"General, what are you doing?"
Another general, Xie Sheng, rushed over and saw Liu Ting provoking the other party. He was greatly confused and even more furious:
"Bei Ji Zhenren is a honored guest before His Majesty, and Zhang Tianshi is like a brother to him. You are merely a general who has received a bestowed divine position, how dare you be so arrogant as to provoke this great true immortal?"
"To strike at an immortal with mortal power, what are you trying to achieve! You truly are a brainless, stinking soldier!"
Xie Sheng almost pointed at Liu Ting's nose. Liu Ting, this block of iron mountain, immediately became enraged: "Xie Sheng, do you still have any sense of hierarchy and respect? How dare you point at my face and curse me like this?"
"I have no sense of hierarchy or respect, I'm merely taking a beating from you. You have no sense of hierarchy or respect, and I fear for your entire family, your more than twenty wives and concubines will all be executed!" Xie Sheng did not back down at all, and cursed loudly: "Moreover, I am Ma Gui's subordinate, not yours. I have no right to punish you! If you want to overstep your authority, wait until you become the Minister of War!"
"You provoked Bei Ji Zhenren. Regardless of how the immortal will deal with you, even if they hang you and kill you, no one will intercede for you! Taking a step back, when you return to Shuntian, do you think this matter can be easily glossed over?"
"What kind of treatment do you think the Forbidden City will give you?"
"It's just some incense offerings. You actually say you've eaten them all yourself, and when others come to take them, you don't even look at who they are and refuse. You refuse the incense offerings, and in doing so, you've brought great disaster upon yourself!"
Liu Ting narrowed his eyes, and Old Master Huang also chimed in from the side: "Deputy General Xie, please calm your anger, and General Liu, please also calm down. What Deputy General Xie said makes sense. General Liu, why must you argue with an immortal over a little incense offering?"
"There is no benefit in this, and it only gives people a bad impression. Why bother? It's easy to do a favor, but making an enemy will have no good end. Do you think that just because the other party is an immortal, they won't care about grudges with you mortals?"
Old Master Huang was also afraid that Ji Xiang would do something major. In any case, as long as he wasn't counted among these people, it would be terrible. At this moment, this immortal had refined a heavenly god and was clearly about to complete the final sacrificial steps. He was looking for an opponent to test the new heavenly god's power, and what kind of play was this self-inflicted death?
Liu Ting was silent for a moment, then suddenly changed his tone and laughed heartily: "Good, good, good. I'm just a soldier, are you satisfied now?"
"However, I'm not arguing over these two taels of incense. I just want to see what the difference between mortals and immortals truly is."
"They all say this immortal killed those Japanese pirate generals, but I haven't seen their corpses. How big is the gap between the immortal path and the mortal path? If you don't experience it personally, how can you know?"
Old Master Huang was shocked: "You... you just want to test the power of the immortal path?"
"This, this is really unnecessary!"
Old Master Huang cursed inwardly. This Liu Da Dao was both greedy and fond of fighting. Old Master Huang could guess what he was thinking with about eighty to ninety percent accuracy.
As expected, Liu Ting said:
"Don't worry, everyone. We are all subordinates of His Majesty of the Great Ming. How could we fight to the death? It's just a mutual test of skills."
"What I'm doing is just to seek some benefits. This immortal won't make a move against me personally, and if I win against this heavenly god, I'll become famous. In the future, I can boast everywhere that I once had a slight advantage over an immortal's subordinate. This way, I'll gain fame and successfully greed... successfully protect the incense offerings."
No one can cure my illness. Liu Ting added this sentence in his heart, but he dared not say it out loud.
"The survival of the people in this city is closely related to us. The incense offerings for sacrifices are used to nourish our divine positions. Otherwise, this place is far from the mainland of Great Ming, and the incense offerings from the mainland are weak here. In the vassal states, our imperial might can only exert sixty percent of its power. If the Japanese army returns, and we cannot use our divine positions due to the scarcity of incense offerings, wouldn't we be at their mercy?"
"Therefore, what I'm doing is also to preserve everyone's incense offerings, to preserve the combat power of everyone's divine positions. How can it be said that I am selfish and greedy? Besides, where does this talk of executing the entire family come from? I am wholeheartedly dedicated to serving the court and His Majesty, and diligently managing things here!"
"Even immortals shouldn't be so overbearing as to take our incense offerings for free, should they?"
Liu Ting put on an official air, finding ample reasons. Xie Sheng was furious. As for the so-called incense offerings of everyone, where did most of the incense offerings go? You yourself just explained it clearly!
Old Master Huang said at this time: "But as Deputy General Xie said, how can General Liu be so sure that the other party truly won't make a move directly?"
At least in Old Master Huang's opinion, this immortal was not like Zhang Tianshi, who was a more reserved immortal!
If he wanted to make a move, he would do so directly. Not only that, but Old Master Huang also remembered Ji Xiang's previous theory: first, he would curse you a few times, then give you a punch, and finally, he would curse you while hitting you, making you feel like it was meant to be!
Liu Ting, however, looked indifferent: "If this immortal makes a move against me, wouldn't I be even more fortunate? The gains would be even greater!"
"Losing to an immortal is not shameful, and it's just a sparring match. If the immortal truly makes a move against me personally, it means my strength has already made the immortal pay attention. Even if the immortal kills me, and I don't get wealth while alive, then dying like this and gaining some fame is not a loss!"
"We generals go through life and death, for what else but fame and fortune? Fortune in life, fame after death!"
Xie Sheng was already jumping with anger, while Liu Ting, with both greed and curiosity in his heart, leaped off the city wall!
Only then did Old Master Huang realize that this guy was serious!
It would be best to gain benefits while alive, but if he accidentally died, he was still profiting. In this sense, such a person didn't care about the nine generations of his clan's genealogy at all; he lived purely for his own pleasure!
Xie Sheng said: "This Liu Da Dao is such a scoundrel. Similar incidents have happened many times before. He even beat up court officials and smashed their yamen. After being dismissed, he was reinstated, but he still hasn't changed his arrogant nature!"
The divine position of the Heavenly Marquis and King was immense. As the divine form expanded after leaving the city, even a single movement could stir up strong winds and swirling clouds. The black-clothed scholar, Da Huangluo, now received instructions from Ji Xiang.
Meanwhile, Liu Ting was emitting a vast voice, speaking to the black-clothed scholar: "We are strangers, but we both work for the court. Since you are Bei Ji Zhenren's subordinate, I will not make things too difficult for you."
"We will limit ourselves to ten moves. If you win six moves, I will hand over half of my incense offerings... what do you say...?"
What do you say?
"No need."
The black-clothed scholar looked at this "Heavenly Marquis and King," his voice devoid of emotion, as cold and flat as that of a dead man: "The Heavenly Demon Lord has spoken."
"All the incense offerings in this city will be taken from you, not a single bit will be left. We hope for your understanding."
"As for the match, one move is enough."
Liu Ting's expression froze slightly, then he revealed a strange smile, but there was no hint of anger. Instead, he looked expectant: "One move? It seems the immortal is angered by my disrespectful behavior and wants to fight me personally? That would be even better..."
"Wrong. The Heavenly Demon Lord said that one move is enough for me to fight you."
"?"
The smile on Liu Ting's face vanished instantly.
His great saber also grew larger as the divine form manifested. His voice was already filled with rage:
"I cannot endure such an insult! I am a great general of the court, and I am one of the several commanders resisting the Japanese in this war. You say you can defeat me in one move, without relying on immortal power. Who do you think you are?"
"Hiding behind the appearance of a heavenly god, being evasive and not daring to show yourself, is this what the immortal taught you to do? It's like being a rat."
The black-clothed scholar, however, shook his head and calmly said: "I am not hiding behind the appearance of a heavenly god, but I, am originally a heavenly god."
Liu Ting could not understand the meaning of this sentence, but in the next moment, the black-clothed scholar made his move.
The black-clothed scholar condensed Yin energy into a dark, giant hand and slapped towards Liu Ting!
Instantly.
The heavens and earth were filled with ghostly cries and divine howls. The heavenly god's destiny within him surged into the clouds, and waves of demonic divine power gradually spread. Under the influence of this power, the thousands of miles of mountains and rivers in this Korean land seemed to have transformed into a colossal demonic god!
The mountains were dark, and the earth wailed. As a heavenly god of the underworld, he naturally possessed underworld means.
In hell and the underworld, the gods wield various terrifying punishments, and the Ten Kings of Yama control various methods of controlling life and death. These are innate divine abilities that come with the bestowed divine position of a heavenly god.
And as the lord of all ghosts, gods, and monsters in this thousand-mile land, appointed by Ji Xiang, the black-clothed scholar, the heavenly god named Da Huangluo, was the first demonic heavenly god created by Ji Xiang, the Heavenly Son of the Underworld. How could he not possess the "rules" of a Heavenly Son?
Moreover, the black-clothed scholar inherited the vast "demonic might" and a certain amount of "fortune" from Ji Xiang!
As if destined by heaven, and with demon kings and divine kings all within Ji Xiang's methods, even the newly created heavenly god, the black-clothed scholar named Da Huangluo, possessed the characteristics of both divine and demonic. By borrowing the method of the Western Heavenly Emperor Liang Ligong Shou's Dharma Realm to manifest the body of the Yin Heavenly Son, he also possessed the integration of divine, demonic, and Yin ghosts!
As soon as the divine ability was unleashed, all gods fell silent, as if entering a state of Nirvana. Their divine laws could not be manifested, and they prostrated themselves before heaven!
The earth transformed into heaven!
"Yin Yang Divergence!"
"Suppress—"
One word, one cause, proclaimed to the world, Yin and Yang changed, and there was no one who did not obey!
In Liu Ting's eyes, heaven and earth suddenly inverted.
The black mountains and earth became the sky, and his power as the Heavenly Marquis and King was suppressed. The light of the Big Dipper suddenly scattered! His heavenly god image exploded at the peak of its aura, transforming back into his original human form. At this moment, Liu Ting's eyes widened abruptly!
The Yin and Yang energies were flowing in reverse!
Da Huangluo.
All things flourished, and here, they descended with a sudden flourish!
........
"Well done."
A smile appeared on Ji Xiang's lips. The refinement of this heavenly god was quite successful. In this way, he had also created another type of "born heavenly god." Now he could compete strongly with Xu Fu and the others.
At this time, he had already taken over the spiritual incense offerings of that city and performed the ritual of saving the dead and guiding souls, receiving immense feedback. This was a good deed, and even the power of the Heavenly Dao of this land recognized him, bestowing some merit as well.
In this way, the position of the Heavenly Son of the Underworld would be firmly established.
Being able to appoint him as the lord of all ghosts and gods in this thousand-mile land was not solely due to his own merits, but mainly because of the existence of Dharma Realm fragments. As stated in the method of refining heavenly gods, the Dharma Realm is the country, and the lord of the Dharma Realm is the Heavenly Son. This way, a similar enfeoffment could be completed, and everything about this heavenly god originated from that refined Dharma Realm or Dharma Realm fragment.
Shaping a divine being with the Dharma Realm fragment of a Heavenly Emperor as its origin gives it extremely high potential. At least among mortals, even if they obtained a divine position in the Heavenly Department, like Liu Ting, once their divine form collapsed, the role of the divine general would be almost equivalent to nothing. To resist, a higher-level divine position would be needed.
However, Joseon was a small country. The lord of all ghosts and gods in this thousand-mile land was equivalent to the Heavenly Son of the Underworld in this land. After being ravaged by Japan, with the gods in disarray and cultivators all but extinct, the appearance of a new god, gathering the scattered and failed authorities of the past, and consolidating the power of a nation, Ji Xiang initially estimated that its highest level could reach the eighth or ninth level of the Heavenly Department.
And although it had not been officially ranked yet, judging from its state, as long as the incense offerings were successfully refined and the final step was completed, it would be at least at the eleventh level of the Heavenly Department. This level was not tolerated by the world. Those who could attract positions at the thirteenth level or above of the Heavenly Department, apart from a small number of beings with extremely special means, such as the pseudo-immortals like Xu Fu who exhausted their efforts to break through, all others were from the court.
And his heavenly god would become a special existence not under the jurisdiction of the court.
At this moment, Ji Xiang once again thought of Changbai Mountain.
Old Master Huang could bring a divine position here for refinement and had not yet fully succeeded, not only because they lacked the refining materials and suitable refining personnel, but from what he had explained, there were many incomplete heavenly gods deep within Changbai Mountain. Their divine positions could not reach the thirteenth level of the Heavenly Department or above, but many had also reached the level of the Heavenly Department, breaking free from the constraints of the Human Department and common gods.
Ji Xiang's current position allowed him to see Wangjing.
The mountains and rivers receded. Wangjing, ravaged by war multiple times, still exuded the smell of gunpowder even though the war had passed for nearly a year.
Ji Xiang did not inform anyone of his return. Instead, he transformed into the image of a shadow god and entered the ancestral temple of the Korean royal family, which had been destroyed several times and only a single hall remained.
The great affairs of a nation lie in sacrifices and warfare. The sacrifices of the rulers are equivalent to recognition, which is very important for a heavenly god. What he had to do was to replace the old with the new. Although the temples for sacrificing various gods in this ancestral temple had long been destroyed, it was precisely because of this that it was a case of breaking the old to establish the new.
A new god replaces the old god and becomes the new recipient of the nation's incense offerings, and the images on the statues would constantly change with the change of the object of worship.
Gods have many images, and in different eras, they have different images. They are influenced by dynasties, folk customs, religions, and various other factors. It is humans who influence gods.
However, this time, Ji Xiang's footsteps stopped as soon as he entered the ancestral temple, because strange names appeared on the ancestral temple before him.
"Jing Ling... Hall?"