City God's Night Conversation

Gu Ning'an casually popped a piece of orange into his mouth, thoughtfully nodding.

He hadn't previously looked into how the world classified spiritual realms in detail, assuming that the official deities would know. However, it seemed this world had no clear divisions in cultivation levels.

Most of the time, it was merely a contest of the profundity of one's Dao and the depth of their cultivation.

Such a vague and broad concept didn't seem as clear-cut as the hierarchical levels, from the first to the ninth, often depicted in later fictional stories.

On the other side, City God Xu was also puzzled by the question Gu Ning'an had asked.

Logically, this should be common knowledge among cultivators, as the saying goes, "The Dao cannot be named, and the powerful call it the Dao." If realms were divided so explicitly, wouldn't that rank the Dao into different levels?

As for "true immortals" or "true demons," these terms were used collectively to refer to exceptionally powerful cultivators.

Of course, there was a method to determine whether one deserved such a title… namely, whether they had achieved the "Three Yuan Gathering at the Top!"

Simply put, the "Three Yuan" represent the "Heaven, Earth, and Human" triad. When a cultivator performs a spell, they may channel the energy of the Three Yuan to gather at the top of their head. This is what defines a "True Immortal."

While this concept wasn't entirely wrong, after all, only those who achieve "Three Yuan Gathering at the Top" can be considered "True Immortals," even those with this ability aren't necessarily the peak of power in this world…

"City God Xu, do you have any cultivation methods suitable for demon creatures?" Gu Ning'an's sudden question left City God Xu momentarily stunned.

"Demon creatures cultivating?" City God Xu fell silent for a moment before continuing, "There are some cultivation methods, but I'm not sure if they would be suitable for demon creatures."

"Mr. Gu, are you seeking this cultivation method for the red-tailed fish in the Eight-Zhang River?"

Gu Ning'an nodded. "Yes, that red-tailed fish is kind-hearted and carries a power of merit. It has cultivated for many years, but has yet to refine its bones. I thought I might find a method to help it…"

"Mr. Gu, to be honest, if it weren't for the red-tailed fish's merit power, I might have already driven it away from the Eight-Zhang River," City God Xu continued after a pause. "After all, children often play by the river. If the demon creature were to turn vicious and harm someone, that would be a serious offense."

Gu Ning'an didn't entirely agree with City God Xu's stance but didn't oppose it either. After all, the City God's duty was to protect the people from disturbances. His desire to drive away the red-tailed fish was not entirely wrong.

Gu Ning'an nodded. "From my perspective, the red-tailed fish is also no longer suited to stay in the Eight-Zhang River, which is why I asked you for a cultivation method, to help it raise its cultivation level so it can survive in larger rivers and seas."

City God Xu fell silent for a moment before replying, "You have a broad mind, Mr. Gu. I'll gather some methods for you and send them to your Ansi Courtyard."

Gu Ning'an lifted his teacup in a toast. "Then, I thank City God Song in advance."

"It's nothing, just a small matter," City God Xu replied, raising his cup in return.

Once they set their cups down, City God Xu, seeing that Gu Ning'an had no further questions, spoke again: "A month ago, a demon cultivator with immense demonic energy appeared in the territory of Xiangzhou... The Lingyou Marquis of Xiangzhou led me and the other nine County Gods to set a trap and eliminate it."

"However, the demon cultivator's power was terrifying. Even with our combined efforts, we were all wounded by it and consumed by demonic flames."

"In the end, if it weren't for the City God of Xiangzhou who self-destructed his golden body to repel the demon, we might have all perished!"

"Now that the City God of Xiangzhou is injured and the true demon has vanished, we can only plan our next move…"

Listening to City God Xu's account, Gu Ning'an began to understand the full context of the situation.

The suddenly appearing demon cultivator seemed to not harm ordinary people, but if left unchecked, it would cause considerable turmoil.

After all, the demon's intent, which was not reined in, would infect all living beings in its path.

This demonic intent, though not immediately deadly, would cause mild sickness or bedrest in humans, or worse, turn them into "madmen." As for wild beasts, it would intensify their murderous nature, making them more prone to attacking people.

Therefore, Marquis Lingyou of Xiangzhou gathered the nine county City Gods under his command to set an ambush on the demon cultivator's path, attempting to surround and eliminate him.

Before the ambush, they hadn't expected that such a grand array would be unable to defeat the opponent.

The Xiangzhou City God, realizing the mistake in judgment, took responsibility by detonating his own origin to bring an end to the battle.

Given this, it was clear that the demon cultivator's strength should not be underestimated.

It was not surprising that ten City Gods, all legitimate spirits, failed to defeat him and had recognized him as a "true demon."

"Mr. Gu, I must ask you for a favor." While speaking, City God Xu had already risen and bowed respectfully to Gu Ning'an.

Seeing his posture, Gu Ning'an could roughly guess what he was about to ask.

It was likely to help the other City Gods extinguish the demonic flames, or perhaps to join in the next time the true demon appeared, assisting them in surrounding and killing him.

"City God Xu, please rise. Speak plainly, whatever it is." Gu Ning'an stepped forward to help City God Xu up.

City God Xu straightened himself and said solemnly, "Among the nine City Gods of Xiangzhou, my cultivation is not the highest, but I am certainly in the top three. Yet, even I cannot eradicate the demonic flames, and the others likely cannot either."

"Therefore, I humbly request that you help the other City Gods extinguish the demonic flames..."

It seemed he didn't ask me to help surround and kill the true demon after all... Gu Ning'an smiled and nodded, "This is a small matter, of course, I can help. You and the other City Gods are all protectors of your regions... Now that you're in trouble, I naturally will not stand by."

"Wonderful! On behalf of my colleagues, I thank you in advance, Mr. Gu!" As he spoke, City God Xu tried to bow again.

Gu Ning'an quickly stopped him from bowing, "Ah, it's only mutual assistance. If you bow again, does that mean that when you send me the cultivation methods later, I would have to bow to you?"

"Ah! Ah!" City God Xu waved his hands repeatedly, "This is not the same thing!"

Gu Ning'an smiled, "It's all mundane affairs. What's the difference?"

"All mundane affairs..." Hearing Gu Ning'an's words, City God Xu repeated them, then fell into deep thought for a while.

After a pause, it seemed like he had realized something, and a smile appeared on his face: "Yes! All mundane affairs, no different... Mr. Gu, your insight is brilliant!"

Oh~ oh~ oh!

The rooster crowed, and the pale golden sun slowly rose from the horizon, with rays of golden light spilling into the room.

The sudden rooster's crow caused a brief silence in their conversation.

The two of them simultaneously looked at the sunlight that poured into the room, then exchanged a smile and said, "It's daybreak."

"Having stayed up all night, if you don't mind, Mr. Gu, you can rest here at the temple for a while."

"The temple isn't large, but there are clean and tidy rooms available."

Hearing this, Gu Ning'an waved his hand, "I won't trouble you. I haven't slept much at my newly bought residence, so I'll return to rest... City God Xu, please take care."

City God Xu cupped his hands in response, "Safe travels, Mr. Gu."