The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

Yang Lin had no attachment to the mortal world. If there were a spirit that longed for the mortal world, would it have the chance to return on the seventh day after his death and take one last look at the human world?

Li Yi asked curiously, and Qin Kaixian nodded silently, which was considered as agreement.

"By the way, I mentioned to the City God the matter of exchanging goods with the River God of the Qingchi River. The High God also had opinions to share with his colleagues and has already sent Right Judge Yao Zhizhao to the Qingchi River to ask the River God to set off."

The City God wants to see the River God?

There is at least a two or three-level difference in divine rank between the two, but gods are rare in Qifeng County, so it is not surprising to see one.

Gongsun Ling showed considerable enthusiasm for all matters, big and small, concerning the deities, and immediately joined the conversation:

"The City God is the head of all the gods in the prefecture. Even after the River God of the Azure Dragon River became a god, he didn't take the initiative to pay him a visit. He might be in for a scolding."

Li Yi raised an eyebrow and said, "Isn't the City God in charge of the underworld? How did he become the head of all the gods in a prefecture?"

Gongsun Ling glanced at him sideways and said, "During the Immortal Dynasty, most City Gods were not ghosts. They possessed all five elements and yin and yang, and were equivalent to prefects among the gods. All matters, big and small, whether they were petty thieves or underworld deities, were under the jurisdiction of the City Gods."

However, after the Celestial Dynasty split, there were no more Heavenly Officials bestowing titles upon the gods. Many City Gods were thus elevated to godhood after sacrificing themselves and being mourned by the local people, gradually taking charge of the underworld.

Li Yi nodded thoughtfully, "In that case, the current City God is truly a hero in life and a heroic spirit in death."

Qin Kaixian scratched his head as he listened. If the City God were here, wouldn't he be bewitched by these sweet words and become ethereal?

Damn it, how come I couldn't think of such a brilliant idea? I should have gotten closer to the City God last night.

Li Yi was unaware of Qin Kaixian's feelings, his mind already captivated by the Investiture of the Gods.

He sensed a message coming from the list of children, so he looked inward and saw that Xiaoqing had sent a message.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Fifteen minutes ago, at Dahan Mountain, on the banks of the Qingchi River.

A ghostly figure suddenly appeared, hovering half a meter above the riverbank, releasing water vapor while shouting loudly:

"Yao Zhizhao, Right Judge of the Underworld of Qifeng County, requests an audience with the River God."

The surface of the Qingchi River is calm and still, showing no signs of freezing even in winter.

Yao Zhizhao stood with his hands behind his back, waiting quietly, but the green snake did not appear.

Suddenly, the river water surged, and a huge wave of water rushed towards us.

Yao Zhizhao remained expressionless, raised his right hand, and a small stream of water seeped from the tip of his index finger. The moment it touched the tide, it changed the direction of the tide, causing it to wilt like a frostbitten eggplant and return to the river.

Yang Shui's supernatural power—the ability to make water flow smoothly.

Xiaoqing finally emerged from the river and looked at her coldly.

"The Right Judge of the Underworld uses Yang water?"

Yao Zhizhao smiled calmly, "The City God is wise and willing to choose a yang person to serve in the underworld. Although I have lost my yang spirit, I am protected by the City God and can preserve my cultivation and protect the spirits of this area."

Seeing the green snake's unusual wariness, and knowing it had little experience with the human world, he said frankly:

"I, Yao, am willing to come here alone to invite you, which shows my utmost sincerity. My jurisdiction as a deity in the underworld is vast, but my authority does not lie with my colleagues or living beings. At this moment, I am at most on par with you, fellow Daoist."

The City God sent me here, firstly to ensure my own safety, and secondly to demonstrate my sincerity. Fellow Daoist, why worry?

Xiaoqing's eyes turned into vertical pupils, staring only at the other person without any further reaction.

Yao Zhizhao shook his head inwardly and said again, "Liao Qingming should have mentioned the gods of Qifeng County to you. As the chief deity of the county, if the City God wants to see you, you have no way to refuse."

Xiaoqing slowly sank into the center of the river and finally spoke: "Please wait a moment."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

[...The details of the matter have been explained in detail by this humble deity. I dare not presume to act on my own initiative, and I humbly request Your Excellency to make the final decision.]

After carefully reading the notice, Li Yi thought to himself that if what Gongsun Ling said was true, there was nothing wrong with meeting the City God; it was just a matter of paying respects to the local lord.

Xiaoqing, who had taken over the place and acted as her own local deity, completely disregarded her superiors, showing a certain arrogance.

Unfortunately, both Xiaoqing and I are incredibly ignorant. But it's okay, things will get better in the future.

[Going is fine, but please refrain from mentioning the deity.]

As Li Yin withdrew from Tongziliao, he immediately heard whispers from all sides of the crowd.

The man with uneven eyes was urging Gongsun Ling to rest:

"Miss, there are families of the deceased keeping vigil. You are a noble lady, why should you endure this? Why not spend the night at Brother Li's official residence?"

Gongsun Ling rebuked in a low voice, "The dead are my brothers from the centurion's garrison. The vigil is only halfway through; how can you leave halfway?"

The woman with the small eyes fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "Yang Lin doesn't even have a relative to keep vigil for him. If we, the military households, don't do our best, wouldn't we be letting down the many heroic spirits of Sanyi Village?"

The boy with uneven eyes answered earnestly, "I understand."

Li Yi wanted to talk to Xiao Yan'er about his relationship with Feng Dachuan, but due to the timing, he had to change the subject:

"I am currently lacking a martial arts technique, and I wonder how I can obtain one? Xiao Guan also needs a body-strengthening method for cultivating Qi and opening acupoints during the day. Could you directly teach him the 'Life-Sustaining Body-Strengthening Method'?"

Gongsun Ling seemed to have only heard about Xiao Guan's Qi absorption and acupoint opening, and excitedly grabbed Guan Tian, ​​"Really?!"

Guan Tian nodded somewhat cautiously in reply: "It's true, the external infection is located in the perineum."

Without a word, Gongsun Ling extended her fire energy, which warmed the other party greatly in the winter. Wherever the fire energy passed, warmth remained.

The fiery energy traveled all the way to the perineum, and Gongsun Ling couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Wind-driven spiritual energy!"

Fortunately, the few people in the courtyard were already fast asleep and were not awakened.

Gongsun Ling lowered her voice and explained to her group of puzzled subordinates:

"If a cultivator enters the Dao through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, there is a very small chance that he can connect with the wind and thunder elements, which are outside the Five Elements."

The spiritual energy within Xiao Guan's body was colorless and formless, ethereal and fluid—it was the energy of wind.

Taking this opportunity, Gongsun Ling went on to give a long lecture, thoroughly filling in Li Yi's gaps in his understanding of the basic Five Elements Golden Elixir Dao.

The two energies of wind and thunder, also known as the outer two elements, are listed alongside the five elements, without distinction of superiority or inferiority.

Ordinary people have a balance of Yin and Yang in their bodies. If they have natural talent, they can enter the Tao through the Five Elements.

However, in a small number of people, the constant activity of Yin and Yang energies within their bodies can stimulate the external two energies.

Wind is formed by the rotation of Yin and Yang, and thunder is formed by the interaction of Yin and Yang.

These two should be spiritual energy that ordinary cultivators can only master after cultivating the five elements and forming the golden core.

However, if a Qi Refining cultivator uses this to enter the Dao, they must choose one of the Five Elements to cultivate; otherwise, they will be unable to connect with the five internal organs, and the concept of Foundation Building will naturally be out of the question.

The advantages and disadvantages are obvious.

Furthermore, the external methods for refining Qi are relatively rare, and the cost of acquiring them is naturally higher. Moreover, it is difficult to find a good teacher; one must be a Golden Core cultivator.

Li Yi and the others listened with amazement. It seemed that the cultivators of the outer two lines were quite troublesome, and that they were not superior or inferior to the five elements, but each had its own characteristics.

That being said, if cultivators were to face an enemy, they would likely be even less willing to deal with the wind and thunder energies.

"Sir, what about my relationship with Xiao Guan...?"

Gongsun Ling was delighted to have gained another capable assistant and generously offered his guidance:

"In both the garrison and the barracks, everything depends on merit. Whether it's your martial arts techniques or Xiao Guan's body-forging method, they all require merit to exchange for. I, the centurion, mostly use my merit to exchange for the 'Life-Giving Body Forging Method,' so I can't help you two."

"but--"

Gongsun Ling changed the subject, "If you discover any magical techniques or innate spiritual treasures in the spiritual cave, you can exchange them with the garrison."