Gods and Faith

Luo Jun's firm tone surprised Midnight. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a Killing Intent in them.

She's about to make her move!

Just as Luo Jun realized this, he felt someone grab the back of his neck. His normally indestructible Gathering Origin Protective Qi was completely unable to withstand it!

Unable to resist...

A strong mouse might be able to hold its own against a house cat, but it would be completely defenseless against a ferocious beast like a lynx.

This is a true difference in cultivation level. Even when his inner energy was blocked and he encountered the Nine Provinces Odd Beggar, he didn't feel this desperate helplessness...

But Luo Jun did not back down. He took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, saying, "You can kill me all you want... I've already triggered the Annihilation Process anyway..."

"I have been walking in the Chaos for longer than the history of humankind!" Midnight's melodious voice came from behind, but Luo Jun only felt a fear that came from the depths of his soul.

"This Annihilation Process couldn't touch you, but things are different now." Midnight leaned forward slightly, her lips close to Luo Jun's earlobe. "With me here, I can make it something you can't pass."

Can she interfere with the rules of the Chaos Mission?

Yes, you can tell from the effects of the legendary quality Midnight Mask... This guy can ignore power below the Mythic-grade!

The Chaos Mission, with its mystical power, is undoubtedly at Mythic-grade, or perhaps even higher. Despite years of research, humanity still cannot determine the exact principles behind its Chaos Mission, but based on various clues within the mission, several hypotheses have been proposed... The most plausible explanation is that the Chaos Mission is the result of a combination of multiple forces!

First of all, constructing such a massive system that covers multiple worlds is undoubtedly beyond Feather Transformation's capabilities. However, when it comes to each specific task, many of the rules are not actually that absolute.

For example, in the Sixth Amusement Park Luo Jun participated in before, there was a giant child in the First Checkpoint. According to the rules, that child had the ability to eliminate vital energy, but after Luo Jun was hit, he found that only 10,000 breaths of energy were eliminated... This number can be said to be completely sealed for most Cultivators, but there are always a few "troublemakers" like Luo Jun who can exceed the rules.

Cultivators have discovered many similar cases over the past hundred years, so they have come up with a hypothesis.

The forces that make up the Chaos Mission are composed of forces at different levels. This seemingly massive system actually calculates very precisely all the things that the participants might do, and uses different levels of forces to deal with participants of different levels.

It won't easily allow top-tier or even elite players to find loopholes and exploit them, but it also won't waste too much power on weaker third- or fourth-tier players.

It's like a huge video Game where, while ensuring normal operation, resources are conserved and configurations are optimized as much as possible.

Therefore, theoretically, a sufficiently powerful force could potentially interfere with the operation of this system.

But the question is, how powerful is considered powerful?

At least for now, I haven't heard of any powerful figure at the Ascension-level who can control Chaos. The few Earthly Immortal immortals in the Main World —if they could block summons, that would be fine, but once they enter a quest, they still have to obediently follow the rules...

But now, Midnight, who was gripping Luo Jun by the back of the neck, had done it!

Her ability to interfere with the rules of the Chaos Mission proves that Luo Jun's judgment of her was correct; she is indeed above the ordinary Feather Transformation... and may even be stronger than Luo Jun previously guessed!

If Ling Yao is the Number One Under Ascension... then is Midnight the number one immortal below the Myth?

Facing such a guy would undoubtedly be a cause for despair, but Luo Jun did not compromise.

"I'm no match for you..." Luo Jun clenched his teeth as he spoke each word. It wasn't because he harbored any deep hatred for Midnight, but simply because if his jaw muscles weren't tense, people would hear the chattering of his teeth...

"But weakness doesn't necessarily mean submission... I'm terrified of death, but I know there are things in this world more important than my life!"

The Midnight behind him fell silent, but Luo Jun could feel a gaze scrutinizing him.

After a few seconds, Midnight released her grip.

Luo Jun, who possessed astonishing Root Bone strength and a body strength of no less than ten thousand tons, was unable to support himself, his legs buckled, and he almost fell over.

"You know I won't kill you, right?" Midnight's tone softened considerably as she looked at Luo Jun, who was bent over, hands on his knees, panting heavily. "I don't believe anyone could refuse me when faced with this kind of fear."

Luo Jun, panting for a while, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Just Midnight, Ziye's threat wasn't just verbal; her fingertips had already gripped the gap in Luo Jun's cervical spine, and with continued force, she could rip his head off. At the same time, this Feather Transformation, above the Feathered Myth but not yet a Mythical One, also released terrifying pressure on Luo Jun. If it weren't for Luo Jun's extraordinary mental attributes, even with his stubbornness, he would probably have been driven insane by the immense pressure.

"If you really would give this mask to anyone, you wouldn't have gone to all this trouble to come to me..." Luo Jun raised his head and glanced at Midnight.

"I don't know what happened between us... To me, I just completed a regular Tier B Mission, freeing you from the Midnight Hotel's underground... But clearly, some kind of connection has formed between us, causing you to have to find me and have me hold this mask in order to help you enter the Main World!"

Midnight tilted her head slightly. "You're quite clever, but have you ever considered that if you really piss me off, I might just give up on entering the Main World and kill you right here?"

"Of course I've thought about it..." Luo Jun let out a long breath. "That's why when I said I'd rather die than let you go, I meant it sincerely."

"So there's still nothing to talk about?" Midnight looked at Luo Jun with some disappointment. "Or maybe I should just kill you right here."

"May I ask why you want to go to the Main World?" Luo Jun looked at Midnight. This time he was much calmer. Although the other party still talked about killing, he did not release Killing Intent. It was just empty talk.

"Does the reason matter?" Midnight asked.

"It's very important." Luo Jun nodded. "I hope you tell me the truth, because that will determine whether we can even talk!"

As he said this, Luo Jun made another judgment in his mind.

Midnight gently tapped her cheek with her finger, and finally spoke, "If I said it was out of curiosity, would you believe me?"

"Curious?" Now it was Luo Jun's turn to be puzzled.

"I am a Chaos Creature ..." Midnight raised her hand, and a piece of ground rose up behind her. She sat on it, lazily crossed her legs, rested her elbows on her knees, propped her chin up, and looked at Luo Jun with a somewhat bored gaze.

"Your strength has improved rapidly, the fastest of all the humans I've ever seen. I believe you must have also encountered other Chaos Creature." Luo Jun nodded. "They are cunning, cruel, twisted, and full of negative emotions; they are practically the opposite of humanity."

"The opposite?" Midnight chuckled softly. "As a human, is that how you see it?"

"Is there a problem?" Luo Jun asked, frowning.

"Actually, it wasn't like this a long time ago..." Midnight shook her head. "In this world, as long as individual consciousness exists, no race or group can be defined in a single way."

"Among humans, there are those who are upright and kind, and those who are cruel and evil; the same is true of the Chaos Creature. Long, long ago, we, like humans today, had a brilliant civilization, living in peace and helping each other... Although everyone had their own individuality and thoughts, there were also those who were annoying, even wicked. But overall, the group you now call Chaos Creature was once law-abiding and moral..."

As he spoke, Midnight's eyes were filled with nostalgia.

"... How long ago was that?" Luo Jun instinctively sensed that the "once upon a time" Midnight mentioned might be much older than he had imagined.

"How long? In your world, before the first spark of wisdom ignited..."

"The first glimmer of wisdom?!" Luo Jun frowned. "What does that mean?"

"What do you think is the mark of wisdom?" Midnight looked at Luo Jun, a hint of amusement in her smile...

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"That depends on the level of intelligence..." Luo Jun pondered carefully. "According to the standards of the Main World, only humans can be considered intelligent beings, so the birth of humans in the true sense is the beginning of intelligence. But some people believe that some animals, such as dolphins and apes, while not as intelligent as humans, are still quite intelligent and can be considered intelligent beings to some extent... Even some pet dogs can understand human language to a certain extent..."

"What you're calling intelligence, not wisdom..." Midnight interrupted Luo Jun: "By my standards, the sign of the birth of wisdom is civilization."

"Civilization?" Luo Jun frowned. "Then what kind of civilization truly qualifies? The tribal era? Or the feudal dynasty?"

"That's how you humans divide history. If you want me to put it..." Midnight smiled and said, "It starts from when the Deity appeared..."

"Deity?!" This word startled Luo Jun.

"What's wrong? Don't you humans have many Deity too?" Midnight's expression was somewhat surprised. "Although I've never been there, many humans I've seen participating in Chaos Mission pray for Deity protection when they're in danger. I've even heard prayers like 'May the Bodhisattva protect you,' 'Laojun has appeared,' and 'My God'... These must be your human Deity, right?"

Hearing this, Luo Jun breathed a sigh of relief, "What you said is all fake, made up by humans..."

At this point, his eyes suddenly widened again.

"Wait, could it be that Laozi, Bodhisattva, and God were all real Deity who actually existed?!"

Luo Jun has now explored the ruins of two Deity, which involve at least four Deity, one of whom is the Heavenly Father from the Main World!

As far as Luo Jun knew, although the Xi Luo Holy See had a long history, with the emergence of the Gate and the cultivation of Yuan Qi, the beliefs within the Holy See were also quietly changing. For a long time, the Main God of the mainstream Western faith did not have a specific image, not even a portrait or a name. People simply called him God, the Supreme Being, and other rather vague terms.

However, in modern times, the image of this God has become increasingly realistic. Not only have portraits been created, but more specific information has also emerged, and gradually, it has evolved into the present-day Heavenly Father Dias.

Having experienced Amgilla, Luo Jun was almost certain that the Heavenly Father Dias was a real Deity. However, in the past, humans did not have the power to control the primordial energy and lacked the channels to communicate with this Deity, so they could not obtain information about the god. As the power that humans possessed grew stronger, the image of the god naturally became more concrete.

If God exists, does that mean that the Deity of other religions also exist?

The more Luo Jun thought about it, the more likely it seemed. If that were truly the case, wouldn't humanity's self-proclaimed strongest existence, Feather Transformation, be a complete joke? Compared to Midnight before him, Feather Transformation was insignificant, let alone true Deity?

"Pfft, hahaha..."

Seeing Luo Jun's unpredictable expression, Midnight suddenly burst out laughing.

Are you imagining something very strange?

"What strange thing?" Luo Jun's train of thought was interrupted, and he looked puzzled. "Don't Deity really exist?"

"Yes!" Midnight answered readily, but then smiled and said, "No, not exactly!"

"It seems you've experienced more than I thought." Midnight shook her head. "True God do exist, beings far more powerful than I am. But we're not discussing them now..."

"The birth of civilization does not necessarily require the participation of True God. As long as wisdom develops to a sufficient level, it will often create an object of worship on its own. Just like you said, those false Deity."

"It could be an animal, or a natural phenomenon; it could be a mountain, a river, or even wind, rain, thunder, and lightning... In short, it's something that existed in a primitive era, beyond the comprehension of wisdom."

Luo Jun frowned. "You mean... faith?"

Midnight's eyes lit up. "That word is accurate, that's right, it's faith!"

"When a species possesses sufficient intelligence to create a belief, then they possess the conditions to create a civilization."

"Because this means that even individuals from different families who have never met can stand together because of a shared belief, strive for the same goal, and build larger communities, from families to tribes, from city-states to nations..."

"Now that you mention it, the ancient Deity seem more like a reason to unite everyone?" This was the first time Luo Jun had heard this viewpoint.

"So you mean that while our world is still in the tribal stage, you Chaos Creature already have a highly developed civilization?"

"No..." Midnight shook her head. "Before that, our world was already dead..."

(End of this chapter)