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

"You still don't know your friend's name?"

Scarface cried out in pain and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "I apologize for my abruptness. My name is Jin Mantang, a cultivator of the Lung Metal Qi, who died in a demonic calamity more than a hundred years ago."

This is the first time I've ever heard someone announce the date and cause of their death...

Li Yi glanced at the finger hole on the side of the other person's head. "No wonder... how is that monster now?"

"My colleagues took the opportunity to burn me to ashes, not even sparing my ghosts." Jin Mantang said with a melancholy tone, "But... all my colleagues have passed away one after another, and now only I am left—still existing."

I was going to ask if they were still alive...

Li Yi muttered to himself, then sighed.

No wonder the other party's question was so strange. It turns out they hoped that the Great Zhou would send the City God here, or at the very least, bring the Great Yan under their jurisdiction, so that millions of living beings could have a chance to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

"I would like to go down the mountain to the ghost village to confirm the details and make this happen as soon as possible."

Jin Mantang showed no unusual expression. He looked up at the sky and said, "That would be even better! I will accompany you, brother, to avoid causing panic among the many spirits."

Li Yi immediately jumped down the steep slope and hurried along the path, quickly arriving at the Ghost Village at the foot of the mountain.

The ghosts on the street were in a daze, each muttering something repeatedly.

It could be a person's name, an object, or a vague statement.

This is a soul deeply attached to its obsessions. It may not cause much harm, but it may unintentionally disturb living beings.

"These are all things I brought over the next seven days."

Li Yi fell silent for a moment.

In this ghost village, apart from the six ghost cultivators, none of the other spirits can live for more than seven days. This cycle repeats itself endlessly. Over the past hundred years, it is unknown how many souls they have sent away, or how many souls they have watched turn into spiritual energy and dissipate in this world.

As they were speaking, two ghostly figures drew closer, their bodies immediately emitting black smoke, and they let out a miserable scream.

Li Yi quickly dodged, then jumped onto the roof and asked curiously:

"In the past hundred years, have you ever encountered a situation beyond your capabilities?"

Jin Mantang followed him to the rooftop, shook his head, and said, "There was a Foundation Establishment cultivator who died in a demonic calamity, but unfortunately he was a Yang-type body cultivator, and his Yin spirit was difficult to retain after death, so it did not cause any ghostly calamity."

This is also one of the drawbacks of body cultivation; those who cultivate the six internal organs and the five elements of yang have difficulty retaining their yin spirit after death.

I've heard that Yao Zhizhao, the Right Judge of Qifeng County, is Yang Shui Qi Xiu, which must have been bestowed by the Song Dynasty City God.

Having a city god guarding a place is priceless.

Li Yi made his way around and met Jin Mantang and his fellow Daoists. From their words, he learned that they had all been influenced and transformed by Jin Mantang, which allowed them to become ghost cultivators and help him travel around the Great Yan.

Jin Mantang looked up at the sky again and realized it was getting rather dark, so he bowed slightly and said sincerely:

"Please inform Brother Li as soon as possible. The people of Dayan should not suffer such a fate."

Li Yi nodded silently, watching Jin Mantang lead the boy away.

The so-called Yin Shuai is in charge of guiding and refining the souls of the dead and exorcising evil spirits. He is rarely worshipped by the living and his incense offerings are accumulated little by little through his authority and responsibility.

Li Yi was unwilling to waste the limited number of slots on bestowing titles upon the Underworld Marshals, believing that without a City God, the Underworld Marshals would lose their purpose.

I ran into Jin Mantang today, but my thoughts were quite different.

This person was so busy working for the Great Yan that he even neglected his own cultivation. Upon hearing of the Great Zhou invasion, his first reaction was to inquire about the Underworld.

Jin Mantang was not concerned about the fate of the Great Yan Dynasty, but rather the ghosts he saw every day and the people who had lost their relatives and friends.

He expected the Great Zhou to be able to summon the City God, but little did he know that through a century of good deeds, he had already accumulated a large number of golden statues, and he expected that within thirty years, he would be able to become a county-level City God.

Jin Mantang himself was unaware, but Li Yi, as the celestial official, saw it clearly.

He silently watched the ghost cultivator with a hole in his head, and quietly brought up the Investiture of the Gods.

"While I cannot appoint you as the City God in one fell swoop, bestowing upon you the title of Underworld Marshal is not out of the question."

As Jin Mantang walked out of the valley and reached the mountain pass, he suddenly felt a surge of golden energy within his soul.

A copper bell at his waist solidified silently, and a black iron padlock materialized in his right hand, with the chain coiling around his waist twice.

That's not all. Jin Mantang stared blankly at himself, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a book about the size of two palms hanging in front of him.

A flood of knowledge rushed into his mind, leaving him stunned and unable to feel the burning pain of the sunlight.

"The Soul-Guiding Bell, the Soul-Locking Chains, and this... the Book of Life and Death."

After a moment's thought, Jin Mantang temporarily set aside the three items and took out a golden list from the Lung Meridian Acupoint.

The four large characters on the right read: "Imperial Edict".

Jin Mantang, the City God of Huai County.

[Opening acupoints for Qi circulation, using the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin (11/11).]

[A minor deity in the Qi Refining stage, possessing meager cultivation, commands spirits and can be appointed as a Yin official, enjoying incense offerings.]

[Mastering the Qi Refining Technique, City God's Divine Powers, Ghost Realm, Book of Life and Death.]

[Ghost Realm: It shelters spirits and ghosts, and has the effect of suppressing and consolidating their souls.]

[Book of Life and Death: View the birth and death dates of all beings within your jurisdiction.]

Jin Mantang suddenly became a god, and his mind was in a daze.

Not only him, but even Li Yi, who facilitated this matter, could not hide his shock.

Originally, he only intended to appoint Jin Mantang as a Yin Marshal, but unexpectedly, Jin Mantang promoted himself to a divine position and transformed into a Qi-refining City God.

Could it be that he had already forged his golden body and was just one step away from achieving it, and then the Investiture of the Gods bestowed upon him a divine position, which allowed him to become the City God in one fell swoop?

Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!

In this way, the divine position given to Jin Mantang was not wasted, but rather worth more than it was, and he was able to be appointed as the City God, despite his lowly position as a minor official!

Unfortunately, the City God who refines Qi cannot create the underworld and does not have the power to open the cycle of reincarnation.

This "Ghost Domain" supernatural power is more like a secondary level of the underworld. Even so, its ability to suppress and condense souls is enough to subdue all the spirits within its jurisdiction.

However, the "Book of Life and Death" is somewhat inadequate, which is probably due to the lack of divine positions.

"I used to think the Book of Life and Death was some great god's innate treasure, but it turns out it's the authority of the gods."

Li Yi sighed inwardly, when he suddenly saw Jin Mantang rushing over in a hurry, and immediately activated "Ghost Domain".

Several individuals with weak souls quickly solidified their souls and regained much of their vitality.

The effect of focusing the mind is surprisingly rapid.

Five ghost cultivators in the ghost village sensed something was amiss and flew out. Upon seeing Jin Mantang, they couldn't help but tremble, and felt an urge to kneel down and pay homage.

With a wave of his right hand, Jin Mantang gave each of his five fellow Daoists a bronze spirit and a soul lock.

"Brothers, I, Jin Mantang, have now been appointed City God and will assist you in your duties as underworld officials."

The Soul-Guiding Bell guides the souls of the dead, while the Soul-Locking Chains restrain evil spirits.

From now on, this place will be the Great Yan Underworld.

The five ghost cultivators, having obtained the positions of underworld officials and possessing two spiritual treasures, gained profound insights and unwavering faith in Jin Mantang's words, and all knelt down.

"Greetings, City God!"

Li Yi stared in astonishment at the scene, suddenly feeling as if he had shot himself in the foot.

He only intended to appoint a Yin General, but unexpectedly brought a formidable enemy to the Great Zhou.

Never mind, it's irrelevant.

Li Yi tried to comfort himself, but still couldn't help but probe:

"Brother Jin, it seems there's no need to mention the matter of the Great Zhou's dispatch of the City God anymore?"