From this day onward, the incense offerings at the River God Temple, which had already diminished, suddenly recovered more than half.
The common folk who participated in the ritual went back and spread the tale of the Water God, attracting many pilgrims.
Even the Water God Temple on Mount Xiaoyuan gradually became prosperous, and the name "Tianyi Water God" gradually spread throughout Linfu County and its surrounding towns.
However, when many pilgrims visited the River God Temple after a long absence, they found that the idol had changed. It was now a young man entwined by a flood dragon.
On either side of him were eight more idols, representing three rogue cultivators and five monks and warriors who had perished while protecting the ritual. Among them was a soldier from Linfu County.
They did not wish to enter reincarnation and were willing to serve under the Water God, thus becoming the divine officials of the Linfu River.
In truth, a River God's rank did not allow for the enfeoffment of divine officials; at most, they were permitted to have a few water ghosts to assist them.
However, although Ji Yuan had only preliminarily condensed a divine spark, and the river source within Mount Xiaoyuan was not even as grand as the Linfu River, his rank was that of a genuine Water God, making him indeed qualified to have divine officials.
After several days of rituals, he accepted the worship of the common folk for half a day before descending to the bottom of the Linfu River.
Feeling that nearly half of his merit had been depleted, Ji Yuan did not show any regret. After all, some things could not be measured by merit. Being able to do something for those who had shed their blood was a wonderful thing in itself.
Moreover, after this deed, his mind became exceptionally clear, as if he were more favored by heaven and earth, and his perception of various Dao principles became even more acute.
Some unseen benefits, while consuming his merit, had also quietly appeared within him, and would only manifest over time.
When he sank to the riverbed, the flood dragon that had been entwined around him slowly awoke and began to swim around him joyfully.
The former giant python had long since purged its demonic aura and ultimately decided to embark on the path of divinity. Having obtained the divine spark condensed from the origin of the Linfu River and inherited the position of River God, it also used the merit gained from clearing grievances, along with the divine power and principles contained within the origin, to successfully transform into the body of a flood dragon.
Even Ji Yuan could now feel the extraordinary nature of true dragon blood, though it was only a trace. It allowed the flood dragon to avoid the suffering of body and spirit breakdown, its physical form smoothly and peacefully transforming into a divine body.
As long as there was enough incense and wish power, he believed the flood dragon could easily forge a powerful divine body and golden form.
"This way, it's not good to keep calling you 'Little Black' anymore."
Looking at the flood dragon before him, Ji Yuan smiled slightly, "Stay here and cultivate with peace of mind. Remember to protect the common folk of this region. As for your name, you can think of one yourself."
As his words fell, the flood dragon twisted its body, transmitting a clear thought, and then began to swim in the river.
For deities, cultivation was not merely about sitting in meditation. Like river water gods, they needed to clear river channels, regulate water transport, and so on. Mountain gods of the earth were similar; managing the mountains of a region was also a way to increase their realm.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan nodded slightly and then returned to the River God Temple. Although the idol had been transformed into the current image of the Water God through his means, the temple's name had not yet been changed.
This was mainly because the imperial court had not issued any official decree of recognition, nor had the superior deity nominally in charge of the Linfu River issued a corresponding decree.
If he were to change the name now, all his previous efforts would be in vain, and he might even be accused of usurping a divine position or rebelling against the court.
In such a case, the losses would outweigh the gains. Fortunately, with the current situation, a gradual approach would suffice, and everything else would fall into place.
As Ji Yuan pondered, he integrated his golden body into the idol. While restoring his divine power with incense, he was also gradually absorbing his current gains.
Whether it was the origin power of the Linfu River, the principles imprinted in his soul light from earlier, or other various insights, they were all immensely beneficial to him at this moment. Once fully digested, they would undoubtedly lead to an increase in his cultivation realm.
At the same time, Ji Yuan's main body returned to the county yamen. Looking at the yamen, which had clearly experienced a great battle and was nearly half destroyed, he couldn't help but be somewhat taken aback.
After finding Lin Yubai and the others, he finally understood the cause and effect. While the mastermind intervened in the ritual, the River God, imprisoned in the dungeon, suddenly erupted.
It was unclear how he had broken free from his restraints and regained all his former cultivation realm. With a single move, he had nearly killed County Magistrate Zhang Qingyang and a group of military generals from the prefectural city.
It was only when Jiang Yunzhou timely suppressed him with great divine ability that such a tragic outcome was averted. However, even so, the county yamen was still more than half destroyed, and a large number of yamen runners, constables, and innocent attendants were affected.
The initial statistics indicated that seventeen people had perished under the power of the three realms, most of them beyond recognition, with their bodies beyond complete reconstruction.
"Simply wanted revenge?"
Ji Yuan frowned, sensing that the matter was far from simple.
Killing a county magistrate offered no benefit to the mastermind. Apart from revenge and venting anger, he could think of no other reason.
And if Zhang Qingyang possessed any crucial clues, it was almost impossible for the mastermind to seize the opportunity to silence him. Given the young county magistrate's character, if he had discovered anything, he would have certainly become more cautious than anyone else.
"Perhaps the other party just wanted to vent their anger, or to display their power as a warning?"
Lin Yubai looked at the two men before him and tentatively inquired.
He then shook his head in frustration. If he were to fight against a powerful enemy, he would not have the slightest complaint and would even be happy to do so.
However, to expect him to rack his brains and ponder such matters was akin to asking for his life.
"It's absolutely impossible for it to be this simple. With their capabilities, they wouldn't do something so meaningless."
Jiang Yunzhou shook his head, negating Lin Yubai's guess.
The mastermind, who could orchestrate such a grand scheme and secretly manipulate the River God Temple to wreak havoc, would not do anything without benefit at this critical juncture.
The fact that they could calculate the timing and make arrangements must have been to achieve some objective.
"The missing City God is in the county yamen!"
Ji Yuan suddenly stood up from his chair, his eyes flashing with astonishing brilliance.
Upon hearing this, both men before him were stunned, but then they gasped. This conjecture, while seeming the least likely, was in fact the most probable.
They had overlooked the possibility that with the power of the River God Temple, it was difficult to ascertain whether past county magistrates had been involved.
If a certain county magistrate had been infatuated, the county yamen, with its imperial aura and the luck of the court, would undoubtedly be the best place to conceal the whereabouts of the City God and other deities!