Beyond the Desolate Forbidden Land, in the Big Dipper Star Domain.
Ye Hei sat cross-legged on a cold rock, a crystal-clear jade bottle resting in his hand.
He had just opened the exclusive red packet from "God of Gods."
Inside the bottle lay more than a dozen golden pills, each the size of a longan. Pill essence swirled around them as rosy light shimmered, and a refreshing medicinal fragrance drifted into his nostrils, easing his exhaustion by a third.
Nine-Turn Golden Elixir!
He had no idea what the stuff actually was, but even its appearance practically screamed, I'm expensive, and I'm powerful.
He tipped out a pill and swallowed it without hesitation.
A vast torrent of life essence erupted through his limbs and bones like a volcano.
The countless hidden injuries he had sustained on the path to perfecting his Saint Body were washed by the warm current, healing at an astonishing rate.
His depleted blood and qi became abundant and surging once more.
Ye Hei's eyes snapped open, a divine gleam flashing across them.
He could feel himself returning to peak condition!
This pill was the real deal! It was a divine treasure!
What was the background of the guy who called himself "God of Gods"?
[Ding! Chat group leader "God of Gods" withdrew an exclusive red packet.]
Ye Hei: "???"
The jade bottle in his hand, along with the golden pills still inside it, vanished into thin air.
Ye Hei's face went dark on the spot.
Bu Yao Bi Lian: "Hahahaha! I'm dying! Boss Ye Hei, how does it feel to have the duck you were about to eat fly away?"
Moon Worship Cult Leader: "This item appeared from nowhere and vanished just as suddenly. Truly wondrous. Group leader, what do you mean by this?"
A vein twitched on Ye Hei's forehead.
God of Gods: "I sent it by mistake."
God of Gods: "I meant to send it to the person in the group who needed help most."
God of Gods: "Since you've already eaten one and fully recovered, I'll naturally take back the rest."
Ye Hei: "..."
He was at a loss for words.
That... did sound pretty reasonable.
So why was he still so furious?
Bu Yao Bi Lian: "Pfft! Boss, you're incredible! I'd call that a divine-level reversal! Now that's what I call a big-picture mindset!"
Bu Yao Bi Lian: "Boss, look at me! I need help more than anyone! I've got elderly relatives to care for and no kids, I'm all alone, and I'm so poor I can barely afford food! Please feed me!"
Just then, something stirred in the group again.
[Ding!] [Tianxia Association Leader has joined the chat!] [Wudang Zhang Sanfeng has joined the chat!] [Playful Leopard has joined the chat!]
The group immediately grew lively again.
Tianxia Association Leader: "Hmm? What place is this? Who dares play tricks and drag this old man here?"
Xiong Ba's voice carried the domineering aura of a ruthless overlord.
Wudang Zhang Sanfeng: "Heh, how interesting. I've been in seclusion for a hundred years, yet such a marvelous place has appeared in the world, capable of gathering people's minds in one place. Truly inconceivable."
Playful Leopard: "Wow! This is fun! What kind of newfangled thing is this? It's way more fun than My Leopard Chamber! Who are you all? State your names!"
Bu Yao Bi Lian: "Oh, new arrivals! Welcome, welcome! First, pay the group protection fee, or you can kowtow to the boss. Either works!"
Tianxia Association Leader: "Insolent! What are you, to speak to this old man like that?"
Ye Hei: "Newcomers, I suggest you take a look at the group name first."
Xiong Ba, Zhang Sanfeng, and the one called "Playful Leopard" reflexively glanced at the golden words at the top of the chat window.
God of Gods.
The three newcomers fell silent at the same time.
Inside the Investiture of the Gods Space, Shen Zhaochi's True Spirit watched these new "angel investors" join the group and nodded with satisfaction.
Xiong Ba, an ambitious overlord from the World of Wind and Cloud.
Zhang Sanfeng, a martial arts legend and grandmaster from the World of the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.
Zhu Houzhao, the emperor of the Great Ming World—the Emperor Zhengde.
Each was a celebrated figure in his own world, blessed with abundant destiny.
They were perfect as "regional agents" for his divine enterprise.
The book can't be found by searching its title? Try searching the author's name instead. Maybe it was just renamed!
It was time to unveil his business plan.
God of Gods: "This place is the Hall of Gods."
God of Gods: "I am God of Gods."
God of Gods: "All who enter my hall are destined to be here."
God of Gods: "In the worlds where you reside, build temples for me, craft golden idols, spread my divine name, and worship me day and night."
God of Gods: "Gather devout believers and amass boundless incense offerings."
God of Gods: "When your task is complete, I can appoint you as gods. You will wield authority over your own domains and enjoy eternal life."
He used no flowery language, stating it all as plainly as possible.
What he wanted.
What he could give them.
After a long silence, the entire chat group erupted.
Tianxia Association Leader: "Eternal life? Appointment as a god?!"
Xiong Ba's heart gave a fierce thump.
What had he pursued his entire life? Nothing but supreme power and eternal life!
And now someone was telling him he could have it all just by working for him?
Moon Worship Cult Leader: "I see... So what you need is the Power of Faith. In exchange for faith, you grant divine positions. It's a transaction."
Playful Leopard: "Build temples? I'm good at that! How big should it be? What specifications? Are gold and glazed tiles enough? Should the statue be solid gold?"
Zhu Houzhao was the most excited of all.
His uncle, Zhu Wushi, had him so thoroughly on the back foot that he could barely breathe. He desperately needed outside help.
What was that so-called Iron Guts Divine Marquis compared to a god?
As long as he could get on this divine being's good side, he'd build a temple—or even turn the entire Forbidden City into a divine palace!
Wudang Zhang Sanfeng: "Build temples and spread your teachings... You intend to establish a divine path?"
A man of extraordinary insight, Zhang Sanfeng saw the essence of the matter at once.
This had nothing to do with mortal martial arts or worldly power anymore. It was the creation of an entirely new system of cultivation.
Ye Hei: "I believe you. But I don't believe you completely. Heaven doesn't hand out free lunches. The price of a divine position must be more than just building a temple."
Tianxia Association Leader: "Words are cheap. Who'll believe your claim that you can appoint gods? How do we know it's true? Unless you can produce a divine pill like the one from before and let this old man witness a miracle with his own eyes!"
Xiong Ba was already calculating furiously.
He wanted something for nothing.
God of Gods: "Pills are merely external objects."
God of Gods: "A divine position is authority, a heavenly rank, a manifestation of the world's laws."
God of Gods: "Believe, and it exists. Disbelieve, and it does not."
Shen Zhaochi offered no further explanation.
He had already given them their chance.
Whether they seized it was up to them.
Playful Leopard: "I believe! Tell me how to build the temple. What should the statue look like? You'll have to give me a blueprint, right? What if you don't like how it turns out?"
Zhu Houzhao was genuinely anxious.
He felt he had grasped the only lifeline available to him.
The question left Shen Zhaochi stumped, too.
Right.
What about the divine statue?
He was currently just a wisp of True Spirit, trapped inside the Investiture of the Gods. He couldn't even leave this space, let alone travel to the Great Ming World.
He couldn't just ask Zhu Houzhao to mold a random clay figure, could he?
That would be far too shabby.
"System, how do we solve this?"
[As the master of the Investiture of the Gods, the host is the source of all gods.] [Once believers have built a temple, they need only recite the host's divine name, "God of Gods," with devotion. The host can then send down a strand of divine will, using the initial Power of Faith gathered by the temple to manifest there and form a divine statue.] [The day the divine statue is formed will be the day the divine path descends.]
So that was how it worked.
Shen Zhaochi understood.
He calmly replied in the group.
God of Gods: "No blueprint is needed."
God of Gods: "Just build the temple."
God of Gods: "If your heart is sincere, I will appear."
Playful Leopard: "Got it! You mean that as long as we're sincere, that's all that matters! I understand!"
The book can't be found by searching its title? Try searching the author's name instead. Maybe it was just renamed!
Before you continue