"Clean up the battlefield."
Chu Bai’s voice rang out in the silent, snowy night.
"After tonight, Anping County will be free of Age Demons."
Feng Qin and the others dispersed with practiced ease, beginning to incinerate the remains of the evil spirits on the ground and scatter evil-warding vermillion medicine powder around the Land God Temple.
"Complete annihilation, Captain." Feng Qin walked over, wiping the biting frost from his face, his eyes filled with awe.
The ability to mobilize forces instantly in the dead of night, pinpoint a target, and strike like lightning—it was a maneuver that left even a veteran guard like him deeply shaken.
"Wrap it up. Leave two men to monitor the energy flow of the Earth Vein. Don’t let any remnants resurface."
"The rest of you, spread out and continue your patrols. Return to the Department with me at noon."
Chu Bai waved a hand, and his chilling aura instantly receded.
As he returned to his family’s courtyard, just as the first pale light of dawn touched the horizon, his father, Chu Xianglin, was pushing open the door. Broom in hand, he was ready to sweep away the snow from the night before.
Seeing his eldest son sitting on a stone bench, leisurely sipping a bowl of steaming Spirit Tea, Chu Xianglin was taken aback for a moment before he beamed and cupped his hands in greeting.
"My boy, you’re up bright and early! Happy New Year!"
Chu Bai stood up, a genuine smile spreading across his face.
He gazed at the quiet, peaceful village beyond the courtyard walls and at the red sun rising from the horizon, replying softly, "You too, Dad. May every year be a peaceful one."
On the afternoon of the Lunar New Year, warm sunlight spilled onto the snow-covered streets of Anping County.
The red scraps of firecrackers stood out vividly against the snow as people stepped out of their homes to exchange New Year’s greetings.
Chu Bai led the Demon-slaying Team on patrol until noon. Only after confirming that the flow of qi within the city was clear and showed no signs of infiltrating Age Demons did he lead the team back to the duty room at the Evil Suppression Department.
"Have a seat."
Zhang Cheng sat behind his desk, looking somewhat weary. He took the report Chu Bai submitted regarding the elimination of the Age Demons at the logging camp, his long fingers massaging his temples.
"This is a bit more serious than I imagined."
Zhang Cheng set down the file and sighed. "Dozens of Age Demons gathering to merge... If you hadn’t acted in time to nip it in the bud, and it had become a ’Great Evil,’ I’m afraid a great many people in Anping County would have fallen ill tonight."
"At that point, the County Magistrate’s report would have likely been rejected by the Prefecture City again."
Chu Bai cupped his hands. "It was simply my duty. I dare not claim any credit."
Zhang Cheng shook his head, rising to walk to the window. He gazed at the distant plumes of celebratory smoke and said thoughtfully, "Our hands are tied. It’s a pity the Court has become increasingly strict about bestowing the Status of a Divine Spirit in recent years. If all the villages under Anping County’s jurisdiction had a Land God to watch over them, would these little things born from miasma even dare to appear on New Year’s Eve?"
’Land God?’
Chu Bai’s interest was piqued.
He recalled that during his childhood in Chu Family Village, there had indeed been a dilapidated little Land God temple at the edge of the village. The elders would occasionally go there to pay their respects.
But at some point, the Land God stopped manifesting. The people’s prayers for rain went unanswered, and their pleas for healing proved ineffective. Over time, the worship ceased, and the temple eventually collapsed, vanishing into the overgrown weeds.
In the Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty, the common folk, though simple, were also exceedingly pragmatic—they worshiped whomever could bring them blessings and keep them safe.
As for those who showed no power and offered no protection, no one was willing to waste precious incense and offerings on them.
He had just never deeply considered that there might be a hidden reason for the absence of these local Divine Spirits within the Great Zhou’s borders.
"Director, there is something I don’t understand."
Chu Bai voiced his doubts directly. "Since the station of a Divine Spirit can protect a region and stabilize the nation’s Destiny, why have such appointments become increasingly rare?"
Zhang Cheng turned, gave Chu Bai a deep look, and began to speak slowly. "The system of Divine Spirits and Land Gods was the Great Ancestor’s grand ambition. The goal was to have Heroic Spirits or Spiritual Objects assist the Celestial Court, receive the blessing of the Great Zhou’s Destiny, and exist to protect the populace.
"Once a divine station is granted and recorded in the Golden Seal and Jade Scroll, its Status is rooted in the Law Net. In theory, it should be impossible for them to commit any act of defiance."
He paused for a moment, and his next words were shocking. "The reason these appointments have been drastically reduced is because, in the past... there was a catastrophic mistake with one of them. A mistake that shook Qingzhou to its very foundations."
"A catastrophic mistake?" Chu Bai’s eyes narrowed, his interest piqued.
’A Divine Spirit is empowered by the Law Net,’ he thought. ’Its will should be in perfect alignment with the Great Zhou Laws. How could one possibly be defiant?’
"This happened several decades ago. Although it’s been hushed up, it’s not exactly a secret among the upper echelons of our Qingzhou."
Zhang Cheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a complex emotion in his eyes. "The Divine Spirit in question... its exalted title was the True Spirit of Origin and Inheritance."
’True Spirit...’
Chu Bai was inwardly shaken.
According to the Great Zhou’s hierarchy of divine stations, any being that dared to use the title of "True Spirit" possessed a Status of at least the Purple Mansion Level.
Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, Purple Mansion, Golden Core.
A Divine Spirit at the Purple Mansion Realm was a major figure capable of commanding the wind and rain throughout an entire province, practically equivalent to a High-Level Official of the Immortal Dynasty.
"This True Spirit’s true form was not a Heroic Spirit, but a strand of Innate Qi born of heaven and earth,"
Zhang Cheng explained. "It was born with extremely high Spirituality and was later noticed by the Director of the Qingzhou Celestial Decree Department. The Director believed its origins were pure and that it had immense potential for cultivation and teaching, so he deified it. He ordered it to guard a region, spread its teachings to the masses, and protect the world’s spiritual purity."
Chu Bai asked in surprise, "If its origins were pure and it was so highly favored, why did it go wrong?"
"The problem was the worship itself."
Zhang Cheng’s tone was tinged with lament. "The incense and offerings from the people are indeed a nourishing tonic for a Divine Spirit, but the Wish Power of Mortals is entangled with endless human desires and threads of Cause and Effect. For decades, that True Spirit received this worship. Every day, it listened to their suffering and felt the weight of their unfulfilled dreams of cultivation."

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