Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 401 Homecoming, Divine Position

On a summer night, cicadas chirped incessantly in the green belts on both sides of the road.

The lingering heat of the asphalt road had not yet dissipated, and the wind surging out of the Shanghai subway entrance, carrying the hurried footsteps of the crowd, made it impossible to feel any warmth in the humid heat.

A well-dressed man in a suit and tie, carrying a laptop, walked numbly out of the station with the crowd. His tie was lifted by a sudden night wind, like a struggling silver fish slapping against the front of his shirt, messy yet tightly bound, just like his life. He dared not escape, and he could not make a living. He was over thirty years old, his career had not improved, and the hope he once held in his hands had become increasingly thin.

Niu Ma subconsciously covered his fluttering but inseparable tie with his hand, then raised his head and pushed up his glasses.

Then, he stood there blankly for a moment, his eyes gradually changing.

At that moment, a golden-red streak of light pierced the sky and then went straight into the skull of the ox and horse, merging the two into one.

In an instant, fate has changed.

At the same time, in different places, similar things are happening frequently.

The automatic door of a convenience store in Tokyo jingled open, and the girl holding the oden paper cup suddenly froze on the spot. Soup dripped down the tilted rim of the cup onto her Dr. Martens boots, soiling the expensive shoes she had bought. However, she did not immediately wipe them clean as she usually would.

As a beam of white light descended vertically, her slightly metallic attire exploded instantly. A moment later, when the holy light dissipated from her body, she had changed into an ancient military shrine maiden outfit, which made her look both heroic and divinely beautiful. The katana at her waist and the longbow on her back both emitted a strange divine light.

In a fast food restaurant in Hong Kong, Ah Hao, a "McDonald's" guy who had been dozing off with his arms crossed, suddenly stood up. The middle-aged man, who had previously looked disheveled, down-on-his-luck, and listless, suddenly became radiant. With a slight push from his flip-flops, a fine, deep crack appeared in the floor, and the shadows of a dragon and a tiger swirled around him. A bright yellow Taoist robe was draped over his body, and a peach wood sword appeared in his hand. Upon closer inspection... he resembled an old friend.

In America, Little Black, whose magazines had been emptied during the day, was awake in the autopsy room. He spat out spent cartridges, and his pupils, along with the whites of his eyes, had turned completely black. Sitting on the autopsy table, he touched the internal organs that had been removed from his body. Little Black sat there and let out a chilling laugh.

In India, a young man who had just been gang-raped on a bus put away his miserable expression and, dragging his battered body, stood in the middle of the road, assuming a posture of asceticism with one leg on one side and his hands supporting the sky. As he began his ascetic practice, his wounds healed rapidly, and all the torment and suffering he had endured became a source of blessing.

······
With each incident occurring at the same time, governments around the world naturally couldn't react immediately.

In an instant, more streams of light poured out from the gaps in the clouds, melting the glass curtain walls of the skyscrapers into millions of prisms, and the neon signs faded into pale silhouettes in the intense light.

More intangible and intangible things were thrown into this world.

From that very moment on, the course of this world was forcibly steered onto a side path.

The original trajectory was copied, and it continued to walk in the original direction.

Everything that was changed evolved into a new, powerful parallel universe connected to the destiny of the ancestral land.

"Mom, look!" The boy, riding on his father's shoulders, let go of the balloon. The helium balloon wobbled and rose into the sky, where light and rain intertwined, before being swallowed by a shooting star trailing a blue flame.

The boy's mother looked up at the stars that seemed to have fallen from the sky at once, her mouth agape.

Everything was as beautiful as a dream.

As long as one is conscious and stands outside the house, no one will fail to notice this unusual change.

Some people took out their phones to record the event, ready to immediately post it on WeChat Moments or Douyin.

Some people became wary and planned to find a more open place to take shelter, after all... with such an anomaly, no one knew what would happen next.

Qiu Chuqing... or rather Qiu Chuji, also rose from the dark corner in that instant, as if stars were descending.

This body had just been taught a lesson by thugs, and had been hit hard on the back of the head.

But it definitely doesn't hurt anymore now.

Although a Golden Immortal is not yet a permanent immortal, they are still immortal beings of the metal element. When their primordial spirit merges into this body, their physical body will quickly recover to its normal level.

"You're back!" Qiu Chuji exclaimed with deep emotion.

Many years have passed, and although I haven't forgotten what happened, it feels so distant now, as if it were from several lifetimes ago, that it doesn't feel real anymore.

Naturally, he didn't dwell too much on past grudges. In the instant he recovered, he casually chanted a spell to kill the thugs who attacked him, along with the mastermind behind them.

After doing a small task, Qiu Chuji walked out of the alley and began to organize his thoughts.

After confronting him, the Old Man of the South Pole didn't give him any more time to sort things out. Once he made his choice, he sent him directly back to his hometown.

He seemed a bit anxious, as if to avoid having any 'backup plans'.

Perhaps he needs to fight with all his might?
The Jade Void Bell did return with them, but it lacked the ability to traverse the heavens. It could only occasionally communicate briefly with some of its 'fellow Daoists' through the Jade Void Bell.

Besides that, all that remains is the wonder of the small world.

"According to what the Antarctic Immortal said, after I return to my hometown, I should quickly display my divine power, then establish a divine position, and then use the power of the secular world to expand my influence until I face off against other returnees with the same divine position, and determine the winner and loser through war, thus determining the ownership of the divine position."

"Of course, the best way to wage war is to do so in a way that is related to the nature of the divine position."

"Among them, the God of War is the simplest. In a superficial sense, as long as you can fight, that's enough. However, according to the analysis of the Antarctic Immortal, the foundation of the God of War position was extracted in the previous era, so this time the accumulation is insufficient. Trying to connect the past and present with the God of War position is not a good choice."

"The world is different now, and the definition of a core divine position may also be different."

The piercing sound of an air raid siren filled my ears.

After a buffer period of about ten minutes, the official response was swift.

Qiu Chuji bought a pack of Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes for 45 yuan at a small supermarket, opened it, lit one, and put it in his mouth.

One bite, and all you feel is nostalgia, not enjoyment.

This simple, basic addictive substance could no longer cause him any dependence.

As he puffed out smoke, his thoughts continued to wander.

"The Creator God, the God of Qi (the Sky God), the Sun God, the Thunder God, and the War God—these are the core divine positions that have been contested in the previous Great Luo Proof competitions, and they are also the divine positions most likely to connect the past and present."

"Of course, other divine positions may also connect the past and present, but the probability is smaller."

"According to the Antarctic Immortal, once the divine positions are determined, the concepts and definitions must be clear. This is not about being conferred titles and rewards in the heavens or the celestial court. Overly complex divine positions are not conducive to understanding the past and present. Because the simpler it is, the easier it is to understand and define, and it will not cause deviations due to different understandings among the masses, thus preventing the vast cognition of all living beings from being unable to be consolidated."

This is actually easy to understand. For example, Yang Jian has many titles and honors in the Heavenly Court and among the heavens, but the one that is easiest to understand and connect with is 'God of War'.

The titles such as Erlang Manifesting Saint True Lord, Zhaohui Lingxian King, Qingyuan Miaodao True Lord, Daoji Hongjun Heavenly Venerable, Chongying Huimin Great Emperor, Qingyuan Miaodao Huguo Chongning True Lord, Chuanshu Great Emperor Weiling Manifesting Heavenly Venerable, etc., are all very mysterious and profound, but the general public simply cannot understand what these titles mean or what they represent.

Take Guan Yu for example, he had even more responsibilities, like the Guan Gong who brought children!
Anyway, no one knows how Guan Yu got involved with the "giving children" thing.

But what he is best known for is his 'loyalty and righteousness', and he can be called the god of loyalty and righteousness.

This was his core divine position, the foundation upon which he connected the past and present, cultivating himself to become a Great Luo Immortal. A tremor ran through his chest, and Qiu Chuji reached into his pocket, pulling out a cell phone.

The call came from an unknown number.

Qiu Chuji connected.

"Hey! It's me! Surprised? Unexpected?" Nezha's voice came from the other end of the phone.

Qiu Chuji looked up at the large screen not far away, where the promotion for Nezha 2's box office exceeding 15 billion yuan was displayed. He was not surprised at all.

With such a huge advantage, why doesn't he compete for the Great Luo Certificate? Has Nezha been wasting all these years?
"What kind of divine position do you plan to establish?" Qiu Chuji asked Nezha directly.

How about the God of Wealth?

"I... am the box office champion in the Chinese entertainment industry, with 15.9 billion... I am incredibly wealthy!" Nezha boasted on the other end of the phone.

Qiu Chuji gave a thumbs-up remotely, a gesture of approval.

“Yes! If the world doesn’t become turbulent, the God of Wealth can indeed be considered one of the core deities this time,” Qiu Chuji affirmed.

Nezha replied, "I was just kidding!"

"You believe everything I say? I'm definitely the vanguard!"

"With one shot, I will break through the sea, embark on an expedition overseas, and fire the first shot in China's cultural and entertainment counterattack on the world. I am determined to take this pioneering position, and there should be no competition for it."

"This time... I guarantee I'll pass!"

Nezha's tone was full of smugness.

Qiu Chuji wasn't envious at all... really!
After all, this shouldn't be Nezha's first time here. He's always been a runner-up in the past, and it's time for him to break through.

"However, you should reconsider the position of God of Wealth!"

"What was that lyric again...? Maybe the God of Wealth is in charge of the Old Man Under the Moon's thread..." Nezha's singing was nothing to write home about, but what he said did make some sense.

If the world is not in chaos and its overall operation is stable, the position of the God of Wealth is a coveted spot for almost all those returning home.

"Let's put that aside for now. Do you know who else is in our sect?"

“Now that we’re back, we can gather together, discuss things together, try to avoid clashes, and help each other out,” Qiu Chuji said.

Nezha, however, changed the subject: "Oh dear! The timing is perfect. I need to put on my mascot costume and go on stage to thank the audience. That's all..."

The call was then disconnected.

Qiu Chuji's eyes pierced through space and he indeed saw Nezha wearing the great doll costume of the Demon Child Nezha, holding the Fire-Tipped Spear, walking onto the stage ready to perform energetically.

"As expected, there's more to the story!" Qiu Chuji frowned slightly, but he didn't feel like he'd been deceived.

After all, he had already gained enough benefits. Although he didn't rise to the top overnight, he had still traversed in a few steps the path that many cultivators might take tens of thousands of years to complete. It was only natural that he was being used.

However... he also needs to find out what's behind this.

Then decide whether to follow the script.

"Judging from Nezha's appearance, I'm probably not the real main person he's supporting; I'm more like a figurehead used to accompany the prince in his studies."

"But... when transmigrators return home, are all of them Golden Immortals?"

"If that's the case, then Golden Immortals are practically worthless!"

When Qiu Chuji's thought arose, his primordial spirit had already covered the entire globe, searching for beings of the same level.

But after scanning around, whether it was because everyone was good at hiding or for some other reason, Qiu Chuji sensed only three people whose auras were comparable to those of a Golden Immortal.

In other words, there are currently only five Golden Immortals on this 'homecoming' journey.

Not a lot, not a little... but not a small amount either!

Of course, not having the cultivation level of a Golden Immortal does not affect one's chances of obtaining the Great Luo Certificate.

First of all, the concepts of Golden Immortal and Great Luo Golden Immortal are limited to Taoist and Buddhist civilizations and are not well-suited to other cultivation cultures.

Perhaps having attained a divine position that connects the past and present, they have their own ways of using it.

Using ancestral lands to manipulate the heavens and then ascend to the top in one step—this might not be impossible in some civilizations.

For example, the Vedic mythology, which originated in India, embodies the logic of asceticism and blessings. All divine power and supernatural abilities do not originate from oneself, but are obtained through asceticism to gain the attention of the Trinity or certain gods, and then receive powerful blessings.

Some blessings possess power that can even suppress the giver to some extent.

Even if these special cultivators don't exude a strong aura, Qiu Chuji shouldn't underestimate them.

Their arduous training was not simply a matter of 'praying' for power from the Triad Gods, with success or failure depending entirely on the Triad Gods' whims; rather, it was an evolution of specific rules.

If someone cultivates diligently under the guidance of the Triad God for a long period of time, then once the power of that cultivation has accumulated to a certain level, the Triad God will have to come out and bestow blessings, even if he is unwilling; otherwise, the heavens and earth will collapse and the universe will crumble...

Just so outrageous.

Their abilities are quite unique; their strength is so overwhelming that it's unreasonable. Of course, if their weaknesses are exploited, they will also be defeated very quickly.

In comparison, Qiu Chuji, as a legitimate Golden Immortal, has advantages in two main aspects.

Comprehensive and viable!

The Taoist practice has always had only one purpose: to achieve immortality!

Therefore, all kinds of Taoist methods and myriad wonderful techniques are for the sake of immortality!

All other methods are ways to protect the Way.

This means that Qiu Chuji had the greatest margin for error in this competition after returning to his hometown.

(End of this chapter)