Creating Gods, Creating Gods! Next Update at 10 PM

"So-called Gathering Belief into Godhood is also known as becoming a god through faith.

This was a system that had long existed in the Great Wilderness, yet few knew of it. Though there were many difficulties in putting it into practice, it was absolutely feasible in theory.

What was Gathering Belief? It was gathering the beliefs of all living beings, condensing that faith within oneself, and thereby assembling mighty divine power.

In this regard, Women's Country possessed uniquely favorable conditions.

Do you know why Innate Gods all occupied a certain territory?

Because after an Innate God was injured, they could use the method of Gathering Belief to draw upon the Power of Faith of living beings, gaining the strength to swiftly recover from their wounds.

In other words, among the laws of the Great Wilderness, there was one law concerning the aggregation of faith.

Although no one had yet tried to gather faith and become a god... the Power of Faith gathered together would, in all likelihood, be able to resist the divine power left behind by Women's Country's goddess and its erosion of the queen's consciousness.

Moreover, my mother and I once discussed praying to the Star God. So long as the gathered Power of Faith is sufficient and pure enough, it truly can condense into an acquired divine spark. Its combat strength would simply be far weaker than that of an Innate God, because it cannot command the power of laws."

By the pool, within the Soundproof Array, Wu Wang spoke briskly and eloquently.

The middle-aged scholar beside him had turned a purplish red, gritting his teeth as he held on, fiercely tugging at chains formed from immortal power.

At this moment, the only people enclosed within the Soundproof Array were Wu Wang, the queen, Ling Xiaolan, Ji Mo, the National Teacher, and Women's Country's two prime ministers.

As they listened to Wu Wang's words, light gradually appeared in their eyes.

Wu Wang continued:

"Your Majesty, whether you can end Women's Country's tragedy and carve out a true paradise in the Great Wilderness rests entirely on a single thought of yours.

Your Spiritual Sense is already exceptionally strong. Before we open the channel of faith, you can absolutely resist the goddess's divine power from eroding you."

The National Teacher hurriedly asked, "Then how should the thoughts of all living beings be gathered?"

"Prayers, divine statues, temples," Wu Wang said. "There must certainly be other restrictions besides these. If necessary, I can return to the Northern Plains and ask my mother for help."

The National Teacher immediately fell into thought. "This..."

Ling Xiaolan, however, said, "If a god is born among humanity, would that not violate the foundation upon which humanity stands?"

Wu Wang smiled. "Divine power, magic power, physical strength—any strength that can protect one's people is good strength."

"Brother Xiong," Ji Mo also asked, "how many years would this require?"

"Perhaps several thousand years, perhaps tens of thousands. But so long as it succeeds, Her Majesty the Queen should soon be able to move freely without being bound within the Goddess Statue."

Wu Wang looked toward the pool and said softly:

"After I figured this out, a thought suddenly came to me.

Perhaps Women's Country's goddess had no choice but to leave Women's Country. She left her daughter here and also left behind these two divine artifacts.

Most likely, this goddess had originally hoped that her daughter could inherit her position. She then used this mutually destructive method to warn other Innate Gods not to lay hands on this place, which was why Women's Country enjoyed peace through its long years.

Otherwise, she could simply have destroyed Women's Country before leaving.

Furthermore, Women's Country is a branch of humanity. Its birth must have come after Empress Nuwa created humankind. The goddess's identity and why she left may perhaps be connected to Empress Nuwa's disappearance after creating humanity."

Wu Wang paused.

"The disappearance of Women's Country's goddess is connected to the ancient divine war.

If that is truly the case, then going to fight a divine war without taking divine artifacts makes no sense... Women's Country's system is highly likely to be a form of divine succession. It is simply that the rulers of Women's Country throughout the generations failed to endure it, or never cultivated to the minimum level needed to receive the inheritance.

Yes, that is possible. It may be connected to humanity being placed under the six-hundred-year lifespan limit. Before their Spiritual Sense could grow sufficiently powerful, their lifespans had already run out."

Everyone felt rather dizzy and could not make heads or tails of it.

Ling Xiaolan asked in return, "Wasn't humanity born after the divine war?"

Ji Mo said, "There is another view—that humanity was born during the era of the divine war. That was an age spanning tens of thousands of years; the slaughter between Innate Gods did not end in a single day.

Humanity was placed under the lifespan limit right after the divine war ended. Just as humanity began to show signs of rising, they suffered a brutal massacre."

Everyone could not help sinking into... thought...

"Hey! Can you get to the point? Tell this queen what she needs to do!"

The middle-aged scholar at the side gnashed his teeth, spitting out several mouthfuls of bloody froth as he cursed, "This poor Daoist is really about to give out!"

Wu Wang's figure emerged from behind the middle-aged scholar. He raised a hand and patted the scholar's shoulder.

"A man, how can he say he can't make it? Senior, put a little more strength into it."

The middle-aged scholar's eyes immediately filled with emotion. He nearly slapped Wu Wang flying.

"Getting to the point," Wu Wang promptly said, "Your Majesty, do you wish to try this path?"

"I do."

Light flickered in the queen's eyes as she said, "Whether I become a god is of no consequence. If I can remain clear-headed forever, I am willing to protect my Women's Country for all eternity."

"Then you must do two things well."

"Mhm."

Wu Wang said solemnly:

"First, cherish hope. Do not let negative emotions coil around you. Remain positive and optimistic.

"Second, if you can communicate with us later, do so as soon as possible and report every change to us."

"I will."

"And this time, don't go back to that cramped Underground Palace," Wu Wang said. "You must have the courage to face your subjects. Stand right here, beside the Spirit Nurturing Pool."

Queen Jiayi froze slightly, then slowly nodded. Clearly, she was under some pressure.

"Go."

After saying this, Wu Wang lowered his head and performed a Daoist salute. "This time, I will surely give my all to aid Women's Country!"

Ji Mo and Ling Xiaolan performed Daoist salutes in unison. The National Teacher and the two prime ministers slowly knelt, while outside the Soundproof Array, all the military and civil officials knelt at the same time.

Fengge had already fainted. The gray at her temples was swiftly spreading into white...

Queen Jiayi glanced at Fengge, tenderness in her eyes. With not a trace of doubt remaining, she turned and leaped into the Spirit Nurturing Pool, clutching the crown to her chest.

Streams of golden light surged, and the Spirit Nurturing Hall turned into a golden ocean!

A majestic Goddess Statue rose from the earth amid the golden light. Everyone was swept into the air by a gentle wind, and the hall's roof was directly burst apart!

Melodious music drifted in from nowhere. Clouds and mist radiating seven-colored rosy light filled the skies above the capital, and the upper half of the statue rose above the palace walls, where it was seen by Women's Country citizens gazing toward the capital.

One after another, they fell to their knees. Noisy prayers rose from every direction.

Inside and outside the palace, guards and soldiers each knelt and kowtowed in worship.

A colossal statue, faint ripples of Spiritual Sense...

The statue stood beside the Spirit Nurturing Pool. It bore Queen Jiayi's appearance and attire, its material like jade laden with clouds—beautiful, sacred, and carrying several traces of mystery.

It was difficult to imagine that the rulers of Women's Country throughout the generations had all fallen from such forms into ugly Fierce Beasts.

At the foot of the statue, Wu Wang, Ling Xiaolan, Ji Mo, the National Teacher, and several Women's Country officials urgently discussed something.

At one corner of the scene, a certain scholar sat slanted against something, vomiting blood while looking gratifiedly at Ji Mo, who seemed to have matured greatly.

Soon, everyone began acting separately, each carrying a sense of urgency.

The National Teacher rushed into the Underground Palace and brought back priests and white-robed young women, who surrounded the queen and continuously prayed and chanted.

Ling Xiaolan and Ji Mo took out precious communication talismans and hurried beyond the border, beginning to summon the elders of their respective families and sects.

Wu Wang was even more impressive. A certain middle-aged scholar dragged him aside, and the two wrestled into a tangled heap. For a time, the scene was exceedingly bloody.

Half a day later.

A tiny, faint glimmer appeared on one of the statue's toes. The National Teacher gave a cheer, so excited her waves surged violently.

Wu Wang, whose face had swollen into a pig's head, and the middle-aged scholar, whose robe had become a scarlet strip down his back, immediately rushed over at the sound.

"How is it?"

The middle-aged scholar asked in a low voice.

Wu Wang did not answer. He pressed one hand against the edge of the statue's toe and quietly sensed it. Soon, he raised his head and roared:

"It is thought power, different from Her Majesty the Queen's thought power!"

The priests and martial artists around them immediately erupted into earth-shaking cheers.

Wu Wang rose and shouted, "Increase the effort! Mobilize more people to pray to the Goddess Statue in an orderly fashion!"

The martial artists and priests hurriedly nodded, then all looked toward Wu Wang.

"Divine Envoy... it seems you cannot directly issue orders to us."

"The Divine Envoy can!"

The National Teacher strode over swiftly with her long staff, calling out, "The Divine Envoy is Women's Country's... Honorary National Teacher! He is the guest elder with the highest rank in Women's Country!"

Wu Wang blinked. Had she discussed this with the next queen?

The priests and martial artists immediately pressed their palms together in salute. The National Teacher came over, wanting to take Wu Wang's hand and raise it in celebration.

Wu Wang instinctively stepped back half a pace and smiled apologetically.

National Teacher: ...

She had given her heart to the wrong man.

Three days later, a high wooden platform was erected before the palace. A celebration opened in the goddess's name, drawing many citizens from within and outside the capital.

During the prayer segment held every half hour, the National Teacher, dressed in full ceremonial attire, stood atop the platform and read from papers still wet with ink, recounting little stories of the goddess and extolling her greatness and tolerance.

"This is the most crucial step. We must give Her Majesty Jiayi the aura of a god, allowing her to leap from being a ruler into a true deity."

Wu Wang's words still echoed in the National Teacher's ears:

"I have several plans here.

"The first plan is to invoke future disasters, making the people feel nervous and place their hopes in the goddess. The benefit is quick results; the drawback is that it can easily cause panic and is unfavorable to the future development of Women's Country's thinking.

"The second plan is exaggerated narration and fabricated stories. The third plan is forging divine miracles. The three can be carried out at the same time."

Previously, the National Teacher had only noticed the Northern Plains Divine Envoy's handsome and dashing bearing. Only now did she realize that when it came to faith...

"Professional."

No wonder he could become the Star God's Divine Envoy.

Within the palace, Wu Wang and the middle-aged scholar ate grilled skewers while carefully observing the Queen's Goddess Statue's toes.

The very proper kind of observation.

The middle-aged scholar asked in puzzlement, "Fellow Daoist Xiong, did you comprehend this faith system over the past few days?"

Wu Wang smiled without answering.

Would he say that his ultimate purpose in founding the Star God Cult was to place his mother upon the divine altar and deliver the ultimate stab in the back to the Star God?

Of course not.

After all, Wu Wang had not yet discussed this with his mother. He had merely said that the Star God Cult would make it easier to unite the Northern Plains' various factions.

"Senior Xu Mu," Wu Wang said with a smile, lifting his skewer and lightly clinking it against the middle-aged scholar's, "I actually learned this in the Northern Plains. How could someone as young as me possibly understand such things?"

"Oh?"

Xu Mu, Ji Mo's master, immediately narrowed his eyes and chuckled.

"If this poor Daoist believed you, that would truly mean I had fallen under an evil spell.

But why did you have Ji Mo and Ling Xiaolan call the immortals of their two families here?"

Wu Wang asked, "The Ji Family and the Heavenly Origin Mystic Maiden Sect both count as major powers in the Human Domain, right?"

Xu Mu smiled. "The Human Domain differs from the Northern Plains and from Women's Country. There is no such thing as major powers. Everyone seeks only to protect the Human Domain and give humanity a place to live without being bullied.

The Ji Family itself does not have many experts. What matters most is its influence and power of appeal.

As for the Heavenly Origin Mystic Maiden Sect, there is even less need to mention it. It is an old great immortal sect, with disciples spread throughout the Human Domain—the only major sect that not even the demonic sects dare harass."

"Oh? Why?"

"Did you think the Mysterious Maiden Sect had no disciples married to powerful demonic cultivators?"

"Both immortal and demon alike?"

Wu Wang's eyes brightened. He picked up some fruit wine at the side and clinked cups with Xu Mu.

"Having them call their elders was actually for Women's Country's future circumstances.

Women's Country lies in the barren lands of the Western Plains. There are no large tribes nearby, nor any forces that threaten them. But now that they have embarked upon this path of creating gods, the future is filled with infinite variables.

Establishing close ties with the Human Domain brings more benefits than harm. The Mysterious Maiden Sect can select some disciples here as well."

"Let's not speak of that. This poor Daoist is merely someone who knows cultivation. There are indeed things I cannot compare with a young master from a great clan like you in."

Xu Mu smiled and bumped Wu Wang's arm. The corners of his mouth curled slightly and his brows twitched gently.

"Fellow Daoist, you and Junior Niece Ling, are you... mm?"

Wu Wang gave an awkward laugh. "Just friends."

"Then what about you and Queen Jiayi?"

"Ah." Wu Wang sighed faintly. "Women's Country itself has a yearning for men. The queen has always been oppressed by the responsibility upon her shoulders. Her nature has grown increasingly gentle, yet she yearns all the more for a complete life.

She merely wanted the role of a husband to fill the final regret in her life. Whether that husband was called Xiong Ba or Ji Mo did not matter. It was probably no more than a night's pleasure.

The reason the queen chose to draw close to me was largely due to the misunderstanding caused by Brother Ji being hung from the city wall."

"It is not merely that," Xu Mu said with a smile. "I have lived for so long and seen many such matters. The queen does have a favorable impression of you."

"But it is limited to a favorable impression."

Wu Wang smiled. "I have a clear understanding of such matters."

"And you?" Xu Mu lightly bumped Wu Wang's arm. "Did your heart move?"

"This... mm... drink, drink."

"Hahaha! So you have awkward moments too! We should drink three hundred cups! Three hundred cups!"

The two of them could be considered acquainted through a fight.

Ji Mo was the one who suffered somewhat. When he returned from the border and saw his own teacher calling Wu Wang's Brother Xiong, he did not know how to address Wu Wang for a moment.

Each... each according to their own seniority.

Half a month later, the first goddess temple was completed within the capital.

Xu Mu, a True Immortal, remained in the capital and did not immediately return to the Human Domain. He could be considered a guardian of this place.

Ji Mo and Ling Xiaolan, however, were exceptionally busy. Wu Wang dragged them into a little dark room, and the three young cultivators who had yet to become immortals began pondering how to sense the Power of Faith.

After completing this stage, there would still be a series of topics Wu Wang had laid out, such as "the storage and transmission of the Power of Faith," "the influence of the Power of Faith on one's cultivation," and "the coexistence of the Power of Faith and magic power."

For the time being, the three of them likely could not leave Women's Country.

Within the palace hall that held the Crystal Ball, parchment scroll, forging table, pill furnace, parasol, reclining chair, hand-cranked juicer, and all sorts of other objects.

Ji Mo said worriedly, "I withdrew from the trial, so I no longer need to watch the Four Seas Pavilion's expression. But Fairy Ling..."

"I withdrew as well," Ling Xiaolan said calmly. "I was tired of it."

"Right, I have a little something for you two."

Wu Wang smiled as he took out two brocade boxes, thoughtfully opening them for the pair.

Ji Mo's eyes lit up. He picked up the crystal-like fan ribs, then noticed the thick instruction manual beneath them.

Though they looked like the ribs of a folding fan, they were actually a tiny magical artifact capable of firing concealed weapons and spraying knockout powder. Its ingenuity lay in its clever design; the materials were costly, but the artifact-refining craftsmanship was mediocre.

Ling Xiaolan looked at the brocade box before her, blinking slightly as she carefully took out the two jade-green straws carved from jade.

"One for tea, one for wine."

Wu Wang said solemnly, "Although you often wear a bamboo hat, Fairy, whether you tilt your head back and pour it in or stick out your tongue to lick the tea and wine, it is somewhat unbecoming."

Ling Xiaolan's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, yet she still nodded calmly and replied in an indifferent tone, "Thank you, Brother Bear."

Ji Mo held it in again and again beside them. If Ling Xiaolan had not drawn her sword so quickly, he would have nearly burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, deep within the Western Plains.

Dozens of colossal beasts, each hundreds of zhang long, lay toppled and tangled into a mountain of flesh. An old man, barefoot, leaning on a staff, and clad in a rain cape, reclined sideways atop the forehead of the highest beast, rubbing his toes against his calf.

So this was another way to break Women's Country's deadlock. Not bad, little fellow.

"Shennong!"

A stern shout came from behind him. It was a giant more than ten zhang tall.

The giant had been trussed up like a rice dumpling by a rope shimmering with immortal light and hung from a Fierce Beast's horn. He had ram's horns on his head, the upper body of a human, and two black, fur-covered beast legs below the waist.

Most dazzling of all, waves of divine light surged around the giant. The pressure radiating from him was enough to make heaven and earth change color.

Of course, it was a perfectly clear day.

The giant roared furiously, "You dare humiliate this god so! The Heavenly Emperor will not let you off!"

"Stop imagining things," Shennong said calmly without turning his head. "In these few hundred years before my lifespan runs out, he will not take a single step from the Heavenly Palace... Still not talking? Where is that thing?"

The giant gritted his teeth. "The Heavenly Palace!"

"I mean, other than the Heavenly Palace."

"This god has dignity too! Even if you beat this god to death today, this god will absolutely never tell you that thing is on Kunlun Hill! Hmph!"

Shennong stroked his beard and fell into thought.

Queen Mother of the West?

That was hardly any easier than storming the Heavenly Palace.