Chapter 423 Ownership
When the birds and rodents saw the bright moonlight, they all cheered and sang.
"Great! The moon is out."
"Worship the Lord Yuan!"
"Finally, I won't have to go hungry anymore!"
We can once again hunt in the shadows under the moonlight.
Seeing Yuanjun ascend high into the sky, Ji Rong also flew swiftly towards the Danxue Mountains.
She flew low in the air, listening to the whispers of beasts, insects, and birds. Feeling proud and satisfied, she flew along while laughing loudly, "Ha-ga-ha-ga."
Upon hearing this deep laughter, the lesser cultivators all froze in the darkness, holding their breath.
After Ji Rong left, they slowly regained their figures and gathered in twos and threes, catching spirit insects and tender spirit leaves while discussing, "Who was that?"
"I don't know, but this powerful being can fly, so he must be a powerful bird cultivator."
"Nonsense! We insect cultivators can fly too, so you must be a powerful insect cultivator!"
"You're talking nonsense. Where would you insect cultivators find one that big?"
...
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Within the borders of Buzhou, the Mountain and Water God, who had felt the death of Emperor Rong and subsequently received a letter from Ji Rong, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
During this time, He, traveling alone, first went to the Western Continent, where, with the help of the mountain elephant, He swallowed a very unruly mountain catfish.
Upon arriving in Buzhou, He investigated thoroughly and secretly, and swallowed the chief culprit, the mountain lion.
Now, however, I've been stuck in a stalemate with mountain rhinoceroses, mountain lizards, mountain martens, mountain pythons, mountain monkeys, mountain goats, mountain porpoises, mountain gulls, mountain mice, and mountain bees for several days over territorial disputes, and I can't help but feel a bit weary.
Of these ten, apart from the mountain rhinoceros and the mountain python, the other mountain gods didn't truly intend to rebel; it was just that the original mountain lion was too domineering.
The Nine Provinces consist of only these few lands without gods or immortals. They are not very powerful and do not want to be driven out, so they simply collude with the Mountain Rhinoceros and Mountain Python and acknowledge the Mountain Lion as their leader.
When the local powerful clans learned of this, they warmly welcomed them back and made offerings to them, sending them treasures and servants, and treating them well. They also used their status as deities to amass wealth and seize land, expanding their territory on a large scale.
For these mountain gods, not having to work hard to conquer territory and having a temple to live in was certainly a good thing, so they naturally agreed.
Fine wine, sumptuous feasts, luxurious rooms, and multitude of servants... these pleasures were brought to them by their kin, and they quickly became immersed in them, forgetting the teachings of the mountains and rivers.
After the mountains and rivers arrived, they all hid away, refusing to help either side.
After the mountain lion was swallowed by the mountains and rivers, the mountain rhinoceros and the mountain python led the remaining mountain gods to kneel down and beg for mercy from the mountains and rivers. They even took the initiative to cooperate with the mountains and rivers to wipe out the forces in Buzhou that were engaged in the blood and flesh trade. Their attitude was extremely good.
The hundred sons of the mountain were, after all, raised by the mountains and rivers themselves. Seeing the regret on their faces, he was also at a loss.
They have already begged for mercy and have done the work of cleaning up. If we swallow them all, the other mountain gods will be disheartened; if we don't swallow them, we fear they will revert to their old ways.
Seeing that the mountains and rivers were moved, the mountain python boldly spoke up: "Brother, the mountain rhinoceros, I and the mountain elephant all have big appetites, but this state is so barren. If we don't expand outwards, how can we feed ourselves?"
Elder brother, now that you've come, please take them back with you;
"Rest assured, from now on, Shanxi and I will definitely manage the mountains and rivers of this prefecture well. Once the earth's veins here are restored, we will come back to fetch them from you."
When the mountains and rivers arrived here, they realized that what they said was indeed true.
The land of Buzhou has been used as a bloodbath for too long, and most of its spiritual veins have withered. Although the land is vast, it is very barren and not suitable for becoming a god.
In fact, it's not just Buzhou that's in such a state of disrepair. Apart from the Canglan Mountains and the Danxue and Kunlun Mountains that have already been restored, the rest of the places are more and more broken than the last.
“All living beings suffer, even the gods.” Shan Shui sighed in his heart. Just as He was in distress, Ji Rong’s letter arrived.
The mountain and water stood by the water and summoned them again, saying, "The benevolent Lord Ji has sent a message to you to clean up the mountains and repair the underground veins."
Of the ten of you, one will remain in the prefecture, and I will make arrangements for the rest.
But this is the last chance. If you dare to enslave cultivators, seize land, or engage in annexation, you'll be swallowed up by me like the mountain lion.
The mountain gods were overjoyed upon hearing this, and they all bowed down, saying, "Brother, rest assured, we will never do it again."
The Fulushan Mountains, Chijian Mountains, and Lianyun Mountains are three sacred mountains with such rich spiritual energy that they could form a spiritual stream. After pondering for a moment, Shan Shui planted his feet in the ground to adjust the energy.
He summoned the mountain elephant to the Fulu Mountains and called the mountain pig to follow;
Summon the mountain monkeys and gulls to the Lianyun Mountains;
He ordered the mountain leopard of Juzhou to go to the Chijian Mountains, and summoned the mountain mink to go with him;
The mountain rhinoceros took over the territory of the mountain elephant;
The mountain pythons and mountain rats remained in Buzhou to repair the earth's veins;
Then, they led the mountain lizards and mountain bees towards the Danxue Mountains.
The mountain gods were overjoyed to receive their respective territories. They transformed into streaks of light and swiftly rushed toward their designated lands.
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In the Chijian Mountains, Zhan Shi and Jiao Jue led three thousand armored soldiers straight in and entered the Temple of War.
The once magnificent and grand palace was shattered into several pieces due to the collapse of the imperial palace, leaving only pillars of varying lengths standing abruptly on the ruins.
As Jiaojue watched the building that had borne most of his past hardships and pains collapse, the pent-up frustration in his heart that had been building up for so many years finally dissipated.
In the present day, the tribes that depended on Emperor Rong for survival in Chijian Mountain have all moved away, and the ancient medicinal plants have been dug up cleanly. The mountains are full of bare soil after the spiritual plants have been dug up, leaving only some junior cultivators who can't go far and old cultivators who are sick and dying.
In fact, if Jiao Jue really wanted to find them, he could have, but Jiao Jue knew that Jiao Pingbo's death had no direct connection with these divine servants.
Even after Jiao Pingbo's death, the divine servant Yi Nu provided him with many conveniences, so he had no intention of doing something so ruthless as to exterminate them all.
These tribes have left, and Jiao Jue will not pursue them, much less allow Ji Rong to label them as traitors and relegate them to the status of an inferior tribe.
As long as they are willing to live honestly under the rule of the new sovereign, people will pretend not to know them even if they are seen elsewhere in the future.
If they hadn't left, then Jiao Jue and Zhan Shi would definitely have led their troops to settle scores with them.
They won't necessarily be killed, but their entire tribe will be captured, their treasures confiscated, their land seized, and they will be taken to mines for redevelopment.
This is not only a custom, but also to prevent the sons of wealthy and powerful families, who are used to their riches and lands, from becoming confused and hindering the new gods from governing the Chijian Mountains.
With the vassal tribes under Emperor Rong gone, Zhan Shi and his entourage lost their means of suppressing bandits and increasing their income, as well as their military losses.
Since there was no need for fighting, Jiao Jue, in a good mood, had Zhan Shi direct the soldiers to begin clearing the site of the Temple of War.
The god Di Rong was arrogant, extravagant and greedy. Back then, the witch tribe not only bribed him with a spirit crystal mine, but also had to mine and deliver the minerals to him.
Although with the collapse of Di Rong, those affiliated tribes must have taken many good things with them when they fled, Jiao Jue thought that they ran away too quickly and could not have taken the temple completely.
Moreover, this temple is located in the best part of the Chijian Mountain Range, rich in spiritual energy, and there may be many hidden sources underground.
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