I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

The population exploded, yet the incense and prayer power obtained was reduced to only sixty percent of the original.

The common people are pragmatic—without disasters or difficulties, they are unwilling to burn incense and pray to the gods!

Zhou Yi had been observing in secret for ten years and was very satisfied with the actions of the Bu Tian disciples. Regardless of their innate character, they all adhered to the rules of the Xuanmen Orthodoxy, even as the power derived from incense and prayer decreased by half.

"In the long run, when the population doubles again, the power harvested from incense and prayer will be twenty percent more than the original."

"Other Mountain Gods and River Lords understand this principle as well. The population could possibly double several times over, but there is a limit to the harvest of incense power. However, they cannot wait for the dozens or hundreds of years required!"

"Even with their long lifespans, they cannot hold their divine position for so long."

However, Green Cloud Mountain is different, having fallen under the control of the Bu Tian Sect, it was like a concession within the Great Eternal territory, where any divine position can be appointed or dismissed at will."

No one can interfere, much less dare to seize it.

Not even the Imperial Court!

...

That day.

Mountain God Temple.

The pavilions and terraces had expanded several times compared to ten years ago.

The materials for the suppression of bandits and rewards for meritorious service issued by the Imperial Court mostly ended up in storage bags, but a portion still needed to be displayed.

First, to prove that His Majesty was not stingy with rewards to loyal subjects, and second, to show that the Green Cloud Mountain God was fond of luxury and enjoyment.

Yongshou Hall.

Zhou Yi was performing the Golden Core Technique, collecting the Purple Gold Pills into a gourd.

"The last batch, after ten years, it's time to change the taste. The Bodhi Pills of Buddhism not only increase mana but also benefit the spirit and soul. In the future, I will refine that."

Just as he planned to go to the Eternal Peace Hall to practice Qi Refinement, the sword talisman in his sleeve began to buzz.

His Divine Sense swept over it, receiving the message.

——"Zhu junior brother, please come to the Eternal Peace City God Temple. The count of Wish Power Beads has been sorted, and I will introduce several fellow senior brothers to you..."

"Ten years of seclusion, it's just the right time to take a break."

Zhou Yi sent a message to the Spirit Ginseng doll to watch the house and take good care of the spiritual fields, then immediately transformed into a fleeing light and left.

Now, with heavy restrictions around the Mountain God Temple, even Divine Transformation Heavenly Monarchs couldn't see through it, with True Gods guarding the periphery under their command, coupled with the reputation of Bu Tian Sect, none dared to test it blindly.

Several hours later.

Eternal Peace Prefecture.

City Prefecture.

After operating in Eternal Peace Prefecture for hundreds of years, the Sect had made the City Lord's residence move to East City, vacating the central location.

Zhou Yi descended from the fleeing light, moved through the incense-burning crowd with a few flashes, and came to the rear hall of the City God Temple.

The officials of the Underworld Department were already waiting, dressed in pale long robes. Upon seeing Zhou Yi, they hurriedly performed a salute: "The minor deity pays respects to the Green Cloud Mountain God. The feast has been arranged and has been waiting for a long time."

"Lead the way."

Zhou Yi recognized this person, a Judge under the authority of senior brother Gu, who seemed no different from a living person but was actually a ghost cultivator of many years.

Ghost Cultivators of the Nine Continents exuded a chilling ghostly wind, and even if they used spells to conceal it, they couldn't hide the leaking Yin Sha. However, Ghost Cultivators of the Dongsheng Divine Continent absorbed incense and prayer power, transformed into Yin Gods, and bore no trace of any morbidly cold aura.

The Judge performed a spell, and a shimmering spiritual light appeared ahead, revealing a Black Gate.

The material from which the Black Gate was crafted was unknown, comparable in size to mundane city gates, with its surface engraved with various terrifying patterns of fierce spirits and ghosts being punished, giving it an especially eerie and dreadful appearance.

Black Gate.

When mortals occasionally entered the City God Underworld Department, they recorded what they saw and named the Black Gate after it.

Zhou Yi's eyes flashed with spiritual light, seeing through the true nature of the Black Gate—it was a special treasure integrated with Formation and Prohibition.

The Black Gate swung open.

Stepping into the City God Underworld Department, Zhou Yi felt the void flip and twist, and the scenery ahead greatly changed.

The sky was dimly yellow, and ghostly energy loomed.

"Is this... a transportal array?"

Zhou Yi had studied the Wanjuan Daozang, within which was a volume about transportal arrays, but it was nowhere near as exquisite as the Black Gate.

Upon reflection, he found this to be reasonable.

After all, the City God Temple was not the mythical Underworld, but a construct by cultivators for the sake of incense and prayer power. It was impossible for them to open up an extraordinary space with supreme power, so instead, they found a Yin Sha Forbidden Land and connected it with transportal arrays.

Mortals, with their limited knowledge, would stumble into the City God Temple and think they had entered the Underworld!

The Judge explained, "You are correct, my lord. We have just passed through a transportal array to a land of Yin Spirits northeast of Eternal Peace Prefecture, about two thousand li away from the city."

The land of the Yin Spirits was already permeated with dense Yin energy, and after the establishment of the City God Underworld Department, it continuously imprisoned the souls of the wicked and malevolent ghosts.

Over time, it was thoroughly shrouded in Yin Sha.

Passing through the various halls of the Underworld Department, we arrived at the main hall where twenty or thirty people were seated, most of whom were at the Golden Core Realm.

Sitting on the sides were three Nascent Soul Daoists, as well as Gu Xiao and Zhou Yi who had recently arrived; their collective strength had already surpassed that of the Dan Ding Sect of the past. However, this was only a part of the influence that the Mend Heaven Sect wielded in Daheng.

Zhou Yi cupped his hands in respect and said, "I've seen all my fellow Daoist brothers, I'm late."

"Zhu Junior Brother came from the farthest away, and you've arrived in just a few hours, which is indeed very swift," someone said.

Gu Xiao introduced them one by one, "This is Brother Ling Ming, who holds the position of Director in the Ministry of Households and Revenue. The resources you receive from the Imperial Court have all been handled by him."

Zhou Yi hastily said, "I have seen Brother Ling Ming. I am grateful for your care over the years."

"We are fellow disciples from the same sect, there's no need for such courtesies," Ling Ming said.

Ling Ming's Daoist title sounded gloomy, yet he was a round-faced, chubby man who smiled warmly and looked at Zhou Yi with a fond gaze.

Serving in the local Ministry of Households and Revenue for over a hundred years, the Spiritual Objects he acquired, when summed up, did not amount to as much as those from the past ten years.

After all, being a Nascent Soul Daoist, even if he engaged in corruption, he needed a legitimate reason to avoid compromising his status. Little did he expect that Zhou Yi, upon becoming the Green Cloud Mountain God, would frequently ask for credit and request materials to suppress bandits, utterly disregarding his reputation.

After distributing the Spiritual Objects, Zhou Yi then returned fifty percent to the Ministry of Households; how could Ling Ming not feel close to him!

Gu Xiao continued, "This is An Yunguang, Brother An holds the rank of Lieutenant General in the Town East Army."

Zhou Yi bowed and said, "I have seen Brother An." Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire

With Daheng being established for less than three thousand years, in comparison to the surrounding dynasties, its strength and foundation were significantly lacking. Cultivators were stationed at the border year-round, vigilantly guarding against foreign cultivators abducting people.

An Yunguang returned the bow, his demeanor neither warm nor cold.

"Pei Yuanzhou, Brother Pei."

Gu Xiao said, "Brother Pei is a disciple of Preceptor Danxia Zi and doesn't hold any office in the Imperial Court. He's devoted to retreating and cultivating with the goal of achieving Divinity Transformation."

"I have seen Brother Pei."

Zhou Yi said with a smile, "I witnessed Brother Pei suppress the Dragon Emperor with ease in a spell duel that day, without the need for any magical treasures. It was an eye-opener for me."

Pei Yuanzhou, dressed in black, initially had a chilly demeanor. Hearing this, his face showed surprise and he could not help but ask.

"Were you present that day?"

Which Nascent Soul hasn't lived for several hundred years? During spell duels, they would inevitably be extremely cautious, thoroughly investigating hundreds of miles in every direction to avoid being taken advantage of in the event of a mutual defeat.

Zhou Yi replied, "I am naturally timid and proficient in the Art of Concealment, luckily escaping Brother Pei's Divine Sense."

Whoosh!

A stir went through the hall suddenly; Pei Yuanzhou, known for his reputation in Daheng and touted as likely to achieve Divinity Transformation within a century, had actually been deceived by a newly-ascended Nascent Soul.

In the Cultivation World, strength is respected above all, and the Art of Concealment is also a form of strength. Initially, Pei and An, who had somewhat looked down on Zhou Yi, instantly became more cordial, and Zhou Yi was considered to have initially integrated into the circle.

Zhou Yi took his seat, and the banquet began.

During the feast, the conversation was mostly dominated by the five Nascent Soul Daoists, while the Golden Core Cultivators provided accompaniment, with their responsibilities including nodding and exclaiming in astonishment.

The talk ranged from Daheng to Dongsheng Divine Continent and then to the various large sects, with many secrets unraveled eloquently, allowing Zhou Yi to gain a comprehensive understanding of the entire Cultivation World.

"Beyond the Twelve Great Cults of Righteous, Demonic, and Buddhist paths that return to the Void, there are several dozen or even a hundred sects with Divinity Transformation masters. However, those with methods of ascension or connections to the Immortal Realm are only four!"

"Mend Heaven, Sever Heaven, Demon Sect, Buddhist Sect..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi frowned in puzzlement and asked, "Doesn't the old ancestor of the Li family in Daheng, who has achieved the Return to the Void, count as a great sect?"

"Haha!"

Gu Xiao laughed and said, "Not to mention that the Great Eternal Ancestor employed questionable methods, with only one Return to the Void in the family and no successors, how can they dare to call themselves a great sect? If that were the case, then Dongsheng Divine Continent would have more than just twelve great sects!"

Zhou Yi nodded slightly and curiously said, "I have heard several times that the Great Eternal Ancestor took shortcuts, but I couldn't fathom it. Could there really be a secret technique for refining the spirit and returning to the Void in the world?"

Gu Xiao and the others exchanged glances, and the Golden Core Cultivators in the hall held their breath in anticipation.

"Originally, there was none."

Pei Yuanzhou slowly said, "People who have returned to the Void are just one step away from ascension, the epitome of the mortal path of cultivation. How could there be any shortcuts?"

"The Great Eternal Ancestor suffered damage to his foundation during a spell duel in his early years, and his path was deemed to have ended. However, some years ago, he somehow acquired the Incense Sealing God Technique, accumulating an immeasurable amount of incense wish power, and thus achieving the status of a true god in the Return to the Void!"

Zhou Yi exclaimed in surprise, "A true god, not an immortal?"

"The term 'true god' was coined by the ancestors of the sect, meaning a god formed from the condensed power of incense and wishes!"

Pei Yuanzhou continued, "Otherwise, Daheng, being a small land in the eyes of the ancestors of the sect, would hardly be worth their effort."

Coming to a realization, Zhou Yi understood that the Mend Heaven Sect was not after Qingyun Mountain, but rather the secret of becoming a god through incense.

Inside the Mend Heaven Sect, how many exceptionally talented Divine Transformation Heavenly Monarchs had exhausted their lifespans in cultivation, unable to break through to the Return to the Void Realm?

Yet the Great Eternal Ancestor of Daheng, whose foundations were damaged, was able to become a god through incense. Such a secret technique could indeed be described as a Wonderful Method that connects to heaven!