With a miserable howl, the middle-aged man failed to finish what he wanted to say. Clutching his rapidly swelling, purplish-red hand, he staggered backward several steps in disgrace. At the side, Tixiang was already screaming hysterically, "How dare you attempt to assassinate His Majesty! Guards! Guards! Drag this traitor of the Empire away and send every last one of his clansmen to the stake!"
A pack of wolfish Gallic Empire palace guards rushed forward and seized the middle-aged man at once.
Stann let out a low roar. "Stop! All of you, stop! Listen to me!"
Lin Qi waved a hand, halting the palace guards. Within the vast Golden Hall, only Stann's voice echoed now. His expression complicated, Stann stared fixedly at Lin Qi and asked, word by word, "You aren't joking?"
Lin Qi stared right back at Stann and said calmly, "There is no need for me to joke. Certain things are destined to happen in the future, and for the people of the Gallic Empire, being incorporated into the Dragon Mountain Empire will bring nothing but benefits. To put it more frankly, I need the Gallic Empire's population and soldiers. I need the Gallic Empire's resources. I need the Gallic Empire's... power of faith!"
The power of faith was actually of little use to Lin Qi. His cultivation method was humanity's most orthodox path of power, while the power of faith was something only the gods valued beyond measure. But Lin Qi had to seize it, because every portion of faith he took meant one less portion for the gods. If Lin Qi could obtain all the power of faith in this world, then the gods would become water without a source. Sooner or later, they would be completely drowned beneath Lin Qi's endless armies.
"The power of faith!"