Ascending to Godhood: I Can Foresee All Futures

The annihilation of Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple was far from over.

Quite the contrary. In fact, it was only the beginning.

Soon, news that two century-old Major Sects had been toppled one after another, their entire memberships annihilated, struck like a thunderclap from a clear sky. It swept through all of Ning'an Prefecture with unstoppable momentum and astonishing speed.

In an instant, Ning'an was in an uproar, and every faction was horrified.

No one had expected the Government Office to act so brutally and decisively.

Still less had they imagined that the Jianghu hegemons who had dominated Ning'an for over a century would fall so swiftly and so utterly.

After all, Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple were in a different league from factions like the Iron Sword Sect, the Danxia Sect, and the Ning'an Wang Clan.

Though they were grouped with the previously destroyed Luoyun Manor as the six great powers of Ning'an, the gap between them was, in truth, as vast as that between the clouds and the earth.

The latter were merely vassals of Yunzhou's top-tier sects.

But Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple were the Ning'an branches of two of Yunzhou's titans—Celestial Dragon Temple and Dragon Tiger Mountain. They represented their honor.

For this very reason, the two Major Sects had enjoyed a detached and revered status ever since their founding.

Especially over the last century, as the court's authority waned, Ning'an Prefecture had effectively fallen under the joint rule of the Government Office and the great Noble Families and sects.

Even successive Prefects and Jingwu Bureau Governors had mostly used policies of appeasement and containment, rarely daring to openly antagonize them.

But now, the very heavens had shifted.

The former hegemons of the Jianghu saw their mountain gates shattered overnight. Their lineages were severed, and their people were slaughtered to the last soul.

The shock and impact of this news was far greater than any ordinary shift in power.

What followed was a torrent of rumors, impossible to verify, that churned and fermented in the undercurrents.

The specific details—of Golden Spring Mountain being soaked in the blood of monks, of the Daoist traditions within Qingfeng Temple being reduced to ash—spawned countless versions as they passed from one person to the next.

And in every version, one name stood out like a torch in the dead of night.

Chen Sheng!

The new Ning'an Inspector, who wielded complete military and political authority, was the true mastermind behind the extermination campaign.

Even more shocking were the rumors that this young Inspector had personally slain the abbot of Golden Spring Temple, Monk Kongxu, a master who had reached the peak of Profound Mastery!

Blood Bell, King Chen of the Underworld... Accompanied by one bloody rumor after another, these nicknames swiftly became household names.

The dread and awe they inspired reached an unprecedented peak.

Panic, suspicion, awe, schadenfreude... all manner of emotions permeated Ning'an Prefecture.

The shockwaves from this cataclysm were the greatest Ning'an had seen in a century.

However, the ripples didn't stop at the borders of Ning'an Prefecture.

After all, Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple represented the honor of the Celestial Dragon Temple and Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Their destruction meant more than just the fall of a Profound Mastery-level power.

Within days, the news seemed to sprout wings, crossing prefectural borders and spreading to neighboring regions and counties, sparking even greater shock and attention.

And so, for the first time, the name Chen Sheng—along with his former status as the Nie Family's son-in-law and the sheer brutality of his methods—truly resounded throughout Yunzhou.

...

「Golden Spring Mountain. Base of the Demon Suppression Tower. The Spiritual Spring Pool.」

A hazy, milky-white Spiritual Mist filled the stone chamber. The spring water was warm, suffused with pure Spiritual Qi.

Chen Sheng soaked within, his eyes closed. The muscles of his bare torso were well-defined, and though his wounds remained, they only added to his air of fierce valor.

The Spiritual Spring nourished his body, weary from fierce battle, and soothed his depleted mind. His Cultivation was steadily recovering, even showing faint signs of an impending breakthrough.

"You're certainly taking this calmly."

A voice, tinged with resignation, shattered the tranquility.

Jingwu Bureau Governor Nie Xuanfeng stood at the edge of the pool. He looked at the perfectly composed Chen Sheng, his own brow furrowed.

"The outside world is in an uproar. The news has spread far and wide. You're not just famous in Ning'an Prefecture anymore. I'm afraid the entirety of Yunzhou now knows the name Chen Sheng."

Chen Sheng slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was perfectly calm, but the corners of his mouth held the faintest hint of a smile.

"Why shouldn't I be calm? Surely Governor Nie can guess the reason?"

'He had just been promoted to Standard Fifth Grade Inspector and had immediately used thunderous methods to annihilate two Major Sects. The signal behind this move was obvious to anyone with a discerning eye. The outside world might be too stunned by the bloodshed to think deeply about it, or perhaps they've figured it out but don't dare to say it aloud. But the upper echelons of the Celestial Dragon Temple and Dragon Tiger Mountain would never fail to understand. This wasn't just my personal will. This was the will of the court, or rather, the will of the upper echelons of Yunzhou's government.'

"Was it really... the Commander's will?"

Nie Xuanfeng lowered his voice, his expression grave.

Though he was from a side branch of the Nie Family, his position made him far more sensitive to high-level political games than the average person.

"This is indeed the will of the court,"

Chen Sheng corrected him, his tone level.

"The Commander was merely following orders. Of course, the Nie Family also lent its support. Otherwise, Governor Nie, do you believe this position of Inspector fell into my lap from the heavens, without me having earned a single merit?"

A Standard Fifth Grade Inspector with real authority was not a position one could obtain through connections alone.

It was the result of Chu Zhengnan's careful calculations.

And he, Chen Sheng, just happened to be the sharpest blade chosen for the task.

Nie Xuanfeng fell silent for a moment before sighing softly.

"I'm just worried... You're young and hot-blooded, being used as a sharp blade. Dragon Tiger Mountain and the Celestial Dragon Temple have deep foundations. If they truly apply pressure, Commander Chu might just... compromise. Besides..."

He looked at Chen Sheng, his eyes filled with concern.

"The great Noble Families always prioritize their own interests. Even the Nie Family... How can you be so sure that they won't, for the sake of some greater benefit, at a critical moment..."