Journey to the West: I have Nine Golden Crows Inside Me-Chapter 1343: Nine one two trouble_2

"The City God system still has its shortcomings, it can only look after the citizens within the city, incapable of attending to the farms outside the city. Therefore, I must restructure the Mountain God, Water God, and Land God systems, incorporating them into the Divine Dao system."

"Where there is a mountain, there must be a Mountain God; where there is water, there must be a Water God; where people reside, there must be a Land God. In this way, the citizens of the Nine States are all sheltered by the gods, which not only ensures favorable weather for the crops year after year but also purges the land of demons and evil spirits."

Jiang Chen had many ideas; he not only wanted to expand the City God system across the Nine States but also integrate the Mountain God and Land God systems into the Divine Dao.

Mountain Gods, Water Gods, and Land Gods—these were all deities appointed by the Heaven Court. Previously, Jiang Chen had no authority to command them. But now, he had become Emperor Ziwei, and within and beyond the Three Realms, all gods, the elements of wind, rain, thunder, lightning, Mountain Gods, Land Gods, Ghost Gods, all were under his jurisdiction.

Thus, when Jiang Chen integrated the Mountain Gods, Water Gods, and Land Gods into the Divine Dao system, he needn’t worry about offending the Jade Emperor because this was already within the scope of his authority.

To reclaim one’s own rights, what wrong is there in that? If the Jade Emperor is displeased, it would indicate that the Jade Emperor wishes to be an enemy of Jiang Chen. Otherwise, why would he covet Jiang Chen’s authority uncontrollably?

"Indeed, the duty of the City God is to protect a city, and his foundation is also within the city, rarely leaving it. This is good for the city’s citizens; after all, if the City God remains stationary, demons and ghosts dare not invade the city."

"But since the City God cannot leave the city, this is somewhat disadvantageous for the people outside the city. Unable to attack the city’s citizens, the demons and ghosts can only set their sights on those living outside the city."

"This effectively shifts all the risk from the city’s citizens to those outside the city, which is very unfair to them. They are all humans; why should the rural folk be considered lesser than those within the city?"

"Replacing the City God with Mountain Gods, Water Gods, and Land Gods to protect the people outside the city is indeed a good method."

"Once this is done, with the City God defending within and the Mountain Gods and Land Gods defending without, only then can the Human Race be considered completely secure."

Cang offered his perspective from the side. The advantages of the City God system were obvious, but so were its disadvantages, confined to a single city, hard to leave.

Plainly speaking, it’s a matter of choice.

The citizens within the city are numerous and all concentrated in one place. Those outside the city, while not few, are too scattered, which is not conducive to protection. Therefore, let the City God, with his strong power, be stationed in a city, and let the Mountain Gods, Land Gods, and Water Gods, who are less powerful, guard a village.

The power of the Divine Dao is simple: the more believers, the stronger the power. The city has many citizens, so the City God is powerful; the villages have fewer citizens, so the Mountain Gods and Land Gods are not as powerful.

"This time, as I deploy the City God system in the Nine States, I will also incorporate the Nanbuzhan Continent, Beijulu Continent, and Xiniuhe Continent’s mountains into the Prehistoric Divine Territory."

"In doing so, the Prehistoric Divine Territory will have nearly evolved to its limit. Cang Mountain is no longer sufficient to bear it, and it needs to be moved to the former site of Mount Buzhou."

The other purpose of Jiang Chen’s deployment of the City God system was precisely this—to further perfect the Prehistoric Divine Territory in preparation for reshaping the Chaos World later on.

"Now that great chaos has begun, to prevent the citizens from dying in tumultuous warfare, it’s time to expedite the spread of the City God system."

Thinking this, Jiang Chen said to Cang, "I have already checked out Cang Mountain, now I’m returning to the Nine States. Once you’ve settled things in Cang Continent, you can go to the Nine States to witness the various conditions of life among humans."

Having said that, Jiang Chen’s figure vanished from the spot, and he had already returned to the Nine States.

The Great Han Dynasty dominates the Nine States, which aside from the Imperial Capital, includes nine large cities, over a hundred mid-sized cities, tens of thousands of small cities, and countless villages and towns.

The Imperial Capital and the large cities were fine, with many powerful Martial Dao practitioners stationed there, making it difficult to spark chaos. In the mid-sized cities, local noble families provided protection, and even if disturbances occurred, they would be rapidly quelled.

But the small cities and the villages had it rough. Especially the rural villages, where citizens were often harmed.

Even if a small city was really small, after all, it was still a city, with soldiers defending it and some Martial Dao families in power, against marauding bandits or stealthy demons and monsters; they weren’t entirely helpless.

But what about the rural villages? All they had were masses of starving poor folks; not to mention facing demons, even ordinary bandits could easily reap their lives.

In times of turmoil, nothing is cheaper than a human life. And the so-called bandits and soldiers could only bully these impoverished citizens.

Those with money and power, who would live in the countryside? They all settle in the cities, guarded by tall city walls. How many bandits dare to attack a city?

That’s why bandits are so abhorrent. Since they don’t dare to rob the wealthy in the cities, they desperately oppress the nearby poor, stealing both people and grain.

As for the passage of soldiers and bandits, they, too, can only bully those poor souls, for they dare not touch the rich households. Their generals wouldn’t allow it.

Pillaging the common folk, because no one speaks for them; the higher-ups do not see. But plundering the rich would shock all the civil and military officials of the court, and they would immediately send a large army to exterminate them.

As for demons, the Nine States have barriers protecting them. Where would demons even come from?

At this point, one must blame Jiang Chen.

With the Spiritual Energy within the Nine States growing richer by the day, the animals and plants dwelling in the forests were nourished by this Spiritual Energy day and night, gradually awakening their intelligence and transforming into demons.

Not all demons eat humans, but it is undeniable that many surely do. Like the tigers, leopards, wolves, and jackals that turn into demons—if not enlightened by a sage, how many would not consume humans?

Such is their nature. Humans, being supreme among all creatures and imbued with Nuwa’s Spiritual Energy, thus, eating humans is an instinct for demons. Without great willpower, demons simply cannot suppress the craving for human flesh within their hearts.

Therefore, it is rare for demons to not consume humans.

Those who manage to suppress their instincts and do not eat humans are the seeds of the Immortal Dao, destined to transcend the three calamities and attain the realm of celestial immortals.

Just as no one can clearly state the exact number of humans in the Nine States, no one can precisely account for the number of animals and plants.

With the Heavenly Earth’s Aura so rich, and all of it being Innate Spiritual Energy, even the dimmest of animals, living in such an environment for years, would naturally transform into demons without any need for cultivation.

By this point, even Jiang Chen couldn’t say for certain how many demons had been born within the Nine States.

One could say that almost every village and city in the Nine States is under the surveillance of demons.

However, seeking good fortune and avoiding disasters is the instinct of all living beings. Facing large cities, or towns with noble martial artists in residence, those newly empowered demons instinctively feel danger from afar and stay away.

Just like bandits and thieves, these newly formed demons only dare to prey on ordinary villagers. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Thus, there is no difference between the two; the so-called bandits and thieves, born of soldier bandits, are nothing more than beasts in human skin.

...

Jiang Chen was hurrying back to the Nine States precisely to address the troubles he had left behind. For those demons who had taken human lives, regardless of their status, none could be spared.

For those who had not harmed anyone, he would observe their character before deciding whether to slay or expel them.

For those who not only refrained from harming the human race but also actively protected them, Jiang Chen would not repay kindness with enmity but would rather bestow upon them an opportunity for transformation.

If they longed for freedom, Jiang Chen wouldn’t mind taking them into the Shangqing Palace and imparting the orthodox methods of cultivating immortality.

The Upper Qing Saints taught without discrimination, and as their disciple, Jiang Chen naturally inherited this philosophy, accepting disciples not based on background, but character.

Indeed, although "teaching without discrimination," Jiang Chen and the Upper Qing Saints still differed. The Upper Qing Saints would accept anyone who wished to become a disciple.

But Jiang Chen was different. It’s not about simply worshipping him as a teacher; he values character most and talent next. If the heart is not pure enough, even with excellent talent, he would not take them as disciples.

And those demons who disregard their race and actively protect the human race, in Jiang Chen’s eyes, are beings of pure character, worthy of becoming Demon Immortals.