Soul Village

'Yes...'

Not knowing what the divine spirit was thinking, the old Chieftain was filled with unease. She tremblingly rose to her feet and staggered out of the cave to gather her people...

Finally, after waiting for a while, all the tribespeople arrived inside the cave.

[Is everyone present?]

'Yes.'

Although the tribespeople were growing increasingly doubtful of the divine spirit's existence, when that familiar Divine Might spread through the cave, they all fell silent in fear, not daring to make a sound.

Seeing the old woman prostrated at the very front in utmost reverence, Xuan Sheng felt slightly more at ease.

[The leader, step forward.]

'Yes...'

Though doubts filled her heart, the old Chieftain still staggered forward. She then tried to kneel respectfully, expressing her highest regard.

However, just as the old woman lowered herself, a gentle and warm power supported her, preventing her from kneeling.

[The leader, stand. Everyone else, kneel!]

The divine oracle, which had never shown the slightest ripple, suddenly shook with force. An overwhelming fury spread from the divine stone, leaving everyone trembling with fear and panic!

'My god...'

[No need to say more.]

Seeing the terror on the tribespeople's faces, the old woman was just about to speak when the divine spirit interrupted her. A soft yet irresistible force covered her mouth, while warm power seeped into her body and cleansed the pain within her...

[Do you know your sin?]

Looking at these humans who did not even dare breathe loudly before him, Xuan Sheng's anger had not eased in the slightest as he asked furiously.

'My god, are you angry because the offerings are insufficient?'

Among the panicked crowd that had fallen to their knees, a middle-aged woman stepped forward of her own accord, her face bitter.

[Offerings? How laughable!]

The blazing pressure did not diminish but instead grew stronger. The golden divine stone rose into the air, its Divine Might surging forth and pressing down on everyone like Mount Tai, rendering them unable to move...

'No, I mean, are you blaming us for not being devout enough...'

Realizing that she had misunderstood, the woman's face paled as she hurriedly corrected herself.

How could an omnipotent divine spirit care about a mere few Golden Fruits? she thought. Thinking that way would only anger the divine spirit!

In her panic, the woman wished she could slap herself hard twice.

How could she have misunderstood?

[Heh, devout?]

The pressure weighing on everyone relaxed somewhat, allowing the humans inside the cave to regain some color in their faces and find enough strength to wipe the sweat from their brows...

[Do you think I care about your neglect and offense?]

'Then...'

Hearing something amiss in the oracle within her mind, the leading woman panicked, unable to figure out what else they had done wrong.

[Utterly foolish!]

The furious oracle was like an immovable boulder pressing firmly against every tribesperson's heart, leaving them unable to breathe.

[You ants are unworthy of my concern. No matter how you offend me, no matter how foolish and arrogant you are, I will not care!]

[But you beasts! You actually showed such contempt toward the elders and fellow clansmen who deserved the greatest respect, forgetting their kindness and repaying it with ingratitude. Such beings are worse than animals!]

[You may disrespect me, if you wish! But I absolutely will not tolerate you disrespecting your fellow clansmen or looking down on the heroes among your people!]

[Those who are worse than beasts are unworthy of being my believers!]

The maddened oracle struck every person's heart, leaving them silent in fear, as if they stood at the edge of an abyss.

'My god... I...'

Finally understanding that the divine spirit was not angry over the offerings but was speaking up for her, the old Chieftain's eyes filled with tears, and her heart shook violently!

[Faith +999!]

The divine spirit she revered most had not forgotten her, its most humble believer...

Everything she had done had been seen by the divine spirit.

The deepest string in her heart was plucked. Feeling the divine spirit's warmth and kindness, the old woman seemed to have returned to her mother's embrace... Her thoughts became a muddle, and though she was deeply moved, she could not form even a complete sentence.

[Listen. Before learning how to become my believer, you should first learn how to be a qualified human.]

If they did not even know to revere and love their own kin, how could they be expected to worship a divine spirit? Bad memories surged forth without end, and endless fury flashed in Xuan Sheng's eyes! He controlled the Divine Power and pulled over the woman who had stepped forward from the tribe, then swept his gaze over her.

[This person is the old Chieftain's niece. She once revered the divine spirit greatly, but due to her circumstances, she gradually became indifferent like those around her.]

Is that so?

Controlling his nearly omnipotent Divine Power, Xuan Sheng's thoughts stirred. The niece clutched her forehead and let out a pained groan...

Hmph. Could she not even endure a little knowledge?

Xuan Sheng had originally intended to pour some of his knowledge directly into the woman's mind, but he deflated slightly and withdrew part of it, transmitting only the simplest principles of being human into her mind.

She was the next successor he had chosen... She would exist as the leader of his believers.

And Xuan Sheng did not need her to preach. He only needed her to civilize all these barbaric tribespeople.

Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith; gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and humility; loyalty, filial piety, integrity, shame, courage, sincerity, brotherhood, diligence, elegance, and constancy. They could learn these first.

Before arriving, he had been wondering what he should leave behind this time to help the tribe reproduce and grow stronger.

But after coming here, he realized that compared to so-called material support, what they needed even more was spiritual guidance.

These tribespeople, who were gradually emerging from savagery, were clever and perceptive, with considerable comprehension and potential. Yet in the way they lived and conducted themselves, they were far too barbaric and discourteous.

If Li Xunsheng only wanted to be a lofty divine spirit, he could completely ignore this. As long as he helped these ignorant savages multiply and expand their tribe, then maintained their absolute reverence, that would be enough. However, such beings would betray him sooner or later and turn toward another faction.

That was absolutely not the ending he wanted.

Rather than being a so-called divine spirit, he would rather help these people struggling to survive as both teacher and friend, though that was impossible... To preserve the basic dignity of a divine spirit, he had to maintain a certain distance.

Still, since he possessed enough power to accomplish such things, he did not mind lending a hand and helping these people embark on the path of growth.

But if what he cultivated were a group of savage, uncultured brutes, he absolutely could not tolerate that.

Thus, material needs were easy to satisfy. Xuan Sheng only needed to toss something into [Divine Grace] to resolve most of the tribespeople's problems.

But if he wanted to cultivate a civilized race with excellent character, he had to instill the relevant concepts from the very beginning and ensure they followed them through!

Releasing the "niece," whose mind was a complete muddle, Xuan Sheng's thoughts shifted as he looked toward the old woman who was already nearly at the end of her life.

'My god...'

After the huge swings in emotion, and with her final regret completely fulfilled, this woman who had once been steadfast and brave, sheltered her people from wind and rain, and still thought of her fellow clansmen until the final moment of her life was now shedding tears of old age. Her thoughts were a complete mess, and her whole body was bathed in the divine spirit's warmth...

[Faith +999]

She had already reached the end of her life. She should have died long ago...

Looking at the old woman, a trace of a smile still lingering on her face, Xuan Sheng sighed softly.

[Confirm this action? Consume 4,000 Faith points?]

'Yes.'

Nearly all his accumulated Faith points would be exhausted, but Xuan Sheng did not feel the slightest pain over it.

This was the place he had prepared for all heroes after death...

Their souls would return to their homeland... He would call it Soul Village...

Under the astonished and frightened gazes of the tribespeople, the old woman who had reached the end of her natural life slowly faded away... Yet an aged soul separated from her body and bathed in the divine spirit's radiance. Her old body visibly grew younger... In an instant, the aged soul had regained the peak of her youth, transforming back into the beautiful and powerful girl she had once been, filled with boundless vitality.

A golden gate slowly opened. Even the Holy Light spilling from it, merely shining upon the people, allowed them to feel a warmth and comfort they had never experienced before...

[Faith +666]

[Faith +888]

[Faith +444]

Where did life begin? Where did death lead?

Every sentient being was obsessed with these two simplest yet most difficult questions to answer.

And today, they saw the answer.

'My god?'

The beautiful woman opened her eyes and gazed hazily at everything happening before her.

[Rest for now. Have a good sleep.]

With Faith points in short supply, the current Soul Village contained nothing. It could only accommodate souls and provide them with the most comfortable place to rest.

'Mm...'

With absolute trust, she closed her eyes. Wrapped in a warm and comfortable aura, Xuan Sheng's first believer, who did not even have a name, fell into dormancy within Soul Village...

Looking at the people whose faces were filled with fervor and utmost reverence, Xuan Sheng coldly delivered his oracle:

[Listen. I do not need your offerings, nor do I care for your so-called respect.]

[However, anyone who has made great contributions to their fellow clansmen may enter Soul Village after death and enjoy eternal peace.]

[This matter ends here. When I descend next time, I hope you will all look like human beings instead of being worse than beasts...]

Ignoring the people's fervent gazes, Xuan Sheng severed the connection.

"I really didn't expect it... Soul Village, which I built on a whim, actually managed to invigorate them so suddenly..."

Recalling everyone's reactions earlier, Li Xunsheng scratched his head.

In the end, relying on the miracle displayed while constructing Soul Village, he had harvested another round of faith... Not bad at all.

That had been an unintended benefit, but having those people maintain their reverence for him was a good thing too...

Ah, he hoped that when he descended next time, they really would have changed for the better.