Chapter 1 Inviting the City God to a Banquet

Pei Yuanhua frowned and scolded, "What's all the commotion?"

A little ghost, carrying a soul-snatching chain, knelt fearfully outside the door and shouted loudly:

"I don't know where they came from, but there are two paper figures, so powerful that they knocked down General Niu and fought their way in!"

"What paper figures?"

Pei Yuanhua frowned, then seemed to realize something.

He suddenly got up and went out through the suddenly opened gate, kicking the little ghost in front of the door and arriving in the middle of the mansion.

Two paper figures.

Indeed, they were two paper figures.

These two paper figures were very thin, not even the paper figures made in funeral shops. They seemed to be cut out of white paper, without even facial features. They were extremely crude.

But it was these two paper figures that were rampaging through the City God's mansion, and the little ghosts were screaming.

They were clearly only throwing punches and kicks, but they were forcing a ghost general to retreat in embarrassment.

"Such a strong intent."

Pei Yuanhua glanced at the two paper figures that only attacked and didn't kill, and said loudly:

"Which expert is playing such a joke with this City God?"

As he spoke, the power of incense surged, instantly enveloping the two paper figures, and the little ghosts retreated.

He could see clearly that these two paper figures were shrouded in a powerful intent.

It was under the blessing of this intent that the two paper figures' punches and kicks could not be resisted by the ghost generals.

At the same time, he was also a little annoyed. Even a dog had to look at its owner. These two paper figures had knocked down a bunch of little ghosts. How could he save face?

Although, due to certain matters, the capable ghosts and gods in the City God's mansion had been dispatched.

The two paper figures stopped, allowing the power of incense to envelop them, and cupped their hands, saying:

"We have come to invite the City God to a banquet!"

"A banquet?"

Pei Yuanhua's heart stirred, and he asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? Why do you want to invite this City God to a banquet?"

The two paper figures did not answer. One of them reached behind them and produced a paper-made white sedan chair, which inflated as if blown up, and was lifted up by the two paper figures, one in front and one behind.

Only then did they say:

"Please!"

Pei Yuanhua's eyes flickered, but he knew he couldn't get any information out of them. If he wanted to know, he could only go to the banquet.

"City God, you must not trust them!"

Seeing that Pei Yuanhua seemed to be moved, an old ghost couldn't help but become anxious and hurried forward to persuade him, "These two paper figures have injured many ghost servants and have not explained their origins. If their master sincerely wants to invite the City God to a banquet, why would they do this?"

"Elder Li is right. City God, you must not go!"

The other little ghosts also advised him.

Pei Yuanhua did not speak, but stared at the two paper figures without even faces, his mind racing. He made up his mind:

"Alright! You guard the mansion. This City God will be back soon!"

His prestige was extremely high. As soon as he spoke, none of the little ghosts dared to say anything.

"This City God wants to see what kind of deity you are!"

Pei Yuanhua flicked his long sleeves and sat down on the paper sedan chair.

The paper sedan chair was unexpectedly sturdy, and the two paper figures seemed to have a lot of strength. They shook a bit and then headed in the direction they came from.

Pei Yuanhua's eyes were deep.

He was the City God of Anuo County. In this Anuo County, he had the blessing of incense. Outside the city, even a hundred of him wouldn't be a match for an expert like Jia An in the Benming (Natal Realm), but in this city, he could contend with him.

If this master was a Benming cultivator, he would naturally have nothing to fear.

But if he had entered the Dao, then even in the City God's mansion, he would not be able to resist.

The paper figures' steps were light and agile, and they quickly left the City God's domain and arrived in Anuo City.

At this time, the moon was in the middle of the sky, and the night shrouded the entire city. Only a few lights were lit in the vast city, and the watchman's clapper and the footsteps of the patrolling soldiers could be heard on the streets.

All was silent.

"Could it be that one..."

On the paper sedan chair, Pei Yuanhua thought to himself.

The most important reason why he accepted the invitation was that he faintly sensed who was inviting him.

That white-robed Daoist seemed to have first appeared in Anuo County.

Whoosh~

The paper figures carried the sedan chair, and the wind rushed under their feet. They quickly arrived in the south of the city.

When he arrived here, Pei Yuanhua's heart was shocked, and he felt an unprecedented aura spreading.

A sense of peace, tranquility, and great freedom suddenly arose in his heart.

Even his numb mind, which had been immersed in incense for a long time, trembled and became fresh again.

It was as if he had arrived in the legendary blessed land, which had the effect of washing the heart and purifying the soul.

"This is..."

Pei Yuanhua couldn't sit still. He jumped out of the sedan chair and landed outside a quiet courtyard.

Whoosh~

The two paper figures swayed, as if they had lost their strength, and fell to the ground with the paper sedan chair.

They were clearly three palm-sized, most ordinary pieces of paper.

"Since the City God has arrived, why doesn't he come in?"

A calm and gentle voice slowly sounded in his heart.

Pei Yuanhua took a deep breath to suppress his thoughts, stepped forward, and passed through the closed gate, arriving in the courtyard.

He saw that the courtyard was quiet and secluded. Under the moonlight, a Daoist was sitting at a stone table. Under an old tree, a brazier was boiling wine, and steaming dishes were placed on the table.

"It really is him!"

Pei Yuanhua's heart was shaken. Although he had expected it, he was still shocked to see the person.

He had to know that this person was very likely a Real Person (Zhenren), otherwise, how would he dare to attack the Ruyi Monk?

"It is an honor to be invited by a Real Person."

Looking at the white-robed Daoist who did not hide his appearance and was calm and composed, Pei Yuanhua's heart sank.

In Mount Jiao Yuan, he couldn't see his face, but now he didn't hide it.

"The City God has been eating human food for a long time. I wonder how long it has been since you tasted human wine and dishes?"

An Qisheng glanced at Pei Yuanhua lightly and waved his hand:

"Sit."

Pei Yuanhua was wary, but since he had already come, he naturally had no reason to be afraid. He stepped forward two steps, flicked his sleeves, and sat down.

"The wine is just right."

An Qisheng picked up the wine pot and poured a cup for Pei Yuanhua:

"The wine from Xiaofengxian in the city is a little bland, but it still has some flavor. You can try it."

"Some time ago in Mount Jiao Yuan, this one truly had his eyes opened. The Real Person's demeanor was truly unprecedented."

Pei Yuanhua picked up his wine glass:

"May I ask what the Real Person invited Pei to today? If you don't explain it clearly, I won't dare to drink this cup of wine."

The closer he got to An Qisheng, the more wary he became.

He clearly didn't have the slightest aura of magic, as if he was just an ordinary mortal, but being by his side always gave him the feeling of a mortal being next to a tiger or leopard.

He had never heard of this Wangquan Daoist. He had searched for a lot of information these days, asked the City Gods of many places, and even asked the State City God Gongliang Shen, but not even one person had heard of this Wangquan Daoist's name.

"City God, what do you think is the future of the underworld?"

An Qisheng put down his wine glass:

"Without the support of the Netherworld, can you City Gods compete with the Heavenly Will Teaching and the Tathagata Monastery?"

The Daqing region was vast. Although it was sparsely populated, due to the special nature of the Imperial Heaven World, there were quite a few cities. One city for one City God. At one time, the power of the City Gods of the underworld could make the Tathagata Monastery retreat even at its peak.

The decline of everything started after the disappearance of the Netherworld Monarch.

Pei Yuanhua's hand was very steady, and there was not the slightest ripple in the wine in his cup:

"The City God's purpose is to protect the people. Why compete with others?"

Whether it was the City God or the underworld, they were respectfully called ghosts and gods. In the eyes of ordinary people, they were actually ghosts. No matter how many titles they had, in the eyes of believers, they were definitely not as easy to approach as monks and Daoists.

Because the latter were "of the same kind."

Although, that was only what they thought.

"It's not necessary to say too many empty words. Many people know the situation of the underworld ghosts and gods."

Seeing that he didn't speak, An Qisheng finished the wine in his cup and asked lightly:

"I wonder, how many years can the incense of Anuo County support you now?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Yuanhua's expression finally changed.

Everything had a lifespan. People would die, and ghosts would also die. The difference was that people could turn into ghosts after death, but ghosts would disappear into nothingness after death.

After the disappearance of the Netherworld Monarch, the ghosts in the world no longer had the possibility of reincarnation.

This sentence hit his pain point, and it also hit the key point of all the City Gods.

Incense was as important to ghosts and gods as water was to humans. People would die without water, and ghosts and gods would die without incense, naked in the world.

Losing their intelligence, what was the difference from death?

The competition with the Heavenly Will Teaching and the agreement with the Tathagata Monastery to enter were all for one purpose: to regain incense!

"Eighty years!"

Pei Yuanhua didn't answer, and An Qisheng spoke again, "With the deteriorating state of Anuo County, eighty years later, the City God Temple will completely lose its spirituality, be abandoned by people, and you will be reduced to a lonely ghost."

Pei Yuanhua had no secrets in front of him.

An Qisheng naturally knew what kind of words could move him. In fact, the Tathagata Monastery used this to persuade the State City God Gongliang Shen.

At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.

Looking at the Daoist with a calm expression in front of him, Pei Yuanhua suddenly felt a little parched. He finished the wine in his cup and said in a hoarse voice:

"How would the Real Person know?!"

Only the Judge knew the lifespan of the City God. Now that the Judges had disappeared, even the State City God didn't know his lifespan. Even he himself only had a feeling.

He vaguely knew that his lifespan was more than eighty years.

At that time, if the incense could not be restored to its peak, he would die.

Completely die.

"People die if they don't eat, ghosts and gods can't live without incense, that's common sense. You can figure it out with a little calculation."

An Qisheng's eyes were deep.

He naturally didn't leave Mount Jiao Yuan without any gains. From the Wooden Grandma, he not only learned about the information of the White Impermanence, but also learned a lot of secrets of the Netherworld.

The City God was essentially an extension of the Netherworld to the human world. The problems that the Netherworld had to face, the City God and the little ghosts had to face.

That was the lifespan!

The Wooden Grandma had cultivated for a thousand years, never hurting anyone, never leaving the mountains and forests, and even rarely moving her roots. The reason why she came out of the mountains to plunder the lifeblood and essence of ordinary people was to prolong her life.

In order to live.

By the same token, when that day really came when they couldn't hold on any longer, would these City Gods, who were once admired by all people, choose this path between life and death?

At that time, if the City Gods all over the cities turned into fierce ghosts, what a terrifying sight that would be?

Many thoughts arose in Pei Yuanhua's mind. After several ups and downs, he slowly asked:

"Then what did the Real Person invite me here for?"

Da!

An Qisheng tapped the table with his finger:

"To save all living beings!"