Infinite Professions

This scene is much like the past, except the intensity has escalated. Otherwise, it is practically a complete re-enactment.

If this continues, will he repeat the mistakes of the past and relive the scene of tragic defeat?

Xiao Ye does not know, but there is a faint unease in his heart.

This time deploying troops, as in the past, splits into a three-pronged offensive.

Two in the light, one in the dark; Li Mubai attacks and suppresses the Lanruo bandits, while Song Jian battles him at Weishui.

There’s not much to say about the former; mere bandits, like clay chickens and dogs made of mud, cannot withstand the iron-clad armies under Li Mubai’s command.

As for the latter... truth be told, he has little confidence in defeating this old rival, Song Jian, breaking through this barrier, and capturing Jinyang.

The key to victory or defeat lies in the Underworld, in that battle of deities!

He has placed his bets on this, even at the cost of giving up Dragon Qi, appointing the Celestial Heart North Sect Ancestor Master as a Third-Grade True God.

The Celestial Heart Sect is a major Daoist sect with heritage both in the north and south. Its ancestral court is Huagai Mountain. The founding ancestor master was also originally a Third-Rank Great God, but long ago he entered the world to contend for the dragon, succeeded, and departed, leaving his disciples to branch out and establish southern and northern factions outside the ancestral court, the south being Qingping Temple, the north being the Northern Emperor Sect.

After Qingping Temple was destroyed, the Celestial Heart Ancestral Court actively plotted revenge. This time, they sent the Northern Land faction to extract a blood debt from Song Xiang.

But the Northern Emperor Sect is comparable to Qingping Temple; their ancestor master is only of Fourth-Grade Venerable Position, truly powerless against Song Xiang, so they approached him seeking appointment, wishing to combine the power of three Great Gods to jointly fight this Golden Sun God.

Xiao Ye pondered for a long time and finally granted their request, appointing this Northern Emperor Sect Ancestor Master to Third-Grade Venerable Position.

As the Southern Hidden Dragon occupying two states, he indeed holds the power to appoint deities, capable of elevating Fourth-Grade True Gods to Third-Grade.

But doing so would greatly deplete his fortune, even severing the opportunity to become a True Dragon.

Throughout history, founding monarchs during the unification of the realm and becoming True Dragons seldom appointed Third-Grade Gods.

However, he has no choice; he is old, his Celestial Destiny nearing its end. If he does not take a desperate gamble now, this life will reach its conclusion, and he still won’t attain True Dragon.

Regardless, it can’t be done, so why not take a chance? If he can remove Song Xiang and seize the abundant foundation of Jinyang Land, then perhaps he can restore Dragon Qi and accomplish his Restoration Ascension before his Celestial Destiny runs out.

Therefore, he placed his bet!

Yet now, he feels uneasy, extremely anxious.

This is the gambler’s mentality.

Burdened with his heavy wager, can the Celestial Heart Northern Emperor Sect Ancestor Master, along with Weishui and Jinling’s rulers, achieve victory as hoped?

Xiao Ye does not know, his gaze becoming deep; the palm pressed against the boat’s railing unconsciously exerting force, leaving several deep indentations in the wood.

Thus...

"Boom!"

Lanruo Ghost Realm, Otherworldly Demon Realm, Six Great Ghost Gods, besieging one person.

Facing a six-directional offensive, Shen Hex, whose Golden Body has been broken and the Celestial Gate lost, must turn from offense to defense.

Even so, he remains at a disadvantage, signs of defeat already apparent.

This is an unavoidable situation.

The Supreme Destiny Divine Light, a Daoist great skill.

Destiny, destiny, what is destiny?

Fame, wealth, fortune, this is the essence of life.

What is called the Supreme Destiny is the mastery of these three major destinies: fortune, wealth, and longevity; it can be increased or decreased, given or taken.

This is not Celestial Heart Sect’s technique but rather the Sect’s Divine Techniques from another Daoist lineage, the "Five Stars Sect."

The five stars in Five Stars are not bushels, but the North Dipper, South Dipper, East Dipper, West Dipper, and Middle Dipper, the five major star clusters.

The Five Stars Sect bases its teachings on this, further passing down the Five Dipper Dao Scripture, including the "Supreme Mysterious Spirit North Dipper Life Extension True Scripture," "Supreme South Dipper Six Departments Longevity and Salvation Scripture," "Supreme East Dipper Master Calculation Life Protection Scripture," "Supreme West Dipper Named Body Protection Scripture," and "Supreme Middle Dipper Great Leader Life Protection Scripture."

These five scriptures belong to the Cave God category in the Three Caves True Scripture; cultivating all five simultaneously can refine into a great divine power technique, Supreme Destiny Divine Light, mastering fortune, wealth, longevity, and lifesaving destiny.

This divine technique is incredibly formidable against both humans and gods; with enough divine power, even Third-Grade deities can have their destinies wiped out, knocked off their pedestals.

To avenge Qingping Temple, Celestial Heart Sect paid a considerable price, seeking this divine technique from the Five Stars Sect and collaborating with Pure Lotus Sect behind Donglian Temple, along with the Buddhist-Confucian East Forest Garden, leveraging the capabilities of the two sects, combining the power of three religions, cultivating this Supreme Destiny Divine Light.

Fortune, wealth, longevity, these are human life’s destinies; the deities of the three religions all have inquiries in these, so Buddhist-Confucian powers can also be integrated, forging the most potent Supreme Destiny Divine Light, as the trump card against Shen Hex’s Merit Golden Body.

If you want someone unaware, the only way is if no one acts, and any deed leaves a trace.

Back then, Shen Hex, as the newly ascended City God, defeated Qingping and Huide, two Fourth-Grade True Gods, further destroying mountains and demolishing temples, eradicating Qingping Temple and Donglian Temple’s orthodoxy, though no one could report this feat, such extraordinary performance exposed his trump card, certainly relying on the Power of Merit, possibly giving rise to a Merit Golden Body even difficult for Third-Grade True Gods to achieve.

Merit Golden Body, inherently unbeatable; to break this protective talisman, Celestial Heart Sect and Pure Lotus Sect not only prepared Supreme Destiny Divine Light as their trump card but also sought appointments from Huo Ming Xiao Ye, these two great Southern and Northern Hidden Dragons, acquiring Hidden Dragon Fortune to enhance divine power.

The Power of Merit, unassailable by all laws, repelling all evil, his Merit Golden Body more so, a product of Lord Merit and Virtue, Earth God, etc., drawing gold from Jinyang’s citizens’ incense offerings, faith, and wishes formed this, of extraordinary worth and the foremost Golden Body of the present age.

With just this Supreme Destiny Divine Light, even with combined efforts from Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, it cannot be undone.

Yet, adding Dragon Qi changes everything; Dragon Qi being venerable, forbids all laws, akin to equal, and even subtly superior to the Power of Merit, Celestial Heart Sect sequentially connects the Southern and Northern lands, drawing upon the fortune of Huo Ming Xiao Ye, these two major Hidden Dragons, joining to form a Supreme Destiny Divine Light that extremely restrains him.

Thus now, the Golden Body shatters, merit collapses.

His Divine Dao Body, neither an earthly real form nor the Taiyuan Body, is the Divine Soul’s cultivation, lacking a physical foundation, unable to achieve the Great Dao Fruit of Immortal Martial Divine Spirit in Three Methods Cultivation, furthermore trapped in Lanruo Ghost Realm and Otherworldly Demon Realm, unable to call upon the authority of heaven and earth or the Ten Directions Primordial Spirits.

Therefore, the Twelve Celestial Gates Golden Bell Shield of this body relies entirely on divine power and merit, sustained by the Merit Golden Body’s properties of evil deterrence and unassailability by all laws, achievable in innate invincibility, unafraid of Third-Grade strikes.

Now with the Merit Golden Body broken, innate invincibility becomes void; though divine power can forcefully support recovery and reopen the Twelve Celestial Gates, the Celestial Gate Qi Shield formed by divine power cannot match previous strength, with immense depletion, unable to endure for long.

Hence, his current situation is exceptionally perilous.

Six Great Ghost Gods, two primary, four subordinate!

Jinling Prefect and Weishui River Dragon Monarch are Standard Third Grade, the pinnacle deities of this world.

Lanruo Old Demon, Celestial Heart North Sect Ancestor Master, and Pure Lotus Sect and East Forest Garden deities are Junior Third Grade, slightly inferior.

But even lesser, they are still Third Grade.

Six Third-Grade Ghost Gods, combined force in a siege, who can resist?

Not to mention Shen Hex, still only Fourth Grade; even at Third Grade, escaping barely seems possible.

The defeat is evident, peril imminent!

"To have brought down us like this, you should be proud!"

Seeing this, the Six Great Ghost Gods intensify the offensive, and utter victorious words, aiming to strike his heart.

Truly resorting to all means!

But reality remains as it is, within the battlefield, only victory and defeat matter!

Victory means survival, defeat means demise; the rest are illusions.

"Boom!"

Six directions form a siege, pressing the attack; Shen Hex’s Golden Body breaks, relying solely on divine power to support, the greatly reduced strength of the Celestial Gate Qi Shield withstands wave after wave of attacks, yet while not engulfed in defeat, the intense consumption is increasingly unsustainable.

The situation becomes fiercer, ever more perilous.

But Shen Hex harbors no intention of retreat, steadfastly resists the six-pronged offensive, refraining from breaking the encirclement and fleeing.

"Hmm!?"

"The situation is like this, yet still holding on?"

"Could there be something to rely on?"

"Or aiming to burn jade and stone together?"

"Be watchful!"

Seeing this, the Six Great Ghost Gods are also startled and suspicious at heart, subconsciously slowing their offensive.

Meanwhile...

In Jinyang Prefecture, incense smoke curls, ten directions pray.

The grand ceremony—reopens!