Invincible Starts From Dao Fruit
Chapter 228 - 189 City God Borrows Troops!

Chapter 228: Chapter 189 City God Borrows Troops!

"I, Chen, woke from chaos only to find myself a City God, without rhyme or reason."

Chen Jichuan’s appointment to the City God position was far too strange to explain convincingly to these people.

So he casually offered a vague statement and subtly released a trace of the aura from the golden decree deep within his being.

Majestic heavenly might emanated, awe-inspiring in its presence.

Yuan Chengzi couldn’t discern whether Chen Jichuan’s words were true or false, but upon witnessing the golden decree, he realized the legitimacy of the City God’s position, beyond doubt.

"Perhaps this truly is the revival of the Divine Dao!"

Yuan Chengzi’s heart swelled with hope.

And upon realizing this ’newly appointed City God’ was neither the White Lotus Sect Leader nor a demonic entity stealing authority, the appropriate approach became clear.

"Bearing the golden decree, a true divine position."

"It’s better to foster goodwill than to incur enmity."

Once his thoughts aligned, Yuan Chengzi immediately declared in a loud voice, "Lord, your authority is heavenly-granted, entrusted with ruling over Taiping Prefecture’s Yin-Yang matters. Should there be assignments in the future, feel free to command me. As an elder Daoist, I pledge to brave fire and water willingly!"

Hearing this, Ding Yangzi and the others agreed with him effortlessly.

A few flattering words cost nothing, and this mysterious Taiping City God, solidly supported by a golden decree, might reveal the secrets of the Divine Dao through association, presenting a chance for benefits.

Everyone present was savvy enough not to rashly make an enemy.

"Since you all Daoist friends seem so enthusiastic, I’ll be frank with you."

"To be honest with everyone."

"I have just arrived at the City God position, and the City God Mansion is severely lacking in personnel—truly thinly staffed. Observing the elite forces led by you Daoist friends, each soldier robust, every piece of armor and weapon exceptional quality."

"I must shamelessly request to borrow tens of thousands of soldiers to improve appearances and guard against petty incursions."

Chen Jichuan showed a hint of embarrassment as he bowed and clasped his fists toward Yuan Chengzi, Ding Yangzi, and the others, expressing sincere intentions.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

As the four of them heard this, their eyelids twitched, and they inwardly cursed.

Tens of thousands of soldiers?

It’s astounding that this City God could even utter such words!

They were unfamiliar, and their earlier statements had merely been polite, intended to convey goodwill without truly intending to offer anything substantial.

Even if something had to be offered, now wasn’t the time.

But this City God, shamelessly requesting soldiers so openly, and asking for ’tens of thousands,’ at that.

Should they truly lend them, it might be like throwing meat buns to a dog—gone forever.

Every Yin soldier they cultivated represented generations of their respective sects’ effort and was often of a high rank. Lending them willy-nilly without proper returns would pain anyone.

Yet refusal risked offending the City God.

The four quickly schemed their responses.

At this moment.

The Golden Flower Temple master of Taiping Prefecture, Chong Hezi, suddenly stood and loudly declared, "Since the Lord governs an entire prefecture of Yin-Yang matters, it’s only right that his forces aren’t lacking. Though my Golden Flower Temple pales compared to the Three Mountains Dharma Lineage, we are willing to assist the Lord. I humbly offer all eight hundred soldiers of my temple to the Lord, along with an additional five hundred sets of armor and weapons, all refined by generations of our ancestors, nurtured daily with incense offerings—superior quality."

Having spoken.

Yuan Chengzi and the other four all raised their heads, their hearts shocked and furious.

The Golden Flower sect practiced its namesake Daoist skill, far less prosperous than the Three Mountains Dharma Lineage, with only a few insignificant presences in Taiping Prefecture.

Among them, Chong Hezi’s temple was the foremost.

Its legacy had experienced interruptions and decline, its forces practically exhausted.

Only in the recent centuries had it started to recover, tirelessly cultivated by generations, amassing military forces likely numbering just eight hundred. Perhaps with another few centuries of incense-fueled resurgence, they might hope to reach the level of the Three Mountains Lineage.

Yet now, offering everything at once, while indeed gaining face before the City God, the potential rewards were uncertain.

This was a gamble—a high-stakes wager.

And Chong Hezi had placed them on the spot alongside himself.

How could Yuan Chengzi and the others not be furious?

But Chen Jichuan was overjoyed—

"Daoist, your integrity is extraordinary!"

"Though I have only recently assumed the City God position, I’ve heard that the Golden Flower Sect guides the people in learning and practicing the Dao, suppressing demons, and safeguarding the righteous, striving to foster goodness, rescue the needy, and assist those in peril."

"Now, I see that your reputation is indeed well-deserved."

Chen Jichuan hurried to his feet, bowing to Chong Hezi in gratitude.

"The Lord is too kind."

"Helping the Lord carry out his responsibilities is our duty and honor."

Chong Hezi quickly replied modestly, appearing entirely matter-of-course.

"What a cunning Chong Hezi!"

Ding Yangzi, Yuan Chengzi, and the other four secretly cursed but found themselves unable to hesitate further.

"Lord."

One after another, they spoke up, offering soldiers, armor, and weapons.

But most of the forces they brought belonged to their sects and were only entrusted to them for leadership, not for personal disposal.

Only the portions directly under their individual temples could be freely given.

Thus, each ’lent’ a thousand soldiers and offered eight hundred sets of armor, slightly outdoing Chong Hezi for appearances’ sake.

Other Taoists and mages like Chong Hezi also reluctantly sacrificed dozens or hundreds of soldiers.

All the while maintaining a cheerful facade.

To sum up.

Chen Jichuan reaped a bountiful harvest, but the days ahead for Chong Hezi might prove difficult.

Yet Chong Hezi seemed oblivious, still smiling serenely.

After the soldiers were handed over.

Fearing more excessive demands from Chen Jichuan, the rest quickly took their leave one by one.

The appearance of a new City God in Taiping Prefecture.

This was no small matter.

They had to promptly inform their sect elders and peers to deliberate a response.

Should they remain observant?

Or fully build an alliance?

They needed a concrete strategy.

Meanwhile, on Chen Jichuan’s side.

Having acquired over five thousand soldiers and three or four thousand sets of armor and weapons, his mood was fantastic.

He made several attempts to retain his guests, radiating enthusiasm.

Once he knew they were genuinely departing, he reluctantly escorted them beyond the mansion.

As he watched them leave, his gaze lingered, unwilling to return inside for some time.

...

The City God’s Domain.

After sending off the Daoists, Chen Jichuan sat in the hall, fiddling with the command seals, flags, troop letters, Yin soldier camp artifacts, and other tools of command.

Examining each one, his smile widened continually.

To Yuan Chengzi, Ding Yangzi, and the other Daoists and mages, soldiers weren’t just manpower.

They could be wielded to enforce commands, enhance spell power, and serve various needs—all of which offered immense benefits.

But attaining soldiers wasn’t easy.

Some acquired them through gifts from their masters or sects. These soldiers were the best, as they were elite units, simple to manage and utilize.

Others raised soldiers through cultivation.

For example, when Chen Jichuan had learned the ’Five Ghosts Yin Soldiers Skill,’ he had established his own Dharma platform, cultivating Five Ghosts and Yin soldiers by himself.

This approach also yielded excellent soldiers, but due to limitations in Daoist skills and mana, their quality often fell short. Furthermore, they required personal refinement and management and often needed specialized magical tools for sacrifice and control.

It was akin to starting from scratch, riddled with challenges.

Still, this method had advantages—self-reliance being one.

Another was that, once the sect grew, disciples could roam with soldiers by their side.

Besides these two routes, there was the option of borrowing soldiers externally.

What did borrowing from a ’cold altar’ mean?

Many forsaken temples and shrines—whether of Earth Gods or City Gods—had soldiers that had been left behind when the spirits were no longer present. These soldiers often roamed abandoned Nether realms unsupervised.

Smaller sects or yin-method practitioners often sought soldiers this way.

This method provided poor-quality soldiers.

The price to gain them could also be steep, sometimes leaving practitioners worse off. Despite this, people were willing to pay the price, knowing that using soldiers increased their chances of achieving their goals.

These three methods were relatively common practice.

A fourth way involved seizing soldiers from other mages during combat.

Many Daoist sects retained techniques for this, but such methods required immense personal mana to forcibly seize another’s deployed soldiers during magical duels.

This was exceedingly difficult to achieve, almost impossible for ordinary mages.

...

"Five thousand seven hundred and eighty-two soldiers."

"Four thousand and ninety-nine sets of armor and weapons."

Chen Jichuan reviewed his newly acquired forces, meticulously tallying, thoroughly satisfied.

Most of these soldiers represented the concentrated efforts of entire sects, refined generation after generation into elite troops.

For example, the one thousand soldiers offered by Yuan Chengzi were from the core forces of Lushan Sect’s Jishan Altar, solely under his command and inaccessible to the headquarters or other branches.

Even if disciples left to establish other altars elsewhere, these core soldiers would never be transferred.

But facing the City God’s request for borrowed soldiers.

They dared not compromise on quality despite their stinginess in numbers—otherwise, refusal might’ve been preferable.

Thus, they were all elite troops.

Greatly benefiting Chen Jichuan.

...

Chen Jichuan inspected his forces in the City God Mansion.

Outside.

A divine official escorted a Daoist figure into his presence.

Upon seeing the visitor, Chen Jichuan’s face lit up with a smile: "I apologize for the abruptness, Daoist friend. Thank you for making the journey."

"Not at all."

"To be invited by the Lord is an honor beyond measure for a humble Daoist like myself!"

Chong Hezi’s expression radiated respect and cordiality as he bowed deeply to Chen Jichuan.

"Daoist friend, no need to stand on ceremony."

"Please, have a seat."

Seeing Chong Hezi’s humility, Chen Jichuan grew more pleased and invited him to sit.

"Thank you, Lord."

Chong Hezi expressed his gratitude, cautiously seating himself halfway, anticipation brewing within.

"The Heng Mountain Dao Fruit, the first immortal of the Profound Sect.

A true form ascends to the Jade Palace, guarding the East River’s residence.

Commanding with the weight of mountains, the gods dare not defy.

Golden Flower child bare-chested, sun and moon dissolve immortality’s illusion."

Looking toward Chong Hezi, Chen Jichuan recited, "Your sect’s lineage is remarkable. In terms of heritage, it’s on par with the Three Mountains Dharma Lineage. The sect’s Golden Flower Ancestor even ranks among the Heavenly Immortals. Tell me, Daoist friend—would you be interested in joining my City God Mansion, taking on an official post to assist me in managing a prefecture’s Yin-Yang affairs?"

It was happening!

As soon as he heard this, Chong Hezi felt elation surge within.

This was the very opportunity he had risked offending Yuan Chengzi, Ding Yangzi, and the others to seize—being noticed by the City God and propelling the Golden Flower Sect to prominence.

And now, it seemed.

This gamble had paid off!

Overcome with joy, Chong Hezi hastily rose, bowing low to Chen Jichuan once again, declaring aloud, "From this day, the Golden Flower Temple will follow the Lord’s every command!"

In this world rife with demons, the Three Mountains Lineage loomed large, akin to three towering peaks, hoarding the majority of mortal incense offerings.

The remaining share.

Was sliced up by sects such as Yin Mountain, Liuren, Primordial Emperor, Jade Emperor, Medicine King, Snow Mountain, Huaguang, Qinggang, and others.

The Golden Flower Sect existed within these narrow gaps, struggling to survive, much less expand.

But with the chance to align itself under this newly ascended City God, leveraging the vast Taiping Prefecture as a foundation, aiding the City God’s Yin-Yang administration, why shouldn’t it realize its own revival?

In the end.

Inevitably gaining recognition in life, perhaps even becoming a subordinate god under the City God’s seat in death.

Such an opportunity was one Chong Hezi wouldn’t let slip away.

"Excellent!"

"With a Daoist friend’s support, this makes me invincible!"

Chen Jichuan clapped his hands with laughter, genuinely pleased.

The affairs at the City God Mansion were numerous; not to mention other matters, even the proper allocation and management of the newly obtained soldiers posed an enormous challenge.

And Chong Hezi, as the Golden Flower Temple master and the sect leader of Golden Flower Sect, commanding eight hundred soldiers, was well-versed in military affairs.

He could assist Chen Jichuan in supervising soldiers, establishing military regulations, and organizing roles.

As a City God, safeguarding regional stability necessitated utilizing soldiers.

Deploying them had to be precise, down to specific cities, villages, or even individual roads.

In every respect.

This wasn’t something just any scholar from the streets or a fierce ghost plucked from the Nether realm could solve. Even mortal generals transitioning from the world of the living to the Nether realm experienced profound adaptations, making their earthly experience unsuitable for direct transplantation.

Thus.

Chong Hezi and the entire Golden Flower Sect’s allegiance carried great weight for Chen Jichuan, providing significant assistance.

...