SWDnovel Chapter 7: Taking the Lead in the Immortal Radish Pit
Chapter 7: Taking the Lead in the Immortal Radish Pit
To the east of the Lingxiao Palace, past several rainbow bridges, lies an inconspicuous side hall.
Copper bells hang from the eaves, moving automatically without wind, yet making no sound.
Above the palace gate hangs a plaque inscribed with the words "Three Realms Mountains and Rivers Administration" in cloud-script celestial script.
This is the crucial place where the Heavenly Court governs the famous mountains and rivers, land gods and city gods of the world.
The pulse of hundreds of millions of miles of mountains and rivers, the destiny of 3,600 blessed lands and grottoes, and the succession of 800 scattered divine positions all converge here.
The space inside the Shanhe Hall is extremely deep and spacious.
Rows of rosewood shelves reached to the sky, and were densely filled with jade slips.
Each jade slip was shimmering with a faint light, each with a different color.
The green one is the mountain god, the yellow one is the land god, the red one is the city god, and the black one is the water god.
Between the light and shadow, the fate of a deity shifts.
There are more than thirty celestial officials in the hall, each with their own duties.
Zhou Deng, the duty officer, was sitting behind the third desk on the east side, holding a vermilion pen, reviewing the newly presented documents.
He wore a crimson immortal robe, with an ivory token hanging from his waist, and his brows revealed a hint of weariness from a seasoned immortal.
On the table in front of him were three stacks of jade slips.
The stack on the left was "pending inspection", the middle one was "pending review", and the one on the right was "pending approval". Each stack was taller than his head.
"Ugh."
Zhou Deng put down his pen and rubbed his temples.
A day in heaven is a thousand years on earth.
That sounds nice, but once you actually become the duty officer, you'll realize that the official documents accumulated over thousands of years on earth can't be read in a single day in heaven!
Just as he was thinking this, a soft "ding" sound suddenly rang out from the void in front of him.
A faint light appeared out of thin air, transforming into a jade talisman the size of a thumb, which floated gently down onto the table.
Four small characters in cloud-like seal script floated on the talisman: "Report to the lower realm."
Zhou Deng didn't even lift his eyelids. He reached out, picked up the jade talisman, and stuck it on the bronze celestial mirror on his left.
The mirror surface rippled like water, revealing a scene.
In the heart of Cuiyun Mountain in the lower realm, in a dilapidated mountain god temple.
An old Taoist priest in a gray robe sat cross-legged, his face thin and his eyes gentle.
He formed a hand seal, holding an earth-yellow stone seal in his palm, which he was refining with his own essence.
The originally dull patterns are gradually brightening, slowly revealing a spiritual glow.
"The Seal of the Celestial Cloud Mountain God? It's quite rare to see someone from Xiniu Hezhou join such an organization!"
Zhou Deng raised an eyebrow, made a hand seal, and a beam of light shot into the mirror.
The mirror image suddenly changed, transforming into densely packed seal script characters, which were the records of the mountain god's seal.
Divine Position: Mountain God of Cuiyun
Grade: 7
Location: Xiniuhezhou, Cuiyun Mountain Range (near the West Sea coast)
Successive Mountain Gods: The seventeenth Mountain God (died three hundred years ago due to a demonic attack), the eighteenth Mountain God (died two hundred years ago in an attack by the Bull Demon King's followers), the nineteenth Mountain God (died one hundred and fifty years ago...).
Current status: It has been suspended for seventy-three years, the seal has returned to its original position, and awaits the refinement of a new master.
"Wow, this mountain god's shrine has been suspended in mid-air for seventy-three years?"
Zhou Deng became somewhat interested.
He had heard of Cuiyun Mountain; it was full of spiritual energy but also infested with demons, and the mountain god changed more often than clothes.
For a long time afterward, it simply remained unclaimed, and no one dared to accept it.
Has someone who's not afraid of death arrived today? You should know that Xiniu Hezhou is a land of demons and Buddhas!
He continued reading; it contained the refiner's information, automatically entered by the energy of heaven and earth.
Title: Tai Xuanzi
Origin: Cuiyun Mountain, Xiniu Hezhou
Apprenticeship: Not recorded
Root bone: Ordinary
Cultivation level: Early stage of Human Immortal
Lifespan: 500 years
Refining method: Refining the true body.
Zhou Deng was stunned.
Ordinary physical constitution? Early stage of Human Immortal? Lifespan remaining at 500 years?
Doesn't this mean that as long as one passes through one calamity every five hundred years, one becomes a true immortal after passing through three calamities?
Why would someone choose to be a lowly, miscellaneous deity like a mountain or water god? That's an alternative to immortality, chosen only by those who have no hope of achieving it.
He subconsciously looked at the old Taoist's face in the mirror again.
Slender, gentle, with eyes that seemed to have witnessed a century of trials and tribulations.
He clearly resembled a fully enlightened being.
"That's interesting."
Zhou Deng pondered for a moment, then took out another smaller bronze mirror and looked it up.
This mirror, named the Heart-Reflecting Mirror, reflects the original destiny of the refiner and is a necessary procedure when examining clergy.
The Heavenly Court Mountain and River God System has strict rules, and the Divine Seal is the only proof of authenticity. It is indispensable for verifying the essence of the refiner.
Since billions of living beings are all subject to the cycles of destiny, the Heavenly Court has its own methods for divination and verification.
As the mirror lit up, several lines of golden characters representing the origin of all living beings appeared:
Destiny: A mortal's fate
Cause and effect: No criminal record in Heaven, no demonic mark, no karmic entanglement from a past life.
Fate: as insignificant as mortal dust
Inspection conclusion: Innocent.
Zhou Deng breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as you're innocent!
Whether he's crazy or stupid, as long as he has no criminal record, the process can proceed.
Zhou Deng lowered his wrist, and his brush moved like a dragon and a snake:
"The inspection was successful."
"His innocence can be verified."
"Permission granted for refining."
After writing the three lines of commentary, he took out the ivory token from his waist and gently pressed it onto the jade talisman.
"Smack."
As the seal fell, a golden light appeared on the jade talisman.
According to the appointment and removal procedures of the Heavenly Court's Mountain and River God system, this case needs to be reported to the True Martial Emperor for approval, and then verified by the Earth Goddess Houtu before it can be officially conferred a title.
After the golden light dissipated, the jade talisman did not transform into points of light as usual, but instead remained quietly suspended on the table, motionless.
Zhou Deng was taken aback.
Is the process stuck?
Just as he was about to reach out, a soft buzzing sound suddenly came from the void.
A silver talisman appeared out of thin air, twice the size of the jade talisman from before, and it bore the special seal of the Shanze Division of Xiniu Hezhou.
A tri-colored auspicious cloud with an ancient seal script character "准" embedded in the center.
Zhou Deng straightened up and quickly stood up to take it.
The edict was unfolded, revealing only one line of text:
"Case of Appointment as Mountain God of Cuiyun: This old Taoist priest is innocent. Approved. Proceed swiftly. File."
At the end of the inscription, there is a large vermilion seal that reads "Xiniu Hezhou · Shanze Si".
Next to the seal, there is a tiny handwritten signature, so illegible that it is almost unrecognizable.
It can only be vaguely seen that it is the character "葛".
Zhou Deng's pupils constricted slightly.
Master Ge, one of the Four Celestial Masters of Heaven!
According to regulations, the appointment of a seventh-rank mountain god should be approved by the local authorities.
Finally, the imperial edict was issued by the Shanze Division of Xiniu Hezhou.
Zhou Deng held the imperial edict, his hands trembling slightly.
He glanced at it again subconsciously, and vaguely understood something in his mind.
Ge Tianshi was a close minister of the Jade Emperor, but as the founder of the Lingbao School of Taoism, he naturally had a certain say in minor matters such as the affairs of the mountains and marshes in the heart of Xiniu Hezhou.
With his endorsement, this case is practically a sure thing...
But this process is ultimately wrong.
However, the portrait depicts an old Taoist priest... which naturally indicates he has connections in higher positions.
Zhou Deng thought of the old Taoist priest's appearance, which seemed to have attained enlightenment, and immediately understood.
So it turns out it's the Celestial Master's Mansion again, and they're even starting to plant pawns in the Mountain God system and Xiniu Hezhou?
But neither of these is something a lowly duty officer like him can ask!
Zhou Deng took a deep breath and dared not delay any longer.
He took out a blank official appointment jade slip, copied the refining information of the Cuiyun Mountain God Seal again, added the four words "verified without error" which he had approved, and stamped it with the official seal of the duty officer.
Finally, after thinking for a moment, he added a note in small regular script on the back of the jade slip:
"This case has been verified, and everything is in compliance with regulations. All necessary decrees have been issued; proceed swiftly according to the established procedures to ensure divine protection."
Everything is in compliance!
Quickly unleash your destiny!
These eight characters were written with exceptional force.
Zhou Deng placed the jade slip into a bronze cauldron in the center of the hall.
A golden light rose from the cauldron, carrying the jade slip, and soared into the sky, heading straight towards the seat of the Earth Goddess Houtu.
According to the procedure, the distribution of Qi must be confirmed by the Three Realms Mountain and River Bureau before being descended by the Qi Fortune Bureau under the Empress Earth God.
Only after the golden light disappeared did he slowly sit back down behind his desk and let out a long sigh of relief.
My fingertips were still trembling slightly as I reached for an official document.
……
At the same time, the jade slip that had just been inserted was enveloped in a golden light.
Passing through layers of heaven, it landed on the desk of the Houtu Huangdiqi Hall in the Jiuhua Jade Palace.
An old immortal official dressed in purple robes took the jade slip and glanced at it.
His gaze lingered on the line "All in compliance," then glanced at Zhou Dengtian's note, confirming that the new mountain god was indeed an old Taoist priest whose appearance met the requirements.
The old immortal official's lips curled into a slight smile.
He picked up the vermilion brush and wrote seven large characters on the jade slip:
"Accurate. Quickly send the message. Archive."
Then he took out an ancient seal from his waist.
The seal was entirely purple, and the knob was carved into a proud Qilin (a mythical creature).
Gently cover the jade slip with it.
hum!
The jade slip trembled slightly, transformed into a stream of light, and entered a huge cabinet behind it.
The cabinet doors closed automatically, revealing two lines of golden characters on the cabinet surface:
"The Case of the Mountain God of Cuiyun"
"Archiving complete. Fate has been determined."
At the same time, another golden light flew out from the cabinet and went straight to the supervisory filing copy, which was to be copied and sent as required.
Thus, this old Taoist priest is a true and upright seventh-rank celestial official of the Heavenly Court!
Although they hold a lower-level divine position, a seventh-rank deity is already capable of summoning immortals to heaven and is worthy of their attention.
If the opportunity arises in the future, one may be appointed as a high-ranking celestial official in heaven, and one's path to immortality will still be smooth.
"Whatever the Celestial Master's Mansion lineage wants to do, as long as I accept the tribute legally and in accordance with the law, I must act selflessly and for the public good!" The old immortal official chuckled, pondering how to spend that tribute.