Chapter 250: The Atmosphere Was Quite Awkward for a Moment

As Xianfu's voice faded, Wang Ping fell into deep thought.

Xianfu was right about one thing: the deities of the City God Temples—although conferred by him—truly had no effect on his divine power.

Or rather, these city gods had only been useful while he was cultivating his divine power. Once it was fully formed, their utility diminished significantly. Even if they all died, it would have zero impact on Wang Ping. A Major Divine Ability would never leave him with such a massive vulnerability.

However, the reverse was a different story.

Wielding the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart, Wang Ping could manipulate the life and death of the city gods under his jurisdiction at will or pass down commands. They were his hands, feet, eyes, and ears.

And now, Xianfu wanted him to hand over that control.

After a moment of silence, Wang Ping asked in a low voice, "...Allow me to ask, Senior Brother, how do you plan to take away my control over the city gods? This isn't something I can casually hand over, even if I want to."

"That's simple."

Xianfu smiled faintly. He pulled a gleaming, golden paper scroll from his sleeve and placed it into Wang Ping's hands. With a sudden snap, the scroll unrolled.

"We, mandated by august Heaven, govern all directions; the Dao of heaven and earth operates endlessly; the rule of a sage king balances civil and martial affairs. Without ministers of steadfast integrity, how can We sustain peace for eternity? Hereby, We appoint you as the Founding State Preceptor Who Assists Destiny, Promotes Sincerity, and Upholds Integrity. May you further cement your original intentions, strictly observe the path of impartiality, and eternally support the stability of Our nation and home."

This was an Imperial Edict.

Hm?

A second later, Wang Ping raised a brow, sensing the profound mysteries hidden within the Imperial Edict. Clearly, the contents of this decree were more than mere words.

Profound mysteries lie hidden within. This is... manifested by a divine power!

As Wang Ping held the Imperial Edict, the characters written upon it seemed to come alive. They leaped off the paper, manifesting countless intricate, profound visions in his eyes.

Profound Firmament Governance-Bestowing Talisman-Wielding Qi—it designates a sovereign lord and favors subordinate ministers. If I accept this decree, I will be granted the status of a subordinate minister. This status is extremely similar to a Destiny Pattern! And as the sovereign lord, Xianfu can extract an image from me as proof of our ruler-minister bond.

If a ruler is not discreet, he loses his ministers.

He must obtain my consent to extract this image. It acts somewhat like a contract. Once the ruler-minister relationship is established, I can also receive his promotion.

I understand now... this is a Dao path transition!

Wang Ping suddenly saw the light. If he accepted this Imperial Edict and gained the status of a subordinate minister, he could switch his cultivation to the Profound Firmament Governance-Bestowing Talisman-Wielding Qi in the future!

What overbearing qi!

The human-yang wood completely ignores the natural sequence of heaven and earth. It does not engage with the Heavenly Dao and only concerns human affairs. As long as one bows their head and declares themselves a subject, they can be accepted by this cosmic qi.

No wonder he said this would benefit my cultivation and help me break free from my predicament... That's right. If he transcends his life tribulation and becomes a Qi Refining practitioner, he can easily lift the divine power suppression from my body and help me switch paths. Even if I don't become a Qi Refining practitioner, I'll at least have the path of a Corpse Dissolution Immortal to walk.

And it would be different from other Corpse Dissolution Immortals.

The Profound Firmament Governance-Bestowing Talisman-Wielding Qi favors subordinate ministers. Among the Twenty-Four Qi, this is probably the only one friendly to a Corpse Dissolution Immortal, ensuring their Dao path isn't severed!

For an ordinary Corpse Dissolution Immortal, taking that path effectively severed any further progression.

Only a Corpse Dissolution Immortal of the Profound Firmament Governance-Bestowing Talisman-Wielding Qi was different. As long as they loyally assisted their sovereign lord, the Corpse Dissolution Immortal would rise with the tide as the sovereign lord grew stronger!

"Remarkable!"

The exclamation interrupted Wang Ping's insights. Looking up, he saw Xianfu watching him with a face full of admiration. "Junior Brother's Dao wisdom is extremely high indeed."

"It seems you already understand without me needing to explain."

"The image I want to extract is the power of life and death you hold over the city gods under your jurisdiction. I will use it to bolster my own aura. What do you think, Junior Brother?"

To this, Wang Ping had only one word in response.

"Loyalty!"

The moment he spoke, the Imperial Edict in his hands burst with radiant light. It then broke down amid layers of iridescent colors, gradually fusing into his body bit by bit.

Immediately after, Wang Ping saw a brand-new talisman materialize within his sea of consciousness. It looked exactly like the Imperial Edict that had just appointed him. However, compared to the Five Thieves Heaven-Stealing Series, the Void Joy Non-Dual Guardian Consort Talisman, and the Spiritual Treasure signatures, this talisman was much more fragile.

It looked as though it would shatter at the slightest touch.

Once it shatters, it means either the ruler has abandoned the minister, or the minister has rebelled against the ruler. The former is fine, but the latter... that would probably mean fighting Xianfu to the bitter end.

After all, when a ruler abandoned a minister, the ruler held the initiative.

But when a minister rebelled against a ruler, it was treason. For Xianfu, that would inflict massive damage to his aura. If he didn't execute the treacherous minister, his odds of succeeding in Qi Refining would plummet.

"Excellent."

Xianfu smiled faintly. "There is no need for excessive formality, Junior Brother. The ruler-minister relationship is merely a facade. We will eventually forsake the mortal world, so addressing each other as fellow disciples is sufficient."

He then changed the subject. "Furthermore, there is someone else I must introduce to you. With my divine power, I can at most appoint two assisting ministers, one civil and one martial, drawn from the four noble ranks of duke, marquis, count, and viscount. I gave the civil minister seat to you, Junior Brother, and the martial minister seat to another junior brother. You should know him."

Another junior brother... I know him?

Hearing this, Wang Ping raised an eyebrow, already forming a guess. He followed Xianfu out of Ninghui Hall and into another palace building.

On the right side of the hall, a young child sat cross-legged.

He wore a golden ring around his neck, projecting a dignified and solemn presence. Glimmering flames flowed around his body. Although his features were much younger, traces of his past appearance could still be seen.

"Junior Brother Kunlun..."

Boom!

Before Xianfu could finish speaking, Wang Ping had already struck. The Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade left its sheath; the sonorous ring of the steel, accompanied by a scorching golden light, instantly illuminated the great hall.

Kunlun, Kunlun!

Wang Ping's gaze was ice-cold, his teeth gnashing with hatred. If it hadn't been for the schemes of Kunlun and the Heaven-Stealing Thief, coordinating with Mingyou's layout, how could his divine power have been completely locked away?

Almost simultaneously, the child-like Kunlun opened his eyes. A precious hammer suddenly appeared in his hand, and he struck back against Wang Ping's blade. The two weapons collided with a deafening boom. The glimmering flames were instantly forced back step by step. Seeing this, Wang Ping narrowed his eyes and stared at the hammer.

"The Heavenly Craft Creation Hammer. You actually switched to cultivating the Earth Yang Fire."

As soon as these words were spoken, Kunlun—who had been pretending to be unfathomable—widened his eyes and stared straight back, a hint of surprise flashing in his gaze.

You actually recognize this?

A second later, Xianfu's voice floated over leisurely.

"Junior Brothers, both of you are the vital civil and martial ministers assigned to me by the grand cultivators. You are crucial combat assets for the upcoming sword battle. Harmony should be prized above all else."

Wang Ping's movements ground to a sudden halt.

Speaking heavenly statutes, his words were the law itself. With just one sentence, the surging mana and divine powers surrounding both him and Kunlun fell into complete silence.

This is the manifestation of the ruler-minister relationship. My cultivation base is already weaker than Xianfu, who is at the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer, and I am the subordinate minister. It is the textbook definition of a strong ruler and weak minister. In this situation, the suppression he exerts over me is elevated to an incredibly high level... However, there are hidden dangers to this suppression as well.

When the ruler was strong and the minister weak, everything naturally went smoothly.

But once their positions flipped and it became a weak ruler and strong minister, the peril of overstepping would arise. The ruler might even be countered, or utterly usurped.

That's right—

As a subordinate minister, I actually have hope of becoming a human-yang wood Qi Refining practitioner. I just need to reach the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer and kill my sovereign lord!

This qi truly is completely unrestrained!

Just then, Wang Ping suddenly felt something strange. Glancing around, he saw that the grand hall where the three of them stood was actually generating a profound, glowing phenomenon out of thin air.

"This is...?"

Wang Ping looked at Xianfu, only to see that Kunlun also seemed slightly confused and was looking over as well. Only Xianfu's expression remained perfectly calm. Still smiling, he explained, "This place is called the Unified Mind Hall."

"As the name suggests, it can link our three seas of consciousness together, signifying the unity of ruler and ministers, like dragons in the clouds and fish in the water. It is a Spiritual Treasure of the Immortal Prescription Courtyard."

A Spiritual Treasure!?

Wang Ping and Kunlun both exhibited subtle changes in expression. After hearing Xianfu's explanation, they grew even more puzzled. Linking their seas of consciousness—what was the point of that?

Seeing this, Xianfu chuckled softly. "It is merely preparation for the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle. After all, the upcoming battle will be fraught with dangers. Having the Unified Mind Hall memorize the three of us and connect our seas of consciousness ensures that we can communicate directly through this Spiritual Treasure in the future, saving precious time."

As he finished speaking, Wang Ping instantly felt a change.

Put simply, a third Spiritual Treasure signature—seal script characters spelling out Unified Mind Hall—manifested within his sea of consciousness. Then, it was promptly squeezed into a corner.

This isn't too bad.

By now, Wang Ping's sea of consciousness was already hopelessly overcrowded; he really didn't mind having one more Spiritual Treasure signature. Besides, the profound function of real-time communication was genuinely useful.

"Even so... Senior Brother, you must be careful."

Wang Ping threw a glance at Kunlun and sneered, "This one here is a staunch supporter of the Heaven-Stealing Thief, an absolute traitor to the Immortal Gate. Taking him as a minister—who knows, he might sell you out one day and ruin your aura."

"You can't say it like that."

Kunlun laughed upon hearing this. "I have already survived my life tribulation. According to sect rules, I have already forsaken evil and returned to the righteous path. On the contrary, Junior Brother Dousheng, haven't you colluded with the Brahma Nation?"

"You spew baseless slander!"

Wang Ping instantly shot back, "Do you have proof? Without proof, it's defamation! I'll accuse you of slander! I have absolutely no ties to the Brahma Nation..."

Before his words could fade.

The next second, a new phenomenal change appeared within the brightly glowing Unified Mind Hall. In this previously ethereal and immortal-like grand hall, Buddhist chanting unexpectedly began to echo.

"Amitabha!"

Wang Ping instantly widened his eyes, because this Buddhist chant was drifting out precisely from the depths of his own sea of consciousness—emanating right from the Void Joy Non-Dual Guardian Consort Talisman.

Within the Unified Mind Hall, their seas of consciousness were linked together. Under the profound influence of this Spiritual Treasure, any changes within the three men's seas of consciousness would be openly displayed inside the hall. This included divine sense voice transmissions, which was exactly how it relayed messages... And right now, the sound of Buddhist chanting was echoing freely throughout the room.

Wang Ping: "......"

Yes, it was Jin Hai sending a meeting request through that very talisman.

Turning his head, Wang Ping saw that the expressions of Xianfu and Kunlun on his left and right had both turned rather peculiar. They stared straight at him.

Should he answer it?

The atmosphere was, for a moment, extremely awkward.