Chapter 189: New Divinity, Guardian Deity
Thick golden light poured down like the Heavenly River, draping over Chen Shun’an and the Divine Palace, enveloping them completely.
The Divine Palace, which originally occupied only one mu of land and seemed somewhat cramped and compact, suddenly trembled.
At first, it was just a faint hum, but in an instant, it transformed into golden radiance filling the sky, faintly dyeing the surrounding desolation and ruins with brilliant colors.
On the palace walls, ancient patterns suddenly lit up, as if streams of light were wandering between the bricks and stones, and the Divine Palace expanded outward like it was being inflated.
Vermilion corridor pillars rose section by section, jade-carved railings wound and spread, and even the white jade plaza in front of the hall widened several times within the golden radiance.
From the gaps between the floor tiles, strands of Divinity surged out.
In the end, the entire Divine Palace transformed into more than three mu, its vast scale awe-inspiring to the heart.
Only then did Chen Shun’an realize that his Divine Palace actually contained various temple complexes and halls, extremely intricate.
The mountain gate was majestic, with the four ancient characters “Water Origin Divine Palace” carved on the lintel, glowing with faint azure light;
The Dharma Hall stood in the center, with faint wisps of smoke curling from the Incense Burner inside the hall.
The Scripture Repository, east and west side halls, and Cloud Water Hall were distributed in a staggered manner, divided into ten layers from outer to inner, with each layer’s palace eaves, door and window patterns all different, clearly corresponding to subordinate Deities of different Statuses.
The outermost layer of palaces enshrined the unranked Grass Head Gods, 【Dew-Collecting Water-Distributing Soldiers】.
Proceeding inward layer by layer, they corresponded respectively to Ninth Rank, Eighth Rank…… up to Chen Shun’an’s Water Origin Great Emperor Divine Aspect.
That is, when the Divine Palace was upgraded, refining various temple complexes and halls.
Chen Shun’an felt a strange sensation from within his body, and then from his legs and from the Mud Pill at his Glabella, two figures flew out respectively.
They actually landed within the Divine Palace.
Qing Ji wore a green Lotus Leaf on his head, riding a palm-sized Precious Fish, joyfully flying out from the spiritual light, spinning in the air, his small limbs stretching out, seemingly especially delighted with this Divine Palace;
The Ran Yi Fish had two legs growing from its belly, its body patchy with blue and black, eyes dull, staring blankly at the Divine Palace before it.
Then, the two Divine Aspects turned into spiritual light and landed in the outermost layer of palaces, each finding a position, leaping onto the Altar Table, and transforming into two Grass Head Gods.
“Divine Aspects returning to position, entering the Divine Palace?”
Seeing this, Chen Shun’an felt some joy.
Chen Shun’an clearly remembered that for Qing Ji to upgrade to Divine Movement Armor Horse, he needed to Sculpt Golden Body for it and truly invite it into the Divine Palace.
That is, ‘Enfeoffment’.
True Enfeoffment of a Deity.
Without mishaps, subsequent Divine Aspects like the Ran Yi Fish, if they wanted to upgrade to Perfection, would likely have similar requirements.
However, at present, both Divine Aspects were mud and grass sculptures, without Golden Bodies.
They were still missing the step of Sculpting Golden Body.
The Golden Body here was naturally not simply mixing gold and mercury into gold amalgam and coating it on the Idol.
Rather, it was a Realm of passing through calamities, manifesting solidity and indestructibility, where no matter the myriad changes, the Divinity did not extinguish, and the golden nature was immortal.
Of course, by Chen Shun’an’s guess, a mere Grass Head God Aspect should not be overly complex or tedious, not warranting true immortality and indestructibility.
But the general idea should be similar.
“However, with the Divine Aspects entering the Divine Palace, what comes next? What effects or mysteries does it bring?”
Although the Divine Aspects returning to position gave Chen Shun’an a collector’s satisfaction of completing the True Spirit Status.
But Chen Shun’an was a practical person, always believing in immediate use.
That is, in the instant his thought arose.
A line of text flowed into his view.
【Unlock New Divinity】
【Blessing Worldly Guardian Deity: How can the Water Origin Great Emperor walk the world without Guardian Deities following? Can drive Divine Aspects to bless all sentient beings, transforming them into Worldly Guardian Deities】
【Note 1: Guardian Deities are divided into worldly and supramundane; worldly Guardian Deities have lower Status, not yet departed from the Three Realms; supramundane Guardian Deities have higher Status, having severed afflictions and attained holy fruits, serving as objects for sentient beings’ secret cultivation reliance. Currently Divine Status insufficient, can only transform Worldly Guardian Deities】
【Note 2: Guardian Deities absolutely cannot betray or backlash, but unlike believers, they cannot provide Incense, and will distort Divine Intellect】
Guardian Deity?
Seeing this, Chen Shun’an’s eyes lit up, overjoyed.
What is called prestige?
In his mind instantly appeared the scene of a Deity traveling—
Dragon and phoenix as mounts, Guardian Deities holding Magic Tools, or flying and circling, or manifesting three heads and six arms, clearing the path ahead and subduing demons, for believers to behold.
This was the prestige the Path of Divinity should have!
After a long while, he suppressed the joy in his heart.
Looking at the Divine Palace, which was far superior in both scale and Status to before.
Chen Shun’an clasped his hands behind his back, walking through every temple complex and every shrine.
Chen Shun’an was extremely satisfied.
The Hibiscus Paste Fire that had nearly filled the Divine Palace before could now all fit into a single remote temple complex.
And besides that, the greatest feeling the current Divine Palace gave Chen Shun’an was……
Vitality.
Although the vast Divine Palace contained only him, and two mud sculpted Grass Head God Aspects.
Yet it gave him a sense of burgeoning vitality, thriving day by day.
The previous Divine Palace was like a dead object.
Even Chen Shun’an was unwilling to stay long, feeling like a forsaken place abandoned by time, unable to perceive its flow.
But now, walking within it, Chen Shun’an felt as if strolling in spring mountain wilderness, able to smell the fresh fragrance of budding flowers at his nose, hearing the murmur of streams in his ears, even his consciousness becoming light and brisk, no longer with the former oppression of being forgotten by time.
However, it seemed to be missing one link, like soil suffering from lack of Sweet Dew rain nourishment, able to nurture things and store seeds, yet still dry and frozen earth.
Presumably due to still lacking the ‘Profound Dao Water Origin’ Status.
Outside the Divine Palace, it was still the desolate land enveloped by the Precious Proclamation.
Sparse drizzle falling from eternity to now, raindrops carrying decay and profundity, as if to devour all vitality.
Yet this Water Origin Divine Palace was like the only light cluster in desolation, resisting the raindrops with its own Divinity, becoming the sole pure land in this void.
Even faintly contending against the external deathly stillness.
With a turn of his thought, information appeared in Chen Shun’an’s vision.
【Authority: Trinity】
【Resumed Statuses: Universe（1）、Control Life and Death（1）】
【Divine Path Essence: Xuhuo Mukou（One of the Four Tombs of Earthly Branches）、Fetal Life（One of the Twelve Palaces of Longevity）】
As expected, Fetal Life was one of the Twelve Palaces of Longevity, belonging to the Status: Control Life and Death.
The Twelve Palaces of Longevity were the cycle of Five Elements fortune, matching Ten Heavenly Stems with Twelve Earthly Branches, encompassing states of growth, prosperity, Decline, etc.
Including Longevity, Bathing, Coronation, Approaching Office, Emperor Prosperity, Decline, Illness, Death, Tomb, Absolute, Fetus, Nourishment—twelve kinds.
‘Fetal Life’ was the Fetus phase.
The Water Origin Great Emperor was a Trinity, and this Divine Palace was also based on the three: Universe, Control Life and Death, Profound Dao Water Origin.
Now two Statuses had resumed, and the Divine Palace only lacked the ‘Profound Dao Water Origin’ cornerstone to be complete.
“The Path of Divinity has hope, the future is promising…”
……
Intent returned to reality.
The Divine Palace within the Precious Proclamation, though it had undergone earth-shaking changes.
But the outside world had only passed a few snaps of the fingers.
Morning light was shining through the broken windows of the abandoned Rice Barn, casting mottled patterns on the ground.
Hawking cries, shouts, and children’s laughter from chasing and playing intertwined, unceasing.
Chen Shun’an did not pay attention to the outside noises.
Worthy of Immortal Fate; whether 【Azure Gang Matches】 or 【Undying Molting Insect Solution】, they all had immediate effects on Chen Shun’an’s Path of Divinity progress.
He couldn’t help thinking of the 【Li Tan Banner】 in Zhao Guangxi’s hands, the 【Divine Might Purple Thunder Cannon】 in the Guo Lu Society members’ hands, and the Whisk in that Tian Xuan Saint’s hands.
His heart itched.
Feeling heartache that his Treasures had fallen into others’ hands.
【Undying Molting Insect Solution】 was a traditional Talisman of the Redlin Great Sect.
Then adding the 【Azure Gang Matches】 corresponding to Azure Gang Sect, and the 【Divine Might Purple Thunder Cannon】 corresponding to Huaguang Method.
Chen Shun’an had now contacted three lineages.
So why did Chen Shun’an feel that these lineages were at odds with the Sacred Dynasty?
Either used for smuggling Hibiscus Paste Fire, or firing cannons to burn mountains, Refining Corpses into Spirits, all digging at the Sacred Dynasty’s roots.
“Worthy of my Great Sacred Dynasty, provoking heaven’s wrath and people’s resentment, losing hearts and minds, outsiders and insiders all digging at the roots… But it also proves the Sacred Dynasty’s terror, standing unbroken after over nine hundred years.”
“That His Majesty the Emperor has lived fully nine hundred years, outlasting countless Crown Princes…”
Chen Shun’an silently sighed twice.
But without mishaps, Immortal Fates also had qualities of superior and inferior.
For example, that 【Li Tan Banner】 was probably at the bottom among Immortal Fates.
Currently, it could only scrape Yin Wind ghost fire.
Moreover, after all, Zhao Guangxi was his Landlord, and the Essence contained in the Li Tan Banner was probably unrelated to Universe, Control Life and Death, Profound Dao Water Origin.
So Chen Shun’an had no thought of taking what others favored.
Instead, he turned his attention mainly to the Tian Xuan Saint’s Whisk.
“Chen Mou now not only Slay Five Thieves, but the Divine Palace is nearly complete, with Divinity of Closeness to Water Spirits and Blessing Guardian Deity, and besides that, Heart-Piercing Nail at hand; if adding Formless and Shapeless, chicken incubating egg and other Martial Path skills…”
Chen Shun’an silently calculated his odds of victory in Combat against the great enemy Tian Xuan Saint.
“About ninety percent…… No, if that Whisk is as tricky as the 【Undying Molting Insect Solution】, it might cause unnecessary trouble.”
“But if I manifest the Guardian Deity Blessing, then relying on water affinity for underwater fighting, it would add a few more points of assurance.”
“Of course, if truly Slay Six Thieves, even achieving Martial Dao Grandmaster, the sense of security would greatly increase. Purple Iron Cattail Milk…… it’s time to compete for it.”
“Moreover…… the Four Great Daoist Academies, Year-end Grand Celebration, Entering the Dao through Martial Arts, Meridian Opening cultivating immortality; even Zhao Guangxi back then, with Slay Two Thieves Realm, failed the Year-end Grand Celebration. Seems merely Slaying a few Thieves is extremely unreliable; best to be a Martial Dao Grandmaster, right?”
Chen Shun’an silently gauged his own Strength in his heart, planning the future.
In the following days, Chen Shun’an mostly kept a low profile.
Besides daily Sweet Dew Lottery and checking Well accounts, the rest of his time was spent studying the Martial Path and Blessing Worldly Guardian Deity.
Pushing off all banquets and social engagements entirely; even Zhao Guangxi’s proper Inauguration Banquet and the Guangxi Money House opening ribbon-cutting, he only showed his face, cautious in speech and action, somewhat reclusive.
If others did this, it would inevitably spread rumors of arrogance or haughtiness.
But as the current ‘Elderly Heavenly Pride’ whose fame was at its peak in Wuqing County.
Chen Shun’an doing so instead made all the Water Carriers, other Shopkeepers, and major powers in Wuqing County look up to him even more.
