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

Upon being promoted to City God, Zhong Jiu's aura surged dramatically, and a powerful divine pressure swept across the entire area!

"The Realm of Illusions!"

His divine cultivation level soared on the spot, ascending from the Divine Human Realm to the Illusionary God Realm in one step!

Just by missing the word "person," the difference becomes worlds apart!

The most obvious manifestation is that his divinity has become increasingly profound. Anyone who dares to look directly at his divine body will immediately feel a great terror from the bottom of their soul. Gods cannot be looked at directly!

This is not just talk!

Immediately afterwards, the Human Dao Golden Core within Zhong Jiu's dantian began to churn violently, and with a crisp crack, it shattered and reformed into an incomparably condensed Human Dao Primordial Spirit!

Once the primordial spirit is formed, it can leave the body at will!

From then on, Zhong Jiu no longer needed to drag his mortal body between two places; he could issue orders and govern a region solely with his primordial spirit!

His strength has increased several times over. Before, he needed the Fallen Bell to enhance his power when encountering a Ghost General, but now? He can smash a Ghost General's soul to pieces with a single slap!

Chung Kau, dressed in official robes and holding a large seal, walked out slowly.

"Greetings, Lord Ankang, and Lord City God!"

Upon seeing this, all the subordinate officials immediately knelt down with a thud, performing the highest form of respect!

The moment they knelt down, the statues of the officials in the City God Temple suddenly trembled violently, making a series of loud thuds!

Several statues of deities collapsed, startling the worshippers who were offering incense. They looked at each other in dismay, wondering if something ominous had happened!

Just as everyone was in a panic, the temple keeper, Old Tian, ​​became so excited that his face turned red, and he shouted in a loud voice, "What's the panic! The gods are paying homage to our new City God!"

Everyone looked closely, and sure enough!

All the collapsed statues fell in the same direction, all facing the City God Temple, perfectly aligned and without the slightest deviation!

Zhong Jiu didn't rush to make them get up. Instead, he walked past them leisurely and headed straight for the City God Hall.

Looking at the tightly closed palace doors, he gently pushed them open.

Rumble!

With a loud bang, the long-sealed gates of the City God Temple burst open, and an ancient and majestic aura swept over us!

Zhong Jiu stepped into the hall, then turned around, his gaze sharp as he swept over the kneeling officials outside. He said in a deep voice, "System, exchange for all the remaining Sitang Halls, plus one Zhuyin Hall!"

The system is incredibly efficient; it processes requests immediately!

Before long, the doors of the three offices of the Punishment Department, the Prosperity Department, and the Sushi Department opened one after another, and the heads of each department led a group of subordinates out in single file, kneeling down in unison: "Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Looking at the seven halls before him, each staffed with its own personnel performing their duties, Zhong Jiu was filled with emotion.

When I first took over, the City God's Palace was dirt poor and had nothing. Now, it has finally reached the point where all the gods have returned to their positions and the city is full of splendor!

With the return of all the gods to their positions, the entire City God Temple began to undergo tremendous changes!

As soon as the worshippers lifted the collapsed statues and put them back in place, they were so shocked that their eyes almost popped out of their sockets. The statues, which were originally made of clay, were slowly changing!

The vague facial features that people used to sketch based on their imaginations have now become incredibly clear and lifelike!

From the City God to the soul messengers below, every statue of the deity has changed its appearance, especially the eyes of the statues, which are shining brightly, as if they have a spirit, as if they have come to life!

"The gods have returned to their places; the statues have been consecrated!"

Old Tian was so excited that he was trembling all over, and his voice was shaking!

At this moment, all cultivators within a 300-kilometer radius of Guiling City sensed the earth-shattering change coming from the direction of Guiling City!

They all came out of their rooms and looked up to see an invisible and intangible, immense force, like a net covering the sky and the earth, completely surrounding the entire Guiling City!

What does this mean?

This means that Guiling City has since become a place blessed by the gods!

From then on, any evil spirits that dared to approach Guiling City would be torn to pieces by this force and die without a burial place!

"Please rise, everyone."

Zhong Jiu raised his hand, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.

All the officials who had been bowing and paying homage rose to their feet, their faces beaming with undisguised joy. As their boss rose in rank, they, his subordinates, would naturally benefit as well, and they could hold their heads high in both the underworld and the human world!

"The Inspection Hall is currently lacking a Hall Master. Lei Yifang, the Registrar, is hereby promoted to Hall Master, effective today!"

Zhong Jiu immediately issued his first order: to promote Elder Lei!

"Thank you for your promotion, sir! I will serve you with my life!"

Lei Yifang quickly bowed and thanked him, his face beaming with joy!

Zhong Jiu nodded slightly. In fact, Elder Lei should have been the candidate for the head of the Disciplinary Hall. However, Zhong Jiu himself was only an eighth-rank official. According to the rules, Elder Lei's position could not exceed his, so he could only be made a merit officer and ranked alongside others.

Now that Zhong Jiu has taken the position of City God, it is only natural that Lei Bo Lao should be vindicated and his rightful position restored!

After Lei Yifang thanked them, his aura suddenly changed. His original eighth-rank official prestige surged and became even more profound. His entire spirit and energy were completely different!

Subsequently, Zhong Jiu used the accumulated incense offerings to exchange for a Gongcao (a minor official position) to fill the vacancy in the Judicial Hall, and then let the officials of each department return to their posts.

He himself left the City God's Palace, changed into ordinary people's clothes, stepped into the mortal world, and slowly walked into the City God's Temple.

Just then, a magnificent hall suddenly appeared out of thin air on what used to be an open space in the City God Temple, landing steadily there!

This grand hall is the very same Zhuyin Hall that Zhong Jiu just exchanged for!

Strangely, this palace only appears in the human world, but there is no trace of it in the underworld, giving it an air of mystery!

"Let's see what tricks are hidden in this Candle Shadow Palace."

A curious smile played on Zhong Jiu's lips as he appeared in the mortal realm and stepped inside. Not only was Zhong Jiu curious, but the worshippers in the City God Temple were in an uproar, all crowding towards the Candlelight Hall!

"My goodness! Where did this grand hall come from? There was nothing here just now!"

"I come here to burn incense every day. I know every single tree and blade of grass in the City God Temple. There is absolutely no such hall here!"

"This is bizarre! A grand hall suddenly appeared out of nowhere, did it fall from the sky?"

Pilgrims gathered around the entrance of the main hall, discussing animatedly, becoming more and more excited as they talked, and more and more people gathered.

These are all devout old worshippers who spend every day at the City God Temple. They know the area better than their own homes. They can guarantee that one second this place is empty, and the next second this main hall will appear out of thin air.

"Stop guessing! This grand hall really did fall from the sky!"

A young man squeezed in, his face full of shock, and said, "I was just talking on the phone with my girlfriend here, and suddenly this grand hall appeared out of nowhere! Where else could it have come from but from the sky?"

Many people were in the area at the time, and upon hearing this, they all agreed!

An elderly man with gray hair nodded and said, "That's right! I can testify! I was resting on that chair after offering incense, and in the blink of an eye, this grand hall landed steadily here without even a speck of dust being stirred up!"

One after another, people shared their experiences, which made the pilgrims even more excited!

They didn't doubt the authenticity of the matter at all. The power of the gods was beyond the comprehension of mortals. What was the matter of a great palace descending?

Even if an entire city fell from the sky, they would still think it was perfectly reasonable!

"This must be the main hall personally descended by the City God!"

"Look, the hall is called the Hall of Candle Shadows! Everyone, does anyone know which deity Candle Shadows represents?"

"Never heard of him! I've never heard of this person in any legends!"

The worshippers were having a lively discussion about the origins of the Zhuyin Temple, and some even went to invite the temple keeper, Old Tian, ​​over.

Old Tian stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Whether you've heard of it or not doesn't matter! Since the City God himself descended upon this hall, it means that what's enshrined inside is absolutely extraordinary! This is a tremendous blessing for our Guiling City!"

He didn't bother guessing the gods' intentions; he simply guided the worshippers to pay homage to the gods and pray for blessings. With that, he led everyone into the Candle Shadow Hall.

As soon as they entered the hall, everyone was stunned, for there was already a person standing inside!