Chapter 31

Sui Xiong was never the type to take a beating lying down. Back when he was human, he was a firm believer in "repaying kindness with kindness and grievances with grievances." After transmigrating, he elevated his personal code to "repaying kindness threefold and grievances tenfold."

Since the God of Conspiracy dared to incite a follower to scheme against him, he would strike back hard!

For instance, by devouring the god's messenger.

Faced with such an arrogant provocation, the God of Conspiracy was naturally incensed. It wasn't as if he hadn't encountered his messengers being intercepted before, but to be thwarted by a clumsy, oversized jellyfish—and for that messenger to become the creature's midnight snack—was simply intolerable!

Without a second thought, he channeled his divine power. A black rift tore through the night sky, and hundreds upon hundreds of gray-black, hooded dwarves swarmed out. They possessed broad, leathery wings and pure black halos hovering above their heads. Relying on the magic granted by these halos, they could evade most detection spells. Each dwarf clutched a pair of pitch-black daggers—the Blade of Betrayal—coated in a toxin so potent that a mere scratch could prove fatal.

These were the Slayers, an army under the command of the God of Conspiracy, a terrifying legion of assassins that operated from the shadows. If Ryan were to head to the God of Conspiracy's divine kingdom after death, there was a high probability he would be transformed into one of these Slayers.

Facing the countless Slayers, Sui Xiong didn't back down. A gaping maw opened atop his massive jellyfish head, and a dazzling white light erupted, transforming into thousands of light arrows. Each arrow pierced through the body of a Slayer.

These arrows were composed of intense positive energy, which clashed violently with the negative energy forming the Slayers' bodies. A cacophony of explosions rang out one after another, wiping out every single Slayer without a trace.

"Come again! Throw whatever you've got at me!"

Sui Xiong waved his tentacles, roaring defiantly at the God of Conspiracy behind the rift.

The God of Conspiracy trembled with rage. No longer caring about the consumption of divine power, he swung his divine artifact with all his might. A bolt of black lightning tore through the firmament, crashing down toward the accursed jellyfish.

As the lightning descended, Sui Xiong showed no fear, raising a tentacle to meet it head-on.

The thick tentacle, wreathed in dazzling blue light, collided heavily with the black thunderbolt. A low boom echoed across the sky, and an invisible shockwave tore the wispy night clouds into shreds, scattering them into nothingness.

The jellyfish, completely unscathed, laughed boisterously and waved its tentacles at the sky in triumph. A giant human face appeared on its broad back, twisted into a mocking sneer.

Seeing this, the God of Conspiracy finally calmed down.

He knew his own situation well; he was not a god skilled in combat. Unless he recklessly moved his divine kingdom to the mortal plane, his full-strength strike from afar was limited to the power of that last lightning bolt. Since this bizarre jellyfish could easily withstand his lightning, he likely had no way to deal with it.

Of course, he could attempt to manifest an avatar—the Four-Faced Monster currently being dragged toward the jellyfish's mouth would have been a decent vessel. But after careful consideration, he abandoned the idea.

A mere shred of dignity and a single messenger were not worth the risk of losing an avatar.

He didn't know the origin of this jellyfish. Perhaps it had the backing of some powerful benevolent deity, like that giant lion who loved to travel the mortal realm, or that justice-obsessed maniac who had fought almost every god in existence. Come to think of it, his list of enemies was far too long to count.

Moreover, his own "interpersonal relationships" were no better than that justice-obsessed maniac's. If he descended to the mortal realm, not only would his enemies attack him, but even those with no grudge might take a swing at him just for the fun of it.

With that thought, the great God of Conspiracy sneered, severed his connection to the captured Four-Faced Monster, and ceased his observation of the area.

In the deep night, only a cold, lingering whisper drifted on the wind: "Beware the dagger in your back."

Admitting defeat wasn't shameful, especially for a god who had no shame to begin with.

As for that follower who was still anxious and praying to him every few moments? Ugh, what was that again? He was far too busy to remember such trivial matters.

Setting aside Ryan, who was currently spiraling into despair, the spectators inside the treasure cave were equally bewildered.

Sui Xiong had clearly projected his clash with the God of Conspiracy into the cave. Gerald and Palin watched, dumbstruck, their very thoughts grinding to a halt.

Good heavens! What had they just witnessed? A true god had been repelled, forced to abandon his messenger, and had retreated in disgrace!

"I always knew His Majesty was powerful, but I never imagined he was this powerful..." Gerald scratched his head, his mouth opening and closing, at a loss for words.

Palin, his face full of astonishment, stammered in a low voice, "Was... was that also a deity?"

"Uh, yeah. That's the god I worship, His Majesty the Void Mask."

"What... what are his divine portfolio and doctrines?" Palin asked. "If one were to worship him, how should one pray?"

Clearly, having witnessed the might of this unknown deity, the young mage was tempted to embrace this god.

Palin had never been religious. While he had followed his elders in praying to the gnome pantheon or the Goddess of Luck, such prayers were mostly perfunctory. He didn't truly believe in the doctrines of any god, nor had he ever been moved by the greatness of one. According to religious scholars, he was an "unbeliever." Even if he occasionally recited a name or offered a prayer, it lacked sincerity, let alone faith.

In this world, religious circles categorized faith into six levels: non-believer, unbeliever, pan-believer, sincere believer, fanatic, and saintly believer. Non-believers were atheists who denied the existence of gods. Unbelievers acknowledged the existence of gods but were unwilling to entrust their faith to them. Pan-believers treated faith as a transaction, praying only when they needed protection or expecting a return on their prayers. Sincere believers accepted the doctrines, prayed with a pure heart, and wished to enter the divine kingdom after death. Fanatics not only believed but were eager to spread their faith. Saintly believers acted strictly according to doctrine, embodying the god's will like a messenger.

Among those Sui Xiong had met, Old Soth was a pan-believer of the Goddess of Luck, Ryan was a sincere believer of the God of Conspiracy, and Palin was an unbeliever. As for Gerald... his level of faith was hard to define. Personally, he was certainly enthusiastic enough to shed blood for His Majesty the Void Mask, meeting the standard of a fanatic, but he knew nothing of his god's portfolio or doctrines, failing to even reach the level of a pan-believer. The reason for this was entirely Sui Xiong's fault—who else was to blame when he didn't even understand his own portfolio, let alone bother to compile a doctrine?

Strictly speaking, even now, Sui Xiong wasn't entirely sure if he was a god.

So, when Palin asked Gerald about the Void Mask's portfolio and doctrines, sincerely expressing his desire to worship him, not only did Gerald freeze, but Sui Xiong also wore a look of utter confusion, not knowing how to respond.

After a while, Gerald, who often pondered such matters, came up with an answer: "His Majesty is a naturally ascended god. He draws power from the roots of the world and hasn't yet developed a faith or doctrine for mortals."

"I understand, like a primordial nature god, right?" As a mage, Palin was well-versed in mysticism. He immediately grasped Gerald's meaning and, expanding on it, reached a rather lofty conclusion. "While I know that great deities like the gods of the four elements, the earth, and the sky are primordial nature gods whose glory is neither increased by mortal faith nor diminished by its absence, I never expected to witness one myself—and a newborn one at that!"

He paused, then offered some advice: "However, Brother White, I think it would be better for His Majesty to develop a following among mortals. The power growth of a primordial nature god is far too slow. In the ignorant primordial age, he would have had all the time in the world to grow, but this is a prosperous era. A god who relies solely on natural growth to increase his power easily becomes a target for evil deities to attack and plunder. He is indeed powerful—powerful enough to repel the God of Conspiracy—but what if several evil gods attack at once?"

Palin spoke with logic and reason. Not only did Gerald nod repeatedly, but Sui Xiong was also deeply impressed. Yet, he couldn't figure out how to develop a following. Did he really have to do as Gerald suggested, spend money to establish pioneer villages, and force the residents to worship him daily?

No matter how he looked at it, that didn't seem very reliable. Even if many people worshipped him, he wouldn't know what doctrines to give them, nor what protection he could offer.

Most importantly, people in this world worshipped gods not so much for protection while alive, but to avoid the Underworld and gain rebirth in a divine kingdom after death.

However... Sui Xiong didn't have a divine kingdom.

"So, Brother Palin, where do you think His Majesty should start?" Gerald, who hadn't thought that far ahead, was used to asking questions when he didn't know something, preferring to leave the thinking to the smart ones while he focused on execution.

Palin gently stroked the cover of the book in his hand, lost in thought.

Although he was a young, low-level mage, he was the only intellectual in the "Church of the Void Mask," an organization whose members could be counted on one hand.

When it came to using one's brain, he had no choice but to step up.

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