The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Wang Wen had long ago considered removing the restrictions on the promotion of his subordinate ghosts and spirits.

The reason we kept delaying it was because the timing wasn't right.

After all, he was previously only the God of Huangshan and the City God of Xuzhou, and the number of gods under his command was limited, and he was confined to Huainan Road.

If he had lifted the promotion restrictions on his ghosts and underworld messengers early on, but couldn't provide enough positions for them to take their places, wouldn't that give his ghosts and underworld messengers the impression of being a makeshift, petty operation?
Now, the time is not just ripe, it's reached a point where the restrictions on promotion must be lifted...

With so many divine positions, he could no longer promote his own people based on nepotism as before. With such a large operation, he didn't have that many people to promote.

Moreover, removing the promotion restrictions would not only quickly establish the administrative system of the Central Town Huangshan Prefecture Lord, but also stimulate the initiative of the ghosts and spirits under his command, encouraging them to actively go out and find things to do and earn merit.

It should be noted that all the merit points and good deeds earned by all the ghosts and spirits under his command belong to Wang Wen.

Their 30% is a small number.

Wang Wen's 70% is a huge number!
As soon as the second decree was issued, all the ghosts and spirits under Wang Wen's command who met the promotion requirements immediately noticed the unusual movement of their official badges. They all took out their badges and were pleasantly surprised to see that, just like in the magic of various schools of thought, the words "can be promoted" appeared on the badges after their positions.

In an instant, countless ghosts and spirits chose to be promoted without hesitation.

When their promotion requests reached Wang Wen, he mindlessly agreed.

[Underworld Messenger Chu Chunsheng Promoted to Underworld Detective]

Wu Qibao, a messenger from the underworld, is promoted to underworld constable.

[The Cultivation Ceremony of Li Sixi, the Mountain God]

[Yellow Turban Warrior Zhao Chuyi's Promotion Ceremony to Mountain God]

Wang Wen looked at the notifications that were flooding in like comments in a live stream, and hurriedly typed a patch.

"Imperial Decree: By imperial decree, all Yin Gods under the command of the Central Town Huangshan Divine Palace who have accumulated enough Yin Virtue for promotion may apply to the Venerable One for a higher position by consuming Yin Virtue. In addition to Huangshan, all mountain gods, land gods, divine generals, judges, as well as the prefectural and county-level city gods and their judges and Yin constables within the Huainan Circuit are included in this decree!"

[Wang Bajin, the Yellow Turban Warrior, is promoted to City God of Jiangdu County]

Wang Wen caught a glimpse of the "bullet comments" flashing before his eyes, quickly dumped the approval work on Wu Yanzu, who was distracted, and then stepped out of Huangshan Cave, straddling the back of Hei Erniu, who was happily munching on fresh herbs in the mountains: "Let's go!"

As he expected, the moment he stepped out of Huangshan Cave Heaven, Wu Yanzu, distracted by a thunderous outburst that had to be completely silenced, chased after him and rushed out of Huangshan Cave Heaven.

"Wang Erhu, you big bastard, are you even human? Beep beep beep, beep beep beep..."

Urged on by him, Hei Erniu, completely bewildered, carried him and sped off towards the northeast. It took several breaths before they finally escaped Wu Yanzu's distracted shouts and curses.

Wang Wen awkwardly wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead, not forgetting to turn back and transmit his thoughts telepathically: "You even curse yourself, you're really ruthless..."

He certainly has a way to distract Daniel Wu and reset him back to the hardworking, unassuming office worker he once was.

But the price was the loss of that fleeting spark of inspiration that distracted Daniel Wu.

Not worth the candle.

……

Half an hour later, the black Qilin appeared in the sky above the Hongze Lake Water Palace.

Wang Wen released his divine sense to encompass the entire Hongze Lake, and saw that the bottom of the lake was densely packed with aquatic demon soldiers and generals. These demon soldiers and generals, with their bizarre appearances, were swept away by his divine sense, which contained a trace of the majesty of the Lord of Huangshan. They immediately scrambled all over the place like crabs in a swarm of boiling water. The churning mud and sand instantly turned the vast Hongze Lake into a pool of muddy water. The slightly gruesome scene was enough to make any person with trypophobia get goosebumps...

His divine sense scanned the area only once, and a precise set of numbers appeared in his mind: '6,589 second-tier demon soldiers, 273 third-tier demon generals, 18 fourth-tier transformed demons, 2 fifth-tier demon kings... Hmm?'

He let out a soft "hmm" in surprise. His divine sense clearly perceived Zhi Baiqing's presence, yet he still couldn't see through Zhi Baiqing's true nature.

The next second, a dark light shot out from the bottom of the lake, and flew to Wang Wen's front. It transformed into a slender figure dressed in a black and red high crown and wide belt, with flowing sleeves, exuding the ancient charm of the Qin and Han dynasties, but with an eerie and greasy temperament, resembling a transvestite.

If he's not Zhi Baiqing, the reclusive man at the bottom of the lake and a thousand-year-old diver, then who is he?

Zhi Baiqing clasped his hands together and bowed respectfully to Wang Wenyi, saying, "Zhi Baiqing greets the General!"

After it finished bowing, Ao Qing and Bai Zimo led a group of transformed demons, some burly and some with exquisite features, to arrive late. They clasped their hands and shouted in unison, "This humble servant greets the Great General!"

Wang Wen sized up the monsters in front of him.

He saw only awe in the eyes of demons like Ao Qing and Bai Zimo.

But in Zhi Baiqing's eyes, he only saw astonishment...

He understood that the differences in the demons' eyes reflected a vast disparity in strength and perspective.

Clearly, Zhi Baiqing had a clear understanding of his changes.

The group of demons, led by Ao Qing and Bai Zimo, could only sense that his aura had become stronger.

A faint sense of heaviness suddenly welled up in Wang Wen's heart, and he thought to himself: 'You absolutely must live well...'

He said softly, "Get up, all of you. You've all worked hard."

Bai Zimo bowed again with a solemn and respectful expression: "We are merely following orders, which is hardly hard work. The real hard work is that of the General, who is responsible for countless affairs every day and shoulders the survival and well-being of millions of people in Huainan and Jiangnan!"

'You son of a bitch, are you trying to impress me?'

Ao Qing cursed inwardly, then quickly bowed again: "Yes, General, the battle hasn't even started yet. We're enjoying good food and drink every day, what hardship is that? It's you, General, who's been running around in the wind and rain, that's the real hardship..."

The two great demon kings took the lead in flattering him, and their group of transformed demons all echoed, "Yes, yes, the great general is the one who truly works hard..."

Wang Wen gave Bai Zimo an approving look.

That's why he strongly supported Bai Zimo to become the master of Chaohu Water Palace.

If the subordinates don't get involved, how can the boss maintain his position? "Alright, enough talk, let's go inside!"

He patted the black Qilin beneath him, signaling it to go play in the surrounding mountains and forests. Then he led the way down into the Hongze Lake underwater palace. He didn't seem to use any water-avoiding spells or any water-splitting magic. However, after he landed on the water's surface, the lake water that should have touched him seemed to have a spirit, avoiding him. But instead of separating directly, it gently adhered to his surroundings without disturbing a single hair or thread on his body.

Despite the lake water surging around him, he remained completely dry, without a trace of water on his body.

This wondrous sight filled the two demon kings following behind Wang Wen with even greater awe…

"Ah Er, quickly take a team of men and prepare a fine feast!"

"Big Eyes, are your eyes just for venting your anger? Can't you see how hard the General has worked and how thin he's become?"

Zhi Baiqing remained silent on the surface, but secretly transmitted his thoughts to Wang Wen: "Congratulations to the General on your further advancement and increased divine power!"

Wang Wen turned his head, looking at Zhi Baiqing behind him with a half-smile: "You figured it out?"

After pondering for a long time, Zhi Baiqing finally decided to reveal a little about his background to Wang Wen: "Reporting to the General, my father was once the water god of the Huai River, and I have some knowledge of the way of gods..."

'The water god of the Huai River?'

Wang Wen silently recited the divine position in his mind in astonishment, but after a long time of recalling, he still had no recollection of it. However, he immediately realized something and transmitted his voice in shock: "Aren't you a zombie? You inherited your consciousness from your previous life?"

Do zombies have fathers?
That's definitely not the case.

A zombie's consciousness is a completely new consciousness born from the corpse, and it has no connection with the creature that the corpse was in life. Even if it accidentally recalls some fragments of memories from its previous life, it will not feel any sense of identification with them.

Not to mention a zombie, Wang Wen can be considered a reincarnation in a sense, and he also inherited the property and social relationships of his predecessor, yet he has never confused the identities of Wang Wen and Wang Erhu.

Even now, when people in Yangzhou occasionally talk about Wang Erhu's messy and disgraceful past, he remains completely unmoved...

Because he knew clearly in his heart that Wang Erhu was Wang Erhu and he, Wang Wen, was Wang Wen. What did it matter to him, Wang Wen, what other people said about Wang Erhu?
Faced with Wang Wen's question, Zhi Baiqing did not elaborate, but only vaguely replied, "The General is not wrong..."

'Doesn't that mean this guy is a second-generation god?'

Wang Wen muttered to himself in surprise, then suddenly remembered that when he first met this guy in western Hunan, the guy had asked him, "If you're from above and have been sent down for training, you should have said so earlier. We're all people of status, there's no need to fight to the death."

At that time, he thought the "identity" this guy was talking about was an identity card.

Now it seems...

Wang Wen bluntly asked, "Hey old man, you wouldn't happen to be a backup plan left behind by the Heavenly Court in this mortal realm, would you?"

Zhi Baiqing looked at him in surprise upon hearing this, not expecting him to have guessed this part so quickly: "General, have you forgotten? When we met in Xiangxi, I told you that I am an honest corpse."

Wang Wen: "What do you mean?"

Zhi Baiqing answered honestly, "Before the Heavenly Court left this world, I never received any decree from the Heavenly Court. However, since ancient times, I have always respected the Heavenly Court and maintained good relations with its immortals and gods. Regardless of whether there is a decree from the Heavenly Court, I will always lend a helping hand to anything that benefits the Heavenly Court..."

Wang Wen understood, and thought to himself in shock: 'This guy really is a backup plan left behind by the Heavenly Court!'

'That's true. Aside from zombies, a species excluded from the Three Realms and Six Paths, it's really hard to find any immortals or gods who could withstand a large-scale Dharma-ending Age. And with this guy's strength, he's already powerful enough to crush anything that dares to challenge him in the early stages of spiritual energy revival!'

If it weren't for the Heavenly Lord's backing, he wouldn't be a match for this guy at all.

It was only then that he belatedly realized why this guy had suddenly joined his ranks... It turned out that he had seen the favor of Heaven upon him!

This guy is really an honest corpse!
As the two beings communicated through their divine senses, they had already stepped into the main hall of the Water Palace.

Although the Hongze Lake Water Palace is located at the bottom of the lake, Ao Qing placed a large number of glowing fluorite stones around the Water Palace, making this Water Palace, which was rebuilt in the style of his Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, appear blue-green and not dark.

Wang Wen sat down in the main seat of the hall with an air of authority, letting Ao Qing and Bai Zimo loudly arrange the banquet to welcome him. He secretly continued to transmit his voice to Zhi Baiqing: "Your current strength is far from what you were at your peak, isn't it?"

Zhi Baiqing gave him a small compliment: "General, you have a good eye. Although I am not within the Three Realms and Six Paths, the Heavenly Laws have been concealed and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has diminished in this Dharma-ending Age. It has still worn down a large part of my original essence. It will take at least 30 to 50 years before I can hope to recover my full strength!"

'Damn it, no wonder no matter how much my strength increases, I can never see this guy clearly...'

Wang Wen was speechless, but he didn't have any extra negative emotions. After all, his physical strength was only the lower limit of his combat power, while the upper limit of his combat power was the number after the merit column on the Lord's Decree.

"After you woke up, did you see or hear any familiar people or demons?"

After pondering and hesitating for a long time, Zhi Baiqing replied uncertainly to his question: "Reporting to the General, around the time of the Awakening of Insects this year, I heard a dragon's roar that sounded somewhat familiar near Hongzhou. However, after investigating for a long time, I was unable to find the source of that dragon's roar."

"The sound of a dragon's roar during the Awakening of Insects? Hongzhou?"

Wang Wen pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "I'll send someone to investigate later..."

He paused, then asked casually, "By the way, what's your opinion on that long snake in the Yellow River?"

Zhi Baiqing glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and then said, "That snake is nothing to worry about. With the Great General's divine might, it can be captured with ease... The crux of the matter lies in the shamanism in the north."

Wang Wen stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed and said, "I thought it would be a while before you reported this to me!"

Upon hearing this, Zhi Baiqing's eyes showed surprise for the first time. He then bowed with a look of shame and said, "General, you have treated me with sincerity, but I have held back. This is my fault, and I am willing to accept your punishment!"

In fact, if it hadn't witnessed Wang Wen's divine position advance again in such a short period of time, it certainly wouldn't have revealed this matter so quickly.

It sought refuge with Wang Wen in hopes of gaining a chance to escape poverty.

His contact with the shamanistic religion in the north was also an attempt to find a way to make a living...

Wang Wen waved his hand casually: "I understand your thoughts, so I won't hold it against you this time... but this is the only time. If there's a next time, don't blame me, Wang Wen, for turning my back on you!"

Zhi Baiqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and obediently bowed, saying, "Thank you for your leniency, General." (End of Chapter)