Not all wizards could see the writing on the wall, nor could they all resolutely make the decision to change their faith to a deity, a decision that went against their ancestral beliefs.
So in practice, most wizards and other supernaturals were still in a state of hesitation.
Concurrently, another group, or rather, organization, was actively studying those cultivation techniques and discussing how to respond, or rather, how to deal with the Sun Goddess's actions. That was the governmental bodies of various countries.
For many politicians, deities only existed in storybooks and myths, and only those that could be used and manipulated or interpreted by them were good deities. This newly awakened Sun Goddess, however, was clearly not the deity they had hoped for.
This was a deity who could potentially reign above them, above all countries, and above all of humanity. In the future, the Church of the Sun God might become a transcendent organization standing above all nations. Kings might even need its recognition to be allowed to wear their crowns.
This was undoubtedly something many did not want to see or accept. However, a divine punishment had just occurred, so for the time being, no one dared to say anything, nor did any country dare to harbor thoughts of killing a god.
Therefore, they could only wait and see, tacitly accepting the situation, neither participating in discussions nor promoting it. They focused more energy on research, studying the disseminated cultivation techniques, analyzing blood samples from believers who had cultivated, and even attempting to study the areas covered by divine punishment, analyzing energy fluctuations and the essence of souls.
Before this, although many scientists had speculated that human souls might truly exist, no one had been able to truly measure or sense them, let alone materialize them for study. It was only through Ding Yun’s divine punishment that they first clearly recognized the existence of souls and saw real souls for the first time. Faced with these living souls, scientists, even at the risk of blasphemy, were willing to approach and attempt to study the souls enveloped in golden fire, hoping to achieve some results.
It could be said that, at present, the research focus of various countries had been directly diverted by Ding Yun, shifting from a general inclination towards scientific research to theology, metaphysics, and the pursuit of transcending human limits to achieve the supernatural. Ding Yun, in her own way, had directly changed the direction of the world's development, and even the fundamental nature of the world's civilization had undergone a change. Whether it was for better or worse was hard to say, but Ding Yun was not here to do charity; she had her own objectives, and as long as the final outcome was beneficial to her, what did it matter how it changed?
...
In the core of the sun, within the Sun Temple.
Ding Yun had been constantly monitoring the changes in the various countries of the life planet below and the progress of her followers. However, she soon discovered that the situation was not going well. The believers who had cultivated did not live in harmony as Ding Yun had envisioned, nor did they regard each other as companions. Sooner than expected, factions began to form. Those who cultivated healing techniques united with others who cultivated healing techniques, and those who cultivated fighting energy discussed and progressed with each other. This was the division caused by their different cultivation methods. In addition to this, there were also factors such as their respective countries, genders, and conflicting ideologies, which were slowly creating rifts. If this situation continued, it was likely that before a powerful army of ten million Sun Gods could be formed, their followers would already have split into numerous factions. This clearly did not align with Ding Yun's interests.
Therefore, Ding Yun quickly divided a wisp of her consciousness and a portion of her solar divine power to personally craft a demigod-level clone that looked exactly like her original appearance. She then sent this clone into the mortal world, into the largest Sun Temple. She also transmitted a divine decree to all her followers, announcing that she had sent a saintess to the mortal realm to lead the Church of the Sun God, commanding all sun followers to unconditionally support the saintess.
It was not a major problem if the followers had differing opinions or if factions arose among them. However, the real issue was the lack of a powerful figure to oversee everything. With someone in charge, everything could be suppressed. But without her direct oversight, fragmentation was inevitable.
Ding Yun, as the Sun Goddess herself, directly intervening or taking on the role of leader to manage her followers would be highly inappropriate and would diminish her stature, making her appear as if she had no one to rely on. Although she was now essentially alone, she could not show it directly. As for finding a leader, even setting aside whether there was anyone in the mortal realm with enough prestige to command the respect of all followers, their cultivation was insufficient. The three saints who were currently cultivating the fastest had only just reached level three, a long way from becoming demigods. By the time they became demigods, the internal rifts might be impossible to reconcile.
Thus, after much thought, the best method was undoubtedly to personally create a demigod-level saintess who, with absolute authority and overwhelming superiority, would directly lead them. At the same time, she could, according to her will, consolidate the currently loose power of the Church of the Sun God into an organized, disciplined entity that could act with swift obedience, much like a legion of believers.
...
In the Sun Temple of the Kingdom of Wintergu.
The moment Ding Yun's clone descended, her original divine decree had already been synchronized. Therefore, the priests and the few followers present quickly understood Ding Yun's identity and prostrated themselves, respectfully welcoming the descent of the Sun Saintess.
"The Goddess is very displeased with the current state of the Church of the Sun God, and has therefore personally ordered me to descend and take command. From this day forward, I am the Saintess, my status supersedes that of the Pope. I shall temporarily hold the authority of the entire Church of the Sun God on behalf of the Pope, not just in one country, but across the entire world. There is only one Sun God in the world, our revered Goddess. Where is the current Pope?"
Ding Yun got straight to the point, immediately stating her purpose and looking for the current Pope of the Church of the Sun God. However, the Pope was clearly not present. After a long while, an old man in his eighties, wearing the golden-patterned papal robes of the Sun God, slowly arrived, intending to prostrate himself. This was not the most outrageous thing; the most outrageous was that his faith was insufficient, and he had not even been granted cultivation techniques. This meant he was merely a true believer, far from meeting the standard of a devout believer.
"There is no need for greetings. Today, in the name of the Saintess, I revoke your papal title. It seems the Church of the Sun God in the mortal realm is indeed in chaos. The Pope of the largest Sun Temple in the neighboring countries is not even a devout believer. Should I be thankful that the Pope is not a blasphemer or a heretic?"
Ding Yun raised her hand, sending out a wave of energy to prevent the old man from kneeling. She then berated him with dissatisfaction, scanning the assembled crowd. She then pointed to a white-robed bishop, the second from the left, who was in his forties, and directly appointed him as the new Pope.
"Your faith is the most devout present. From this day forward, you are the new Pope of the Church of the Sun God. Shortly, in the name of the new Pope and myself, the Saintess, issue a summons to all bishops of the Church of the Sun God in various regions worldwide, and even to the Popes who originally believed in different Sun Gods. Order them to arrive within five days. Those who do not come will all have their titles revoked. If no one from the entire temple comes, the temple will be abolished!"
As she spoke, the white bishop's robe on the bishop she had pointed to turned golden. A crown of thorns adorned with suns appeared on his head, a sun chalice materialized in his left hand, and a golden scripture of the sun appeared in his right. These were the three sacred artifacts of the sun that Ding Yun had prepared. They were originally intended for the Pope. Now that the original Pope was useless, the prepared sacred artifacts naturally had to be bestowed upon the new Pope.
At that moment, the original Pope collapsed to the ground. The new Pope, after marveling at his transformation with a face full of joy, quickly knelt and thanked Ding Yun. He then bowed deeply to the statue of the Sun Goddess, expressing gratitude for the trust and blessings, and vowing his loyalty.