By all rights, after the Investiture of the Gods was completed, the newly deified should ascend to the Heavenly Court, even if the full consecration was yet unfinished and they were required to temporarily remain in the mortal realm. There was absolutely no reason for one of them to hide away in the depths of this mysterious realm, the Xuanjie.

Shaking off the debilitating exhaustion that clung to him, he swiftly slapped the Investiture of the Gods Tablet, recalling Wang Gui back to his side.

With the Tablet in hand, the newly appointed deities proved obedient, flying over obediently. A thought sparked in Feng Zikang’s mind: if they were this compliant, could these individuals serve as enforcers, at least until the consecration process was complete?

Wang Zhu flew back, his face flushed with renewed vitality. He bowed deeply before Feng Zikang once more.

"Immortal Elder Feng, I never imagined I, Wang Zhu, would be blessed enough to become an immortal. This is all thanks to you, Elder. Just moments ago, for some unknown reason, upon hearing a summons, I felt compelled to fly away, my mind utterly muddled. I should have offered my deepest thanks to the Elder then."

He rambled on, clearly quite pleased with the divine post he had received: Cloud Cavalry Colonel.

Feng Zikang grew more perplexed. If this man was meant to be summoned, he should have been called towards the Heavenly Court, not deeper into the Xuanjie. Clutching the Investiture Tablet, he pondered quietly, when suddenly, a divine thought slowly seeped into his consciousness.

"So that is how it is!"

Feng Zikang deciphered the message transmitted by the Investiture Tablet. It turned out that this Wang Gui was originally destined to become a god of the Heavenly Court. However, this Xuanjie he currently occupied possessed a formidable power, one not inferior to the Heavenly Court's. Because of the influence of the Xuanjie’s laws, Wang Zhu had unexpectedly become a deity specific to this realm!

"How bizarre!" Feng Zikang exclaimed internally, his expression shifting slightly.

The deities of the Heavenly Court in this Xuanjie were meant to manage affairs within the cultivation world, not solely govern the Heavenly Court's own domain.

For instance, the Mountain God of Mount Tai in the Heavenly Court governed the physical Mount Tai in the world. But if this logic held true, Feng Zikang could also consecrate a Mount Tai God within his own Xuanjie.

If that were the case, which deity would be the legitimate one when the two conflicted?

The Heavenly Court represented orthodoxy, but the Investiture Tablet in Feng Zikang’s possession was the result of a joint agreement between the Three Teachings and the Nine Schools, meaning the gods consecrated by it were equally orthodox.

If both were legitimate, what then?

Feng Zikang furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

The simplest solution, of course, would be for him not to consecrate any deities within this Xuanjie, thus avoiding any conflict. But if this Xuanjie gained its own pantheon, its development would advance by leaps and bounds, immeasurable by ordinary standards. This was an advantage he certainly would not forgo.

"For now, I will consecrate deities whose roles do not clash," Feng Zikang murmured, feeling the weakness in his core. He knew he couldn't possibly finalize the consecration of all eight hundred main gods in a short time. Roles like Cloud Cavalry Colonel, which held office in the Heavenly Court, could be duplicated in his Xuanjie without issue.

"What duties do you, the Cloud Cavalry Colonel, oversee, and what tasks do you perform?"

Another crucial question surfaced: were the deities consecrated this way completely subservient to him? If not, consecrating them would be pointless; they would only cause trouble in this place.

Wang Zhu listened to his inquiry and replied with utmost respect, detailing everything.

The Cloud Cavalry Colonel was a military post, authorized to recruit and train Cloud Cavalry Heavenly Soldiers, up to a maximum of three thousand men, whose duty was to patrol the four corners of the Xuanjie and maintain order.

"Oh?"

There wasn't even a ghost in this place; this so-called patrolling and maintaining order seemed utterly useless. Feng Zikang chuckled. "If there is ever a need for assistance, I might call upon you to help. Are you willing?"

Wang Gui's eyes widened, registering sheer disbelief. "Immortal Elder, what words are these? You are not only the master of the Investiture Tablet but also the Lord of this domain. If you command, I would naturally obey unto death; what is there to discuss about 'helping'?"

Feng Zikang was overjoyed. It turned out that by enshrining a deity within the Xuanjie, he not only commanded them through the authority of the Investiture Tablet Master but also gained the privilege of a Domain Lord. This meant the consecrated gods could indeed become his loyal enforcers!

If not for his current depleted state, he wanted to immediately consecrate another to test this.

"How do you recruit these Cloud Cavalry Heavenly Soldiers?"

Feng Zikang recalled another matter: the source of these Cloud Cavalry Heavenly Soldiers was unknown. Wang Gui smiled. "Please do not worry, Immortal Elder. These Cloud Cavalry Heavenly Soldiers can be chosen from strong souls in the mortal world. I, Old Wang, also have many veteran soldiers who died in battle. Some of their military spirits remain undying, and they would be thrilled to be recruited for the path of godhood!"

A Cloud Cavalry Colonel leading three thousand Cloud Cavalry Heavenly Soldiers constituted a fighting force. Moreover, because they were consecrated by the Investiture Tablet, even if they perished in battle, they could undergo reincarnation and were completely obedient to Feng Zikang's commands. The only drawback was that Wang Gui's own strength was too weak, and he could not cultivate or improve. They would be useful in rudimentary skirmishes, but against battles involving cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage, they would merely be cannon fodder.

However, this didn't matter much. These Heavenly Soldiers were primarily for bolstering appearances. In the future, by consecrating a few more Heavenly Generals and accumulating one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers, they would become a formidable force.

"Very well, you go and recruit your subordinates first. If anything else arises, I will call upon you!"

Feng Zikang nodded, letting him depart. Wang Gui offered his final thanks, bid farewell, and the assembled deities flew back into the depths of the Xuanjie, vanishing from sight.

"This is incredible!"

Ghost King Tu and Sha Lier watched with unconcealed envy.

Wang Zhu was originally just a mortal man, yet after his deification, he displayed cultivation nearing the Foundation Establishment stage. Could it be that the Investiture of the Gods also increased one's strength?

"Don't get your hopes up too high!"

Feng Zikang shook his head at the two of them. "The divine powers and techniques gained after deification are intrinsic to the rank of one's divine office. I consecrated this mortal into a Cloud Cavalry Colonel, a rank of the lowest tier of the Eighth Grade, naturally causing his strength to surge. However, from this point onward, he can no longer cultivate to improve; he must rely on mortal incense offerings. He has little future prospects."

After deification, one gains different divine abilities based on the office. But for mortals with inherently low cultivation and no outstanding achievements, they naturally cannot defy fate to achieve very high positions. Wang Gui could, at most, be consecrated to the lowest tier of the Eighth Grade. Still, for a mere mortal, this was quite an achievement.

These immortals could not cultivate on their own; for their power to increase, they either needed promotion by the Heavenly Emperor or reliance on the power of mortal incense offerings. If the incense was abundant, even a minor city god could wield incredible power.

At this moment, Wang Zhu had only just been consecrated and possessed no incense offerings; what was displayed was merely the inherent power of the divine office.

Feng Zikang explained the situation clearly to them. Ghost King Tu and Jasmine were still envious. After all, for them as rogue cultivators, advancement was exceedingly difficult. Once deified, they would at least gain a thousand years of lifespan and be revered. If their official rank were higher, their strength might even increase further.

"Do you truly wish to follow the path of deification?"

Feng Zikang was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected someone to abandon the established path of cultivation for deification, but reflecting on the arduous nature of the immortal journey, he could understand the mother and daughter's perspective.

Looking at his own journey, he had witnessed the demise of countless cultivators with great divine powers. Even General Lu, with his peerless talent and unmatched prowess, could not escape death before reaching a thousand years of age. Becoming a stable deity, sustained by incense, performing good deeds, might allow one to live longer and more securely.

"If that is the case, then you must die in battle and be drawn into the Investiture Tablet to succeed. Are you willing to die once?"

Ghost King Tu and Zhu Li'er exchanged a glance, clearly undecided. Feng Zikang laughed heartily and said no more, telling them to return once they had thought it through.

In reality, souls entering the Investiture Tablet did not necessarily have to die in battle. Any person who perished in connection with the grand calamities of heaven and earth could enter the list, though whether they were consecrated depended on Feng Zikang, the Tablet Master.

However, after some contemplation, he realized that a god consecrated within the Xuanjie could potentially be consecrated again upon returning to the world. This effectively doubled the eight hundred available divine positions, meaning many more souls could potentially join the Tablet.

Feng Zikang examined the list closely and spotted the name of Prince Li Zhi.

This was the Prince he had struck down in Chang'an. Because his death was tied to this heaven and earth calamity, he had entered the Tablet at some point. Feng Zikang chuckled. Descendants of the royal family, tied to the destiny of heaven, would eventually be granted some minor divine post. For now, however, there was no rush. Feng Zikang certainly intended to make this arrogant Prince suffer a bit more.

After the consecration, his body was weak, and Feng Zikang finally understood that deification was not a simple task. It required drawing upon the primal energy of heaven and earth, placing a severe burden on the body.

He assessed his current physical condition: maintaining his current cultivation level, he could probably only consecrate one god of the lowest Eighth Grade every three days. To consecrate a higher-ranking deity, even if a suitable soul were available, he likely couldn't sustain it right now.

But since the grand calamity still had several decades to run, he was not in a hurry. He decided to focus on cultivating for a while first.

He began circulating his internal energy. After three days, having recovered slightly, he took out the Investiture Tablet again, intending to consecrate another god.

Since these were gods within his own Xuanjie, they should be firmly under his control. If that were the case, it wouldn't matter if he consecrated his enemies, as long as they obeyed him quietly.

Feng Zikang intended to test whether the authority of the Tablet Master and the Domain Lord could completely subdue those inherently arrogant souls. If they could, future consecrations wouldn't need to differentiate between friends and foes. If not, he would stick to only consecrating those who were favorably inclined toward him.

Feng Zikang gently shook the Investiture Tablet, revealing Chen Da's name.

Chen Da's strength was significantly less than that of Geshu Luo. Even if something unexpected occurred, he could certainly be controlled. Feng Zikang lightly brushed over the Tablet and discovered that the divine offices he could be appointed to were comparable to Wang Gui's.

Chen Da only possessed minor magical skills, not true Daoist techniques, and his status was very low. His merits and official standing were even lesser than Wang Gui's, so the divine offices he qualified for were also quite modest, topping out at the lowest tier of the Eighth Grade.

Chen Da was the one who had killed Wang Gui. Feng Zikang smiled faintly, mischievously appointing him as the Commander of the Cloud Cavalry, the highest tier of the Ninth Grade, as Wang Gui's deputy!