Six streaks of light rose almost simultaneously from different parts of Emperor Taihuang City, bearing the auras of False Gods as they tore through the air and abruptly halted above the moat.
The light faded, revealing six figures above the riverbank.
Four wore exquisite Brahmin priestly robes. Silk brocade gleamed softly in the morning light, and crimson or white religious marks adorned their foreheads. Ritual auras that connected them to the gods of the Ganges swirled around them.
These were the Brahmin priests who held the most exalted positions within the Ganges Academy, wielding the authority to commune with deities.
The other two looked entirely different. Coarse white cloth wrapped their emaciated bodies, and their exposed skin was dark brown, covered in scars left by years of age and cultivation.
Their eyes were deeply sunken, yet their gazes shone with extraordinary brightness, like two flames that had never gone out. They were Ganges Ascetics.
Within the Ganges Academy, Ascetics were a highly unusual group.
Anyone who advanced to False God could choose to become an Ascetic. Even someone born into the lowliest Dalit caste could use that status to stand as an equal to Brahmin priests.
They had no missions to carry out and no affairs to manage. The Ganges Academy unconditionally provided every resource they needed for cultivation. Their sole duty was ascetic practice, accumulating ascetic power day after day, year after year.
The more they accumulated, the greater the power they could receive when the time came to invoke a blessing.
The six False Gods set foot on the gravel of the riverbank, their gazes locking onto two targets almost simultaneously.
One was Singh, kneeling on the ground with a vacant expression. The other was Zhou Yao, standing several paces away, looking perfectly composed.
All of them could