Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 929 - 785 Divine Rank

Chapter 929: Chapter 785 Divine Rank

Splish splash!

The Black Fish Puppet retracted the black banner, shaking its head as it patrolled downwards.

Before long, it arrived at an island in the heart of the lake.

The island at the lake’s heart was not large, but it was thick with deep reed beds.

Amidst the reeds, Fang Xi’s figure, cloaked in a hazy radiance, elegantly appeared.

With a single hand forming a seal, the Black Fish Puppet spat out the black banner.

Trapped within the black banner was a Divine Soul resembling a loach, which had been stupefied by the influx of Demon Qi.

If it weren’t for Fang Xi deliberately restraining his strength, a slight shake might have "dissolved" the Divine Soul.

"If anything happens to this Well Dragon King, it will be that old codger of a land god who takes the blame..."

Fang Xi murmured, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.

Streams of Sky Demon Secret Knowledge surged into the Divine Soul of the Well Dragon King, and he boldly employed the Soul Searching Skill!

Soon enough, numerous complete memories emerged, most of which were the experiences of a fish demon cultivating and amassing merit.

’This Well Dragon King has a fortunate destiny, having awakened its Spiritual Wisdom by chance, relying on instinct to absorb the essence of the sun and the moon, tempering Demon Qi... Pity that its progress has always been lackluster, and even after a hundred years of cultivation, it could be exterminated by an ordinary hunter...’

’Yet, this Well Dragon King is ambitious, constantly undergoing strenuous cultivation, accumulating merit, until it finally assumed the position of a Well Dragon King...’

’Divine Rank, huh...’

From the memories of the Well Dragon King, Fang Xi finally gained some understanding of the Daoism Hierarchy in this world.

It seems as though for deities, knowing these things is an instinct of sorts.

"Within the Taoist Court, the Daoism Hierarchy is divided into nine ranks... from the lowest at ninth rank to the highest at first rank... but above first rank, there are transcendent ranks! For example, the Heavenly Emperor of the Taoist Court is of a transcendent rank. Even after ascending to the Heavenly Court, they hold noble titles."

"What is a transcendent rank? Above first rank, that’s transcendent rank!"

"In this realm, there may only be one emperor who possesses a transcendent rank, but in the Heavenly Court, there are numerous deities of first rank, and in addition, there are the three ranks of earls, marquises, and dukes, each ranking above first rank... Depending on the meritorious deeds accomplished in the mortal realm, a mortal emperor ascending to the Heavenly Court could at most be ennobled as an earl, but with outstanding accomplishments among mortals, one could be honored as a marquis, or even a duke!"

"Above duke, there is ’monarch’! A monarch has somewhat the air of a sovereign and is a great deity within the Heavenly Court’s Daoism Hierarchy!"

"Above the monarch, there are Heavenly Kings, and Heavenly Masters..."

"And the ultimate—the Heavenly Emperor!!"

"Such is the characteristic of the Daoism Hierarchy, with its clear hierarchical structure, placing great emphasis on hierarchy and the respect of superiors and inferiors. A higher rank has almost absolute control over a lower rank, and if within their jurisdiction, it means that when the ruler commands death, the subject can only comply without resistance—nor can they harbor any resentment!"

"This Well Dragon King and that god of Bai Gan Village are both minor gods not within the ranking, positioned below the ninth rank, somewhat akin to minor officials... Despite this, their status is still the envy of countless unappointed scattered gods."

"A Taoist Court Official Instrument is essentially an honorary title, merely defining one’s rank... but beyond that, there are official divine positions. Only when one holds both does one count as a true god!"

To give an analogy, the Taoist Record and an official instrument are akin to scholarly honors!

For example, one who passes the ’Exam for Adolescents’ would be granted the ’Supreme Court Official Instrument,’ which is ranked at ninth rank!

This means that once someone passes the exam, they can immediately assume a position at either ninth rank or associate ninth rank.

If compared to territorial gods, at least those equivalent to the deity of a small town barely qualify.

Of course, it’s more likely that there are no current vacancies, and one might have to wait indefinitely, perhaps even until death without being granted an official position. However, possessing this Taoist Record, one’s valiant spirit remains undiminished in death, allowing one to serve as a staff or subordinate official to various City Gods or other deities, such as martial judges, and then await opportunities for promotion.

However, Zhang Youde does not even possess the ninth rank ’Supreme Court Official Instrument,’ which means even if there was a territorial deity vacancy, he couldn’t be promoted... unless favored by a higher-ranked individual.

To be specific, the Taoist Record sets the upper limit for a deity’s rank! While the divine position determines a god’s current rank and authority!

Naturally, actual power is more significant.

Because the lifespan of deities resembles that of Ghost Cultivators, remarkably lengthy, and even with ascension and various depletions, the number of scattered gods accumulated each year is immense.

Therefore, official divine positions are coveted real hot commodities!

"This loach originally had a divine position, namely—’Bull Head Mountain Ancient Well Water Transporter’..."

Fang Xi’s Divine Consciousness probed inch by inch into the Well Dragon King’s body, failing to find the grey and white talisman described in its memory.

That was naturally because the Well Dragon King had been adjudicated guilty and stripped of its divine position, not knowing to which official of the City God Temple this boon would fall.

Even if the ’Bull Head Mountain Ancient Well Water Transporter’ was subpar and of no rank, not even associate ninth rank, it was at least an official position capable of overseeing a domain and enjoying the nurturing of spiritual energy from a water vein.

If there were some connections left in the mortal realm, it could even instruct dreams to rebuild its effigy and gather faith, further enjoying the luxuries of the domain.

At this moment in Fang Xi’s Divine Consciousness, within the Divine Soul of the Well Dragon King, apart from some diluted Demon Qi, there was only one talisman!

This talisman was a foot in length and three fingers in width, with bizarre and extraordinary patterns on it.

That is the script of Daoism, which legend claims was derived by the Heavenly Emperor through the contemplation of the Dao, known as the ’Divine Text’!

On the grey and white talisman, numerous Divine Texts glittered brightly, forming a line of text—’Supreme Child Spirit Official Instrument’!

"Indeed... This Well Dragon King was conferred with an instrument; only those granted a talisman are considered part of the Taoist Court system, counted among the Immortals... otherwise, they remain unauthorized, indulging in heresies and illicit worship, and are key targets of the Taoist Court’s crackdown!"

"’Supreme Child Spirit Official Instrument’... It seems that those who pass the Exam for Adolescents are granted this kind of talisman. It appears that the scholarly status of this Well Dragon King is on par with a Scholar, a Taoist Child..."

Fang Xi couldn’t help but despise, "Not even a recognized scholar, equivalent to having an elementary school diploma... No wonder he can’t get promoted no matter what, and he’s the first to take the blame when trouble arises."

His Divine Consciousness swept inch by inch over the grey-white ’Supreme Child Spirit Official Instrument,’ and he immediately perceived several secret traps.

As a Grandmaster of the talismans, once he got used to it, he’d find that the talismans in the world are largely similar.

"Granting the Taoist Record is the Heavenly Emperor’s means of controlling the world... It is understandable to have secret traps. Just the few I’ve discovered have effects such as positioning, limiting divine power, and so on... It wouldn’t be impossible for there to be instant death-type secret traps!"

"Once you enter the Taoist Court, indeed, life and death are controlled by those above."

"Therefore, the Godhood Position Taoist Record is good stuff, but this record... it’s better not needed. Such would be considered heretical worship, and the Taoist Court would destroy them one by one on sight..."

"No... No, that’s not right. Above the divine positions, could there really be no traps?"

Fang Xi looked up at the sky, suddenly feeling a chilling terror.

"Within the Taoist Record, there’s the Heavenly Emperor’s fallback plan... Who could know, within these divine positions, if the Heavenly Emperor has set a secret maneuver?"

Although Godhood Positions can be officially conferred by the court, they can also be formed from the incense worship of the people, or even be self-generated by heaven and earth, known as Innate Gods.

But what if ’heaven and earth’ are the ’Heavenly Emperor’?

The Divine Path Taoist Record issued by the ’Heavenly Emperor,’ who knows if there are secret traps in it as well?

Or rather, there must be!

"This Daoism, really is full of pits..."

Fang Xi almost wanted to cry, "Luckily, I can first take it back to the Earth Immortal Realm for some research... No matter how powerful your secret maneuvers are, you can’t curse me to death from across the Medium Thousand Worlds, can you?"

Once this Heavenly Court Godhood Position arrives in the Earth Immortal Realm, it certainly cannot be used immediately, due to the incompatibility with the local conditions.

Therefore, more samples are needed for analysis and research...

Exactly, Falling Sky Island above is a large Divine Path experimental base!

"This Well Dragon King, really is a waste!"

Fang Xi expressionlessly threw the black flag aside, continuing to command the Black Fish Puppet, lurking in the river.

After all, the Well Dragon King had a Taoist Record on him, and any death or movement would trigger a reaction; Fang Xi did not want to disturb the snake in the grass for the time being.

"If this Well Dragon King still holds the Water Transporter Godhood Position, then I could take it back for a thorough study."

"At this time, should I go rob Zhang Youde’s Bai Gan Village land Godhood Position?"

"Forget it. It’s just a low, ungraded Godhood Position... In the future, there should be more choices and opportunities."

...

In the county city.

Gan Yu, with a road-weary face, finally arrived at the gate of the county city.

At the city gate, there were patrolling soldiers, scanning the incoming people with the keen eyes of hawks.

Gan Yu felt a chill in his heart just from making eye contact, "These are fierce and formidable soldiers..."

But soon, he sensed something was amiss.

Do ordinary county city patrols need to be this elite?

Even he, who had consumed Spiritual Objects, felt a chill in his heart. These soldiers must have killed people, seen blood, and possessed fierce martial skills. Even on battlefields, they would be elite soldiers!

’Could it be that trouble is brewing?’

Gan Yu’s thoughts raced, and he even had the impulse to abandon his scholarly examination.

However... The threat of the Well Dragon King loomed before him, so he had no choice but to queue up and enter the city honestly.

At the city gate.

Various official documents and wanted posters were posted on the gate tower.

"Diviner Zhen Li... Practicing the Art of Life, offering worship to heretical gods... Whosoever captures her will be rewarded ten gold, dead or alive, and informants will receive a reward of five silver..."

Gan Yu glanced over and saw a sea arrest document among them. With just a few strokes, the likeness of a woman in her thirties, still retaining some of her youthful beauty, was vividly portrayed, especially a beauty spot on the corner of her mouth that made a lasting impression.

He looked a few more times and saw several portraits of famous wanted criminals:

"Flying Star Temple’s Prime Taoist Mei... Violating martial laws, attacking imperial officers, killing many clerks and constables, living as a fugitive... Dead or alive, anyone who kills him will be rewarded fifty gold."

"Fifty gold!"

Gan Yu was shocked; that’s five thousand silver!

Enough to buy a house near the county city, along with a hundred acres of fertile land, to comfortably live as a wealthy man from then on.

"Prime Taoist Mei..."

He glanced at the wanted poster, seemingly trying to memorize the face on it.

The Prime Taoist Mei was depicted as a gaunt old man. It was truly hard to associate him with an arch-criminal who attacked Daoist officials and was guilty of numerous murders...