The next day, before the first light of dawn.
The God’s Grace Festival was a grand ceremony ordained by the deity, with Hong Ling personally taking on the responsibility of hosting it.
Filled with excitement, all the city dwellers rose early. Organized by the paper effigies of the Patrol Team, they entered the inner city in an orderly fashion.
This was a restricted area that the vast majority of them had never stepped foot in before.
There were no colorful lanterns or decorations, and no thunderous drums or gongs.
Everyone wore plain white robes, their expressions solemn. They held bone torches and formed long queues.
The bone-fire flickered atop the torches, stretching and twisting their shadows like a parade of a hundred ghosts.
The scene in the inner city was starkly different from the bustling, worldly atmosphere of the outer city.
Several eerie buildings of various designs stood tall—some forged from bleached bones, others built from stacked flesh and blood. All of them radiated a heart-trembling pressure.
This was especially true when the savage, magnificent, and jade-white Bone Altar came into view.
Everyone instinctively held their breath and lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at it.
'So this is the immortal residence of the lord.'
Countless people sighed with the same thought in their hearts.
Chen Zhou was now a high-tier Abnormal Grade evil spirit, comparable to the first transformation of Eerification.
Even though he restrained his aura, the oppressive weight of an evil spirit’s origin of death still forced these ordinary citizens into submission.
Under Hong Ling’s clear and forceful direction, the festival’s proceedings unfolded one by one.
Groups of citizens stepped forward, lighting prepared incense sticks and inserting them into the incense burners before the altar.
The green smoke curled upward, gathering into clouds that carried the people’s prayers as they swirled around the altar.
Then, Lu Cheng led three flower demons forward, offering floral wreaths to take the place of the traditional three livestock sacrifices.
Hong Ling stood on the high ground in front of the altar, her posture straight. Her voice was amplified by spiritual power, spreading clearly to every corner.
"With utmost sincerity, we report to the deity!
"Since the God’s descent, he has cleansed the demons and evil, saving us from the serpent’s fangs and the fires of White Jade City. He built this City of the Wrongfully Dead, a fortress to give us a place to settle and live.
"His grace is like a second birth, and his benevolence covers all living beings. Today, on the God’s Grace Festival, we remember his protection. We are here to kowtow in thanks for the god’s grace!"
Her words were concise but powerful, listing a few of the deity's major achievements since his arrival.
Though not exhaustive, it was enough to make everyone who had lived through it recall those days of transition from despair to rebirth, deepening the gratitude in their hearts.
Sitting atop the altar, Chen Zhou silently pulled up the faith panel.
Now, all the people of Qudao County had been brought into the City of the Wrongfully Dead.
Since the Bone Ghost Servant legion made their public appearance, the faith data had seen a massive surge.
General believers had broken the 5,000 mark, and shallow believers had increased to over 800.
However, he noticed today that there was actually one more fanatic believer.
The name displayed for the new addition was Ugly Hag.
Chen Zhou found it curious.
'Have I done anything special lately?'
Thinking it over, the only thing was sacrificing Smiling Face in Kushi County.
'Could it be because of that? It seems martial power is indeed a vital part of harvesting faith.'
Looking at the sea of white-clad figures kneeling below, Chen Zhou decided to appear in his new skin.
In an instant, a cold wind howled within the inner city, making everyone’s robes flap loudly.
Everyone’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to the top of the Bone Altar.
Where the cold wind converged, a figure quietly emerged, sitting high upon a Nine-Skull Throne piled from nine massive skulls.
The figure’s face was blurred, as if shrouded in eternal shadow.
Yet, that supreme majesty of a ruler over life and death made everyone feel an instinctive sense of awe.
His black martial outfit looked as if it were woven from the deepest night.
Upon the robes, dark red tribulation markings flowed slowly.
Wisps of karma-fire swirled around him, as if looking for even a second too long would cause one's own sins to be ignited.
"Welcome, Lord Deity!"
Hong Ling was the first to bow.
"Welcome, Lord Deity!"
All the citizens prostrated themselves deeply once more.
Chen Zhou raised his hand slightly.
Since it was God’s Grace Day, it was only natural to bestow divine grace upon his followers.
"Lu Cheng, step forward."
Lu Cheng trembled at the mention of his name. Under the envious gazes of countless people, he quickly walked to the front of the altar and fell to his knees with a thud.
"Old man Lu Cheng kowtows to the Lord God!"
Chen Zhou’s voice drifted through the shadows. "You have shown great merit in supervising the construction of the city and coordinating logistics. During the founding of the City of the Wrongfully Dead, your hard work has been immense. Today, I bestow upon you the title of City-Building Envoy."
Immediately, a speck of emerald light drifted down and landed before Lu Cheng.
It was a pine nut, entirely green and radiating a peaceful aura.
Lu Cheng could hardly believe his ears. On the God’s Grace Festival, he was actually the first to receive divine grace.
He had originally been just an ordinary carpenter in White Jade City. If he had anything worth mentioning, it was just his skill with wood.
Back then, the deity had looked upon him with favor and entrusted him with a heavy responsibility, reigniting his artisan's blood.
He never expected that all his achievements would be recognized by the deity today, with a treasure personally bestowed upon him.
He held the pine nut as if he were holding a peerless treasure, tears streaming down his face as he kowtowed repeatedly toward the altar. "Thank you for the Lord God’s gift!"
Under the gaze of everyone present, Lu Cheng carefully placed the pine nut in his mouth.
The pine nut melted instantly, and a vast surge of vitality immediately flowed through his limbs and bones.
The next moment, everyone was dumbfounded.
Lu Cheng’s white hair rapidly turned thick and black. The wrinkles on his face were smoothed out, his hunched back gradually straightened, and even his skin became firm and lustrous.
In just a few breaths, a withered old artisan had returned to his youth before everyone's eyes, transforming into a sturdy young man who looked to be in his early twenties.
The crowd erupted in an uproar.
"Rejuvenation? Old Man Lu became young?"
"Heavens, the Lord Deity can even control one’s lifespan?"
"Grace... this is true divine grace!"
Countless gazes instantly became incredibly burning, and their breathing grew heavy.
Lu Cheng had previously received pill rewards for his merits and had entered the path of cultivation.
But he was too old; his foundation was set, and his future was limited.
But now, the deity had directly gifted him his youth.
In this City of the Wrongfully Dead, where there was food and safety, who wouldn't long for longevity if it were possible?
Awe and fanaticism reached a peak at this moment.
Chen Zhou was very satisfied with this effect.
"Shitou, Hong Ling."
The two immediately stepped forward and knelt on one knee in a respectful posture. "Your subordinates are here!"
"You two have worked tirelessly for the City of the Wrongfully Dead, subduing the villages of Qudao County and purging demons. Your merits are outstanding."
Chen Zhou’s voice remained calm. "I bestow upon you both the opportunity to break through your realms. I hope you will remain diligent and soon become my right and left hands."
He communicated with the system. Over the past few days, he had accumulated quite a few Evil God Points, which he invested into the Flesh-and-Blood Pasture to accelerate the catalysis of flesh.
He then exchanged the flesh for pills and sent them to the two.
Hong Ling and Shitou tilted their heads back and swallowed several foul-smelling pills.
Two powerful auras exploded outward.
Golden light surged around Shitou as his muscles bulged and his blood roared like a dragon, as if a war god were awakening.
Hong Ling was enveloped in scorching flames, with the agile Luan fire talismans swirling around her, her aura climbing steadily.
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