Chapter 622: God-Making in Chaotic Times
Inside the quiet chamber, at Luo Yao's request, Yang Haoran and Huo Laoban reported the full sequence of events of the operation, daring not to conceal even the slightest detail.
After listening to their report, Luo Yao remained silent, his brows furrowed in thought.
"Guardian," Huo Laoban said, bowing to Luo Yao, "I was the person in charge of this operation, and I am willing to bear all responsibility."
The full sequence of events had already been reported to Luo Yao by both of them, so Luo Yao naturally knew that Huo Laoban was the one responsible for this operation.
However, knowing was one thing, but Huo Laoban proactively stepping forward to take responsibility at this moment was another. At the very least, his action of taking responsibility would make outsiders believe him to be a man who dared to act and dared to take responsibility, far better than those who sought excuses. Compared to such individuals, his image would naturally appear loftier and more likely to gain favor from others.
He stepped forward to shoulder the blame not because he truly wished to be punished. On the contrary, it was precisely because he wished to avoid punishment that he acted this way.
Huo Laoban was a clever man, with his own way of conducting himself in the world. Those who understood, understood naturally; those who didn't, wouldn't understand no matter what was said.
Yang Haoran witnessed all of this, and he could more or less guess some of Huo Laoban's inner thoughts. He glanced at Luo Yao, seeing that Luo Yao was merely frowning deeply, deep in thought, with no signs of an impending outburst. Thus, he, too, spoke.
In this situation, Yang Haoran's words seemed to be speaking favorably for Huo Laoban, but if one were to scrutinize them closely, one would discover it wasn't so simple.
No one acts without a motive. Yang Haoran and Huo Laoban were not friends to begin with; he was even somewhat averse to Huo Laoban. Therefore, under normal circumstances, he would not have proactively stepped forward to speak favorably for Huo Laoban. The reason he did so now was merely to leave a good impression on Luo Yao.
If he had remained silent, people would have perceived him as cowardly, lacking responsibility, and too timid to speak up at a crucial moment.
If he had opened his mouth to accuse Huo Laoban, that would have been even more inappropriate. It would have made people think he was kicking someone when they were down, and might even have incurred Luo Yao's displeasure.
Therefore, he instead spoke favorably on Huo Laoban's behalf, but if one were to scrutinize his words, one would realize he had actually pushed the responsibility onto Huo Laoban, merely expressing it in a more subtle manner.
Yang Haoran bore no psychological burden regarding this, for the primary responsibility for the operation reaching this point tonight truly lay with Huo Laoban.
As for why he had glanced at Luo Yao's expression before speaking, it was because he wanted to confirm whether Luo Yao showed any signs of impending fury. If Luo Yao had already been on the verge of fury, he would never have been foolish enough to speak up, lest he bring trouble upon himself and achieve the opposite effect.
Huo Laoban listened to Yang Haoran's words, his head bowed. He said nothing, quietly awaiting Luo Yao's response.
After Yang Haoran finished speaking, he, too, remained silent. The more one speaks, the more likely one is to err. He had said what needed to be said; speaking more would only be to his detriment, especially since he didn't truly understand Luo Yao's character.
"Just before entering this quiet chamber, I checked on Gan Ning and Shi Kai's condition. Although they haven't woken up after consuming the Pharmacist's Medicine, their lives should be safe. In other words, your operation tonight did not cause much loss to our Underworld Office."
Luo Yao's tone was very low as he spoke, devoid of any hint of joy.
Yang Haoran and Huo Laoban both kept their heads bowed. Neither dared to speak, quietly awaiting Luo Yao's next words.
"Although your operation did not bring direct losses to our Underworld Office, all five of the helpers you invited perished. As for the Exorcists, that's fine; after all, they don't have their own organization. But the other three were from the Talisman Order and the Demon Hunter Association. Their deaths in this operation, if not handled properly, will certainly bring considerable negative impact to our Cloud River City Underworld Office," Luo Yao said, frowning.
"Guardian, please rest assured. No matter the cost, your subordinate will handle this matter properly," Huo Laoban quickly guaranteed.
Luo Yao nodded gently. "You must remember, when dealing with this matter, absolutely do not resort to force. As for other organizations and sects, we must try our best not to offend those we can avoid offending now."
These words startled Huo Laoban, and at the same time, sparked some curiosity in Yang Haoran's heart.
Luo Yao was one of the nine great Guardians of the Jingling Continent; what an esteemed status! The extent of his power was a mystery to both Yang Haoran and Huo Laoban, yet at this moment, he would actually utter such words.
From his words, both of them sensed worry, and it was a profound worry!
"I know you both have doubts in your hearts. Ask whatever you wish to ask, and make good use of the time," Luo Yao said.
Hearing this, Huo Laoban hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Guardian, has a Spiritual God truly appeared among the Spirit Mediums?"
"No, how could becoming a god be so simple? If one could become a god so easily, then this world would already be teeming with deities."
Luo Yao's answer not only failed to resolve the doubts in Huo Laoban's heart but made him even more confused.
Not just him, Yang Haoran was also filled with doubt regarding Luo Yao's answer.
If there was no Spiritual God in this world, then what was the deal with the Spiritual God statues?
How could it be explained that other Spirit Mediums, through praying to the statue, had successfully caused a Great Spirit Caller to manifest?
Luo Yao saw the doubt on their faces. He did not find it strange, as if he had long anticipated such a reaction from them.
"To become a god, one must first construct their own divine statue, and then extensively gather the faith of believers. Only when the Power of Faith accumulated within one's body reaches a certain level does one qualify to contend for a God Position. That so-called Spiritual God is currently engaged in gathering the faith of believers. He is not a god, but he desires to become one."
Luo Yao's words greatly impacted Yang Haoran. He had always yearned to understand more about becoming a god but had never been able to find relevant information. Thus, his understanding of godhood remained quite incomplete until now.
However, now, hearing Luo Yao's explanation, he gained a deeper understanding of becoming a god.
Seeing that Luo Yao seemed about to continue, he listened intently, afraid of missing a single word.
Luo Yao paused slightly, then continued, "To gather more faith, he must expand the ranks of Spirit Mediums. Only by increasing their numbers can he obtain more faith. Furthermore, he must win over their hearts, making the Spirit Mediums willingly and wholeheartedly regard him as a deity and pray to him with devotion. Only then will the Power of Faith he gains be even more astonishing. As for how to win over the hearts of the Spirit Mediums, there are many methods, and resolving their worries and difficulties is one of them."
Upon hearing this, Huo Laoban wore an expression of "so that's how it is," seemingly having suddenly understood something.
"The gathering of Spirit Mediums within Cloud River City tonight was, in fact, the organizer's attempt to proselytize, to make Spirit Mediums who were unaware of the Spiritual God's existence, or those who knew but didn't believe in him, truly believe in the Spiritual God's existence and, from now on, worship him. To achieve this goal, the organizer set this trap for you to fall into, using the blood and lives of our Underworld Officials to ignite the faith of the Spirit Mediums in the Spiritual God."
Speaking of this, Luo Yao let out a soft sigh, a look of distress on his face.
"Perhaps you are still unaware, but tonight, it's not just our Cloud River City that has descended into chaos. Multiple cities across the entire Jingling Continent have been thrown into disarray, their situations similar to ours in Cloud River City, with the shadow of Spirit Mediums behind them. You also heard what that Great Spirit Caller said: tonight is merely the beginning. This means that our Jingling Continent will become even more chaotic in the future, and perhaps this chaos will even spread throughout the entire New Beginning Realm."
Yang Haoran listened very carefully, digesting this information in his mind, while Huo Laoban's face revealed a look of astonishment, and he glanced at Yang Haoran.
Sensing Huo Laoban's gaze, Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged as he softly asked, "Could that Great Spirit Caller's words be mere alarmist talk, intentionally used to mislead us?"
"No, they have every reason to do so. Only when this world descends into great chaos will the Apotheosis Platform appear, and only then will the Spiritual God worshipped by their Spirit Mediums truly have a chance to become a deity. A peaceful world can hardly produce a deity; only in chaotic times is it easier to create gods," Luo Yao said with certainty in his voice.
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