The System put on the Fog Monster skin Yun Shu had bought for it to play along in her grand performance, allowing her to show off, before immediately switching back to its little fox skin. It refused to wear it for even a single second longer.
After all, the skins its host bought for it, aside from the initial little fox, only got uglier one after another.
“Host, this trip to Chaoyang City was so worth it! We earned so much Shock Value!”
Perched on Yun Shu's shoulder, it stared at the dazzling numbers on the system panel, almost drooling.
That was over thirteen million Shock Value!
In the past, it wouldn't have dared to dream of such a sum.
Compared to the System's excitement, Yun Shu was as steady as an old dog. As if she had long expected how much Shock Value she would farm, her expression did not change at all, still maintaining her majestic demeanor as the Divine Lady.
Quietly, she closed the system panel.
Lowering her gaze, she looked down at the crowd on the ground.
The prostrate crowd below did not dare to raise their heads.
Some trembled like chaff in the wind, while others pressed their foreheads tightly against the ground, their breathing so cautious and light for fear of making any sound that might disturb the true deity in the sky.
After all,
the sword formation and the Cosmic Form from moments ago were still vivid in their minds.
What was more, the bodies of those who had died under the sword formation still lay scattered haphazardly across the ground.
Who would dare displease Her? They would have to be seeking death.
“The evil spirit has been expunged, both body and soul annihilated,” the Divine Lady's voice drifted down from the heavens. “All who use sorcery to harm and take human lives shall share this fate—their souls scattered, never to enter the cycle of reincarnation.”
“Bear this well in mind.”
Her gaze shifted away from the corpses on the ground and landed on Lan Yi and the others, making them shiver in terror.
“Considering that you did not willingly become followers of the evil spirit, and have not personally stained your hands with sin or caused a catastrophe, I shall grant you a chance to redeem yourselves.”
Hearing this, an uncontrollable sliver of hope instantly burst from the eyes of the anxious Lan Yi and her companions.
They still had a chance to live!
The Divine Lady's voice continued, as clear and cold as before. “From this day forth, you must perform good deeds to offset your sins. Save a life to make amends for a transgression. Help a family to dissolve a portion of your karma. The good deeds you perform shall be witnessed by heaven and earth, and attested to by the sun and moon.”
She raised Her hand slightly.
A swarm of golden butterflies suddenly materialized in Her palm.
The golden butterflies fluttered toward Chaoyang City, landing on the arms of Lan Yi and the others, turning into butterfly-shaped marks.
Having successfully infected them with the Evil-Devouring Gu—a rare Gu insect that fed specifically on wicked people, obtained from the Jar of Ten Thousand Poisons—Yun Shu withdrew her hand and resumed spinning her lies.
“This mark will remain with you until the good deeds you perform have fully offset your sins. Only then will it vanish.”
Those who wholeheartedly turned toward goodness would be rejected by the Evil-Devouring Gu, as they were not on their menu, and the insects would leave their bodies on their own.
“Should you ever harbor evil thoughts again, or commit wicked deeds, you will suffer the backlash of the mark and die a sudden death.”
Her main purpose in putting on this display today, aside from farming Shock Value, was to strike a blow against heterodox paths.
In times of chaos, when people saw no hope of survival, they were like the families of patients outside a hospital ICU who had just received a critical illness notice. Praying to gods and Buddha was their only resort.
As her persona as the Divine Lady grew more established, the number of people in this world who believed in ghosts and gods would inevitably increase.
This was a double-edged sword.
Kind-hearted people who believed in the supernatural would naturally worship orthodox deities. However, those who were already malicious, upon learning that gods and spirits truly existed, would only cling tighter to heretical paths, using coercion and enticement to force more people to join them and become like them.
Therefore, she had to solve the problem at its root. By leveraging her identity as a deity, she would make everyone understand the agonizing price they would pay for worshiping evil spirits and using sorcery to harm others.
A long silence fell.
Then, Lan Yi and A'han supported each other as they kowtowed to the Divine Lady in the sky, their voices trembling as they said, “Thank you for your mercy, Divine Lady! Thank you, Divine Lady, for your mercy...”
Seeing this, the others also kowtowed to express their gratitude.
【Lan Yi Shock Value +100】
【A'han Shock Value +100】
【Fang Shuo Shock Value +100】
【...】
【Current Shock Value: 15500000】
Another wave of Shock Value farmed.
Considering that the people of Chaoyang had been living in constant fear for the past few days, Yun Shu didn't think it was wise to display any more divine techniques. If their emotions fluctuated too violently and they went into shock on the spot, wouldn't she be defeating her own purpose?
Calculating the time, Shen Yu and the others should be arriving at Chaoyang City soon. Perhaps she could wait until they comforted the citizens of Chaoyang before she stepped in to offer a sweet reward.
Just as she decided to wrap things up, Fang Shuo handed her the perfect exit. “Divine Lady, the villains who harmed my father are all dead now. Has his resentment been appeased?”
Yun Shu waved her sleeve, and a beam of golden light suddenly shot up into the sky from Governor Fang's grave outside the city, like a meteor flying in reverse.
“As I have said, Immortal Lord Tiande's celestial fate has not been severed. Now that the evil spirit is dead, the heretical spells it used can no longer bind him from ascending to the heavenly realm and reclaiming his immortal status.”
Fang Shuo felt both sad and overjoyed.
He was sad because he would probably never see his father again in this lifetime, but happy because his father could still be an immortal official and enjoy a comfortable, wonderful life in the heavens...
“Why aren't you kowtowing to show your gratitude?”
Cui He whispered a reminder.
Seeing that Fang Shuo still had no reaction, she frowned and tugged at his sleeve.
Only then did Fang Shuo snap out of his daze.
He hurriedly kowtowed deeply and stammered, “Thank... thank you, Divine Lady...”
...
Back in the temple, Yun Shu collapsed onto the sofa. Putting on several grand performances in a row had left her truly exhausted.
Fortunately, the outcome was good. Not only had she earned a massive amount of Shock Value, but she had also secured Chaoyang City.
Now that the entire Zhenbei Prefecture was under her control, it served as an excellent foundation for unifying the north.
Closing her eyes, she asked, “System, how is the rainfall in the north lately?”
The plot in the book only mentioned a severe drought in the north this year without specifying a date. Therefore, she could only have the System monitor the situation so she could prepare early and minimize losses as much as possible.
The little fox said worriedly, “Host, the rainfall situation isn't very optimistic. According to my monitoring, only Yecheng has had rain in the past month, and that was the one we summoned to put out the fire. Other areas are experiencing varying degrees of drought, and some places have already had people die from the heat.”
Yun Shu's heart sank.
Wasting no more time, she flipped up from the sofa and opened the system panel.
Under the System's pained gaze, she ruthlessly spent ten million Shock Value to upgrade the Rainbow and Feather Garment Set from level 10 to level 20, obtaining her first max-level outfit. Its rainmaking skill range could now encompass the entire north.
【Current Shock Value: 5500000】
Looking at the Rainbow and Feather Garment Set in the system wardrobe, Yun Shu couldn't help but sigh in admiration. “You really get what you pay for. The special effects of this outfit are practically blinding.”
Before, because she hadn't known how many levels she needed to upgrade the Rainbow and Feather Garment Set to resolve the drought in the north, a heavy stone had been weighing on her heart.
Now, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Rate on N.U.
