Chapter 1190: Chain Reaction
In order to prevent the Spirit Masters' plot from succeeding, the high-ranking officials of the Underworld Office, after deliberation, made a series of targeted arrangements and deployments.
As the Five Emperors of the Underworld Office temporarily set aside their grievances and decided to join forces, this operation against the Spirit Masters was more ferocious than any before. Not only would the four continents provide mutual support, but even the Ghost Officials from the Underworld would be dispatched to the Mortal Realm for assistance.
Logically, facing such immense power from the Underworld Office, the Spirit Masters should have been utterly defeated. However, it seemed the Spirit Masters had long anticipated this and made extensive preparations beforehand. Thus, while they were indeed at a disadvantage against the Underworld Office's fierce assault, they were not truly defeated.
It must be said, the effect of the Underworld Office's Five Emperors joining forces was evident. Leaving aside minor skirmishes, in major battles, the Underworld Office suffered few losses and gained many victories. This was a complete reversal from the past. The Underworld contributed the most to such a significant change, as they possessed different abilities compared to the Underworld Officials in the Mortal Realm. They could swiftly support various parts of the New Beginning Realm, providing timely aid wherever needed. This is why the Underworld Office experienced more victories than losses in major battles; the Underworld's support played a crucial role.
From this, it was clear that in terms of overall strength, there was still a considerable gap between the Spirit Masters and the Underworld Office. Previously, with infighting among the Underworld Office's high-ranking officials, the Spirit Masters had an opportunity to exploit, leading to heavy losses for the Underworld Office. Now that the Underworld Office's high-ranking officials had reached an agreement to jointly oppose their enemy, the situation immediately underwent a significant change.
If it weren't for the powerful existence of the Spirit Master False God among the Spirit Masters, coupled with their astonishing cultivation speed and relatively shorter time to produce powerful experts, the Spirit Masters would simply lack the strength to challenge the Underworld Office.
Although the Underworld Office won more major battles than it lost, this didn't mean it had already won the war. Winning more than losing only represented the outcome of individual battles, not the overall conflict. For example, in terms of followers, the Underworld Office clearly lost to the Spirit Masters.
There were many astute individuals among the Spirit Masters. They all understood that if they were to compete with the Underworld Office in overall strength, the Spirit Masters could not hope to catch up. Therefore, when battling the Underworld Office, they were very strategic.
Secondly, in every confrontation with the Underworld Office, a significant portion of the Spirit Masters' efforts was dedicated to the Death God's followers. Not only did they fight the Underworld Office, but they also diverted energy to 'protect' the Death God's followers. This approach undoubtedly allowed them to win over a large number of followers from the Underworld Office's side. Under their cultivation, these followers, without exception, could rapidly become combat-ready Spirit Masters.
In truth, the Underworld Office would naturally not wantonly kill the Death God's followers. However, once war broke out, collateral damage was inevitable. The Spirit Masters seized upon this to manipulate public opinion, causing many of the Death God's followers to not only abandon their faith but also embrace the Spirit God, becoming members of the Spirit Masters and turning their weapons against the Underworld Office.
It must be said, the Spirit Masters played this move brilliantly. The vast majority of the Death God's followers couldn't resist their incitement. If they found the seductive words convincing, especially when backed by compelling evidence of the Underworld Office's atrocities, leading them to believe their faith was misguided, then these Death God followers would cease to be so and instead become Spirit God followers. The Spirit Masters utilized this tactic, not only inflicting tremendous losses upon the Underworld Office but also gaining an astonishing number of followers.
Of course, not all Death God followers were susceptible to incitement. There were still some who were clear-headed and recognized this as merely a means employed by the Spirit Masters to achieve their goals.
Even though they understood this, they still chose to join the Spirit Masters' ranks. The reason was simple: by joining the Spirit Masters' faction, they could immediately transform from ordinary people into extraordinary individuals, possessing powers that common folk did not. Therefore, even knowing that the Spirit Masters' various protections were merely strategic ploys, they willingly leaped into the pit.
The remaining followers of the Underworld Office were now the Death God's most devout believers. While their number was still considerable, it was a massive drop compared to their past strength. When compared to the number of followers controlled by other major powers, the disparity was even greater. It was important to remember that the Underworld Office once commanded more followers than any other major force.
Furthermore, while the Underworld Office's remaining followers were indeed devout believers of the Death God, this devotion referred only to the present. No one could guarantee what the future held. If they were to be subjected to years of infiltration by the Spirit Masters, their object of devotion might no longer be the Death God, but the Spirit Master False God.
The high-ranking officials of the Underworld Office observed all that the Spirit Masters were doing. They, of course, understood the Spirit Masters' objectives, yet they took no remedial measures concerning this aspect.
It wasn't that they didn't want to rectify the situation; rather, the vast majority of high-ranking officials believed there was no need for it. In their view, instead of wasting a large amount of time on remedies, it was better to devote that time to annihilating the Spirit Masters. Once all Spirit Masters were eliminated, these rebellious followers would pose no threat whatsoever to the Underworld Office, and they had ample means to bring these defected followers back into the Death God's embrace.
Of course, not all high-ranking officials of the Underworld Office held this view. Some advocated for timely remedial action regarding the mass exodus of followers. However, this latter group of officials was fewer in number than the former, and thus their proposals were not adopted. They could only secretly implement some remedial measures for the followers, while publicly maintaining the annihilation of the Spirit Masters as their primary objective.
Regrettably, a year passed in the blink of an eye. Not only were the Spirit Masters not entirely annihilated by the Underworld Office, but their numbers grew astonishingly, though there were fewer high-level experts compared to the beginning. Conversely, the Underworld Office suffered heavy losses during this year, with numerous Underworld Officials from the Mortal Realm and Ghost Officials from the Underworld perishing in battle one after another.
All of this was due to the Spirit Master False God.
After the Underworld Office's Five Emperors initially set aside their grievances and reached an agreement to jointly deal with the Spirit Masters, they launched fierce attacks against them. Many Spirit Masters lost their lives, including numerous high-level experts. Under such circumstances, the Spirit Master False God naturally couldn't remain idle. He personally appeared multiple times to strike at the Underworld Office, successfully rescuing many Spirit Masters while also slaying numerous Underworld Officials, including even Guardians of the Underworld Office.
Forcing the Spirit Master False God to appear was originally one of the Five Emperors' plans. Only if he revealed himself would they have the opportunity to jointly confront him. However, whether it was due to the Spirit Master False God's intelligence and vigilance, or because he had other means to learn of the Five Emperors' intentions, each time he appeared, he would swiftly withdraw with his people, causing the Five Emperors' encirclement of the Spirit Master False God to end in vain.
The Spirit Master False God appeared multiple times, and the Five Emperors' attempts were thwarted multiple times. This left them feeling both enraged and stifled. They had accumulated immense power, yet found no outlet for it. Such frustration was truly imaginable.
With their followers rapidly dwindling and Underworld Officials dying in battle daily, while the Spirit Masters remained uneradicated by the Underworld Office, the high-ranking officials realized that continuing down this path would only lead to greater losses for their organization. Therefore, they had no choice but to alter their strategy against the Spirit Masters, and this revised plan included a new approach to dealing with the followers.
Ordinary Underworld Officials might not have known the ultimate goal of the Spirit Masters in acquiring more followers, but the Five Emperors of the Underworld Office certainly did. When they discovered that their previous plan was ineffective and couldn't achieve the complete annihilation of the Spirit Masters in a short time, they shifted some of their focus to the followers, for they certainly did not want to see the Spirit Master False God accumulate enough Power of Faith.
The Underworld Office's method for rectifying the situation with ordinary followers was similar to that of the Spirit Masters. Strictly speaking, "similar" was too conservative a word; it was, more accurately, identical.
Any follower of the Underworld Office's Death God would not only receive the full protection of the local Underworld Office, but also double the amount of various provisions they received. Beyond that, there was a most important point, and also the most compelling one: any Death God follower who was willing to become a Night Watcher would have the Death God Seal implanted into them by the local Underworld Office's Emissary of Death, free of charge, transforming them into Night Watchers.
After this remedial measure was implemented, it not only retained a large number of followers but also caused the number of Night Watchers in the Underworld Office to multiply, significantly boosting the Underworld Office's strength. Although the increase was only among the lowest-ranking Night Watchers, united, they still formed a formidable force. If utilized properly, they could undoubtedly unleash considerable power.
However, this approach placed a considerable burden on the local Underworld Office's Emissaries of Death, as implanting each Death God Seal was a significant drain on their own energy. If they had to implant multiple Death God Seals consecutively, an ordinary Emissary of Death simply couldn't endure it. After this remedial measure was put into effect, almost no follower wished to avoid becoming a Night Watcher, so the extent of the burden placed on the local Underworld Office's Emissaries of Death was readily imaginable.
A strict order came down from above: even if these Emissaries of Death couldn't bear it, they had to push through. However, the high-ranking officials of the Underworld Office weren't foolish enough to demand a drake lay eggs. They understood that this approach would place an immense burden on the respective Emissaries of Death, and thus issued a large quantity of Soul Pills and pills for restoring energy to support them.
With the support of Soul Pills and other pills, the Emissaries of Death across the various regions not only had no complaints but were, in fact, extremely happy. Setting aside the other pills, the Soul Pills alone that they received as support were equivalent to several years of their salary.
Being able to obtain a good number of Soul Pills and significantly increase the number of Night Watchers under their command, how could they not be happy? Even if it meant a bit of hardship, they deemed it worthwhile, as it brought them only benefits and no drawbacks.
However, to the surprise of many, the Spirit Masters and the Underworld Office's methods for competing over followers triggered a chain reaction. When ordinary followers of other sects learned that both the Death God's followers and the Spirit God's followers had gained powers beyond those of regular people, many began to stir. Some even secretly sought ways to join these two forces.
This was particularly true for the common folk managed by the Administrative Council. The vast majority of them had no gods they worshipped; their only allegiance was to the Administrative Council. Although some among them were forced into this belief and others genuinely held it, in either case, under the Administrative Council's governance, they could only revere the Administrative Council. Furthermore, almost all of them were mere ordinary people. After witnessing the formidable power of extraordinary individuals, they, too, yearned for a day when they could become extraordinary.
Precisely because such a seed had long been planted in their hearts, upon learning that the Spirit Masters and the Underworld Office would unconditionally transform ordinary followers into extraordinary individuals, those who craved power could no longer restrain themselves. Among all those who desired to join these two forces, they constituted the largest group.
Upon discovering this situation, the major powers, to everyone's surprise, unanimously made the same decision within a short period. They all began to emulate the Spirit Masters and the Underworld Office, unconditionally transforming their own followers from ordinary people into extraordinary individuals, free of charge.
Even the Administrative Council was no exception. Although their power system wasn't self-contained like those of other religious factions, the Administrative Council possessed the unique existence of the Spirit Police. To stabilize morale and prevent ordinary citizens from constantly thinking about joining other forces, the Administrative Councils with the means swiftly established Spirit Police academies and opened them for enrollment. Spirit Police members served as instructors. However, once a student graduated, they had to serve their respective Administrative Council, or else they would be directly branded as traitors and eliminated.
Looking across the entire New Beginning Realm, there were still many Administrative Councils with such capabilities. And the fact that they could survive in this chaotic era meant their strength was undeniably formidable. However, they each governed independently, and some even maintained hostile relationships.
For a time, the entire New Beginning Realm became militarized, with everyone a soldier. And all of this was a direct result of the Spirit Masters and the Underworld Office's methods in their struggle for followers.
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