Xing Yuan opened her eyes to find herself in complete darkness. Had she gone blind? Xing Yuan wondered blankly, looking down at her body.
But she saw only a mass of black mist, constantly swirling, which meant she had no true physical form.
Xing Yuan tried to lift her "hand," but all she saw before her eyes was a mass of black mist, pure black, with no other colors.
After a moment of contemplation, Xing Yuan chose to accept the memories.
This was an ancient and mysterious world, ruled by two supreme beings: the God of Light and the God of Darkness. In this lifetime, Xing Yuan was one of them, the God of Darkness.
Deities were born with the heavens and earth, genderless, and could only coalesce into physical form when their incense, or faith, was exceptionally abundant.
Deities did not descend to their realms easily. They sat high on their altars, enjoying the faith of their apostles, and in return, they bestowed a portion of their power upon their believers. This was a significant reason for their unbroken faith for tens of thousands of years.
Darkness and light were diametrically opposed, so the two deities had been at odds since their birth.
Both deities wished to become the master of this continent. However, if they were to fight, the entire world could be destroyed by their hands. Therefore, they later chose to compete by developing their followers.
But where there was light, there was darkness. No matter how hard they tried, they could not completely eliminate each other.
As time passed, the deities grew weary and fell into a deep slumber. However, even in their sleep, they could sense the existence of their followers and would still return their internal power to them.
Originally, the world would have continued to operate without issue. Light and darkness each held half the territory. Though there were conflicts, they were not life-threatening, and the world was relatively harmonious.
But for some unknown reason, a rift appeared in the world's barrier. Coincidentally, it bypassed the perception of the two sleeping deities and a human male descended.
The man possessed knowledge far beyond this world, and he created high technology in this magical realm.
Magic incantations required time, while the cannons he created did not. The people of this world, from initial resistance to eventual acceptance, gradually began to feel that magic was far inferior to the high technology created by the man. Consequently, fewer and fewer people believed in the deities.
These two deities were special, born with the world. Therefore, once they lost the faith of their followers, the power within them would gradually dissipate, and in the end, they would completely vanish from this world.
They clearly felt such a massive loss of faith, so they finally awoke from their slumber.
Upon waking, they understood the cause and effect and were filled with rage. Although their power had weakened due to the decrease in followers, killing an outsider was still an easy task for them.
However... they were defeated. To be precise, they were injured by a completely unfamiliar being.
His objective was the divinity of the two deities, their most important and valuable possessions.
The two were unwilling, but their former followers had almost all been thoroughly swayed, working wholeheartedly for another person of unknown origin. With their current strength, they had no power to resist, and so... the deities perished.
As the deities disappeared, the world began to change. Gradually, all books related to magic vanished, and this world completely transformed into a technological world...
The very purpose of the two deities' existence seemed to have been reduced to a stepping stone for others, making them utterly tragic figures!
Xing Yuan was speechless, truly... it was quite pathetic! No wonder there was such a strong sense of unwillingness in her heart.
As for now, that person had only just arrived in this world, and everything was still salvageable. Thus, Xing Yuan closed her eyes, concentrated, and the divine miracle descended.
Ancheng, the legendary location of the Dark God's temple, was entirely populated by apostles of the Dark God, in stark contrast to Hui City, which was filled with apostles of the God of Light.
A statue of the Dark God stood majestically on the high altar of the Dark God's temple, mysterious and noble!
On this day, the Dark God on the altar emitted a dazzling black radiance, signifying that the deity was about to bestow her decree.
The elders of the Dark God's temple swiftly gathered everyone in the temple before the statue of the Dark God, kneeling devoutly to listen to the deity's instructions.
Xing Yuan's eyes opened, and she "saw" the scene within the temple.
A majestic voice echoed throughout the grand hall: "My followers! I shall descend in my true form once more. I require more believers. Go! Strive! For faith!"
"For faith!"
The statue of the Dark God returned to its serene state. Xing Yuan, feeling somewhat weary, closed her eyes again. Issuing a divine oracle was not something that could be done lightly.
The leading elder said to the temple members with fanatical eyes: "The deity has issued His instructions to us. We must not fail the deity. Now is the time to prove our loyalty."
There was no need for him to say more. They were already thoroughly brainwashed and were all fervent believers of the Dark God. The deity's command! No matter the cost, they would fulfill it without hesitation.
The entire Ancheng sprang into action! Previously, they considered themselves noble and disdained to approach commoners without faith. But now, the deity needed believers, and this was an opportunity to prove who the most powerful believers were!
The Temple of Light soon received the news. The elders said: [The Dark God's Temple has been very active lately!]
[It is said that the Dark God has shown some signs of activity.]
[But the God of Light has not. He has not issued a decree for many years.]
[Have we been abandoned by the deity?]
[How could that be? We are the most loyal believers.]
[Could it be that the God of Light cannot descend a divine oracle because our faith is insufficient?]
[That makes sense! Regardless, since the Dark God's Temple is doing this, there must be a reason. Let us also send envoys to develop believers for the God of Light, so we do not fall behind the Dark God's Temple.]
And so, soon, the two sides began a fierce war for believers.
Ya Yuan, the God of Light, opened her eyes in her divine realm. Suddenly, there was much more faith. Had something happened outside?
The God of Light was puzzled. Her statue in the Temple of Light also emitted a faint glow due to her unintentional emotional fluctuation.
This change further convinced the people of the Temple of Light that their deity could not descend a divine oracle because of insufficient faith.
A strong sense of guilt swept through their hearts. They were truly not worthy believers! To think they had only now realized their deity was in trouble.