In fact, on the day when the high-gong elders meeting in the imperial capital Xianting concluded, the much-anticipated gossip about the candidates for Lizhou Governor spread throughout the Dachang Dynasty’s senior officials, and even the Demon Court was ready to make a move and inquired around.
Chu Chen has been protecting Qingying in recent days and has not paid attention to the outside world. He only heard the news outside after his father-in-law took Qingying back to Qingzhou.
It is said that at the high-gong elders meeting, Master Yulou recommended him, but unfortunately, he was rejected by Master Gutong and other high-gong elders.
Currently, it is widely rumored that the candidate for the director of the Lizhou Ghost and God Division has been finalized - this person is the current elder of the Immortal Court Center, the Elder Bailu Xianweng, the Supreme Elder of the Immortal Sect of the Immortal Sect.
A well-known high-gong senior in the spiritual world.
The White Deer Immortal has great virtues and profound Taoist teachings. The Immortal Dew Watcher's magical power "Immortal Dew Nectar" has made great achievements in eradicating evil Qi, evil Qi and Gu Qi. No matter from which angle you look at it, it is "the jurisdiction of all Lizhou".
The perfect candidate.
Chu Chen was not too surprised that he failed to win the election.
He is young and does not yet have a solid resume to prove himself. After comprehensive consideration, if he is given a choice, he will also seek stability and choose a respected and trustworthy senior to take charge of the important border town.
To take a step back, the position of the governor of Lizhou is delicate, being at the forefront of the southwest. If he does well, based on his experience, and if he improves his magic power, he can challenge the "important ministers of the country", and his future is limitless.
The elders of the Immortal Courtyard and the great elders seem to be only one step apart, but in fact they are in the same heaven and earth. There are several levels of difference between the two sides.
As a "ladder to heaven" and a springboard for advancement, "Lizhou Duguan" is naturally not that easy to win.
"I also have an imperial edict, but I don't know where I will be transferred."
Chu Chen had some vague guesses in his heart.
He was not selected as the "Lizhou Du Guan", so he accompanied him all the way. Naturally, it was not for nothing. Xianting comforted him and arranged errands for him, which was not beyond his expectations.
After a while, Chu Chen took the kid and his apprentice out of the cave to meet the immortal envoy.
Lingshan banquet living room.
"The elder of the Xianting Central Academy, Chu Chen, the young master of the Yunzhou Lingshan Sect, has devoted himself to practice, and has accomplished magical powers that can be used in great ways. Through the decision of the senior elders of the Xianting Central Academy, he was awarded the 14th-level Cultivation Crucible.
Master Dongyuan was given the title (third grade) and was promoted to the Supreme Minister of Jiutian Jinque (third grade), where he was able to do cheap things; he was promoted to the envoy of the Lizhou Supervisory Yuan, in charge of the customs of a state and supervising all officials, ghosts and gods."
The Immortal Envoy from the Immortal Courtyard acted in a hurry, conveyed the Immortal Court's edict, and gave him the third-grade talisman. After inspecting the token, he didn't even drink tea and left in a hurry.
"Wow~ Third grade, senior brother, you have indeed been promoted."
The little ghost cheered for joy. In front of everyone, he resisted his inner impulse and applauded.
Chu Chen, Taoist Master Xu Ping and others smiled, with slight surprises on their faces.
This time, Chu Chen was indeed promoted, from the third rank to the third rank, and being a state inspector was not an idle job.
There are generally only four senior officials in a state, officials of the third rank, immortals, officials, ghosts and gods. (In some places where spiritual veins are prosperous and talents come out in large numbers, the head of the state Taoist Academy may also be a third rank)
State Mu, State Du Guan, State City God, State Supervisor.
The first three all hold great power and are in charge of prominent errands. The actual power held by the state supervisor is far inferior to the first three, but they have the authority to supervise the officials, immortals, ghosts and gods of a state. In Lizhou, a borderland, there are even more
The privilege of "reporting on big matters and making decisions on small matters" is the subtle existence of the Celestial Court to control the three giants in a state.
Master Chu Chen and Xu Ping were not surprised that Xianting promoted him to the position of "State Supervisor".
Surprisingly, he was transferred to Lizhou.
"Disciple, I just inquired about it with Fei Fu. It is said that the supervisor from Lizhou was transferred to a place in Dajiuzhou as the governor, and the position happened to be vacant."
Taoist Xu Ping finished speaking.
Taoist Fu Hua on the side said meaningfully, and then said:
"It is said that the former supervisor of Lizhou was from the Jade Emperor Sect. Now, the Qinglu Temple, which was born in Bailu Xianweng, the governor of Lizhou, is also one of the branches of the Yuhuang Temple and is a famous Taoist of the Jade Emperor Sect."
As soon as Chu Chen heard what his master and master said to each other, he understood in his heart.
Within the Dachang Dynasty, although no serious "party" flags were raised, the "Jade Emperor Sect" and "Ziwei Sect" seemed to have become a reality.
The Shantou faction is there. If you don't want to ignore it, you can ignore it.
Chu Chen was born in the Lingshan Sect. When he entered the Immortal Courtyard, he was a member of the Arctic Exorcist Academy. Later, he entered the Imperial Taoist Academy and became a disciple of the Emperor. He was greatly promoted by the Ziwei Sect and became the leader of the Beidi Sect.
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When it is weak, the factional divisions of the "Jade Emperor and Northern Emperor" have little impact.
However, with Chu Chen's current Taoist cultivation level, the issue of factionalism cannot be bypassed.
Such is the situation right now.
Chu Chen's appointment as the supervisor of Lizhou was not just for him personally, but on behalf of the "Ziwei Sect".
Taoist priest Xu Ping smiled:
"Disciple, have you thought about how you are going to be qualified for this job?"
After hearing this, Taoist Fu Hua and Taoist Fu Ling became interested in Chu Chen's answer.
People from Taoist sects are indifferent to fame and fortune, and dislike factional fighting. However, due to the system of the Celestial Court, if you want to be promoted to a god, you must fight for it with all your strength, whether it is a promotion spot or a good job, and participate in the "Jade Emperor Ziwei"
"In the midst of the struggle between factions.
However, if you devote yourself wholeheartedly to party struggles, it will go against the Taoist mind and be very detrimental to the perfection of spiritual practice.
To a certain extent, for Taoists, it makes their Taoist hearts feel torn from reality, which is quite distressing.
This, to a certain extent, can be regarded as a big test on the path of spiritual practice.
The three of them couldn't help but look forward to the "enlightened" Chu Chen and wanted to see how he would deal with this situation.
Chu Chen smiled when he saw the three elders looking at him. His experience might be inferior, but having lived in two lifetimes, his vision was not bad and he was not worried about it at all:
"Buddhist Zen meditation has three realms: a mountain is a mountain, a mountain is not a mountain, and a mountain is still a mountain. My disciple agrees!"
Taoist Xu Ping and Fu Hua were stunned for a moment, and were quickly attracted by these words.
A mountain is a mountain when you look at it, a mountain is not a mountain when you look at it, a mountain is still a mountain when you look at it
This statement seems to have nothing to do with the struggle of the "Jade Emperor Ziwei Sect", but in fact it is all about "party struggle."
Even encompassing everything in life, it is not only the three realms of Zen meditation, but also the three realms of life.
If one can comprehend the three realms, the chaos of the world will not disturb the Zen mind and the Tao mind.
“It’s a good idea to look at a mountain and it’s not a mountain, but to look at a mountain is still a mountain!”
Taoist Xu Ping, Taoist Fu Hua, and Taoist Fu Ling are all monks with profound Taoist teachings and great magical powers. Upon hearing this, Xu was inspired, greatly inspired, and quite excited.
"Disciple, why haven't we heard this wonderful saying from Buddhism? Could it be that you came to understand it yourself?"
"this"
Chu Chen was stunned. Is there any Zen Buddhism or Taoism in Dachang World?
Good guy, I accidentally became a copycat.
After receiving the decree from the Immortal Court, Chu Chen did not stay in Yunzhou for long. Holding the decree in hand and wearing the [Lizhou Supervision Order] on his waist, he set out for Lizhou to take up his post that day.
It's a coincidence.
On the road, Chu Chen met a fellow Celestial High Cultivator by chance. Instead of taking the flying treasure ship, he was alone and used his magical powers to make the journey.
Xu was heading in the same direction, and the two noticed each other and said hello.
It didn't matter if he didn't say hello. Once he did, both of them were quite surprised.
"It turns out to be Fellow Daoist Chu!"
In the sky above the sea of clouds, an old Taoist wearing a black Taoist robe, with gray hair and beard, sitting cross-legged on a crane, came flying towards him.
The person who came was none other than Bailu Xianweng, the newly appointed director of the Ghost and God Division of Lizhou.
Bailu Xianweng hurriedly rushed to Lizhou to take office. He was not surprised that the position of Lizhou Governor had been vacant for many days. It was normal for the new Governor to rush to take office and take control of the situation.
Even if I let him go, I can't sit still. I understand Bailu Xianweng's state of mind very well.
This White Deer Immortal has a lifespan of more than 180 years. He has a third-level magic power in the late stage. He has pure Taoist mystical skills and is extremely profound. In the world of cultivation, he can be regarded as "young and strong". He is not old and has the calamity energy in his body.
It is not too rich, and has great potential. It is the most powerful person within the Jade Emperor Sect to challenge the "important ministers of the country".
Now, once he can secure his position as the capital of Lizhou, manage Lizhou in a decent manner, and "expand territory" for the Celestial Dynasty, he will become a proper elder of the Immortal Court and a candidate to serve as an important minister in the country, and his future is limitless.
When Chu Chen saw the "White Deer Immortal", he was amazed.
The White Deer Immortal on the other side was not surprised, but shocked.
He heard from his colleagues that Chu Chen, a young man who was "newly promoted to the third rank", competed with him for the position of "Lizhou Capital", and even got the recommendation of the previous Celestial Master.
There are many rumors about "Chu Chen" in the outside world, about his outstanding talent, his ability to surpass the Tianxin lineage, his grandmaster status, etc. According to the rumors, this "Fellow Daoist Chu" is highly praised.
At first, he was a little disapproving. However, when he actually saw "Chu Chen", his inner disapproval disappeared without a trace, leaving only surprise - the rumors were not exaggerated at all, and even many of the statements were too conservative.
Not to mention anything else, the powerful cultivation power is enough to explain everything.
A flash of surprise flashed across Bailu Xianwen's face.
If the other party had been born a few years earlier and Lizhou had no control over the competition, he might not have had much of a chance.
At this thought, the White Deer Immortal sighed in his heart and said in greeting:
"Originally, I planned to visit fellow Taoists when passing by Yunzhou, and as soon as I heard that I was going to take office, I was in a hurry on the way and forgot about it for a moment. But I never expected that you and I would meet on the road. It is fate, it is really fate."
"I've met fellow Taoist Bailu!"
Chu Chen bowed and said, "That's just right. You and I will go to take office together."
The White Deer Immortal nodded slightly: "Great kindness!"
Although they belong to different factions, the internal factional fights within the Celestial Dynasty are not just gangster fights in the streets. No matter how they fight, they are still harmonious on the surface, and they can unite as one to deal with the outside world at critical moments.
To be able to achieve the position of the elder of the central elder of the Immortal Courtyard, there are basically no stupid people who are beaming with joy.
When the two met for the first time, they seemed quite polite.
At that moment, the two of them rushed to Lizhou City hand in hand.
Speaking of which, Chu Chen went to Lizhou for the second time in recent days and was quite familiar with the road. In addition, the two of them had excellent escape skills. In less than an hour, they escaped thousands of miles and arrived in Lizhou City.
According to the usual practice, when the newly appointed governor of the state's Department of Ghosts and Gods takes office, and when the state inspector takes office, the state pastor and a group of local officials, ghosts and gods will greet him from afar, and the scene is extremely grand.
However, both the White Deer Immortal and Chu Chen were pragmatic and hard-working. They did not disclose their whereabouts in advance. They only approached Lizhou City, so they did not cover up the identity tokens around their waists.
Even so, Lizhou faced a huge battle.
Tens of thousands of Yin soldiers opened the way, beating gongs and drums, waving flags, and greeted each other from ten miles away. The scene was extremely lively.
Just like when Chu Chen followed his master Xu Ping to take up the post of county governor, their trip was not only to take office, but also to announce to the people of the whole state and all forces that Lizhou was governor and the state supervisory envoy was here.
Chu Chen and Bailu Xianwen calmly accepted Lizhou's grand and lively welcome.
However, what surprised them was that this time, the supervisor from Lizhou who greeted them was not Lizhou Mumeng Road, but Lizhou City God Duancang.
This surprised Chu Chen and the White Deer Immortal.
A few days ago, Chu Chen and Master Huixin came to Lizhou on errands, and Lizhou Mu Menglu personally entertained them. Not to mention, two new chief officials of Lizhou were taking office. As Lizhou Mu, there was no one else
Reason to show up.
Bailuxianweng entered the role of governor of Lizhou very quickly.
The capital of Lizhou has the general command over all the demons and gods in Lizhou, and controls the power of the city god's society in the whole state to order the soldiers. Although they are both of the third rank, the White Deer Immortal is half a rank higher than the city god in Lizhou, and is his direct superior.
After greeting all parties in Lizhou, Bailu Xianweng quickly took the initiative and asked the city god:
"Fellow Daoist Duan Cang, where have you been, Daoist Friend Meng, the state pastor? But something happened in the state?"
"Thank you, Lizhou did encounter some temporary trouble, and Lord Zhoumu went to deal with it."
Lizhou City God Duancang was wearing a gorgeous official robe, with an elegant and unrestrained temperament. After hearing the question from the Index White Deer Immortal, he did not hide anything and said truthfully:
"Recently, another group of witch tribes in Lizhou jointly held the [Witch God Blood Festival], offering humans as tributes. When the state pastor heard about it, he was furious and immediately took people out of the city."
Chu Chen and the White Deer Immortal were shuddered when they heard this, and the Witch God made a blood ceremony.
The one who offers sacrifices.
To put it bluntly, the so-called [Shaman God Jiao] is a ceremony to worship ghosts and gods.
In the Immortal Court of the Celestial Dynasty and among the Taoist sects, it is common practice to hold fasting sacrifices to the ancestors of heaven and earth, ghosts and gods. From time to time, whether in the Celestial Dynasty or in a small family or sect, fasting sacrifices are held. As a Taoist priest, the art of fasting and rituals is an important subject for school examinations.
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However, the shamanistic sacrifices performed by the Manghuang children are different. Many times, the sacrifices are not fruits, vegetables, animals, etc., but people.
The sorcerer refers to heaven and earth, connected by the word "人" in the middle.
In some witchcraft and secret arts, the blood sacrifice of human beings as tribute is the most superior method, and many powerful methods can only be achieved through "blood sacrifice".
In a land where conquests are rampant, witchcraft monks are accustomed to "blood sacrifice" and it is quite popular.
However, in the Dachang Dynasty, blood sacrifices have long been "forbidden", and anything involving "blood sacrifices" is regarded as a heretical or even evil way.
Bailu Xianweng's expression softened, and then he asked:
"I see, how many soldiers and horses did Fellow Daoist Meng bring? Do you need help from the old Taoist and Fellow Daoist Chu?"
"No matter what, this is not a matter of soldiers and horses."
Lizhou City God shook his head:
"Witchcraft is prevalent in Lizhou, and people and monks everywhere are keen on and even obsessed with blood sacrifices."