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

Chung Kau had already made a decision on the matter of demolishing the temple: if the people were willing, he would never stop them. Gods and people are interdependent. If the people no longer need it, the gods do not need to force them. But if it is a deliberate act by forces like the Good Church, then that is another matter!

God does not give selflessly, and people do not receive without compensation. When people demolish temples, it is either because the gods are doing evil, or it is because they need to make a living. He is too lazy to care.

But Shan Jiao is different. This mere Yuan Zun dared to demolish his City God Temple and replace it with his own. It's simply outrageous!

Zhong Jiu didn't believe that Yuan Zun, as a great supernatural being in the mortal realm, would be unaware of the existence of the underworld.

Even if it was just his subordinates acting on their own initiative, the blame still falls on Yuan Zun!

"Demolish my temple?"

Zhong Jiu sneered, and with a flicker of his figure, he stepped into the Netherworld, heading straight for the City God's Mansion in the capital. This mansion, ten times larger than the City God's Mansion in Xingsha, was still magnificent, though not as grand as Fengdu City. However, he was already familiar with it and didn't bother to take a closer look.

He pushed open the gate of the City God Hall, sat down in the main seat, and tapped the armrest with his fingertips. He thought to himself: I thought that once I sat on the seat of the City God, the world would be at peace and I could live a low-key life. It seems that if I don't make a big show of myself, some people will not know how powerful the underworld is.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the demolition of the temple by the virtuous sect was simply a test.

To test the bottom line of the underworld, to test the attitude of this City God.

Since that's the case, he'll do as the other party wishes and give a proper "response"!

The five religions vied for supremacy, regarding each other as mortal enemies, yet they remained tight-lipped about the Underworld. This mysterious and unpredictable existence was a thorn in the side of all the forces.

The underworld deities rarely appear, keeping a low profile to the point of being secretive. However, this very mystery makes the five religions even more wary, and no one dares to provoke them easily.

The Benevolent Sect is particularly wary of this, as it is based on the human race and is naturally opposed to the Underworld, which controls life and death. Even so, many Benevolent Sect disciples still hold the Underworld in awe and do not regard Yuanzun as the only one.

Shan Jiao is inherently ambitious, and it's normal for him to want more after getting what he wants. So it's understandable that he dares to test the waters of the underworld now.

"Whether it's a test or a provocation, today I will make the Good Sect pay a bloody price and learn a lesson they won't forget!"

Zhong Jiu's eyes were icy cold, and his tone was firm and resolute.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Jiu immediately devised three plans and acted swiftly and decisively.

Firstly, the elite troops of the Xingsha City God's Palace, the Xuanjia Army, and all trusted underworld messengers were mobilized to reinforce the capital and build a solid first line of defense.

Secondly, a million underworld soldiers were dispatched from the underworld to guard the City God's Palace in the capital, serving as a permanent guard, their power and influence awe-inspiring in all directions.

Thirdly, the system allows users to exchange for the core Yin deities of the City God's Palace, including judges, Black and White Impermanence, and heads of various departments, forming a complete team.

Although Zhong Jiu's incense offerings were not abundant, this expense was a drop in the ocean compared to the cost of the capital, and was not worth mentioning at all.

With the three moves completed, the framework of the Kyoto City God's Mansion was fully established. However, Zhong Jiu chose to take office quietly, lying low and waiting for Shan Jiao to walk into his trap.

As the day of the temple's demolition drew closer, more and more worshippers came to the City God Temple to offer incense, their faces filled with melancholy, as if they were bidding a final farewell to the gods.

They had already heard the news of the temple being demolished by the Shanjiao sect, and were filled with resentment, but were powerless to resist. They could only express their reluctance and unwillingness by offering incense.

Zhong Jiu listened to the whispers of the worshippers, his eyes growing colder until he heard the words "Three more days." Only then did he slowly nod and continue to wait in silence.

Three days later, hundreds of streaks of light streaked across the sky and rushed straight towards the City God Temple, their imposing presence causing passersby to scatter.

The leader, with white hair and a youthful face, held a whisk and exuded an air of otherworldly grace. He was none other than He Qingzi, the head of the Good Teachings in Kyoto, and a True Immortal at the early stage of cultivation.

In today's cultivation world, even a True Immortal in the early stages is considered a master, but they are still far from being a powerful figure. Above True Immortals are Profound Immortals, and above Profound Immortals are Golden Immortals. Only the Five Great Masters have barely reached the Golden Immortal realm.

However, Zhong Jiu himself is already at the Immortal Lord level, and his avatar's cultivation in the human realm has reached the peak of the Golden Immortal realm. In addition, with the blessing of the City God position, he also has the cultivation of a God King. With these two combined, no one in the mortal realm can rival him!

In his eyes, someone like He Qingzi was no different from an ant. The reason he was famous was simply because he was a disciple of the Benevolent Sect's Yuanzun.

Although Yuan Zun had 439 registered disciples, he only had three direct disciples. He Qingzi's status as a registered disciple was enough to put on airs in front of mortals and low-level cultivators.

He Qingzi stood in front of the City God Temple, her gaze sweeping over the site, a greedy glint in her eyes, yet she exclaimed in admiration, "What a blessed place!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the disciples behind him immediately understood and echoed his words.

"Uncle-Master is absolutely right! Such a precious place deserves a temple for our ancestor; how can we let an empty temple occupy it?"

"The Kyoto City God Temple has long been devoid of divine signs; it's clearly ownerless land. It's unreasonable for it to occupy this auspicious location; it should be vacated!"

"I don't see any divine protection in this temple, so there are no taboos. I'll take the first shovelful!"

The disciples spoke arrogantly and showed no respect.

Relying on their reputation for being benevolent teachers, they had long since become lawless, regarding the City God Temple as an easy target and not taking it seriously at all.

After all, the temple has been quiet for many years, so who would care about a vague and ethereal city god?

He Qingzi feigned anger, gave a light rebuke, but her tone was utterly devoid of authority, so hypocritical it was nauseating: "One should have reverence for the gods, and it is better to believe in their existence."

"We are not demolishing the temple, but simply asking the deities to find a new place to reside. I have already selected a new site in Baofushan on the outskirts of the city. The scenery is beautiful, and it is perfect for the City God Temple."

Everyone laughed at this. Baofu Mountain was nothing but a desolate, uninhabited mountain. It was clearly an attempt to drive the City God into a corner and cut off his incense offerings.

"I will follow your instructions, Uncle!"

The disciples responded with laughter and amusement, their eyes full of mockery; none of them took the so-called "exchange of residence" seriously.

"Dig it."

He Qingzi chuckled lightly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. Her tone was unquestionable, and she had already given the order to demolish the temple.

Some disciples couldn't contain themselves any longer and leaped forward, wielding purple-gold crescent shovels. These were magical artifacts that the disciples of the Good Sect had seized after slaying the great demon. After being reforged, their power was even greater than before, enough to flatten half of the City God's Mansion.

"Get up!"

The disciple roared and poured all his spiritual power into the shovel, determined to finish the job with one strike. But just as the shovel was about to fall, he froze in place, unable to move.

"Why isn't junior brother making a move?"

The disciple standing nearby asked in confusion, his tone tinged with impatience.

The disciple wielding the shovel was covered in cold sweat, his face deathly pale, and his voice trembling: "I...I can't move! It feels like a thousand pounds of force is pressing down on the shovel, and all my spiritual energy has sunk to the bottom of the sea!"

The crowd looked at each other, none of them believing it.

A senior disciple with slightly higher cultivation rolled up his sleeves, stepped forward, grabbed the shovel handle, and joined forces with the disciple to exert force.

But the next second, his face changed drastically, turning purplish-blue, his eyes filled with horror: "What's going on? This power is too terrifying; I can't budge it an inch!"

Seeing this, the other disciples rushed forward to help. Seven or eight of them worked together, exhausting all their spiritual power, but the purple-gold crescent shovel remained unmoved. In the end, they collapsed to the ground, exhausted, their faces filled with disbelief.

"This is eerie! This City God Temple is incredibly eerie!"

"It's not the shovel that's the problem, there's something in this temple!"

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, their previous arrogance vanished, replaced by panic.

All eyes turned to He Qingzi, hoping he would make a decision.

He Qingzi's expression was solemn, her brows furrowed, and her expression changed several times.

He squinted at the City God Temple, feeling inexplicably uneasy. Today, the City God Temple exuded a majestic aura that even made this early-stage True Immortal feel uneasy.

"Could it be that a deity is truly in charge?"

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he forcibly suppressed it. Apart from Nanling Province, all other City God Temples had already been thoroughly investigated by the cultivation world, and there was absolutely no trace of deities.

He himself had visited the City God Temple in Kyoto more than a hundred times, and tried to pay homage to the spirits several times, but received no response. Only then did he become certain that there were no gods there.

As a disciple of Yuan Zun, he understood the purpose of the temple demolition better than others. Yuan Zun wanted to seize the fortune of the human race and eliminate the influence of the underworld. Kyoto was just the first step in testing the waters.

He still remembered Yuan Zun's instructions that day: "The fortune of the mortal realm is of great importance to our sect. The traces of the Yin spirits are hard to find, so this is a good opportunity to seize the fortune. First, test the waters in the capital. If there is no reaction, then we will advance on a full scale."

He Qingzi took a deep breath, accepted the purple-gold crescent shovel, and slowly walked towards the City God Hall. Suppressing his unease, he said loudly, "May I ask where the City God is? I am He Qingzi, a disciple of the Benevolent Lord. Today I wish to borrow this precious place. If you do not agree, please speak clearly!"

The sound echoed throughout the City God's Mansion, but there was no response for a long time, and the surroundings remained silent.

A cold glint flashed in He Qingzi's eyes, and he said, "Since no one answers, the gods must not be here. Then don't blame me for being impolite!" He deliberately avoided mentioning the Yuanzun's decree, leaving himself an escape route, but he had also made up his mind.

Even if it angers the gods, as long as he can find out the City God's secrets, it would be worth it for him, even if it costs him his life.

This is a golden opportunity for him to curry favor with Yuan Zun and advance further.

He Qingzi poured all his immortal power into the purple-gold crescent shovel, which shone with dazzling golden light and swung fiercely toward the roof of the City God Temple with a sharp aura.