"Even great villains can protect a region. Mortals only need to offer some tributes to gain peace. How many people in the world do you think truly eliminate demons and defend the Dao? Those young fellows wandering the martial world, how would they know whether those in the court are living people or monsters?"

"The truly powerful all retreat to the mountains to cultivate. How many would reveal themselves to the world? Jindan (Golden Core) and Yuanshen (Primordial Spirit) cultivators flee when they see me. Only those newly emerged youngsters, merely at the stage of manifesting supernatural powers, dare to stir up trouble in my territory, acting recklessly, thinking they are acting on behalf of Heaven. But I not only won't kill them, I'll even help them."

"Because they kill some minor demons, thinking they are helping the local people. But as soon as they leave, I'll release even stronger demons. The people won't resent the demons for this, but will resent those heroes who helped them."

"People's resentment lies with people, not with demons, because people can be reasoned with, but demons cannot. Having lost their protectors, mortals will only suffer even more miserably."

Huojun actually felt a chill run down her spine: "So all nine prefectures and twenty-five counties under your rule are like this?"

The Prince of Lu laughed: "Otherwise? Telling you this is just to reassure you to work for me here."

"As for who is supporting me from behind... you're joking. Most representatives of the inner world within the outer world wouldn't easily reveal the forces behind them."

"This is a tacit agreement. It seems you don't understand this very well. Your cooperation with me is a cooperation between the people behind us, not between you and me. So you don't need to worry about anything working here. I won't kill you, and I won't harm you. I'll even help you. You provide the effort, and I'll help you consolidate your power. We both benefit from cooperation, and both suffer from separation. So please don't assassinate my imperial brother, sneaking into my manor at four in the morning to set it on fire..."

"If we become enemies, it means those people behind us have broken down."

"We are all chess pieces, but we are all striving on the path towards the Great Dao, and we all have our own wishes to fulfill. To fulfill wishes, we must pay a price, so we are driven by others, but this is just using their power and momentum."

"Everyone has a weak moment. It is necessary to attach oneself to others, otherwise, one cannot escape from certain predicaments. And you never know how powerful you will become after you grow up."

The Prince of Lu warned Huojun and gave her an address.

He wanted her to go to this area to help a temporary ally of theirs.

"He has only recently submitted. I'm afraid he might change his mind. If you don't mind the long journey, please go and keep an eye on him, and give him a hand. This righteous god probably doesn't know that once some paths are entered, there's no turning back."

"A firm Dao heart is essential. Go and help him out, do some killing, and solidify his Dao heart."

"Oh, right, some things have happened on his side. Some locals are not worshiping him, but have moved Guan Gong over. Destroy the statues of Guan Gong, and don't allow 'false Guan Dis' to appear."

Huojun looked at the name written on it, Liejie Prince.

And the "false Guan Dis" that the Prince of Lu mentioned referred to a type of righteous god, ranked at the very bottom of the thirty-sixth class among all god positions.

False Guan Dis are not Guan Di. They are brave and virtuous ghosts who, inspired by public opinion, are qualified to become false Guan Dis if they can consume the offerings in front of Guan Gong's statue.

After becoming a false Guan Di, they also act as Guan Di, but their mana... after all, they are temporary replacements. They are small gods of the thirty-sixth class. Don't ask too much. It's about enough.

Therefore, the mortality rate of this position of false Guan Di is quite high. After all, their mana is weak, and they cannot fight against great demons. Even slightly more powerful ghosts can overturn their altars.

Plus, there are many excessive sacrifices in the South, and worshiping evil gods is in vogue...

"This Liejie Prince is...? I've never heard of this righteous god's name."

The Prince of Lu said, "A brave young man who died at the hands of Zhang Shicheng at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. The locals mourned his bravery, so they built a temple for him. After more than two hundred years of worship, and with several Daoist people passing by, it has long been reported to the divine system, and he has achieved the position of a righteous god."

Huojun: "So, this is a ghost and god whose soul was not extinguished and was saved by the wishes of the people? That's really special..."

Huojun's brow was still furrowed. The Prince of Lu saw her expression, smiled, and stretched out his blood-covered fingers, drawing two marks on her brow.

"Beautiful woman, you shouldn't frown. It's too ugly. Go."

Huojun didn't dare to say more, but she thought in her heart that this prince was able to stay in the Forbidden City for more than ten years before leaving, someone in the Forbidden City must be taking care of him. It turned out that the water in the Forbidden City had always been very deep, but those lurking in the Forbidden City didn't care about the emperor's life or death.

It turned out that if the emperor died, there could be a new emperor to take over. No matter who succeeded, she could not succeed.

Huojun knew that from beginning to end, even starting from her father's cultivation of the Yellow Heaven Teachings, her whole life was simply a puppet being manipulated, putting on a series of self-righteous farces!

The Wanli Emperor was indeed easy to kill, and those people would not stop her from killing him.

But after killing him, she would probably have to go down and accompany him.

"This Prince of Lu is actually a Xiantian (Innate) realm figure. He's just Jiang Taigong fishing, those who are willing will take the bait. I'm that fish!"

Huojun cursed inwardly. She thought in her heart, when I become powerful, I will burn you all to charred corpses.

The Prince of Lu's previous face with green fangs and tusks was different from the faces of ordinary yin demons and ghosts. Instead, it had a sense of majesty and deterrence. Obviously, it was not an unorthodox evil ghost, but some kind of righteous gate spirit. However, it was truly puzzling that the person receiving the divine position would use such evil arts.

Huojun was also very puzzled. After all, if someone who practiced evil arts could receive the position of a righteous god, then she would not receive a "Lingxiao Woman" at all, and then have to painstakingly obtain the Wanli Emperor's canonization ceremony. She would directly receive the Fire Virtue Star Lord, and she could rush into the Forbidden City on the spot.

But then she thought, what is there to be surprised about? Those who cultivate righteous Dharma must undergo the examination of the Demon Kings of the Heavens, while those who cultivate evil Dharma often avoid the examination and use evil arts to avoid it. Therefore, compared with those who practice righteous Dharma, they are weaker.

But since she had already cultivated evil Dharma, her methods were naturally extremely strange. This prince was able to use evil arts as a righteous god, which should also be a special evil art to avoid the ten demons and nine tribulations, and the tribulation of heavenly thunder.

Even the fact that she obtained the title of a righteous god of the country, was it not to avoid the ten demons and nine tribulations?

Daoism has ten demons and nine tribulations, Buddhism has the five signs of decay of heavenly beings, and even in folk Dharma teachings, the more orthodox ones also have the saying that those who do many evils will inevitably bring about their own destruction.

To cultivate spells, it is necessary to cultivate the heart, but people's hearts are greedy and limitless, and there are always ways to deceive Heaven and avoid these examinations. But in this way, it is never possible to achieve the realm of ascension by "one's own" power.

"Under the light of the sun and moon, there are many sordid and dark things!"

While she pondered, she threw herself into a stick of incense. The firelight was strong and flickering, and then the light dissipated and disappeared.

————

On the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the water vapor was misty, and the east was dawning.

The sky was about to break, and crows crowed.

Ji Xiaoxiu had been cultivating for several days and nights, not daring to relax day and night. At this time, the flowers on his head manifested, his aura solidified, and his physical body advanced to the sixth supernatural power realm.