emperor and worshipped by countless living beings.

"In essence, the title 'Black Emperor of Guixu Emperor Dragon' is not much different from the titles of the righteous gods conferred by the Great Shang Dynasty."

"It's just that the former has an extremely high status, is actively recognized and accepted by the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and is worshipped by all living beings in Tianyuan."

The latter, however, requires the imperial decree of the Great Shang Dynasty to be included in the "Orthodox God" sequence, and only then can they enjoy the incense offerings of countless people of the Great Shang Dynasty. "Chen Beiwu explained.

Huh?

Schiller's eyes lit up, and he was the first to react.

Since, in essence, the Black Emperor's rank is not much different from that of a true god, except that the former's rank is extremely high and originates from the same source as the Great Dao, then wouldn't the Golden Egg be able to gradually transform into the Black Emperor's rank through the path of ascension to godhood, until it becomes the universally recognized Dragon Emperor of the Four Domains of the Myriad Stars?

"Huh?" (Is that even possible?)

The golden egg raised its three heads, never expecting that it would actually have the chance to eat the pie that Bei Wu had promised.

"Don't even think about becoming the Black Emperor. Even if the Great Shang Dynasty were to unify the four regions and bestow upon you the title of Endless Sea Dragon King with all its national fortune, you still could not compare to the Ancient Era's Guixu Emperor Dragon."

At this point, Chen Beiwu solemnly reminded, "In addition, although incense offerings and national fortune are useful, they can also easily bind you to the Shang Dynasty. It would be better to use incense offerings and national fortune as a foundation, and then refine and control the waters under your command in the name of a righteous god, thereby obtaining the authority of the Great Dao. If all else fails, you can still borrow fortune."

"In this way, even if the Great Shang Kingdom were to perish one day and its national fortune and incense offerings were to cease, you would still be able to look down on everything with the power of the Ten Thousand Stars you hold."

Chen Beiwu looked at the golden egg: "Now there's a perfect opportunity right in front of you. Why don't you start by trying it out with the Dragon King of Jianjiang Estuary?"

During his study of the "Supreme Primordial Stealing Heaven and Ascending to Immortality Scripture," he also referenced the official titles and deification system of the Great Shang Dynasty and, with the assistance of the Nine Breaths of Chaotic Fortune, created an incomplete method for ascending to godhood.

This method of ascension is somewhat similar to the way the Daoist Master Lianxu merges with the Dao, as it allows one to seize the authority of heaven and earth to ascend to godhood.

The people of Guanxian wanted to hold a Dragon King Festival, and Chen Beiwu could take this opportunity to verify whether the ascension to godhood method was effective.

"Roar? Roar!" (Doesn't the Dragon King of the Pearl River Estuary sound a bit stingy? It doesn't sound as imposing as the Dragon King of the Mist River!)

Jin Dan swallowed hard and decided that if he was going to do something, he would do something big.

Minxin County is too remote, and even Jianjiang Estuary is just an insignificant tributary of the Wujiang River.

If possible, it would prefer to rule over the entire Wujiang region.

"You really dare to think that way." Chen Beiwu smiled speechlessly.

The Misty River is not like the Sharp River Estuary. Within it, demon kings from the four realms are as numerous as carp crossing the river, and occasionally even fifth-realm demon lords are born. They then enter the Changjiang River through the confluence of the Misty River and the sea to seek further opportunities.

To put it bluntly, Chen Beiwu, a seventh-rank county magistrate, is far from qualified to bestow the title of Dragon King of the Fog River upon the Golden Egg. Only a high-ranking official of at least the third rank would be capable of making such an appointment.

The position of Changjiang Dragon King, which is above Wujiang Dragon King, is even more extravagant. It would probably require the approval of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, or even the personal approval of the Great Shang Immortal Emperor, and the affixing of the Imperial Seal of the State, to be qualified for the conferment.

In short, given Jin Dan's current level of cultivation, if he wants to become the Dragon King of Jianjiangkou, he still needs to fight the current Dragon King once. Only if he wins will he have a chance to seize power.

"Eek." (That sounds nice.)

Zhiling's eyes lit up slightly; she also wanted to become a Void God.

Seeing his friends' reactions, Golden Egg immediately patted its chest with its dragon claw, indicating that the name of the Dragon King of Jianjiang Estuary was a bit of a tongue twister, but it didn't mind.

"As long as you don't mind."

Chen Beiwu's eyes flickered slightly, and his divine sense traveled through the county government building, looking towards the direction of Jianjiangkou.

It was precisely because the mouth of the river was small and had enough room for error that he was willing to let the golden egg try the Ascension Method.