Hyper-Dimensional Player

Chapter 817 73: Turning Falsehood into Truth

The Prince's Mansion. Imperial City.

Duncan held a secret letter in his hand, and upon opening it, he found detailed information about a certain deity of Guankou, currently titled as the 'Lingying King of National Protection'. In areas like Ba and Shu, the people of Sichuan worship Guankou Erlang on a large scale, often donning military attire and emulating combat.

Erlang God.

Duncan picked up the pen and wrote a line in small characters: 'True Monarch of Clear Source and Wonderful Path'.

Erlang God was incorporated into the state ritual system during the Song Dynasty, receiving the title of Clear Source and Wonderful Path from Song Zhenzong, which Duncan had no intention of changing; he only added a title to Guankou Erlang God, perhaps hoping for potential camaraderie in other worlds.

After processing these matters, Duncan instructed the listing of many Divine Spirits and elevated the status of the Guan Sheng Emperor as well.

He desired Religious Reformation, and the Daoist deities couldn't be exclusively determined by the Daoists.

The state recognizes who is the True God, so only then are they True Gods.

Otherwise, they're all illegitimate rites.

Basically, the Divine Spirits below the City God could be decided by Duncan alone; he could even casually cast them into the mundane realm, but those beyond the rank of City God were harder to manage. Many of these deities had existed for centuries, and even if officially unacknowledged, they were still worshipped by the people.

However, Duncan had a method to handle this: recruiting.

In other words, any deity willing to submit to him could be considered for inclusion in the state ritual system, and disobedience could mean severing their belief among the people, though it was troublesome.

"The difficulty of Religious Reformation in this world is significantly greater."

"The Daoist sects, Buddhist sects, Witchcraft—all must go through scrutiny."

The first ones Duncan recruited were the deities promoted by Witchcraft, such as the Sea God Lady and Lady Linjiang. Aside from these benevolent deities within Witchcraft, the localized ones who retained Primitive Witchcraft's blood sacrifice characteristics were all dealt with after Duncan freed his hand.

Any river god requiring sacrificial offerings of boys and girls were left alone.

"Three thousand grass gods."

"There are too many Ghost Gods in the Ba and Shu regions. I'm bestowing upon you the title of True Monarch of Clear Source and Wonderful Path, and you'll help me deal with those unruly Ghost Gods."

"That's quite reasonable, isn't it?"

Duncan casually handed the roster to the nearby attendant; those on the list would become True Gods, while those not included were categorized into illegitimate rites.

He glanced at another list where it was written 'Three Realms Demon Subduing Emperor, Renowned for Divine Prowess, Heavenly Reverent Guan Sheng Emperor.'

This title was given during the Ming Dynasty.

No rush yet.

The Demon Subduing Emperor and the Demon Defeating Reverent were a choice between two.

At this moment, a peculiar red-robed woman appeared suddenly at the distant palace wall, her presence ghostly as she landed lightly and bowed: "Your Majesty."

Duncan lifted his gaze, fixing his eyes on Ji Shaojiang ahead, with his sights set on the palace-clad lady beside her, speaking lightly: "Have you retrieved the item?"

The red-robed woman presented the jade seal in her hand, whispered: "It's fake."

"The genuine Imperial Jade Seal should have been sent to Kaifeng."

Duncan raised a hand, and the Imperial Jade Seal flew into his palm. At first glance, it looked almost identical to the real one, but as he closed his eyes to perceive, Duncan sensed it lacked any trace of auspicious vitality.

This world's Imperial Jade Seal, also known as the Heshibi, was rumored to contain an extraordinary energy, symbolizing 'Mandate from Heaven' for millennia and concentrated part of the Central Plains' fortunes.

Fake.

But indeed, this jade seal had a hint of fortune inside it, whether it was used by Shi Jingtang or the emperor of Liao.

The Jade Seal, as a symbol of royal authority, often transmuted into Curiosities due to its fortune.

"Your Majesty."

"The Xuanyin Sect also has operatives in the Central Plains; we can send people to seize the other Imperial Jade Seal."

Yin Wa gazed at Duncan ahead, lowered her head: "The seal should reach Zhao Kuangyin's hands, we can dispatch someone to intercept."

Back in the day at Mount Dang, upon meeting again, the difference in their ranks was worlds apart.

Duncan had spent half a year subjugating the Ming Dynasty sacred sect, slaying numerous blood refining elders, annihilating the Hehuan Sect, and conquering a lineage of the Mohists. Now, nearly half of the demonic sects had pledged allegiance, and Xuanyin Sect must choose its stance; this Jade Seal was meant to be an offering from them.

There's no more time to hesitate.

Duncan's gaze swept over the palace-clad lady in front, considering her an old acquaintance, though ultimately Duncan chose to travel with Lu Shanjun.

"Are you injured?" Duncan asked.

Yin Wa replied in a low voice: "This kind of injury is no hindrance."

Tough words.

The palace-clad lady ahead bore a 'severely injured' mark, yet claimed the injury was of no consequence.

Duncan didn't bother to expose her, turning to the attendant beside him: "Fetch a Nine Revolutions Ginseng and Ganoderma Pill."

After speaking, he gestured for Yin Wa to turn around, directly placing a palm on her back, pouring True Yuan into her body generously, employing the Eternal Youth and Longevity Technique to heal her wounds, and even transmitted nearly thirty years of cultivation through the Secret Technique.

"Your Majesty."

Yin Wa slowly opened her eyes, her gaze seemingly filled with disbelief.

Transmitting cultivation.

Even in the martial world legends, it's an extremely rare occurrence, as martial artists regard their cultivation more valuable than life.

Duncan appeared calm; he had transmitted close to ninety years of cultivation during this period—not merely opening meridians for others but infusing True Yuan to aid them in breaking through levels. The Xuanyin Sect elder was just stuck on the Dao Entrance Realm's threshold, and Duncan lent a helping hand, offering her a chance to comprehend the Dao Entrance Realm.