As for the latter, courage without strategy is a major taboo, so Shen Hex is not going in person this time, but rather using the Immortal Dao Divinity Transformation technique to create a manifestation to go in his stead.

By preparing both strategies, he ensures nothing will be left to chance.

And Zhou Qian is well aware of this, which is why he has definitively resolved to forge a good relationship with him.

Do not be deceived by his sincere words earlier, even revealing many heartfelt sentiments; that does not mean he has no intention to kill Shen Hex.

He has prepared for both outcomes: if Shen Hex does not demonstrate sufficient value and threat, their meeting would result not in goodwill but in a deadly enmity.

He would decisively act, use Shen Hex’s head to claim merit, and once again walk the path of following the dragon, rather than risk reincarnation.

Though it sounds disgraceful, this is the heart of a formidable leader; one cannot expect a deity who rose from obscurity, fought for millennia, and ascended step by step to high position to be a gentleman or a virtuous person.

Though a formidable leader with dual strategies, not all his previous words were necessarily false; some may be genuine heartfelt revelations.

Regardless, during this meeting, Shen Hex displayed sufficient value and threat, winning Jinyang’s Prefect’s goodwill and investment.

This is the key!

Shen Hex lowered his gaze, looking at the True Scripture in his hands, savoring its mysteries.

Even though there is still a possibility of being set up, Shen Hex is currently willing to trust Zhou Qian.

After all, the prerequisite for him to cultivate the Cave God Eight Emperors’ Original Transformation Scripture is Zhou Qian retracting the conferment of the Divine Seal, knocking him off the godhead, then using his newfound freedom and faith from the Jinyang People through the Cave God Eight Emperors’ Original Transformation Scripture to independently become a deity and stand on his own.

Once all divine seals are retracted, Zhou Qian will abandon his position as the City God of the Jinyang Prefecture City, devote all his divine power to reincarnation, and reenter the secular world, so there is no reason to set up Shen Hex for merit through Hidden Dragon Blade.

So for now, it seems credible.

Although Shen Hex likes to always prepare multiple strategies, tightly controlling the situation, this does not mean he is unwilling to connect with others; if someone offers him peaches, he will reciprocate with plums.

Enough idle talk, focus on the True Scripture.

The cultivation technique he has longed for is finally before him, revealing the secrets of the Divine Dao to Shen Hex.

Cave God Eight Emperors’ Original Transformation Scripture!

Cave God needs no further explanation, as the name implies, it means understanding the secret of the Divine Dao.

As for Eight Emperors’ Original Transformation, the Eight Emperors refer to the gods of the eight directions, and Original Transformation refers to the transformation of Primordial Qi to the power of divine spirits.

To put it simply, the so-called Divine Dao involves transforming divine spirit power into Primordial Spirit power, commanding heaven and earth and sealing the gods of all directions.

Cultivating this technique requires a large amount of Incense Fire Will Power as a resource, converting will power into divine power, then using divine power to command the natural laws of heaven and earth, using divine power to convert spiritual power, regulating heaven and earth, and wielding the authority of the Dao to manifest the power of the deities.

Thus, this scripture is divided into internal and external parts: internal is the cultivation technique, using will power to cultivate divine power; external is the magical techniques, using divine power to command heaven and earth.

Its essence is the interference of spirit with matter, even commanding heaven and earth and mastering the Dao; this is the fundamental mystery of deities, divine arts, and divine positions.

It is somewhat similar to the Spirit Control Masters from the Spirit Control Realm, except that Spirit Control Masters from the Spirit Control Realm can only command Spirit Beasts, and Spirit Beasts command spiritual power, thus invoking natural laws, various elements for their use.

In this world’s Divine Dao, there is no need for Spirit Beasts as intermediaries, deities can directly command heaven and earth through divine power, mastering the Dao.

This is equivalent to a super enhanced version of a Spirit Control Master!

From a Spirit Control Master’s perspective, a deity is someone who can contract with the natural laws of heaven and earth, treating them as Spirit Beasts, using divine positional authority as a contract, controlling them with the ease of operating one’s limbs.

Imagine a Spirit Control Master who can contract with heaven and earth, treating them as Spirit Beasts, even integrating with them; what a terrifying entity that would be?

Deities are such entities, with a broader range of control and deeper degrees of command; in the Spirit Control Realm, the maximum is integration with Spirit Beasts, whereas in the Divine Dao World, deities can transform themselves into Spirit Beasts, extending to vegetation and mountains, sun, moon, stars, and connecting with the Dao, mobilizing the power of origin.

Still using Spirit Control Masters as an example, if a Tier One Spirit Control Master contracts with a Tier One Spirit Beast with a fire attribute, he can generally only invoke Tier One-level flames, even exhausting himself can barely reach Tier Two.

But deities, possessing control authority, have deeper contracts with things, so as long as the divine power is sufficient, they can even invoke Tier Three with Tier One.

This is the core of the Divine Dao, commanding heaven and earth, the gateway to infinity!

The range of deity "spirit control" far surpasses imagination, covering all things, natural elements are just the basics; advanced deities can also command conceptual entities like Dragon Qi, Orthodox Technique, military fortune, culture, and concepts like good, evil, blessing, wealth, life, death.

Take life and death as an example, the God of Life and Death genuinely has the ability to govern life and death, able to alter your lifespan; a stroke in the Book of Life and Death determines your fate.

This is why in this world, deities are involved not only in basic duties like earth, wind, fire, water, sun, moon, stars, but also in various metaphysical concepts.

This is the reason for the "power struggle" within the Divine Dao.

No subject serves two masters, no authority allows two gods; just like one Spirit Beast cannot be contracted by two Spirit Control Masters simultaneously.

Can a single mountain, a single river possibly have two deities?

Unless one deity is the main, and the other two to three deities are subordinate, forming a hierarchy of monarch and subordinate gods.

But regarding this subordinate god, how to say...

Shen Hex was previously a subordinate god, feeling like a puppet, unable to grasp the essence of divine power.

The reason is that a subordinate god is not really a deity but a vassal under the main god’s rule, equivalent to a Spirit Beast in terms of Spirit Control Master.

Even less independent than a Spirit Beast, which has some autonomy, while a subordinate god is completely a vassal, with divine power and authority allocated and assigned by the main god, a single thought from the main god can decisively dethrone them.

If not for Shen Hex having a cheat, using Professional Power to create the Earth Golden Body and other means, Zhou Qian, the Jinyang Prefect, could easily handle him, with a thought reclaim the divine seal, reverting him to a lowly Yin Soul.

Divine Position, authority, command, control!

The secrets of the Divine Dao have already been comprehended.

Next is to go with the flow and assume control of the Jinyang Prefecture after Zhou Qian’s reincarnation.

A decision has already been made between the two, to initiate this matter in three months.

At that time, Zhou Qian will use the main god power to retract all subordinate divine seals, including Shen Hex, the Magistrate of the Punishment Department.

This will cause Shen Hex to fall from godhead, becoming a penniless independent Yin Soul.

Thus, he can use the Cave God Eight Emperors’ Original Transformation Scripture and the faith previously cultivated to become an independent deity.

Once this action is taken, calamity will ensue, gods from all quarters within the Jinyang Prefecture, particularly the Three Religions of Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism will seize the opportunity to compete for the Jinyang Land.

Shen Hex must confront them first, before dealing with Hidden Dragon Blade.

In this world, the Divine Dao reigns supreme; as long as the former issue is resolved, the latter is but a minor problem.

But the former is not easy to settle.

In Yangzhou, there are three Third-Rank Great Gods, twelve Fourth-rank True Gods.

Third-Rank Great Gods need no further explanation, two gods and one ghost, namely Jinling Prefect, Huangshan Prefect, and Lanruo Old Demon.

Jinling Prefect and Lanruo Old Demon maintain a balance, seldom taking action, whereas Huangshan Prefect has been dormant for many years, with external rumors of his reincarnation; even if not, possessing Huangshan, he would likely have no interest in Jinyang Prefecture.

Shen Hex’s primary adversaries are still those Fourth-rank True Gods, among which Daoist Celestial Master Qingping of Qingping Temple and Venerable Huide of Donglian Temple are most crucial.

The two, one a Daoist Celestial Master, another a Buddhist Venerable, both are Fourth-rank True Gods, with profound foundations and formidable strength, posing the greatest competition.

To immediately become a god and face Fourth-rank ones, the pressure is significant.

But Shen Hex is confident, having already grasped the secrets of the Divine Dao.

With three thousand avenues, all paths lead to the same, divine power can transform into Primordial Spirit power, at which point Shen Hex’s Immortal Martial Divine Dao can seamlessly integrate, though only in theory without substantive foundation, yet with his methods, contending with several Fourth-rank Gods might be possible.

Moreover... he has a major trump card.

Fourth Professional Transformation, Ziwei Star Mandate, this profession has been transformed for many years, its power not truly revealed.

This time, Shen Hex intends it to be awe-inspiring!