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

Chapter 141 Conferring of the Register!

Lu Chen's shoulder ached from the slap: "Sir, be gentle! What's your cultivation level, and mine? My bones feel like they're about to fall apart!"

Yu Feng burst into laughter: "It was my oversight. Tell me, how did you capture him?"

"The City God of Jiangdu helped."

"Oh?" Yu Feng wasn't surprised. "Then you deserve credit for that!"

He looked at Qiu Qianluo on the ground: "Did you get any answers?"

"This man is very stubborn and didn't reveal much. The most crucial piece of information is that he comes from Hunan and is determined to become a ghost immortal."

“Xiangnan?” Yu Feng’s eyes sharpened. “As expected! I suspected from the beginning that the mastermind was related to Xiangnan. Only that place could produce such evil arts!”

Lu Chen asked curiously, "Sir, what exactly is Hunan? Why is it so special?"

Yu Feng turned back and gave him a deep look. After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head and said, "Forget it. Don't ask too many questions about that place. Knowing too much won't do you any good."

Lu Chen: "..."

If you don't want to say, then don't. We'll just ask Zeng Rou and Wang Zhidong later.

Yu Feng waved his hand, ordering the guards to take the man away.

"Young man, you handled this matter well! I originally thought you were just providing clues, but I didn't expect you to personally bring the person back! Rest assured, I will never go back on my promise to you. Pack your bags and prepare to be promoted to a new noble. I will handle the rest."

"Wait, sir, this matter is not over yet!"

Yu Feng was taken aback. "Hasn't the murderer already been captured?"

Lu Chen shook his head: "This scoundrel is one of the murderers. The other one hasn't been caught yet."

"There were two murderers!?"

“Yes!” Lu Chen explained as simply as possible, “Sir, you may not have a deep understanding of the ‘Five Hells to Become an Immortal’ method. The ghost immortals created by this method are not one, but… two! This person is only one of them, and the other is still in the shadows. However, this person is an outsider, yet he is so familiar with this place, so he must have accomplices helping him behind the scenes. Therefore, I speculate…”

He paused at this point, glancing at the guards behind him.

Yu Feng said with a smile, "Don't worry, these are my personal guards. You can speak freely."

Lu Chen nodded: "Most likely, that other person... has considerable influence in Jiangdu City!"

Yu Feng narrowed his eyes slightly: "You mean... the four major families, or the ten rising elites?"

Lu Chen shook his head: "We can't be so hasty. After all, there are too many rich and powerful people in Jiangdu City, not necessarily the newly rich or the four major families. However, I can confirm one thing: the other culprit is either seriously ill or dying. Do you have any relevant clues, sir?"

"A person seriously ill...a person who is about to die?"

Yu Feng frowned and muttered, "I haven't heard of any of the four great families—Sun, Wu, Zhao, and Qin—having encountered any misfortune."

As for the ten major families...

—Fang Jia.

—The Liu family.

—The Peng family.

……

……

—The Ma family.

Even this city lord cannot fully understand it.

"Should I go check it out first?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Never mind, it's not a big deal if we don't investigate, anyway..."

He glanced at the time; it was already past midnight.

"I should know by tomorrow evening. Investigating now would probably only alert them."

"What do you mean by that?" Yu Feng asked, puzzled.

Lu Chen didn't hide anything and briefly recounted the afternoon's worship of the Kitchen God.

"What!?" Yu Feng was stunned on the spot, his eyes wide open, staring at Lu Chen strangely: "Worship the Kitchen God?! No... you kid, do you only worship uncommon deities? You worship this household god too?"

"Sir, you can't say that. The Kitchen God is just less popular now. Back in the day, who would dare say he was unpopular? Your ancestors must have worshipped the Kitchen God!"

Yu Feng thought about it and agreed, giving a thumbs up: "I have nothing to say, you're awesome! I see now, when it comes to starting a new business, you're definitely a professional!"

"You have a good eye, sir!" Lu Chen smiled and returned a thumbs up.

"But what exactly is this 'ceremonial guard' you just mentioned? I've never heard of it before..."

"Well..." Lu Chen smiled and brushed it off: "It was as if an immortal touched my head and bestowed upon me immortality."

Anyway, the immortals said it was a family tradition;

On the mortal side, he said it was bestowed by the immortals.

—Cannot be selected!

—It's impossible to select!

Yu Feng gave him a deep look and said with a sigh, "You're quite the character, kid! Alright, I won't ask any more questions. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Lu Chen pondered for a moment and shook his head: "No need. I can handle it myself. By the way, if I really want to do something, in case it causes some strange phenomena, I would like to trouble the city lord to help me persuade those curious people who want to come and take a look, so as not to disturb my altar."

"Rest assured, with me here, no one will dare to disturb us."

"Alright, that's enough! This person is now in your care, sir."

Yu Feng glanced at Qiu Qianluo and sneered, "I'd like to see how long his mouth can stay so tight. Take him away!"

After seeing Yu Feng off, Lu Chen stretched his muscles.

"Alright, let's continue."

— Copying scriptures.

Still copying scriptures, damn it!
……

As night deepened, the lights dimmed, and a thin mist drifted through the streets and alleys.

North of the city, the Zhao family villa.

At this moment, Zhao Wanliang, the young master of the Zhao family, lay on the sofa with a gloomy expression.

His personal maid had long been dismissed.

He was the only person in the large hall.

A black jade talisman floated in front of him, its patterns strange and its light swirling.

"What's the matter?"

A deep, wary voice came from the jade talisman.

Zhao Wanliang suddenly stood up and coldly rebuked, "Where have you been? Why did it take you so long to react?"

"What are your orders, Young Master Zhao, so late at night?"

Zhao Wanliang suppressed his displeasure and lay down again: "I've come to see you today because I have something to tell you. Qiu Qianluo has been arrested."

"What!" Yu Fu suddenly became anxious on the other end: "What happened?" "What's the rush? You are the head of the Ma family, for goodness' sake. How can you accomplish great things if you're so easily alarmed by this?"

The other person's voice was clearly older than Zhao Wanliang's, but Zhao Wanliang spoke in a condescending tone, scolding him.

He shifted to a more comfortable position and said leisurely, "Let me tell you, Qiu Qianluo's arrest was part of our plan. You don't need to be nervous; he won't betray you."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the jade talisman, then a sigh of relief seemed to follow.

"But the Five Hells' path to immortality is still missing one person, the demon, who hasn't been eliminated. If this method fails, how can we perform the Ghost Immortal Technique? Could it be... that Young Master wants me to do it myself?"

Zhao Wanliang scoffed: "Stop thinking about that half-finished Five Hells Immortal Ascension Method. The ghost immortals created by this method through corpse dissolution are not only extremely risky, but even if they succeed, they will only be the lowest-ranking ghost immortals. If I weren't keeping it as a backup, I would not even bother with such a method."

"What does the young master mean...?"

"There is now a better method that can guarantee success in becoming a Ghost Immortal, and even... a high-grade Ghost Immortal."

"Is this true?"

"Stop asking nonsense," Zhao Wanliang said impatiently. "As long as you do as I say, not only can your old man become a ghost immortal, but you can also become a ghost immortal if you wish."

Silence fell again on the other end of the jade talisman.

"Young master, please speak frankly. What do you need me for?"

“That’s the right attitude.” Zhao Wanliang’s tone softened slightly. “What you need to do is very simple. Tomorrow, just do what you’re supposed to do, but by evening… Yu Feng will most likely bring people from the yamen to find you. At that time, put up a little resistance, and then surrender.”

"Didn't you say Qiu Qianluo wouldn't betray me?"

"It wasn't Qiu Qianluo, it was that kid named Lu Chen. He'll be worshipping the Kitchen God tomorrow. They'll find out about your meeting with Qiu Qianluo then. Don't panic, you won't die anytime soon. Even if you do die... it'll be a good thing. Death is life! I can guarantee that as long as you settle this score, the day you die will be the day you become a high-grade ghost immortal."

“Young master… this joke is not funny.”

"Do you think I'm joking?" Zhao Wanliang's eyes suddenly turned cold: "Let me tell you the truth, Ma Shilong, all traces of our interactions have been erased using secret methods."

Even if the Kitchen God could travel back in time, he would only see your conversation with Qiu Qianluo.

If you want to implicate me... feel free to try. Without irrefutable evidence, I'm not afraid of your confession.

However, you need to think carefully about the consequences.

You should also be aware of my methods.

If you are wise, do as I say.

I guarantee the Ma family a bright future.

It will also ensure that you and your father... ascend to heaven safely!
I, Zhao Wanliang, always keep my word!

There was a long silence on the other end of the jade talisman.

"Who exactly are the 'we' you speak of, young master?"

"That's not something you should be asking. You choose the path yourself."

……

North of the city, the Ma family.

Inside the elegant residence.

Ma Shilong stared at the jade talisman that shattered and vanished into nothingness, remaining silent for a long time.

He took a deep breath, turned to look at the motionless old man of the Ma family on the bed, and murmured:

"Father... have we truly chosen the right path...?"

……

Time passed, and two days later...

Cloud Peak Villa.

Lu Chen stood in front of the Kitchen God statue and explained the consecration ritual in detail.

"Kitchen God, the ceremony is roughly like this. Once the ceremony begins, if the younger generation calls upon your honorific title, then we will ask the Kitchen God to manifest his divine power and present the [Fireworks Register]."

"Very well, then so be it, young friend."

Having finished his explanation, the Kitchen God's divine light vanished.

Lu Chen respectfully removed the statue with both hands and placed it into his ring.

Then he opened another box next to him.

It contains all the necessary ritual implements, scriptures, and robes.

Speaking of this Taoist robe, it was specially made during his previous trip to Longhu County. Lu Chen thought it was good, so he brought it back with him.

"Sure enough, I feel more at ease wearing this outfit."

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I wonder when I'll be promoted to Green Robe..."

In the past, within the Taoist sect, the rank of one's robes could be advanced through the ordination ceremony. Only after undergoing five ordination ceremonies could one wear the purple robes and be honored with the title of Celestial Master.

However, there is no such thing as ordination in this world.

To advance, one must reach the highest and most profound realm in Taoism: [Heaven-Human Interaction].

The Daoist classic *Shoulu Ganying Pian* records this:
"The ordination in Taoism is not merely a formality, but a crucial step in achieving harmony between Heaven and humanity. Long ago, the Yellow Emperor sought the Tao at Mount Kongtong and received his ordination from Guangchengzi. He felt the pure energy of the Nine Heavens descend upon him, and his entire body radiated spiritual light. Thus, the ordination is the carrier of the celestial mandate and the earthly covenant, the bridge connecting humanity and the divine..."

Simply put: the so-called ordination is never as simple as it is passed from person to person; in essence, it is a recognition and blessing bestowed by Heaven.

The connection between heaven and man cannot be triggered by talismans themselves; the true foundation lies in the virtue of the practitioner.

As long as one's heart is in harmony with the Great Way, Heaven will naturally respond and connect with one's spirit.

This is the “ordination ceremony”.

Of course, the higher the level of ordination, the deeper the cultivation level.

In the lineage of magic, the Celestial Master possesses profound and mysterious supernatural powers; in the lineage of internal alchemy, one is close to ascending to immortality.

As for the lineage of ritual and ceremonies to which Lu Chen belongs, they are in charge of organizing large-scale religious ceremonies.

Such rituals, such as the Luotian Grand Ritual, the Zhoutian Grand Ritual, and the Putian Grand Ritual, cannot be presided over by anyone other than a Celestial Master. They can invoke the presence of saints to descend to the mortal realm, protect the altar, and bless all living beings.

Of course, Lu Chen is currently without any [heavenly connection].

They could only wear yellow robes and perform ordinary religious ceremonies.

I glanced at the time; there were only three hours left until the auspicious hour.

Lu Chen packed his things and immediately headed to Nanshan Residential Area.

The true culprit behind this will soon be revealed...

　Please give me some time, brothers.

　　Character and plot development needs to be carried out gradually.

　　The protagonist is currently in the open, while the other party is in the shadows; it's normal for them to be played.

　　Personally, I feel that this reversal is just as interesting as the Rakshasa Cult.

　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)