Infinite Professions

But he wasn’t Ancestor Peng, lacking eight hundred years of blessings and longevity, or even two hundred, and recently he was informed of his Celestial Destiny.

Ultimately, he must leave.

There was some lingering attachment, some reluctance, but more so joy, expectation, and relaxation.

It’s finally over!

At the age of one hundred and eighty, such an advanced age, he had experienced too much.

Not to mention the former nine sons of the Song Clan, and all the brothers, some of the second and third generations had also passed before him, including his beloved son, Song He, who was once designated as the patriarch of the Song Clan.

Having gone through so much, he had already seen through it all and held little attachment to this world, even hoping to leave soon to reunite with his family in the Underworld.

But he had responsibilities; he was a role model for the "Qinghe Longevity Group" and the grand elder of the Song family. He had to promote and supervise, and he couldn’t easily resort to suicide, so he waited until the end of his lifespan.

The time had arrived, and there was no attachment left. Song Wen lay down, and slowly closed his eyes amidst a flurry of memories.

In this last moment, he saw many things.

He saw himself in his old home in Dongping for the first time, dreaming of his father becoming a divine being and receiving a solid slap.

Later in Little Huang Village, toiling diligently in the fields, finally reaping a bountiful harvest and immersing in the joy of abundance.

Then being eyed by mountain bandits, having to take up arms to protect his home, the grand land sacrifices, granted divine power, Yellow Turban Warriors, Five Immortals Mage...

Qinghe County, Jinyang Prefecture, Land God Temple, Mountain God Temple, Punishment and Reward, Divine Judgment City God...

All sorts of things, a whirlwind of memories, filled with nostalgia.

Suddenly...

"Big brother, what are you thinking?"

The sound of laughter interrupted his train of thought.

Song Wen was startled awake, only to see a group of people surrounding the bedside, each wearing bright red official robes, black-winged caps on their heads, golden light gathered around them, like divine beings.

"Second brother, third brother?"

"Fourth brother, fifth brother?"

"You guys..."

Song Wen stood up, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar faces, tears pouring down his face, even choking with emotion: "You came?"

Men do not shed tears easily, only when deeply hurt.

"We came!"

The group nodded, and Song Wu stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder: "Big brother, all these years, you’ve worked hard, father sent us to bring you back."

"Good, good, good!"

Song Wen nodded repeatedly, tears streaming down, yet unable to contain his joy: "Quickly, take me there."

"Wait a moment."

Song Wu smiled, turning his gaze toward Song Cai: "Second brother!"

Song Cai also smiled, stepped forward, and unfurled a yellow scroll: "Song Wen, hear the decree!"

Song Wen hesitated, then quickly collected himself, wiped away his tears, and solemnly knelt on the ground: "Song Wen is here!"

"Qinghe’s Song Wen, meritorious in governance and virtuous in guarding the land, having completed your lifespan, you shall be deified. You are now appointed as the Assessor Magistrate of the Fushou Bureau in Jinyang Prefecture, holding a standard sixth-grade official position!"

After the declaration by Song Cai, the fourth brother, Song Ying, and the fifth brother, Song De, also came forward, each bearing a jade platter with golden seal official uniforms on it.

"Song Wen thanks the divine grace!"

Witnessing this scene, Song Wen was deeply moved, bowing three times, then standing up.

As he rose, there was a flash of divine light, and the black gauze red robe flew from the jade platter, merging with his body, the golden seal embedding in his forehead, transforming into an official position authority, along with the blessings and merits accumulated in life, becoming divine power that filled him.

In an instant, the newly deceased Yin Soul became a sixth-grade True God, enveloped in golden light, endowed with great power.

Song Wen was excited by this.

He knew that after his death he would surely be deified; after all, he had diligently worked in the mortal world for over a hundred years, bearing hardships and toiling without complaint. Even if he couldn’t become a sixth-grade Mountain Guardian Spirit Official like his third brother who died fighting at Red Lotus Temple, being a minor deity of seventh or ninth grade was not out of reach.

But unexpectedly, he has now directly become the Assessor Magistrate of the Fushou Bureau.

Punishment Department!

This is one of the Six Departments of the City God’s Mansion.

As the Patriarch of the Song Clan and the Temple Priest of the City God Temple, Song Wen is very clear about the structure of the City God’s Mansion.

The City God’s Mansion is presided over by the Lord of the Mansion, and the one in charge is his father, the People Ascending Fortune Prestige Spirit Lord—Song Xiang.

Beneath the City God Prefect are the Civil and Military Judges, among which the Civil Judge is Ye Yunxiao, a feather from the ancient clouds of Huangshan Academy, who passed away early, and the Military Judge is his third brother, Song Wu, the former Huangshan Grand Protector who died in battle at the Red Lotus Temple, also serving as the Mountain Guardian Spirit Official.

No need to say much about Song Wu, deserving of his name, extremely hardworking and meritorious, as for Ye Yunxiao, he was the first Mountain Master of Huangshan Academy, not only did he possess the "Left Minister" destiny like him, but was also favored by "Wenchang", the Ziwei Double Stars in his destiny, talented and unparalleled in literature, his disciples spread all over the world, renowned across ten directions, deservedly holding the position of Civil Judge.

Beneath the Civil and Military Judges are the Six Departments and Four Divisions.

The Six Departments are the Speed Reporting Bureau, Inspectorate, Reward Department, Punishment Department, Profit and Salary Bureau, and Fushou Bureau.

Among them, the Speed Reporting Bureau and Inspectorate have supervisory responsibilities, similar to the Court’s Embroidered Uniform Guard, specifically patrolling the Yin and Yang, supervising illegal acts, as well as the evil deeds of demons.

The Reward and Punishment Departments have the power of "retribution", dedicated to responding to people’s wishes, rewarding good and punishing evil, also relating to the Mortal Government, assisting constables in investigating and solving cases, capturing and suppressing villains.

And lastly, the Profit and Salary Bureau and Fushou Bureau are welfare departments, with some degree of retributive power, responsible for managing the achievements, profits, and fortunes of the people, the Merit God of blessing, but when necessary, they can also deprive people of fortune and longevity, wielding both grace and authority, with significant power.

These are the Six Departments, and there are Four Divisions, newly added departments of the City God’s Mansion in recent years, overseen by the Military Judge, specializing in fighting roles, namely the Dou Division, Thunder Division, Fire Division, and Water Division.

Among them, the Dou Division is in charge of commanding Star Power, with the position of Department Head currently vacant, temporarily held by the Military Judge Song Wu, expected to eventually be given to Li Mubai, as he possesses the "Celestial Halberd" destiny, suitable to command the army, perfectly fitting the position of Dou Division.

After the Dou Division, there is the Thunder Division, in charge of Thunder Techniques, specializing in battle, the Department Head position is similarly vacant, but it is anticipated that it will be filled soon, especially with the recent outbreak of powerful thunder in Jinyang, particularly directed towards the newly built Northern Pass in Guobei, frequently sounding with thunderous roars, many temple priests of the City God’s Mansion claim it is the thunder of the City God Prefect showing divine might, intimidating the Guobei Ghost King.

Then there are the Water and Fire Divisions, the Fire Division is led by his fourth brother Song Cai, the Water Division is headed by Nie Qian, early on, she accepted offerings in the Land God Temples, commanding Water and Fire Daoist Soldiers transformed from Yellow Turban Warriors, also practicing the water and fire secret techniques of Qingping Temple and Donglian Temple, stronger in combat than the Red Lotus Monk Soldiers in those years, and has been the most active in recent years among the Four Divisions.

Left and right Civil and Military, ranked Fifth Grade.

Six Departments and Four Divisions, ranked Sixth Grade.

All hold "True God" positions.

Now he is appointed to the Fushou Bureau, though ranking last among the Six Departments, its authority is not low, even more so with incense offerings, as everyone fears death and desires longevity, plus his reputation as the "Immortal of Blessing and Longevity", commanding this Bureau is quite fitting.

Ever diligent and hardworking, toiling for over a century and eighty years, finally witnessing the clouds part to reveal the moon.

Song Wen was full of joy, unable even to check the Blessing and Longevity Divine Seal and its Divine Techniques, stood up and grabbed his brothers’ hands: "Let’s go see Father together!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

His brothers naturally agreed, and together they transformed into divine light, escaping from the Song Family’s Ancestral Tomb.

Simultaneously...

At the Song Family Residence, within the newly arranged spirit hall, Song Jian and others felt a vague sensation, raised their heads looking towards the void where shimmering golden light seemed to flash, with hidden figures of divine beings, yet vanished in an instant.

For a moment, each one was moved.

"Uncle!"

"Old Master!"

"Has he finally achieved true results?"

"..."

Matters of the mortal world, let’s not speak of for now.

Jinyang Prefecture, City God Temple.

Within the Magic Realm, inside the temple.

Shen Hex sat on the throne, opened his eyes, and gazed up at the sky.

The battle at Jinyang, dust has settled, several decades have passed.

The Hidden Dragon Xiao Chen was defeated but not killed, fleeing back to Jinling, and with the support of the Weishui River Dragon Monarch and various deities rose again, though he dares not provoke him directly again, he effectively controls Jinling and Jinhua, and together with the Lanruo Ghost King, the three forces encircle and strictly blockade, restricting his development, preventing his faith from extending beyond the Jinyang Land.

Besides, the world’s trends have also undergone substantial changes, with two emperors suddenly collapsing in the capital, leading to the rise of various heroes in the north, and in the Southern Lands, there’s fierce competition among dragons and snakes, except for him and the Hidden Dragon Xiao Chen, many others have claimed territories and established regimes.

Among these forces, the largest is the current Prime Minister, the Grand General and Grand Commandant, the head of the Huo Family, Huo Ming, leveraging the Emperor’s authority to command the feudal lords, controlling Jizhou and Qingzhou, with substantial power, eyeing the world fiercely.

By this stage, the struggle for dragon reign has already commenced!