Chapter 74: I'm Refining Illusion into Truth

When An Gaoyang arrived with Qianhe Embroidery and his entourage, they witnessed a scene that would forever be etched in their memories. Amidst the curtain of rain, the divine figure clad in a long robe adorned with mysterious patterns stood suspended in mid-air. Under his control, countless vines from Geshan City densely surged outward, enveloping the surrounding sea spirits.

Even these fearless and tireless sea spirits seemed to grasp something new; in the distance, one of them emitted a heart-wrenching cry akin to a baby’s wail. Gradually, the remaining few sea spirits began retreating, slowly moving back towards the direction from which they had come.

After allowing the vines to extend for hundreds of meters, the Mountain God halted their further spread. Similar to the situation at Little Peak Mountain with the white deer, Jian Xiangping felt an implicit understanding that while the unbridled growth of these vines was highly destructive, it still required careful control. Otherwise, once they eliminated all the sea spirits, the unchecked vines themselves could become another uncontrollable force, plundering everything like ‘sea spirits’.

Jian Xiangping glanced at the sky; the rainfall brought by the spiritual tide had significantly decreased. In just a few more days, the initial peak of this first wave should pass.

“From this day forth, let the vines serve as a protective boundary for Geshan City. As long as I endure, so shall Geshan City remain safe.” Using the wind as his medium, Jian Xiangping transmitted his voice throughout the entirety of Geshan City.

“Mr. Mountain God!”

Without warning, someone raised their hands high as if bearing a heavy burden, then slowly knelt and prostrated themselves on the ground, tears of survival mixing with the rain.

In such times, they all needed faith. More importantly, this faith was not abstract but genuinely existed, protecting them in the world.

“Mr. Mountain God.”

As one person devoutly knelt and prayed, gradually, more followed suit until it seemed the entire Geshan City was praising and believing in the Mountain God.

Elderly men, innocent children, robust youths… at least for this moment, they set aside their previous chaotic thoughts and, for the first time, embraced Jian Xiangping with genuine reverence for life.

Unbeknownst to him, An Gaoyang had also raised his hands, joining in the fervent chant, “May the Mountain God protect us.”

Jian Xiangping was slightly taken aback; even he felt moved by the scene, albeit just momentarily. After dealing with the sea spirits, his figure flickered, and he swiftly departed from the scene.

Naturally, others would handle the aftermath.

Back at the Mountain God Temple, Jian Xiangping stood by the window, gazing at the cherry blossoms in the courtyard. The gentle sound of bells drifted amidst the fine rain, painting a picturesque, poetic scene. However, within Jian Xiangping’s palm glowed a faint white light. This radiant aura, both dazzling and carrying a hint of warmth, held an immense allure for him.

This was the power of faith, and it felt remarkably pure.

In Jian Xiangping’s understanding, the former Mountain God would absorb the power of faith for his own use. While initially providing immense strength, in the long run, this reliance on faith could become a hindrance. Once belief waned, a deity would weaken or even perish.

The power of faith resembled poison; once indulged, there was no stopping its influence.

Since Jian Xiangping’s birth, neither the memory of faith’s power nor control over Xiangping Mountain had ever manifested to Him. This did not surprise Jian Xiangping, as He never intended to inherit the mantle of the old god or fulfill the responsibilities of a Mountain God. Thus, being unable to sense either aspect seemed entirely natural.

Previously, Jian Xiangping found that the human thoughts were overly complex and fragmented. Their beliefs, if categorized by the standards of the old god’s era, barely reached the level of casual followers at best, driven more by self-interest than devotion. Consequently, Jian Xiangping preferred solitude, choosing only Kim Tae-hwi, with his simpler and singular-minded intent, as His attendant.

However, today, Jian Xiangping sensed at least ten unwavering streams of faith emanating from across Geshan City, steadily flowing towards Him. These intentions were as pure as fresh snow, indicative of strict and fervent believers.

The old god likely would have relished such devotion.

The faith energy contributed by devout fanatics is relatively pure, significantly reducing its potential harm to divine beings. However, creating such devout fanatics is not easy. With the diverse complexity of human thoughts, it’s challenging for them to deeply commit and sacrifice everything for belief in a single entity.

“What should these powers be used for?” Jian Xiangping held the gathered faith energy in hand.

He didn’t plan to absorb it all at once. Even now, Jian Xiangping had no intention of inheriting the responsibilities of the old gods. Perhaps he would refine it further, absorbing only the most potent essence, while reserving the rest for experimentation.

With such versatile power, it would be a waste not to study and explore its capabilities.

In An City.

Duan Wenxuan, who was resting, suddenly felt a shiver run through him. He then noticed his inner strength surging rapidly, and without any effort, his martial arts, previously stuck at the Dark Vigor stage, spontaneously broke through to the next level.

Instantly, his bones crackled audibly, muscles trembled with a tingling ache, and Duan Wenxuan experienced a profound numbness throughout his body. The mutants he had fused also became agitated.

This lasted for about four or five minutes before Duan Wenxuan gradually returned to normal.

“What a peculiar power.” Duan Wenxuan got up, grabbed some clothes, and headed to the bathroom. In just those few minutes, he found himself drenched in sweat.

After taking a shower, Duan Wenxuan carefully examined the source of the newfound energy within him. Soon, a strange expression crossed his face.

The ‘gate’ symbol had provided another piece of information.

His recent surge of energy originated from Hu Fu and Jian Xiangping. This type of energy could be categorized under ‘faith’. After being absorbed by Hu Fu and Jian Xiangping, the most refined essence was subsequently transferred to Duan Wenxuan’s body by the gate symbol.

“Faith… Could it be that I truly created a holy knight and a divine being?”

More surprising to Duan Wenxuan than his own inexplicable advancement were Hu Fu and Jian Xiangping. Their identities were merely fictitious second personalities he had created. Fortunately, Hu Fu’s foundation relied on the Universal Church, which genuinely existed on Xuanlan Star; however, originally, it was truly just a religion without any divine presence.

As for Jian Xiangping… previously, Duan Wenxuan never discovered any connection between Xiangping Mountain and himself, simply because Jian Xiangping was initially a fabricated deity.

But now, due to the changes in the present world and their actions, has genuine faith power actually emerged?

The phrase “forging falsehood into truth” gradually surfaced in Duan Wenxuan’s mind.

Nonetheless, this should be considered a good thing. The situation with Hu Fu remained chaotic; he had much work ahead at Suvalle, not even mentioning the ongoing spiritual tide issues. Moreover, the recent ‘Night Parade of Hundred Ghosts’ had yet to be resolved.

On the other hand, regarding Jian Xiangping, Duan Wenxuan knew through the door symbol that they would soon encounter Qianhe Crane Fan, Six Profound Zither, and Liyu. At that time, he must visit to absorb the newfound energy.

Before then, Duan Wenxuan planned to utilize his spare time by first visiting the Fourth Monster World and also making a trip to the Fifth Lanruo Temple world. Otherwise, as the initial wave of the spiritual tide gradually subsides, matters on Xuanlan Star are likely to escalate rapidly.