Chapter 296: The Power of Faith
The snake demon's mention of the Power of Faith caused Yang Haoran's expression to shift slightly, but it quickly returned to normal.
The reason he posed that question to the snake demon was actually to inquire about the Power of Faith. He hadn't directly asked about it because he wasn't certain if the snake demon was aware of it.
However, judging from the snake demon's current reply, he couldn't be sure of the extent of her understanding, but he could definitely confirm that she knew of the Power of Faith.
The so-called Power of Faith is a unique force formed by the sincere belief within a worshipper's heart. This power originates from the worshipper's genuine conviction and cannot be compelled. Once formed, it directly acts upon the object of their belief.
This so-called "object" could be a deity who has obtained a God Position, or it could be an entity that has not yet acquired one. They could be humans, demons, monsters, or ghosts.
If the villagers voluntarily erected a god statue for the snake demon and devoutly worshipped her for a period, then during that time, these villagers were her fervent worshippers. Their faith in the snake demon would generate the Power of Faith, and this Power of Faith would directly manifest upon the snake demon.
Yang Haoran currently didn't know much about the Power of Faith. It wasn't that he didn't want to learn more, but he simply lacked the means to do so, as the necessary conditions weren't met, and relevant information was incredibly hard to find.
His current understanding of the Power of Faith was quite fragmented; aside from knowing how it was formed, he was completely ignorant of everything else.
Therefore, he posed this question to the snake demon, hoping to glean more insight into the Power of Faith from her. After all, the snake demon had once served as a snake god for a period, having been worshipped by villagers, so she might know a thing or two.
Since she would proactively bring up the Power of Faith, it indicated that the snake demon knew about it.
"You're right," Yang Haoran said with a smile. "I was indeed asking about the Power of Faith."
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, his inner emotions expertly concealed, making him appear completely natural. His smile remained, betraying no hint of excitement.
However, the snake demon's subsequent reply extinguished the excitement in his heart, replacing it with bewilderment.
"I merely know of the Power of Faith's existence," she said. "If one can gain their own worshippers, then one can acquire the Power of Faith. In truth, that was part of the reason I was willing to protect the nearby villages back then."
"However, after I became the snake god in the villagers' eyes, I didn't notice any changes in myself. At the time, I thought perhaps my understanding of the Power of Faith was mistaken, so I didn't pay it any more mind. Over time, I simply forgot about it."
At this point, the snake demon offered an awkward chuckle before continuing, "Just now, I hadn't quite grasped what you were asking. After thinking it over, I guessed you might be referring to the Power of Faith. I didn't expect to be right."
Yang Haoran, however, felt a pang of disappointment. He had hoped to learn more about the Power of Faith from the snake demon, but to his surprise, she knew even less about it than he did.
Of course, he couldn't be certain whether the snake demon's words were true or false. It was entirely possible she knew something but chose not to reveal it.
Such a possibility wasn't out of the question. Even though their current interactions seemed agreeable, they had only recently met. Furthermore, the snake demon was currently under his control, so it was perfectly normal for her to conceal information from him.
Considering this, Yang Haoran decided to probe further, to discern if the snake demon was truly ignorant or merely feigning it. Even if he couldn't get a definitive answer, he had to try to extract as much information as possible from her.
Yang Haoran didn't let his inner disappointment show on his face. Instead, he feigned a hint of confusion and asked the snake demon, "That's strange. Since you were the snake god in the villagers' eyes, and their faith in you for a period was truly heartfelt, how could your power not have changed at all?"
At Yang Haoran's words, the snake demon's large eyes brightened.
"You mean, it wasn't my understanding of the Power of Faith that was wrong, but that something went awry in the process?"
Yang Haoran had intended to draw more information from the snake demon, but he hadn't expected that as soon as he spoke, she would kick the ball back to him.
However, Yang Haoran was in no hurry. Facing the snake demon's uncertainty, he nodded and replied, "It shouldn't be an issue with your understanding of the Power of Faith. From what I know, once the Power of Faith forms, it should directly empower your body, and your strength ought to change."
Upon hearing this, the snake demon shook her head, replying with some uncertainty, "There really wasn't any change, or else I couldn't have failed to perceive it. Could it be. . . could it be that the change was too subtle for me to notice?"
Yang Haoran's smile stiffened, then vanished, his brow furrowing slightly.
"The possibility you mentioned isn't entirely baseless," he conceded, "but if the Power of Faith generated by all the villagers in several nearby settlements couldn't manifest any effect, then how much Power of Faith would it take to show a significant change in strength?"
The first part of Yang Haoran's statement was for the snake demon's benefit, but the latter part was not only for her but also for himself.
"That, I wouldn't know," the snake demon chuckled. "The Power of Faith is said to be something gods dabble with. You and I aren't gods, so how could we know the intricacies of it?"
Yang Haoran nodded, a wry smile on his face and a hint of helplessness in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
However, the snake demon happened to be observing him, and she still caught that momentary shift in his expression.
"Brother Night Watcher, you seem very concerned about the Power of Faith," the snake demon asked with a smile.
Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged as he smiled and explained, "It's not so much 'concerned' as 'curious. ' How should I put it? I'm quite inquisitive and I love to learn. The more I don't understand something, the more I want to figure it out, just like my curiosity about the snake god's story."
"That's not right, is it? " the snake demon teased with a laugh. "Just now you told me the scenery on the sea surface was actually quite nice, but now you want to delve deep into the seabed to explore? Aren't you contradicting yourself?"
Yang Haoran's smile grew a little awkward. He flicked his cigarette ash, then continued to explain, "The two are different. One refers to the human heart, the other to matters of fact. They can't be lumped together."
"How are they different? " the snake demon countered with a smile. "To me, it's all the same principle."
"Let's not talk about this for now. I'll take you to buy clothes, and we can discuss this topic when we have more time."
With that, Yang Haoran exited the car, no longer pursuing the topic of the Power of Faith.
From the snake demon's reaction, it seemed she indeed didn't know much about the Power of Faith.
Moreover, even if the snake demon did possess some other knowledge about the Power of Faith, given how far the conversation had progressed, Yang Haoran couldn't press her further.
If he were to stubbornly cling to the subject, it would just make him appear overly insistent, as if she were clearly hiding something.
In truth, Yang Haoran cared a great deal about the Power of Faith. As his strength grew, so did his ambition. Ever since he embarked on this perilous yet stimulating path, the desires within his heart had been unleashed.
He didn't want to remain merely an Emissary of Death for the Underworld Office his entire life; he felt he could still climb higher. He believed there was still room for advancement, both in his strength and his status.
He had his ultimate goal, and everything he did now was an effort to draw closer to it.
However, he preferred to be grounded, slowly approaching his ultimate goal by achieving one small objective after another.
But this ultimate goal was something he couldn't speak of, and dared not even let others know, as it would not only be considered ludicrous but could also bring him trouble.
He merely wanted to subtly, little by little, move towards his ultimate goal. Until the necessary moment arrived, he didn't wish to expose his true objective.
If it truly came to a point where he had no choice but to reveal his ambition, he would do so without hesitation. But now was not that time.
His current mindset was simple: lay low until it was time to astound everyone.
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