Gods of the Nation: You worship the God of Longevity, I worship the King of Hell!

Chapter 139 Rebellion Against the Heavenly Gang! Recruiting Gods as Underlings and Using Them as Backers!

"Your Majesty, please take a look. These three treasures from the Underworld, though not of the highest grade, are roughly between the fifth and sixth grade by mortal standards."

The brocade box opened with a click.

The first brocade box contained a blood-red flower, its color so intense it was almost vividly red.

The second item was a piece of chalcedony that emitted an astonishingly cold aura.

The third item was a small, pale white grass.

"Grade 5 or 6 rare and precious materials?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen's pupils suddenly contracted.

If this were calculated based on military merit...

It would cost at least tens of thousands!
I never imagined that one day I would be bribed in this way.

"My Lord, this first item is called the [Lycoris Radiata Threads]. This flower only blooms when the souls of the dead are at their most obsessed. Each plant produces only three threads, which must be carefully guided by one's own spiritual power in order to be harvested."

"The second item, [Nine Netherworld Cold Marrow], is a drop of 'divine soul cold energy' condensed over a thousand years in the Frozen Hell, making it extremely rare."

"The third item, the Soul Return Grass, grows in the cracks between the stones by the Bridge of Helplessness. It feeds on the 'obsession with returning home' of the departed souls. Each grass corresponds to a wandering soul that has not yet entered the cycle of reincarnation. Before picking it, you must first fulfill its wish."

"Such a wondrous object exists; it truly broadens my horizons." Lu Chen found it quite intriguing, yet couldn't help but wonder, "But what use is such a treasure of the underworld to me? Could it be... for cultivation?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chenghuang smiled and said, "It's naturally unsuitable for cultivation. Since the emergence of the temple system, all the rare and precious materials in the world have become offerings to immortals and gods..."

He paused, slightly surprised, and asked, "Could it be... that Your Majesty has heard of something, or read some ancient and wondrous books?"

Lu Chen remained calm, revealing a deliberately profound smile, and said, "Why don't you ask me, sir, to answer my questions?"

Li Chenghuang suddenly realized and laughed, "It seems my prediction was correct. Your Majesty is indeed very knowledgeable."

Indeed! It is said that before the establishment of the temple system, spiritual practitioners could indeed temper themselves with the help of rare and precious materials.

However, after the Heavenly Court established incense temples, this lineage of cultivation was banned by the Heavenly Rules.

From then on, mortals could no longer cultivate through this method; they could only improve their cultivation by worshipping the gods.

As for the reasons behind this, it is beyond my knowledge; I am sure Your Majesty knows better than I do.

These rare and precious materials became the best offerings for mortals to worship the gods.

Surely the Supreme Ruler is aware that when mortals burn incense and worship gods, after a certain period, it loses its effect of increasing their service to the gods.

Want to continue to improve.

Either they are people destined by fate.

Or someone like the Supreme Lord, possessing supernatural powers and enjoying great fortune favored by the gods.

As for the remaining two, they are to complete the tasks assigned to the corresponding deities, or to offer heavenly treasures as tribute.

Therefore, the Supreme Lord can offer these rare and precious materials to the gods of the underworld.

It can also be used as a material for magical artifacts. For example, the Nine Nether Cold Marrow is an excellent auxiliary material for enhancing Yin-Yang magical treasures.

These spider lily threads and soul-returning grass are indispensable materials for making certain precious medicines.

However, it cannot be used for self-cultivation.

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen was filled with turmoil.

Unexpectedly, before the current temple system, the world was a completely different place.

"Strange... Why does the Heavenly Court bind deities and spirits so deeply? Is it merely to gather more offerings?"

Even without doing so, the offerings and prayers have never been lacking.

Lu Chen recalled that the Plague Emperor had said something similar before.

He found it strange at the time, but he couldn't connect the dots.

Now, Li Chenghuang brought it up again, but he still couldn't grasp the point.

But Lu Chen was certain that there must be a shocking secret hidden behind this!
Otherwise, why would the Heavenly Court need to go to such lengths?

Taking a deep breath, Lu Chen suppressed his doubts for the time being and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your clarification, sir."

"Your Majesty flatters me. I understand; Your Majesty is testing my insight."

Li Chenghuang humbly clasped his hands in greeting.

Lu Chen: "..."

You little brat, you're really good with words!
Lu Chen glanced at the brocade box in front of him, pondered for a moment, and asked, "How is the assessment for the position of City God of the Prefecture conducted? Is there a time limit?"

Li Chenghuang's expression turned serious: "The position of the Prefectural City God is no small matter, so the examination is no less rigorous than that of the Ten Kings of Hell. Therefore, His Majesty will certainly be extremely cautious and it will be difficult to make a decision in the short term."

"There has to be a time limit, right? Could it be that the last city god changed positions hundreds of years ago?"

“That’s not the case.” After a moment’s thought, Li Chenghuang replied, “According to the old custom, if such a situation occurs, His Majesty will usually personally visit the province to inspect the various state city gods.”

If someone is deemed suitable, they will be promoted to fill the vacancy.

If none of these conditions are met, the city god will be personally appointed and parachuted in.

The duration of the process varies... from a little over a month to about half a year.

"So it's still early; only a few days have passed." Lu Chen nodded and chuckled. "Very well, I'll remember this. After I've finished dealing with my current affairs, I'll find time to speak with the Star Lord." "Thank you so much, Your Majesty!!!" City God Li was moved to tears: "If I receive Your Majesty's strong assistance, Qingyuan will truly be able to ascend to the position of prefect. I will never forget this kindness and virtue!"

Having said that, He actually tried to kneel down and worship.

Fortunately, Lu Chen reacted quickly and caught him, saying, "My lord, you mustn't! This is Chenghuang Street, don't lose face."

"I will heed Your Majesty's teachings!" Li Chenghuang's eyes reddened, and his voice choked with emotion.

Lu Chen drew the three brocade boxes into his hand with a swift motion: "These three treasures are quite valuable; you've certainly gone to great lengths this time. Why not present them to the Supreme Being during his inspection? Wouldn't that be more direct?"

"Your Majesty is too kind. If I dared to do such a thing in front of His Majesty, not to mention my position, I'm afraid I would not be able to keep my official hat."

"What about the City God? If we offer sacrifices to Him, wouldn't we gain an advantage?"

“Your Majesty is unaware of the fact that although the City God of the Capital is the head of all City Gods, he only interacts with the City God of the Prefecture. He has almost no dealings with the City Gods of our State or County. Even if I wanted to offer a gift, I would have no way to do so.”

"I see." Lu Chen smiled, said no more, and put the brocade box into his storage ring.

The predicament of the city god of this state can be summed up in four words: "No way to offer gifts."

But then I ran into myself.

He deserves his good fortune.

Looking back now, when he left Chenghuang Street, the other party's attitude suddenly changed. It's likely that from that moment on, this Li Chenghuang was already secretly plotting to become the Chenghuang of the prefecture.

And now, they are extremely respectful, even willing to sacrifice their lifespan to help solve the case...

Everything that seemed illogical suddenly became logical.

Well then, it's better to resolve conflicts than to perpetuate them.

Since we've accepted the gift, it wouldn't hurt to say a few good words for Him in the future.

After all, having another powerful figure in the underworld as an ally is never a bad thing.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Lu Chen clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "In that case, I shall take my leave."

"My lord, please wait! If you need me, Qingyuan will be at your service at any time! I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"Thank you."

As Hu Sanniang tore open the barrier again.

Li Chenghuang bowed and took his leave.

The moment the barrier closed.

Li Chenghuang slowly straightened up, and the humble and eager smile on his face vanished like the tide.

He slowly and deliberately removed the mask, revealing a withered, expressionless face beneath.

Those eyes, which had been filled with admiration and excitement, were now filled with an unfathomable coldness.

“Fortunately, Junior Brother’s [Assignment] is the same as Wan Liang’s, otherwise…” He took a deep breath, a cold sneer rolling down his throat: “Today’s performance would have really exposed his true colors.”

His gaze swept towards the direction where space had just torn apart, and Li Chenghuang's eyes narrowed slightly. His fists, hidden in his sleeves, slowly clenched, making a cracking sound.
"Junior brother, don't worry. Your 'exposure' today will not have been in vain."

"The day I, your elder brother, ascend to the position of governor and wield power over the underworld of a province will be the day I help you to be officially appointed as the City God, so that you may enjoy eternal incense offerings!"

-

"Break!"

Space was torn apart again, and Hu Sanniang returned, kneeling on one knee: "My lord, the general has been safely returned."

Li Chenghuang simply gave a faint "hmm," his voice calm and devoid of any emotion: "Tell Wanliang to inform Ma Shilong to be on standby at any time and to act according to the plan."

"Yes, sir!" Hu Sanniang accepted the order and stood up to leave.

"Wait a minute."

"Does Your Excellency have any further instructions?" Hu Sanniang immediately stopped and bowed her head to listen respectfully.

Li Chenghuang gazed down at her, a hint of stingy tenderness finally appearing in his cold eyes:
"Don't worry, once this is done, the position of City God of Jiangdu will be yours. Consider it my compensation to you."

Hu Sanniang bowed deeply: "Thank you for your guidance, sir!"

"Go."

"Yes!"

After he bowed and left, Li Chenghuang stood alone in the hall, gazing at the ancient underworld lamp hanging from the ceiling, his eyes deep and somber.

Laughter could no longer be suppressed.

"Truly—heaven is helping me!"

　Since this is an update at this hour, could you please give me a generous data boost? A new month has begun, so please vote for me with monthly tickets and recommendations!

　　——No tipping allowed!
　　— I hope everyone will save this money for memberships!

　　That would be the greatest support for a young author!

　　By the way, if you're going to open it, try to do so through the link in this book...

　　This way, the young author will receive a tiny extra reward.

　　muah!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)