Chapter 396: Chapter 342: A God Manifests in the World (Part 1)
Its image grew increasingly distinct: a figure clad in armor, with a heroic and martial face, a fiery bow on its back, a sharp sword at its waist, and a Long Saber in hand.
If not for the golden light emanating from its body and its massive size, it was almost indistinguishable from a living person at first glance.
And inside the Divine Statue.
A golden figure sat quietly in meditation.
It was none other than Hu Qi’s second Divine Avatar.
Suddenly.
Hu Qi opened his eyes.
In that instant, the divine light in his eyes flared, and his aura surged.
Behind him, a massive and dazzling solar corona suddenly materialized.
The light poured down, carrying a solemn, majestic, and inviolable sanctity that inspired reverence in all who beheld it.
Nearly a hundred years had passed since he had refined the Damaged Black Banner.
Compared to before, this Divine Avatar had grown even stronger.
Nearly a hundred years was no short amount of time.
For an ordinary person, a lifetime spanned but a few short decades.
A hundred years spanned the lives of two or three generations. It would be no exaggeration to say it was equivalent to several ordinary lifetimes.
Of course, some ordinary people lived to be over a hundred, but they were exceptionally rare.
As the older generation passed away, some things would be buried in the dust of time.
The Dream Masters, for example.
In the past century, the Dream Masters had vanished completely. Only a few members of the older, surviving generation still remembered them.
The Nightmare incidents, however, had not disappeared.
Of course, it wasn’t that Hu Qi was incapable of stopping them.
After all, the Dream Master who once called himself ’Tian’ had sealed away the Nightmares for nearly eighty years.
The reality, however, was not as the Sword Holder Headquarters had recorded. He hadn’t used some Dream Eye to seal the world’s Nightmares.
Instead, he had entered the Deceitful Painting alone.
After ’Tian’s’ soul was drawn into the Black Banner, Xin prepared to devour it as usual.
However, ’Tian’ wielded an exceptionally special Dream Eye that had fused with his soul. This made his Soul Power far stronger than that of any previous Dream Master.
The two battled ceaselessly inside the Black Banner for nearly eighty years before ’Tian’ finally perished.
This was why the Nightmare incidents had vanished for so long—Xin itself was the one manipulating them from behind the scenes.
The fact that the Nightmare incidents hadn’t disappeared now was, of course, Hu Qi’s own doing.
The reason was simple.
If the Nightmare incidents were to disappear, he would gain no benefit whatsoever.
By using the Black Banner to create Nightmare incidents, he could not only obtain Modification Points after resolving them but also repair the Damaged Black Banner and solidify his believers’ faith.
For humans, or rather, for all intelligent life forms.
Once external pressures were removed, internal strife would inevitably arise.
It was an almost unavoidable, inevitable outcome.
But under external pressure, they would become exceptionally united.
This also made his followers’ faith grow ever more fervent.
He had, however, greatly reduced the number of Nightmare incidents.
They now occurred at only about twenty to thirty percent of their former frequency.
The number of resulting deaths was also kept to a minimum.
The annual death toll didn’t even compare to the number of suicides in a single city.
To Hu Qi, these people were all potential followers; it was naturally better to minimize casualties.
All he needed was the Power of Emotion generated by the fear of living creatures.
Of course, there was another reason for all this.
Creating Dream Eyes consumed the Damaged Black Banner’s power, so Hu Qi needed to keep it within a manageable range.
While harvesting Modification Points, he also had to divert a portion of that power to repair the Damaged Black Banner.
’What a pity. It’s still not quite enough. This world’s foundation is just too weak...’
Hu Qi’s tone held a hint of regret.
In truth, the power of this Divine Avatar had only barely reached the Late Stage Apostle Level.
There was only one reason for this: the number of his followers was too small.
Because this world was flat, not spherical, its sheer size couldn’t compare to the original Earth Star.
According to statistics, the total population barely reached 3.5 billion.
After years of development, the number of Sun God Sect followers had reached seventy-five percent of the total population—an undoubtedly massive figure.
The remaining twenty-five percent consisted of people who couldn’t care for themselves, like the infirm and infants who couldn’t yet speak.
Such numbers would be formidable for any faction.
But for a god who relied on the Power of Incense and Candlelight from all living beings, it was far from enough.
There was perhaps another reason for this outcome.
The living beings of this world were simply not powerful enough.
If every believer had the power of a Refining God Venerable, such a vast number of followers could even allow him to condense Divinity and directly become a True God.
The most critical factors determining the Power of Faith were the quantity and quality of the believers.
And in this world, aside from the Dream Masters—an abnormal Extraordinary System derived from the Black Banner—there were no other Extraordinary Systems available.
This resulted in the low quality of his believers.
’The potential of the divine Extraordinary Path is immense. As long as one has enough believers, one can grow endlessly stronger.’
’But reaching the Apostle Level Peak with the number of beings in this world is impossible for the time being. Still, it’s a good thing I’ve at least met the minimum requirement to form a Spirit Seed.’
Hu Qi’s gaze flickered.
’It’s about time I left this world. But before I do, I need to figure out how to take my followers with me.’
At this thought.
He closed his eyes.
An Oracle was sent forth.
...
Within the magnificent and solemn Sunshine Saint Hall, a soft, brilliant light cascaded down from the domed ceiling.
Wuan Anning, draped in a pale gold robe, stood silently before the towering Sun God Statue.
Her head was tilted slightly back, her eyes closed, her expression one of pious concentration.
Just then, a strange ripple emanated through the space below her in the Holy Hall.
One by one, figures slowly materialized like phantoms. They were a group of Holy Radiance Bishops, dressed in brilliant red robes, their posture ramrod straight and their expressions solemn.
Surprisingly, the number of Holy Radiance Bishops had not decreased over the years but had instead grown, now totaling a full twenty-four.
Among this host of Bishops, one face was particularly familiar.
It was none other than Ouyang Shuokong.
At some point, he had become a Holy Radiance Bishop.
Once everyone had arrived, Wuan Anning slowly turned. Her gaze swept over each of their faces before she relayed the Oracle she had just received, her expression grave.
"What? Our Lord intends to leave this world? Does he mean to abandon us?"
As the news reached their ears, the expressions of these normally calm and composed Holy Radiance Bishops changed dramatically in an instant.
Their eyes filled with shock and terror, as if the very sky were about to collapse.
To them, the Sun God was not merely a symbol of their faith; he was their entire life.
The power and status they possessed, the reverence and glory they enjoyed—all of it came from the Sun God’s blessing.
They couldn’t begin to imagine what their lives would become if they lost that blessing.
"Our Lord would never abandon us."
Seeing their reactions, Wuan Anning spoke, her voice as calm and steady as ever, possessing a power that seemed to put one at ease.
"In half a month, our Lord will receive us into his Divine Country. You must all make the necessary preparations and avoid causing any needless casualties or unrest."
"I see! Praise be to our Lord!"
Hearing this, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief, and the terror on their faces gradually subsided.
