By this point, Deng Chun's experience with Extraordinary Abilities was no longer enough to keep up with what Ronan was saying.
Still, with a little understanding and imagination, he could sketch a rough outline in his head.
He understood the Spider Web analogy, at least.
But as soon as that outline took shape, a question followed:
All this talk of countless living beings, the Material Universe, and Holistic Integrity—who was Ronan talking about?
Deng Chun quickly ran through the Three Great Secret Cults in his mind, then added the man describing all this to the list. None seemed to fit.
He read on. He did not get a direct answer, but he did find confirmation in the opposite direction:
"For now, I can say with certainty that Earth has no such 'Spirit Network.' In other words, Earth currently has no true 'Deity' in this sense."
Was that an Area-of-Effect Attack...?
To be fair, Ronan had worded it carefully, piling on qualifications like "for now," "currently," and "in this sense." Yet the more precise the wording, the more certain his conclusion sounded.
So who was he ruling out?
Of the Three Great Secret Cults, the Justice Cult was centered on Sacred Objects and ideology, with no definite Deity. The Mystic Eye, too, was known for doctrines built around the rules of "rituals and contracts."
That left only the Amaterasu Cult, whose True God had claimed a divine throne.
And perhaps Ronan himself?
Wasn't he helping the thread's creator dismiss every so-called true and false god in the world?
Ronan's next words seemed to anticipate Deng Chun's confusion, and probably that of many other readers. He posed a question:
"Then what state are the
'Deities' that currently exist on Earth actually in?
"I would call them simple imitations of the New Gods