"Whoosh!"
With a flash, Ian Song appeared directly atop a mountain outside Huangvale Village. According to intel from the War‑Emblem Directorate, the land in Huangvale was the first to revive.
His gaze swept over the scene: incense smoke curled around the Land God shrine at the village entrance, and even at night, several people were worshipping there. Among them, one man was tall but weak, his face pale and drained.
Ian Song took one look and immediately saw that the man's soul was damaged.
"How dare you!"
Ian Song's eyes turned cold. Worshipping immortals and gods had always been a tradition—even in this tech-driven era, incense offerings at major temples were still thriving. But in the countryside, Land Gods and Mountain Gods rarely received much worship.
Collecting incense is none of my business, but coercing and harming villagers who refuse to worship you—that, Ian Song finds repulsive.
The next moment, Ian Song's gaze shifted to the Land God statue. A faint, special power flowed within—not martial true qi, nor cultivator zhenyuan, but a force that seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.
Maybe this power could be called divine energy.
After probing further, Ian Song spotted the clue: this Land God statue was linked to a mysterious pocket space, constantly channeling incense vapor into it through the statue.
"Clairvoyant Vision!"
Ian Song's gaze changed, piercing directly through the statue and into that mysterious space.
Most of that space was shrouded in gray mist. In its center stood a dilapidated manor, and inside sat a short old man, his body covered in fine cracks.
As the incense-wish power entered this space, he absorbed it into his body, transforming it into divine energy to heal his injuries.
Ian Song wasn't sure about the ranking of these gods, but this Land God's power was only equivalent to a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if he fully healed, he'd barely reach Golden Core.
Ian Song took a step forward.
Ian Song's figure appeared directly inside that mysterious space.
The Land God, who had been sitting and absorbing incense-wish power, suddenly stood up, his eyes flashing with shock and anger. He barked coldly, "How dare you! Who dares trespass in this god's divine domain?"
Ian Song pushed open the manor's main doors and walked inside. The Land God also left the house and came out into the courtyard.
"Mortal, why have you trespassed into this god's divine domain?" The Land God looked up at Ian Song and questioned him again.
The Land God scrambled up, trembling as he replied, "Immortal Lord, I am a Ninth-Rank Land God, officially conferred by the Heavenly Court..."
Ian Song pressed him, "Did the Heavenly Court really exist?"
The Land God nodded. "It did. But about six hundred years ago, all Land Gods, Mountain Gods, and River Gods lost contact with the Heavenly Court. After that, the world's spiritual energy began thinning. I barely survived for another two hundred years before I had to seal a wisp of my true spirit in my Land God Token and go dormant. Only about a month ago did I sense spiritual energy returning, so I started absorbing it to re-condense my divine body."
Ian Song challenged him: "If your divine body is maintained by spiritual energy, why coerce villagers for incense?"
The Land God pleaded, "Spiritual energy keeps my body together, but my true divine power comes from incense wish-power. With enough divine power, I can heal much faster. That's why I threatened the villagers, but I swear I never killed anyone. I admit my mistake, Immortal Lord—please spare me! I promise I'll never do it again!"
Ian Song asked again, "How many Land Gods, Mountain Gods, and River Gods exist in the mortal world?"
The Land God explained, "There are probably thousands of Land Gods, hundreds of Mountain Gods, and only a few dozen River Gods. Right now, I can sense over three hundred Land Gods who've already re-condensed their divine bodies. Mountain Gods aren't in my system, so I can't sense them, but if we can return, so can they."
"Get out here!"
Ian Song reached out and grabbed the Land God, who had sunk more than halfway into the ground, forcibly yanking him out and slamming him to the ground in front of Ian. Another scream burst out.
"Immortal Lord, spare me! Immortal Lord, please have mercy!"
The Land God scrambled to his feet, no longer daring to think of escape, and just kept kowtowing and begging for mercy.
"Stand up and answer!" Ian Song frowned and barked coldly.
"Thank you, Immortal Lord! If you have any questions, just ask. I’ll answer everything I know!" The Land God stood up nervously, trying to please.
"What exactly are you?" Ian Song asked.
The Land God's face twitched, but he didn't dare hesitate. He quickly replied, "Immortal Lord, I am a Ninth-Rank Land God officially conferred by the Heavenly Court!"
"Heavenly Court? Does that really exist in this world?"
"It used to exist, but now... I can't say for sure!" the Land God answered cautiously.
"Oh?" Ian Song raised an eyebrow. "Explain in detail."
The Land God seemed to fall into memory. After a long pause, he began to recount: "About six hundred years ago, some unknown upheaval occurred. All the Land Gods, Mountain Gods, even River Lords serving in the mortal world suddenly lost their connection to the Heavenly Court. From that time, the world's spiritual energy grew thinner and thinner. I barely hung on for two hundred years, but without outside spiritual energy, my divine body couldn't be maintained. I had to seal a fragment of my true spirit inside the Land God's Command Token. Only a month ago did I sense the revival of spiritual energy and start absorbing it to re-condense my divine body!"
Ian Song said, "Since you rely on spiritual energy to restore your divine body, why did you force the villagers to offer incense?"