Chapter 537: The Five Great Techniques of the Id, I Became the God of Wealth?

Gu Luoshen ultimately said little. He simply instructed Zhao Xing to visit the 'Dao Collection' area within the Primal Divine Tree and announced that he would enter "Divine Seclusion cultivation." From now on, it would be difficult to contact him, and he urged Zhao Xing to take care of himself.

Before leaving, Zhao Xing used his panel to observe Gu Luoshen, obtaining three lines of information:Name: Gu LuoshenRealm: Divine General of FreedomFortune: Evolution Fifteen (Divine Seclusion State)

"Nothing seems amiss," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Gu Luoshen was a Free God, not a True God Beyond Tribulation, because he wasn't yet ready to attain the Dao. Thus, he first cultivated his origin, becoming a Divine General of Freedom.

"The 'Divine Seclusion' state is closely related to the 'Divine Seclusion cultivation' Gu Luoshen mentioned."

Cultivating one's origin to become a Free God, in order to avoid divine tribulations and control their descent, usually involves entering Divine Seclusion after becoming a god, thereby "stepping ashore" from the long river of causality and time. This is done to shed all causal ties as much as possible; one specific manifestation of this is that one's fortune will gradually decrease until it vanishes. This deceives the natural laws of the Great Dao of the universe. If fortune no longer exists, to the universe, that person is as good as dead, and divine tribulations naturally won't descend.

"By reducing their activity, remaining as still as a stone, and eliminating all traces of causality, they achieve the Divine Seclusion state."

"This is the main reason why divine beings rarely appear in the world."

Of course, achieving complete Divine Seclusion is not so simple. To do so, one must completely avoid interacting with the universe, stop absorbing spiritual energy, keep one's origin still, and even ensure no one knows of their existence. This also requires the aid of powerful ancient texts.

"The first step is to conceal fortune, the second is to conceal causality."

In his previous life, when he observed divine beings with his panel, only Free Gods with fortune and True Gods who attained the Dao through heaven and earth had normal fortune. The fortune of other Free Gods was either abnormal, or that particular category was simply absent.

"Gu Luoshen probably won't be in complete seclusion, but I won't be able to see him for a long time."

Zhao Xing thought to himself, then teleported to the root system of the Primal Divine Tree using an Instantaneous Flower.

The Primal Divine Tree's root system was enormous, spanning an area almost as large as two top-tier galaxies. The Primal Dao Collection area was located within the roots of the Primal Divine Tree. Many starlight-like currents flowed through the roots. As Zhao Xing moved through them, he saw figures everywhere cultivating and meditating. Guided by Gu Luoshen, he went deeper and deeper. The number of people decreased, and the roots' vitality grew stronger.

When he stopped, he arrived at an area of tree-palaces formed by intertwined roots.

"Almost all Free Gods who are Ministers of Agriculture from the Self-Nature School reside in these tree-palaces to achieve complete Divine Seclusion," Gu Luoshen's voice echoed in Zhao Xing's ears.

"Zhao Xing, what you see now is the true foundation of the Primal Realm."

"There are 355 tree-palaces, housing a total of 345 Free Gods."

"Among them, thirty-four are at the Divine General level, and the rest are all at the Divine Soldier level."

Zhao Xing's heart trembled slightly. Over three hundred divine beings? This was the true foundation of the Primal Realm.

However, Zhao Xing looked at these tree-palaces and felt no sensation from them whatsoever. He couldn't sense any life aura within them.

"After my seclusion, 'Flower Li Divine General' will awaken."

Gu Luoshen finished speaking, and his voice faded. As he uttered the words "Flower Li Divine General," a tree-palace in front of them slowly floated up from below.

A soft hum resonated as, like a knot unraveling, the roots slowly receded, revealing a completely nude woman before Zhao Xing. She seemed like nature's most perfect creation, every part of her an embodiment of beauty. She curled up in the void, sleeping like a baby. As she slowly opened her eyes, her translucent skin radiated a sacred light from within, illuminating the entire world.

With a soft swish, a light green Dharma robe appeared on Flower Li Divine General's body, and her hair automatically formed a pink and white floral crown. After awakening, she glanced at Zhao Xing, her eyes cold and devoid of emotion.

"Primal Emissary Zhao Xing pays respects to Flower Li Divine General."

The other party did not respond, instead beckoning a root-like tendril. Zhao Xing waited quietly. The roots of the Primal Divine Tree emitted faint white lights. She extended her index finger to touch one, seemingly receiving information. A moment later, Flower Li Divine General's gaze towards Zhao Xing softened slightly.

"Zhao Xing, rise."

Flower Li Divine General floated before Zhao Xing, her facial features also softening. Her small hand emitted a burst of white light, lifting Zhao Xing, and her voice was gentle.

"I will be your fourth Divine General Protector."

"A fourth Divine General Protector?" Zhao Xing was startled. Lan Chuan hadn't mentioned a fourth Divine General Protector.

"I am invisible to the other three protectors, and likewise to the world."

"Aside from Gu Luoshen and the great Primal Divine Tree, no one knows of me, nor sees me."

"Once you leave the Primal Realm, you will also forget, as I will hide within your inner world."

Zhao Xing instantly understood Gu Luoshen's thoughtful intention. The Primal Realm had dispatched a fourth protector, unknown to anyone, and this fourth protector was originally in complete Divine Seclusion. Even though she had now broken her Divine Seclusion, since only he, Gu Luoshen, and the Primal Divine Tree knew, she was still nearly fully concealed. She would protect his inner world from intrusion and act at the most critical moments.

"Junior thanks Flower Li Divine General for her protection," Zhao Xing bowed sincerely.

"No need to be polite. I never imagined that in the Barren Era, someone could be both a Primal Emissary and the Mountain Head of the Primordial Mound." Flower Li Divine General had evidently learned of Zhao Xing's various deeds.

"Before I enter your inner world, I will guide you in choosing divine techniques from the Self-Nature School."

Flower Li Divine General pointed to the tree-palaces, which exuded potent life auras and whose origins shone like stars, suns, and moons.

"These 355 tree-palaces still contain many divine-level spells of the Self-Nature School."

"Some of these divine-level spells can even be cast with the third layer of the Hunyuan Realm as support."

"Demigods can master divine techniques in advance?"

"Yes," Flower Li Divine General nodded. "The reason cultivation methods are important is that divine-level spells usually require divine power as support. However, for the Self-Nature School's Ministers of Agriculture, their foundation lies in their inner world. If the inner world is strong enough, some divine techniques can be cast without cultivating Self-Nature divine power. Your inner world contains the Hunyuan Dao Pagoda bestowed by the Great Emperor, and when you opened your inner world, you used the divine object, the World-Opening Divine Stone. Now that you've overcome fifteen True Spirit tribulations, theoretically, a fifteenth-tier True Spirit can harness the Dao Pagoda and the inner world to cast some divine techniques. However, whether you can actually learn them depends on your comprehension."

Zhao Xing immediately asked, "Flower Li Divine General, which divine techniques can I learn right now?"

Flower Li Divine General replied, "Aside from the Life Array, Grassman Technique, and Mind Field Technique, you can theoretically cast all others. Of course, the divine power generated by the Hunyuan Dao Pagoda is not truly under your personal control, so the effects of divine techniques like the Variation Technique, Divine Foundation Technique, Seed-Requirement Technique, and Divine Radiance Technique will only last for a short time."

"What about the Grassman Technique?"

"There is no divine-level Grassman Technique here," Flower Li Divine General shook her head. "Even if there were, you wouldn't be able to learn it. The Great Dao of the Grassman is too complex, requiring holistic coordination."

Zhao Xing nodded. The Grassman Technique was indeed the most difficult spell to master in the Self-Nature School. He currently lacked divine power, so divine-level Grassman Techniques were basically out of the question. After understanding, Zhao Xing began to traverse the 355 tree-palaces.

"Of the 355 tree-palaces, 11 are empty. Excluding the newly unsealed Flower Li Divine General, the remaining 10 divine beings must have gone to other timelines." As for the Self-Nature School deities still in Divine Seclusion, almost all of them were in a state of slumber. Their fortune had completely vanished, and causality no longer applied to them. Zhao Xing did not use his panel to observe them because he felt that 'knowing' the revered names and information of these divine beings might also break their Divine Seclusion.

The divine-level spells were carved onto the walls within the tree-palaces. The walls of the tree-palaces were the root cortex of the Primal Divine Tree.

"Only the cortex of the Primal Divine Tree can preserve such complete divine charm, preventing it from being eroded by the Great Dao of the universe." Divine beings violate the natural laws of the universe, and divine techniques are naturally the same. The more powerful a race, the harder it is to proliferate. Similarly, the more powerful a divine technique, the harder it is to preserve. Zhao Xing had encountered a similar situation with the "Calamity Devouring Technique" on Ancestor Xu's shed divine bone. Ultimately, he had to use Old Qing's divine power-infused statue to house it. It was precisely because of this principle that if one obtained a divine technique during exploration in the wilderness, they would essentially also acquire a divine artifact.

"Flower Li Divine General, which is the strongest World Technique here?" Zhao Xing's realm was too low for him to discern, so with Flower Li Divine General guiding him, it was naturally best to ask directly.

"The strongest is, of course, the 'Cangwu World Technique'."

Flower Li Divine General led Zhao Xing to a tree-palace that appeared to have had its branches and trunk removed.

"It involves projecting one's inner world, combined with insights into the Great Dao of Life."

"When the world projection unfolds, it's not flat, but a three-dimensional Cangwu Divine Tree."

Flower Li Divine General introduced, "The World Technique is our Self-Nature School's Divine Domain. The Cangwu Divine Domain possesses powerful regenerative abilities; it is known as the Self-Nature School's Undying Divine Domain. It can also amplify all types of troops within its range, and even briefly break life. Mastering the Cangwu World Technique offers great benefits for casting other Self-Nature School spells, such as the Variation Technique and the Divine Foundation Technique."

"Then it's the Cangwu World Technique," Zhao Xing nodded. Flower Li Divine General smiled but said nothing. The most powerful World Technique was also the most difficult; he might not be able to learn it. However, she did not dissuade him. People usually only turn back after hitting a wall. She believed Zhao Xing would understand once he tried.

Zhao Xing's true spirit departed, leaving a clone to comprehend the Cangwu World Technique. He then continued to ask Flower Li Divine General, "So, what is the strongest Variation Technique?" His schedule was quite full; he also had to pay respects to Martial God Yan, so he couldn't delay for too long.

Flower Li Divine General glanced at Zhao Xing's detached clone. "Do you intend to multitask, comprehending multiple divine techniques simultaneously?" A protégé capable of prompting her intervention must certainly possess excellent talent, but Flower Li Divine General hadn't expected Zhao Xing to attempt something like this. What did he think divine techniques were? Something one could learn just by wanting to?

"I want to try," Zhao Xing said. Flower Li Divine General replied, "The most powerful Variation Technique here is the 'Void Divine Seed'." Void Seeds were the kings among plant-type troops. A divine technique that could vary void-type plant troops was naturally the strongest.

"Are there no time-based Variation Techniques?"

Flower Li Divine General chuckled. "Divine-level time seeds are already rare; do you think one would vary them? Which Minister of Agriculture, upon acquiring a time seed, wouldn't carefully nurture it? Who would be willing to use it for researching variation techniques? Across countless historical timelines, you'd be hard-pressed to find a time-based variation technique."

Zhao Xing realized she had a point. The creation of variation techniques required dissecting and studying. Just as Venerable Bai Han had dissected many powerful dragons at the time, comprehending the Hou Transformation Technique on the Heaven-Changing Divine Needle through numerous Dao diagrams. If the creation of spells had a cost, time-based variation techniques would undoubtedly be the most expensive.

Zhao Xing's true spirit again departed, leaving a clone to study the "Void Divine Seed." The essence of casting World Techniques lay in the inner world. World projection, combined with insights into the Great Dao of Origin and divine power, formed the Self-Nature School's "Divine Domain." The Hunyuan Dao Pagoda could resolve the issue of divine power, so Zhao Xing's learning threshold was only the technique itself, temporarily not needing to consider the "cultivation" aspect. The Variation Technique's principle lay in understanding the Great Dao of Life, while the Void Divine Seed comprised dissected Dao diagrams of life.

After leaving a clone to comprehend, Zhao Xing chose the next divine technique.

"Flower Li Divine General, where is the strongest Seed-Requirement Technique?"

"There is only one Seed-Requirement divine technique here," Flower Li Divine General said. "If you wish to learn it, you must first master the Variation, Divine Foundation, Divine Radiance, and Parasitic Techniques." The Seed-Requirement Technique was also known as the Demonic Seed Technique. Calling it a heretical divine technique would not be an overstatement, because it could absorb the enemy's divine power and refine divine-level True Spirits. To cast the divine-level Seed-Requirement Technique, one must possess a divine-level plant-type troop as a medium. Zhao Xing did not have a divine-level plant-type troop, so he needed to learn the Variation Technique first to briefly transform a legendary-level troop into a divine-level troop. Then, he would stabilize and extend the duration of the divine-level troop using the Divine Radiance and Divine Foundation Techniques. With enough time, one could then cast the Parasitic Technique. After parasitizing, one could absorb the enemy's divine power and even refine the enemy's True Spirit.

Of course, if one possessed a mature divine-level plant-type troop, then the Variation, Divine Radiance, and Divine Foundation Techniques would be irrelevant. Only the Parasitic Technique as a prerequisite would be needed to cast the Seed-Requirement Technique. The problem was Zhao Xing didn't have one, and this era couldn't provide him with a mature divine-level plant-type troop. Furthermore, aside from auxiliary divine-level plants used to provide divine-level fruits to humanity, almost all surplus divine-level plants were given to Gu Luoshen, who was cultivating the Eternal Realm. Until Gu Luoshen's "Eternal Realm" was proven unfeasible, all divine-level plants were prioritized for him. Just as if the Primordial Mound discovered any special soil, it would also be prioritized for him as the Mountain Head. For example, of the Underworld Ancient Mountain soil and the small section of earth vein brought back by Kuang Chuan, Zhao Xing took 70% himself after becoming Mountain Head. The remaining 30% was for the gods of the Primordial Three Realms.

"Even if a divine-level plant-type troop appeared in the Profound Spirit Treasury Pavilion, I couldn't afford it. 150 million contribution points haven't even arrived yet, and even if they did, I probably still couldn't buy it," Zhao Xing thought to himself. He'd just have to diligently transform one himself.

"Divine Radiance of a Realm," "Hunyuan Divine Foundation," and "Self-Nature Divine Sacrifice" were the three divine-level techniques Zhao Xing chose. Including the "Cangwu World Technique" and "Void Divine Seed," Zhao Xing was simultaneously comprehending five divine techniques of the Self-Nature School. Originally, he had also wanted to choose another 'Analysis Divine Technique,' but the pressure on his true spirit had indeed reached a limit, so he had to temporarily put it aside.

Then, to Flower Li Divine General's astonishment, Zhao Xing made simultaneous progress with all five divine techniques, achieving initial mastery in just eight world-star years.

"Now I understand why Gu Luoshen awakened me," Flower Li Divine General said, sitting on a branch, her fair legs gently swinging, a trace of emotion on her perfect face. "Cultivating five divine techniques simultaneously and achieving initial mastery in eight world-star years—what's the difference between that and instantaneous mastery?" What kind of geniuses hadn't Flower Li Divine General seen? Geniuses like Zhao Xing were indeed rare. Having lived for countless years, she had only seen this level of talent once before. The first time was when she met Gu Luoshen.

"Gu Luoshen was born with a Primal Sacred Body, while Zhao Xing's Qiankun Hunyuan Sacred Body was cultivated later. Logically, he shouldn't exhibit such terrifying performance."

As divine thoughts flowed, Zhao Xing had already finished his intensive proficiency-grinding cultivation. "Even with five clones giving their all, I've only mastered one layer of each of the five divine techniques." Zhao Xing struggled to stand up, pulling out supplements from his spatial ring. Even the simple thought of opening his spatial ring made him feel utterly exhausted; he only felt slightly better after eating the first bite of a Soul Spirit Fruit. "Since breaking through to demigod, I haven't had to exert my full strength for many demigod-level spells; I've quickly mastered them with little effort. This is the first time I've studied myself to the point of collapse."

Flower Li Divine General considerately walked over and placed her hand on Zhao Xing's abdomen, infusing a stream of divine power into his Dharma Body's Heavenly Kitchen area, aiding digestion. Then, she used her hand to remove the Golden Enlightenment Circlet.

"Thank you."

Feeling a fragrant aura enter his body, Zhao Xing finally recovered some of his spirits.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Flower Li Divine General gently caressed Zhao Xing's abdomen. "Martial God Yan is not a petty god; if you invite him later, he won't blame you."

"The chaos in the Profound Spirit Starfield hasn't ended yet. If I'm gone for too long, I'm afraid problems might arise."

After becoming the Mountain Head of the Primordial Mound, Zhao Xing felt an even heavier sense of responsibility. Flower Li Divine General touched the roots of the Primal Divine Tree with one hand, then nodded with a slightly solemn expression.

"This attack is indeed different from before."

"What happened?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Last year, three Free Gods refused to accept the dispatch orders from the Profound Spirit Human Race's higher-ups and unilaterally went to the southern territories of the Profound Spirit Starfield. The three Free Gods were all divine beings who emerged from the original eighteen ancient kingdoms, at the Divine Soldier level. Their historical memories also became distorted; they believed they were originally subordinates of the Lord of Cold Food. Starting ten years ago, the first Cold Food Dharma Assembly was held in the former Chaotic Sea region. It wasn't large in scale, but its level was very high. These three Free Gods are the result of that Cold Food Dharma Assembly."

Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised. Had the Lord of Cold Food's followers spread to the Divine Soldier level?

"How did the Ancient Kingdoms Alliance respond?"

"We don't know yet," Flower Li Divine General said. "They likely won't resort to extreme measures. While killing those three Free Gods would be simple, it would cause panic among the people and severely deplete our own faction's strength. The three Free Gods haven't truly rebelled; there's still a chance to save them." True rebellion meant maintaining free will, believing in the ideology of a heretical god, and committing acts that harmed the Barren Era faction. Currently, they had only gone to believe in the Lord of Cold Food and hadn't committed any malicious acts, so there was still a possibility of salvation.

"But we can't do nothing, can we?" Zhao Xing said with concern. The destructive power of gods was immense. Just because they hadn't done anything bad now didn't mean they wouldn't in the future.

"The most likely method of salvation is ritual worship," Flower Li Divine General mused.

"Ritual worship?" Zhao Xing immediately thought of something.

"You've just mastered 'Self-Nature Divine Sacrifice,' which has some connection to the Dao of Ritual Worship, so you should be able to understand this method."

"Believers ritually worshiping the three Free Gods to correct their thoughts and align their hearts?"

"Yes."

Zhao Xing suddenly understood. Any divine being, once they became a god, even if not a God of Priests, could receive worship from believers; this was a passive divine attribute. For instance, when he had worshiped Old Qing, Old Qing wasn't a Priest God, yet he could still hear Zhao Xing's voice and receive his pleas. Boundless True God was the God of Formations, and his statue could also receive his worship and summons.

"If the community of believers ritually worshiping the three Free Gods is large enough, and their voices strong enough, it can, in turn, influence those three Free Gods."

Zhao Xing imagined such a scene: On a certain planet, billions upon billions of believers collectively chanted, "Do not believe in heretical gods, do not believe in heretical gods—" And this sound would then transmit into the hearts of the three Free Gods. The method certainly wasn't that simple, but it was absolutely feasible. No wonder divine beings needed to enter 'Divine Seclusion' and usually didn't respond to believers or absorb the True Spirit power growth brought by them. Countless believers meant countless causal ties; even if one didn't consider the causality brought by responding, just the annoyance would be maddening.

Believers performing ritual worship, offering sacrifices, deities manifesting and bestowing treasures – this was a two-way channel. "Self-Nature Divine Sacrifice" was a parasitic technique, but it also drew upon the principles of the Dao of Ritual Worship, or rather, was a form of disguise. After Zhao Xing cast this spell, he could transmit plant-type troops to parasitize within the target's body.

"This bears a striking resemblance to Ji Si's 'cash-on-delivery letter' from back then, except that Self-Nature Divine Sacrifice involves the combination of Daos like life, causality, fortune, and space, making it even more concealed."

When Zhao Xing activated Self-Nature Divine Sacrifice, the target would first experience a 'sudden impulse' or 'premonition,' a feeling that they were "about to acquire a great treasure." Subsequently, the target's fortune would also be affected, slightly increasing, corroborating the idea that they were "about to acquire a great treasure." The Daos of causality and space were part of the transmission process. The Great Dao of Life could lower the target's defenses. It wasn't about being cut by a knife or wounded by a sword; it was the descent of life's origin, which meant the divine body's automatic defensive alertness wouldn't be as high. In simple terms, this spell could be summarized in one sentence: "Do you want treasure or not? If you do, you'll die!"

"Zhao Xing, you must also be careful from now on," Flower Li Divine General reminded him. "Gu Luoshen said your fortune is abundant, no less than his. If you venture out for trials, you might frequently feel 'good luck'. But you absolutely must be cautious. The Dao of Priests is rare in this era, but it was rampant in past timelines. Many priests' methods are incredibly insidious and impossible to guard against." Flower Li Divine General's expression was somewhat indignant as she spoke of these things, as if she had suffered at the hands of priests in the past. Zhao Xing nodded, heeding her advice. Even with four Divine General Protectors, absolute safety wasn't guaranteed. Close-range, visible dangers were easy to defend against. What he feared were professions like Fate Masters and Priests – those cunning old types. Martial God Yan, Lu Ya, and Flower Li, the three great Divine Generals, each had their specialties and strong power, but it was difficult for them to guard against Fate Master Gods and Priest Gods. Bovi, the God of Scholars, could perfectly compensate for this.

"I should go."

"Alright."

Flower Li Divine General transformed into a pink and green interwoven flower and floated into Zhao Xing's inner world.

"A flower? So this is Flower Li Divine General's 'Divine Form'—" Zhao Xing thought to himself, then quickly left the tree-palace area via the Primal Divine Tree.

The Primordial Mound's honor guard, after leaving the Primal Realm, proceeded towards the Martial God Starfield with gongs and drums along the way. Accompanying them were half of Meishan's Peak Lords, and five Mountain Lords also came. As Mountain Head, Zhao Xing's personal vehicle was the 'Ten Lands Divine Ship,' piloted by Peak Lord Mo Yufeng. The Primordial Mound made sure to put on a grand display and presented a large number of treasures. Some were collector's items, as Martial God Yan didn't lack true treasures anyway. Another part was beneficial to demigods, convenient for Martial God Yan to bestow upon his disciples and students.

"Mountain Head, once we enter the Martial God Starfield, we will disembark," Venerable Tai Hao, who had also joined them, suggested to Zhao Xing. "To express our respect for Martial God Yan, it's best to fly alongside the ship."

"Yes, that's proper."

Martial God Yan had always been in a semi-secluded state within the Scarlet Star Empire. Inviting him to be a protector meant withdrawing from divine seclusion and re-entering the world. In a state of divine seclusion, the descent of divine tribulations was very prolonged, but after withdrawal, the time would be greatly shortened. Therefore, this was a great kindness, and going there by ship, flying directly to his Dao field, would be very impolite.

"Aside from Mo Yufeng, who will steer the ship, the five Mountain Lords and thirty-five Peak Lords will all disembark and fly."

"Upon encountering large Martial God statues, we will stop and worship for three months."

"There are a total of thirty higher-grade Martial God statues along the way. However, Martial God Yan will not manifest until the very last one, when he will appear to respond."

"Announcing his re-entry into the world as your protector."

Venerable Tai Hao explained the process. Zhao Xing also followed the instructions. The Ten Lands Divine Ship began to decelerate. A star-land had already appeared ahead, and the Martial God statue was visible to the naked eye.

Unexpectedly, no sooner had he exited the Ten Lands Divine Ship, and before he even worshiped the Martial God, Zhao Xing himself felt a sensation.

"God of Fortune, humble servant Li Chang, please bless my Li family with prosperous business this year—"

A voice appeared in his mind, followed by a chorus of voices flooding Zhao Xing's consciousness.

"Please bless my Li family with prosperous business this year—"

Zhao Xing was stunned. Where did the voices come from? He listened closely and discovered that within his Life Palace, the divine technique representing "Self-Nature Divine Sacrifice" was vibrating.

"I've cultivated Self-Nature Divine Sacrifice; does that mean I can also receive faith?"

"But haven't I not become a god yet?"

Zhao Xing pondered carefully, then suddenly realized. He had just mastered this divine technique. Logically, he didn't specialize in the Dao of Ritual Worship, lacked ritual spirit-reading, and couldn't consume True Spirit incense offerings. However, his demigod True Spirit was at the fifteenth tier, and with the amplification from his clones, it was equivalent to a 200-fold fifteenth-tier True Spirit. Due to the divine power transformed by the Hunyuan Dao Pagoda in his inner world, combined with his cultivation of "Self-Nature Divine Sacrifice," he possessed the threshold to consume True Spirit incense offerings. He was indeed very weak in the Dao of Ritual Worship. But too many people worshiped him as a god. If their worship was sincere and their realm a bit higher, he would be able to receive it.

"Are they worshiping me as the God of Fortune?" Zhao Xing thought, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Of course, there were many who worshiped gods in the Profound Spirit Starfield; the Dao of Ritual Worship had merely been curtailed, not eradicated. Besides, even in godless eras, plenty of people believed and worshiped, let alone in an era with gods?

"Ji Si, Ji Si!" Zhao Xing called out loudly. Ji Si, as a representative of Great Zhou, was also part of the honor guard.

Ji Si immediately appeared before Zhao Xing.

"You're familiar with history. Do you know which deity in the Martial God Starfield's pantheon is the God of Fortune?" Zhao Xing asked.

"God of Fortune?" Ji Si pondered. "I'm not sure if Grand Minister of Agriculture is asking about the Civil God of Wealth or the Martial God of Wealth."

"God of Fortune has civil and martial distinctions?" Zhao Xing was surprised; he truly hadn't known that.

"Of course," Ji Si said. "The Civil God of Wealth ensures financial prosperity, while the Martial God of Wealth ensures safety. For those warriors who travel far and wide, as long as they are safe, they will eventually get rich, which is no different from the God of Fortune. The Martial God of Wealth in the Martial God Starfield is, of course, Martial God Yan. However, whether he accepts these True Spirit incense offerings, I don't know. In any case, Martial God Yan has the largest scale of worship and the highest recognition. As for Civil Gods of Wealth, there are many, most of whom are not true gods, but rather demigods or even Emperor-level priests." Ji Si chuckled. "Mainly because, while there are many Dao of Priests, only a few are fortunate enough to receive abundant incense offerings. Everyone wants to snatch the position of God of Fortune because the most people worship them."

Zhao Xing found this quite reasonable. People might not believe in miscellaneous gods, but would you believe in a god that can increase your wealth?

"The Empire's Divine Dao Bureau has explicit regulations regarding priests and worshipers. In the Martial God Starfield, the three Civil Gods of Wealth have the highest standards, recognition, and widespread influence. They are Li Luzu, Fan Haisheng, and Xuanyunzi, all at the demigod realm." The Divine Dao Bureau was the imperial institution that managed priests and worship rituals; one couldn't just worship haphazardly, as there were regulations. Some even go to the Ministry of Finance's main gate to burn incense! Ministers of Agriculture managed finances in many areas and also oversaw favorable weather, so it wasn't strange for people to worship him as the God of Fortune.

"The Grand Minister of Agriculture rose from the Empire's Primal Realm and is now practically a household name. Many middle to high-tier families and forces, even those with Dao Domain realm or ordinary Samsara realm cultivators, believe you will soon become a divine being. They worship you in advance, warming up your stove, hoping that when you eventually choose to accept True Spirit incense offerings, you'll notice them first."

Zhao Xing let out a wry smile. He hadn't expected that after many years in the Empire, he'd become a 'God of Fortune' before even becoming a god, and be ranked first on the "Hidden Deity Ranking."

"Well, isn't this great? First on the Hidden Deity Ranking; I might really become a heretical god—" Zhao Xing teased himself.

After flying for a while, from morning until noon, the voice from the Li family faintly reached Zhao Xing's mind again.

"God of Fortune, humble servant Li Chang, please bless my Li family with prosperous business this year—"

If he didn't carefully distinguish each thought, Zhao Xing wouldn't hear them, but now that he focused, this worshipful thought became quite noisy. Zhao Xing had originally intended to ignore it, to extinguish this thought, which would directly block the other party's prayers and worship. However, after a thought, he realized he was in the Martial God Starfield. If there were a heretical god hiding here trying to harm him, he could just catch them all in one go. He could also witness the methods of heretical god worship and perhaps even advance the progress of "Self-Nature Divine Sacrifice." With a thought, Zhao Xing's true spirit infused power, activating this thought.

Woosh. Zhao Xing 'saw' a cloud-shrouded ancestral hall, which was very large, almost a temple. Zhao Xing felt a sense of comfort in his true spirit. Although the growth from absorption was minimal, it was still growth nonetheless.

"They're genuinely worshiping me? No danger?"

He looked down and saw many offerings on the altar, mostly jade Dao soldiers and some common sacrificial beast meat. In the first row were young maidens with fair skin, beautiful faces, and long legs, prostrated on the ground in draped silk skirts, their raised hips visible. The second row consisted of muscular men, bare-chested. After them were some naturalized demon beasts. There were about twenty to thirty thousand people, inside and out, and the scale was quite grand. However, seeing this display, Zhao Xing's face darkened. "What kind of offerings are these? Maidens are one thing, but why muscular men?"

Zhao Xing focused his gaze on the Li family patriarch.

"Li Chang is a Minister of Agriculture from the Heavenly Timing School who just entered the Samsara Realm?"

"Hmm, he's been worshiping me for 4,200 years. That's really early. At that time, I had just become a Luminous Emissary. No wonder he was the first I saw."

Why wasn't Great Zhou the first? Within Great Zhou, he also had his statues, but they rarely carried out large-scale worship of him. Because Great Zhou had no custom of sacrificing living people, and its fortune system was different from the outside world. They thought it better to directly condense a few Fortune Golden Pills with that energy.

"Since it's safe, I'll give it a try." With a thought, Zhao Xing's divine statue immediately emitted faint glows.

Whoosh! The mist inside the hall, and the golden light emanating from the heads of tens of thousands of people both inside and outside the hall, were all absorbed into the statue.

"Hiss, that actually felt pretty good," Zhao Xing felt like he had just smoked a cigarette after a meal. However, this was just a brief moment of pleasure. For his fifteenth-tier True Spirit, the growth was almost negligible. But this was merely one family on one world-star in the Martial God Starfield. What if it radiated across the entire Empire, or even the entire Profound Spirit Starfield? The benefits would likely be immense.

Originally, Zhao Xing hadn't given it much thought. But at that moment, he saw the progress for the 'Fengchan Land' entry on his panel suddenly jump from 1 to 2.

"Hmm?" Zhao Xing was immediately taken aback. The last time the Fengchan Land's progress increased was when he dual-cultivated with Fu Mengzhen in a dream, absorbing spiritual power. He had thought this was the sole source of progress for the Fengchan Land. He never expected that receiving True Spirit incense offerings could also boost its progress?

"This is truly a major discovery!" Zhao Xing's eyes suddenly sparkled. If he could accelerate the unsealing of the Fengchan Land, he could return there, and it was a massive treasure trove. Even after becoming a god, there would likely be immense benefits.

"A manifestation! The God of Fortune has manifested!" Li Chang, sensing the anomaly, immediately became excited. He crawled forward and bowed towards Zhao Xing's divine statue, saying, "Humble servant Li Chang thanks the God of Fortune for gracing us with his presence."

Seeing this, Zhao Xing stopped pretending and manifested his divine form, appearing inside the temple. He screened out everyone else but left Li Chang.

"Li Chang, establishing a private temple for worship is a violation of the Divine Dao Bureau's regulations."

Li Chang respectfully said, "Your humble follower merely reveres your virtues, hence this worship. I truthfully never expected you would truly manifest."

"Truly not?" Zhao Xing stared at him with an amused smile.

"Truly not," Li Chang quickly explained. "The reason I honor you as the God of Fortune is also because I know the Divine Dao Bureau doesn't permit you to be listed among the Ministers of Agriculture Gods. Therefore, I could only honor you as a Civil God of Wealth. As for the prayers and offerings, they all follow the procedures of other Civil Gods of Wealth. Li Chang only sought peace of mind; I never expected you would truly manifest..."

Zhao Xing looked at Li Chang. At this moment, there was reverence in his true spirit, but no deceit. So Zhao Xing didn't delve further. "The Divine Dao Bureau's prohibition is correct. However, you haven't actually violated Divine Dao Bureau regulations." Zhao Xing glanced at the worship display. "You are