When the City God goes on a procession, evil spirits are vanquished and driven away.

A county can have anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people. Jinhua County is not a sparsely populated area; the total population of its county seat and its subordinate towns exceeds 200,000.

How powerful could a city god be, supported by the incense offerings and vows of such a large population?

The county city god is above the prefectural city god, the state city god, and the highest city god, the capital city god. The county city god is the lowest-ranking city god in the underworld city god system, which sounds very weak.

However, in some small countries, a deity worshipped by the collective will of 100,000 people is considered a true god, whose name can be sung for thousands of years, enduring through time. For example, the god of war and victory worshipped in a certain acropolis.

Feng Bingwen did not realize this at first. Even though he knew that there were city gods in many counties, he subconsciously looked down on them when he learned that they were county city gods. He had even had the desire to fight against them.

But at this moment, he no longer had such thoughts. He realized that he had been far too arrogant and foolish to imagine that he could fight against a god he had never seen, based solely on some fragmentary descriptions and unrealistic legends and fabricated stories.

Because he saw a sun rising at the edge of the earth. That sun was not as scorching and unbearable as the real sun. On the contrary, the light it emitted was so warm and gentle that it made people feel intoxicated by it.

But that was just how ordinary people felt. For Feng Bingwen, who possessed spiritual eyes and could see through yin and yang, he could feel the abyss-like divine power contained within this vast divine light.

This entire world seemed small and insignificant in the face of that arriving being.

Feng Bingwen was able to hold the wood-chopping knife, stand still, and effortlessly withstand the vast divine power, quietly observing the being whose face he could not even see. However, those evil creatures could not withstand such pressure.

The vengeful spirits that had been raging over Qijiagang were now trembling. All the ghosts did their best to hide in the darkness, not daring to touch the divine light emanating from the City God.

"what to do?"

Feng Bingwen couldn't help but feel anxious, not for himself, but for the vengeful spirits who hadn't yet completed their revenge. In his eyes, now that the City God had arrived, the vengeful spirits disrupting the order of Yin and Yang would naturally be suppressed.

"Um?"

But soon, Feng Bingwen was surprised to find that the "sun" that was heading towards Qijiagang stopped. It did not continue to move forward, and the divine light it emitted was even rapidly receding.

"What happened?"

Feng Bingwen was stunned. He watched as the sun rapidly dimmed until it disappeared completely, and the oppressive force that had immobilized hundreds of wronged souls and vengeful ghosts dissipated.

But even without thinking, he knew that the righteous power couldn't possibly disappear, and since the other party had noticed the anomaly here, it was even less likely that they would just turn around and leave.

Meanwhile, about ten miles away from Qijiagang, a figure dressed in the robes of the City God stood with his back to Qijiagang, hands behind his back. Civil and military judges stood on either side, patrolling day and night, while yakshas and ghost messengers surrounded him. It was the entire Jinhua Underworld mobilized.

A hundred ghosts slaughtered the village, and the yin energy soared to the sky. Such a huge commotion could not be concealed by the local earth god alone. After realizing that such a thing had happened in his jurisdiction, the City God of Jinhua set out on a tour.

"Your Majesty, why are you not leaving?"

Beside the City God's altar, the local earth god, holding a cane, hunched over and asked respectfully and nervously, "I was looking for the City God, but I bumped into him leaving the city before I even entered Jinhua County."

"Lord of Qijiagang, if I remember correctly, you were also surnamed Qi in your previous life?"

The City God, standing with his hands behind his back, did not answer, but instead asked in a calm tone.

"Your Excellency, I was born in Qijiagang, so naturally my surname is Qi."

The landowner from Qijia Village cautiously replied.

"He did good deeds all his life, accumulating great merit and blessings upon his descendants. He transformed into the land, protecting the region. What a pity."

The City God sighed.

"My lord, please forgive my ignorance, but I do not understand what the City God is saying!"

The landowner from Qijia Village bowed his head, his tone humble, yet tinged with a hidden anxiety.

"We beg Your Majesty the City God to quickly subdue the demon!"

"You wretched child, even now you still dare to try to hide it! Take this beating!"

As soon as the local earth god finished speaking, the martial judge standing beside the city god flew into a rage, raised his golden mace and smashed it down. Like a golden pillar collapsing, the earth god of Qijiagang was sent flying backward, and the wooden staff in his hand, which was formed from the power of the earth veins, broke instantly.

"My lord, why is this?"

Despite the illusory form that had been struck by Judge Wu, the land still clung to a sliver of hope and questioned him.

"Stubborn and ignorant of death!"

The City God remained silent, while the judge on the other side shook his head, his vermilion brush falling. A law descended from the darkness, stripping the land deity of Qijiagang of his robes and staff, severing his connection with the earth's veins.

"City God's decree: The land title of Qijiagang is hereby revoked!"

As the words became law, streams of yellow light erupted from the Earth God, who had already been stripped of his divine status. These streams flowed into the ground, and his figure instantly became illusory, transforming him from a mere Earthling into a lowly wandering spirit.

"Put him under guard!"

Judge Wen waved his hand, and the two ghost messengers who had come with the City God immediately put on ferocious and terrifying smiles, and tied the soul-snatching chains to the somewhat disbelieving ancestor of Qijiagang.

"Qi Youshan, do you still not know your crime?"

"I……"

The ancestor of Qijiagang, whose name was called out before his death, was stunned, as if struck by lightning. He stood there dumbfounded, realizing that his secret had been completely exposed.

But it didn't matter; he had already mentally prepared himself for this. Looking at the mountain village shrouded in darkness and gloom in the night, he cried out as if in supplication.

"Qi Youshan has realized his mistake. I beg the City God to have mercy and save my descendants!"

"Descendants? Do you have any descendants?"

The City God of Jinhua finally spoke, but his words were a question, which instantly made the ancestors of Qijiagang feel utterly hopeless. They finally understood why the City God had suddenly stopped and then turned away.

“Zhang Huai’an, you saw the evil spirit harming people, yet you sat idly by and did nothing to help. As the City God, you disregarded your duties. Aren’t you afraid of being punished by the officials of the prefecture? Do you think you can cover up the truth? These mountains, rivers, plants, and trees all have spirits. Do you think you can destroy this land?”

The ancestors of Qijiagang, having given up all hope, began to curse loudly.

“I have always acted uprightly and never intended to conceal anything. I do deserve punishment for tolerating such a wicked person as you under my rule for so long, causing so much human suffering. I am guilty!”