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What precisely happened to Cang Tu Shen? This is the greatest doubt currently lodged in Jiang Wang’s heart.

This uncertainty surpasses even his concern about Xie Ai achieving the True Monarch realm as the Winter Emperor.

News of the Shen Mian Dao Grand Priest succession ceremony, where the joint elder group chief elder Bo Er Zhi Jin E Ke Lie, representing the Great Mu Heavenly Son, crowned the new Shen Mian Grand Priest Tu Hu, sent shockwaves across the world, signalling a profound shift in the grassland’s power dynamics.

However, the more tangible changes only began to unfold after the ceremony concluded.

The most crucial among these was the grassland’s direct opening of faith control. From that day forward, any sect was welcome to preach in the grassland. The policy of “all religions merge, faith free,” proclaimed by the imperial family’s He Lian Hu Hu during a sacrificial rite, became the religious directive for the grassland in this era.

Other sects coming to preach in the grassland needed only acknowledge one premise: that Cang Tu Shen is the supreme deity of this world, and all other gods worshipped in the grassland are subordinate to Cang Tu Shen.

Beyond this, there were no taboos. The competition for faith was left to each sect’s own capability.

Naturally, the laws of the Mu Kingdom superseded all religious regulations.

In essence, the Cang Tu Shen Sect, which had previously coexisted as a great power parallel to the Great Mu Royal Court and dominated the grassland, was now reduced to merely one of the many sects under the rule of the Great Mu Royal Court.

The Cang Tu Shen Sect remained revered as the state religion, and Cang Tu Shen was still the supreme faith, but no longer the sole true god. The fundamental relationship behind this transformation had already shifted.

The Mu Court must have exerted immense effort and paid a significant price behind the scenes to implement the “all religions merge” policy. Jiang Wang only learned of this in the past few days.

The reason Huang She Li followed Murong Long to the grassland was not, as she claimed, for Jiang Xian Zi. This woman clearly distinguished between public and private matters. Her arrival in the grassland was for the purpose of spreading the faith of Huang Mian Fo.

Huang Mian Fo is a Buddha figure established by Huang Fu himself, and already wields considerable influence in the Jing Kingdom. If its faith could flourish in the grassland, the prospects would undoubtedly be bright.

Given Huang Fu’s good relations with Wan Yan Xiong Lue, and his involvement in the Cang Lang Combat Arena opened by the Wan Yan clan, it was natural for him to seize this opportunity presented by the grassland’s religious liberalization.

And Yu Hua Female Ni’s presence to observe the ceremony this time represented Xi Yue An’s move to establish an An Tang in the grassland. Such a significant undertaking could not have been decided upon in mere words. The cooperation between the Mu Court and Xi Yue An likely dates back even further.

This marked the first time Xi Yue An emerged from seclusion to embrace the currents of the era. This powerful sect, vaguely holding the title of the “third Buddhist sect,” entering the grassland was bound to trigger enormous changes in the grassland’s faith landscape.

Consider this: the Xi Yue An presence now is merely Shen Lin realm’s Yu Hua. A casual offering of a minor Bodhisattva can be considered a subordinate god of Cang Tu Shen. But once the An Tang in the grassland develops and strong individuals from Xi Yue An enter in droves, will the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas they revere still remain subordinate to Cang Tu Shen?

In the foreseeable future, the status of the Cang Tu Shen Sect within the Mu Kingdom is destined to decline further!

This is something clear to anyone with discerning eyes.

How could the Cang Tu Shen Sect fail to see this? Yet, the entire grassland remains calm and undisturbed.

This colossal entity, which has reigned supreme in the grassland for thousands of years, is one of the world’s preeminent sects. Could it truly lack even a shred of resistance against the Empress?

If the current situation is allowed to pass so calmly, the Cang Tu Shen Sect’s room for resistance will only diminish with time.

Furthermore, Xi Yue An alone is sufficient to challenge the Cang Tu Shen Sect. Coupled with the new Shen Mian Dao Grand Priest Tu Hu being clearly aligned with the Empress, and the various sects developing in the grassland, how will the Cang Tu Shen Sect ever turn the tide in the future?

This is precisely where Jiang Wang’s doubts lie.

Even if the Golden Masked Priests are almost entirely under the Empress’s control, what about Cang Tu Shen’s true form?

This great deity, whose divine light has bathed this grassland for thousands of years, could it truly be peacefully sleeping in its divine palace, oblivious to everything in the grassland?

Had this been a few years ago, Jiang Wang might not have found this particularly unusual.

After all, the era of the great prosperity of the divine path is like smoke, and now when people speak of it, it’s merely a tired old topic!

What exception could Cang Tu Shen be?

But now, having reached the realm of a “god descending to the world” strong individual, he understands more and more what a “divine spirit” is, and can appreciate the power of Cang Tu Shen.

Thus, he understands more and more the strangeness of this matter.

Cang Tu Shen may not be some minor deity. He is undoubtedly a divine spirit of the present world, and the most powerful one at that. One could even say he is the strongest divine spirit known since the new establishment of the Dao Li!

Jiang Wang has never forgotten the events over Feng Lin City, never relaxed his understanding of his enemies, and among all the names he loathes, the White Bone Venerable Deity is an indelible presence. Previously, due to his cultivation level, he had not come into contact with higher-level knowledge. After reaching Shen Lin, he sought opportunities to supplement his understanding of related matters. Now, he has a considerable grasp of the divine path.

He is not yet fully conversant with the divine path, but at least he understands the position of You Ming divine spirits like the White Bone Venerable Deity, and why they so persistently seek to enter the present world and become present world divine spirits.

After the curtain fell on the mythical era, the embers of the old gods, lingering before reincarnation, finally burned in the You Ming world.

Divine spirits since the new era have basically only existed in You Ming, with few wandering the human world.

Gods, of course, also have varying degrees of strength.

According to the divisions of the mythical era, divine spirits are further divided into false gods, true gods, Yang gods, and Venerable gods.

Venerable gods can be further divided into You Ming divine spirits and present world divine spirits.

Cultivators who do not follow the divine path themselves, but condense faith, shape legends, and establish divine spirits, thereby creating the various strange legends of the present world, also lead to the eventual formation of various strange divine spirits. These divine spirits can basically be classified as false gods, also called Yin gods, or minor deities. Their strength, compared to current cultivators, ranges from the Inner Mansion realm at the lower limit to the Shen Lin realm at the upper limit.

Those who truly cultivate the divine path all strive towards true godhood. As the saying goes, “One cultivates the Dao for a hundred years with no one asking, but upon sealing godhood, the world knows it in a single morning!”

True gods can be compared to Dong Zhen realm cultivators. This realm can be considered a great achievement in the divine path, receiving the incense of countless families and the reverence of the masses in the era of great prosperity of the divine path.

Yang gods are comparable to Yan Dao realm cultivators. This realm can contend with the blazing sun, hence the name Yang god. They are the supreme beings of the divine path, and can be called “god monarchs” or “god kings.”

The so-called You Ming divine spirits possess immense power in the You Ming realm. However, this power is unique only within You Ming. And You Ming is merely a transit point for reincarnation, not considered a great world.

You Ming divine spirits outside of You Ming are at most at the True Monarch level. And upon entering the present world, they are further suppressed by the will of the present world, making it extremely difficult to manifest their power.

In the era of great prosperity of the divine path, only those Yang gods who could not advance further would go to You Ming and choose to achieve the position of a You Ming divine spirit.

The present world is the center of all worlds. This is why truly promising cultivators must all achieve Shen Lin in the present world? Because only by achieving it here can one truly hope to pursue the great Dao. “Zhao Cang Wu” contains a line that states, “Becoming a god outside of heaven, the Dao eliminates one world!”

And sharing the same Venerable god position, also above Yang gods, the position of present world divine spirit is the goal pursued by the White Bone Venerable Deity!

Once a present world divine spirit is achieved, then the myriad worlds become one. In any location, they possess absolute peak power.

Therefore, the White Bone Venerable Deity’s desire is to advance further.

Having reached the end of the divine path in You Ming, there is fundamentally no greater space for growth except to contend with other You Ming divine spirits in the already limited You Ming region. This is because the limits of the You Ming world are set, and although it is not weak among the various heavens and myriad worlds due to its proximity to the source pool, it still cannot compare with the present world.

And having already become a Venerable god, the White Bone desires to achieve the position of a present world divine spirit. This can only be accomplished by first gaining the recognition of the present world’s will, then establishing a ground god kingdom, and shaping a present world divine body. Hence the White Bone Dao, and generations of White Bone Dao Sons like Zhuang Cheng Gan and Wang Chang Ji.

Hence the tragedy of Feng Lin City.

In the current era, among the known present world divine spirits with their own ground god kingdoms, there are only two: one is Cang Tu Shen, and the other is Yuan Tian Shen. The strength of a ground god kingdom completely reflects the strength of the divine spirit, thus Cang Tu Shen is naturally much stronger than Yuan Tian Shen.

Therefore, Cang Tu Shen is undoubtedly the strongest divine spirit since the new era.

Since such a great being exists, why would he sit idly by while the Great Mu Empress acts in such a manner? Why would he watch with wide eyes as his divine authority is weakened?

Even if the Great Mu Empress, relying on the national power of the Great Mu Empire, can exhibit absolute peak power within her borders, Cang Tu Shen would surely not be powerless to resist.

Thus, Jiang Wang suspects that something is amiss with Cang Tu Shen.

However, throughout the entire Shen Mian Priest succession ceremony, the inheritance of divine power was quite normal. Cang Tu Shen bestowed majestic divine power upon the new Shen Mian Dao Grand Priest, and even the scene of “divine spirit promising, heaven and earth celebrating” appeared.

Were it not for this, the colossal Cang Tu Shen Sect would likely not have accepted the outcome so easily.

Of course, having experienced the Sen Hai Yuan Realm and personally witnessed the “Dragon God Ying Zuo,” Jiang Wang would not so readily believe in these miracles.

However, the story of the Sen Hai Yuan Realm was slowly recounted to him by Guan Yan Grand Master.

The story of the Great Mu Empire, on the other hand, is unlikely to be told to a military merit Marquis of the Qi Kingdom like himself.

The vast fog dissipating over the grassland’s sky allows people to see only the vaguely great outline of the Great Mu Empress.

Cang Tu Shen’s current situation is necessarily the highest secret of the Mu Kingdom. Therefore, despite his growing doubts and curiosity, Jiang Wang can only keep them hidden in his heart.

At this stage, what he most wants to explore, and has the greatest opportunity to find answers to, is the mystery of Xie Ai’s reincarnation and cultivation to the True Monarch realm.

Beyond his curiosity about the mystery of reincarnation, he also has concerns for Xu Xiang Gan and Zi Shu. Calculating the time, Snow Country’s border closure and Xie Ai’s achievement of True Monarch status coincided with the time Xu Xiang Gan was accompanying his Martial Sister Zhao on their travels in Snow Country.

And since that time, he has not heard any news of Xu Xiang Gan.

Although he understands that with the backgrounds of those three, and with their whereabouts public, the possibility of an accident in Snow Country is minimal, he still feels a degree of worry.

To understand the inside story of the Winter Emperor’s reincarnation, the best way, of course, is to ask Xie Ai herself. However, Xie Ai likely wouldn’t bother to pay him any attention. Therefore, Jiang Wang has been visiting Huang She Li every three days or so during this period.

Now that the succession ceremony has concluded, envoys from various countries have dispersed one after another. Jiang Wang is considered to have left quite late. In the interim, he also took the time to send a challenge letter to Chen Suan, but as Chen Suan’s spiritual consciousness was occupied with deducing heavenly secrets and unable to detach, they had to reschedule for another time. The Jing Kingdom team departed the following day.

Among the several great overlord countries, only Huang She Li, due to her efforts to spread the faith of Huang Mian Fo and prepare for temple construction, is likely to remain in the grassland for an extended period.

Jiang Wang also took advantage of this opportunity to seek her out and resolve his doubts, visiting and inquiring repeatedly.

Huang She Li, of course, could not have asked for more. One could even say that revealing the words “reincarnation” specifically to Jiang Wang on the day of the grand ceremony was precisely for this moment.

In the days following the ceremony’s conclusion, she simply sat cross-legged each day, sipping fine wine, eating peanuts, and quietly awaiting Jiang Xian Zi’s arrival at her door, then chatting happily for ages, discussing myriad topics.

She is an expert at keeping one in suspense, speaking a few sentences about reincarnation today, lecturing on the history of Snow Country tomorrow, and chatting a bit about the situation in the northwest the day after.

In short, the news was all quite useful, but when it came to the part Jiang Wang was most concerned about, she would only reveal a little bit each day, refusing to provide a clear explanation. Every time Jiang Wang reached the crucial point, she would either have to go supervise the carving of Buddha statues, check the typesetting of Buddhist scriptures, sense an opportunity for Shen Lin, or claim the weather was perfect and request a spar with Jiang Wang.

Various excuses abounded.

This went on for five consecutive days of Jiang Wang visiting Huang She Li, chatting about everything under the sun, yet still failing to uncover the truth about Xie Ai.

But finally, she could not delay it until the seventh day, because Jiang Wang was already preparing to return to Qi.

Huang She Li finally ceased her pretense, her posture on the lounge chair still casual, but her tone serious: “According to the news circulating from Snow Country, Xie Ai’s previous life was none other than Xu Qiu Ci, a powerful individual from Snow Country two thousand years ago. Xu Qiu Ci was known as the Frost Immortal Lord and perished in the battle to exterminate Sheng Mo Jun. Due to the merit of this battle, the Northern Heavenly Master Wu Dao personally inscribed within the ancient extermination demon alliance agreement…”

“…that Snow Country would not be invaded for a thousand years.”

“Sheng Mo Jun?” Jiang Wang sat on a small stool, very sensibly pouring wine for her.

Huang She Li took a delicate sip of the wine, then said: “This Sheng Mo Jun, ah, was one of the highest-ranking Heavenly Demons in the myriad worlds’ wild tomb. You may know of the Eight Great Demon Techniques? One part of the 《Li Beng Le Hua Sheng Mo Gong》 was cultivated by Sheng Mo Jun.”

The four Great Demon Lords mentioned by Tu Hu earlier did not include this one, indicating he had likely been exterminated.

The very name 《Li Beng Le Hua Sheng Mo Gong》 further highlighted the uniqueness of the Qi Hen Mo Gong.

“The Northern Heavenly Master is a True Monarch who originated from Da Luo Mountain, right?” Jiang Wang asked casually.

Huang She Li nodded.

While skillfully peeling peanuts with his hands and feet, Jiang Wang said: “Miss Huang, please continue. What was so special about this Xu Qiu Ci, and why could she successfully reincarnate and cultivate to the True Monarch realm?”

Huang She Li’s beautiful eyes held a knowing look: “How could Snow Country divulge such a secret to the outside world? We have only pieced together some information and speculated on our own; it may not be accurate.”

“I understand, I understand.” Jiang Wang was very humble: “Then, what is Miss Huang’s opinion?”

“Snow Country has always been closed off, even we have very limited information.” Huang She Li first laid the groundwork, then only said: “Snow Country’s current foremost powerhouse is the True Monarch Fu Huan. Xie Ai in this life is precisely Fu Huan’s disciple. Xie Ai’s talent is, of course, beyond reproach, and she is the foremost of her generation in Snow Country. But compared to the myriad worlds, she is not considered the most outstanding. Her performance in the Huang He Zhi Hui was quite ordinary, ah! Every time I recall you robbing me of my first place, I still feel very sad.”

“Have some peanuts, have some peanuts.” Jiang Wang accompanied with a smile. He peeled them one by one and placed them on a tray for her.

Huang She Li crunched two with satisfaction: “Returning to Xie Ai. The truly special change in her, her sudden progress in cultivation, occurred in February of last year, hmm, probably around the time you participated in the Shan Hai Jing.”

“At that time, a major event occurred in Snow Country: a ground裂 opened in the Northern Heavenly Snow Ridge. The scope was said to be very wide, and many people died, though we did not obtain specific casualty figures. And the Northern Heavenly Snow Ridge was precisely Xu Qiu Ci’s Dao field over two thousand years ago. That place is extremely cold and frozen, with frost knives cutting the soul, naturally suppressing all divine path techniques, and human traces are rare.”

“Another key point was when Snow Country locked its borders; this was personally ordered by Fu Huan. What happened during the border lockdown is unknown to the outside world. After the lockdown ended…”

“…Xie Ai reappeared before people, already a True Monarch.”

“But, oh.”

Huang She Li leisurely continued: “Before Snow Country locked its borders. According to reports, someone near the Northern Heavenly Snow Ridge saw an illusion of the Ling Dong Immortal Palace!”