Chapter 1486: Blessed by the Power of Faith
As god statues and temples spread to every corner of the Great Night Empire, Yang Haoran finally took another extremely important step on his path to godhood. With these god statues, and with the offerings and devout prayers of the citizens across the nation, he could smoothly gather faith and allow this Power of Faith to bless himself.
After some time, Yang Haoran clearly felt an invisible power enveloping the surface of his body. While not strong, this invisible power genuinely existed. It was different from the Spirit Power within him, distinct from Demon Power, or even the power of ghosts; this was a power unlike any conventional form of energy.
Although Yang Haoran had never possessed such power before, he was not unfamiliar with it. Back during the Spirit Unrest, when the Spirit Master False God battled the Death God on the Apotheosis Platform, Yang Haoran hadn't been qualified to participate in a battle of that magnitude. However, he had been involved in the chaotic skirmishes between the followers of both sides, and therefore, he was still very clear about that battle between the Spirit Master False God and the Death God.
The power the Death God had radiated back then was different from ordinary Spirit Power. Though it appeared no different from Spirit Power when manifested, it had undergone a qualitative transformation, belonging to an entirely distinct kind of power. Yang Haoran had been able to perceive this; even though he had been extremely far from the Death God at the time, he could still sense it due to the Death God's immense power.
At that time, Yang Haoran hadn't fully understood what was happening. It was only later, by consulting various collected materials, that he came to understand. The power the Death God released was no longer ordinary Spirit Power, but Divine Power that had been sublimated. Because it was a sublimation achieved on the foundation of Spirit Power, its manifested form bore little difference from Spirit Power. Though seemingly similar, in terms of destructive power, the two were on completely different levels.
In contrast, the Spirit Master False God, though equally formidable in strength, released ordinary Communication Power, not Divine Power. This situation arose because the Spirit Master False God had not yet obtained a God Position; he was merely a self-proclaimed deity, not a True God, thus his power had not undergone a qualitative transformation. However, he was enveloped by a powerful layer of energy, and this power was the Power of Faith bestowed upon him by his followers.
As he had not become a True God, he could not convert the Power of Faith blessing him into Divine Power, nor could he fuse Divine Power with his own strength. Before achieving these two points, he was simply unable to control the Power of Faith.
To put it simply, the amount of Power of Faith determined one's qualification to ascend the Apotheosis Platform. If the Power of Faith was insufficient, ascending the platform would be incredibly difficult, a struggle at every step; one might even die on the Apotheosis Platform, unable to bear its pressure. Conversely, if the Power of Faith was sufficient, stepping onto the platform would exert no pressure at all, feeling as easy as walking on level ground.
Before achieving godhood, although the Power of Faith could not be directly wielded as a potent means of combat, it was an indispensable prerequisite for becoming a god. Thus, even if he couldn't use it in direct opposition, the Power of Faith remained extremely important. And the layer of power currently enveloping Yang Haoran was indeed Power of Faith; it was merely too weak to compare with the Power of Faith that had enveloped the Spirit Master False God back then.
"Too few followers, too slow progress. It seems the next step of the plan needs to be implemented."
Feeling the faint Power of Faith enveloping his body, Yang Haoran muttered to himself.
His next plan was to dispatch a large number of envoys, distributing them throughout the New Beginning Realm, allowing these envoys to attract more followers for him. Only then could he obtain more Power of Faith in the shortest possible time.
While this matter sounded simple, in practice, it was quite difficult. First was the selection of envoys; these envoys were similar to missionaries of religious sects. There were similarities and differences between the two, but regardless of the methods they employed, their main goal was to gain more followers. Therefore, whether it was a missionary from a sect or an envoy dispatched by Yang Haoran, the selection of individuals was extremely meticulous. Not everyone was qualified to assume this role, nor did everyone have the ability to perform it competently.
Thus, the selection of envoys was quite troublesome. It would take some time to choose suitable candidates, and only after a series of training sessions could they leave the Great Night Empire and travel across the world to gather followers.
The selection of envoys was merely one of the challenges. How to attract followers, and where to attract them, also posed a significant problem. After all, followers were highly sought after. The vast majority of ordinary people throughout the New Beginning Realm were already claimed, controlled by major powers and various religious sects. They all possessed faith. To snatch food from a tiger's mouth and make these followers switch their allegiance was not only not simple, but also extremely dangerous.
While a small number of ordinary people did not possess faith, a major reason was that the powers behind them did not allow religious sects or other factions to interfere. Attempting to gather followers in such places was equally difficult; one might very well lose their life there.
Therefore, while attracting followers in other regions sounded simple, it was very challenging in practice. However, to gain more followers, even if it was difficult, he had to proceed. Otherwise, with only his current number of followers, Yang Haoran didn't know when he would possess enough Power of Faith.
To acquire more followers, Yang Haoran issued two commands. One command was to select and train envoys, then send them across the world. He entrusted this task to the Funerary Division, managed by Old Master Wu.
The other command was given to Bai Xue's Flock of Demons Society. He instructed Bai Xue to lead the members of the Flock of Demons Society to subdue the sea demons of the Eastern Sunrise Ocean, expanding their influence outwards from the Great Night Empire as the center. The main objective was not to slay sea demons and plunder resources, but to subdue them, making these sea demons submit to the Great Night Empire, become its citizens, and believe in Yang Haoran.
The sea demons of the Eastern Sunrise Ocean were countless. If he could dominate the entire Eastern Sunrise Ocean, the number of followers Yang Haoran could gain would be immense. Thus, Yang Haoran would not let this opportunity slip by. However, there were quite a few powerful sea demons in the Eastern Sunrise Ocean, making it very difficult to conquer the entire region. So he could only expand his influence outwards from the Great Night Empire, gradually extending his power, which was a safer approach. Attempting to swallow a fat man in one bite was clearly unrealistic and might even bring considerable trouble upon the Great Night Empire.
Yang Haoran had also given careful consideration to entrusting this matter to the Flock of Demons Society. Because with the addition of Lei Bao and Hou Yu, the Flock of Demons Society was currently the most powerful organization in the entire Great Night Empire; even the Myriad Ghost Grotto could not compare to it for the time being. With the formidable combat strength of the Flock of Demons Society, it was perfectly suited to handle this task.
Furthermore, other organizations each had their own missions. The Iron Blood Demon Hall needed to protect the Night God Palace. The Myriad Ghost Grotto needed to gather intelligence and various resources. As for the Medicine God Society, it went without saying they needed to refine and research various medicines, and their abilities did not lie in combat, hence it was impossible to dispatch them for this mission. The Funerary Division also had its own duties; the entire Great Night Empire needed them to maintain order and ensure all departments of the Great Night Empire operated normally, making them unable to undertake this mission. Therefore, this task falling to the Flock of Demons Society was truly the most appropriate choice.
There was also another crucial reason to assign this task to the Flock of Demons Society, which was that Lei Bao and Hou Yu had once been overlords in the heart of the Eastern Sunrise Ocean. Their familiarity with the Eastern Sunrise Ocean undoubtedly surpassed that of Yang Haoran and other outsiders. With Lei Bao and Hou Yu involved, many detours could be avoided.
However, Lei Bao and Hou Yu were not yet considered trusted confidants in Yang Haoran's eyes. Yang Haoran couldn't be certain if they harbored any rebellious intentions. Thus, he had to guard against them somewhat, to prevent being secretly undermined by them. To prevent this situation from actually occurring, Yang Haoran specifically spoke at length with Bai Xue, telling her to be more vigilant, so that she wouldn't be defeated by enemies only to be framed by her own people in the end.
As these two commands were issued, the respective individuals in charge began preparing for their tasks and then proceeded with implementation. Bai Xue led the Flock of Demons Society on their expedition, while Old Master Wu personally selected the envoys.
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