Infinite Professions

As for the matter of ascension, there is no need for further discussion. As a prefecture, Jinyang could originally support a Fourth Grade True God. Coupled with his management over more than a hundred years, under various professional effects, both the population and the faith quality have increased dramatically.

The resources were already sufficient, and the only thing lacking was a cultivation technique. However, during his time in the mortal world, the Taiyuan Body and the Divine Dao Body have been delving into the Daoist Scripture Collection, and with the passage of time, he has already comprehended them thoroughly.

Therefore, his ascension to the Fourth Grade position was already fully prepared, without any obstacles, and there was no need for any further rituals; it could happen at this very moment, right here in the City God Temple.

To reap the rewards after years of effort, this is as it should be.

No need to say more, just begin directly.

Shen Hex sat on the throne, wearing a nine-tasselled crown and a bright yellow robe, his face solemn, displaying his grandeur.

If one used the Qi Observation Divine Techniques to observe his own aura, one would see a red aura like clouds above his head, condensing into the image of a parasol, with starlight flickering, hidden purple aura, and his entire body in a golden glow, surrounded by smoke with incense rising, devoted by the multitudes, a merit of the Human Dao.

Over the decades, although he remained at the Fifth Grade position, his fortune and luck were in no way inferior to a Fourth Grade Extreme Realm True God. The red aura was refined to the utmost, with hidden purple aura; not to mention a Fourth Grade True God, even a Third-Rank Great God could contend with him.

This is the result of professional functioning. Whether it was the Ziwei Star God or the God of All Things, or the previous Land God of Blessings, all could greatly enhance one’s fortune, increase incense wish power, and divine power. So even if he did not ascend, his strength was not inferior to the Fourth Grade, easily suppressing the likes of Qingping Huide.

Fortune and merits alike, the Earth Golden Body refined, was not weaker than the Supreme Dragon Qi, and served as a natural protective talisman.

This is also why the Weishui River Dragon Monarch had allied with the Jinling Prefect, the two Third-Rank Great Gods forming a cooperation, even connecting with several surrounding state deities, yet still dared not make a move against him.

The protective merits were truly troublesome; even if they could attack and annihilate, they would have to pay a great price themselves.

They were unwilling to do so, hoping on the Hidden Dragon, wanting to unite the south, then crush him with Dragon Qi. Though Dragon Qi would be somewhat diminished, it wouldn’t harm the divine power, aligning with their interests.

Moreover, the loss of Dragon Qi is not absolute; various methods can compensate it. The most direct is capturing Jinyang. With the current population here, it could completely restore the Dragon Qi damage, even further advancing it.

So, they continued to wait.

But Shen Hex was unwilling to sit and wait for death.

His mind shifted, consciousness plunging into his mind, whereupon a golden seal burst with brilliance.

Divine Seal!

This seal, of a red-gold color, was formed by divine power, connected with the incense of Jinyang’s populace and the authority of all the laws of Heaven and Earth, possessing vast divine might and supreme abilities. In this Jinyang Prefecture, it could mobilize the powers of earth, wind, fire, and water, and the abilities of sun, moon, mountains, rivers, and the world.

A mountain does not need to be high, famous for having an immortal; a water body does not need to be deep, spirited for having a dragon.

Deities are the Dao; the Dao is Heaven and Earth. One’s cultivation is like a sacrificial refinement, capable of leveraging the Power of Heaven and Earth.

Therefore, the longer a deity exists, the stronger its power becomes, and the more mysterious allure and divine powers will arise in its temples, dao fields, magic realms, and territories.

Take the Huangshan Prefect as an example, a fellow Third-Rank Great God, only occupying one mountain land. In terms of territory size, he is far inferior to the Jinling Prefect and the Weishui River Dragon Monarch, but his mountain is a famous one under heaven, and he has ruled it for countless ages.

Under his cultivation and sacrificial refinement, the wealth of Huangshan is probably above that of Jinling, being one of the most ancient and powerful great gods in today’s world, with even the True Dragon of each era unable to forcibly campaign against him, only able to appease and continually confer titles upon him.

This indicates that the benefits of Divine Dao Cultivation are utterly those of a perched tiger, so deeply rooted that even the True Dragon Venerable cannot easily remove them.

Although Shen Hex has not reached such a state, with over a hundred years of industrious tilling, compounded by various professional powers, this Jinyang Prefecture land has become tightly connected with him. Temples, dao fields, magic realms, and territories all possess mystical emergence, divine powers, and enhancements, even blessing the mortal world.

But this is still not enough.

Shen Hex observed his own inside, gazing at the Divine Dao Golden Seal, and brought forth the True Dao Scripture.

Upper Attainment of True Understanding, Middle Vehicle Profound Mystery, Lower Cave God.

Harmony of Heaven and Earth, Door of All Wonders.

Dao that can be described is not the eternal Dao, names that can be named are not the eternal names.

...

Under the functions of the True Dao Scripture, a massive influx of incense power surged in.

The nuances of life are all different, and this incense power is the same. Apart from the basic faith in deities, there is also the wish power from the followers themselves, which is both a strength and an impurity, capable of transforming into toxins, corroding deities, and altering oneself.

Therefore, the cultivation of deities can be fast yet slow; if one carelessly changes and wantonly absorbs incense, the progress would naturally be rapid. But if they do not want to be swept by wish power, they must expend a vast amount of energy and time to refine the impurities in the incense.

But Shen Hex is not troubled by this because one major feature of the God of All Things is the fearlessness of wish power’s influence and the toxins of incense.

Thus, at this moment, he welcomes everything without rejection, transforming all accumulated incense wish power into divine power, infusing it into the golden seal.

And it’s not just incense wish power.

In the mortal realm, within the precinct of the prefecture city.

"Ang!!!"

A Cyan Flood Dragon soared, roaring towards the Underworld Divine Realm, swaying its head and tail, spitting out a flood dragon’s Cyan Qi.

Within the mansion, inside the study, the silver-haired Li Mubai, sensing something, looked up towards the sky, but soon dismissed it, lowering his head again to continue fervently writing, reviewing the mountainous pile of documents.