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

The Xuanjia Army pressed their advantage and pursued the enemy for another while, annihilating several thousand more stubborn demons before retreating in formation!

After a fierce battle, the ferocity and murderous aura of the Xuanjia Army soldiers not only did not diminish, but became even stronger, and their combat power actually increased instead of decreasing!

"As expected of an ancient elite weapon, truly formidable!"

Zhong Jiu nodded in satisfaction and praised loudly.

At that moment, an immense amount of faith power surged toward Zhong Jiu like a tidal wave, endless and boundless!

"Um?"

Zhong Jiu subconsciously took a breath, somewhat caught off guard. Most of the people in Guiling City had long believed in him, so where did this sudden surge of faith points come from?

He glanced around and saw many people around the battlefield holding up their phones and cameras to live stream, and he suddenly realized what was going on!

It was the internet!

He had long wanted to use the internet to spread the fame of the underworld and accumulate faith points, but no one believed him before, and the effect was minimal!

Now, by sheer chance, millions of netizens witnessed firsthand the awe-inspiring scene of him leading 700 Xuanjia soldiers to defeat 100,000 ghost soldiers and slaying two ghost generals through a live broadcast. They were all deeply moved and filled with awe, which naturally generated a massive amount of faith points!

"My God! Is this the power of a god? Seven hundred elite warriors slaying ten thousand ghost soldiers—it's simply defying the heavens!"

"This is so awesome! It's got my blood pumping! Finally, someone can take care of these monsters!"

"The citizens of Guiling City are so lucky! With the City God protecting them, they feel so safe!"

"I, Chen Zhifan, am writing this petition in blood! I beg the City God to come to our city in this dire situation! Evil spirits are practically at our doorstep!"

"I, Zhang Daqian, humbly beg the City God to visit our city! I am willing to offer incense and pray for blessings every day!"

"I, Li Tiezhu..."

After a heated discussion, a massive petition wave swept across the internet!

After the initial excitement, netizens were filled with envy, wondering why Guiling City was protected by a deity.

Could it be that the feng shui is good, and they were chosen by the gods?

If my city had such divine protection, what would I be afraid of?

In an instant, at least millions of people had this thought, forming an immense force of will that converged towards Chung Kau!

"Hmm? You want to expand the City God's Palace to protect more cities?"

When the power of a will is great enough, the gods can clearly perceive it!

Zhong Jiu gave a bitter smile to his heart. The underworld has its own rules. Although he is now a seventh-rank official, even if he is promoted, he will only be the city god of Guiling City and will have no jurisdiction over other cities!

To receive divine protection from all over the country, one must at least be promoted to "Prefectural City God" and reside in the provincial capital. Only then will one have the power to promote all the city gods in the province, which is the legendary power to bestow divine titles!

Putting aside the wishes of netizens, Zhong Jiu carefully calculated that he had actually gained a full three million faith points from this wave!

Moreover, the faith value is soaring rapidly every second!

As millions of netizens spread the live stream video and related topics wildly, the "faith value" will experience another explosive growth!

However, Zhong Jiu also knew that online communication was ultimately separated by a screen, and the proportion of faith points generated was far less substantial than a face-to-face manifestation. For example, after this life-or-death battle, 99% of the 560,000 people in Guiling City became his loyal followers and contributed the full amount of faith points!

"I originally thought that needing six million faith points to become a City God was an exorbitant demand from the system, but now it seems it's actually within reach!"

Zhong Jiu muttered to himself, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes!

That's right, this time he needs a full six million faith points to advance from a seventh-rank official to a sixth-rank city god!

When Zhong Jiu first saw this number, he thought he was seeing things. Last time, it only took 400,000 faith points to advance from the eighth-rank Soul Servant to the seventh-rank Master. This time, it was fifteen times higher. Was the system joking?

But at that moment he realized something completely: faith often experiences "explosive growth"!

As long as what you do aligns with the will of the people and awes all sides, you can reap huge profits and gain a massive amount of faith!

"Congratulations, host! You have successfully completed the main quest 'Defend Guiling City,' protecting the city's inhabitants from ghostly attacks. The reward is a complete Sitang Hall!"

"The Palace Master is randomly selecting..."

"Ding! Drawing complete! Congratulations, host, you have obtained the [Reward for Good Deeds]!"

The Office of Rewarding Goodness, as the name suggests, is a hall dedicated to rewarding virtuous people in the world!

If there is a renowned philanthropist, the Rewards and Benevolence Office will send out messengers to secretly verify the information. Once confirmed, an official document will be issued and the information will be transferred to the Prosperity Office or the Sushi Office.

Money and longevity are the eternal pursuits of humankind!

Of course, if a kind person has other wishes, such as not seeking wealth and status for themselves, but only to accumulate blessings for their children and grandchildren, or to pray for a good marriage or a bright future, the Rewards and Benevolence Office will handle the matter according to the actual situation and meet their reasonable demands!

The Rewards and Benevolence Office is a purely civil service office, unlike the Patrol and Police Office which has powerful Yin spirits such as the Day and Night Patrol Gods and the Shackled General. It only needs a few assistants and a few soul messengers to properly handle daily affairs!

Zhong Jiu quickly shifted his attention away from the Rewards and Benevolence Department and focused his gaze back on the system notification—there was still one reward yet to be revealed!

"Congratulations, host! You have successfully completed the side quest [Slay the Invading Ghost Generals], eliminating the Yan Xiao and Lingjiao twin ghost generals. Your reward is the top-grade magic artifact [Soul-Slaying Banner]!"

The Soul-Slaying Banner is undoubtedly a top-tier treasure!

Zhong Jiu flipped his hand, and a pure black banner appeared in his palm.

The banner surface shimmered with a cold, dark light, and as the tassels at the end of the banner fluttered, faint sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling could be heard, sending chills down one's spine, yet exuding a chilling pressure!

Although this treasure has no direct killing power, its core function is nothing short of miraculous—it can summon souls and spirits!

But how to summon and what kind of soul to summon is entirely up to Chung Kau; the rules are customizable and ridiculously flexible!

For example, the conditions he set for summoning the soul on the Soul-Summoning Banner at this moment are only two:

First, Zhen Shanhun!

Those who accumulate virtue and do good deeds in life will become good souls after death. However, if they wander outside for a long time, they will inevitably be tainted by the resentment of the world and end up with their souls scattered. Is this the ending that good people should have?

What Chung Kau needs to do is to summon these benevolent souls into the banner and properly settle them!

Once the underworld system is complete and the cycle of reincarnation is reopened, they will be sent into the six realms of reincarnation, and given a smooth, fulfilling, and happy life!

Secondly, it is to absorb the hidden soul!

What is a soul with potential?

Some people are born with abundant yang energy, and their souls are several times stronger than ordinary ghosts after death; others may be unknown and have no achievements in life, but their souls are exceptionally gifted after death, and with a little nurturing, they can become powerful figures!

Even spirits have aptitude; otherwise, why is it that some can rise to become ghost generals while others can only remain as lonely ghosts, unable to even reach the threshold of becoming fierce ghosts, despite cultivating together?

Goodness as the foundation, potential as the wings, possessing both, this is the qualification to join the Underworld system!

Chung Kau wants to strengthen the underworld; he can't keep relying on incense offerings to exchange for spirits and soul soldiers!

Some people in this world are not good enough to be deified in their lifetime, but they can serve as soul messengers or soul soldiers, handling trivial matters and supporting the operation of the vast underworld!

These minor positions require a massive number of people to fill. In this sense, the Soul-Slaying Banner is the third major golden channel for Zhong Jiu to recruit talent, in addition to self-discovery and system exchange. It is simply a treasure tailor-made for the expansion of the underworld!

Zhong Jiuxin contentedly absorbed the Soul-Suppressing Banner into his body and turned his gaze toward Guiling City.

I was completely stunned by what I saw!

Hundreds of thousands of people knelt down in unison, a dark mass of them, bowing in his direction like a tidal wave, their voices shaking the heavens and earth: "Thank you for your divine protection! We will never forget your great kindness!"

For the people of Guiling City, Zhong Jiu is their second parent and savior!

If it weren't for Chung Kau, they would have already become food for the evil spirits, their souls scattered!

Looking at the devastation in other cities, and then thinking about how I am safe and sound and have survived, it's all thanks to the protection of this City God!

In an instant, everyone was overwhelmed with gratitude, tears welling in their eyes, kowtowing repeatedly, their sincerity reaching its peak: "Thank you, City God, for saving our lives!"

"Thank you, living god who saves us from suffering!"

Countless expressions of gratitude converged into a wave of sound, sweeping across the heavens and earth!

Their bow was not only an expression of gratitude, but also gave rise to an immense and powerful will, like a raging torrent, fiercely washing over Chung Kau's soul!

This was not a harm, but rather like a long-awaited rain after a drought, making his divine sense more refined and his divine power even greater!

For any deity, to be so beloved by the people is an immense blessing and the most precious aid on the path of cultivation!