Chapter 1185: The Spirit Masters' Grand Offensive (Part 2)
The Spirit Masters' actions targeting ordinary people were not meant to harm them; on the contrary, they were for their protection. Moreover, their efforts went beyond mere protection; they also provided ordinary people with food and shelter. They even encouraged ordinary people to join their ranks, promising that anyone willing to become a Spirit Master would immediately be taken as a disciple by a Spirit Master, taught Spiritual Arts, and thus cease to be an ordinary person.
One must understand that ever since the New Beginning Realm descended into chaos, ordinary people, lacking special powers, had undoubtedly become the lowest rung of existence in this world. Facing the world-shattering power of non-ordinary people, they were like ants, numerous but unable to withstand a single blow from a non-ordinary individual.
In some places, ordinary people were even enslaved and driven by non-ordinary people, living lives worse than death. This led the vast majority of ordinary people to crave the same power as non-ordinary people, but they found no entry. Not every ordinary person could be favored by a non-ordinary individual and taken as a disciple, or taught skills by an affiliated force. Only a minuscule number of lucky individuals could transform from ordinary people into non-ordinary people.
Yet, these fortunate few were, without exception, the envy of all ordinary people who yearned to become non-ordinary themselves but could not.
The Spirit Masters' actions naturally thrilled and delighted these ordinary people. Not only did the Spirit Masters offer them protection, but they also provided the most scarce resource in times of war: food. Furthermore, they allowed them to transform from the lowest-tier ordinary people into non-ordinary people. Thus, while overjoyed, these people were also immensely grateful to the Spirit Masters, with many regarding them as saviors, obeying their every command with profound respect.
Among these ordinary people who worshipped the Spirit Masters as saviors, the vast majority had once been devout followers of other faiths. However, their former deities had now been abandoned, replaced by a new divine entity: the Spirit Master False God.
The Spirit Masters conducted these operations secretly, without fanfare. They demanded that all ordinary people they helped strictly guard the secret, preventing it from spreading outside their circle, and especially from drawing the attention of any other factions. Otherwise, their lives would be in danger, and the entire Spirit Master community could be affected.
These ordinary people, having received the Spirit Masters' aid, almost all became Spirit Masters themselves. Even the most foolish among them clearly understood the stakes. If the matter were leaked, only they would suffer, for they were now part of the Spirit Master ranks. Even the most malicious individual wouldn't be so foolish as to harm themselves, so without exception, they all remained tight-lipped.
Yet, collecting this information was incredibly difficult for Shui Ling; otherwise, it wouldn't have taken her two whole months. If she hadn't stumbled upon a tiny trace and followed it to investigate, she would have been utterly unable to gather so much valuable data. This demonstrates just how effective their secrecy efforts were.
Lecheng, in the past, had numerous factions and a diverse array of believers. Some worshipped the Death God, some the Talisman Ancestor, others the Saint Mother. Besides these, there were other deities, including some False Gods without a God Position.
But ever since Yang Haoran established the Guardian District in Lecheng, only one power remained: the Underworld Division. All residents could only worship one deity: the Underworld Division's Death God.
Superficially, Lecheng still appeared this way. However, subtle changes were occurring in secret. According to the information Shui Ling gathered, some ordinary citizens had already chosen to secretly worship the Spirit Master False God, and they were also secretly cultivating Spiritual Arts, thereby becoming members of the Spirit Masters.
It's important to remember that under Zhu Rong's management, Lecheng was impregnable, and the populace's trust and reverence for the Underworld Division were extremely strong. Yet, even so, the Spirit Masters had managed to infiltrate. This clearly shows the immense scale of their efforts.
If even Lecheng was affected like this, other cities naturally needed no further explanation; they must have been permeated even more thoroughly by the Spirit Masters.
This operation by the Spirit Masters was not confined to Jingling Continent; it spanned the entire New Beginning Realm. However, their targets for infiltration were exclusively ordinary people who worshipped the Death God. They did not infiltrate followers of other deities, even if those worshipped deities were merely False Gods.
After a few moments of contemplation, Yang Haoran looked at Shui Ling, then smiled and asked her,
"Haha, you collected this data, so you understand its contents better than anyone. What's your take on this matter?"
Seeing Yang Haoran ask, Shui Ling dared not delay and quickly voiced her thoughts.
"Reporting to Lord Guardian, the Spirit Masters are offering ordinary people so many benefits, obviously to win over their hearts. The secrecy with which they're doing this is undoubtedly to swiftly grow their strength without anyone knowing, as every new Spirit Master they gain increases their power. As for why they're only targeting our Underworld Division's Death God faithful, that's even easier to understand. On one hand, because our Underworld Division is their mortal enemy, they would naturally target us with such self-serving actions that harm others."
At this point, Shui Ling paused briefly. She glanced at Yang Haoran, who remained expressionless and simply pulled out a cigarette to light it. For a moment, she felt a little unsure.
However, she hadn't finished speaking. Regardless of whether her analysis would gain Yang Haoran's approval, she felt she should voice all her suspicions. So, she continued,
"The Spirit Masters aren't targeting the followers of other factions, surely because they don't want to offend those factions over this matter. Even a small faction, they don't want to displease. After all, they are currently sparing no effort to win over more forces, not even letting go of small ones, all in order to gain more allies to deal with our Underworld Division. Therefore, they certainly wouldn't do something as foolish as shooting themselves in the foot."
After Shui Ling finished speaking, she said no more. Yang Haoran nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with her assessment. He took a drag from his cigarette, then smiled at Shui Ling.
"Hehe, your analysis is very thorough. This secret maneuver the Spirit Masters are pulling is likely what's going on. Three months ago, we received intel that they would make a big move, but it now seems that was just a smokescreen to mislead us. While our entire Underworld Division was on high alert, constantly guarding against their attacks, who would have thought they would secretly target the Death God's faithful across the entire New Beginning Realm?"
Yang Haoran took another drag from his cigarette, then smiled and asked Shui Ling,
"Since the enemy has infiltrated, these toxic elements must be eradicated quickly, or they will spread like a virus, rapidly infecting more people, and then things will spiral out of control. All the hard work that made Lecheng what it is today could be ruined."
Shui Ling, of course, understood Yang Haoran's meaning. Without a single wasted word, she accepted her orders and withdrew from Yang Haoran's study.
Among the materials Shui Ling submitted was a list of individuals who were once ordinary people in Lecheng but had now become Spirit Masters. Residing in Lecheng, with their safety guaranteed and their bellies full, why would they be infiltrated by external Spirit Masters? Nine times out of ten, it was for the non-ordinary power they coveted.
And the "toxic elements" Yang Haoran referred to were, of course, these very individuals. Since they had abandoned their faith and become Spirit Masters, it meant they had chosen to stand against the Underworld Division. From Yang Haoran's perspective, such people certainly could not be allowed to remain.
Shui Ling had the list of these individuals but had not acted against them, because she needed to seek instructions from Yang Haoran, the Guardian. She didn't know if Yang Haoran would have other arrangements after learning about this matter. After all, this was no small affair; if she acted rashly and ended up beating the grass to startle the snake, she truly wouldn't know how to explain herself to Yang Haoran.
Therefore, to be safe, she did not move against these people. However, she also did not neglect them, secretly sending people to monitor their every move, an indispensable measure.
Currently, every individual on the list was under her surveillance without exception. Now that Yang Haoran had ordered the eradication of these toxic elements, it would only take a short while for her to identify them from among the numerous faithful and then purge them.
After Shui Ling left, Yang Haoran did not leave his study. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, smoking, deep in thought.
He had outwardly agreed with Shui Ling's analysis just now, but inwardly, he didn't quite see it the same way. He didn't deny that Shui Ling's analysis was sound, but it wasn't comprehensive, and it missed the crucial point.
In Yang Haoran's view, the Spirit Masters' latest maneuver, recruiting more Spirit Masters and significantly increasing their numbers to boost their strength, certainly played a part. But it wasn't the primary reason. He believed the main reason was to gain more faithful, thereby acquiring more Power of Faith for the Spirit Master False God.
Yang Haoran was no longer the Soul-Sower he once was. As a Guardian, obtaining information he previously couldn't, whether in the Underworld, from the Underworld Iron Tome, or in the mortal realm, was no longer impossible, though it remained somewhat challenging.
In these past three months, he had managed to acquire some information about attaining godhood. He now understood several more aspects of how to become a god and what happens afterward than he did before.
To attain godhood, the first condition was to step onto the Apotheosis Platform. The second condition was that the one aspiring to godhood must possess a sufficient amount of Power of Faith.
With the world currently in chaos, if things continued this way, the appearance of the Apotheosis Platform was only a matter of time. For those seeking to seize this opportunity to become gods, the first condition would then be met.
Compared to the first condition, the second was far more difficult, as Power of Faith was not easily gathered. The one aspiring to godhood must have their own devout followers, and these followers must worship their God Statue for Power of Faith to form.
However, the fervent worship of a few followers was nowhere near enough to meet the requirements for godhood. If simply gathering a few followers and having them worship a few times were enough to become a god, then this world would already be teeming with deities, not as rare as they are now. Only when the number of followers reached a certain threshold could they provide enough Power of Faith for the one aspiring to godhood, allowing them to step onto the Apotheosis Platform and claim their own God Position.
Conversely, if one's Power of Faith was insufficient, then even if the Apotheosis Platform appeared and one successfully stepped upon it, it would be absolutely impossible to obtain one's own God Position and become a True God.
Yang Haoran believed that the primary goal of the Spirit Masters' current operation was to enable the Spirit Master False God to acquire more devout followers, thereby gaining sufficient Power of Faith. Once his own Power of Faith reached the standard, the moment the Apotheosis Platform appeared, it would be his day of apotheosis.
The Spirit Masters' refusal to target the followers of other factions, focusing solely on the Death God's faithful of the Underworld Division, not only allowed the Spirit Master False God to gain more Power of Faith but also weakened the Death God's power. This is because the number of faithful determines the amount of Power of Faith, and Power of Faith is strongly linked to the strength of a deity. With fewer faithful, Power of Faith would naturally decrease, and the deity's strength would inevitably be correspondingly weakened.
Therefore, the Spirit Masters' approach was a win-win: the Spirit Master False God benefited, and the Underworld Division's Death God was weakened. Such a perfect outcome was naturally worthwhile.
Shui Ling, still far from comprehending concepts like deities and Power of Faith, naturally couldn't analyze the situation as thoroughly as Yang Haoran from her perspective. Not just her, but even among the Spirit Masters participating in this operation, few knew its true objective. Their understanding aligned with Shui Ling's analysis, believing that the Spirit Masters' operation was intended to stealthily strengthen their Spirit Master community, never considering the aspect of Power of Faith. Many of them didn't even know what Power of Faith was.
Although Yang Haoran had guessed the Spirit Masters' main objective, he still harbored a certain doubt: Given how arrogant the Spirit Masters had become, why hadn't the Underworld Division's Death God appeared to eliminate the Spirit Master False God?
The Underworld Division's Death God was a True God with a God Position, while the Spirit Masters' Spirit Master False God was merely a False God without a God Position. If a battle were to occur between the two, logically, the True God should triumph over the False God. So why did the Underworld Division's Death God not appear?
The reason the Spirit Masters could be so audacious, not only daring to openly contend with the Underworld Division but also successfully slaying their Jingling Great Emperor previously, was all due to the emergence of the Spirit Master False God among them.
Although this Spirit Master False God was merely a False God, his power was undoubtedly terrifyingly strong; otherwise, the previous Jingling Great Emperor would not have met such a tragic end. If this False God didn't exist, or if he were directly eliminated, would the Spirit Masters still dare to directly confront the Underworld Division?
In Yang Haoran's opinion, the answer was likely no. Without the existence of the Spirit Master False God, the Spirit Masters would not only be unable to directly confront the Underworld Division, but it would even be incredibly difficult for them to remain united.
The Spirit Master False God dared to directly confront the Underworld Division even without obtaining a true God Position. If he truly gathered enough Power of Faith and stepped onto the Apotheosis Platform to become a True God, wouldn't he dare to lead the Spirit Masters straight to the Underworld itself?
The current problem was that the Underworld Division's Death God had not yet appeared—at least, as far as Yang Haoran knew. If it weren't for the numerous records about the Death God within the Underworld Division, he would even doubt whether such a True God truly existed within their organization.
While wondering why the Death God hadn't appeared yet, Yang Haoran also felt a degree of worry. The Spirit Masters' recent secret operation suggested that the Spirit Master False God was eager to acquire more Power of Faith, which implied that the day the Apotheosis Platform appeared was likely not far off. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a hurry.
A moment's thought revealed that the Jingling Continent Underworld Division was currently the weakest. If the Spirit Masters concentrated their forces and launched a full assault on the Jingling Continent Underworld Division, then without external aid, the Jingling Continent Underworld Division would most likely be unable to resist the Spirit Masters. Even if they found external aid, they would still likely suffer immense losses. Once the Jingling Continent Underworld Division was destroyed or crippled, the Spirit Masters would face far less pressure when confronting the entire Underworld Division.
Yet, the Spirit Masters didn't do this. Instead, they stealthily recruited more faithful and created more Spirit Masters. This somewhat showed the Spirit Master False God's urgency.
A cigarette burned to its end. Yang Haoran stubbed it out, then, as if making a decision, he picked up the documents on the table again. He carefully selected a few pages, and with black energy rising from his hand, these selected documents turned to dust.
Immediately after, Yang Haoran took out a Communication Talisman. This was no ordinary Communication Talisman, but a Gold Talisman grade one. After activating this talisman, he leaned back in his chair and waited quietly. In less than the time it took to smoke a cigarette, he received a reply from the Communication Talisman.
After receiving the information within the Communication Talisman, Yang Haoran immediately summoned the Ghost Gate leading to the Underworld inside his study. Although the Ghost Gate was massive, his renovated study was equally spacious. When the Ghost Gate appeared, floating in mid-air, it did not make the study feel crowded.
Yang Haoran waved his hand, storing the remaining documents on the table into his independent space. With a flash of his figure, he surged into the Ghost Gate and vanished. As his figure disappeared, the Ghost Gate likewise dissipated into Yin Qi within the study, as if it had never appeared.
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