Senior officials in the security bureau speculated that it was very likely that a coincidence occurred that led to the vigilance of the real mastermind behind "Dao Xian Gong" and foreign forces, who mistakenly believed that the Chinese government was preparing to take action against "Dao Xian Gong," so they took action first.
At this time, the national security department's investigation into the matter had not yet fully gathered enough clues and intelligence.
This only confirms that the "Dao Immortal Technique," from its inception to its current state, has been orchestrated and controlled behind the scenes by foreign forces. The investigation has now entered its final, crucial stage. As a result, their investigation has abruptly halted. It's clear that after such a major incident, the foreign forces have severed all contact with the domestic authorities and are simply allowing it to continue unchecked.
Meanwhile, foreign forces are taking a step back, observing the situation, and waiting to interfere and create negative public opinion against your country.
Was all that effort was wasted because we were a step too late?
What's even more serious than the current situation is that high-ranking officials have also developed strong wariness and suspicion towards Xu Zhengyang.
Prior to this, Li Ruiqing had stated: "Xu Zhengyang has also noticed the existence of 'Dao Xian Gong,' but this matter has nothing to do with him."
High-ranking officials also believed Li Ruiqing's words.
But now that things have suddenly reached this point, Li Ruiqing added, "Xu Zhengyang is also investigating this matter..."
This is a question that can easily arouse suspicion.
First of all, "Daoist Immortal Cultivation" uses the claim of achieving immortality to deceive the masses and attract followers. To those in power, this is utterly foolish. If it can so easily mislead so many people, causing them to willingly and even irrationally commit illegal acts, what is the basis for this?
How can people believe without the appearance of miracles?
As far as we know, only Xu Zhengyang in this world can perform miracles!
Furthermore, who are you, Xu Zhengyang? As a deity, you are omnipotent. Such a huge incident has occurred, and you still need to conduct an investigation? Are you kidding me?
Back then at the Bamboo Garden Club in the mountain city, how did you, Xu Zhengyang, handle almost the same thing?
The resulting doubts lead to further reflection: for whom are those followers of "Daoist Immortal Cultivation" speaking such blasphemous words?
Xu Zhengyang once said that he would not interfere in politics...
Is it possible that he regrets his previous promise and is therefore using this as an excuse to stage a scene where he is forced to wear the imperial robe?
Now that things have reached this point, two suspects have emerged regarding the mastermind behind the "Dao Xian Gong": one is a foreign force, as it would be impossible to create such a large-scale operation without a long-term, meticulously planned strategy; the other is Xu Zhengyang. He is a deity, and can do whatever he wants with ease.
As someone who has just entered the decision-making level, Li Ruiqing couldn't help but have doubts.
But despite their suspicions, what could they do to Xu Zhengyang?
In fact, Xu Zhengyang has been busy these past few days. He has been sitting in the prefectural capital every day, collecting reports from all sides and issuing instructions and arrangements.
Currently, there are approximately two hundred cities of varying sizes across the country where the "Dao Xian Gong" cult exists. However, the gatherings and disturbances caused by the "Dao Xian Gong" organization in the sixty-seven cities with City God Temples were quickly and forcefully suppressed by the ghost messengers.
Regarding such matters, especially those "Dao Xian Gong" believers who have been misled and brainwashed, explaining any profound truths to them is futile. They are already deeply immersed in it and cannot listen to any advice or explanations; they only wholeheartedly believe in the authenticity of "Dao Xian Gong," the invincible existence of Master Jialan, and so on…
The best and most effective way to deal with them is undoubtedly to fight fire with fire.
The ghost messengers might possess these people and appear in their dreams, or even directly in front of them, using their truly bizarre and unpredictable supernatural abilities to intimidate them and warn them to stop daydreaming. The Heavenly Court does not allow mortals to cultivate themselves into immortals and attain enlightenment; their ideas are nothing but wishful thinking.
As for that Master Jialan whom you all believe in, well, the Heavenly Court is about to severely punish him.
Still being stubborn? Are you getting stuck on a minor detail?
Alright then, unleash all your Taoist immortal skills on me, come on...
As the saying goes, people are like monkeys on the mountain, always eager to follow the lead. They'll do whatever the leader does, thinking that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down, and it won't be their turn.
Therefore, when the ghost messengers took action, they targeted those who led the trouble and were most obsessed with it, and carried out severe punishments to deter them.
Although the Dao Xian Gong organization has not been eradicated within the jurisdiction of the sixty-seven City God Temples, the possibility of these believers causing trouble has been fundamentally eliminated.
However, events are still unfolding in other places.
Inevitably, this led to violent clashes between government agencies and public security personnel and believers, including arrests, expulsions, warnings, and intimidation.
This immediately triggered a new round of criticism from domestic and international public opinion.
In cities not under the jurisdiction of the City God's Palace, the Daoist Immortal Cultivation followers became increasingly violent.
Xu Zhengyang couldn't sit still at Jingniang Lake. If things continued this way, the powerful state apparatus would inevitably start operating, and to prevent things from escalating out of control, a strong crackdown would definitely be necessary. But if that happened, who would suffer?
If he has no pity for those believers who have been fooled and misled, shouldn't he have pity for others as well?
In handling major incidents, in order to eradicate them completely, it is inevitable that innocent people will be implicated.
But given the current state of affairs, is it really necessary for Xu Zhengyang to personally drive around the country to establish City God Temple institutions? That wouldn't be fast enough.
In his haste, he could only instruct Li Haidong, Chen Chaojiang, Su Peng, Wang Yonggan, Wan Yun, Gong Xinhao, and Ouyang Ying to immediately grant them the divine power to act as deities, except for those who already held clergy. Each of them was to lead two ghost messengers within their authority to various cities where "Dao Xian Gong" organizations existed, to carry out a strong deterrent and crackdown on the leaders and strive to eradicate the riots and gatherings from happening again in the shortest possible time.
The investigation into the true mastermind behind this incident had to be temporarily suspended.
However, Xu Zhengyang, who was remotely directing the overall situation from Jingniang Lake, increasingly aroused the suspicion of the higher-ups.
After such a big incident, he kept saying it was under investigation. Why was he sitting there like a carefree fisherman at Jingniang Lake?
Unable to contain himself any longer, Li Ruiqing called:
"Zhengyang, are you aware of the current situation?"
"Yes, I've already started handling it." Xu Zhengyang nodded and said, "Is it that the higher-ups are getting impatient and about to take action?"
Li Ruiqing was a little angry. What kind of time is this? How could they still be joking? They were already impatient and ready to take action. If it weren't for the hope of resolving the matter peacefully to avoid misunderstandings from the public and pressure from international public opinion, how could they allow an organization already identified as a cult to continue running rampant? He said irritably, "So, how's your investigation going?"
"We don't have time to investigate now. Let's stabilize the situation in the country first." Xu Zhengyang sensed the anger in Li Ruiqing's words and thought to himself, "So you're pushing all the blame onto me now? What are you guys doing?" However, Xu Zhengyang couldn't bring himself to say such things. He said, "Don't worry, once the situation stabilizes, we'll definitely be able to find out."
"Zhengyang, could you come to Beijing?" Li Ruiqing suddenly asked.
What are you going to the capital for?
“Let’s have a meeting to discuss how to handle this matter,” Li Ruiqing said. As if he knew Xu Zhengyang was unwilling to come, he continued, “Besides, you have to come and make a statement. In fact, from the beginning until now… the people above have suspected that you are involved in this matter.”
Xu Zhengyang was taken aback, but after a moment's thought, he roughly guessed what was going on. He sneered, "Alright, I'll go over now."
Xu Zhengyang hung up the phone and let out a heavy sigh.
He had worried about this possibility before, but after discussing it with Li Ruiqing and high-ranking officials in the security department, Xu Zhengyang believed that they wouldn't suspect him. He never imagined that it would still happen so inevitably.
It was already mid-April.
The afternoon sun was exceptionally bright. It shone through the dense fabric of the room, falling onto the bright glass windows and then into the study, creating dappled patterns that were slightly dazzling.
Xu Zhengyang closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then got up and was about to walk out.
As soon as he stood up, a golden light flashed in his mind from the Nine Provinces Record. Unlike before, this time the golden light was not only flashing in his mind, but also shining through his body, illuminating the whole room and filling the study with golden light.
Xu Zhengyang raised his hand and summoned the Nine Provinces Record, asking in confusion, "What happened?"
The golden light on the Nine Provinces Record receded, and then clear lines of golden text appeared on the smooth, bright page:
Xu Zhengyang
Zodiac sign: Pig
People from Shuanghe Village, Huaxiang Township, Cixi County, Fuhe River City
Twenty-eight years old
Position: Gouchen Star Lord, one of the Four Imperial Star Lords under the Eastern Azure Heaven Emperor.
Responsibilities: To command all the gods of the human realm under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court, as well as the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man; to assist the Emperor in upholding the Heavenly Way; to protect the Heavenly Laws and divine artifacts; and to oversee military affairs in the human realm under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court.
Its nature is like fire, its heart like water; fire and water complement each other, and good and evil coexist.
...
Xu Zhengyang was not particularly surprised, nor was he in a hurry to ask about the powerful authority and abilities of the so-called Gouchen Star Lord.
In fact, for Xu Zhengyang now, no matter how powerful his supernatural abilities are, they are not important.
Because he was already powerful enough, and he was also somewhat greedy, somewhat resentful, and somewhat... impatient.
After sitting quietly for about ten minutes, Xu Zhengyang asked softly, "Is there anything else you want to say to me?"
The Nine Provinces Records, with its flowing golden light, then replied: "The position of Gouchen Star Lord is bestowed and conferred by the Heavenly Emperor. He ranks below all the Heavenly Emperors in the Nine Heavens and is qualified to compete for the position of Heavenly Emperor in the annual Heavenly Emperor Election every thousand years..."
"Is there anything else?" Xu Zhengyang asked again.
The golden light of the Nine Provinces Records turned again, replying: "Gouchen Star Lord, his magical power is boundless, his supernatural abilities are vast, all things can be accomplished with a thought, and he is omnipotent..." At this point, the Nine Provinces Records suddenly trembled, and then displayed a line of golden characters, reminding: "Gouchen Star Lord, his deity is integrated with the Heavenly Laws, and he must not do anything that violates the Heavenly Laws. If he damages the Heavenly Laws, he will be implicated himself."
"Isn't that just a waste of time?" Xu Zhengyang sneered, but wasn't particularly angry. "Anything else?"
The golden light in the Nine Provinces Records spun again and again, then burst forth with a burst of golden light: "Just say what you want to ask, damn it!"
Xu Zhengyang was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh and curse, "Damn it, you think you've grown wings! You'll be smashed to pieces later. Okay, I'm not going to talk nonsense with you anymore... I'm just asking you, don't you find it tedious to promote us step by step like this? You know, when a man sleeps with his wife, it's bound to be the same thing sooner or later. Why don't you just let me become the emperor? That way we won't have to go through all this trouble every time."
The Golden Light of Kyushu explodes again: Bold!
“How audacious! Skill breeds audacity. I hold great power, who can do anything to me?” Xu Zhengyang said disdainfully.
He truly had nothing to fear anymore. Now that he had become one of the Four Heavenly Lords, he was inseparable from the Heavenly Laws. With all the gods gone, what audacity or disrespect did he have to say such things? Who was he disrespecting? Therefore, it certainly couldn't be considered a major violation of the Heavenly Laws.
Outside, in the clear blue sky, a rumble of thunder sounded.
Xu Zhengyang's consciousness suddenly connected with the Heavenly Laws, and he said, "Buddy, it can't be that bad..."
The rumble of thunder sounded again.
Xu Zhengyang ignored it.
After a period of silence, the golden light slowly flowed across the page, and on the smooth, delicate, and bright surface, one word at a time seemed to emerge hesitantly:
Gouchen Star Lord, one of the Four Emperors, temporarily serves as the Emperor of the Eastern Azure Heaven Court.
—Volume Six, Zhouhuang (Completed)
Volume Seven, Chapter 360: What gods care about is not empty fame, but food.
The sun shines brightly, and the sky is clear and cloudless.
The Jingming Expressway, stretching across the Central Plains like a crouching dragon, is traversed by vehicles of all sizes and types. Occasionally, one can spot freight trucks bearing the "Jinghui Logistics" logo, fully loaded with goods.
Inside a black Mercedes, Xu Zhengyang calmly gazed at the scenery outside the car window.
Unlike his usual long-distance trips, this time he was not accompanied by other guards; only this car and Zhu Jun as the driver went together.
Now, does Xu Zhengyang still need any bodyguards?
If a real danger threatening Xu Zhengyang's life were to arise, then sending any number of guards would be futile. Therefore, Xu Zhengyang directly blocked the guards that Li Chengzong had arranged to come with him at the villa in Jingniang Lake.
In the boundless wheat fields, the wheat has begun to sprout ears, a vibrant green in the blooming season; villages, near or far, nestle among the fields, peaceful and serene. Xu Zhengyang, born into a farming family, finds it hard to shake off his old habits. Whenever he sees such a scene, he immediately thinks of Shuanghe Village, that small village where the same rice nurtured a hundred different kinds of people…
When did Xu Zhengyang ever imagine that he would have such an identity?
Even after attaining divine office and becoming a deity, how many times have they waited and hoped in their hearts to become an emperor who could exist forever, unbound by the cycle of reincarnation, immortal and indestructible?
Although he is no longer the emperor, he has become quite greedy, selfish, and domineering, and has taken on the role of the emperor in his place.