Over the next few days, Chen Zhou had the mutant insects repeatedly test various corners within the secret realm. Their gnawing marks were left across the entirety of the city ruins.
However, the results were not ideal.
In most places within the secret realm, the spatial barriers were exceptionally sturdy. Even as the mutant insects gnawed until their mouthparts cracked, they achieved no results.
Only that park remained the sole weak point of this secret realm.
A few days later, in that same park and on the same patch of empty ground, three brand-new breaches appeared once more.
Chen Zhou followed the same procedure, entering each in turn to clear the Soul-Suppressing Towers, and then having Jian Huaishuang send the packaged Piao inside.
"These are all yours now."
"Eating again?"
Piao had not yet fully digested the Locust Mother she had eaten last time, and her belly was still filled with copper poison. Resistance was written all over the half of her face that was an insect.
Piao felt like she would nauseate at the sight of anything brass-colored now; she actually missed the feeling of hunger.
Chen Zhou smiled and flicked a sphere of light toward her.
The sphere of light was filled with the most primitive aura of hunger. It came from within the Smiling Face monk—the 【broken divinity—gluttony】 born from the Locust Mother.
"Take it," Chen Zhou’s voice was calm. "You were originally a part of the Locust Mother. This divinity is the perfect fit for you."
Piao subconsciously caught the sphere of light.
The moment the divinity touched her hand, the instinctual hunger within her body was instantly ignited.
"Hungry..." The insect mouthparts on Piao's face involuntarily pulled open. She looked at Chen Zhou with a hint of longing in her eyes. "Can I eat this too?"
"You can," Chen Zhou nodded. "But don't eat it now. Wait until you've finished all the copper poison, then go home and eat it slowly."
"You aren't strong enough to withstand the erosion of gluttony yet. You need more copper poison to complete your eerification."
"Oh."
Piao obediently agreed and opened her mouth again to swallow the copper poison.
While Chen Zhou was busy dealing with the secret realm, order in Lantao City was being rapidly rebuilt under the iron fists of Hong Ling, Zhao Qingtian, and the others.
The City Lord's Mansion of Lantao City had now changed masters.
Zhao Qianjun, dressed in a brand-new Blackwater Guard commander's uniform, walked into the main hall with a solemn expression.
"Master Ku Chan," he bowed to a monk who was sitting cross-legged in meditation within the hall.
Ku Chan opened his eyes and returned the gesture. "Amitabha. Commander Zhao, what is the matter?"
"The Merit Temple on the west side of the City Lord's Mansion has been renovated according to your requirements. Do you wish to move in today, or...?"
"Excellent." Ku Chan stood up, satisfied.
He threw on a gold-threaded kasaya gifted by wealthy merchants and paced to the doorway. Looking at this most luxurious residence in Lantao City, his heart was filled with emotion.
'Following the God definitely has a future.'
Thinking back to his time under that broken tower in the Dead Man’s Forest, it had been dark and hopeless, and he could only survive by parasitizing the remnant soul of a tiger demon.
Now, he, Ku Chan, had undergone a transformation to become the God’s spokesperson in Lantao City.
He could live in whichever room of this mansion he pleased.
Even Zhao Qianjun, the new commander of the Blackwater Guard, was polite to him.
'This is too great, woof woof woof!'
"Commander Zhao, there is no rush to move in," Ku Chan waved his hand. "The God values the sanctity of life. The city is currently being rebuilt, so pacifying the people's livelihood should be the priority."
"Since I am moving into this Merit Temple, I should naturally share the God's burdens."
He spoke with a face full of righteousness. "Please announce to the entire city that the Merit Temple is open for lectures starting immediately. We shall spread the God's teachings. Anyone with a firm will and devout faith may come here to listen to the divine voice."
"A noble gesture, Master," Zhao Qianjun nodded in agreement.
He knew this monk was an envoy personally dispatched by the God; his task was to cooperate.
As Zhao Qianjun turned to leave, Xing Yue was already waiting outside the door.
"Commander." Xing Yue was now a deputy commander, and his temperament had become much more stable.
"Mm," Zhao Qianjun nodded. "Have all of Lady Hong Ling's orders been relayed?"
"Yes," Xing Yue said. "Three thousand Blackwater Guards have been deployed, led by ten captains, to various counties under the jurisdiction of Thousand Isles County."
"Lady Hong Ling has ordered that in every county town, if there is resistance or collusion with evil spirits, no consultation is needed—kill them on the spot."
"The rest of the population, whether cultivators or mortals, are to be moved back to Lantao City to replenish the population."
Zhao Qianjun looked toward the city outskirts and sighed. "After this battle, Lantao City is nearly empty. It is time to bring in some fresh blood. Let's go; we have much to do."
At the same time, in front of the Heart's Desire Hall.
Dozens of family heads and core figures who had exhausted their wealth and stood firm during the battle for Lantao City—and who held the most devout faith in the God—had been summoned.
They were informed that due to their outstanding contributions and steadfast faith, they would receive the God's grace.
They would be led by Patrol Envoy Shitou to the Holy City where the deity resided—the City of the Wrongfully Dead—for an audience with the God.
This news made these family heads, who were used to great storms, tremble with excitement, followed by extreme nervousness.
"Brother Lin, are... are you ready?"
"Brother Zhao, my heart... it's thumping out of my chest."
In the backyard of the Heart's Desire Hall, Lin Zhixue, Zhao Qingtian, Master Zhang, and others stood with solemn, even somewhat fearful expressions.
They did not dare to be negligent.
The moment they received the news, they had each returned home to bathe and change.
However, what to wear had become the biggest dilemma.
If they dressed magnificently, they feared the God would think them worldly and insincere.
If they dressed too simply, they feared the God would think them negligent and disrespectful.
Finally, it was Lin Zhixue who heard a rumor from Shitou that the God was an orthodox deity of the Underworld, presiding over longevity and death.
The group put their heads together and reached a sudden realization.
Thus, when Shitou appeared in the backyard, what he saw was a group of family heads dressed in brand-new burial clothes, looking as if they were ready to be laid in their coffins.
Everyone stood ramrod straight with solemn expressions, and they had even applied pale funeral makeup to themselves for the sake of propriety.
"..."
Shitou nodded with considerable satisfaction, looking as if they had finally understood the proper etiquette.
He cleared his throat, deliberately keeping a stiff face, and said in a heavy voice, "Is everyone ready?"
Now that he was out in the world, he was the face of the City of the Wrongfully Dead; even if it was just an act, he had to appear composed.
"Yes, yes, Lord Shitou, we are all ready," Lin Zhixue led the group in a bow.
"Then let's go."
Everyone present possessed a cultivation base. Traveling through the air, they reached the Dead Man’s Forest in less than half a day.
What met their eyes was a massive, strangely styled city. The family heads were filled with shock.
Is this the Holy City?
The sky was a gloomy gray, looking as if the sun would never reach it, yet it provided a strange sense of stability.
The high city walls were made of an unknown material that shimmered with a cold, bone-like light.
"What... what is that?" Master Zhang pointed to a group of people running past with synchronized steps.
It was a squad of patrolling guards, each clad in bone armor. Beneath their helmets were skeletal faces.
"Don't make a fuss," Shitou said, leading the way with a blank expression. "Those are ghost servants, the God's personal guards."
As soon as he finished speaking, several flat figures floated around a street corner.
They were light and airy, wearing clothes made of paper, and were whispering in an argument over the ownership of a spirit stone.
"...The accounts for yesterday's spirit field output are wrong. Did you pocket some again?"
"Nonsense! As a disciple of the Sword Sect, why would I do such sneaky things? It must have been lost by those idiots under Li Dazhu during transport!"
"Those must be the personal guards of the Sword Master, right? We saw them in Lantao City," Zhao Qingtian said.
"Those are fellow Daoists from the Sword Sect," Shitou corrected. "They are also residents of the city, responsible for public security and some clerical work."
"The ones you saw before were fellow Daoists from the Corpse Soul Sect. They are all disciples of orthodox immortal sects."
Zhao Qingtian felt awkward; how was he supposed to tell them apart?
But regardless, as expected of a Holy City built by the God, it truly felt like a ghost domain.
As the group ventured deeper, a bustling atmosphere of daily life reached them from a nearby market.
"Erniu, you stole the spirit grain again! See if I don't break your legs!"
"Hahaha, Qin Kuan, you dug up something good again today? Add a dish to the cafeteria tonight—it's your treat!"
"Freshly steamed buns! Spiritual meat from Widow Li’s pasture! Only one spirit stone each!"
The family heads looked toward the sound. In the market, a large number of living humans were moving about.
All the citizens were dressed simply, but everyone was full of vitality and spirit. They were at least first-stage cultivators, and some were even fifth-stage powerhouses.
Yet they acted like ordinary people, accustomed to the skeletons and netherflames around them. They would even haggle with shopkeepers over the price of a radish.
A child with sky-pointing braids was riding on the shoulders of a tall skeleton, holding a skewer of unknown spirit fruits and giggling loudly.
The skeleton allowed the child to play, simply walking forward with steady steps.
Skeletons, paper people, netherflames, and even demons—all coexisted with living humans within a single city.
Lin Zhixue watched this scene, his entire body trembling.
He suddenly understood.
What the God protected was never based on form.
Whether living or dead, human or ghost, within this City of the Wrongfully Dead, all were citizens.
The Holy City was a destination where the dead could rest in peace, where the living could dwell in safety, where order was re-established, and where hope existed.
"We..."
Lin Zhixue took a deep breath. He pulled Zhao Qingtian and Master Zhang beside him, straightened his burial clothes, and knelt down with utmost solemnity toward the city and toward the Bone Altar at its center.
"...Kowtow to the Bone God."
Seeing this, the other family heads followed suit.
Shitou watched this scene and nodded with satisfaction.
"Alright, get up," his voice was stiff. "In this place, everything follows the rules. The God has seen everything you did in Lantao City. Being able to come here is your blessing."
"The God detests duplicity and hates betrayal most of all. Since you have chosen faith, if you ever dare to defy the God's decrees..."
Shitou did not continue. He simply pointed to a row of dried heads of demons and monsters hanging on the distant city wall.
The family heads felt a chill in their hearts and hurriedly voiced their compliance.
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