Becoming an immortal and ancestor begins with the golden toad spitting out money.

Chapter 7 Black Tiger's Might, High-Grade Spell

Just moments before the fight broke out in the Zhang family courtyard, a sigh suddenly came from somewhere in Dongsang Village.

"This move has indeed proven to be very useful!"

The speaker, dressed in a round-necked indigo casual suit, was clearly just a ghost less than six feet tall, yet he still possessed an imposing and dignified air.
He was none other than the local earth god.

The plan was to lure the snake out of its hole, so of course, the performance had to be elaborate. The "Earth God" did indeed go to the City God Temple, but that "Earth God" was merely a local spirit soldier in charge of the Earth Spirit Official's [talisman].

The real local deity had been making arrangements in the village for a long time, but the reason he hadn't taken action yet was because he had some concerns.

He had long known about Zhang Xiaolian's special nature; someone who could have such vivid dreams must possess some kind of special soul constitution.

He was aware of the existence of the lame demon, but if he made a move in Zhang Xiaolian's dream, not to mention that the lame demon might desperate and detonate the Dream Spirit Jade, even the aftershocks of the battle could damage Zhang Xiaolian's foundation.

To break the deadlock, we need to introduce a new variable.

However, Zhang Xiaolian is just an ordinary mortal and cannot see the spirit soldiers of the Earth God Temple. Even if acquaintances in reality can enter her dreams, they cannot help her much.

The local earth god originally wanted to find a Taoist priest to perform magic tricks in the village. As long as he could arouse Zhang Xiaolian's interest, he could enter her dream and break the deadlock from within.

Unexpectedly, the golden toad that Zhang Xiaolian touched was not only a monster, but also the soul of a human with innate wisdom.

He hadn't considered the Golden Toad at first, and granting it the spiritual weapon [Talisman] was merely out of appreciation for its talent.

It wasn't until the golden toad brought over all the money it had collected over the years that he not only saw the golden toad's rich humanity and excellent character, but also had the idea of ​​breaking the deadlock ahead of time.

While Xuanxiu's magic tricks may be captivating, they may not necessarily manifest in Zhang Xiaolian's dreams, since everyone has their own privacy.

The golden toad was different. Not only did Zhang Xiaolian personally retrieve it from the river, but after placing it on the altar, it spat out amulets and twenty-four copper coins overnight.

With such a mythical golden toad in his home, the local earth god was certain that Zhang Xiaolian would be very curious. So, after giving her the profound skill "Minor Yin-Yang Method," he spread the word about the golden toad spitting out money.

The golden toad performed fairly well throughout the day, but in order to maximize the success rate, the local deity did not fully explain the plan.

Although the golden toad returned a little late tonight, it still managed to enter Zhang Xiaolian's dream and actually broke the deadlock from within, driving the lame demon out of Zhang Xiaolian's dream home.

The lame demon, seeking to maximize its profits, temporarily lay low, intending to invade the house again once the burning incense and paper money were exhausted.

It was this chance, which might only last a few breaths, that the Earth God seized. He not only blocked the lame demon's path into the room, but also used Zhang Xiaolian's faith in the Earth God to unleash his suppressive power.

In that instant, the Earth God, who was hundreds of feet away, noticed the changes in the Heavenly Soul Dream Avatar. While feeling moved, he began to issue commands.

"The time has come, all of you, follow me and attack!"

At this moment, he did not have the land deity's [command], but none of the surrounding spirit soldiers dared to disobey his orders, and all used their strongest methods.

In an instant, several beams of spiritual light burst forth from all around the path where the demon was, completely surrounding the dark figure that had just sensed the limping demon.

"Ouch!"

Only then did the dark figure reveal its true form, which turned out to be a ferocious black tiger demon.

Ordinary ghosts are only a few inches tall, and even lame demons with some spiritual power are only a little over two feet tall. Day-roaming spirits like Su Ji are no more than three or four feet tall, and the local earth god is only seven feet tall.

Knowing its whereabouts had been exposed, the black tiger demon no longer concealed itself. It roared to the sky and grew taller in the wind, transforming into a massive black tiger nearly ten feet long.

Seeing that the spirit soldiers had formed an encirclement, it was not afraid at all, but instead had a fierce look on its face: "Without the land, how dare you bully me?"

After saying that, the black tiger shook its body, and a black armor exuding a murderous aura appeared around its body. Although it was just a trapped beast's struggle, it gave people a sense of immense power.

"As expected, it's a tiger demon from the mountains!" The local earth god stepped forward, his aura no less imposing than that of the black tiger demon.

Although the demons that infiltrated the village were silenced by the previous local earth god, they were still able to detect some clues.

As expected, it was this tiger demon cultivator who had collaborated with the previous local earth god, using his accomplices to harvest the villagers' dream power. Seeing the cultivator approaching, the black tiger realized the situation was dire and, though outwardly fierce, said weakly, "Cultivator of the Cave Profound Realm, this matter involves many things. If you intervene, be prepared to bear the consequences!"

After saying that, Black Tiger shook his body, and five changgui appeared on his left and right. Among them, two changgui with a strong evil aura should be old ghosts, while the three changgui that were similar to ordinary ghost cultivators should be newly added changgui.

With the help of five cougars, the Black Tiger Ghost Cultivator gained much more confidence. After blocking a wave of attacks from the spirit soldiers, he fixed his gaze on the Cave Profound cultivator in front of him.

There are roughly three types of cultivators in the cultivation world: the Cave God, the Cave Profound, and the Cave True.

Those who worship gods, cultivate themselves, and accumulate merit may become deities after death.

Those who cultivate the Heavenly Soul have many methods, but they fear cause and effect.

Those who cultivate the true essence focus on the human soul, emphasizing longevity and the immortality of the true spirit.

The reason why the local deity values ​​Su Ji is because he suspects that Su Ji, who has awakened his innate wisdom, may have had some abilities in his previous life. Even if he can only preserve a trace of his true spirit, it is enough to make him a good friend.

As for the threat of the Black Tiger Demon, the Earth God didn't take it to heart at all: "You've guessed wrong. When I was alive, I became a spirit soldier of the City God Temple. After more than 20 years of cultivation, I have also gained some profound cultivation."

"Even though the local deity's [talisman] is not on my person, I can still capture you and bring you to justice with the help of many spirit soldiers!"

Although spirit soldiers, spirit officials, and spirit lords are powerful, they are ultimately just positions. Many serving deities are content with their lot, while others seek to cultivate profound skills within themselves; the Earth God is one of the latter.

Now that the Earth God has lost his divine power, he relies on his profound cultivation. With a single breath, a flame containing a great deal of yang energy bursts forth.

Seeing the yang fire surging towards them, the black tiger demon dared not be negligent at all. It opened its mouth and spat out a stream of yin energy mixed with golden thorns.

"boom!"

As the flames collided with the golden spikes, the clash of yin and yang created a small-scale explosion, blasting many flames and golden spikes into the air, resembling a firework display.

This time, no one gained an advantage, but the Black Tiger Ghost Cultivator suddenly laughed: "I thought a bunch of demon-slaying cultivators had come, and I was afraid that if I beat the young ones, the old ones would come instead. I didn't expect it to be just you!"

As he said this, the Black Tiger Ghost Cultivator suddenly raised his upper body and swung out his claws, instantly sending out two powerful ghost claws in a cross shape.

A flash of light appeared in the Earth God's hand, and a vine-like rope flew out. He then tried to dodge the ghostly claw.

However, even the claws of the lame demon have the ability to track, and the claws of the black tiger demon are even more so.

The Earth God did not use any protective magic, but instead his entire body shone with black and white light as he said:
“Low-grade spells have form but no power; mid-grade spells have power but no intention… Your ghost claw, which obtains power through the will of others, is merely ‘false will.’ How can it unleash the power of a high-grade spell?”
"Now I will show you what a truly superior spell is!"

Upon hearing this, the Earth God's previously ethereal soul trembled, and then solidified at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Before the ghost claws even arrived, the Earth God's entire soul was as clear as a piece of white jade. He simply reached out and slapped them, and the two ghost claws shattered, leaving not even a scratch on his hand.

Immediately, not only the Black Tiger Demon and most of the spirit soldiers present, but even Su Ji, who had just arrived with the lame demon, was greatly shocked.

The low-level supernatural abilities that the spirit weapon possesses are only equivalent to low-grade spells. The local earth god said that his [Golden Toad Transformation] supernatural ability has been perfected, but it is also only at the level of low-level supernatural abilities.

The intermediate-level supernatural powers used by Spirit Officials correspond to mid-grade spells, while only the advanced supernatural powers possessed by Spirit Lords correspond to high-grade spells.

He never imagined that the newly appointed local earth god might actually be a high-level cultivator with superior magic!

Upon closer reflection, this situation is not surprising.

In the secular world, some people may become generals because of their superior martial arts skills.

In the pantheon of deities, no matter how high one's cultivation level is, one must first accumulate enough merit before advancing to the next level.

Suddenly, Su Ji had a thought: "In that case, I'd better cling tightly to the local earth god's leg!"

(End of this chapter)