I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

After arriving in Xingsha City, King Jiang Yunian originally planned to inspect the Special Operations Department first, and then rest for a night.

Having witnessed the peaceful scene in Xingsha City, and recalling the dire straits in the capital, Old Jiang could no longer sit still and longed to immediately enter the City God Temple to see the deity.

The decision was made immediately to change the itinerary, and the convoy drove directly to the square in front of the City God Temple and stopped.

"Go back, you don't need to follow us anymore."

After getting out of the car, Old Jiang glanced at the convoy behind him and said in an unquestionable tone, "Just have Yun Xiao bring a few people and come in with me. No need for any pomp and circumstance."

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

The head of security's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly tried to dissuade them, "Your status is so high; if anything were to happen to you, we would be held utterly responsible!"

"This is the City God Temple, the domain of the underworld deities."

Old Master Jiang spoke calmly, his tone resolute, "If any demons or monsters dare to cause trouble here, your manpower is no match for them. If even the gods cannot protect me, then I, the ruler of this kingdom, deserve to die."

Having said that, the security team members had no further objections and could only reluctantly accept their orders to leave.

Old Jiang put on a wide-brimmed hat and lowered his head slightly to cover his face. Everyone in the country knows his face, and his sudden appearance would inevitably cause a commotion.

Several special operations experts surrounded him, subtly blocking the curious gazes of those around them.

The City God Temple was bustling with worshippers, and many people noticed this group of people. Although they were accompanied by bodyguards, they were unusually low-key, which was quite different from the way other wealthy and powerful people were surrounded by their entourages. It seemed rather strange.

Although everyone had doubts, they only glanced at it and then looked away, each burning incense and praying for blessings, no one wanting to meddle.

"That one, is it the ox-head from the ox-head and horse-face duo?"

Old Jiang suddenly stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling on the enormous object under the shade of a tree at the entrance of the City God Temple, his eyes filled with astonishment.

A blue-faced, fanged minotaur was reclining in a rocking chair, comfortably basking in the sun with its eyes half-closed. Several pilgrims were carefully wiping its shiny horns, while others squatted beside it, massaging its legs and feet, taking meticulous care of it.

The bull-headed man was carrying a large bag of potato chips, crunching away with crumbs all over his mouth and not caring about the condiments stuck to his lips. He looked so smug, like a nouveau riche who was just waiting to die.

Whether or not it counts as the legendary main figure, nobody can say for sure.

Zhang Yunxiao shook his head, unable to suppress a laugh. "It is said that this bull-headed man did not admit his identity at first, but after being asked by pilgrims many times, he simply admitted it. Later on, he became quite fond of it, boasting to everyone that he was the genuine bull-headed man of the underworld, openly and secretly expecting pilgrims to serve him. He was quite the character."

He added, "Although this ox is fond of pleasure, it's not a bad thing and never makes things difficult for worshippers. Besides, with it here to keep order, not even a little devil dares to approach within a ten-mile radius of the City God Temple. It can be considered to be doing its duty faithfully."

Looking at the down-to-earth bull's head, Old Jiang's tense expression finally relaxed, and he couldn't help but laugh: "Interesting. It's said that the gods of the underworld are all solemn and awe-inspiring, detached from worldly affairs. Now, with this lively character, it's become more approachable and relatable."

"Who can argue with that!"

Zhang Yunxiao nodded with a smile, "Since this ox-headed beast arrived, the atmosphere at the City God Temple has become much more relaxed, and the number of worshippers has doubled compared to before."

The name "Niu Tou Da Shen" is known to all the citizens of Xingsha City, and he is now a true top influencer.

His reckless and unruly nature, far from being disliked, has instead won him countless fans. Many worshippers even whispered in private that if this Ox-Head had his own temple, the incense offerings would surely be more abundant than those of the Yin Gods!

As soon as Old Jiang and Zhang Yunxiao stepped into the City God Temple, the bull's eyes, as big as copper bells, swept over them.

"Huh? A distinguished guest has arrived?"

Niu Tou immediately noticed something amiss. Since joining the Yin Si system, he was no longer the wild demon he once was. His fierce and demonic aura had been completely cleansed, and some inexplicable changes were growing within him. He couldn't explain them, but he felt a sense of comfort all over.

But today, as soon as Elder Jiang stepped into the palace gate, his heart was struck as if by a thunderbolt, and he blurted out that sentence.

As soon as he finished speaking, he was stunned, scratching his large, furry head and muttering, "Strange, what was wrong with me just now? How could I sense those people?"

Ignoring Niu Tou's confusion, Elder Jiang walked straight to the main hall of the Yin-Yang Bureau, his gaze sweeping over the statues within, and said calmly, "The first to manifest divine power in Guiling should have been the Yin-Yang Bureau's Chief Clerk, right?"

As the ruler of a country, he was well aware of the supernatural changes in Guiling City.

Zhang Yunxiao's face was filled with awe: "That's right! Back then, a local tyrant committed all sorts of evil deeds, driving the old temple keeper of Guiling to desperation. The old temple keeper burned incense and bathed for three days, wrote a petition, and opened the altar to invite the gods. The Yin-Yang Master descended on the spot and severely punished the tyrant. After that, people believed that the gods had truly returned to the world!"

The contrast between the past misery and the present peace is like a lifetime ago.

Old Master Jiang took a deep breath, lit three incense sticks, and as the smoke curled upwards, he solemnly bowed to the statue: "The Chief of the Yin-Yang Department is under the command of the Director of the Yin-Yang Department. With this bow, I pay homage to the Director of the Yin-Yang Department! I thank him for protecting Guiling and restoring peace and prosperity to this region!"

After the three respectful bows were completed, the City God Temple in the mortal realm remained calm and peaceful. However, far away in the underworld, Wen Tianxiang, who was signing official documents with his Yin-Yang pen, suddenly stopped writing and exclaimed in surprise, "Good heavens, a distinguished guest has arrived!"

With a thought, his divine sense instantly possessed the statue of a deity in the mortal realm, his gaze piercing through the hall and precisely locking onto Elder Jiang, who was offering incense.

With eyes as sharp as lightning, piercing through illusions, he saw that Elder Jiang was surrounded by a pale golden dragon-shaped aura. Although it was not powerful, it exuded an awe-inspiring and inviolable pressure, like an invisible barrier protecting him.

This barrier, though unable to stop beings of the level of demon kings and ghost kings, can keep ordinary demons and monsters from getting close.

"Is this... the protection of the nation's destiny?"

Wen Tianxiang abruptly stood up, so startled that he dropped his Yin-Yang pen on the table. His face was filled with disbelief. "This world doesn't even have a complete underworld, so where does the destiny of the nation come from?"

The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Logically speaking, if there were laws governing the universe, high-ranking officials of a great nation should be blessed with good fortune and protected by the nation's destiny, so that demons and monsters wouldn't be able to cause such trouble!

However, those great Western powers have already perished and their people have been wiped out. Where does the good fortune of this high-ranking official of the great Eastern power come from?

This is no small matter!

Wen Tianxiang dared not delay and turned to rush to the judge's hall to report to Zhong Jiu.

"Has the nation's destiny been altered?"

Zhong Jiu raised an eyebrow, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He instantly sensed that something was amiss and continued, "Take me to see this."

At this moment, Zhang Yunxiao was leading Elder Jiang to the outside of the Judge's Hall.

Looking at the statue of the Judge in the hall, Old Jiang said sincerely, "Now that the City God is absent, my second bow is to the Judge! He wields the Judge's Pen and holds the Book of Life and Death, establishing laws and order, saving countless people in Nanling. Today, Nanling is at peace, all thanks to the Judge!"

After saying this, he bowed down again. This feeling came from the bottom of his heart. He came to worship the gods partly to ask for help and partly to express his heartfelt gratitude.

Unbeknownst to him, in the Hall of Judges in the Underworld, Zhong Jiu was watching him through the statue, his gaze grave: "Indeed, it is the nation's destiny protecting him, and..."

Zhong Jiu saw Zhang Yunxiao again and was surprised to find that he also had a wisp of luck gathered on him. Although it was not as strong as Elder Jiang's dragon-shaped energy, it was enough to protect him from the little devils.

I had seen Zhang Yunxiao before, but he didn't have this kind of luck back then!

"What exactly is going on?"

Zhong Jiu and Wen Tianxiang exchanged a glance, both seeing doubt in each other's eyes.

According to Zhong Jiu's understanding of this world, the laws governing the Yin and Yang realms are incomplete, making it an ordinary world with very few cultivators and few demons. If it weren't for the resurgence of supernatural phenomena disrupting the order and causing ghosts and monsters to rise, this world would be as calm and uneventful as the Blue Star.

Even if the supernatural resurgence is intense, it will only affect cultivators and demons, and has nothing to do with big shots like Elder Jiang who came from ordinary backgrounds.

Although Elder Jiang held a high position and wielded great power, his word was law in the mortal world, but in the face of demons and monsters, he was ultimately just a mortal.

But now, the legendary national destiny has actually appeared. Even if it is only in its embryonic form, it is enough to change the landscape. High-ranking officials like Jiang Lao and Zhang Yunxiao have actually gathered fortune and have begun to enjoy its benefits.

Zhong Jiu secretly communicated with the system: "System, find out what's going on."

[Detection complete. One year from now, this world will experience a spiritual resurgence, which will have a revolutionary impact on the laws of heaven and earth.]

After a system scan, the voice sounded again: [The appearance of national fortune is a sign of the impending revival of spiritual energy. After the revival, even ordinary humans can benefit from it. Furthermore, the revival of spiritual energy will reshape the human physique, increasing the probability of a cultivator from one in a million to one in ten thousand.]

"Spiritual energy has been restored!"

Zhong Jiu's pupils shrank sharply, and a storm raged in his heart!

The world was already filled with gloom due to the resurgence of supernatural phenomena. Before the root cause could be fully understood, it was caught in the crossfire of another spiritual resurgence. With these two supernatural events overlapping, the world was bound to be engulfed in bloodshed and the old order would be completely crushed!

Previously, he had personally ventured into the underworld and witnessed a shocking scene: the palaces of the underworld were collapsed and incomplete, and the evil energy of the eighteen levels of hell was leaking out like a flood, which caused ghosts and monsters to run rampant and supernatural phenomena to arise in the mortal world.

"Could it be that the extremely yin energy leaking from the underworld collided with the inherent yang energy of the mortal realm, and the two fused together to create spiritual energy?"

In a flash, a bold guess formed in Zhong Jiu's mind.

"Should we ask this distinguished guest from the mortal realm first?"

Wen Tianxiang's words interrupted Zhong Jiu's thoughts.

Zhong Jiu waved his sleeve, and a surge of Netherworld divine power, like an invisible tide, silently enveloped Elder Jiang, who was burning incense and offering sacrifices in the mortal realm.