Uncle Nine: You were supposed to drive corpses, so you summoned the Monkey King!

We crossed a mountain.

After walking more than a hundred miles of mountain road, we finally arrived at Jiuquan Town.

Jiuquan Town is more prosperous than Renjia Town.

In the middle of the town stands a Western-style clock tower, flanked by shops on both sides, where the aroma of wine lees mingles with the cries of vendors.

"Master, the feng shui of this town is quite interesting."

Lin Chen looked at the pointed Western-style church at the edge of town. The church door was closed, and the outer walls were covered with withered vines, exuding an aura of lingering gloom.

"Foreigners' creations, built on our land, look completely out of place."

Master Four Eyes snorted, not paying much attention to the church. His mind was filled with thoughts of that scoundrel who slayed the dragon, and the heavy sword weighing down on his shoulders.

The two found a bright and spacious inn in the center of town.

Master Four Eyes placed the Crimson Flame Copper Greatsword on the counter, which made a muffled sound, startling the shopkeeper who was fiddling with the abacus.

"Manager, prepare two superior rooms." Master Four Eyes took out the red cloth bag given to him by Zhuge Kongping from his pocket, counted out five silver dollars and slapped it on the table. "Also, boil a few buckets of hot water and send them up, and get some good wine and food."

The shopkeeper, greedy for money, nodded repeatedly and ordered the waiter to lead the two upstairs.

Upon entering the guest room, Master Si Mu unloaded his greatsword and leaned it against the headboard, then tore off his Taoist robe and outer garment.

"Lin Chen, stay inside and don't wander around. I've been traveling all day, I need to get some sleep first. Later tonight, we'll go and find out what that bastard Tu Long is up to, and see where Mayor Ye's goods are hidden."

"Yes, Master. You can rest now."

Lin Chen left the room, closed the door behind him, and then went into his own guest room next door.

The guest room was fairly clean.

Lin Chen asked the waiter to bring him some cool water, wiped off the dust and the gloom of the pine forest, changed into a clean set of coarse cloth shorts, and sat cross-legged on the wooden bed.

As darkness fell, Jiuquan Town came alive with the sounds of drinking and flirtatious banter from downstairs.

Lin Chen closed his eyes, sat cross-legged on the bed, and blocked out the noise from the outside world.

When the Shangqing Great Cave True Scripture is activated, the Qi rotates and draws out and purifies the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, dispersing it into the body.

He could hear Si Mu's snoring through the wall, as well as the sounds of the kitchen staff chopping vegetables on the first floor. His magic had circulated three times, and he was no longer so tired.

Lin Chen raised his hand, interlaced his fingers, and formed a hand seal.

Maoshan invites the divine seal.

A normal ritual to invoke the gods involves borrowing the power of celestial generals to bless the body at a critical moment of life and death. The person performing the ritual must set up an altar, perform rituals, burn talismans, chant incantations, and expend their own essence and blood.

Lin Chen neither opened the altar nor chanted any incantations.

Relying on his high mental attributes, he separated his divine sense and ascended along the passage of the divine seal.

In Maoshan classics, this kind of operation is considered suicidal. Once an ordinary Taoist's divine consciousness leaves the physical body, it will be blown away by a strong wind.

Lin Chen's divine sense was extremely solid, and since he was already a "major customer" of the Heavenly Court, this incense offering channel was practically open to him.

The feeling of weightlessness has passed.

Lin Chen's divine sense pierced through the sea of ​​clouds, and his vision brightened.

A white jade archway stands amidst the clouds and mist, bearing three large characters: South Heaven Gate.

"Hey! Isn't this that rich tycoon from the lower realm?"

As soon as Lin Chen steadied himself, a figure emerged from behind a dragon-carved pillar beside him. It was none other than the celestial soldier who seemed to know the way well.

The Heavenly Soldier Brother wasn't wearing his full golden armor today; he had taken off his helmet and was munching on a peach. When he saw Lin Chen, he quickly stuffed the peach into his mouth, wiped his mouth, and came over to greet him.

"Brother, what brings you here today? Did you run into trouble?" The Heavenly Soldier Brother looked Lin Chen up and down, sizing up his illusory figure.

"Nothing's wrong. I just settled in a new place and had nothing else to do, so I came up to pay my respects to you, brother." Lin Chen clasped his hands and performed a Taoist salute.

"sensible!"

Brother Tianbing laughed heartily, grabbed Lin Chen's shoulder, and pulled him to sit down on the steps of the South Heavenly Gate.

"You're a good kid, much better than those old fogies from Maoshan."

Lin Chen sat down and continued the conversation, "Brother, thanks to you for helping me arrange the loan of the magic last time."

"That's right, you can't be too stingy if you take a bribe."

Brother Tianbing picked his teeth and nagged at Lin Chen, "Last time in that Renjia Town, you encountered a half-step Ironclad Corpse. I found you a young general from the Thunder Department. That brother has a fiery temper and likes to use lightning strikes. When he came back, he praised you to me, saying that you're ruthless enough, and you're not hesitant in close combat. That's to his liking."

Lin Chen nodded: "The young general of the Thunder Department is indeed fierce."

"Later, when you fought that monster that was immune to fire and talismans, I found you the Mighty General, a subordinate of the Giant Spirit God. And later, when you fought that winged, red-haired monster, you used the Mighty General."

Brother Tianbing boasted, "Those two idiots were overjoyed when they got back. They ate all those dozens of beggar's chickens, roast suckling pigs, and top-quality Daughter's Red wine that you promised, bones and all."

The Heavenly Soldier leaned closer and lowered his voice: "The Heavenly Court is a place with many strict rules and regulations, and the food is so bland it's unbearable. Dali and Juli have told me that if there are any turtles with hard shells and tough bones in the mortal realm, just call them. As long as you have enough offerings, they'll smash them to pieces."

This is the purpose of Lin Chen using his divine sense to ascend.

The cheat software needs maintenance, and relationships need to be cultivated.

If you can establish a fixed "security outsourcing team" at Nantianmen, you can walk sideways in Uncle Nine's universe without fear.

"Don't worry, brother. Next time you call two more generals, I'll double the price and get a few freshly slaughtered oxen for them to roast," Lin Chen replied.

"Great job!" The Heavenly Soldier gave a thumbs up and pointed to the depths of the sea of ​​clouds. "Actually, it's not just them. Several brothers from the Fire Department and the Water Department have heard about you and are all thinking about you."

The Heavenly Soldier glanced towards the South Heavenly Gate, pointing to a dark figure darting about in the clouds.

"Hey bro, see that?"

Lin Chen looked over and saw only a thin, black shadow.

"That's Erlang Shen's Howling Celestial Dog." The Heavenly Soldier Brother curled his lips. "I don't know what's wrong with it lately, but its nose is really sharp. It keeps coming to the South Heavenly Gate. I guess it smelled the beggar's chicken you brought over last time."

Howling Celestial Dog? That's the ancestor of all demon hunters.

"Brother, can we borrow that Howling Celestial Dog too?"

"Your true body definitely can't go down there; even a True Lord needs it to guard the gate. But I can lend you a wisp of divine sense to sniff around and find someone. It shouldn't be a problem." The Heavenly Soldier gestured with his hand. "However, this beast is picky. It won't even look at ordinary roast chicken. If you can get some braised pork ribs with bones on, or those Goubuli steamed buns with plenty of meat filling, I'll help you make a connection."

"It's a deal." Lin Chen agreed immediately. "There will be plenty of braised pork ribs, and I'll have someone make the steamed buns with old dough."

Brother Tianbing patted Lin Chen on the shoulder, stood up, and looked at Lin Chen's divine sense as he spoke.

"Brother, I've been working at the South Heavenly Gate for thousands of years. I've seen many of your Maoshan patriarchs, whether they ascended or borrowed magic. They're all incredibly rigid, with a ton of rules, always talking about slaying demons and monsters and acting on behalf of Heaven. They're so stingy."

The Heavenly Soldier paused for a moment, then said, "Someone like you, using roast suckling pig and top-grade Daughter's Red wine as a pretext, turning the act of invoking gods and borrowing magic into a matter of social etiquette—you're truly a talent of Maoshan!"

"Brother, you flatter me. We're just trying to make a living."

Judging by the time, it has been almost an incense stick's time since the divine thought left the body. If it stays any longer, the physical body's qi and blood will easily stagnate.

"Brother, I still have some worldly matters to attend to in the mortal realm, so I'll head back now. I've got the braised pork ribs thing covered." Lin Chen stood up to take his leave.

"Go on, go on, call someone if you need anything." Brother Tianbing waved his hand, then turned around and pulled out a peach from somewhere and started eating it.

Lin Chen removed the mark.

The incense offering channel collapsed, and the divine senses plummeted.

Inside the guest room.

Lin Chen opened his eyes, exhaled, and the room was dark, with only a few rays of moonlight shining through the window.

The snoring of the Taoist priest next door was still going on.

Lin Chen rolled out of bed and stretched his limbs.

This trip to the Heavenly Court has solidified the "offerings for thugs" business model. They've even made contact with the Howling Celestial Dog. From now on, they won't even need a compass to find those elusive evil cultivators.

He walked to the table, poured himself a glass of cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

He put down his teacup, and his senses allowed him to pick up on the sounds and movements on the street outside the window.