Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Within the Wilderness, God and Sinister Evil_1
"Finally, we’ve entered the wilderness."
"My damned brother, he’s probably still dreaming his little dream of being a local tyrant."
As Murong Su uttered these words, the long scar that stretched across half of his face twitched.
At his side stood ten Heavy Armored Knights, each with a solemn expression.
"There are no revered gods to protect us in the wilderness; it’s teeming with demons and ghosts. My Lord, you mustn’t be careless. If your brother has allied with these creatures, it could be quite problematic for us," cautioned Chen Yan, the strategist at his side.
As someone who had emerged from Black Rain City with Murong Su, Chen Yan was well aware of his capabilities, but he still couldn’t help but lose his composure when Murong Xuan was involved.
The wilderness was, by definition, land beyond any god’s gaze.
"Don’t worry. Years ago, before I left Black Rain City, it had already ceased to be a wilderness. A revered god had been born there."
"It was with that very god’s help that I safely traveled from Black Rain City, then overrun with demons and ghosts, to the God Domain," Murong Su stated confidently. He never fought a battle he wasn’t prepared for.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yan and the Heavy Armored Knights couldn’t help but show expressions of surprise and delight.
"My Lord, you truly are far-sighted! No wonder when you obtained the pioneering rights from the Divine Dynasty, you chose a God’s book over numerous supplies."
"All we need to do is pay tribute to that revered god and have them registered in the God’s book. Once the Divine Dynasty recognizes their orthodox divine status, this place will no longer be a wilderness but a blessed land. The power of the Divine Knights will also be greatly enhanced!"
"If this succeeds, My Lord, you will undoubtedly be enfeoffed as a king!" Chen Yan had initially thought their arrival in the desolate Black Rain City meant enduring hardship; he hadn’t expected an undiscovered god to reside here. As long as they successfully paid tribute, their endeavor would be akin to treading a path to the heavens.
"If not for this, why would I forsake my high position and generous emoluments in the Divine Dynasty to return to this wilderness? Do you truly believe it was merely for revenge against my brother?"
"He’s nothing but a frog in a well. If the Divine Dynasty hadn’t looked down upon Black Rain City as mere wilderness, how could he have ever secured the position of City Lord?" Murong Su’s face was full of disdain. Their family affairs were their own, but the truth was the City Lord position in Black Rain City, held by their Murong family for generations, wasn’t due to their capability, but purely because the territory held no value.
A place without the presence or gaze of a god was of such low value that even the Divine Dynasty disdained it.
"Once Black Rain City is developed from a wilderness into a God Domain, I will return and make that Yan Ming King pay! Hmph, just a pretty boy who got lucky latching onto the Goddess of Beauty!"
As he spoke of this, Murong Su’s expression suddenly darkened.
He had been willing to renounce his high office and wealth in the Divine Dynasty not just to become a king in Black Rain City, but because he had suffered an impact from outsiders that had greatly diminished his previous status.
He had even been suppressed to the point of having no strength to resist.
What was called pioneering was, in reality, an exile after failure. However, thanks to connections cultivated over many years, he had managed to return to Black Rain City.
Thus, a resurgence was not impossible.
Chen Yan chimed in, filled with indignation, "That man has no real ability! If not for your ill luck, My Lord, how could you have possibly failed?"
"When we return, he must be made to suffer a death by a thousand cuts to vent our fury!"
As Murong Su’s deputy, Chen Yan had naturally shared in the disgrace, ultimately accompanying Murong Su to the wilderness.
Otherwise, with Murong Su’s former power, why would he only bring ten heavily armed Divine Knights?
It was because this was all he had left.
Of course, even this meager force was enough to look down upon the entirety of Black Rain City.
"Now that we have entered the wilderness, we should first proceed to Puberg Mountain to pay our respects to the revered god. We must assist them in registering in the God’s book, so their divine status becomes orthodox, their gaze falls upon this land, and it transforms into a God Domain."
"Only then can we take over Black Rain City more smoothly."
When Yan Ming King was not the topic, Murong Su’s intellect was perfectly sound.
He was disdainful of his brother, Murong Xuan, but he also knew the importance of caution. If they were to attack now, and his brother, as Chen Yan had suggested, had allied with demons and ghosts to ambush them midway, then even if they won, it would be a bitter victory.
However, if they had the aid of this region’s god, they could not only command demons and ghosts but also control the very elements and terrain. At that point, even if he were alone, he could easily take control of all of Black Rain City.
Having divine assistance versus having none presented two entirely different levels of difficulty.
Chen Yan and the heavily armed Divine Knights naturally had no objections; this was an unequivocally good thing for them.
Thus, under Murong Su’s lead, they soon arrived at a plain. This was the very place where Murong Su had received divine guidance years ago.
Murong Su took out the God’s book and began to loudly recite a prayer, attempting to contact this revered god.
Generally, when a God’s book is presented, if a god is already present in the area, they will sense the familiar aura and come to investigate.
Reciting the prayer, furthermore, signified that one harbored no ill intent and was there to offer tribute, thereby seeking the god’s favor.
However, after he finished reciting, there was no response.
This made Murong Su somewhat uneasy. Could it be that the god is unwilling to see me?
Fortunately, this was just his worry. After waiting for a short while, he finally saw a white tornado swirling in from the horizon.
It looked somewhat ethereal, however, which made Murong Su’s heart lurch. Under normal circumstances, how could a revered god appear like this?
Could there be a Buddha here? Murong Su wondered in his mind, but he didn’t voice his thoughts aloud. Instead, he led everyone present to respectfully kneel on the ground, preparing for the God’s arrival.
"’I am the God of White Wind. Who are you!’ A majestic voice, carrying an insect-like timbre, resounded in the minds of Murong Su and the others."
Murong Su hastily replied, "Your Reverence, this believer is..."
He briefly introduced his origins, stating he was a believer of the God and the new City Lord of Black Rain City, further trying to establish a connection by reminding the God that he was the one the divine being had sent away all those years ago.
"’Ah, it’s you. I didn’t expect you to have grown so much in the blink of an eye.’ The God of White Wind’s voice carried a hint of reminiscence."
Chen Yan and the heavily armed Divine Knights were inwardly ecstatic. Murong Su hadn’t lied; this meant their current endeavor was practically guaranteed.
"’You have returned this time to repay my kindness, to allow me to grasp the true power of a god?’"
"’Is it simply a matter of recording my name in this God’s book?’ The God of White Wind sounded somewhat incredulous, as it had never had dealings with the Divine Dynasty."
"Yes, Your Reverence," Murong Su hurriedly explained. "Within the Divine Dynasty, all revered Gods hold dominion. You need only register your name to become one of the supreme beings in the Divine Dynasty."
"You will be able to command the life and death of a region, among many other powers. You will also be able to create life and wield the authority of Heaven and Earth."
The God of White Wind was convinced, mainly because it could perceive the hearts of mortals and see that Murong Su’s reverence was genuine, and he was not lying.
"’Very well, I shall sign this...’ The God of White Wind’s words were cut short."
Even the tornado, formed from countless white insects, instantly disintegrated.
This scene filled Murong Su’s eyes with horror, while Chen Yan and the heavily armed Divine Knights were completely bewildered. What was happening?
A Buddha! The power of those remnants is truly present here, damn it! A sense of dread crept into Murong Su’s heart.
Because Chen Yan was merely his deputy, he knew little, to say nothing of the lower-ranking heavily armed Divine Knights.
Fortunately, the power of the Buddhist corruption here has likely only just begun to recover; it should still be resolvable.
This is a calamity, but also an opportunity for great merit. If I can successfully resolve this Buddhist corruption, I will surely become the Chosen of the God of White Wind!
Murong Su suppressed his fear, knowing that danger often came hand-in-hand with opportunity.
To become the Chosen of a revered God was a prerequisite for becoming a regional king.
Without a god’s backing, no matter how great your power, you were merely rootless duckweed.
Fortunately, the white insect-swarm tornado of the God of White Wind soon began to coalesce once more. It had clearly been caught off guard earlier; now, prepared, it could naturally resist.
"’The registration is complete. You may be my Archbishop.’ When the God of White Wind reappeared, it had become part of the highest echelons within the Divine Dynasty and, through the God’s book, had learned all the common knowledge a revered God in the Divine Dynasty should possess."
Its first act was to appoint Murong Su as its administrator.
"Thank you for your mercy, My Lord!" Murong Su was ecstatic. He had become an Archbishop in a single step; his status as the Chosen was now certainly within his grasp.
Of course, the God of White Wind did not appoint him due to his capabilities, but simply because it had no one else available.
"I have a divine decree; listen quietly..." After designating Murong Su as its instrument, the God of White Wind promptly issued its first command: once Murong Su became City Lord, he was to demolish the Rooster Crow Temple and clear out the Buddhist corruption, thereby removing the obstacles to deifying the wilderness into its God Domain.