Collecting Faith

Flowing Frost City.

Bart family castle.

Bang!

An invisible force crashed down onto Cui Ruo's slender body.

Cui Ruo, who had been floating in midair, suddenly sank.

She felt the space around her solidify.

Every inch of air around her seemed to turn into heavy water, pressing fiercely against her divine body.

"Uh..."

A muffled groan escaped her.

Cui Ruo had never wanted to embarrass herself before mortals.

But that overwhelming pressure was utterly unreasonable, a higher-ranked being crushing one of lower rank.

Like a Giant Dragon pressing down on a cat whose fur had bristled.

In an instant.

The divine domain Cui Ruo had painstakingly summoned was shattered without warning.

Her delicate body slammed heavily into the castle garden's lawn, even staggering back two steps before barely managing to stand.

Humiliating.

Too humiliating.

After cultivating for thousands of years and serving as Jade Orchid City's High Priestess, when had she ever suffered such disgrace?

Yet today, like a mosquito, she had been swatted straight down from the sky.

The surroundings fell deathly silent.

Only the sound of sand slipping from between Barte Lei's fingers remained.

The High Priestess who had just been speaking so arrogantly had been knocked down?

And...

It looked as though...

The High Priestess was very afraid of her master?

Lian Qiu was stunned as well.

Her small hand clutching Lei Wen's sleeve froze in midair, her mouth wide enough to fit an egg inside.

Their old master was terrifyingly fierce, wasn't he?

Yet.

Lei Wen acted as though he had merely done something trivial.

He did not even spare Cui Ruo a glance, simply standing there and helping Lian Qiu straighten her clothes.

Cui Ruo, the lofty divine powerhouse who had just looked down on everyone, did not even dare leave a speck of dust on her clothes.

"Lo..."

"Lowly deity Cui Ruo greets you, my lord."

Cui Ruo's voice trembled.

No matter how desperately she tried to maintain the dignity of a High Priestess, the fear rising from the depths of her soul could not be suppressed.

A true deity!

He was a true deity!

Simply by releasing his pressure, he had driven her Divine Power to the point of stagnation, even scattering the thoughts of resistance in her mind.

It was too terrifying.

What exactly was this young man?

Becoming a deity in thirty days was already a miracle.

But he had not merely become a deity. He was a mid-ranked deity.

Cui Ruo cried bitterly inside.

Had she known this was a monster, she would never have come to cause trouble.

Now she was finished.

This was bad.

If things went poorly, she might die here today.

After tidying Lian Qiu's clothes, Lei Wen slowly turned around.

"Cui Ruo."

"High Priestess of Jade Orchid City, follower of the Goddess of Life."

"You were floating up there because you wanted to tell me that you hold a very high status?"

Lei Wen's voice was not loud.

Yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"N-no, I wouldn't dare!"

Cui Ruo's face went pale as she hurriedly shook her head.

She looked even more aggrieved than when she had just accused them.

"You misunderstand, my lord."

"I... I merely..."

Cui Ruo stammered.

Cold sweat slid down her forehead and dripped onto the green divine staff.

Before the enormous gap in strength, any explanation appeared feeble and pale.

After all.

The world of divine powerhouses was so brutally cruel that it drove people to despair.

If Lei Wen wanted to kill her, it would probably take no more than a flick of his finger.

"Enough."

"Since you are here, state your business."

Lei Wen waved his hand.

After all, this was their first meeting.

He held no hostility toward Cui Ruo.

But he had no relationship with her either.

More importantly.

Cui Ruo had cultivated for thousands of years, yet she was only a low-ranked deity.

Lei Wen, however, had already stepped into the ranks of mid-ranked deities.

With the passage of time, the gap between him and these people would only grow wider.

Under such circumstances.

Lei Wen had no intention of befriending Cui Ruo.

Cui Ruo swallowed.

She could tell that Lei Wen truly did not take her seriously.

That attitude instead made her feel slightly relieved.

A Giant Dragon would not care about a reckless ant unless the ant had truly bitten it.

She had to immediately make her position clear.

The current situation was obvious.

Jade Orchid City was no longer ruled by the Emperor.

Nor was it ruled by her, the High Priestess.

It was ruled by the young man before her.

"My lord."

"Regarding the matter of faith territory..."

"According to the laws of the Jade Orchid Empire, divine powerhouses are qualified to divide territories and gather faith."

"With your strength, my lord, Jade Orchid City..."

Cui Ruo spoke flatteringly.

What was the core benefit between divine powerhouses?

Faith.

After becoming a deity, if one wanted to advance quickly...

Apart from talent.

One had to rely on the power of faith to steadily raise Divine Power and assist in deducing divine techniques.

Jade Orchid City had a large population. It was an enormous piece of cake.

As the sole guardian deity of Jade Orchid City, she had monopolized that cake.

Now Lei Wen had suddenly appeared, and his strength far surpassed hers.

That cake would have to be divided up, perhaps even surrendered entirely.

Rather than being forced to give it up, it was better to offer it first. That might earn her some goodwill.

But.

Cui Ruo's heart was bleeding.

This was the territory she had managed for thousands of years!

But she had no choice.

Before absolute strength, surrender was inevitable.

"The entire Jade Orchid City, and even the surrounding provinces, are willing to become your faith territory, my lord."

"If you are willing, I can immediately inform the Emperor and have him establish your divine statue throughout the empire for worship."

"..."

Cui Ruo's voice grew quieter and quieter, and her posture became increasingly humble.

This was practically kneeling and begging.

If the other divine powerhouses of the Jade Orchid Empire saw this, their eyes would probably fall out.

The High Priestess, who usually held herself so high and mighty, was now begging someone else to accept her territory.

Barte Lei's heart pounded as he listened from the side.

Establishing Lei Wen's divine statue?

This...

This was going to defy the heavens!

If this truly happened.

Wouldn't the Bart family be even more honored than the imperial family?

This was divine grace!

Xue also held a hand to her chest, feeling a little dazed.

Happiness had come too suddenly for her to bear.

Her younger brother had not only become a deity, but was about to become the faith of the entire Infernal Realm?

Lian Qiu did not think that far ahead.

She only felt that her old master was amazing. Even the High Priestess wanted to give him her territory.

Wouldn't that mean she could walk around sideways in the city from now on?

Whoever dared provoke me!

My old master is Lei Wen!

Just as everyone believed Lei Wen would gladly accept, perhaps even smile at Cui Ruo's display of submission.

"No interest."

Three words.

Ice-cold and crisp.

Lei Wen's words struck them all like a thunderbolt.

"Huh?"

Cui Ruo froze.

She suspected she had misheard.

That was faith!

The power of faith from tens of millions of people.

How many divine powerhouses dreamed of obtaining such a thing?

How could a divine powerhouse refuse such a piece of fat delivered right to his door?

Could he be testing me?

"My lord."

"You need not consider my feelings."

"This world has always revered the strong."

"You are a deity. It is only natural for you to possess the entire empire."

"I absolutely have no complaints!"

Cui Ruo was panicking inside.

She hurriedly bowed again and explained anxiously.

She truly feared that Lei Wen would think she was playing hard to get, then backhand her across the face.

"I was wrong."

"I wouldn't dare."

"..."