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Secession was the fastest way for Divine Path Gameplay to take shape!

There are three routes for Divine Path players.

The first is normal promotion, making good use of the traits of deities to benefit a region, winning the support of the masses, and thus achieving great political success.

They would be recognized step by step by the Imperial Court, eventually rising to the highest rank among imperial subjects.

The gods they ordain would be spread throughout the world, and ultimately, their fate would be completely bound to the dynasty.

The rise of the dynasty meant the prosperity of the divine realm, and its decline would greatly affect the divine realm as well.

This route was the most secure, but the promotion was difficult and took the longest time. Political relationships had a huge impact, and how to get along with the emperor was also a major issue.

The second route was Divinity Transformation, where one would first rise in the ranks as an official and win the favor of the people.

Later, while serving as a deity ordained by the emperor to benefit a region, one would not always need to rely on the emperor, reaching the highest rank among imperial subjects.

Instead, one would focus on a specific domain, drawing reputation from the common people, and eventually ordaining oneself as a great god of a domain, such as specializing in the War God sphere.

Then, one could enter the court through the military, earning a reputation on the battlefield, worshipped by countless soldiers and revered by the masses.

After ordaining a number of War Gods, one could ordain oneself as the True Martial Emperor, in charge of all military affairs, thus becoming the top War God.

Or one could focus on river management, dredging waterways, earning the worship of coastal populations and various aquatic species.

Eventually, after overseeing all the river gods of the world, one could divide the control of the Four Seas among the four dragons, eventually proclaiming oneself as the Sea Emperor!

This method had relatively less dependency on the emperor, and once fully shaped, it would not bind one’s fate to a mortal dynasty. No matter what happened in the world, as long as the divine order under your jurisdiction remained, it could prosper eternally.

However, this method had a lower ceiling.

You could only specialize in one divine sphere, and your ultimate achievement would only be the pinnacle of that divine sphere.

Whether it was True Martial Emperor of the War God sphere, the Nether Emperor managing the underworld’s cycle of reincarnation, or the Sea Emperor managing the waterways of the world, you could only be one and could not oversee all the divine spheres!

The third route was what Chen Qing was now considering – the way of secession!

To secede in one region, establishing oneself as a feudal lord, conquering externally with the War God and internally with other divine systems, not relying on the Imperial Court or binding one’s fate to the current dynasty.

As long as one could achieve supreme power in the end, the land would govern heaven, establishing one’s own divine nation!

But this route was the most difficult because once you seceded, you would be committing a great rebellion.

You would not only suffer a full-scale assault from the mortal dynasty, but the local population’s faith might also greatly dissipate.

One wrong step could lose everything in this high-reward but also high-risk strategy.

Honestly, Chen Qing did not initially intend this.

His planned route was the second one. Lyuzhou relied on the river.

He would first use the Gate Deity and the underworld to establish a reputation internally, then extensively develop the divine system of mountains and rivers, eventually becoming the Sea Emperor, ruling the water systems of the world.

By doing so, even when the final version came, he would still have the power to protect himself and ensure that he and his family were safe.

But now, who knows which bastard prematurely released the poisonous bugs sealed in the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley, which meant the Dragon Palace Replica could likely open ahead of schedule.

The struggle for the water system would become much more difficult, and with Jiangnan being sealed off, the population would inevitably be massacred.

The strategy of developing the divine pathways of the Four Seas from Jiangnan would no longer be cost-effective.

As such, or maybe it was time to try that most difficult path!

Chen Qing looked at the official seal in his hand, his mind quickly analyzing the situation.

With Jiangnan divided by the Nine Heavens Mirror, and the poisonous bug mode in effect, the population would definitely be severely hit.

Ordinary officials would likely be unable to protect their people.

Even a regional commander with some military force would probably choose to cut losses for survival, abandoning most of the rural population.

At that time, the prestige of the Imperial Court’s officials among the people of Jiangnan would suffer a great blow.

If he could break this dire situation, he would surely gain unprecedented faith in Jiangnan. By then, with billions of people in Jiangnan supporting him, seceding in the region could well become possible....

"My lord... My lord?"

Just as he was getting excited about his thoughts, Chen Ying’s curious voice rang out before him, snapping Chen Qing back to reality as he looked at her and immediately coughed lightly, frowning, "What is it?"

Chen Ying looked puzzled. Had he been lost in thought just now? Why was his smile so lecherous?

"Lord, the hour you appointed for gathering has arrived. Shall we start the roll call and set off now?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing looked at the sky. It was already noon, and there was indeed no time to delay. So he nodded quickly and followed her out of the house.

"Lord, I’ve already taken a preliminary count," Chen Ying whispered.

"In the two hours, the soldiers searched many of the sunlit streets in both the north and south alleys. There were very few survivors, only a little over six hundred people were rescued. As for the western and eastern alleys, which are usually the most populous, the soldiers didn’t search them because there were too many hidden corners.

Whenever they made the slightest noise, a multitude of beast-like roars would come from inside, indicating there were likely many living corpses hiding there. "

Chen Qing nodded, "You did well. With our limited manpower, it’s best not to take unnecessary risks."

He knew that there were likely more survivors in the western and eastern alleys mentioned by Chen Ying.

As soon as they left, those left behind probably wouldn’t survive the second night.

However, there was nothing he could do; his power only extended so far.

Of course, he wanted to save people, as the destitute commoners were at their most desperate, and nearly every rescue would earn him a share of faith. But he truly couldn’t manage it.

If saving one person cost the lives of ten soldiers, repeating such losses a few times would leave him no need to consider secession. Whether he could survive the current disaster would be in question.

Then he looked over the people who had been rescued. Most were dressed in silk, looking disheveled and dazed, but by their appearance, they all seemed to be somewhat well-off, likely educated to some degree. The quality of the population would surely be higher than that of ordinary rural people.

This seemed harsh, but it was the truth, with the system set up that way. High-quality people not only contributed more effectively to development but also provided more powerful faith compared to ordinary people. It just showed that there was never true equality among individuals.

"Men and women, separate them, a thorough inspection for all, let no signs of scratches or bites escape scrutiny, especially fresh wounds. If found, detain and isolate them immediately."

"Yes!"

"But my Lord..." Chen Ying hurriedly said, "There are many women and children present."

"Inspect them all the same..." Chen Qing said coldly, "You organize some women to check the next room, be efficient, and remember there must be no mistakes. You should know what the consequences of letting an infected person slip through are!"

Chen Ying felt somewhat troubled upon hearing this but still took the order. Though they were all women, the idea of inspecting other people’s bodies still felt odd to her.

"But... but Lord Chen Qing?"

Chen Qing, startled by the question, wasn’t taken aback by being recognized, but because the questioner was someone familiar.

After a moment of astonishment, he hurried forward and bowed reverently, "So it is Master Yang. Chen Qing has arrived late and has alarmed you."

"So, it is really you!" The bearded old master, none other than Master Yang who had experienced the mysterious event the previous night, looked at Chen Qing with a face full of relief and nodded repeatedly, "Good, good, good.

I knew from the start that you were not one to be confined to a small pond, and indeed, you have not disappointed me. "

"It is all thanks to your teachings, Master!" Chen Qing bowed again earnestly.

Master Yang was the one who taught him after he obtained the title of Scholar.

At that time, although Chen Qing had earned the title of Scholar, due to his young age, and because the Chen relatives took over the family property and lands through their conniving ways, his family nearly faced calamity and were almost deceitfully forced from their ancestral village.

Although a lawsuit was filed, the County Magistrate from Luling County was biased towards the elder of the Chen family. Had Chen Qing not subsequently passed the Chosen Man examination, he might have lost the lawsuit and failed to reclaim his family lands.

During the process of sitting for the Chosen Man exam, Master Yang before him contributed immensely.

He not only waived the usual donation made to the school, but also provided food and accommodation.

If it weren’t for him, Chen Qing, being a transmigrator, might have been utterly oppressed by these rural clan folk.

In Chen Qing’s eyes, the master before him had bestowed upon him a second chance at life!

"You arrived just in time with your people. Without you, my whole family would’ve been in an inescapable predicament," Master Yang said.

"Master is highly virtuous and respected; he surely has the protection of the heavens!" Chen Qing sincerely replied.

Not far behind Master Yang, stood a group of masters. If Gu Beiquan and a few other county officials were here, they would recognize them as the group of Official School Masters who walked out in disdain yesterday, brushing off their credibility.

At this moment, the group looked at Chen Qing with complex expressions in their eyes.

Master Yang, who came from the background of a Chosen Man, had not joined the official school due to the oppression of the County Magistrate at the time and had to run a private school instead.

Although his life was not as dignified as theirs, little did they expect that he would have taught such a distinguished disciple.

They had heard of Chen Qing’s plight under the oppression of his clan in the past, yet none offered help, adhering to the mindset that avoiding trouble is better than seeking it.

Some had even advised Master Yang against assisting him back then, but they never imagined that the young teenager who nearly lost everything years ago would now be an official of a Provincial Government Office!

And looking at how he could bring people for rescue, his reliability was not something the likes of Gu Beiquan and other incompetent officials could match.

It must be said... Old Yang truly had an excellent eye for talent back in the day, having taught such a good pupil!

"Not at all, not at all. Diligence is rewarded by heaven, everything is attained through your own efforts.

This old man merely gave a helping hand," said Master Yang pridefully, and then added, "But to be honest, I was almost hesitant to recognize you just now. It’s been several years since I last saw you. If it weren’t for your young girl Chen Yuan cleaning up our old house a few days ago, and me asking her a few questions as I passed by, I would have been uncertain that the Magistrate of Lyuzhou, Chen Qing, was indeed the Chen Qing taught by this old man, hahaha! "

Chen Qing was about to respond, but the other party’s last remark made him pause, and immediately his expression turned tense, "What did Master say? Chen Yuan? She was in Luling County a few days ago?"

"You don’t know?" Master Yang was also taken aback, "The girl said that a general had escorted them all the way from the north to Nanyang, and since your mother couldn’t endure the long journey due to severe motion sickness, they stayed in Nanyang to recuperate with your sister-in-law looking after her. She and your elder brother came ahead to Lyuzhou. What, haven’t you met up with them? "

Even the usually composed Chen Qing became somewhat flustered, and he quickly asked, "Master... Are my elder brother and younger sister still in the western alley?"

"They should be gone by now, I think?" Master Yang shook his head, "When I passed by the other day, they were preparing to set off for Chen Family Village. It was said that since you had become an Imperial Scholar, they were planning to return there to pay respects to your ancestors and announce the good news. Didn’t you visit the Chen Family Village before coming here? "

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing could no longer delay, and shouted, "Gather everyone, to Beipo!!"