Chapter 4: Become My Temple Priest and Walk the World in My Stead
"This Li Youming is quite good."
"Clever from a young age, he attended a private school for three years, and spent twelve years wandering the outside world. He is highly respected in Li Family Village."
"In his youth, he trained in the Stone-Splitting Palm and achieved some mastery, completing two Blood Transformations to become a Warrior of the Body Tempering Realm."
"His character is also quite admirable — he has never done anything that harms others or goes against Heaven."
Li Yue nodded, deciding to choose Li Youming as his Temple Priest.
Among the five Yi-Grade Believers, Li Youming was the only one who had ventured out into the world and gained real experience.
He turned his gaze toward the outside of the Land God Shrine.
It was already past around 2 a.m.
Clearly, his earlier divine rank promotion had taken quite some time.
Li Family Village looked peaceful and tranquil, and now deep in the night, it was utterly still.
Simple earthen houses were scattered in an orderly fashion throughout the deep mountains, with a plot of farmland cleared in front of each household.
The New Year had just passed, and some of the fields still held patches of unmelted snow and ice.
Li Yue stepped out of the Earth God statue in a single stride.
When he had been a Feral God, the Divine Domain within the Earth God statue had felt like a cage — he could not leave it.
But now that he had been promoted to Ninth Grade (Lower) as an Ordained Earth God, he was able to leave the Divine Domain inside the Earth God statue.
"It feels good to have solid ground beneath my feet..."
He murmured with a sigh.
He glanced at the dark mountains surrounding the village on all sides, then chose a direction and walked toward it.
He had only gone about half a mile when he stopped.
Ahead lay a small hill, and beyond it, a continuous range of undulating peaks.
This was the boundary of Li Family Village.
And he felt a pang in his heart — the moment he stepped beyond it, he would become exceptionally weak.
"Once a god leaves their own Divine Jurisdiction, they grow weak."
"All Divine Arts require ten times the Divine Power to cast."
"And the Divine Grade will temporarily drop by one level."
Li Yue murmured inwardly, gazing deeply at the undulating peaks ahead.
Unless absolutely necessary, he would not leave his Divine Jurisdiction.
Dropping a Divine Grade and needing ten times the Divine Power to use Divine Arts — that was far too crippling.
Then —
He took a few steps back and returned to his Divine Domain within the Land God Shrine.
As for the other directions of the village, there was no need to probe them.
As an Ordained Earth God, he knew with perfect clarity exactly how large his Divine Jurisdiction was.
He had only wanted to feel what it was like to stand at the edge of his Divine Jurisdiction.
He turned his gaze toward Li Youming's home.
At this moment.
Li Youming had long since fallen into a deep sleep.
Li Yue extended his right hand and pointed gently toward Li Youming.
Divine Power gathered at his fingertip as he cast the Divine Art — Dream Visitation Art.
Li Youming stood in a daze before the Land God Shrine.
He did not know why he would dream of the Land God Shrine.
Could it be because of the Grand Sacrifice earlier in the day — that precious Body-Strengthening Herb had been received by Lord Zhangyue?
To be honest.
He was still somewhat skeptical.
Although his devotion to Lord Zhangyue could be considered sincere.
He was also a man of experience, and he knew what the outside world was like.
His faith in Lord Zhangyue stemmed only from a deep longing in his heart — a longing for the day when a god would descend, drive away evil and demons, and let the people of the world live in peace!
But did gods truly exist?
He did not know.
"Li Youming —"
Suddenly.
A voice rang out — lofty and aloof, filled with boundless majesty.
Li Youming looked around in all directions:
"Who is calling me?"
Only then did he realize with a start.
How could this dream feel so real today?
And yet he also knew he was dreaming.
The feeling was very strange.
"Li Youming —"
The lofty, majestic voice rang out again.
It seemed to come from the heavens above!
Li Youming was startled and looked up toward the sky above the Land God Shrine.
There, a vast and impassive face materialized — a pair of eyes brimming with divine authority, gazing down upon him from on high.
It was the spitting image of Lord Zhangyue enshrined within the Land God Shrine!
"Lord Zhangyue!"
Li Youming was greatly shocked and immediately dropped to his knees.
His heart was overwhelmed with excitement.
Lord Zhangyue had manifested!
After so many years, he had finally witnessed Lord Zhangyue's divine manifestation!
"Li Youming."
"I am the Ordained Earth God of Li Family Village, and it is my duty to protect Li Family Village."
"But gods and mortals are different — I cannot speak lightly."
"Are you willing to become my Temple Priest, and walk the world in my stead?"
The majestic and impassive voice rang out, filling the entire dreamscape, vast and sweeping.
That was the might of a god!
"Believer Li Youming is willing!"
Li Youming was overcome with excitement and immediately kowtowed.
"Tomorrow morning, kowtow before me, and you shall become my Temple Priest."
"Do not forget."
The majestic voice faded.
Then the entire dreamscape shattered into pieces.
Li Youming opened his eyes and bolted upright.
The words "do not forget" still echoed in his mind.
"Lord Zhangyue manifested and sent me a dream visitation?"
He murmured softly.
The memories from the dream were far too vivid.
It even felt less like a dream and more like something he had truly lived through!
That immense face of Lord Zhangyue, large enough to blot out half the sky —
Those eyes gazing down from on high —
And that voice filled with boundless majesty.
All of it was more real than real!
"What's wrong?"
"The rooster hasn't even crowed yet — why are you sitting up..."
Beside him, his wife Zhao Jiuhua opened her bleary eyes and grumbled.
"Jiuhua, Lord Zhangyue just sent me a dream visitation."
Li Youming said, his voice trembling.
Only he knew what kind of excitement was contained within that trembling voice!
"What?"
"Lord Zhangyue sent you a dream visitation?"
"Go back to sleep. At this rate, you'll be dreaming of the City God sending you one next."
Zhao Jiuhua turned over and went back to sleep.
"Fine, don't believe me."
"I'm telling you, Lord Zhangyue sent me a dream visitation and asked me to become his Temple Priest — from now on, I'll walk the world as his representative!"
As Li Youming said this, his voice trembled even more violently.
He was clearly beside himself with excitement.
After all, this meant walking the world as the representative of the Earth God.
What kind of existence was Lord Zhangyue?
He was an Ordained Earth God!
From this day forward, Li Youming would walk the world as the representative of a true ordained deity — what an exalted position that was!
"Go to sleep."
"Stop making noise."
"Keep dreaming and you'll become the Earth God yourself."
Zhao Jiuhua said impatiently.
She didn't believe in any Earth God.
If the Earth God truly existed, why had their third child fallen ill and died?
She and Li Youming had prayed to the Earth God back then.
But had it done any good?
Their third child had still died of illness.
"Ignorant woman."
"I can't be bothered to argue with you."
Li Youming snorted, got straight out of bed, and put on his clothes.
He wanted to prepare in advance — the moment dawn broke, he would go to the Land God Shrine immediately and become the Temple Priest!
He even considered that since the Land God Shrine was cramped, he would build a simple lean-to outside it to serve as a place for him to conduct his duties as Temple Priest.
In less than two hours.
The sky had begun to grow faintly light.
Li Youming immediately grabbed his tools, kicked his two sons awake from their sleep, and headed together toward the Land God Shrine.
"Uncle Youming, what are you up to?"
Seeing Li Youming carrying a load of tools with his two sons hauling a ladder and stools behind him, Village Chief Li Deyang asked curiously.
"Oh, it's Deyang."
"Let me tell you — last night, Lord Zhangyue sent me a dream visitation and asked me to become his Temple Priest. From now on, I'll be walking the world as Lord Zhangyue's representative!"
"Don't be too jealous of your Uncle Youming."
Li Youming said smugly.
"???
Village Chief Li Deyang stared at him in utter astonishment.
Lord Zhangyue sent a dream visitation?
Walking the world as Lord Zhangyue's representative?
The look he gave Li Youming was the look one gives a fool.