Chapter 213
“Lord Thunder God, you really know everything!” Xiao Qing nodded, her admiration evident, then continued, “The Pīlì Sect has disbanded, and we found all these good things.”
“I told you to tell them there’s no need for offerings, didn’t I? Just let them share these things,” Zheng Fa replied.
He didn’t quite agree with the idea of these poor people bringing their rations to the temple every day.
After all, he couldn’t eat any of it!
“I said…” Xiao Qing protested, “They don’t want to!”
“Why not?” Zheng Fa asked, genuinely puzzled.
“They said…” the little temple priest thought for a moment and said, “They didn’t expect Lord Thunder God to be so kind… They’re afraid you might disappear again.”
“Kind?” Zheng Fa found it hard to comprehend. “What have I done?”
“Just because you haven’t done anything, that’s what makes it kind!” Xiao Qing exclaimed, her eyes wide with conviction.
Zheng Fa pondered the logic of Xiao Qing and the people of Banshan City.
The Pīlì Sect’s leader had seized their riverways, and Zheng Fa hadn’t intervened.
The leader collected taxes, and Zheng Fa didn’t want any.
The leader even resorted to cannibalism, which Zheng Fa detested even more.
This Lord Thunder God didn’t require offerings and was willing to let the temple priest distribute food to others…
In that case, the Pīlì Sect leader had lowered the expectations of the people of Banshan City regarding deities—this person, aside from being inhumane, had actually made a small contribution to them?
Thinking about it, he had been lying on the Divine Record for nearly three hundred days, and this person’s contribution was not insignificant.
“I’ll give you a few names; you can distribute these things to them,” Zheng Fa said after a moment of thought, shaking his head internally.
He mentioned a few individuals who had recently shown signs of golden light; these people likely did many good deeds, and Zheng Fa had some impression of them.
In recent days, he had been contemplating the so-called punishment of evil and promotion of good in the Divine Record, which would earn him merit.
Punishing evil, of course, was done with thunder magic.
Promoting good was a bit trickier, and distributing these offerings could be seen as a test.
“Okay!” Xiao Qing’s eyes sparkled as she quickly nodded in agreement.
…
As Zheng Fa stepped out of the Heavenly Stele Realm, he felt a sense of relaxation akin to finishing work and heading home—this realm had been a bit too dull for him; for the past month, it felt more like he had been in seclusion training.
Now that his merit had accumulated to nearly three hundred, there were hardly any left in Banshan City who qualified to enjoy the thunder tribulation.
With the remaining merit, Zheng Fa planned to visit other gathering points.
Banshan City was the most populated city within his sealed territory; other places were more scattered, and some didn’t even have temples.
From his two recent visits, Zheng Fa had also tested something:
Temples were still very important to him; only in temples could he restore his spiritual power.
In other places, he could only wander with his spirit. Unless he used the thunder magic from the Divine Record, he couldn’t sense his physical body, let alone restore his spiritual power.
He could even hear the thoughts of the people in Banshan City or discern some of their good and evil, seemingly through the statues.
This seemed to reflect another aspect of the unique rules of this world, or perhaps it was a remnant of the divine civilization that once existed here.
The villains in other gathering points might not be as notorious as the Pīlì Sect leader, but their total number was greater than in Banshan City. Gathering five hundred merit points to exchange for a Yang Lei Spider’s inner core wouldn’t be difficult; what limited Zheng Fa’s efficiency was still his foundational cultivation level.
Just as he stepped out of the Heavenly Stele, he ran into Yan Wushuang.
To be precise, he encountered Yan Wushuang along with many other cultivators who had entered the Heavenly Stele.
They seemed to be waiting for someone, gathered around the stele and not moving.
As soon as Zheng Fa appeared, their eyes lit up, all focused on him.
He couldn’t help but look back; there was no one behind him. Looking at the crowd again, their gazes were still fixed on him.
Zheng Fa felt a chill run down his spine…
“Brother Yan…”
He cupped his hands in greeting.
“Brother Zheng! You’re out!” Yan Wushuang suddenly approached him. “We’ve all been waiting for you!”
“...Waiting for me?” Zheng Fa was taken aback, confused as to why they were waiting for him.
“Come and see!” Yan Wushuang pulled him into the crowd, leading him to the base of the Heavenly Stele, where his name, Zheng Fa, stood prominently at the top.
“…”
To be honest, Zheng Fa wasn’t particularly fond of this ranking.
The Thunder Tribulation Spirit Energy Equation was a dimensional blow to these cultivators in the Heavenly Stele Realm, making it easy to rack up merit points.
What he disliked was that this ranking made him too conspicuous—there was no benefit to it, and it could easily offend others.
Having a five-colored divine light had already nearly scared Master Pang to death; he should be more low-key.
Yet this ranking was unique to the Heavenly Stele…
He glanced around at the people present with some concern.
Factually speaking, this group were all his competitors.
To his surprise, some of them indeed looked at him with a hint of apprehension.
But many others gazed at him with kindness!
Even a sense of encouragement and admiration…
As he looked back at them, several people smiled warmly, their expressions very friendly.
Some even stepped forward to introduce themselves:
“I’m Cheng Tianxin, from the Xuantiangate… Brother Zheng, nice to meet you!”
“I’m Yun Yang, from the Zhengqi Sect…”
“I’m called…”
In an instant, many cultivators present introduced themselves to Zheng Fa, clearly eager to get to know him.
Zheng Fa responded while feeling a bit dazed.
Wait, why had the atmosphere in the Xuánwēi Realm improved so much? These people didn’t seem to harbor any jealousy or resentment at all?
Not only were they not jealous, but why were they so friendly?
…
As if sensing Zheng Fa’s confusion, Yan Wushuang chuckled, glanced around as if wary of someone, and then quietly explained to Zheng Fa, “Brother Zheng, take a look at who’s in second place.”
Zheng Fa looked up and saw the name Xiao Yuying right below his.
He was a bit surprised; he had anticipated that he would rank first due to the Thunder Tribulation Spirit Energy Equation.
But Xiao Yuying…
This person’s talent was indeed extraordinary.
To think, she had only just arrived in the Heavenly Stele Realm, actually a month later than him. If it were just based on the merit from the first month, he wouldn’t have surpassed her.
But on the other hand…
Was their enthusiasm for him also because of her?
“Brother Zheng, you may not know, but this fairy Xiao…” Yan Wushuang began recounting his experiences from thirty years ago.
“Ah…”
Zheng Fa began to understand the character of this fairy Xiao.
Hearing Yan Wushuang speak, others chimed in:
“Ten years ago… there was an ancient cave that emerged…”
“My senior brother encountered her…”
“My master! He was once faced with her and ultimately couldn’t overcome his heart demon…”
As he listened, Zheng Fa suddenly felt… this Xiao Yuying was surprisingly similar to the Pīlì Sect leader in being a great person!
Given the atmosphere of the Xuánwēi Realm, with him now ranking first, it wouldn’t be surprising if he were envied, but he certainly wouldn’t be liked:
Who wouldn’t want to be in charge of the Heavenly Stele?
But with Xiao Yuying, it was different…
This person had made too many enemies, leading to him even having a fan club.
The implication was simple: they weren’t necessarily supporting him, but whoever could take down Xiao Yuying would have their backing!
Thinking this way, Zheng Fa found himself feeling a bit more favorable toward this fairy Xiao.
Just as this discussion was unfolding, someone suddenly emerged from the Heavenly Stele, and it was none other than the spirit fairy Xiao Yuying.
As soon as she appeared, everyone fell silent, the previously lively atmosphere abruptly cooling.
Everyone looked at her with a mix of unease and barely concealed anger.
Except for one person—Zheng Fa found himself increasingly drawn to her.
Xiao Yuying seemed accustomed to such gazes, even appearing somewhat dismissive, but Zheng Fa’s evident kindness caught her attention, making her glance at him a moment longer.
She didn’t seem to care much about the rankings on the Heavenly Stele; as she walked out, she casually glanced at the top of the rankings…
Just one glance, and her steps halted.
She slowly turned around and walked back toward the Heavenly Stele.
The others quietly made way for her to approach the stele, where she scrutinized the rankings for quite some time.
Their expressions were filled with anticipation.
After a while, she furrowed her brow, as if deep in thought but unable to recall something.
Suddenly, she looked up and scanned the crowd, her gaze sweeping over everyone before landing on Zheng Fa, as if she remembered the rare kindness in his eyes:
“Fellow Daoist, I’d like to ask you something,” Xiao Yuying said politely, “May I know who this Zheng Fa is?”
When she spoke his name, there was a noticeable hint of concern and challenge in her tone.
“...I am Zheng Fa.”
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