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

Upon hearing that a cultivator had intervened to save two cities, Zhong Jiu raised an eyebrow, understanding the situation.

Today's practitioners are roughly divided into three schools:

One faction joined the government to fight against evil; another faction remained aloof and protected themselves; and yet another faction, seemingly carefree and unconventional, was actually ambitious, observing the changing world and waiting for the right moment to act!

In any case, it is a good thing that cultivators in the human world have stepped in to save the common people, but the reasons for their intervention must be investigated.

"The Day-Wandering God!"

"exist!"

"Quickly investigate the details, find out the origins and purposes of these cultivators, and remember, do not act rashly!"

"Yes, sir!"

The day-roaming god accepted the order and left. Regardless of the cultivators' motives, they had ultimately saved people. Zhong Jiu was unwilling to make enemies easily and decided to find out the details first!

After dismissing the day-roaming spirit, Zhong Jiu took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement and curiosity. It was time to advance!

Since acquiring the system, he has been slaying demons and monsters and saving people from suffering. Now he has finally accumulated enough faith points and is about to be promoted to the City God of Guiling City!

Although Guiling City is only a county-level city, and he was only promoted to "County City God", it was a world of difference!

The City God is the rightful ruler of the City God's Palace!

He held absolute power over the judicial, cultural, military, criminal, and reward/punishment systems of Guiling City!

More importantly, the rank of sixth grader means that he has entered the ranks of mid-level officials in the underworld, no longer the low-ranking official he was before!

"System, upgrade!"

Zhong Jiu gave the order in a deep voice, his heart filled with boundless pride. From this day forward, he would be the sole ruler of Guiling City, unmatched by anyone!

[Host has consumed six million Faith Points and has officially been promoted to Rank Six: City God of Guiling City!]

boom!

The moment the system notification sound ended, a deafening thunderclap suddenly resounded in the sky, as if the might of heaven had descended!

All the residents of Guiling City looked up and saw that the dark clouds had dispersed and layers of auspicious clouds had gathered. Within the auspicious clouds, colorful rays of light broke through the sky, dazzling and enveloping the entire city!

The conferment of the title of City God, a sixth-rank official, was completely different from that of lower-ranking officials of the seventh and eighth ranks. It was an extraordinary honor that shocked heaven and earth!

"What is that? Auspicious omen from heaven?"

The sound of thunder and the strange phenomenon of radiant light spread to every corner of Guiling City, causing the people to stop and stare in astonishment!

"It's the City God! It must be the City God manifesting his divine power!"

Some people realized what was happening and immediately knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of the City God Temple!

But then a look of confusion crossed his face: "Didn't Guiling City have a City God before? Or was the old City God transferred and a new City God appointed?"

"Yeah! What exactly happened?"

The people were discussing it amongst themselves, completely baffled. But how could mortals possibly fathom the affairs of the gods?

Soon, they stopped worrying about the reasons and became completely immersed in this once-in-a-century phenomenon, marveling at it!

The colorful clouds in the sky grew even more brilliant, and a beam of dazzling light pierced through the clouds, shining directly in the direction of the City God Temple!

Under the beam of light, the people could vaguely see another scene through the City God Temple on earth: a majestic, ancient, and mysterious city in the underworld!

One after another, black palaces rose from the ground, magnificent and awe-inspiring, exuding divine power that inspired awe. This was Zhong Jiu's Underworld City God Palace!

"Is...that the dwelling place of the gods?"

Countless people trembled with excitement, their eyes filled with awe and longing. This was a rare sight to behold, the only chance for mortals to come into contact with the divine world!

Unfortunately, this scene only lasted for a few breaths. In a flash, the scene of the City God's Palace in the underworld disappeared, and all that could be seen was the City God's Temple in the human world!

"It wasn't a hallucination! I really saw the palace of the gods!"

"May the City God protect us! May our family be safe and sound!"

May my parents, wife, and children be healthy and well, and no longer suffer from displacement!

Everyone was convinced that what they had seen was true, and their reverence for Chung Kau grew even stronger!

Some people clasped their hands together and bowed their heads in prayer; some knelt down and kowtowed with utmost devotion; some bowed deeply and expressed their gratitude.

The immense power of their vows converged like a tidal wave, continuously flowing towards the City God Temple!

"Is peace all that the people desire?"

Zhong Jiu opened his divine eyes and instantly saw through all the power of the wishes, his heart stirred slightly!

[Detected: The will of the people of Guiling City has been gathered, with their core demand being "peace and well-being." The host is hereby granted the title of Earl of Ankang.]

The system notification sounded at the right time!

Earl is one of the noble titles, above which are Marquis and Duke!

Unlike other officials in the underworld, the City God's Palace needs to deal with the people and the imperial court all year round. To highlight its special status, the people and the imperial court often bestow titles upon the City God, which has become a common practice in the underworld over time!

This title was not bestowed by the underworld, but rather a special honor granted by the mortal realm.

Whether it was an imperial edict or the common people's approval, it represented the highest respect that people had for the City God!

In ancient dynasties, the emperors, who occupied the dragon veins and controlled the power of heaven and earth, would often bestow the title of City God upon deceased meritorious officials. After the underworld examined their merits and virtues, if they met the standards, it would grant the emperor's request and grant them a divine position. If the meritorious officials were not qualified to serve as underworld gods, even if the emperor forcibly bestowed the title, it would be to no avail, and their souls would ultimately enter the cycle of reincarnation.

Today, Chung Kau single-handedly protected Guiling, rushed to the aid of ten cities, and saved millions of people from suffering. The people's willingness to contribute their efforts has led them to spontaneously bestow upon him the title of "Earl of Ankang," which is not only an honor but also a heavy responsibility!

Holding the Demon-Slaying Sword, Zhong Jiu stood atop the City God's Palace, feeling the continuous flow of willpower and faith, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

Ankang Earl? Excellent!

From this day forward, I will protect the people of this region, ensuring their eternal peace and well-being, free from any evil spirits!

On Earth, there are quite a few City Gods who can earn praise from both the human world and the underworld. Wen Tianxiang is a prime example. His loyalty shines as bright as the sun and moon. He was a pillar of humanity in life and a City God in the underworld after death. He is definitely the pinnacle of dual recognition!

The conferment of titles upon the City God is not an exclusive privilege of the Heavenly Court and the Underworld; ordinary people also have a say!

However, we can't call it "conferment" because it's too official. We should call it "recommendation" because a position won by popular support is much more valuable than a cold, hard imperial edict!

As long as an official dares to do practical things and loves the people in the local area, his achievements are as high as mountains, and he devotes himself to the cause until his death, the local people will be grateful for his goodness and spontaneously elect him as the city god. The underworld will always turn a blind eye to this.

Why?

Throughout history, there have been very few officials who have been truly loved and respected by the people. How bad can the virtue and achievements of those elected by the people be?

You should know that the people have an incredibly accurate scale in their hearts to judge whether an official is good or bad!

If you dare to deceive the people, they will dare to completely ruin you; if you truly care about the people, they will dare to elevate you to a pedestal!

This is enough to show that the power of public opinion is practically a bug-level existence; even the highest deities would have to think twice before acting against it!

Take Zhong Jiu for example. He had just taken the position of City God of Guiling County. According to the old rules, he should have been granted the title of Earl.

But now there is no emperor anymore, so the so-called "conferment of titles" is just empty talk.

So what do we do? We rely on public opinion!

The moment Zhong Jiucheng became the City God, the wishes of the people of Guiling City surged like a tide. Everyone had no extravagant desires, just hoping for peace, safety, and good health!

Well, public opinion has the final say!

Chung Kau's title was automatically updated to "Ankangbo", which sounds down-to-earth and exudes a real sense of good fortune!

If he could break into the provincial capital and become the city god of the prefecture, he would be at the level of a marquis; if he could leap over the dragon gate and enter the capital to become the city god of the capital, overseeing the fortunes of the world, he would be a duke! But these are all things for later. Right now, Zhong Jiu is the only city god in Guiling City, a true and genuine Earl of Ankang!

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

All the officials in the City God's mansion had already lined up and bowed, their voices in unison, exuding a sense of awe!

Zhong Jiu spread his hands and, in a flash, a brand new set of official robes appeared on his body!

The official robes of a sixth-rank City God were truly magnificent.

The base color is pure black, embroidered with gold thread patterns that shimmer with a dark light. It has a belted waist and wide sleeves, topped with a crown that reaches the sky, and a golden jade belt wrapped around the waist. Standing there, it exudes an imposing official aura and a dignified divine presence!

The only change was that the Demon-Slaying Sword that Zhong Jiu used to hang on his waist was taken back by the system.

In its place was a heavy official seal of the City God!

This official seal is no ordinary symbol of status; it's a genuine divine artifact. With a single strike, it can obliterate any demon or monster, leaving not even ashes behind!