《God Level Civilization》


 CH 1

    ¡°I am the God of Light!¡±


    Sitting cross-legged in mid-air, Wu Hui looked down upon the divine kingdom beneath him, feeling a bit complicated.


    As an ordinary young person from Earth, Wu Hui likes to read novels, play games, and watch anime. Naturally, he has also had fantasies of traveling to other worlds


    But he never imagined that he would become the legendary ¡°God of Light¡± and be given a divine kingdom.


    At first, Wu Hui was ecstatic about his new status, as in many fantasy novels, the ¡°God of Light¡± was a powerful villain with incredible strength and godly powers.


    He ruled over multiple planes and had a massive army of angels at his command, and would mercilessly crush anyone who defied him.


    As for Wu Hui, the divine kingdom where the great ¡°God of Light¡± lived had to be a magnificent and splendid temple, with beautiful and noble angels flying around, and the air filled with ethereal hymns.


    In addition, he could collect a myriad of beautiful women from all races in his harem, with all kinds of seductive, holy, noble, icy, intelligent, and cute types.


    Just thinking about this scene made Wu Hui feel incredibly happy.


    However, things didn¡¯t go as smoothly as he had imagined.


    Imagination is full of possibilities, but reality is tough.


    The Bright God¡¯s country that Wu Hui inherited was not as grand and magnificent as he had imagined. Instead, it was a desolate and dilapidated place.


    The towering statue of the Bright God, which should have been sacred and awe-inspiring and stood several dozen stories high in the center of the square, was broken in half. Its noble head was buried in a pile of rubble, covered in dust.


    Behind the square, the magnificent Bright God¡¯s Temple had also become a pile of rubble. Only a few strong pillars stood steadfastly among the ruins, faintly revealing the grandeur and solemnity it once had.


    This dilapidated god country was like the Yuanmingyuan that was once glorious but was looted and burned down by the Eight-Power Allied Forces, leaving only a desolate and tragic scene.


    What¡¯s more, what made Wu Hui¡¯s heart palpitate was that in the northwest of the god country, there were three huge tearing gaps that cut across the spatial crystal wall, like being torn apart by some powerful beast¡¯s claws. The cracks emitted eerie black light, and the cracks were slowly spreading on the god country¡¯s spatial crystal wall.


    As time passed, the scope of the cracks became wider and wider. It was unclear when they would cover the entire sky. Once the spatial crystal wall of the god country collapsed, the dark energy in the endless void would pour down like a flood.


    The fate of Wu Hui, this ¡°great¡± Bright God, was foreseeable.


    ¡°Alas¡­¡± Wu Hui shivered and let out a deep sigh of disappointment.


    He felt that there probably wasn¡¯t any deity in the world who was more miserable than him. The divine country was in ruins, and there were no angels or beauties. He didn¡¯t even have a decent physical body, only a tattered soul that could be blown away by the wind. Because of his current form, he didn¡¯t even need to walk anymore and could float wherever he wanted to go.


    Can you imagine it? He, a glorious god, was reduced to floating around like a ghost, not even human.


    Anyway, enough said. The more he talked about it, the more tears he shed.


    Unable to resist, Wu Hui sighed again, allowing his soul to continue drifting aimlessly throughout the entire divine country. With a thought, he activated his divine power and checked the divine country¡¯s information.


    Instantly, a series of information appeared in his consciousness:


    Divine Name: God of Light (Warning: Extremely Low, at risk of imminent destruction)


    Divine Power: 0 (Warning: Extremely low, please replenish as soon as possible)


    Angels: 0 (Warning: Extremely scarce, please replenish as soon as possible)


    Gate of Heaven: 1 (Warning: This Gate of Heaven is accelerating its collapse, please maintain it as soon as possible)


    Power of Faith: 999 (Warning: Extremely scarce, please replenish as soon as possible)


    Pope: 1 (Warning: Abnormal state, please dispatch angels to investigate as soon as possible)


    Believers: 316 (Warning: Extremely scarce, please replenish as soon as possible)


    Dimensions¡­


    There were quite a few pieces of information, but each one was marked with a bright red warning. Even a glance at them was enough to cause heartache.


    However, Wu Hui, who had been living as the God of Light for nearly a year, was already used to it and didn¡¯t have much of a reaction. His consciousness scanned over each line of information, but when he noticed the number of believers, his heart sank.


    ¡°Check the details of the believers.¡±


    He spoke suddenly, and in an instant, the information about the believers was highlighted and changed into a new set of information.


    Holy Spirit: 0 Saint: 0 Fanatic: 0 Devout: 0 True Believer: 0 Shallow Believer: 316


    Surprisingly, there are only 316 shallow believers left!


    Yesterday, Wu Hui remembered checking his followers and there were still 323 shallow believers. But in just one day, it has dropped by 7!


    He furrowed his non-existent brows, and with a thought, his entire spiritual body instantly floated and landed beside a pristine white pillar in the ruins.


    This pillar was located directly in front of the temple, the tallest and only relatively intact one remaining among the remaining columns.


    From top to bottom, a large string of numbers was recorded on the pillar, representing the daily changes in the number of followers since Wu Hui took over as the God of Light.


    The earliest set of data was almost a year ago when he first inherited the divine realm.


    At that time, he had one fanatic and 708 shallow believers. But now, he only has 316 shallow believers left.


    Using his spiritual power, Wu Hui picked up a sharp stone and filled in the data for 316 in the last row. He then carefully examined all the numbers from top to bottom.


    ¡°Alas, there¡¯s not much time left.¡±


    Throwing the stone aside, Wu Hui muttered lowly, feeling increasingly bad.


    Although the number of his followers had always been fluctuating, the decrease was slow at first, and sometimes even increased by a few. However, six months ago, his only fanatic suddenly lost faith, and since then, the number of shallow believers has been decreasing rapidly. Recently, it has been losing a few almost every day.


    If this trend continues, it won¡¯t be long before his number of followers becomes 0.


    At the thought of this outcome, Wu Hui¡¯s heart sank.


    Like a piece of meat, it hurt so much it was bleeding.


    Without realizing it, he was filled with unease.


    In the midst of this torment, a glimmer of hope appeared.


    Suddenly, the number behind his faith power jumped from 999 to 1000 without warning!


    In his numbness, Wu Hui¡¯s breathing also became stagnant.


    1000 points.


    His faith power had finally reached 1000 points!


    He was ecstatic, almost unable to believe his own consciousness. He confirmed it several times before finally believing that his faith power had truly reached 1000 points.


    He could finally condense divine power!


    With his mind settled, Wu Hui immediately gave orders to his deity. His tone was solemn and uplifting, ¡°Deity, condense divine power!¡±


    As soon as he spoke, a burst of white light erupted from deep within his soul.


    The next moment, he felt a majestic and vast power merge into his soul, causing him to tremble all over, as if he had become infinitely more powerful in an instant!


    It was as if he could do anything, with just a single thought, move mountains and seas, destroy the heavens and the earth.


    Wu Hui couldn¡¯t help but cheer, and he suddenly soared into the air.


    Excitedly, he circled around the divine kingdom several times. After a while, he recovered from his excitement and thought to himself, ¡°Display my divine power data.¡±


    In an instant, the data for his divine power appeared in his mind.


    Divine Power: 1 point (Warning: Divine power is extremely low, please replenish as soon as possible).


    Wu Hui was stunned. He felt as though someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him, making him shiver.


    With a thousand points of faith, he had only gained one point of divine power? If he had a physical body, he might have vomited blood.


    What could he do with just one point of divine power?


    Could he heal his weakened divine soul? No, 1 point of divine power was useless for that.


    Could he create an angel? It would take at least 100 points of divine power and a holy spirit to create the most basic angel. He had neither the holy spirit nor enough divine power, so it was not an option.


    Could he create a body for himself to use? One point of divine power was barely enough, but the body he could create would likely be mediocre and not very useful.


    Could he repair the claw marks and gaps in the crystal walls of the divine kingdom¡¯s space? Forget it, one point of divine power would only slow down the crumbling of the gaps.


    As a fallen divine being with a decaying divine kingdom, there were countless places where he needed divine power, but one point of divine power was not even enough to make a difference.


    Wu Hui felt a bit hopeless and helpless. The only comfort he had was that even though he only had one point of divine power, it was still genuine divine power. Having some was better than having none.


    He knew that the rate at which his believers were dwindling made it impossible for him to accumulate another 1000 points of faith. This one point of divine power was not only all he had, but also his last chance.


    Would he let himself disappear completely with the collapse of the divine kingdom, or would he use this one point of divine power to turn things around and embark on a bright future? Wu Hui thought long and hard while perched on the highest pillar, and ultimately decided that this one point of divine power should be used to help his believers.


    Believers are the foundation of the divine. Only by stopping the decline of believers, or even reversing it, could he have the opportunity to continue accumulating divine power.


    Based on his inherited fragmented knowledge and previous calculations, each shallow believer can provide an average of 0.001 units of faith power per day. Yes, it is that weak. After calculation, it takes about three years for one shallow believer to provide 1 unit of faith power.


    If he can maintain the current 286 shallow believers without decreasing, it will take about ten years to accumulate 1000 units of faith power and condense 1 unit of divine power again.


    Ten years is a long time, but there is always hope, right?


    ¡°But how do I maintain and even increase the number of believers?¡± Wu Hui was a little worried.


    In fact, preaching and expanding the number of believers is generally the job of the pope. The pope is the representative of the will of the gods on earth, commanding various bishops and priests, and is a servant dedicated to spreading faith and maintaining faith for the gods.


    As a god, he only needs to enjoy the faith power offerings comfortably and occasionally show his divine powers.


    But now, Wu Hui¡¯s pope had some unexpected situations, and he couldn¡¯t rely on him for a while.


    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll rely on myself.¡±


    In fact, maintaining the number of believers is very simple. As long as he can show some divine powers in front of the believers and help them get through difficult times, it is enough to maintain their faith, and even develop them into true believers or devout believers.


    True believers and shallow believers are different. They believe in the God of Light from the bottom of their hearts, their hearts are pure, and their faith is strong. A true believer is worth at least ten shallow believers, and the faith channel is more stable and not prone to collapse.


    True believers are the cornerstone of the existence of a god, and the more true believers there are, the stronger the god will be.


    True believers are the cornerstone of a deity¡¯s existence. The more true believers there are, the stronger the deity becomes.


    Devout believers are even more precious. They have unwavering faith in the deity, are devoutly loyal, and constantly keep the deity in their hearts. They strictly adhere to the deity¡¯s principles, and at the same time, they are also propagators of faith, influencing others to believe and worship the deity through their words and deeds.


    The power of faith that a devout believer can generate is equivalent to that of a hundred shallow believers. Although devout believers are not necessarily professional preachers or pastors, they often develop other believers.


    In earthly terms, devout believers are like pure natural spring water.


    As for fanatical believers, they are even more precious than devout believers. Their faith in the deity is fervent and intense, placing the deity in the highest position. A fanatical believer can generate the power of faith equivalent to that of a thousand shallow believers every day.


    Thinking of fanatical believers, Wu Hui couldn¡¯t help feeling a little sad.


    Back then, he also had a fanatical believer. Nearly a year ago, when he first inherited the Divine Kingdom, he had a fanatical believer. That fanatical believer alone provided Wu Hui with one point of faith power every day.


    Unfortunately, since the faith channel of that fanatical believer inexplicably collapsed half a year ago, Wu Hui has never enjoyed the pleasure of receiving faith power every day again, making the accumulation of faith power particularly difficult.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity, if only I had divine power at the time, I might not be in this situation now,¡± Wu Hui lamented.


    Prayer is when a believer asks the deity for help. The deity can choose to help or ignore the request. Generally speaking, a powerful deity rarely responds to the prayer of an individual believer unless it¡¯s on a whim.


    Deities usually only respond to the prayers of the Pope or mass collective prayers of high-level believers.


    But now, Wu Hui, the god of light, has reached the end of the road and has no choice but to respond to any prayer he receives.


    Even if it¡¯s just a single believer¡¯s prayer, come on and make one now¡­¡±


    Wu Hui stared intently at the remaining 286 shallow believers, feeling both hopeful and nervous.


    An hour passed, and the shallow believers¡¯ faith channels continued to collapse. Unconsciously, their numbers dwindled from 286 to 280.


    However, not a single shallow believer prayed to the God of Light.


    If Wu Hui had a body now, he would have turned pale with anxiety and sweat pouring down. Even without a body, his soul was restless and appeared weaker.


    As the number of shallow believers decreased, hope was rapidly diminishing.


    In such times, even waiting was excruciating. Time seemed to drag on endlessly.


    Days passed, and Wu Hui watched in despair as the number of shallow believers dropped below 100 to 99, 89. His heart sank lower and lower.


    Was he, Wu Hui, going to perish before enjoying the pleasure of being a god? No, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to die in the short term. He would be trapped in this lonely, dilapidated divine kingdom, watching himself slowly approach death.


    It was too terrifying.


    Just as Wu Hui had fallen into despair, suddenly, one of the weak faith channels connected to the divine kingdom trembled slightly.


    This was a sign that a believer was praying to him!


    ¡°Quickly! Godhead, listen to the believer¡¯s prayer,¡± Wu Hui urged.


    He was overjoyed. ¡°My dear shallow believer, quickly, tell me your wish. This god will surely fulfill it for you~¡±

 CH 2

    In the forest, the ground is covered with ancient trees with twisted branches and vines. The only path available to navigate through the forest is a muddy one that leads to its depths. The dense canopy filters occasional sunlight, which adds a touch of brightness to the lone path.


    At this moment, a young woman in white is running frantically along the muddy path. Yesterday¡¯s rain has turned the already narrow path into a muddy mess. Due to her frantic running, she stumbles and falls, causing her pure white nun¡¯s habit to become. Additionally, one of her boots goes missing in the process. Despite this, the woman¡¯s beauty and pure aura remain unmistakable.


    Note: A nun¡¯s habit is a distinctive religious garment that is traditionally worn by nuns as a symbol of their religious vocation and devotion to God. It typically consists of a long, loose-fitting tunic or dress that is worn over a white undergarment, and a veil that covers the head and shoulders. The color and style of the habit may vary depending on the religious order and its traditions.


    Despite her exhaustion, she clings tightly to a silver cross hanging from a long chain around her neck, tremblingly praying, ¡°Oh, merciful and great God of Light, please bestow your divine grace and save us.¡±


    ¡°Catherine, hurry up and run!¡± A young warrior suddenly rushes up from behind, grabs her, and runs forward. His face is pale with a look of grief and anger. ¡°That goddamn God of Light has been dead for a long time. What¡¯s the use of praying?¡±


    He looks no more than eighteen or nineteen years old, carrying a finely crafted steel longsword and wearing well-made leather armor that complements his sturdy figure. Unfortunately, an arrow is already lodged in his back, and the feather quivers lightly as he runs. His abdomen is also cut open, only hastily bandaged with cloth, and the wound continues to bleed, a ghastly sight.


    Several soldiers with long spears or bows and arrows are following them closely behind.


    These soldiers are wearing sturdy leather armor and holding weapons that gleam with a cold light. They look at the two like lambs to be slaughtered, their eyes glowing with ferocity.


    They move quickly on the muddy path, catching up with the two in no time.


    ¡°Great God of Light, please bestow your divine grace and save us!¡± The white-clad girl is desperate, but she still refuses to give up, gasping and praying softly.


    By now, she has little hope that the God of Light is still alive, but at this moment of crisis, it is the only straw she can cling to for survival.


    Unfortunately, as with every previous time, her prayers go unanswered.


    A hint of despair flashes through her deep blue eyes.


    Has the God of Light really fallen? Are they really destined to die here today?


    Suddenly, Catherine slips and falls heavily.


    She falls hard, tumbling twice before hitting a nearby tree root and coming to a stop. The pain shakes her whole body, and she can¡¯t even stand up.


    ¡°Oh no!¡±


    The young warrior¡¯s face turned pale instantly. He quickly reached out and grabbed Catherine, struggling to lift her up, intending to continue running with her.


    However, even though he had reacted quickly, he was still one step too late. In the blink of an eye, the soldiers had caught up to them, surrounding them like wolves.


    They were all directly under the command of Baron Gruberg, his personal guards.


    ¡°Hahaha, little girl, aren¡¯t you good at running? Keep running!¡± The bearded leader laughed strangely, brandishing his sharp, gleaming spear and advancing towards them step by step. The spear was stained with crimson blood, sending chills down their spines.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± The young warrior¡¯s heart tightened as he immediately grabbed Catherine and shielded her behind him, brandishing his sword and shouting angrily at the bearded man, ¡°Catherine is a nun, a servant of the god of light. How dare you, blaspheme her!¡±


    Although he no longer believed in the god of light, he couldn¡¯t afford to think too much at this moment and decided to bluff his way through.


    ¡°Blaspheme?¡± The bearded man was taken aback for a moment, then laughed arrogantly as if he had heard a joke. ¡°Idiot! The emperor has publicly announced the fall of the god of light, and a nationwide order has been issued to exterminate the temple of light. You still believe in that nonsense god of light, how ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Father Luke listened to the will of the god of light more than a year ago!¡± Catherine¡¯s face turned pale, struggling like a desperate mother lion, ¡°The great Lord of Light, how could he fall?!¡±


    One year ago, Wu Hui had not yet inherited the position of the God of Light


    ¡°Father Luke?¡± The bearded man sneered, ¡°Are you talking about the madman who dared to spread heretical teachings in the holy city? Hahaha, if the god of light was still alive, why didn¡¯t he show any miracles when that madman was judged in the holy city square half a year ago?¡±


    Catherine¡¯s face turned even paler at his words, tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably.


    Although she had heard bad rumors before, she could not believe it. She never imagined that it was all true. Father Luke, he really¡­died a martyr.


    Catherine tightly held the silver cross that Father Luke had entrusted to her before he left, tears falling like raindrops, dripping down her tender white cheeks.


    ¡°Hahaha, little nun, give up! If that so-called god of light were still alive, how could he allow us to destroy the temple of light and the monastery without any consequences? He would have already punished us with a miracle.¡± The bearded man laughed strangely,


    ¡°I advise you to give up resistance and have some fun with us brothers. When we¡¯re done playing, we might spare your life,¡± he said.


    ¡°Shut up!!¡±


    The young warrior endured and endured, but finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He roared and charged forward, thrusting his sword fiercely towards the bearded man¡¯s face. ¡°Catherine, don¡¯t waste time with them, go! I¡¯ll cover your retreat!¡±


    His swordsmanship was impressive, clearly the result of systematic instruction and long-term training. With lightning speed and ferocity, he forced the bearded man to step back.


    Unfortunately, his injuries were too severe, and he was outnumbered. Even though he temporarily drove the bearded man back, he was unable to pursue the advantage due to his weakened state. In a blink of an eye, he was once again surrounded.


    Under the combined attack of several soldiers, he suffered two new wounds in a short amount of time. His clothes were drenched in blood, turning crimson all over.


    ¡°Merciful and great God, are you really going to abandon your people?¡±


    Watching the young warrior¡¯s bloody battle, Catherine¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, and her blue eyes were filled with deep despair.


    At this point, even if she could escape, what difference would it make? Everywhere outside was being searched by soldiers for so-called ¡°remnants of the light¡±. She was just a helpless little nun with no protection. Even if she managed to escape the soldiers¡¯ pursuit, she might not even be able to get out of this forest, where beasts roamed freely.


    Was there really no hope left?


    Catherine bit her lower lip, and the delicate petals were bitten until they bled. However, she didn¡¯t seem to feel the pain. She still tightly held the silver cross in her hand, even with her knuckles turning white.


    One last time.


    Let her try one last time.


    If it didn¡¯t work, it didn¡¯t matter. She could die today like Father Luke did, and become a martyr.


    At this thought, she suddenly felt a surge of courage in her heart, and her eyes became incredibly determined. She closed her eyes tightly, held the silver cross in both hands, and sang a hopeful hymn through her tears.


    ¡°Great Lord of Light, you are the only star in the eternal night, guiding your lost children towards the light. I praise you, the great Lord of Light¡­¡±


    Her ethereal voice drifted through the dim forest.


    The threads of sunlight shone through the trees and fell upon Catherine¡¯s muddy and disheveled body and face. Despite her appearance, she exuded a faint sense of sanctity in this moment.


    Unknowingly, she stood up straight, and even her voice no longer trembled. It had become firm and unwavering.


    ¡°Catherine!¡±


    Young warrior Landen watched this scene with bloodshot eyes, feeling sad and hopeless.


    He wished Catherine could leave him and escape alone in this situation, but he knew deep down that Catherine was not that kind of person.


    Even among the many nuns in the monastery, Catherine was the purest. She was always gentle and determined, and even Father Luke praised her as a good candidate for becoming a noble nun.


    How could someone like her abandon herself in despair?


    ¡°Ah~¡± Landen sighed, knowing that they were all going to die here this time. His eyes showed a desperate determination.


    ¡°Hahaha~ what a foolish nun. She¡¯s about to die, yet she¡¯s still singing hymns,¡± said the stubble-bearded man as he pushed Landen away with a gun, looking at the two of them with a mocking expression. ¡°Since your god of light is so great, come on, show us a miracle. That bullshit light¡­¡±


    However, before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly froze in place.


    Because at that moment, the white silver cross pendant in Catherine¡¯s hand suddenly burst into a dazzling white light that blinded everyone¡¯s eyes.

 CH 3

    The radiance was pure and flawless, exuding a divine and noble aura.


    Under the radiance¡¯s coverage, the rough-made statue of the Light God seemed to come to life, exuding a sacred and majestic atmosphere that filled everyone with awe.


    It was as if a true deity had descended upon the mortal world.


    In that moment, the battle came to a sudden halt. Everyone, including Landon, stood with gaping mouths, gazing at the silver cross in Catherine¡¯s hand. Even Catherine, who had been chanting hymns with closed eyes, seemed to feel something and suddenly opened her eyes.


    Could it be true? Has the Light God truly descended upon them?


    ¡°I knew it! I knew it! The great Lord of Light would never abandon His people!¡± Catherine cried tears of joy, her excitement causing her whole body to tremble and her cheeks to flush.


    She lifted the cross in her hands high, preparing to kneel down and welcome the true God¡¯s arrival.


    Just then, a voice suddenly rang out in her mind: ¡°Shallow believer, darling, quickly tell me your wish. This god will surely grant it~¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Catherine trembled all over, her legs freezing in place just as she was about to kneel down.


    ¡°D-darling? The great God of Light called her darling, and the tone was so frivolous. Could it be that He wants her to serve Him?¡± Her face suddenly burned up, turning red as blood.


    At this moment, Wu Hui¡¯s consciousness had just ¡°descended¡± into the cross, noticing the shallow female believer in front of him with a face as red as blood, looking scared and stunned. He instantly realized that something was wrong.


    This was his first time listening to a believer¡¯s prayer, and he didn¡¯t know what was going on. But seeing the look on the girl¡¯s face, he knew she must have heard his improper words just now.


    In the past year, he has studied the theology carefully, along with the inherited knowledge. He knows that the abilities of the gods are mostly manifested through their theology. The gods have the ability to descend to other planes, and there are various ways of doing so.


    The first way is through a true incarnation, but the power of the gods is too great, and many lower planes may not be able to bear it.


    The second way is through a projection of themselves, where the gods can cultivate several projections and use them when needed in lower planes. Unfortunately, Wu Hui cannot even support himself, let alone cultivate projections.


    The third way is through a projection of their consciousness, where the gods can condense a body projection directly in the lower plane with their divine power. The strength of the projection is lower than that of a physical projection, but it is more convenient and faster. Unfortunately, Wu Hui also does not have the divine power to condense a projection.


    The fourth way is through reincarnation, where the gods split their consciousness and are reborn in the same plane.


    The fifth is consciousness manifestation, where a deity splits a strand of consciousness and enters a saint, holy object, or their own idol.


    The character in question is currently using the fifth method, consciousness manifestation. However, this method usually requires a stable faith channel. The character Katherine is only a shallow believer with a very fragile and unstable faith channel. Normally, her prayers would not be enough to evoke the response of a deity.


    The reason Katherine is able to evoke a deity is twofold. Firstly, when she was in despair, she made a desperate and resolute decision, which strengthened her faith and gave her a burst of spiritual power stronger than usual. Secondly, she was using a silver cross that was not an ordinary object.


    The silver cross was given to her by a fanatic priest named Luke, who wore it and prayed with it for years, imbuing it with a bit of divine energy and the potential to become a sacred object. It was because of these reasons that a deity was able to respond to her.


    For Wu Hui, whose soul consciousness is currently very weak, it is actually very dangerous to manifest through such an unstable faith channel. However, he has no other choice but to take the risk and try it.


    Gods must look and act like gods, I was too disrespectful just now.


    He quickly restrained his consciousness and pretended as if nothing had happened, deliberately lowering his voice and said, ¡°Humble and shallow believer, tell me your wish.¡±


    This is the attitude that a god should have.


    The majestic voice was transmitted through divine power and reverberated in Catherine¡¯s mind like a bell.


    Catherine¡¯s heart trembled, and ignoring the mud, she knelt down holding the cross and said, ¡°Great Lord of Light, please save your believer.¡±


    With the unexpected response from the God of Light, in that moment, her reverence and faith in the God of Light reached an unprecedented height.


    As she spoke those words, Wu Hui clearly felt that the channel of faith between her and his divinity began to rapidly strengthen and solidify, almost ten times stronger than before.


    ¡°Hmm? She Became a true believer?¡±


    Wu Hui was secretly delighted and as he sank his consciousness into the godhead, he saw the change.


    The number behind ¡°true believer¡± had changed from 0 to 1!


    Great! Great! Great! With this consciousness descent, he gained one true believer.


    This was Wu Hui¡¯s first true believer, and the value of each true believer was worth more than ten shallow believers; they were the foundation of the faithful.


    However, almost at the same time, he also noticed the change in his divine power number.


    Divine Power: 0.9 points (Warning: Divine power is extremely low, please replenish as soon as possible).


    Wu Hui did not expect that such a simple consciousness descent would consume 0.1 points of divine power, which made him feel heartbroken.


    This is equivalent to 100 points of the power of faith~ one solid true believer is equivalent to ten shallow believers.


    This is equivalent to the power of 100 faith points! One solid believer is equivalent to ten shallow believers.


    Approximately 0.01 faith points are generated every day, and it takes about thirty years to break even. He suddenly realized why the gods didn¡¯t pay much attention to individual shallow or solid believers ¨C the investment-to-return ratio was too low!


    However, Wu Hui now only has a few dozen shallow believers left. For him now, every shallow believer is precious, more important than the saint of the former Bright God when he was at his strongest.


    Solid believers are even more precious, and must be cherished in the palm of his hand.


    He knew that his every moment of descent was consuming divine power, although the consumption was minimal, it could not be wasted. When he heard Catherine¡¯s words, he immediately agreed without hesitation.


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    The majestic divine voice resounded in Catherine¡¯s mind.


    In the next moment, a white light burst out of the silver cross held high above Catherine¡¯s head, instantly enveloping her entire body.


    At the same time, all of Catherine¡¯s information appeared in Wu Hui¡¯s consciousness.


    Name: Catherine


    Gender: Female


    Age: 16 (budding)


    Potential: Top-grade (one in a million, chance of being promoted to Great Nun)


    Faith: Light God (True Believer)


    Occupation: Apprentice Nun (Light God)


    Level: Level 0 (weak, ordinary human level)


    Mastery of Divine Art: 1. Light Healing Art Level 0 (can treat extremely minor injuries) 2. Light Blessing Art Level 0 (can extremely slightly enhance allies¡¯ combat effectiveness)


    Seeing the two words ¡°top-grade¡± behind her potential, Wu Hui was delighted.


    After all, one must at least be one in a million to be called top-grade. This young girl¡¯s potential was much better than he had imagined.


    Without hesitation, he immediately gave an order to the divinity, ¡°Divinity, promote the cultivation level of True Believer Catherine.¡±


    Without hesitation, he immediately gave instructions to the deity with a thought: ¡°Deity, increase the cultivation level of the true believer Catherine.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, a majestic force left his body and flowed into Catherine through the silver cross held high above her head, beginning to enhance her strength.


    At the same time, Catherine also felt an immensely powerful force enter her body. She instantly felt refreshed and invigorated, with heightened senses and a body that seemed to become weightless in an instant.


    Could this be the divine grace and blessing that Father Luke spoke of? My goodness, only the most devout believers could possibly receive such divine favor.


    Her deep blue eyes lit up in excitement, and her entire body trembled with emotion.

 CH 4

    Wu Hui¡¯s consciousness attached itself to the silver cross, and he immediately sensed Catherine¡¯s thoughts, feeling satisfied. She was indeed a clever girl. With her help, he could bestow blessings without worrying about his divine power being wasted.


    In truth, he could easily use his divine power to take out the imperial soldiers himself, even with only 0.9 points of power remaining. However, that approach would be too crude and cost-ineffective.


    What he needed now was a spokesperson who could stabilize his message and spread his faith, not just a couple more followers. He had finally found someone suitable for the role, and he would prioritize using his divine power to develop her into a capable spokesperson.


    Although Catherine¡¯s potential was not enough to become a holy maiden yet, and her strength was still far from sufficient, it didn¡¯t matter. With divine power, he could increase her strength level.


    Divine power can do anything, including enhancing a person¡¯s potential. However, a person¡¯s potential is related to the strength of their soul, which is closely related to the essence of their life. Enhancing it requires a considerable amount of divine power, which is not something that can be easily done.


    Of course, given his current lack of divine power, he can only cautiously try to enhance her strength step by step.


    He divided the remaining 0.9 points of his divine power into nine parts and only outputted one part at a time, gradually inputting it into Catherine¡¯s body to try to enhance her strength.


    One part¡­


    At the moment the first surge of divine power entered Catherine¡¯s body, she trembled all over, as if an invisible shackle had been instantly broken.


    In an instant, a pure and flawless white light suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping Catherine.


    Powerful energy washed over her body, bones, and even her soul. Her already beautiful face was instantly covered with a layer of holy light, and her eyes gradually became deep, even her entire aura became incredibly sacred in this moment.


    It all happened in the blink of an eye.


    All the changes seemed to have happened in the blink of an eye. In this moment, according to the information displayed by the god¡¯s status, Catherine¡¯s level jumped from ¡°level 0¡± to ¡°level 1¡±.


    Wu Hui felt delighted, as the mere 0.1 points of divine power had significantly improved Katherine¡¯s cultivation level. This demonstrated the incredible power of divine power, even with just one point, it was a tremendous wealth.


    Without hesitation, he immediately gave the second command, ¡°Godhead, continue to increase Katherine¡¯s strength level.¡±


    As divine power poured into Katherine¡¯s body in increments of 0.1 points, this time it took a total of 0.2 points of divine power to achieve the desired effect.


    Suddenly, a surge of white light emanated from Katherine¡¯s body, and her divine power transformed into a tangible force that caused every cell in her body to undergo an instant metamorphosis.


    In an instant, a more powerful aura emanated from her body.


    The information displayed by the godhead revealed that Katherine¡¯s profession level had also increased to level 2 at the same time.


    Level 2!


    In just a moment, Katherine had reached level 2.


    However, a level 2 strength would only be able to barely cope with the current situation.


    Not enough yet.


    Without hesitation, Wu Hui summoned his courage and output divine power again, this time consuming 0.4 points of divine power.


    In an instant, Katherine¡¯s aura soared once again, and her strength quickly rose to level 3.


    Each level requires more divine power, and the jump from level 2 to 3 cost 0.4 points of divine power, causing Wu Hui a great deal of pain.


    The remaining divine power was not enough to raise Katherine to level 4, but a level 3 nun was already a very powerful entity, capable of handling tasks on her own.


    Wu Hui breathed a sigh of relief and decided to save the remaining 0.2 divine power for emergencies.


    Suddenly, Wu Hui noticed a significant change in Katherine¡¯s information.


    Name: Katherine


    Gender: Female


    Age: 16 (budding)


    Potential: Top-notch (one in a million chance of becoming a Great Nun)


    Belief: God of Light (fanatic)


    Occupation: Nun (God of Light)


    Level: 3 (powerful, a core member of the Church)


    Mastery of Divine Arts: 1. Light Healing Level 3 (can heal severe injuries, illnesses, and poisons) 2. Light Blessing Level 3 (can significantly enhance the combat effectiveness of allies)


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Wu Hui had been focusing on Katherine¡¯s level of strength, but he suddenly noticed that her belief had changed without him realizing it, skipping from a devout believer to a fanatic.


    A fanatic¡­


    A fanatic can produce one point of faith power in a day, and their faith channel is very strong. The enemy can destroy the body or even the soul of a fanatic, but it is almost impossible to destroy their faith. Just one fanatic is worth more than a thousand shallow believers!


    Wu Hui couldn¡¯t help but be overjoyed.


    It¡¯s worth it! The investment of these divine powers is simply worth it~


    Even if Wu Hui doesn¡¯t think about it, he knows that under normal circumstances, it is impossible to cultivate a fanatic with only 0.7 points of divine power. Such special opportunities are purely a matter of chance.


    Time flies.


    The process of infusing divine power into Catherine seemed lengthy, but it only took a few breaths of time.


    Under the holy white light, Catherine¡¯s appearance and temperament underwent a dramatic change in just a short moment. All the dirt on her body disappeared, and she was surrounded by a layer of white holy light. Her powerful aura was exhibited without reservation.


    The pure white holy light spread from her, dispelling the darkness in the forest and making her appear bright and holy, like an angel descending to earth.


    In her azure eyes, there was an unparalleled fanaticism, as if a flame was hidden inside her, and nothing and no one could shake her faith.


    Wu Hui had no doubt that if he gave her an order, she would not hesitate to even commit suicide.


    ¡°This¡­how is this possible?!¡±


    The bearded man and the soldiers watched in awe as Catherine¡¯s weak aura repeatedly rose in just a few breaths.


    Now she was still kneeling in the mud, but she exuded an awe-inspiring aura that made them fearful.


    Could it be that, within that bright light, a divine being had really descended? Yes, perhaps only a real god could possess such an ability to turn the tide.


    An overwhelming feeling of fear enveloped them. A God, that was definitely a real God!


    In their entire lives, they had never seen a divine being descend. What made them desperate was that they had just blasphemed against this divine being. Would they be judged for it?

 CH 5

    The bearded man and several soldiers exchanged glances, fear deeply evident in their eyes.


    ¡°Go! Run!¡± the bearded man suddenly snapped out of his daze and, realizing the situation was not in their favor, prepared to slip away with his spear.


    The other soldiers followed suit, tiptoeing away, hoping to escape.


    Wu Hui immediately took notice of them and, with a sweep of his divine sense, instantly saw through everyone¡¯s strength.


    The soldiers were all level zero, and the bearded man and young warrior were only level one, with very weak strength. The only one worth his attention was the young warrior, who had the potential to reach level four at some point in his life.


    However, it seemed that the young warrior was with this little girl, and having someone with slightly better potential was a good thing.


    He made up his mind and lowered his voice, speaking authoritatively to Catherine, ¡°Only the strong can control fate. Go, Catherine, use your own power to change your fate.¡±


    His voice was ¡°authoritative¡± and full of enticement, transmitted through divine power into Catherine¡¯s mind, adding a hint of divinity to his words.


    Catherine was initially scared, but upon hearing these words, she felt a surge of courage as if she had found support. Her eyes were filled with fanaticism as she stood up slowly, her expression cold as she looked towards the soldiers, exuding the authority of a level 3 expert in her gaze.


    For fanatics, divine will is the ultimate purpose of their lives. Anyone who insults or desecrates the gods they believe in fills them with anger and a desire to kill.


    ¡°Radiant Code: Healing.¡±


    She held the silver cross in her hands, closed her eyes and concentrated. A pure and vast power of radiance emerged, covering Landon¡¯s previously injured body.


    The wounds on Landon¡¯s body healed visibly quickly.


    Landon was stunned and quickly reached out to grab the arrow behind his back and pulled it out fiercely.


    The blood spurted out, causing him to gasp in pain.


    But even if it hurt, he had to pull it out. He had seen high-level healing spells before and knew how magical they were. If he didn¡¯t remove the arrow, the arrowhead and shaft might grow inside his body under the effect of the healing spell.


    Sure enough, in just a few breaths, the bleeding from his back and abdomen stopped, and his wounds quickly healed, growing pink, tender flesh.


    Divine magic, this is the healing magic of priests or nuns. Legend has it that even people on the brink of death can be saved and healed if a priest or nun of holy order intervenes.


    Even Catherine herself did not expect her divine magic to become so powerful. She was stunned for a moment but quickly reacted, raising her hand and casting another spell.


    ¡°Radiant Code: Blessing!¡±


    In an instant, a white light fell on Landon.


    The bones all over Landon¡¯s body crackled and popped, as if endless power was about to burst out from his muscles, and his dry fighting spirit quickly recovered, causing his energy channels to swell and almost burst.


    Landon was overjoyed. The powerful Radiant Blessing had unexpectedly doubled his strength.


    Catherine¡¯s azure eyes seemed to overlook the soldiers who were secretly planning to escape, and her voice unknowingly gained some authority: ¡°Landon, why don¡¯t you purify those blasphemous heretics?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Landon suddenly shuddered and realized that a few of the bearded soldiers were trying to escape.


    He immediately stiffened and shouted in a cold voice, ¡°Trying to run? It¡¯s too late.¡± As he spoke, he drew his long sword and charged towards the soldiers.


    Thanks to the healing power of the Light Healing technique, Landon¡¯s injuries had already healed. Additionally, he had received the Blessing technique, which greatly increased his strength and speed. His combat ability was now almost on par with that of a level 2 warrior.


    The strongest of the soldiers, the bearded one, was only at level 1, while the rest were at level 0. They were no match for Landon, who had been blessed by the Light Blessing technique. Within seconds, he had caught up to them. Landon swung his sword, aiming a powerful blow at the bearded soldier.


    The soldier heard the wind behind him and quickly dodged to the side, but the sword still pierced through his shoulder armor, leaving a deep wound. The armor was able to withstand most attacks, but Landon¡¯s newfound strength easily pierced through it. The bearded soldier cried out in pain as blood poured from the wound. Landon kicked him in the lower back, sending him flying, and then quickly drew his sword and charged forward once more.


    He was filled with hatred towards the bearded soldier, attacking him relentlessly until he was beheaded and blood was splattered all around.


    The remaining three soldiers saw how easily the strongest of their group had been killed and realized they had no chance of escaping.!


    The soldiers fell to their knees, crying and begging for mercy, no longer daring to resist.


    ¡°Catherine?¡± Landon hesitated to make a decision and turned to look at Catherine. Catherine had gained divine favor and her strength had grown to a level that made him awestruck. Unconsciously, his attitude towards her had changed.


    As Catherine, shrouded in holy light, approached the soldiers, her unhurried pace matched by the complex expression in her deep blue eyes. In her hands, she held a silver cross, and she respectfully whispered, ¡°My Lord, these soldiers were deceived and misled. They did not intend to insult you. Now that the main culprit has been punished, may they be given a chance to redeem themselves?¡± It was at that moment that Wu Hui grasped the true nature of Catherine¡¯s intentions.


    These soldiers had witnessed a miracle and were the best candidates for believers. If given a chance, they would be more devout than the average believer. Catherine, now a fanatical believer, had already begun to consider and think for the God of Light, Wu Hui, in every situation.


    Wu Hui nodded immediately, ¡°Granted!¡± The majestic and solemn voice of God echoed in the air. ¡°My Lord is merciful,¡± Catherine¡¯s eyes lit up and she immediately bowed her head in prayer.


    After finishing her prayer, she looked down at the soldiers kneeling at her feet, her face becoming extremely serious. ¡°Our Lord is merciful, sparing your lives. Are you willing to quickly abandon the darkness and swear to serve our Lord , the God of Light, for life?¡±


    ¡°We swear to serve the great Lord of Light for our entire lives, never to betray Him,¡± the soldiers quickly replied, their hearts trembling with great excitement after witnessing such a miracle and being personally pardoned by the Lord of Light.


    As they pledged their faith to the Lord of Light, several channels of faith connected with Wu Hui¡¯s divine essence, and these channels were surprisingly strong, far surpassing that of a superficial believers.


    Wu Hui was overjoyed to see that not only did he gain three devout believers, but they were even more valuable than a hundred shallow believers. The power of faith offered by these three devout believers alone was worth several hundred shallow believers.


    Wu Hui¡¯s heart was filled with happiness.

 CH 6

    ¡­


    However, this was a pity for the stubble-bearded man. If he surrendered, maybe he would have become a devout believer. Actually, he didn¡¯t care about being scolded, as the power of faith was the most important thing.


    However, just because Wu Hui thought so, it did not mean that other believers would think the same. How could a despicable blasphemer not receive divine punishment? How could the power of the gods not matter!


    While Wu Hui was lost in thought, on the other side, Catherine had turned her gaze to her little friend, Landon.


    ¡°Landon, our Lord has come. Why don¡¯t you turn back from your waywardness?¡±


    Turn back from your waywardness?


    Uh¡­ Wu Hui understood.


    This kid was also a believer, but his faith had collapsed, turning him into an unbeliever.


    Landon¡¯s face was full of shame, and his face turned red. He quickly knelt down on one knee and said, ¡°I am a sinner, Landon. I dare not ask for our Lord¡¯s forgiveness. I only hope to protect our Lord with this sword for the rest of my life, and never regret it until death.¡±


    As his words fell, his faith channel was re-established and was very strong and sturdy, even stronger than three devout believers, just a little weaker than Catherine.


    Wu Hui was pleased. This was more like it.


    It was worth spending divine power to come down.


    Unfortunately, he only had 0.2 points of divine power left, not enough to upgrade him from level 1 to level 2, and he had to keep it as a backup.


    Who knew that he might become a fanatical believer in a fit of excitement?


    But now, Wu Hui was already satisfied. His voice rang in everyone¡¯s minds, ¡°From this day on, Catherine is the saint I have appointed, and you must follow her, serve her, protect her, travel the land, and spread the glory of the light.¡±


    ¡°We obey our Lord¡¯s will.¡±


    Everyone devoutly kneeled down, their hearts filled with fiery passion.


    Seeing this, Wu Hui nodded secretly.


    With these people, his believers would definitely grow in number.


    The longer he stayed, the more divine power he consumed. Seeing that the remaining divine power was still being consumed, Wu Hui immediately withdrew his consciousness from the silver cross.


    In an instant, the light emitted from Catherine¡¯s silver cross, which had shown a miracle, quickly dimmed and disappeared, leaving only a faint but pure and holy light.


    ¡­


    In the next moment, Wu Hui¡¯s main consciousness returned to the divine realm.


    Upon his return, he felt his soul tremble, and he felt a little dizzy for a moment.


    After a while, he gradually recovered and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. His soul was too weak. A truly powerful god could split their consciousness into many parts and deal with different events separately. A truly powerful god could have hundreds of avatars and tens of millions of consciousnesses.


    However, one must take things one step at a time.


    Wu Hui finally established a decent starting point, escaped from desperation, and considered it all worthwhile.


    After resting for a while and feeling his soul had returned to normal, Wu Hui squatted in the ruins of the divine realm and began to take stock of the gains from his arrival this time.


    Although it cost him 0.8 points of divine power, the harvest was also evident.


    Divine Spirit: 0


    Saints: 0


    Fanatic Followers: 1


    The number of shallow believers is still falling, but he gained four devout followers and one fanatic. Just these five can provide 1.4 points of faith power every day, which is much better than before.


    Furthermore, these five have very firm faith and the faith channel is unlikely to collapse unless they die.


    If the current situation is maintained, he can convert 1 point of divine power in just over two years.


    However, Wu Hui is not foolish, so how could he sit idle for two years?


    The remaining 0.2 points of divine power are for preparing for the next plan. He has already conveyed the plan to Katherina¡¯s mind, and everything will depend on the temporary Light Saint to operate.


    Wu Hui is now severely lacking in divine power and cannot frequently appear. He can only wait patiently for results.


    In his boredom, he continues to study the mysteries of the divine nature. Only by thoroughly mastering it can he become a true Light God.


    As he waits, time passes quickly like flowing water.


    On the third day, the number of shallow believers decreased to 60 people.


    However, in less than an hour, the number of shallow believers returned from 60 to 61. Then, after another hour, it dropped back down to 60, but two hours later, it rose again to 61.


    Throughout most of the day, the number of shallow believers was like a tug-of-war, fluctuating back and forth, causing Wu Hui¡¯s heart to race. But he knew that it was the work of the Bright Holy Maiden.


    Now that the enemy was powerful and spread throughout the empire, if the Bright Holy Maiden dared to shout out that the Bright Lord was still alive and ask people to return to their faith, even if she had reached level 7 as a saintly nun, she would not survive for more than three days.


    What Wu Hui had her do was to slowly win them over, gradually bringing back the shallow believers whose faith channels had collapsed. It would be best to lead by example and develop some true believers.


    First, gather a group of people, and then slowly plan the next step.


    Katherine didn¡¯t disappoint him either.


    With her as the new Bright Holy Maiden secretly making moves, Wu Hui¡¯s number of shallow believers finally stopped falling and began to rise again. By the fourth day, it returned to 65, on the fifth day it rose to 78, and by the eighth day, the number of shallow believers had once again exceeded one hundred.


    What excited Wu Hui the most was that during this process, two shallow believers had converted to true believers.


    Although true believers were only worth ten shallow believers, far less than devout believers or fanatics, this kind of conversion was undoubtedly a good start.


    For the next period of time, Wu Hui practically squatted on top of the stone pillar every day, staring at the number of believers and inferring from the data what the Bright Holy Maiden and others were doing, and whether their actions were going smoothly.


    Every time he saw the number of believers drop by one or two, his heart would flutter with anxiety, fearing that the Bright Holy Maiden¡¯s actions had been discovered and persecuted by the enemy.


    Every time he saw the number of believers ¡°whoosh¡± go up a few, he couldn¡¯t help but be excited, praising Katherine and her team in his heart again and again, while also marveling at his own luck for stumbling upon such a reliable Bright Holy Maiden.

 CH 7

    ¡­


    If it weren¡¯t for his lack of divine power, which prevented him from descending, he would have probably gone to the mortal realm to supervise and guide the actions of the Holy Lady of Light himself.


    Unconsciously, the days passed one by one.Time flew by, and another month had passed.


    Wu Hui¡¯s number of followers had also accumulated over time, increasing by a large amount.


    On this day, as usual, he was squatting on the top of the pillar, counting his followers¡¯ numbers out of boredom.


    Holy Spirit: 0


    Holy Followers: 0


    Fanatical Followers: 1


    Pious Followers: 4


    True Followers: 30


    Shallow Followers: 356


    He carefully examined the numbers and found that the number of True Disciples, who were the cornerstone of the divine power, had reached 30. With so many followers, he could now provide him with a stable 2 points of faith power every day.


    Up to this day, Wu Hui had accumulated 68 points of faith power, which he had lost due to condensing divine power.


    Unfortunately, the number of Pious and Fanatical Disciples had not increased.


    Actually, what Wu Hui was most looking forward to was for the Holy Light Maiden to reach the level of a Holy Disciple with absolute sincerity and faith. Once she reached that level, her faith would be truly indestructible and she could provide him with 10 points of faith power every day.


    Moreover, even if a Holy Disciple died, their soul could fly through the Gate of Heaven and ascend to become a Holy Spirit in the Divine Kingdom¡¯s Holy Spirit Hall.


    If Wu Hui had divine power, he would not hesitate to immediately transform that Holy Spirit into a warrior angel. The strength of a warrior angel started at level 7, and their future growth potential was enormous.


    On the mortal plane, anyone at level 7 could be considered ¡°saintly¡± and held an extremely high status. Even facing an emperor of a country, they would receive respect. The fighting power of an angel was self-evident.


    Of course, Wu Hui was just fantasizing.


    It should be noted that every Holy Disciple¡¯s appearance required various opportunities, and it was not something that could be obtained simply by consuming divine power. Otherwise, warrior angels would have already been rampant.


    After counting the number of followers, Wu Hui¡¯s mind wandered and thought about many things. Soon, he threw away these stray thoughts and continued to ponder his divinity.


    However, this day was destined to be extraordinary.


    Just as Wu Hui was in the midst of studying his divinity, the faith channel between him and the Holy Light Maiden, Catherine, began to violently shake.


    At the same time, the Holy Light Maiden¡¯s prayer voice clearly transmitted: ¡°Great Lord of Light, please bestow a miracle and save those lost lambs~¡±


    Save the lost lambs?


    Wu Hui was ecstatic.


    As soon as he heard this prayer, he understood that Catherine¡¯s plan had succeeded.


    Next, it was time to reap the fruits of victory!


    St. Lu¡¯an Monastery.


    This is an ordinary monastery located on the border of the Empire. Among the more than 100 monasteries in the Empire, it is extremely common and inconspicuous. It has only produced one saint since its establishment.


    However, it is precisely because of its remoteness and insignificance, coupled with the efforts of the fanatic priest Luke, that it has become the last fortress.


    The night was bright and the moonlight was shining from the sky.


    Bathed in the moonlight, this monastery with a history of several hundred years exuded an indescribable sense of vicissitudes. The smoke-gray stone walls had collapsed in a battle more than a month ago, leaving only half of the corroded wall roots, which looked dilapidated and desolate from a distance.


    Inside the enclosure, the toppled statue of the God of Light on the faith square had been re-erected by someone, even the broken limbs and arms had been glued back in place.


    However, time was running out, and the cracks on the statue had not been repaired yet. At first glance, the statue was full of cracks, adding a touch of sadness.


    Under the statue, the newly appointed Light Saint, Catherine, knelt on one knee, her hands covering her heart, chanting the hymn ¡°Light¡¯s Praise¡± with the most devout posture.


    The ethereal singing echoed in the night, and the pure light power continuously emanated from her, swirling and rising around her, looking holy and majestic from afar.


    More than a month of training had made her shed her original immaturity. The clear and firm gaze in her eyes was now accompanied by a touch of gravity and profundity, truly showing the elegance of a saint.


    The swordsman, Landon, and three devout soldier believers knelt behind her in turn, bowing their heads with a devout expression.


    For this past month and a half, the four of them had been moving around with the Light Saint Catherine, often receiving the blessing of the Light, undergoing many battles and training, and their strength had obviously improved a lot.


    The aura of the three soldiers had already reached the peak of level one, and Landon had even reached level two, with a touch of killing intent added to his body, almost unrecognizable from before.


    Behind them, more than 300 ordinary believers gathered together, praying quietly.


    Most of them were ordinary civilians, men, women, and children of all ages, with only a few dozen strong men.


    These people were originally believers of the God of Light, but their faith collapsed due to various reasons when the St. Lu¡¯an Monastery underwent a huge change. But with the efforts of the Light Saint Catherine, they regained their faith.


    However, they had not truly experienced the descent of divine power, and their inner faith was not strong enough. Currently, the vast majority of them were shallow believers.


    There are only 30 true believers.


    Suddenly, a noisy group of footsteps could be heard outside the walls of the monastery. An imperial army rushed out of the darkness and blocked the entrance and exit of the monastery with lightning speed.


    The imperial army then split in the middle, and a group of people on tall horses leisurely strolled out from the middle.


    The leader was a middle-aged man with chestnut hair wearing full plate armor, exuding an air of nobility. However, his expression was very relaxed, as if he didn¡¯t care about the people in front of him at all.


    Behind him were a dozen or so knights. These knights were powerful and robust, exuding a strong killing intent. Each one of them was at least a level 1 in strength, not weaker than any of the three soldiers behind Landen, clearly.


    These people came unannounced and without any concealment. The praying civilian believers in the monastery were immediately alarmed and began to stir restlessly.


    Several older civilians recognized the origin of this army and were frightened, their faces turning pale. ¡°Patrol, the third patrol! It¡¯s the Imperial Luan area¡¯s third patrol!¡±


    The full name of the third patrol was ¡°The Empire¡¯s Luan area¡¯s third patrol¡±, with a full strength of 300 people, but actually consisting of 197 people, subordinate to the Holy Luan city and part of the city guard system, controlled by the Lord of Luan city. Its usual function was to maintain order and fight crime, so its weapons and combat power were very ordinary.


    However, even if its combat power was ordinary, an army was still an army, and it was much stronger than unarmed civilian believers.


    Some of the believers recognized the leader of this army, the chestnut-haired middle-aged man named Nijico, who was a 3rd level knight, a distinguished knight of the empire and the leader of the third patrol.


    Just based on him and his dozen or so knights, they could easily overpower hundreds of unarmed civilians, let alone the entire third patrol who had come out. With their hundreds of people, there was no hope for the civilians.


    Fear spread throughout the courtyard, and the outer circle of believers was so frightened that they didn¡¯t even care to pray. They crawled and scrambled up from the ground, desperately trying to push into the monastery.


    ¡°Hahaha~¡± Nico couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter at the scene. He looked at the slender girl under the statue with a proud gaze and said, ¡°Heretical pseudo-saint Catherine! Did you not expect this? This commander-in-chief of the third patrol had long received intelligence about your heretical gathering. In order to catch all you annoying rats in one fell swoop, I, the commander-in-chief, secretly provided you with a lot of help. Hahaha~¡±

 CH 8

    It¡¯s no wonder that Nico is so proud. The remnants of the Light in the entire empire have almost been completely wiped out, but ironically, the remnants of the Light God have resurfaced in Luke City. The lord of the city has recently been anxious about this matter, fearing to be held accountable from above.


    If it weren¡¯t for his advice to the lord of the city, deliberately relaxing the guard and creating loopholes, using a tactic to lure the snake out of its hole, how could they have coincidentally seized the opportunity to round up all these heretics here?


    With the impetus of his strong fighting spirit, Nico¡¯s voice enveloped the entire audience, and his proud laughter made people¡¯s hearts tremble.


    The chaos among the shallow believers in the Square of Faith was even worse. Some showed despair, some hugged each other trembling with fear, and some burst into tears.


    They do believe in the Light God, but their weak faith is far from enough to support them to become martyrs for the Light.


    The 30 true believers also had pale faces and eyes full of fear. But they are true believers after all, the cornerstone of the faithful to the divine, and their faith in the Light God is much firmer than that of the shallow believers.


    Although they trembled with fear, they still knelt on one knee, closed their eyes, and prayed.


    Only the four devout believers, including Landon, did not show any fear on their faces. Instead, there was a hint of pride. Since they became devout believers, their faith has been as solid as a rock and cannot be shaken. At critical moments, they can even sacrifice their lives for their faith.


    And now, it is time for them to die for their faith.


    ¡°Brothers and sisters,¡± Landon¡¯s gaze was firm, and he shouted in a deep voice, ¡°The great Light God is everywhere, and everything you do is under His watchful eye. The dark times will soon pass, and the dawn of light is coming.¡±


    ¡°The dark times will soon pass, and the dawn of light is coming.¡±


    The other three devout soldier believers looked fanatical, and immediately joined in the shouting.


    They are all believers who have personally experienced the descent of the Light God, witnessed the great miracles with their own eyes, and their faith will never waver.


    With their support, the emotions of the believers at the scene suddenly stabilized. The 30 true believers were infected by their emotions and began to shout with them: ¡°The dark times will soon pass, and the dawn of light is coming.¡±


    Unconsciously, the faith of those true believers seemed to have become more firm again.


    The remaining three devout soldier believers had a fanatical look in their eyes and immediately joined in with a loud shout.


    They were all believers who had personally experienced the descent of the god of light and witnessed great miracles. Their faith would never waver.


    With the support of these devout believers, the emotions of the audience stabilized a lot. The 30 true believers were infected by their emotions and began to shout along, ¡°The dark times are about to pass, and the dawn of light is coming.¡±


    Unconsciously, the faith of those true believers seemed to have become even more firm.


    ¡°Nico!¡± Langdon shouted at the leader of the third patrol, Nico, from a distance. ¡°You evil heretic, your heinous acts of harming brothers and sisters of the Illuminati will be judged.¡±


    ¡°Nico!¡± shouted Landon from afar to the leader of the third patrol team. ¡°You evil heretic, your heinous crimes against the brothers and sisters of the Church of Light will be judged.¡±


    ¡°Judged?¡± Nico was taken aback for a moment, then burst into maniacal laughter. ¡°Who dares to judge me? Just because of that dead Light God of yours? I spit on him!¡±


    With that, he spurred his horse and drew his massive sword from his saddle. ¡°Brothers, today is the day we earn our glory. Except for the heretic renegade pseudo-Saint Katherine, all others will be killed without mercy!¡±


    ¡°Kill, kill, kill!¡±


    Nearly two hundred soldiers held their spears and shields high, their morale soaring as they pushed forward step by heavy and deadly step towards the Church of Light.


    In an instant, the thick atmosphere of killing intent enveloped the entire square of faith. Even the wind whistling through the air seemed to carry an extra chill.


    ¡°Oh, great Light God~¡± the shallow believers were unarmed and many began to sob and wail. ¡°Please come to earth and save us!¡±


    ¡°Mom, mom.¡± A seven or eight-year-old girl looked up at her mother with a naive expression. ¡°Will God come to save us?¡±


    Her mother, a young peasant woman in her twenties, was on the verge of breaking down herself, but still held her daughter tightly, whispering, ¡°Yes, the great Light God will come and personally judge those evil heretics.¡±


    But she didn¡¯t even believe her own words.


    She regretted why she had believed in the Church of Light again under the influence of the Saint, and even more so, why she had brought her child to attend the church gathering to witness the so-called miracle of the Light God¡¯s manifestation.


    As the imperial army, armed with spears, approached the faithful, it seemed that with a simple thrust forward, the unarmed civilian believers would be mercilessly slaughtered.


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    Swordsman Landon suddenly drew his long sword, a slight burst of energy flowing into the blade, causing a faint white light to wrap around it.


    He looked at Katherine, his gaze firm. ¡°Your Highness, please bestow upon me the blessing of Light.¡±


    The other three soldiers also requested the blessing, ready to charge into battle against the enemy.


    They had all made up their minds to sacrifice themselves for the cause.


    ¡°Calm down!¡±


    The Saint of Light, Katherine, gave a light reprimand, her expression still pious and calm.


    She opened her lips slightly, and her dignified voice spread throughout the entire square with the Light¡¯s holy glow.


    ¡°The great Light Lord is watching us. He will use the wings of light to protect every believer, and he will use the sword of Light to judge every heretic. Believers, calm your fears and cleanse the impurities in your hearts. As the words fell silent, she clasped a silver cross in her hands and held it to her chest. With devout sincerity, she began to sing a hymn ¨C ¡°Glorious Praise to the Light.¡±


    The melodious and ethereal singing voice rose in excitement under the night sky.


    In an instant, a strong and pure light burst from her body and surged towards the sky, exploding like fireworks in mid-air and turning into countless fine rays of light that scattered down like a dazzling light rain.


    The light rain fell on the frightened believers, the imperial soldiers, and the cavalry guards alike. The light raindrops transformed into a pure and warm sunlight-like power that penetrated into the body of a shallow believer, dispelling the darkness and fear within him.


    In that moment, the shallow believer felt as if he was bathed in holy light, feeling comfortable throughout his body and enlightened in his mind. Even the spears in front of him were no longer as scary.


    As more and more light rain fell, the believers seemed to regain their lost courage and see the dawn of light.


    30 true believers stood in front of the crowd, holding hands and blocking the imperial army. Although they were still afraid, their eyes were filled with courage as they sang loudly, ¡°The dark moment will soon pass, and the dawn of light is coming.¡±


    Following the example of the true believers, the shallow believers also stood up, putting the elderly, women, and children behind them. Strong male believers held hands and shouted with the true believers.


    Even the elderly, women, and children did not stand idle. They held the hands of the nearest believers and sang tremblingly along with them.


    At this moment, the Glorious Praise to the Light of the Light Maiden reached its climax, and the bright light exploded like fireworks, illuminating the entire square of faith. Even the broken statue of the Light shone with a dazzling light.


    The believers held hands and stood shoulder to shoulder. Their minds seemed to unite at this moment, converging together, and their distracting thoughts were being washed away, becoming clear as crystal.


    Most of them were shallow believers, with very weak channels of faith, but once they gathered together, they became incredibly strong and sturdy, like a shining sword, soaring to the sky.

 CH 9

    ¡°Massive ritual prayers!¡±


    However, the effectiveness of those ritual prayers might not have been as powerful as they are today.


    Under the pressure of life and when their emotions reach a breaking point, the shallow believers¡¯ hearts erupted with unprecedented power under the guidance of the saint and senior believers.


    This power turned into a continuous flow of faith pouring into the divine realm.


    In the divine realm, Wu Hui, who was about to descend but had not yet had the chance to, suddenly felt that powerful faith channel. This united and powerful faith channel was so strong and firm.


    Before this, among the faith channels connected to Wu Hui, the one belonging to Saint Catherine was the strongest and most stable. But even Catherine¡¯s faith channel was not as strong as this one in a hundred.


    Pure faith power flowed through the faith channel into the divine essence.


    In Wu Hui¡¯s information panel, the faith power number kept jumping and blinking, quickly rising from the initial 68 points to 100 points, and then continued to climb to 300 points, 600 points¡­


    This was like a night of becoming rich in an instant~


    Wu Hui had never seen faith power grow so rapidly and excitedly, his heart almost leaping out of his chest.


    Meanwhile, in the Saint Luke Monastery, the praises of the Light still echoed in the sky, and the light rain continued to fall. The hundreds of believers had united to create an incredibly powerful force of faith, as if they had formed a wall of light.


    The soldiers¡¯ steps became slower and slower, their faces full of disbelief. Could it be true that a miracle had really occurred?


    Unlike the believers, the soldiers were only filled with fear as the light rain fell on them. It was a sign that the enemy they were about to face was likely to be a deity. A true, living deity!


    The soldiers of the third patrol unit in Luke City were the most ordinary soldiers in the empire, with ordinary training, ordinary equipment, and weak willpower. During the era of the Bright Empire, one out of every ten of these ordinary soldiers were shallow believers, while the rest were either non-believers or pseudo-believers.


    They had the courage to slaughter unarmed civilians, but to face a deity, they did not have the guts.


    At this moment, most of the patrol soldiers were shaken, some even stopped their steps, and the formation was thrown into chaos.


    ¡°Fools! Idiots!¡±


    The captain, Nico, roared angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by that fake holy woman. It¡¯s just a technique of war called ¡®Light Praise¡¯. Kill, everyone follow me!¡±


    He charged towards the crowd first.


    Nico was quite knowledgeable and recognized the technique as ¡°Light Praise¡±. However, he never imagined that the ¡°Light Praise¡±, which only the rank of archbishops could barely perform, could be used by the pseudo-holy woman, Catherine, and could suddenly reverse the situation.


    But now he couldn¡¯t retreat. He had to lead the charge and break up the group of bright believers holding hands to turn the situation around.


    Nicco¡¯s dozen or so personal guards hesitated for a moment but then followed him out.


    The sound of a dozen horse hooves pounding on the stone road echoed with a heavy and murderous thunder as they charged towards the group of believers like a storm.


    The dozen cavalrymen charged forward with an overwhelming momentum, as if they were breaking through a chaotic group of bandits. However, in front of Nicco at this moment was a group of believers who were praying on a large scale, and their faith was condensed into a huge rope.


    They were also afraid, but in adversity, their hearts became purer and their faith became stronger.


    The collective emotion was incredibly powerful, and in this moment, every believer was a resolute martyr!


    ¡°Charge, charge!¡±


    Nicco yelled, the double-handed sword in his hand was already covered with fighting spirit, and he firmly believed that he could break through those unarmed believers of the Bright God.


    Once the believers scattered, the myth of the Bright God would be shattered, and his soldiers would no longer be afraid.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Four devout believers, including the swordsman Landen, had somehow positioned themselves at the forefront, pointing their swords and spears at the dozen or so cavalry charging towards them.


    Four infantry against a dozen cavalry, including Nicco, a 3rd level knight in full-body armor. There was no doubt that this was a futile effort.


    However, their eyes were filled with devoutness, and there was no trace of fear, but rather a fanaticism. Yes, fanaticism, similar to that of a cult member, was evident in them.


    This was a natural change. The shallow believers, under the influence of collective willpower, had developed the emotional desire to sacrifice themselves.


    As devout believers, how could they not undergo any changes? If the four of them were to survive, becoming fanatics was an inevitable result.


    However, could they really survive?


    The cavalry charge was fast, and in just a few breaths, they were upon them.


    Nicco¡¯s mouth curled into a sneer, and his two-handed sword was already poised to strike. He was confident that with the momentum of the charge, he could send Landon flying with just one strike.


    But in this critical moment, something unexpected happened!


    The seven to eight meter tall statue of the Bright God, which was in a state of disrepair, suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light.


    The light was like a fully armed sun, illuminating the entire St. Luke¡¯s Abbey as if it were daytime, so bright that it was almost blinding.


    Horses and riders were shocked and terrified, their hooves firmly rooted to the ground, refusing to take another step forward. The riders, seasoned warriors who had seen countless battles, were almost thrown from their mounts due to the immense inertia.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± Nicco and the cavalrymen¡¯s faces became ugly, with a hint of fear.


    Everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to the statue of the Bright God, which had undergone a tremendous transformation.


    The changes were still ongoing.


    The originally barely standing, cracked and unrepaired statue of the Bright God was not only bursting with unparalleled brilliance, but the cracks and shattered surfaces miraculously healed in the light.


    Like white jade, the surface of the statue was filled with flowing colors, exuding vigorous vitality.


    In the blink of an eye, the statue had come to life.


    Yes, it had come to life.


    The statue¡¯s originally slightly drooping eyes, half-closed and full of compassion, slowly opened, its gaze thunderous and high above, staring down at the invading enemy.


    The first to bear the brunt were Nicco, the captain of the third patrol of the Lucca City, and his more than ten personal guard cavalry.


    Under the majestic gaze of the statue, they instantly felt a sense of impending doom, and the fear in their hearts was almost enough to make them fall off their horses.


    The god¡¯s power was like a prison, and they didn¡¯t even dare to think of resistance.

 CH 10

    ¡°How is this possible?! Didn¡¯t His Majesty declare to the whole country that the God of Light had already perished?¡±


    The farmer woman believer hurriedly covered her daughter¡¯s eyes and said anxiously, ¡°Child, you cannot look at or discuss the gods, that is an offense to the gods.¡±


    She was extremely anxious. If this were in the past, randomly looking at or discussing the god statues was a punishable offense.


    Just as the farmer woman was about to kneel down and pray for forgiveness from the Light God for her daughter, a magnificent, majestic, yet kind and tolerant voice sounded in the sky, ¡°This child¡¯s soul is innocent and pure, and in the future, she will follow the path of the nun with Saint Catherine.¡±


    ¡°Catherine, follow the will of our Lord God.¡± Saint Catherine, who kneeled on one knee with an extremely solemn expression, respectfully accepted the order.


    After the Light God¡¯s arrival, she stopped singing the Light praises so that everyone¡¯s attention would be focused on the great Light God.


    The farmer woman was full of excitement and gratitude, kneeling down to worship, ¡°Thank you, my Lord, for your mercy, thank you for your divine grace.¡±


    The great Light God not only forgave her daughter¡¯s blasphemy but also promoted her daughter to be a nun beside the saint, with a bright future ahead of her. How could this farmer woman not be excited? Almost at the same time, the faith channel between her and Wu Hui became even stronger and more stable.

 CH 11

    ¡°Clang clang clang~¡±


    In just a blink of an eye.


    In the sky, a white spear suddenly condensed into shape out of nowhere.


    The spear was over two meters long, pure white like jade, and exuded a divine aura. As soon as it appeared, a powerful pressure emanated from the spear, majestic and imposing.


    ¡°The Spear of Judgment! It¡¯s the Spear of Judgment!¡±


    Sharp-eyed believers saw it and couldn¡¯t help but exclaim.


    In the next instant, the Spear of Judgment roared down like thunder, lightning fast, and shot straight at Nico¡¯s head!


    Nico only had time to lift his head, and the Spear of Judgment struck him directly on the head.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    In the terrifying explosion, a blinding white light instantly enveloped Nico¡¯s entire body.


    In an instant, his brain exploded, and blood and flesh flew out, and his severed limbs, wrapped in shattered armor, fell to the ground at everyone¡¯s feet. Nico was blasted to pieces by the terrifying explosive force.


    The scent of grilled meat spread in the air, seemingly reminding everyone of Nico¡¯s tragic fate.


    Stunned!


    Whether it was the soldiers of the Third Patrol Team, Wu Hui¡¯s believers, or even Wu Hui himself, they were all stunned by the scene.


    Wu Hui directly used the Spear of Judgment to deal with Nico, intending to establish his authority and let everyone deeply feel the divine majesty of the God of Light.


    However, even he did not expect the power of the Spear of Judgment to be so strong. The armor that could not even be cut by a sword was torn to shreds without any defensive effect.


    The whole scene was silent.


    After a few seconds, the swordsman Landen reacted and quickly knelt down, excitedly shouting, ¡°Believer Landen, thanks Lord, for the Lord¡¯s divine power that exterminated the heretics and protected the believers.¡±


    The male believer who had been saved by Wu Hui also realized this and knelt down, shouting fanatically, ¡°Praise the Lord, praise the Lord!¡±


    ¡°Believer Harry, thank the Lord for personally protecting us. Believer Harry is willing to offer the most sincere loyalty to the Lord.¡±


    As his words fell, an incredibly sturdy faith channel rapidly formed.


    Harry, a believer who was originally a shallow believer, was just one of the strong men who followed Landen and formed the front-line wall during the critical moment. After experiencing this collective prayer and baptism of faith, even if Wu Hui hadn¡¯t intervened to save him, he would have at least advanced from a shallow believer to a true believer, or even a devout believer.


    But as he was about to perish, the great Light God actually personally wielded the Spear of Judgment to save him. What glory, what grace!


    Throughout history, such examples are rare.


    In an instant, Harry directly jumped several levels, becoming an extremely firm and fanatical believer.


    Wu Hui felt his change and was overjoyed. This was the second fanatical believer he had developed with his own hands. Once upon a time, Wu Hui was still heartbroken about the fanatical believer who suddenly collapsed in the faith channel half a year ago.


    Now he had two fanatical believers, who could provide one point of faith power per day, and one point of divine power every three years. This was a precious believer equivalent to 1000 shallow believers.


    Moreover, fanatical believers have an incredibly passionate and persistent belief in the gods, and can offer their lives to the gods anytime and anywhere.


    For enemies, fanatical believers are a terrifying existence. Their faith is firm and extreme, and they will not tolerate any heresy or evil in their eyes. Anyone who dares to blaspheme in any form will be attacked by them like crazy.


    But for Wu Hui, a god, fanatical believers are precious treasures that are hard to come by. Unless he personally descends, it is difficult to cultivate a fanatical believer. In fact, even if the gods are willing to descend, it is not easy to cultivate fanatical believers, at least not by paying a small amount of divine power to cultivate them casually.


    Just Harry alone made Wu Hui¡¯s descent this time worthwhile.

 CH 12

    However, Wu Hui¡¯s gains would surely not be limited to just Harry, one fanatic.


    As Landon, Harry, and the others knelt down and sincerely praised and thanked the great god of light, the other believers, as if waking from a dream, also knelt down one by one and shouted in unison, ¡°I, believer so-and-so, thank our Lord for descending, protecting believers, judging heretics, and now, we are offering our loyalty and lives to our Lord.¡±


    Their voices were grand and resounding, filled with sincere emotion, and not the behavior of fake believers trying to fit in with the crowd. The power of their faith was like a sharp sword, piercing the sky.


    Dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of faith channels were becoming clearer, stronger, and more stable.


    Excellent!


    Wu Hui¡¯s heart was filled with excitement. This operation plan was originally given to Saint Catherine in secret during the last descent. He had been anxious until the plan succeeded because everyone knows that a plan is a just plan and the result is the result.


    He had thought that once the plan succeeded, there would be a huge gain.


    However, Wu Hui never imagined that the gain would be so enormous, far beyond his imagination.


    Devout believers, devout believers!


    The faint faith channels of some shallow believers had become very clear and sturdy devout faith channels. At the same time, some previously strong faith channels had undergone a qualitative transformation.


    For example, the four of them, Langdon and the others, were already very loyal and reliable devout believers. They upheld their faith and could stand up for the gods and sacrifice their lives in times of crisis.


    But after this incident, their faith was once again sublimated, and they entered the ranks of fanatics.


    In addition, the faith channel of the peasant woman who had received Wu Hui¡¯s grace was continuously strengthened and was very prominent among many faith channels. Obviously, influenced by the current atmosphere, she also ascended from a devout believer to a fanatic.


    ¡°Deity, check the status of the believers.¡±


    With an excited heart, Wu Hui called up the list of believers.


    Holy Spirit: 0


    Holy Believers: 0


    Fanatics: 7


    Devout Believers: 384


    True Believers: 0


    Shallow Believers: 0


    Seven, a full seven fanatics.


    Looking at this data, Wu Hui couldn¡¯t help but be overjoyed. One fanatic is already valuable, let alone seven. If used properly, these seven fanatics will help Wu Hui expand his religious influence.


    The only slight regret is that the faith channel of the Bright Holy Lady Catherine has become even more stable and firm, but she still hasn¡¯t risen to the level of a holy believer.


    But this is also an inevitable matter. A holy believer is someone whose faith is incredibly pure and without impurities, and whose sole purpose in life is to serve the existence of the gods.


    Holy believers are not easy to convert. Catherine has the potential in this area, but she still lacks the necessary training and deeper spiritual refinement.


    Leaving aside the unreachable holy believers, those 384 devout believers are also beyond Wu Hui¡¯s expectations. According to his understanding, when a god personally descends to perform miracles, it is indeed easy to convert believers to devout believers.


    But the more believers gather, the more uncontrollable the result becomes. In Wu Hui¡¯s estimation, after the success of this plan, that batch of 30 true believers plus a group of clear-minded shallow believers should have risen to devout believers, and the estimated total number would not exceed 200, with almost all the rest rising to true believers.


    The harvest now far exceeded Wu Hui¡¯s expectations.


    Although the devout believers were not as willing to sacrifice themselves for their faith as the fanatics, they were indispensable core believers for any deity. A devout believer often united a group of shallow believers and true believers around them, forming a core and silently spreading faith for the worshipped deity, expanding the number of believers.


    And every devout believer could provide about 0.1 points of faith power per day. With just these 384 devout believers, Wu Hui could receive nearly 40 points of faith power every day.


    At Wu Hui¡¯s lowest point, it would take several days to collect just one point of faith power, and he would also face the embarrassing situation of constantly losing believers.


    Compared to back then, he was now more than a hundred times stronger.


    Seeing so many high-level believers, Wu Hui felt much safer.


    However, today¡¯s harvest was not over yet.


    After Wu Hui displayed his miracle, summoning the Spear of Judgment, and using thunder to destroy Niko, the morale of all members of the Third Patrol had completely collapsed.


    Faced with a deity who had descended to earth, they did not even have the courage to run away. They only knew to throw down their weapons, kneel on the ground, and tremble in fear.


    Those who were braver kept murmuring for mercy, hoping that the God of Light would be merciful and forgive their sins.


    ¡°Reporting to my Lord.¡± The swordsman, Landon, solemnly knelt on one knee, suppressing the fanatical aura in his eyes.


    ¡°The soldiers of the Third Patrol who dare to blaspheme the gods should be classified as heretics, they should be publicly judged as a warning to others.¡±


    This kind of judgment, of course, does not serve Wu Hui¡¯s interests.


    Although this patrol is only a third-rate security force that is not valued, it is still a military unit. Currently, only four soldiers including Landen are under Wu Hui¡¯s command, and the rest are civilians. If he can take this military unit under his command, he can expand his followers, and he can also increase his armed forces.


    However, the reputation of the Third Patrol is very bad. They are a group that bullies the weak and often harasses civilians. They have also assisted the city lord in hunting down hidden followers of the light.


    What¡¯s more important is that they almost dealt a devastating blow to the followers this time.


    If they are easily forgiven, it will not only be unfair to existing followers, but may also shake their faith foundation that has been established with difficulty. In addition, it will also give everyone the illusion that divine grace is worthless.


    ¡°We Pray that the Lord will judge the heretics publicly as a warning to others.¡±


    Sure enough, hundreds of devout believers followed Landen¡¯s lead and prayed to Wu Hui, their eyes full of hatred for the soldiers of the Third Patrol.


    With the cries of judgment and warning to others, it began.


    Amidst the shouts of ¡°judging the heretics and setting an example¡±, members of the third patrol squad were filled with despair and hopelessness. Some of them, however, showed a glint of determination in their eyes, ready to pick up their weapons and fight until their last breath.


    In the midst of this fanatical and desperate atmosphere, the Light Saintess, Catherine, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.


    ¡°Silence!¡±


    Her voice was ethereal and full of majesty, and with a surge of energy, she enveloped the entire square.


    In an instant, the entire square fell silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.


    For over a month, Catherine had been leading and reestablishing the faith of every believer, and organizing them all. As a result, she had gained high prestige among the believers.

 CH 13

    ¡°Reporting to Your Highness!¡± The Bright Saint knelt before the statue of Wu Hui, both pious and calm as she spoke, ¡°The Third Patrol indeed has the suspicion of blasphemy, but as soldiers, it is their duty to obey orders. The ringleader, Nico, has already been judged and executed by Your Highness. Furthermore, the members of the Third Patrol had pulled back from the brink at a critical moment, without truly harming the holy faithful. Therefore, Catherine begs Your Highness to give them a chance to return to the embrace of the light.¡±


    The Bright Saint¡¯s prestige was high, and her words immediately caused more than half of the faithful to nod in agreement with her.


    However, there was still a part of the faithful who despised the Third Patrol. They didn¡¯t voice any objections, but their faces were still full of anger.


    Swordsman Landon couldn¡¯t help but frown, ¡°Saint, you are merciful. But forgiving the Third Patrol¡¯s crime so easily, how can it show the might of Your Highness?¡±


    Among the faithful, Swordsman Landon¡¯s prestige was second only to the Bright Saint, and his words were also recognized by some of the faithful.


    If blasphemers or heretics can be forgiven so easily, wouldn¡¯t anyone be able to blaspheme the gods at will, as long as they begged for forgiveness after being defeated?


    ¡°Landon, the four of you are the most loyal warriors of Your Highness.¡± The Bright Saint Catherine turned her head and looked at them, her voice calm and imposing, ¡°But you have also committed blasphemy before. Your Highness forgave you out of mercy, and you have since repented and served Your Highness devoutly.¡±


    ¡°Now that Your Highness has just returned from conquering the otherworld, our forces are weak. If we pardon them, we can gain a group of holy warriors who will fight against the heretics and expand our territory for Your Highness. Or do you want Your Highness to descend to the battlefield every time?¡±


    The faithful pondered seriously and nodded their heads. It was a fact that there was a shortage of warriors at the moment. The great and glorious Lord of Light was invincible in battle, but if He had to personally go to the battlefield every time, what was the use of these believers?


    The soldiers of the Third Patrol who knelt on the ground also listened to this discussion that concerned their lives. The meaning expressed by the Light Holy Maiden filled them with joy and hope, and they all eagerly shouted, ¡°Your Highness, we are willing to repent and return to the embrace of the Light.¡±


    These words were not entirely insincere, they did not say it just to save their lives. In the past, they did not believe in the gods because they were too distant and elusive to be touched for several lifetimes. But now that the God of Light had personally appeared and performed miracles, most people felt a sense of awe and guilt.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Langdon was at a loss for words and hesitated for a few seconds before saying, ¡°The Holy Maiden¡¯s words make sense, but if we easily forgive those warriors, it may disappoint the believers.¡±


    The soldiers of the Third Patrol felt a chill in their hearts, and the glimmer of hope that had just arisen began to waver again.


    ¡°The Holy Maiden proposes a purification within the Third Patrol,¡± said the Light Holy Maiden Katherina in a cold and murderous voice. ¡°Identify those who are guilty of heinous crimes and unforgivable sins, and bring them to trial and purification. As for those who were accomplices under the coercion of the heretic Nico, they will be given a chance to pledge allegiance to the Lord and make up for their sins with their military achievements.¡±


    At this point, the vast majority of the faithful believed that this was the best solution. A small minority of dissatisfied believers still harbored some resentment, but their faith remained unshaken.


    The conversation between Langdon and the Light Holy Maiden was planned all along to recruit those defectors and resolve the dissatisfaction and unrest among their own believers.


    Seeing that the goal had been achieved, Wu Hui used a voice of unparalleled dignity to make the final decision: ¡°Approved, follow the Holy Maiden¡¯s plan.¡±


    ¡°Roar~¡±


    The faithful cheered and shouted wildly, their eyes like fiery flames as they looked at the soldiers of the Third Patrol who were kneeling on the ground.


    Most of the soldiers from the Third Patrol Brigade breathed a sigh of relief and felt grateful towards the God of Light and the Saint of Light. They were facing a situation where death was almost certain, but thanks to them, they were given a chance for forgiveness.


    Only a few notorious and criminal members of the patrol brigade had a dead look on their faces and lay on the ground like a pile of mud. They understood that they couldn¡¯t escape this judgment based on their past bad deeds.


    As for any thoughts of resistance, they vanished in the face of the surrounding ¡°colleagues¡± who were watching them like hawks. Their former colleagues would surely expose them.


    Soon, under the testimony of the believers and ordinary soldiers of the Third Patrol Brigade, 21 heinous criminals were identified from the brigade. Most of them were team leaders or the personal guards of the brigade leader, Neko.


    Under the gaze of the God of Light, Wu Hui, the believers and soldiers would not dare to fabricate evidence. These criminals were truly wicked and could not be easily forgiven.


    Soon, a huge pile of wood was stacked up in the Square of Faith, and the 21 selected criminals were chained to the woodpile and waiting for judgment.


    In front of the woodpile, the Saint of Light, Catherine, held a silver cross in her hand and solemnly announced the crimes of the criminals. She represented Wu Hui and pronounced the sentence publicly: ¡°The above 21 criminals have committed heinous crimes that are unforgivable. They will be given the death penalty by fire. May the holy flames purify their sinful and dirty souls.¡±


    During this month, Catherine carried the heavy burden of restoring the Holy See of Light, and she was under immense pressure. In a very short time, she transformed from a novice nun into a mature and qualified Saint.


    At this moment, as she announced the execution of the 21 criminals, she showed no signs of weakness but instead appeared solemn and divine.


    At her command, the believers lit the woodpile with torches.


    The flames suddenly burst into the woodpile.


    The scorching flames burned the skin of the evildoers, who struggled desperately but were restrained by iron chains and could only endure the burning.


    Watching this scene, the believers were extremely excited, constantly shouting ¡°burn the evildoers¡±, ¡°burn the evildoers¡±, creating a fanatical and terrifying atmosphere.


    Beside them, the other soldiers of the Third Patrol Regiment were nervously swallowing saliva, grateful that they hadn¡¯t done too many evil deeds in the past and escaped punishment, and full of gratitude to the God of Light for being willing to spare them. At the same time, they were terrified by the ongoing divine punishment and filled with awe.


    In fact, not only them, even Wu Hui, whose consciousness was attached to the statue of the God, couldn¡¯t help but feel chills seeing the fanatical look of these believers punishing evildoers.


    However, as long as he thought that those who were burned to death were all notorious criminals who had committed enough crimes to be executed several times in the society of the Earth, he felt relieved in his heart.


    Soon, the struggling evildoers in the pile of firewood were silent, completely swallowed up by the flames.


    Under the organization of Landon and others, the remaining 176 soldiers of the Third Patrol Regiment lined up and knelt under the statue, bathing in the divine light emitted by the statue, and began to cry and repent their sins, praying for the forgiveness of the God of Light Wu Hui.


    This was a ceremony, meant to make them remember their repentance today for the rest of their lives and to be full of awe and vigilance.


    It was a matter of great importance, and Wu Hui was willing to spend some divine power to stay a little longer.


    During this confession, they repented for more than half an hour.


    After more than half an hour, the Light Saint Catherine felt it was enough and knelt down again, praying, ¡°I pray to the Lord of Light, forgive the sins of the 176 sinners.¡±


    If the number of pardoned people is small, the Light Saint herself can perform the pardon ceremony. However, with so many sinners involved and with Wu Hui watching, it is natural to seek Wu Hui¡¯s guidance.


    Upon hearing the prayer, Wu Hui¡¯s majestic and solemn voice echoed in the air: ¡°Since you sinners repent sincerely, this deity declares to forgive your past sins. If you offend again in the future, you will be punished doubly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your mercy, Lord of Light.¡±


    The Light Saint led the crowd in bowing down and saluting.


    Until this moment, the big stone in the hearts of the 176 sinners finally fell. They were both surprised and happy, grateful and in tears, worshipping, ¡°Thank you for your mercy, Lord of Light. We offer our lifelong loyalty to the Lord.¡±


    As their words fell, one faith channel after another was established, and each one was very sturdy and strong, far from the weak faith channels of ordinary believers.


    In an instant, Wu Hui had 176 more believers.

 CH 14

    Wu Hui was secretly delighted and immediately commanded his stats, ¡°Check the information of the believers.¡±


    In an instant, the information of the believers appeared in his consciousness.


    Holy Spirit: 0


    Holy Believers: 0


    Fanatic Believers: 7


    Devout Believers: 471


    True Believers: 89


    Shallow Believers: 0


    Half of the newly surrendered soldiers from the third patrol group had reached the level of devout believers, and the rest were true believers. This made Wu Hui¡¯s heart hot with joy. He felt that he hadn¡¯t wasted his time here accompanying the Holy Lady and others to perform for so long.


    You see, this time of coming is different from the first time. There were only a few people present during the first coming, so it was easy for people to become devout believers. But now, with 176 soldiers, the fact that they could have this effect made him very satisfied.


    However, having believers alone is not enough. There must be armed forces.


    The emperor of this empire clearly does not like the original Holy God of Light and is sending troops to siege them everywhere. He himself has developed so few believers, and if the armed forces cannot keep up, these believers will be like lambs waiting to be slaughtered, and they could be wiped out at any time.


    Only by establishing a real army can the believers be protected and the scope of faith expanded.


    Thinking of this, Wu Hui glanced at his remaining divine power balance and made a decision.


    ¡°This deity orders the disbandment of the original third patrol group of Lu¡¯an City. Let the Holy Lady Catherine select 100 people to establish the Holy Lady¡¯s Guard. Let Landon select 100 people to establish the Temple Knights.¡±


    Wu Hui¡¯s voice sounded over the square. His voice was calm but full of the majesty of the divine.


    ¡°I, Catherine/Landon, shall obey the will of the Lord.¡±


    The Holy Lady and Landon both saluted.


    ¡°I decree that the fanatic believers Landon, Maxi, Paul, and Ian shall be appointed as Temple Knights. I decree that the fanatic believers Harry and Susan shall be appointed as novice priests.¡±


    Wu Hui continued.


    Having warriors alone was certainly not enough; there also needed to be clergy. After all, clergy were the core force for spreading and consolidating faith. These six fanatic believers were the best candidates for clergy.


    As his words fell, Wu Hui¡¯s thoughts moved, and his divine power suddenly surged.


    In an instant, six majestic and holy white energy beams descended from the sky and fell on the six fanatics.


    Immediately, the bodies of the six people began to transform.


    At the forefront, a hazy halo of holy light burst forth from within Landen, making him seem as if he had gained a divine aura. A white cross spear emblem suddenly appeared in the center of his forehead, radiating a radiant glow.


    This cross spear emblem is the symbol of the Templar Knights, representing that his profession has successfully transitioned from a swordsman to a Templar Knight.


    At the same time, their aura skyrocketed in this short instant, and the three fanatic soldiers directly broke through from level 1 peak to level 2. Although Landen did not break through, his aura also became much more profound, and the distance between him and level 3 was instantly shortened by a lot!


    Around the four of them, a hazy halo of holy light also burst forth from the bodies of fanatic Harry and fanatic Susan. Under the cover of the holy light, the temperament of the two people suddenly changed greatly, as if they had gained a sense of divine majesty.


    In the center of their foreheads, a cross emblem suddenly appeared, radiating a pure white light.


    This is the symbol of a priest, representing that the two of them have successfully transitioned from ordinary believers to priests.


    And in that instant, their aura also skyrocketed, jumping from level 0 to level 1.


    Sensing their own changes, Landen, Harry and the other six fanatics were overjoyed. Just being able to see the light of God was already a great honor, they never expected that they could also receive God¡¯s blessing and even be personally granted a divine profession by the God of Light.


    ¡°What a grace and honor is this?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my Lord of Light for your blessing,¡± the six people exclaimed excitedly as they bowed to the statue of the God of Light. Their eyes were becoming increasingly fervent and devout.


    As the other believers behind them saw this scene, their eyes also lit up with hope and fanaticism. This was truly the grace of the gods! If they had strong enough faith and prayed fervently enough, could they too receive such a blessing someday?


    ¡°All believers of this god are citizens of this divine kingdom. As long as you achieve great deeds, this god will reward you without hesitation,¡± the booming voice of the God of Light echoed across the square, seemingly in response to their expectations.


    At the sound of these words, the expressions of the crowd became even more fanatical. At least two or three hundred people in the faith passage became even more steadfast, although they were not yet at the level of fanatics, they were not far off.


    Silently nodding in his heart, Wu Hui was pleased with the effect. This was exactly what he wanted.


    Under the collective worship of all the believers, he quickly gave the next set of instructions to the Saintess of Light and then retreated from the slightly damaged statue of the God of Light, returning to the divine realm.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    As soon as he returned to his body, Wu Hui was wracked with a sharp pain that seemed to shake his very spirit. The pain was so intense that his entire mental body trembled and curled up into a ball. Even the edge of his spiritual body seemed to be on the verge of collapsing.


    The pain lasted for less than ten seconds, but for Wu Hui, it felt like an eternity.


    After half a minute, he finally recovered from the intense pain, but his soul and consciousness continued to feel weak, making it impossible for him to muster any strength.


    Wu Hui¡¯s soul lay on the ground, bitterly laughing.


    His soul and consciousness were too weak at the moment. If the time he spent in this state lasted a little longer, he would have exceeded his limit.


    This couldn¡¯t go on. Once his divine power had increased slightly, he had to stabilize his divine soul with it. At the very least, he could not continue to be in such a state that would dissipate at the slightest breeze.


    However, despite his bitter laughter, he also knew that this was just the beginning. Every bit of his divine power had to be used wisely, and developing followers as soon as possible was the top priority. He had to endure the pain in his soul for now.


    After resting for a while and feeling the weakness in his soul subsiding, Wu Hui activated his divine form and began to calculate the cost and gain of this descent.


    Before this descent, he had 1.2 divine power. The descent consumed 0.1 divine power, the dazzling visual effects of the descent consumed 0.1 divine power, the Spear of Judgment consumed 0.2 divine power, and the blessing of six fanatic believers consumed 0.6 divine power. In addition, the slow consumption of 0.1 divine power during the continuous descent brought the total consumption to 1.1 divine power.


    Now, he only had 0.1 divine power left, enough for only one more descent.


    After recalling how difficult it was to accumulate these divine powers and how quickly they disappeared, Wu Hui felt like his heart was bleeding.


    Especially with the Judgment Spear and six blessed fanatics, they consumed 0.8 of his divine power in an instant, which was terrifying!


    However, despite the pain, this descent brought him many gains.


    Let alone the believers, all of the original 300 shallow believers and 30 true believers became devout believers. Even the 176 soldiers from the Third Patrol Group became true believers and devout believers, expanding his group of followers by a large circle.


    He calculated that with his current number of believers, he could theoretically gain 54.99 points of faith every day. In just over 18 days, he could accumulate enough faith to convert into one point of divine power.


    Thinking back to the year of suffering he endured just to obtain 1000 points of faith, and looking at what he had now, Wu Hui suddenly felt a sense of happiness in his heart.


    After all the hard work, he finally received a reward!


    For a moment, Wu Hui and his believers saw the dawn of a new beginning

 CH 15

    After checking the information of his followers, Wu Hui remembered the clergy members he had just pardoned. ¡°Deity, display the list of clergy members,¡± he commanded.


    Name: Catherine


    Gender: Female


    Age: 16


    Potential: High-grade


    Faith: God of Light (Fanatic)


    Occupation: Nun (Saint)


    Level: Level 3


    Mastery of Divine Arts:


    1. God of Light Healing Arts Level 3 (Can heal serious injuries, illnesses, and poisons)


    2. God of Light Blessing Arts Level 3 (Can greatly enhance the combat ability of allies)


    3. Holy Light Hammer Level 3 (Gathering a large amount of godly light to form a holy light hammer to attack enemies, causing a great amount of damage)


    4. God of Light Praise (Prologue, can greatly enhance the fighting will of allies)


    ¡­


    Name: Harry


    Gender: Male


    Age: 24


    Name: Susan Gender: Female Age: 23 years old Potential: Low Faith: God of Light (Fanatic) Occupation: Nun (Trainee Priest) Level: Level 1 Mastered Divine Spells: 1. Level 1 Light Healing Spell 2. Level 1 Light Disease Removal Spell


    ¡­


    Name: Landon Gender: Male Age: 18 years old Potential: Medium Faith: God of Light (Fanatic) Occupation: Warrior (Templar Knight) Level: Level 2 Mastered Divine Spells: 1. Level 1 Light Blessing Spell 2. Level 1 Holy Light Slash


    ¡­


    After Landon, there were three fanatic soldiers. Wu Hui took a glance and saw that their situation was similar, so he quickly shifted his attention.


    The situation of Landon¡¯s group was basically within his expectations, but Catherine gave him a small surprise.


    The last time he checked Catherine¡¯s information, she only had two divine spells in her list, the Light Healing Spell and the Light Blessing Spell.


    Now, she has learned two more divine spells, one of which is the formidable ¡°Holy Light Hammer¡± and the other is the legendary ¡°Light Praise¡± battlefield divine spell.


    Although he had imparted divine spell knowledge to Catherine during his last visit, he didn¡¯t expect her to learn so much in such a short period of time. To his surprise, she even mastered the notoriously difficult ¡°Light Praise¡± divine spell.


    Catherine¡¯s insight in divine spells can be considered stunning.


    At least in the memory inherited from the previous God of Light, there were only a few holy maidens who could do this at level 3.


    Perhaps the danger and heavy responsibility have unleashed Catherine¡¯s untapped potential.


    Including the holy maiden Catherine, he now has seven divine personnel. H


    arry and Susan are both priests who can assist Catherine in spreading faith and gathering followers.


    Landon and the other three fanatic warrior templars can protect Catherine¡¯s group and lead soldiers into battle.


    For a deity, divine personnel are his direct subordinates.


    Thinking that just over a month ago, he was still a commander without a staff, but now he already has seven subordinates, Wu Hui¡¯s mood was particularly joyful.


    With them around, he no longer had to worry about a decrease in the number of followers. As long as he grasped the general direction, he could sit back and wait for the contributions of followers and their beliefs, which felt very comforting.


    The only regret was that even if he received divine grace, the faith channel of the six people, including Landon, had only slightly strengthened, and it was still unknown how far they were from becoming saintly believers.


    It seemed that obtaining a saintly believer was not an easy task.


    Wu Hui sighed in his heart, suddenly feeling a wave of weakness rushing over him, making him unable to help but feel drowsy.


    Normally, spiritual entities do not feel tired, but if they feel drowsy, it means that their spiritual body has reached its limit and needs immediate rest.


    ¡°Tired, I should take a break.¡±


    Wu Hui slowly relaxed his mind and gradually entered a state of silence similar to sleep.


    A holy white light enveloped him, and his semi-transparent body slowly floated up from the ground, curling up naturally like a baby in the womb.


    A bunch of holy white light quietly bloomed from within him, enveloping his entire person, looking like a giant cocoon of light from afar.


    Time passed slowly in silence.


    Unconsciously, his spiritual body, which was about to collapse at the edges of his limbs, stabilized slightly, but still had a bit of instability. If it cannot be repaired in time, it is probably only a matter of time before his spiritual body really collapses.


    ¡­


    Wu Hui felt as if he had had a long dream.


    He dreamed of having billions of followers, millions of divine powers, doing whatever he wanted, and even materializing all the famous historical beauties on Earth, with constant loyalty and a lively harem.


    Whoever dared to object would face tens of thousands of angelic armies pouring out, without even needing to plan tactics, relying solely on absolute strength to crush the enemy¡¯s army.


    Wu Hui suddenly woke up, but it was unclear how much time had passed.


    In an instant, the billions of followers, millions of divine powers, and tens of thousands of angelic armies disappeared, and even the lively harem was gone.


    Everything in the dream was like a colorful soap bubble that quietly shattered at the moment of waking up.


    Wu Hui took a moment to react, looking at the empty divine realm around him, feeling lost.


    It turned out to be just a dream.


    Oh well, being poor and destitute is being poor and destitute, but at least there is hope. He still needs to honestly develop his followers.


    Wu Hui didn¡¯t know how long he had slept. When he regained consciousness, his first reaction was to summon his divine avatar and check the number of followers and the power of belief.


    In an instant, the information of the number of followers and the power of belief appeared in his consciousness.


    Holy Spirit: 0


    What he first noticed was the change in his followers.


    Before he fell into a deep sleep, there was one less true believer and one more devout believer. It was likely that one true believer had become a devout believer. In addition, the number of shallow believers had increased by 13, indicating new recruits.


    Compared to his dream, it was like night and day.


    Even the power of faith was pitiful, only in the triple digits. He remembered that before he fell asleep, his faith had already reached 167 points, but now it was only 196.


    It seemed thath e had only slept for half a day at most.


    With such a small number of followers and such a weak power of faith, it would take a long time to reach the level of strength he had in his dream.


    Wu Hui sighed, then encouraged himself: ¡°A thousand-mile journey begins with the first step. Regardless, things are better than they were before. I will eventually achieve the scene from my dream.¡±


    Regardless, the most difficult days were already behind him. Now, he had a group of loyal and reliable followers, and their numbers were growing. Everything was moving in a positive direction.


    The future will surely be better.

 CH 16

    The Void has no sense of time.


    Unknowingly, several days have passed since the last time Wu Hui visited the mortal plane.


    During these past few days, Wu Hui checked his divinity information almost a dozen times a day. As he watched the number of his followers steadily increase and the power of their faith grow day by day, his mood improved. Even the desolate and lonely scenes in his divine realm did not affect his good mood.


    On this day, Wu Hui floated aimlessly in his divine realm, occasionally daydreaming and contemplating the current situation before him.


    Out of boredom, he couldn¡¯t help but open the interface of his divinity information.


    Holy Spirits: 0


    Holy Believers: 0


    Fanatic Believers: 7


    Devout Believers: 478


    True Believers: 98


    Shallow Believers: 119


    Power of Faith: 416


    Divine Power: 0.1 ¡­


    He remembered that this morning when he checked his divinity information, the number of True Believers was only 96. In just half a day, the number of True Believers had increased by two.


    It was clear that two Shallow Believers had been converted into True Believers.


    Wu Hui suddenly felt a sense of relief throughout his body, feeling as if even his soul was floating.


    Developing followers was being overseen by the Light Saint, Catherine, so Wu Hui found himself with only 0.1 Divine Power left, and he was unable to do anything else.


    Apart from watching his followers¡¯ progress, he couldn¡¯t think of anything else he could do.


    As a great god of light, being idle all day was really boring.


    Floating in mid-air in the square full of ruins for a while, a thought suddenly came to Wu Hui¡¯s mind.


    If he could ¡°see¡± the mortal world directly and know in real-time what Catherine and the others were doing, that would be great!


    Once this idea had surfaced in his mind, it was hard to let go of it.


    However, there was still time to study now. The omnipotence of a god was not just an empty phrase, and creating divine arts was not difficult as long as the principles were understood.


    And the Diety was like a computer that combined hardware and software and could assist him in doing many things.


    Wu Hui constructed divine arts in his mind according to the method used by the old Light God to create divine arts and simulated their effects.


    It was almost like taking a programming course at university for Wu Hui.


    He became so absorbed that he forgot the passing of time.


    Before he knew it, three days had passed.


    During those three days, Wu Hui spent almost all his time studying divine magic, with the exception of his daily monitoring of changes in his followers.


    He created three kinds of divine arts that can be used to observe the mortal world.


    However, these three divine arts either consumed too much energy or required a high level, or they were like a divine descent, requiring a large number of mortal believers or a single powerful believer¡¯s prayer to establish a connection with the mortal world, which had too many limitations.


    What he needed was a divine art that had low energy consumption, a low level requirement, and could be used to observe the mortal world at any time and place, just by his will. Obviously, these three divine arts did not meet the requirements.


    However, he did gain some insights from his experiments.


    During this process, he unexpectedly gained an insight into a little trick that allowed him to ¡°hear¡± and ¡°see¡± the situations around his followers through the faith channel when they prayed in their daily lives.


    This process, because it was activated by the believers themselves, did not require any extra divine power consumption. The advantage was that it saved divine power, but the drawback was that it could only be used on fanatical or holy believers, and could only observe the surrounding area of the believers. The perspective was very narrow, and he couldn¡¯t adjust the angle.


    However, even with so many shortcomings, the fact that it did not require divine power consumption was enough to make it stand out.


    After all, he was poor.


    In the current situation where he could barely scrape together one point of divine power, his requirements were not high at all.


    In the evening of that day, Wu Hui sorted out his experiences from the past few days and was preparing to continue studying the divine arts with renewed vigor.


    Suddenly, he had a bold idea: what if he could extract information from the lower realm through the faith channel, instead of projecting his consciousness into it?


    He realized that the reason why he could observe the surroundings of fanatical believers when they prayed was because the faith channel itself had the function of transmitting information. The faith channel generated by fanatical believers praying was enough to support this kind of information transmission, and the energy consumption could be said to be negligible.


    In contrast, the reason why God¡¯s Descent required a consumption of 0.1 divine power was mainly because his soul and consciousness entered the lower realm through the faith channel.


    The difference between the two methods is like having a video call versus traveling a long distance for a face-to-face meeting, and the nature of the two methods is completely different, with vastly different levels of energy consumption.


    Once he understood this, Wu Hui felt like his body was suddenly flooded with energy, and he had a new, clear path to constructing his magic. He had a strong feeling that this time, he would surely succeed!


    ¡°Divine essence! Construct magic!¡± Wu Hui¡¯s mind flickered, and his divine essence trembled violently. Countless divine runes flowed through his mind like water, carrying a mysterious and majestic rhythm.


    After a moment, all the changes suddenly disappeared, and a brand new divine art appeared in his divine nature, condensed into a unique ¡°sacred rune¡± ¨C the ¡°Eye of God¡±.


    This is a level 1 divine art that projects information from the lower realm into his consciousness like a holographic projection. It can be viewed like watching a movie, or it can achieve an immersive effect. The viewing angle can be freely adjusted, and the observable area is also very wide.


    Basically, wherever there are believers, he can ¡°see¡±, and it doesn¡¯t matter what kind of believer, even the shallow ones.


    It was almost a perfect divine art!

 CH 17

    And of course, the most important point is that it has very low energy consumption!


    The energy consumption of this divine technique is extremely low!


    According to deity¡¯s  calculations, it only requires 0.1 divine power to sustain the use of the ¡°Eye of God¡± for an entire day!


    Furthermore, this energy consumption is calculated based on time, not frequency. He can turn it on and off anytime he wants.


    The practicality of this technique is simply off the charts.


    ¡°This is so awesome!¡±


    With a leap, Wu Hui excitedly waved his arms, feeling proud of his own quick thinking!


    If he hadn¡¯t understood every step of the process of creating divine techniques, he wouldn¡¯t have believed that such a powerful technique could have been created by himself.


    Of course, this was also because Wu Hui was too poor.


    Poverty was indeed a powerful source of motivation. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to invent such an extremely energy-saving divine technique with all his heart and soul.


    As for those rich gods, unlike the God of Light, who had abundant divine power, they would never consider saving even a little bit of it.


    Thinking of this, Wu Hui¡¯s mood turned a bit sour.


    Being a poor god really meant having no dignity.


    Never mind. Since the divine technique has already been created, let¡¯s give it a try.


    Wu Hui¡¯s soul sat down on the spot and directly performed the ¡°Eye of God¡± technique.


    The next moment, his vision blurred and the scene in front of him suddenly changed.


    In an instant, he went from the desolate, snowy white mountain to the bustling world of mortals. The colors before Wu Hui¡¯s eyes suddenly became vivid and bright.


    Golden sunlight, mottled stone walls, verdant green grass, gorgeous wildflowers blooming on the meadow, busy crowds, and children running and shouting¡­


    He felt as if he was in the midst of a brilliant sunlight, and everything around him was filled with a noisy and chaotic worldly atmosphere, so lively and bustling that he felt like he was in a different world.


    Wu Hui was instantly stunned.


    Even if the God¡¯s Domain was already a ruin, it was still holy and quiet. The most common color in his line of sight was white, and the only sound he could hear was the prayers of the faithful. After spending more than a year in the God¡¯s Domain, he thought he had already gotten used to it. But now that he suddenly returned to the mortal world, he realized that he still longed for this bustling red dust.


    Even though this red dust was not the same as the other.


    Taking a deep breath, he greedily inhaled the air with the fragrance of flowers and warm sunshine. He allowed himself to immerse in these long-lost emotions and took a while to gradually come back to his senses.


    The sense of immersion, it¡¯s really strong.


    It feels like he has traveled through time and entered a whole new world.


    It was worth all the hard work.


    In fact, Wu Hui¡¯s current state is quite special.


    He can hear, see, and smell, but he can¡¯t touch anything. After all, ¡°God¡¯s Eye¡± only transmits information, and his soul is still in the Divine Realm and has not moved from its place.


    His current perspective should focus on the sacred square of St. Luan Monastery.


    Several days have passed since the night of the divine descent, and the battle scars on the square have been cleaned spotlessly. Even the hardest stains of blood have been washed away by repeated scrubbing, leaving only faint traces on the surface of the stones.


    In the center of the square, the towering statue of the Bright God no longer exudes the magnificent power of the divine descent, but still has a faint dignity and a pure white surface without any cracks, emitting a holy aura.


    In front of the statue, a pit with a diameter has been fenced off by wooden barriers, and more than a dozen believers are standing around the fence, looking at the miracle with awe in their eyes.


    At the very least, he had to make sure that his faithful followers would live happier lives in the future.

 CH 18

    It has been over a year since he traveled to the lonely divine realm, leaving behind his large collection of films and certain artistic pieces.


    For Wu Hui, it has been an ordeal.


    If not for the fact that he only has a soul and not a body, Wu Hui would have surely gone insane.


    After all, it¡¯s just a quick glance at his own Holy Maiden, right?


    Furthermore, with just one command from him, Holy Maiden Catherine would do whatever he wanted her to do.


    Various distracting thoughts filled Wu Hui¡¯s consciousness.


    For a moment, it was as if two little people were fighting in Wu Hui¡¯s mind.


    ¡°As a dignified God of Light, wouldn¡¯t doing such a thing be too shameful?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m just an ordinary person, I don¡¯t have to become a god of light, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t even have a physical body now, what¡¯s the point of just looking at a beautiful woman? Isn¡¯t it just bothering myself for no reason?¡±


    Poor thing, with a shiver, it was as if cold water had been poured on him.


    Yes, without even a physical body, what¡¯s the point of looking at a beautiful woman? What if he gets aroused? He can¡¯t even do anything¡­


    Creating an ordinary human body requires 1 point of divine power, and as a god of light, Wu Hui is so poor that he doesn¡¯t even have 1 point of divine power.


    Forget it, forget it.


    He won¡¯t look anymore.


    He¡¯ll think about it when he has a physical body again.


    With a shake of his mind, Wu Hui pushed aside all the messy thoughts and continued to experience the power of the Eye of God.


    His viewpoint continued to rise. The figures of Catherine, Landon, and others became smaller and smaller in his eyes, and the scope of his vision became wider and wider.


    Soon, his view reached its limit, and he felt as if he were soaring in the sky. The thick clouds floated around him, and the sunlight sprinkled on the clouds, half golden, half pure white, like a fantasy.


    He looked down.


    The Saint Luan Monastery was beneath him, with its ash-gray outer walls showing signs of wear and tear, full of a sense of history and antiquity, yet still sacred and solemn, standing like a fortress in the wilderness.


    Looking down, behind the monastery were rolling hills. Although these hills were not high, the vegetation was lush, and from afar, they were covered with verdant green. One could faintly hear the howls of monsters coming from the mountains and forests.


    Perhaps Wu Hui¡¯s first landing point was somewhere in this forest.


    In front of the monastery was a flat plain, dotted with villages, surrounded by irregular fields, and groups of cattle and sheep moving slowly like clouds.


    The number of faith channels in these villages was not yet dense, but there were already quite a few, indicating that new believers had been developed in the past few days by Catherine and her team.


    Further away was a small town. There were fewer faith channels in the small town, only scattered dozens, but it was enough for Wu Hui to see the situation in the town clearly.


    The town is not large, with only seven or eight hundred households. Its streets are narrow, even by Wu Hui¡¯s modern standards, and the sparse crowds make it clear that it is far from prosperous. But it is still the most bustling place for tens of miles around. This is the town of Gruberg, mentioned by Catherine during her prayers.


    Wu Hui sighs inwardly at the backwardness of this world and looks farther ahead.


    The castle was nothing like what Wu Hui had imagined a noble castle to be. It wasn¡¯t grand or imposing, but instead resembled a small military fortress. The stone walls were weathered and showed signs of age.


    At the entrance to the castle, there was a deep moat with a drawbridge that could be raised and lowered, making it the only way to enter the castle. Upon entering, it was clear that the castle had been designed with defense in mind.


    This castle should be the castle of Baron Gruberg, the lord of Gruberg town, called Gruberg castle.


    After all, their growth and expansion had just begun.


    Even if Catherine and her group were highly skilled, there were only a few of them. The fact that they were able to develop over 100 new followers in Gruberg town in just a few days exceeded his expectations. He couldn¡¯t ask for more.


    In the future, when he had more followers, he would have more places to go.


    By then, with the world being so big, where couldn¡¯t he go?


    Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t have to be as constrained as he is now.


    He stopped thinking about the places he couldn¡¯t go and instead began wandering around the small town and villages. Sometimes he flew up into the clouds and looked down on the villages and Gruberg town, and sometimes he landed on the ground to observe the daily lives of the common people, finding everything fascinating.


    Coming from Earth, his knowledge of this plane came solely from the fragmented memories of the Old Light God. Although he knew a lot, he didn¡¯t have a real sense of it. Moreover, it was apparent that the Old Light God didn¡¯t care about how his followers lived. In his memory, Wu Hui had never discovered the details of their lives.


    Now that he looked at it, he realized that the ignorance and backwardness of this place far exceeded his imagination.


    Ignoring everything else, the feces littering the streets made him feel incredulous. It wasn¡¯t just horse or cow manure, but also human feces.


    He even witnessed someone defecating in the street, and everyone around seemed accustomed to it. This completely shattered his worldview.


    Honestly, when he first landed on the street, he almost passed out from the smell. It made him consider improving the ¡°God¡¯s Eye¡± spell, adding a function to filter out odor and other information.


    At the same time, he was extremely grateful that he wasn¡¯t really there in person, but only experiencing a holographic-like projection. Otherwise, if he stepped on the feces, he would have been nauseous for at least half a day.


    There were many, many things like this that challenged his worldview.


    Despite all that, Wu Hui¡¯s sense of adventure was still strong. He had been cooped up in the divine realm for too long, and once he started exploring, he couldn¡¯t seem to stop.


    Unconsciously, the sun had begun to set, and the sky was gradually darkening. Candles were already lit in the castle, and their flickering light could be seen through the small windows. The common people in the town, however, were not as extravagant as Baron Gruberg.


    The shepherds had already brought their sheep and cows back to their pens, and the artisans were working frantically to finish their projects before the last rays of the sun disappeared, as they could not afford to waste precious candles.


    At this point, Wu Hui¡¯s initial excitement had subsided, and he pulled his perspective back to the sky, preparing to disconnect from the ¡°Eye of God¡± and save some divine power for tomorrow¡¯s adventures.


    Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat, and he felt that something was amiss. ¡­

 CH 19

    Wu Hui¡¯s gaze swept over the terrain beneath his feet, and the more he looked, the more he felt something was off.


    The Saint Luan Monastery was backed by a forest, with a vast plain in front and a winding stream flowing by its side, making it appear like an ideal place for self-cultivation.


    However, when he considered the topography of the entire Gruberg region, he discovered a problem.


    However, the Saint Luan Monastery happened to be located at the very bottom edge of this basin, inherently constrained by the Gruberg Castle.


    If someone were to control the Gruberg Castle and then besiege the Saint Luan Monastery, the people in the monastery would be like birds in a cage, unable to escape.


    Perhaps someone might say, ¡°Behind the monastery is a forest, and there are mountains and forests all around. Why can¡¯t they retreat there?¡±


    But in reality, this is simply not feasible.


    Unlike Earth, there are many places in the wilderness here that humans cannot tread. Even the mountains and forests near human settlements are fraught with danger, with fierce beasts, powerful and brutal monsters, mysterious and unpredictable undead creatures, and various other unpredictable hazards.


    The Gruberg region was like a basin, surrounded by mountains and vast plains. The majority of the common people and serfs lived in the middle of the plain, while the Gruberg Castle guarded the only entrance suitable for ordinary people and cavalry, making it an impregnable fortress.


    Even if one were a powerful professional, they would still need to organize a fully-equipped professional team and make adequate preparations before daring to venture into the wilderness. What¡¯s more, for ordinary believers with relatively low combat power, it would be even more challenging.


    If a conflict were to arise, Catherine and her group would be trapped like fish in a barrel.


    ¡°This won¡¯t work. It¡¯s too dangerous,¡± Wu Hui fretted, furrowing his brow.


    The news of the Third Patrol Squad being incorporated into the monastery could not be concealed for much longer


    Moreover, the commotion on that night was so significant that Luan City would easily discover what had happened. The monastery could not be let off the hook.


    In the face of the potential retaliation from Luan City, the existence of Gruberg Castle  was like a sword hanging over the monastery on the edge of the basin, threatening it at all times. To make matters worse, the handle of the sword was held by someone else, which made them feel extremely unsafe.


    Looking down at Gruberg Castle, Wu Hui felt increasingly uneasy as he observed it. If this carefully constructed team of believers was wiped out, Wu Hui would have no choice but to wait for his death.

 CH 20

    After the incident, the lord was no longer in the mood for dinner. He casually dismissed the officials and left the dining hall, heading towards a certain door on the second floor.


    None of the rooms surrounding this one were occupied, and the servants never approached the area. The only source of light in the corridor was the flickering candle flames that illuminated the ancient stone walls, creating an eerie and mysterious atmosphere.


    The door did not immediately respond to his presence. After a moment, it creaked open with a ¡°squeak,¡± and a dry, hoarse voice from inside the room said, ¡°It¡¯s the lord, please come in.¡±


    Hearing this voice, Viscount Conner couldn¡¯t help but shudder. After composing himself, he pushed the door open and entered the room.


    The room was draped in thick curtains, with no light coming in from outside except for a magic patterned lamp hanging on the wall, which only illuminated a small area next to the wall.


    There was a long, narrow stone table in the room, on which many translucent glass vessels and a crucible were placed. The crucible was bubbling on top of an alcohol lamp, emitting a strong and peculiar smell into the air.


    A woman wearing a dark purple hooded robe stood with her back to Viscount Conner, busy weighing something on a delicate balance scale. Even when he walked in, she didn¡¯t stop what she was doing, appearing completely absorbed in her work.


    The woman was tall, but extremely thin, with almost her entire body wrapped in the hooded robe. The only exposed part of her body was her thin and pale arm. Her entire presence exuded a sense of gloominess.


    ¡°Miss Judy.¡±


    Viscount Conner took two steps forward and then stopped. He didn¡¯t attempt to approach the woman, but his expression and tone were quite polite. If you looked closely, you could see a hint of caution mixed into his gaze as if he was wary of something.


    At this moment, the woman called ¡°Miss Judy¡± had finished her work and turned around slowly, her dark purple hood covering most of her face, revealing only a small section of her dry and rough dark red hair and her pale and bony lower face. On her profile and neck was a complex black pattern, one end disappearing into her collar and the other vanishing into her hood, moving slightly like a living creature, looking eerie and sinister.


    These black patterns marked her identity ¨C she was a witch, and not just any witch, but the most mysterious and evil of them all, the Dark Witch.


    ¡°Lord Connor rarely comes to see me. Is there something you need?¡±


    She flicked a few sparks with her hand, lighting the white candle on the iron candlestick inserted in the wall. She then motioned for Lord Connor to sit by the fireplace.


    With the flickering candlelight, the room instantly brightened up and no longer looked as gloomy as before.


    Lord Connor sat on the wicker chair and recounted the news he had just received. He then explained his intention: ¡°I suspect that among those remnants of the Light, there may be a Level 4 powerhouse or someone who has acquired a terrifying weapon. I would like to ask Miss Judy to help me get rid of those remnants of the Light.¡±


    The witch Judy nodded slightly, her voice dry and hoarse: ¡°The Lord of the City helped me find the ¡®Departing Crimson Flower¡¯ magic potion, so I owe you a favor. Let this be the moment I repay that favor?¡±


    Lord Connor nodded, ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll take care of those remnants of the Light,¡± said the witch Judy with a sinister smile, ¡°Lord of the City can rest assured that unless those people have professionals with a Level 5 or above, they won¡¯t be able to escape from my grasp.¡±


    ¡°Miss Judy¡­¡±


    ¡°I need some time to prepare. I have to mix a dose of potion,¡± said Miss Judy, pulling out a piece of parchment from her sleeve and handing it to Lord Connor. ¡°This is a list. Please help me gather all the ingredients on it. In less than twenty days, those remnants of the Light will be gone.¡±


    As she spoke, she stood up from the wicker chair and walked back to the stone table in the corner of the wall, busying herself.


    As she stood up, a wisp of black mist flew out from her sleeve and wrapped around the candlestick on the wall. In an instant, the white candle on the wall went out silently, and the room fell back into darkness.


    Lord Connor understood that this was a sign to leave. He put away the parchment and stood up from the wicker chair. ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t disturb you with your potion-making. Goodbye.¡±


    With that, he turned around and left the room.


    The door closed behind him with a ¡°click,¡± just as it had when he had arrived, isolating the two worlds inside and outside.


    However, at this moment, Lord Connor¡¯s anxiety and unease had disappeared without a trace, feeling incredibly relieved and at peace.


    This ¡°Miss Judy¡± was a level 4 dark witch.


    Dark witches themselves are already mysterious and powerful, not to mention a level 4 dark witch. Their terrifying abilities far exceed the imagination of ordinary people.


    With her help, those revived remnants of light would surely be destroyed.


    It¡¯s just a pity that the favor he had finally gained was used up like this. Lord Connor felt heartbroken.


    What Lord Connor did not know was that while he had not yet begun to take action, Wu Hui on the other side was actively preparing for battle and even had his sights set on Lord Connor¡¯s vassal, Baron Gruberg.


    Of course, it was fortunate that Lord Connor was unaware of this, otherwise even if he wasn¡¯t driven insane with anger, he would probably not be able to stand here feeling so self-satisfied and at ease.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, at the Saint Lu¡¯an Monastery, the sun was setting.


    Catherine had been busy all day in the monastery, preaching the teachings of the faith to the new believers, and using divine healing techniques to cure the chronic illnesses of these common believers, demonstrating the power and benevolence of the Lord. Although her physique as a level 3 nun was much stronger than that of an ordinary person, she still felt deeply tired.


    However, all her efforts were worthwhile.


    After a day¡¯s work, several waves of shepherds had changed their attitudes from hesitation and uncertainty to awe and admiration. Although they did not immediately express their desire to follow the Lord, they were very close to doing so.


    She believed that soon these people would become staunch followers of the Lord.


    After finally sending off the last group of believers who came to worship the statue of the god of light, Katherine quickly ate something in the last bit of sunset before preparing to rest.


    However, before resting, she had to pray to her Lord.


    ¡°Oh, Lord of Light, your faithful follower Catherine, today¡­¡±


    Catherine, wearing a pure white nun¡¯s habit, knelt before the sacred and solemn statue of the God of Light, clasping her hands and bowing her head devoutly to report the efforts and gains made by everyone in the monastery to spread their faith to the God of Light.


    This was a rule set by Wu Hui for her, in order to facilitate his understanding of the situation in the mortal world.


    After finishing her prayer, Catherine prepared to rest as usual, but suddenly, a magnificent and majestic voice sounded in her mind.


    ¡°Catherine.¡±


    Catherine¡¯s body shook, and she widened her blue eyes with great joy: ¡°My Lord!¡±


    She had never expected such routine prayer reporting to receive a response, and for a moment, she was overjoyed and completely lost the seriousness and dignity she had in front of outsiders.


    However, she was a clever girl after all. After the excitement, she quickly realized that Wu Hui must have something to instruct her, so she quickly knelt down again and respectfully bowed: ¡°My Lord, please give me your divine command¡±.

 CH 21

    This young lady is quite clever. She knows that if Wu Hui is looking for her at this time, it must be for a reason.


    Unfortunately, Wu Hui does not have a physical body at the moment, let alone any extra divine power to summon her to serve in the divine realm.


    Well, never mind. It¡¯s better to first solve the problem of surviving and then discuss other matters.


    If the future develops well, there will be as many beauties of Catherine¡¯s level as there are.


    ¡°By my order, Holy Maiden Catherine, attack Gruberg Castle immediately without error,¡± Wu Hui¡¯s majestic and solemn voice echoed in her mind.


    ¡°Attack Gruberg Castle?¡± The Light Saint Catherine¡¯s sapphire blue eyes flickered with restrained excitement.


    Baron Gruberg was the noble who led the attack on the monastery and committed cruel acts, such as killing the nanny who raised Catherine and insulting many of her sisters and followers.


    Catherine never forgot the deep-seated hatred she felt towards him. Whenever she dreamed at midnight, she couldn¡¯t help but recall that bloody afternoon. She wished she could go straight to Gruberg Castle and avenge her nanny and sisters, even if it meant sacrificing herself.


    However, she couldn¡¯t do that.


    She had to keep her life to spread the glory of the Lord. She also didn¡¯t dare to mobilize her troops to attack Gruberg Castle, fearing that her unauthorized actions would affect the Lord¡¯s plan. She had to suppress this blood feud deep in her heart and wait until she was strong enough to avenge her loved ones.


    But she didn¡¯t expect such a surprise to come so suddenly.


    The Lord of Light was actually going to take action against Gruberg Castle!


    Then what else did she have to worry about?!


    A wave of intense fanaticism flashed through her eyes, and she devoutly prostrated herself on the ground, solemnly promising, ¡°Yes, Catherine will obey the divine will of the Lord.¡±


    She clenched the silver cross in her hand, and a strong killing intent flashed in her blue eyes.


    Nanny and sisters, wait for me. Catherine will soon avenge you.


    ¡°This girl seems to have a great resentment towards Gruberg.¡± Even Wu Hui, who was far away in the divine realm and responded to the other party¡¯s prayers through the channel of faith, could feel the anger and killing intent emanating from her.


    It seems that the Baron Gruberg is doomed.


    After encouraging her using few words, Wu Hui ended the prayer response with her.


    Of course, this kind of divine oracle is not about bringing consciousness to the world, but just remotely responding to the prayer of higher-level believers. It¡¯s similar to making a phone call on Earth and consumes very little divine power.


    After finishing the instructions to


    Catherine, Wu Hui began to wander around in the empty divine realm.


    Sigh, accumulate believers, expand the territory, and build the divine realm.


    It looks like this path is still very long.


    Moreover, there was not much divine power left, less than 0.1 it seemed, and Wu Hui did not dare to wander around aimlessly.


    Fortunately, the number of believers was increasing day by day. In a few days, Wu Hui would be able to accumulate enough divine power again. Although the days were tough, there was still hope for the future.


    Thinking back to being trapped in the Divine Realm for over a year without power to do anything, how could he not endure it now?


    However, in fact, the next morning, Wu Hui couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and slapped himself in the face.


    He used divine magic ¡°God¡¯s Eye¡± and began to use VR-style experience to lower his perspective to the mortal world.


    Feeling the warmth of the morning sun and the vibrant monastery, with numerous and orderly followers, Wu Hui suddenly felt alive again.


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    Before experiencing the ¡°Eye of God¡±, Wu Hui felt that although the God Realm was dull, he could endure it.


    But once he tasted the VR experience, which was so delicate and realistic, he felt even more bored with the desolate and dilapidated God Realm.


    It¡¯s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality.


    The ¡°Eye of God¡± consumed very little divine power, but even a small amount of consumption is still consumption, right?


    With only a tiny amount of divine power left, if he were to use the ¡°Eye of God,¡± he wouldn¡¯t be able to last even a day. But still, Wu Hui couldn¡¯t resist the urge to go ¡°for a walk¡± in the mortal world.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± he thought.


    After using up this tiny bit of divine power, he could just spend a few days cooped up in the divine realm.


    This idea made Wu Hui laugh and cry at the same time. It felt like he was back in his student days, where he would spend more than half of his monthly allowance in the first two weeks and then suffer through the rest of the month.


    ¡°Oh divine power, divine power, I need divine power,¡± Wu Hui muttered to himself as he surveyed the world through the Eye of God.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped, she was just too pretty. If he could catch a glimpse of something particularly ¡°interesting¡± along the way, that would be even better.


    With lofty and great ¡°ideals¡± in mind, Wu Hui found Catherine¡¯s pathway of faith.


    In the next instant, the perspective of the Eye of God appeared in her study.


    Unfortunately. The scene Wu Hui had imagined did not appear. Catherine was already working in her study, her clear eyes slightly tired as she continued to sketch out tactical plans, thinking about how to take down Gruberg.


    Judging from her appearance, she probably didn¡¯t sleep all night after receiving the divine oracle yesterday.


    Fortunately, her strong cultivation made her immune to some fatigue.


    ¡°Sigh~¡± Wu Hui looked at the Holy Lady working so hard, feeling both gratified and helpless. Seeing her so seriously carrying out the divine oracle, it was almost impossible to catch a glimpse of any wonderful scenes in a short time.

 CH 22

    ¡°Your Highness, Holy Maiden.¡±


    At this moment, the Temple Knight Landon spoke up, ¡°The collective mutiny of the Third Patrol Squad may not be hidden from the city of Luan for long. To prevent the Imperial Army from being mobilized by Luan, we must quickly increase the equipment and strength of the Temple Knights and the Holy Maiden¡¯s personal guard.¡±


    ¡°The captain is right.¡± The Temple Knight, Max, frowned, ¡°But our team has just been established, and we have no experience leading a knightly order. What about training? What about military pay? Where will we get our food and supplies? There are so many problems to address.¡±


    ¡°As for military pay, that¡¯s not a big issue. We are all faithful servants of the  Lord of Light, and delaying payment for a while won¡¯t affect morale. As for food, we can find ways to manage it ourselves. As for training, we can¡¯t expect to do it all at once. We¡¯ll have to take it slowly,¡± added another Templar Knight, Ian, who also analyzed the situation. ¡°But the problem is that we lack equipment. Relying solely on the equipment of the Third Patrol Unit may be enough to intimidate civilians, but it won¡¯t be enough to stand up against the regular army of Luan.¡±


    These Templar Knights all had military backgrounds and knew that winning a battle wasn¡¯t just about having high morale. Quality equipment, rigorous training, and superior tactical command, among other things, would all affect the outcome of a battle.


    As an expert in matters of faith and not warfare, the Light Saint  Catherine turned to Landen and asked, ¡°Landen, do you have any good ideas?¡±


    ¡°The Templar¡¯s Order and the  Light Saint¡¯s Guard are both legions personally appointed by the God of Light . Inadequate equipment will indeed damage the authority of our Lord and increase the losses in battle,¡± Landen said, pondering. ¡°But the problem is that we have no money left.¡±


    Landen explained, ¡°The previous batch of equipment has already spent all the money we managed to gather, but it¡¯s still not enough.¡±


    Curious, the priest Harry asked, ¡°How much does a set of leather armor cost?¡±


    Landen¡¯s face turned grim. ¡°Two silver zacks.¡±


    ¡°Two silver zacks?! That¡¯s 600 copper aiels!¡± Susan, who came from a farming background, exclaimed in surprise, covering her mouth. ¡°By the grace of the Lord of the Light, that¡¯s enough to buy 300 loaves of black bread!¡±


    The Imperial currency is divided into three types: copper aiels, silver zacks, and gold franks.


    The gold frank is named after the founding emperor of the Empire, Emperor Frank. The silver and copper coins are also named after famous emperors in Empire history, Emperor Aiel and Emperor Zack.


    The exchange rate between gold franks, silver zacks, and copper ers is constantly changing. Currently, one gold frank can be exchanged for about 60 silver zacks, and each silver zack can be exchanged for 300 copper aiels.


    In daily life, ordinary citizens usually only use copper aiels. Two silver zacks is already a large sum of money. Susan¡¯s family owns farmland and horses, making them middle-class freemen, but even they were shocked by the price of armor.


    However, a good set of armor can save one¡¯s life in a critical moment, so how could it possibly be cheap?


    ¡°That is already the cheapest one,¡± sighed Ian, a Templar knight. ¡°That is just the most basic leather armor, made by sewing together tanned and specially treated leather. If it¡¯s a more sophisticated leather armor with iron pieces like the one our captain wears, it will cost at least 10 silver zacks, and chain mail is even more expensive, costing two gold franks for a set.¡±


    ¡°And, a warrior needs more than just armor,¡± he added. ¡°If you need to arm an infantryman, you also need a thick cotton armor lining, a felt cloak, combat boots, and so on. The full set would cost at least three or four silver zacks.¡±


    This is just the most basic. If you want to arm a heavy infantryman with full iron armor, it will cost at least three to five gold franks. If it¡¯s to arm a heavy cavalryman, it¡¯s even more expensive.


    Equipment really has a huge impact on strength.


    Just like the chain armor worn by Captain Nico of the Third Patrol, even a level 1 warrior wielding a sword with all their might would probably only be able to leave a dent on it. Even if they managed to cut through it with great luck, the chain armor would still absorb most of the force, leaving only a shallow wound on the warrior, which would not affect their combat effectiveness.


    But if they didn¡¯t wear armor, even a level 3 warrior would suffer serious injuries if hit.


    So, for a unit to become combat-effective, money is really necessary.


    The fanatic believers were silent for a moment after hearing his words.


    It¡¯s true that you don¡¯t know how precious the rice and firewood are until you become the head of the household. Even Catherine didn¡¯t expect that weapons and armor would cost so much money.


    In fact, even Wu Hui, who was listening on the side, didn¡¯t expect that weapons and equipment in this world could be so expensive.


    However, upon closer consideration, this is normal. The productivity of this world is still very backward, and most ordinary people can only make ends meet and barely survive. The vast majority of wealth and resources are controlled by the nobles.


    Unfortunately, Wu Hui currently doesn¡¯t have a good solution. Without divine power, he can¡¯t conjure up a batch of weapons and equipment for the believers.


    This is something that can be included in Wu Hui¡¯s thinking in the future. If he can provide high-quality weapons and equipment to the believers, it can make the military strength of the believers stronger.


    The conference room fell silent for a moment.


    Harry, the trainee priest, spoke cautiously: ¡°Holy Maiden, what if we call on our believers to donate, or seek donations from some nobles?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Landon objected. ¡°Most of our believers are ordinary civilians and soldiers with little savings. As for the nobles, hmph, they¡¯re all ruthless people who would sell our believers at the drop of a hat.¡±


    Whenever the nobles were mentioned, Landon¡¯s face turned angry. The previous St. Luan monastery was attacked and captured by a coalition of nobles and their private army.


    Currently, the three Temple Knights ¨C Max, Ian, and Paul ¨C were soldiers under Baron Gruberg¡¯s command just a month and a half ago. Baron Gruberg¡¯s territory, Gruberg Town, is the closest to the St. Luan Monastery and was the one leading the attack on the monastery.


    Landon¡¯s words made Max and the others feel guilty, but this guilt was quickly turned into even more fervent faith. They were willing to use their blood and lives to prove their loyalty to the Lord of Light.


    With no good ideas, everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the Light Saint. After all, she was the chosen Saint by the great Lord of Light, representing the Lord walking among mortals.


    The Holy Maiden pondered for a moment before speaking with a firm and resolute tone, ¡°Gruberg Castle has wealth, and so does Baron Gruberg. He is the mastermind behind the attack on St. Luan Monastery, and he slaughtered many of our brothers and sisters while plundering the accumulated wealth of the monastery. He should pay the price.¡±


    Landon¡¯s expression changed suddenly, and he quickly said, ¡°Light Saint, are you suggesting an attack on Gruberg Castle? It¡¯s not an easy place to conquer, so please be cautious.¡±


    Max¡¯s face also looked very serious as he said, ¡°Gruberg is a powerful baron, and his guard is officially a local legion, but in reality, it is his personal army with superior weapons, equipment, formation, and training compared to the Third Patrol. I used to be a private soldier under Gruberg, and I know his power well.¡±


    ¡°In addition, Gruberg has also knighted three knights,¡± Ian added. ¡°These three knights are usually stationed in the knight¡¯s territory, each with dozens of soldiers under their command. They are very strong!¡±


    ¡°We can think of ways to raise money slowly,¡± trainee priest Harry also objected. ¡°We should continue to use the monastery as our stronghold and secretly spread the faith in Grutown and nearby villages to regain followers.¡±


    Everyone objected, as their current strength was simply not enough to fight against Gruberg, unless they asked the Lord of Light to descend himself. But as knights and priests personally appointed by the Lord of Light, if they asked for his intervention in every battle, what use would they be?


    As Wu Hui listened in on the meeting, he felt relieved.


    His followers may be zealous, but they always had his best interests in mind. Although they may still be inexperienced, with enough nurturing they could become valuable assets. For a deity like Wu Hui, the level of faith among his followers was more important than their abilities.


    After all, skills could be developed over time.


    ¡°I understand everyone¡¯s concerns. This is also the second matter I wanted to discuss today,¡± declared the majestic gaze of the Light Saint Catherine as she surveyed the room. ¡°Last night, our Lord gave a divine revelation.¡±


    ¡°A divine revelation?!¡±


    The crowd¡¯s eyes lit up, instantly forgetting the previous topic they were debating.


    What could be more important than a divine revelation, no matter how trivial the previous discussion may have been?


    Six zealous followers immediately stood up and knelt in a row before the statue of the deity, their expressions fervent: ¡°I, Landen/Harry/Susan/Max/Ian/¡­listen to the divine revelation.¡±


    Catherine slowly straightened her body, turned around, and walked to the foot of the statue with a solemn expression on her young face. The sunlight shone on her, casting dappled shadows on her body, making this moment even more sacred and solemn.


    ¡°Our Lord has commanded that Gruberg is the gateway to the outside world for the monastery and must be under our control,¡± Catherine¡¯s voice seemed to come down from the heavens, carrying an indescribable sacredness.


    At this moment, her aura unconsciously soared to the extreme, and a sacred and bright energy spread out, resonating with the statue of the deity behind her. There was a vague sense of connection between the two.


    ¡°We shall abide by the divine will of our Lord,¡±


    declared the six zealous followers, prostrating themselves before Catherine with unwavering devotion.


    Surprisingly, this time, not a single one of them protested or expressed any hesitation about attacking the Gruberg Fortress.


    The will of the gods was beyond question, and their only duty was to fulfill it with all their might.


    ¡°Okay, everyone, you can stand up now.¡± Said Catherine with a gentle smile.


    After delivering the divine revelation, the solemn expression on Catherine¡¯s face slightly relaxed, and she gestured for everyone to stand up. She then said, ¡°Next, let¡¯s discuss how to take down Gruberg Castle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Grace,¡± replied the six followers.


    They sat back down at the table and began to discuss various strategies. This time, no one mentioned how difficult it would be to attack Gruberg Castle. Instead, everyone worked together to brainstorm solutions to overcome the challenges of the upcoming battle.


    Sunlight streamed through the arched windows, illuminating the dust particles in the air and capturing this moment in time.


    In the future, this meeting was known as the ¡°Dawn Meeting¡±, and the battle that was planned during the meeting was called the ¡°Battle of Dawn¡±.


    Historians in the future evaluated that the glory of the Holy Light Church began with this meeting.


    Wu Hui was also very satisfied with this meeting. Without his tactical guidance, the plan they ultimately came up with turned out to be quite good.


    At least in his view, even without intentionally calculating everything, the chances of success in this battle were quite high.

 CH 23

    Time passed quickly, and a few days had passed without notice.


    Gru town is a small town located in the remote area of the St. Luan region.


    Around the town, there are six villages of varying sizes, as well as nearby estates and scattered small settlements, with a total population of six or seven thousand people.


    Apart from being closer to the St. Luan Monastery, this is an unremarkable town. In earlier years, it relied on serving the constant flow of pilgrim teams and supplying the monastery to maintain the town¡¯s prosperity.


    However, with the fall of the God of Light and the Empire¡¯s policy to ban the Church of Light, Gru town became increasingly desolate, with even fewer merchant caravans coming through.


    Located on a towering cliff in the southwest corner of Grutown, Gruburg is like a crouching beast silently guarding the town below.


    Compared to the St. Luan Monastery, Gruberg lacks some of the sacredness and dignity, but appears more ferocious. With a moat over ten meters wide, thick stone walls, towering arrow towers, and lookout posts, the complete war facilities make it look like a war machine, exuding a chilling aura, as if it could unleash its ferocious fangs anytime, anywhere.


    It is the hereditary castle of the Grue family and the last barrier to enter the Grue region.


    Baron Gandial is the hereditary baron of the Grue family in this generation.


    The ancestors of the Grue family were once prominent figures who followed the emperor in expanding and conquering new territories. However, as time passed, the fortunes of the family waned due to various changes.


    The family¡¯s legacy, passed down from generation to generation, was gradually eroded and by the time of Gandial, it had fallen into decline. Despite this, Gandial maintained his extravagant lifestyle by levying exorbitant taxes on his subjects. This caused deep resentment among the people, who dared not speak out due to Gandial¡¯s tyranny.


    As the sun began to set, the last rays of the evening sun illuminated an old horse-drawn carriage, casting a melancholic aura upon it. The carriage slowly approached the Gruberg castle, pulled by a tired and worn-out horse.


    Driving the carriage was a young man dressed in simple linen clothes. He was strong and sturdy, with red-rimmed eyes that betrayed a long-suppressed sense of frustration.


    The gates of Gruberg were not yet closed, and the drawbridge was still over the moat.


    On the watchtower, two elite soldiers in armor stopped a carriage that approached and rudely shouted, ¡°Stop right there! Who are you? How dare you come close to Gruberg? Are you looking for trouble?¡±


    Hearing this, the young man¡¯s eyes flared with anger. However, he quickly suppressed it and put on a flattering smile. ¡°Gentlemen, my name is Abelon, and I was sent by the baron to bring someone to Gruberg.¡±


    The soldiers scrutinized him and looked at him warily. ¡°Where is the baron¡¯s order? And who is in the carriage?¡±


    Abelon hesitated for a moment, his eyes showing a hint of reluctance. ¡°We don¡¯t have an order. The person in the carriage is my new wife, Aelia.¡±


    The two soldiers were stunned for a moment and then burst into laughter, looking at Abelon with disdain and mockery. ¡°So you¡¯re Abelon. We heard you married a beautiful wife. Congratulations, congratulations!¡±


    Abelon¡¯s face turned red, seemingly unable to bear the humiliation, and he clenched his fists tightly.


    The soldiers didn¡¯t care about his feelings at all and laughed even louder. One of them even walked up and pulled open the carriage curtain.


    Inside, a bride dressed in a pure white wedding dress sat in the carriage. Although her face was obscured by the veil, her graceful figure and exceptional temperament were still apparent. The setting sun cast a holy light through the carriage window, adding a touch of divine aura to her.


    ¡°The bride is so beautiful.¡± The elite soldiers¡¯ eyes flashed with greed and excitement as they waved to Abelon, ¡°Leave the carriage, you can go back now.¡±


    Abelon nervously blushed and said, ¡°Sir, I can¡¯t do that. According to the Baron¡¯s rules, I must personally escort Aelia into the castle.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha~¡±


    The two elite soldiers laughed even more wildly, ¡°What an obedient useless groom~ Forget it, go ahead. Remember, tonight you can only sleep in the stable.¡±


    They waved him off, and Aaron sat back on the driver¡¯s seat and slowly drove the carriage towards the drawbridge.


    The two soldiers continued to laugh and talk, not caring if Abelon heard them. ¡°The Baron sure knows how to play. He wants to exercise his first night rights, and he even wants the groom to deliver the bride himself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed. But isn¡¯t it great? Let the groom wait in the castle and imagine what kind of pleasure his beautiful bride is experiencing.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if we can join in this time? The bride is very pretty.¡±


    ¡°After our shift, let¡¯s go take a look. Maybe we can get in on the action. Hahaha~¡±


    Their wicked laughter passed through the thick carriage curtain and into the carriage.


    Inside, the supposed ¡°bride¡± who should have been trembling in fear, sat up straight with cold, piercing eyes, freezing even the air around her.


    Unconsciously, the setting sun had completely fallen below the horizon.


    Nightfall arrived.


    Darkness shrouded Gruberg.


    In the highest part of the castle, from the French window of the lookout tower, a faint candlelight could be seen.


    Inside the room, the ¡°bride¡± sent by her newlywed husband was dressed in a pure and beautiful white wedding gown, sitting dignifiedly on the edge of the bed, quietly looking towards the door.


    This room was originally a lookout room, but it had been transformed by Baron Gandial, into a bedroom, a special bedroom designed for exercising the lord¡¯s right of the first night.


    The room was very simple, with only a linen-covered wooden bed in the center of the room, and a table next to it with seven or eight wooden ¡°torture devices¡± of varying shapes and sizes. The surface of those devices still bore various degrees of bloodstains.


    Despite the flickering candlelight, there was still a cold and eerie atmosphere in the room, as if there were ghosts lingering around, making people shiver.


    However, even in such an environment, the ¡°bride¡± sitting on the edge of the bed remained calm and composed. Her deep blue eyes showed no fear, but instead revealed a hint of pity.


    It turned out that this ¡°bride¡± was none other than Catherine, who had disguised herself and infiltrated Gruberg.


    Just by looking at the scene in front of her, Catherine could imagine the inhumane experiences that those pure and kind brides had suffered in this room, and could even imagine their helplessness and fear at that time. Naturally, she did not feel afraid, only angry.


    In her mind, she couldn¡¯t help but think of the nuns and sisters who died tragically in the monastery, and the anger in her heart was like a flame, burning more and more fiercely, almost overwhelming her reason.


    While Catherine was filled with sadness and anger, in the divine realm, Wu Hui also saw the furnishings in the room through the ¡°Eye of God¡±.


    Seeing this situation, even though he did not carry the deep hatred like Catherine, he couldn¡¯t help but curse the barbarian lord. This Baron Gandial was really a despicable creature.


    Yesterday, Wu Hui had already accumulated 1000 points of faith and regained one point of divine power, which gave him some confidence to take action.


    However, even with complete preparation, it was still very dangerous for Catherine to infiltrate alone. Wu Hui was very worried and had been monitoring the situation in real time through the Eye of God, so that he could respond promptly if any problems occurred.


    Suddenly, heavy footsteps were heard outside the door. Even Wu Hui became nervous, as this battle was about life and death.

 CH 24

    Catherine¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she locked her blue eyes onto the wooden door in front of her.


    Quickly adjusting his perspective, Wu Hui saw what was happening outside the door.


    In the hallway, a middle-aged man dressed in noble attire was stumbling towards the tower with a strong smell of alcohol on his breath.


    Despite his short stature and plump figure, and the fact that his tailored outfit did little to flatter his flabby body, no one dared to laugh at him because he was the owner of Gruberg Castle: Baron Gandial.


    The watchtower was Gandial¡¯s favorite place to be. From there, he could see the entire town of Gru at a glance, as if he had the entire town under his feet.


    Whenever he was there, he felt the thrill of absolute power and control, as if he were an emperor ruling a nation.


    To achieve this, he spared no expense in renovating the lookout room into a bedroom specifically designed to exercise his droit du seigneur, so that he could enjoy his fresh and tender brides without distractions. He even spent a fortune to replace the original small windows with large floor-to-ceiling ones, allowing him to look down upon Gru with just a glance.


    The feeling of conquest.


    Yes, it¡¯s all about the sense of conquest.


    The feeling is truly indescribable.


    During dinner, Gandial had drunk a considerable amount of precious wine, and now he was slightly intoxicated, recalling past scenes. Despite his drunkenness, his wolfish eyes still emitted a cruel and excited light.


    ¡°My lord.¡±


    At the door of the room, two fully armed guards bowed to Gandial.


    Their eyes also emitted an excited light. As usual, after the lord enjoyed the bride, if he was in a good mood, he would send the ¡°happy time¡± to his trusted subordinates to enjoy.


    These two guards could stay here at this time because they were trusted and valued by Gandial.


    The most terrifying thing is that there are two or three dozen trusted subordinates who are valued by Gandial. When they take turns to play, the bride is subjected to brutal and terrible torture.


    In fact, more than one bride could not accept such humiliation and committed suicide by jumping off the watchtower. However, the vast majority of brides who experienced this terrible night chose to keep it a secret forever.


    This also prevented Baron Gandial¡¯s more heinous behavior from being exposed.


    ¡°How is the bride?¡± Gandial asked with a smile.


    ¡°Very obedient, no resistance,¡± the guard said with a knowing smirk. ¡°Please enjoy yourself, Lord.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha~¡± Gandial patted their shoulders, laughing. ¡°Notify the brothers to come and taste the fresh catch later.¡±


    He loved this type of docile and submissive bride, who could be toyed with however he pleased. Unlike those with strong personalities, who would commit suicide if pushed too far. Even as a baron, if too many brides killed themselves, it could cause some trouble.


    Aelia was one of these docile brides, and she was perfect.


    He had been looking forward to this happy time for a long time.


    There were many young girls in his territory, many of them unmarried, but most were unattractive and he had no interest in them. Aelia, however, was different.


    The scouts he sent out clearly described Aelia¡¯s beauty. They said that not only was she beautiful, but her figure was also top-notch. And her skin was not only tender and moist, but also so white and delicate that it looked as if a pinch would cause water to come out.


    At the thought of being able to enjoy this tender and watery girl tonight, Gandial¡¯s desire soared, and his breathing became even more rapid.


    In the divine realm, Wu Hui saw the shameless faces of Gandial and his men through the eyes of God, and his heart was filled with anger.


    Beasts!


    If not for his concern for his divine power, he would have almost thrown the Spear of Judgment and blasted this despicable and shameless Baron Gandial into smithereens.


    This was not just sudden burst of righteousness from Wu Hui, but the actions of Baron Gandial were truly disgusting, making it unbearable even for a man like Wu Hui. Of course, it cannot be denied that there was also a tinge of jealousy at play here.


    Just think about it, Baron Gandial, a mere human noble native, was able to live so freely and even exercised his so-called ¡°first night rights¡± whenever he wanted.


    On the other hand, Wu Hui, a glorious god, could only exist in spiritual form, guarding a ruined kingdom of light every day, diligently gathering followers, striving for survival, development, and meticulously counting every 0.1 divine power without daring to spend it on his own pleasure.


    When compared like this, who was the true god?


    This was truly unbearable, and Wu Hui glared fiercely at Baron Gandial. His anger became even more intense under the drive of envy and jealousy. He then turned his attention back to the room.


    ¡°Saintess Catherine, kill that evil Baron for me, and the more gruesome, the better.¡±


    Wu Hui issued a stern order to Catherine.


    A mere native baron was living a better life than him, Wu Hui.


    If it was something he couldn¡¯t see, he could let it slide, but if it was happening right in front of him, he could not tolerate it.


    ¡°Catherine obeys the divine decree of my lord.¡±


    Catherine tightly gripped the silver cross on her chest, her voice calm yet fanatical.


    After multiple interactions, she gradually adapted to the Light Lord¡¯s sometimes less dignified speaking style.


    She had never heard a divine oracle before, let alone knew the true style of the Light Lord. However, as a fanatic, she would never question or betray the deity she believed in, even if the divine revelation ordered her to commit suicide.


    Moreover, the great divine revelation oracle of the Light Lord was in line with her current intentions, and she would not let the baron die too easily.


    Tonight, she would let Gandial taste the despair too!


    Outside the door, footsteps grew closer and closer, accompanied by a wicked chuckle that seemed to be within reach.


    Catherine took a deep breath, quickly restrained her breath, and lowered her gaze. She knew that the key to tonight¡¯s battle was to catch Gandial off guard.


    She couldn¡¯t let him be alerted too early.


    Just as Catherine was adjusting her state and getting ready to take action at any moment,


    ¡°Squeak!¡±


    The heavy door was pushed open and the stocky, bearded Gandial entered the room. Unaware that danger had already arrived, his gaze was immediately drawn to Catherine.


    For a moment, he seemed to stop breathing, and his eyes revealed an insatiable desire to possess her.


    She was beautiful, too beautiful. Although Gandial knew that Aelia was a renowned beauty in the territory, he never imagined that she would be so sacred and exceptional in her wedding dress. Her aura was luminous and ethereal, like an angel descending from heaven, even with the veil covering her face. It was precisely this veil that made Gandial feel the sanctity and inviolability of ¡± Aelia¡¯s¡± temperament.


    In just a moment, Gandial¡¯s gaze was completely captivated. His breathing became heavy, and he walked toward the bed as if in a dream.

 CH 25

    Chapter 25: You Turned Out to Be the Remnant of Light!


    ¡­


    Gandial couldn¡¯t remember how many times he had exercised his rights as the first night on that bed. But never before had he felt such a strong desire, his heart pounding as if it could burst out of his chest.


    Faintly, the aura of ¡°Aelia¡± reminded him of the day he breached the Saint Luan Monastery and caught those few innocent nuns. Unfortunately, those nuns underestimated him and ended up committing suicide before he could taste the sweetness of victory.


    This enraged him, leading him to issue a massacre order and vent his anger by slaughtering the old nuns in the monastery.


    However, those nuns were nothing compared to Aelia.


    ¡± Aelia, my beautiful little lady, don¡¯t be afraid~¡±


    Closing the door behind him, Gandial approached the edge of the bed like an aroused beast, a twisted smile of excitement on his face. ¡°This baron will cherish you,¡± he uttered.


    The closer he got to Aelia, the more he was drawn to her unique and noble aura of purity. He even entertained the idea of keeping Aelia for himself, no longer sharing her with his confidants.


    As for her ¡°husband,¡± hmph, to hell with him. If he knew what was good for him, the baron would reward him with a few gold franks. If he didn¡¯t know his place, he would be thrown into the forest to be fed to the bears.


    ¡°Hehe~¡±


    Wu Hui, watching this scene from the divine realm, couldn¡¯t help but sneer.


    As a man himself, just by looking at Gandial¡¯s expression, he knew that his mind was filled with nothing but lascivious thoughts. Despite having anticipated it, Wu Hui still felt a surge of anger.


    Was the Holy Maiden someone he could covet?


    You see, every nun, in principle, is considered a handmaiden of the God of Light, obligated to maintain a lifetime of purity for the God of Light.


    And the Holy Maiden, she is theoretically a concubine of the God of Light.


    Any attempt to defile the Holy Maiden is an extremely serious act of blasphemy, punishable by the most horrific and brutal penalties. Even in death, the soul would continue to endure torment.


    If Gandial dared to lay a finger on Catherine, even if it required divine intervention, he would make sure Gandial personally experienced the dire consequences of blasphemy.


    Regardless of Gandial and Wu Hui¡¯s respective thoughts, on the other side, the Holy Maiden of Light, Catherine, remained completely unaffected and remarkably composed.


    Or perhaps, she appeared composed on the surface.


    With her head lowered, she sat motionless at the edge of the bed, while an overwhelming rage and murderous intent brewed within her, transforming into a terrifying force that gradually filled every inch of her body, causing her skin to tremble and scream.


    The sound of footsteps drew nearer.


    Closer still.


    As the feet appeared within her field of vision, Catherine sensed that Gandial was now within arm¡¯s reach. Slowly, she lifted her previously lowered head, revealing a pair of clear and pure blue eyes.


    At this moment, there was no anger or murderous intent in her gaze, only an unyielding coldness that seemed impenetrable.


    Like the unmelting ice of the far North, the chill went straight to the bone.


    In an instant, Gandial felt as if he had fallen into an icy tomb, his entire body freezing to the extreme, causing his hair to stand on end.


    His pupils contracted sharply as a strong sense of danger washed over him.


    This bride was not Aelia.


    Aeliawas merely a commoner, incapable of possessing such calm yet incredibly terrifying eyes.


    Retreat, retreat, retreat!


    Baron Gandial had once been a formidable warrior in his youth, with a personal strength reaching Level 3.


    Although his indulgent lifestyle had gradually weakened his body, his crisis management and judgment skills remained intact.


    In the blink of an eye, he manipulated his obese body to forcefully retreat.


    As long as he could escape this room, his guards would swarm in and hack this detestable female assassin into pieces.


    Unfortunately, it was already too late.


    Catherine had planned this scheme for a long time, and she would not allow him the chance to escape.


    ¡°Law of Subjugation!¡±


    Catherine¡¯s gaze turned cold as she softly uttered a few clean and precise words, imbued with a divine aura.


    In an instant, a holy radiance erupted from her delicate figure, transforming her into a sacred angel draped in boundless divine light, descending from the gates of heaven to the mortal realm.


    An invisible shockwave of energy enveloped Baron Gandial, akin to a landslide and a tsunami.


    ¡°Ah~¡±


    Gandial¡¯s eyeballs seemed to bulge out of their sockets as the divine sounds reverberated in his ears, as if countless holy thunderclaps were detonating in his mind. His filthy soul trembled violently, and blood seeped from his ears, nose, throat, and eyes, creating a gruesome sight.


    His legs weakened, and he almost collapsed to the ground.


    As Level 3 powerhouses, there was a significant disparity between the two.


    Gandial had long succumbed to moral degradation, his power on the decline. On the other hand, Catherine shone like the radiant sun, emitting a scorching light. In her two months as the Holy Maiden, she had endured hardships and honed herself, continuously advancing towards Level 4.


    ¡°You wretched remnant of the Light, you are a remnant!¡± Gandial roared in horror, blood flowing from his seven orifices. ¡°You have quite the audacity.¡±


    In recent days, he had heard rumors of the remnants of the Light rekindling. However, he also knew that with those small remnants, mere tenacious stragglers, on any day when he was in a bad mood, he could easily wipe them out, plunder their wealth once again.


    But he never expected that these remnants of the Light, who should have been hiding like rats in the shadows, constantly playing small tricks, would dare to launch such despicable attacks on a baron, on his Gruberg!?


    Facing Gundear¡¯s roar, Katherina remained cold and indifferent. Her slender jade hand formed intricate and profound finger seals, as she softly uttered several sacred syllables.


    ¡°Light Commandment: Hammer of the Holy Light!¡±


    The rich and pure power of holy light bloomed once again at her fingertips, forming a substantial hammer of radiant light that heavily struck Gandial¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Gandial was blasted several meters away by the violent force, his obese body crashing forcefully to the ground. His sternum was mostly shattered, and his internal organs were largely ruptured.


    If it were an ordinary person, such injuries would have undoubtedly been fatal.


    But Gandial was still a Level 3 powerhouse. Although past his prime, he still possessed some remnants of his former strength.


    With the support of his fighting spirit, he clung to his last breath. His eyes, blurred by blood, filled with incomparable fear as he watched the woman approaching him, emanating radiant light from head to toe.


    ¡°My precious Holy Maiden, well done!¡±


    Within the realm of the Divine Light, Wu Hui, using the Eye of God, was filled with excitement. He wished he were the Holy Maiden himself, so he could easily knock down that damned Gandial.


    Victory!


    There was no doubt that the Holy Maiden had decisively won this battle. Since the beheading was successful, the rest of the fight would be easier.


    However, it would only be relatively easier.


    Because at this moment¡­


    The door to the watchtower was forcefully kicked open, and two elite guards of Gandial stormed in like fierce beasts.


    These two elite guards were armed to the teeth. They wore reinforced leather armor with an additional layer of full-body steel chainmail. Their feet were clad in steel boots, and they wore nose-guard helmets that provided extra protection to vulnerable areas.


    The two guards wielded different weapons, one skilled in sword and shield, and the other proficient with a long spear.


    As true elites, they only hesitated for a moment upon witnessing the scene before them. Then, with a loud roar, one charged forward while the other blocked the retreat of the Holy Maiden. Their movements were swift, as if the heavy armor had no effect on their speed.


    It was evident that these two elite guards had achieved considerable proficiency in their fighting spirit.


    The sword and shield soldier raised his shield with his left hand, protecting his comrade behind him, and charged at the Holy Maiden like a raging bull. The spearman, as graceful as a dragon, cut off the Holy Maiden¡¯s escape route.


    ¡°You¡¯re as good as dead, dead!¡± Despite being severely injured, Gandial roared in a mixture of blood and anger, ¡°I swear as a baron that I will strangle every last one of you Light remnants in the most cruel manner.¡±

 CH 26

    Chapter 26: The Bride! Bloodshed


    ¡­


    Baron Gandial naturally had the confidence to back his words. With a multitude of elite soldiers under his command and a formidable fortress, how could he be opposed by those remnants of the Light who were as insignificant as street rats?


    At the same time, Wu Hui, who was observing this scene from within the Divine Kingdom, couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous. Baron Gandial may be a brute, but he was skilled at rallying his troops and never hesitated to invest in capable subordinates.


    The two trusted bodyguards under his command had already reached level 2 in terms of their strength. With their fully equipped and finely coordinated efforts, they were not afraid even when facing level 3 powerhouses.


    On the other hand, Holy Maiden Catherine, despite being a level 3 nun, excelled in support rather than direct combat, making her less adept at facing other level 3 combatants.


    Could she withstand this wave of attacks?


    Just as Wu Hui was prepared to endure the pain of depleting his divine power and unleash a spear of judgment to help the Saint eliminate one elite bodyguard, something unexpected happened.


    The Saint of Light suddenly moved, clad in a holy wedding gown. Instead of retreating, she charged towards the heavily armored swordsman.


    She was indeed quite clever because by doing so, she could use the swordsman¡¯s body as a barrier to shield herself from the spear-wielding soldier¡¯s attack. The situation, which was originally one against two, temporarily turned into a one-on-one confrontation.


    But even in a one-on-one battle, could she overpower the heavily armored swordsman? The swordsman had a robust and muscular build, and with his full armor, he likely weighed two to three hundred kilograms.


    His gaze revealed a cruel, ferocious smile. How dare this petite bride challenge him head-on? It was simply seeking death.


    Wu Hui suppressed the urge to intervene and chose to trust the Saint of Light. Let her handle it; if necessary, he could use his divine power to heal her, even if she ended up on the brink of death. With his current 1.1 divine power as a backup, he could save her life.


    With divine power in hand, one could be so willful.


    It¡¯s easier said than done.


    Just as the Saint of Light was about to collide head-on with the heavily armored swordsman, a sudden change occurred.


    ¡°Decree: Radiant Light.¡±


    The gaze of the Saint of Light became extremely calm, and she softly uttered a divine incantation.


    Radiant Light spell?


    Wu Hui, who was observing this scene from the Divine Kingdom, was immediately taken aback. What on earth was the Saint doing by suddenly casting the Radiant Light spell? During his idle moments, Wu Hui often studied the standardized divine spells stored within the divine system.


    These spells constituted the knowledge system of the lineage of Light left behind by the God of Light.


    Among them, ¡°Radiant Light¡± was a very low-level divine spell, easy to grasp and cast. It simply released the power of radiant light, forming a large area of radiance as much as possible.


    In terms of pure destructive power, it was almost negligible.


    Of course, since the Radiant Light spell was developed and preserved within the divine spell system, it naturally had certain practical uses.


    For example, it could provide illumination in darkness, boosting the morale of troops.


    Moreover, when facing commoners with limited knowledge systems, a cultivator who appeared like a small sun, burning with divine radiance, would always earn respect and generate belief. It was a cost-effective divine spell for deceiving believers.


    Lastly, it was quite effective in dispelling large amounts of negative energy.


    However, using it to deal with a fully armored human soldier with a level 2 strength seemed to lack any direct effectiveness.


    But actions spoke louder than words.


    The battle unfolded swiftly.


    The Holy Maiden unleashed the Radiant Light spell, causing her abundant holy light power to erupt. In an instant, she transformed into a radiant sun, engulfing both herself and the heavily armored swordsman in a dazzling and sacred light.


    Then came a piercing scream. The swordsman, carried by inertia, stumbled out of the bright range, only to fall to the ground a few steps later. His sword and shield had been thrown aside as he frantically clutched his head, rolling and screaming in agony.


    Deeply embedded in the eye socket that his helmet failed to protect was a silver hairpin¡ªthe very hairpin the Saint of Light had used to secure her bridal hairstyle. Her golden locks cascaded like a waterfall, staining her pristine and sacred wedding gown with specks of crimson blood, creating a disturbingly beautiful yet chilling sight.


    Combined with her stern expression, there was a hint of fanatical madness in her eyes.


    It was as if one found themselves in a horror movie about a bloodthirsty vengeful bride.


    ¡°Hiss~¡±


    Even Wu Hui, observing this scene from the Divine Kingdom, couldn¡¯t help but inhale sharply.


    Although he had transmigrated into a deity, he was, in the end, an ordinary human who had lived on Earth for over twenty years. The scene before him sent shivers down his spine.


    It was brutal, incredibly brutal.


    Back when Wu Hui recruited Catherine as the Saint, he was quite satisfied with her in various aspects, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel that her personality seemed somewhat fragile, unsure if she could shoulder the burden.


    However, due to the circumstances at the time, he had no other choice but to take a gamble and promote Catherine.


    Little did he expect that under pressure, Catherine would grow so ferocious.


    Moreover, she was remarkably intelligent, capable of thinking and drawing inferences. The Radiant Light spell she just cast was clearly different from the traditional one. She transformed her holy light power into a burst of radiance, creating a flashbang-like blinding effect and instantly throwing her opponent into a state of panic and confusion.


    ¡°For our Lord!¡±


    The resolute Saint of Light, Holy Maiden Catherine swiftly picked up the one-handed longsword dropped by the fallen swordsman and gripped it with both hands. She fiercely thrust the sword downward.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    With such a forceful stab, the longsword pierced through the swordsman¡¯s chest armor, puncturing his heart and ending his suffering.


    The Saint of Light withdrew the sword, blood splattering in all directions.


    ¡°Amazing, truly amazing.¡±


    After the initial shock, Wu Hui couldn¡¯t help but admire Catherine, the Saint of Light, even more. Despite her ferocity and fanaticism, she was carrying out her duties for him, the God of Light. Fanatical believers were not just empty words.


    Their faith in the deity was fervent and unwavering. Even if ordered by the deity, they would not hesitate to sacrifice themselves.


    While Wu Hui was lost in his thoughts, Catherine, with her blood-drenched sword, had already turned her attention to another spearman not far away.


    Though the spearman was fierce, witnessing the scene before him had shaken him. Fear flickered in his eyes, and he instinctively took a few steps back. This woman, dressed in a bridal gown, was simply too formidable. He had no intention of rushing forward to meet his death.


    But precisely because of his hesitation, he gave the Saint of Light an opportunity.


    Catherine swiftly stepped forward, placing her foot on the fallen Baron Gandial¡¯s chest, while the blood-drenched sword pressed against his throat.


    Baron Gandial¡¯s face instantly turned pale, devoid of his previous arrogance.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, please, let¡¯s talk. Let¡¯s talk.¡±


    He lay frozen on the ground, afraid to make any movement. Cold sweat trickled down his face, and his flabby body trembled in fear, looking utterly disheveled.


    The Holy Maiden Catherine remained unfazed, not even sparing him a glance. Her grip on the sword remained steady, unmoving like a rock.


    At this moment, the nearby guards sensed something amiss and rushed to the outside of the watchtower, preparing to enter the door.


    ¡°Step back.¡±


    Catherine cast a cold gaze at them and rebuked in a stern voice.


    As she spoke, the longsword in her hand pressed slightly downward, and the tip of the sword instantly pierced the skin on Baron Gandial¡¯s neck, causing blood to gush out like a fountain.


    Baron Gandial let out a scream resembling that of a slaughtered pig.


    The guards were startled by the sight and immediately dared not move.

 CH 27

    Meanwhile.


    In the stable, a young man named Abelon, dressed in tattered clothes and covered with straw and hay, curled up and slept. He emitted a deep snore from his nose and throat.


    The two ordinary soldiers responsible for monitoring him occasionally glanced at him and sneered in a lewd tone, ¡°This useless man can still sleep at a time like this? His newlywed wife is currently serving the Baron.¡±


    ¡°Heh heh, what else can he do besides sleep? Does he expect to get a share?¡± The soldiers mocked relentlessly. ¡°Today, his newlywed wife won¡¯t have a chance to sleep even until dawn.¡±


    ¡°Poor guy, tomorrow when he sees his bride, he¡¯ll know the outcome. Her beautiful bride, even with a month¡¯s time, won¡¯t be able to recover.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha~¡±


    The two soldiers laughed loudly, venting their frustrations. Because they were just ordinary soldiers, they knew they would never have the opportunity to enjoy the company of that beautiful bride.


    The only thing they could do was fantasize in their minds. Or they could strive to climb the ranks desperately and become trusted confidants of the Baron, giving them a chance to join the ranks.


    While the two soldiers were lost in their thoughts.


    At the top of the lookout tower, in a room near the window, a burst of divine light exploded, accompanied by a sound of despair.


    The two soldiers looked up in astonishment, their faces filled with confusion about what had just happened.


    But at that very moment¡­


    Abelon, lying in the stable, abruptly opened his eyes, radiating two beams of excitement and fanaticism. The Holy Maiden had taken action.


    Now, it was his turn to act.


    With a swift roll, he moved with the grace of a lynx and the speed of a cheetah, reaching the edge of his old carriage. He reached into the crevice beneath the carriage¡¯s seat and pulled out a cold and sharp sword.


    ¡°The radiance of my lord shall once again illuminate the earth,¡± he proclaimed.


    The gaze of ¡°Abelon¡± instantly became intensely fervent, and he pounced on the two ordinary soldiers like a ferocious tiger.


    In his fanatical mindset as a devout believers, anyone who dared to obstruct the path of the holy light was an enemy, a heretic.


    His sword existed solely to fight for his lord!


    Indeed, this so-called groom, ¡°Abelon,¡± was one of Wu Hui¡¯s Templar Knights¡ªLandon!


    As a zealous believer, Landon had reached the pinnacle of level 2 in his cultivation and strength.


    Beneath his humble attire and single sword, his speed was astonishing, and his longsword emitted a radiant and holy aura.


    The sword¡¯s brilliance flickered and within a mere two or three breaths, the two ordinary soldiers who were still in a state of shock were pierced to death. Even in death, their eyes remained wide open, staring blankly and unblinking.


    After killing the two guard soldiers, Landon didn¡¯t pause but continued rushing towards the castle gate. Disguised as Abelon, his ultimate objective in infiltrating Gruberg was to launch an internal assault, lowering the drawbridge and opening the city gate.


    Conquering Gruberg Castle, of course, would not involve only the Holy Maiden and Landon.


    At this moment¡­


    The garrison inside the castle had already become restless.


    ¡°Clang! Clang! Clang!¡±


    From the bell tower, a deep and urgent tolling resounded. Torches were lit one by one, and the clamor of soldiers filled the air. The shouts and commands of the sergeants created a chaotic cacophony.


    However, Landon paid no attention to the commotion and continued rushing toward the castle gate.


    If he couldn¡¯t lower the drawbridge and open the city gate from the inside, not only would the entire military operation fail, but he and the Holy Maiden would undoubtedly meet their demise.


    The gates of any castle were heavily guarded.


    On either side of the gate stood two stone arrow towers, each manned by five archers. They not only had the advantage of shooting down incoming enemies from a high vantage point but could also fire into the castle.


    Fortunately, at this moment, Gruberg Castle was not under strict martial law. The soldiers were relaxed, and the archers in the arrow towers were merely on duty rotation.


    When designing Gruberg Castle, they had also considered the concept of breaking into the fortress from within.


    For the crucial mechanisms of the drawbridge winch room and the iron gate winch room, they were deliberately located beneath the two arrow towers, fully exposed within the archers¡¯ optimal line of sight and range.


    Furthermore, each winch room was equipped with iron doors and guarded by two sentries.


    It can be seen that even launching an internal attack and breaching the castle gate would not be an easy task.


    However, Landon had his own advantages.


    This surprise attack was extremely swift. The distance from the stable to the winch room was only about forty to fifty meters. With his full speed, Landon could reach it in just five or six breaths.


    In such a short time, it was impossible for the lax guards to fully react.


    The greatest difficulty facing Landon, however, was the distance between the two winch rooms, which was over thirty meters apart. After breaching one, the challenge of breaching the second would be exponentially more difficult.


    There was no doubt that before executing the entire military plan, the Holy Maiden, Landon, and the other high-ranking officials had conducted meticulous calculations. Every step was part of the predetermined plan.


    Landon¡¯s first objective was to take control of the winch room that operated the drawbridge.


    It was also the first obstacle within the entire castle.


    As the chaos within the castle escalated in a short period, Landon reached the winch room.


    ¡°Halt! Enemy! Enemy!¡±


    The two soldiers stationed at the winch room shouted sternly while drawing their weapons, pouncing fiercely towards Landon.


    Lack of vigilance did not mean lack of defense.


    Time was life, and for Landon, every second was incredibly precious. Faced with the two soldiers charging at him, he showed no signs of fear. On the contrary, he burst into even greater speed.


    ¡°Holy Light Slash!¡±


    The Holy Light burned within Landon, and a radiant white glow shimmered on his sword, as if there was a layer of white flame engulfing it. With the momentum of his own speed, he swung his sword towards the soldier.


    The soldier¡¯s face showed fear as he instinctively raised his wooden shield to block.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    The wooden shield and the soldier¡¯s left hand were shattered by the sword strike. The sword¡¯s momentum didn¡¯t diminish as it continued downward, slashing through the soldier¡¯s chest armor.


    ¡°Swish!¡±


    Empowered by the Holy Light, the sword effortlessly tore through the soldier¡¯s sturdy armor, leaving a massive wound on his chest, from which blood gushed out.


    In agonizing pain and immense terror, the soldier looked at his severed left hand and the open wound on his chest. After letting out a wretched scream, he collapsed to the ground.


    Without pausing after the successful strike with his momentum and Holy Light Slash, Landon immediately reversed his sword and attacked the other soldier.


    In just a few seconds, the relentless assault of Landon resulted in the death of the second soldier, but not without a cost. He now had an additional sword wound on his chest.


    He had to race against time.


    Every second delayed could lead to the failure of the entire operation.


    At that moment, the archers on the arrow towers also reacted. A few scattered arrows pierced through the air with a sharp whistle. Ignoring his injuries, Landon rolled forward to dodge the arrows.


    Simultaneously, he gathered his strength for another powerful Holy Light Slash, forcefully breaking open the lock on the iron door of the winch room. He rushed inside at the fastest speed possible.


    ¡°Whoosh¡­ Clang Clang.¡±


    Just as Landon rushed into the winch room, two more arrows were shot, hitting the arrowheads against the iron door, creating sparks.


    All of this unfolded before Wu Hui, who was far away in the divine realm. Throughout the process, Wu Hui was on edge. If Landon failed and lost his life, the loss for Wu Hui would be tremendous.


    Wu Hui had contemplated intervening in the crisis and lending a helping hand if necessary.


    Fortunately, Landon displayed exceptional bravery, zeal, and decisiveness as he successfully seized control of the drawbridge winch room through his swift assault. This relieved Wu Hui¡¯s anxiety and filled him with admiration for Landon¡¯s actions.


    Landon was both courageous and composed, a subordinate worthy of nurturing.


    As the god of light, Wu Hui naturally desired to cultivate talented individuals who could stand on their own. He didn¡¯t want to train worthless individuals who would rely on divine intervention whenever they faced danger or difficulties.


    If that were the case, wouldn¡¯t Wu Hui, the esteemed god of light, become nothing more than a nanny for his believers?


    With such thoughts in mind, Wu Hui held great appreciation for Landon, a warrior who was willing to sacrifice everything for their Lord.

 CH 28

    After entering the winch room of the drawbridge, Landon wasted no time and swiftly severed the cables with consecutive strikes. This was another advantage of seizing control of the winch room for the drawbridge.


    Compared to the winch mechanism of the gate¡¯s iron portcullis, which required considerable effort to slowly raise it, the drawbridge, being suspended and under tension, would automatically lower once the cables were cut.


    At the same time, the raised drawbridge towering over the moat trembled momentarily before gradually tilting towards the water, its descent gaining momentum.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The entire drawbridge crashed down onto the ground with a thunderous impact.


    Fortunately, the drawbridge was constructed robustly, so while it suffered significant damage from the impact, it remained passable. The hidden believers, led by two Templar knights, roared as they stormed across the drawbridge, launching a fierce assault on the gate.


    These believers were mostly former members of the Third Patrol Brigade, with a few physically strong individuals selected from among the believers. Their equipment was simple, consisting of ordinary leather armor, assorted weapons such as knives, spears, swords, bows, and crossbows.


    They appeared to be a motley group of misfits.


    However, their morale was exceptionally high. Each of them was at least a true believer, with a significant number being devout believers. Stirred by the zealous Templar knights, their eyes were filled with fanaticism and determination.


    ¡°For the glory of our Lord!¡±


    ¡°The radiance of our Lord will once again envelop the land.¡±


    Amidst their roaring cries, the fanatical and ferocious aura surged like a sharp sword, piercing the sky.


    Even within the realm of the Divine Light, Wu Hui, who observed this scene through the Eye of God, couldn¡¯t help but be infected by their overwhelming momentum, feeling a palpitation in his soul, a tingling sensation of ¡°boiling blood.¡±


    These soldier believers had gradually infiltrated Gru town in various ways over the past week. Each day, they dispersed and hid among the homes of the believers in Gru town.


    To avoid detection by the town guards of Gru town, they could spend the entire day motionless, nestled in hidden places like woodsheds, under beds, or inside closets.


    Without the strong support of their unwavering faith, they would never be able to accomplish such a feat.


    And it was precisely because of this daily dedication to ¡°all for our Lord¡± that their faith underwent constant refinement and consolidation, gradually becoming purer and more fervent.


    During this process, some true believers gradually ascended to the status of devout believers.


    Although none of the devout believers had yet advanced to become Fanatic Believers, as their faith became increasingly pure and their considerations for the Divine Light God Wu Hui grew, they would step by step move towards higher levels of faith.


    Time and patience were both indispensable factors.


    As the night fell, they quietly emerged from the homes of dozens of believers in Gru town, dressed in rudimentary leather armor, wielding various weapons, converging stealthily in front of Gru town Castle.


    Hidden within the darkness, they silently accumulated their strength, patiently awaiting their opportunity.


    No one doubted the success of the actions of the Holy Maiden and the Templar Knight Landon.


    Under the ¡°watchful gaze¡± of the Divine God of Light, how could they possibly fail? This would be a battle that would undoubtedly be recorded in the annals of the Divine God of Light¡¯s history.


    Their sole thought was to valiantly slay the enemy and offer their loyalty and lives to the great Divine God of Light.


    And indeed, they were not disappointed.


    The drawbridge came crashing down.


    The hidden God of Light believers lurking in front of Gruberg Castle swarmed across the drawbridge, roaring ferociously as they charged into the gate passage. The sound of their battle cries shook the heavens, their momentum immensely grand.


    Wu Hui, overlooking this scene through the Eye of God, felt his heart surge even more.


    War, this was true war.


    In the past, when reading novels on Earth, he would often come across scenes depicting battles between hundreds of thousands of troops.


    But only when one found themselves on a real battlefield could they truly understand that the charge of two hundred soldiers already carried a tremendous force.


    Looking at the densely packed crowd, with the God of Light believers continuously emerging from the darkness, it was a sight to behold.


    ¡°The drawbridge has fallen! Enemy attack, enemy attack!¡±


    The archers on the arrow towers were also shocked by this sight. They desperately shouted while swiftly nocking their arrows.


    ¡°Swish, swish, swish!¡±


    Several arrows pierced through the ranks of the God of Light believers, splattering blood in their wake.


    The intense pain caused the believers to scream in agony, but not a single one of them fell. They continued to roar furiously as they pushed forward. They had only one thought: even if it meant death, they would break through the city gate before dying.


    Some of the believers dispersed to both sides after crossing the drawbridge, using bows and crossbows to counterattack the two arrow towers. They were either archers from the Third Patrol Unit or hunters among the believers skilled in hunting.


    There weren¡¯t many believers capable of long-range attacks, only about a dozen. Moreover, compared to the archers on the elevated arrow towers, they were in a highly disadvantageous position.


    Nevertheless, they managed to slightly suppress the archers on the towers, preventing them from arrogantly shooting and reducing their shooting frequency.


    The long-range archers from both sides engaged in a duel in the darkness.


    Occasionally, a believer¡¯s arrows hit their mark, while others were struck directly in vital areas and fell to the ground. Despite their high morale, the casualty ratio reached a terrifying three to one.


    There was no way to bridge the gap between the elevated arrow towers and the professionalism of the enemy archers with mere high morale.


    Watching the believers fall to the ground, Wu Hui couldn¡¯t help but feel heartbroken. Each fallen believers was at least a true believer and mostly devout believers. Devout believers had purer and stronger faith, were fearless of death, and charged faster, displaying greater courage in combat.


    Naturally, they became the primary targets of the enemy archers¡¯ focus.


    The death of a devout believer was a tremendous loss for Wu Hui. However, he struggled and restrained himself from impulsively using healing magic from the divine realm.


    Firstly, Wu Hui was not in a state of ¡°conscious descent¡± but rather observing the live scene through the Eye of God. His soul and consciousness remained in the divine realm.


    If he were to cast a divine spell directly from the divine realm, it would consume a significant amount of divine power. With only one point of divine power, he could only cast a few spells.


    This was also the drawback of the Eye of God, a magic that conserves divine power.


    Currently, divine power was severely depleted, and every bit had to be carefully rationed. He couldn¡¯t afford to engage in activities with low cost-effectiveness.


    Secondly, believers were expanding territory and spreading the faith on his behalf, which inevitably involved wars and sacrifices. If he personally intervened in every battle, not only would it diminish his image, but the believers would become overly reliant on him.


    A military force could not become truly powerful without experiencing the baptism of cruel warfare.


    Recruiting believers and expanding the army served the purpose of serving him as the God of Light, not him serving as a nanny or bodyguard for the believers. Over time, his divine blessings and favor would become less valuable.


    Thirdly, Wu Hui had other considerations and contemplations regarding the sacrifices of devout believers.


    Therefore, Wu Hui desperately admonished himself to endure the heartache. He had made up his mind that unless it was a matter of life and death, he would not intervene arbitrarily, no matter how significant the casualties.


    Wu Hui refrained from taking action, but it didn¡¯t mean that other believers didn¡¯t act.


    Two apprentice priests, Susan and Harry, each led two or three well-trained and skilled apprentices to provide battlefield rescue.


    The apprentices used sharp knives to cut open wounds and extract arrows from the wounded. This method of treatment was crude and brutal, but under normal circumstances, those wounded soldiers would not only die from bleeding but also from wound infections.


    But let¡¯s not forget.


    This is a world with gods.

 CH 29

    Although Susan and Harry were only level 1 professionals, they had gained a deep understanding of divine magic through their training and practice. They had become proficient in wielding their divine powers.


    ¡°Oh, great God of Light, grant me your divine power to heal your people,¡± Susan fervently prayed, reciting sacred incantations while her hands emitted a radiant holy glow. The light touched the wounds, miraculously halting the bleeding and slowly initiating visible healing.


    The young apprentices, after a period of training, swiftly bandaged the wounds with linen cloth, preventing them from tearing further. Their methods were rough but effective.


    The healed believer, his pale face regaining some color, expressed his fervent gratitude, ¡°Thank you, great God of Light. Thank you, Priestess Susan.¡± It was certain that his faith had been elevated even higher.


    However, this believer was already at the level of devout believer, with a profound degree of faith. Nevertheless, advancing to become a fanatical believer was still no easy task.


    This served to highlight the preciousness of each and every fanatical believer.


    Witnessing this scene, Wu Hui couldn¡¯t help but feel moved. Having capable subordinates was truly advantageous; he didn¡¯t have to personally intervene in every situation as the God of Light.


    Compared to the previous year, spent wandering through the dilapidated Divine Realm with no one to communicate with, this was a significant improvement.


    Wu Hui felt his divine essence brimming with immense passion, finally experiencing a faint sense of what it meant to be a god.


    With Susan and Harry providing healing support, believers who might have died from their injuries were given a chance at survival. Even those with minor wounds joined the battle after receiving some treatment.


    It was evident how crucial a role a priest/priestess played on the battlefield.


    The only regret was that Susan and Harry, being level 1 apprentice priestess /priest, had limited holy power. After using their healing spells a few times, they were exhausted and drenched in sweat.


    Meanwhile,


    Maxi, Paul, Ian, and the three other Templar Knights had already led their troops into the castle gate passage.


    The passage inside the castle was narrow and had always been a deadly meat grinder.


    The thick walls on both sides of the passage were filled with numerous small circular holes. Hidden chambers within the passage housed a group of soldiers who could thrust their long spears several meters through the holes with all their might.


    Any enemy attempting to breach the castle gate through the passage risked being stabbed like a hornet¡¯s nest.


    Fortunately, this attack on Gruberg Castle came unexpectedly, catching the castle garrison in a state of chaos without time to set up defenses.


    Inside the chambers of the passage, there were only a few soldiers on duty, their relaxed state even causing some of them to fall asleep.


    Startled awake by the thunderous sounds of the battle, they frantically raised their spears and launched an attack on the believers of the God of Light within the passage.


    ¡°Ah~ Ah~¡±


    Two believers of the God of Light were suddenly impaled by the spears, blood pouring out. However, driven by their sincere and devout faith, along with the fervent atmosphere, they tightly gripped the spears and forcefully twisted them downwards, wedging them in the holes to prevent the enemy from pulling out the spears.


    They shouted with a hoarse voice, ¡°For our Lord, brothers, charge!¡±


    ¡°Charge! Charge!¡±


    The Templar Knights took the lead, their bodies shining with the divine blessings, their eyes bloodshot from the sacrifices made by their comrades.


    They knew they had to break through the castle gate as quickly as possible. If the enemy recovered from their chaos, the battle would undoubtedly be lost.


    However, standing in their way was not only the heavy castle gate but also an ascending and descending iron bar grille. The iron grille had no lock and was made up of iron bars over an inch thick, weighing over a thousand kilograms. Its movement was controlled by a winch inside the castle.


    If they were 7th-level Holy-ranked powerhouses, they could easily cut through the iron bar grille with a single sword strike.


    But Maxi and the other Templar Knights were only 2nd-level, making it extremely difficult to forcefully break through the iron grille. However, no matter how difficult, they had to overcome it.


    ¡°Ram, ram with all your might!¡±


    The three Templar Knights led the way, using their own flesh and blood to forcefully ram into the iron bar grille.


    ¡°Clang!¡±


    The iron bar grille emitted a muffled sound, slightly shaking, as dust and small stones fell from the overhead groove.


    If they couldn¡¯t break through by ramming, then they would continue to ram.


    The believers were like angry bulls, relentlessly crashing into the iron bar grille. The tremendous reactionary force shook their bodies and nearly made them faint. But the iron bar grille made banging noises as the thick iron bars gradually deformed.


    This was an incredibly crazy sight. The individual strength of a single believers might be insignificant, but as more and more believers surged like a raging tide, their momentum became fierce and unstoppable.


    ¡°Clang!¡± ¡°Clang!¡± ¡°Clang!¡±


    Under the deafening roars, it felt as if a ferocious beast was pounding on the iron bar grille.


    Such madness even left Wu Hui, who was far away in the Kingdom of Light, feeling shocked. Believers with fanatical beliefs were truly terrifying beings. With the lead of zealous devotees, they were valiant and fearless, as if they could tear apart anything that dared to obstruct them.


    In just a matter of seconds, the iron bar grille was knocked out of its groove, tilting backward to reveal an opening.


    ¡°We did it!¡±


    ¡°Kill! Kill! Kill!¡±


    Amidst the exhilarating cheers, the bloodthirsty believers, with red eyes, poured furiously through the gap, charging towards the castle gate.


    Although the castle gate was made of sturdy wooden structure, even the iron bar grille couldn¡¯t stop the frenzy-driven believers. How long could a mere wooden gate hold them back?


    However, before the believers could reach the castle gate, a heavy creaking sound was heard, and astonishingly, the gate was opened from the inside.


    What greeted the eyes of the believers was the Temple Knight Landon. His linen clothing was soaked in blood, making it hard to distinguish if it was his own or the enemy¡¯s. Two corpses lay at his feet.


    It turned out that after Landon lowered the drawbridge, upon hearing the believers banging on the iron bar grille, he abandoned his original plan to attack the winch room and headed straight for the gate. Along the way, he had killed three people and coincidentally joined forces with the army of believers.


    ¡°It¡¯s Lord Landon, Lord Landon.¡±


    The multitude of believers erupted into a tsunami-like cheer. With the castle gate breached, Gruberg was within easy reach.


    Landon tugged at the corner of his mouth but didn¡¯t smile.


    He understood that this was only the beginning, far from the time to celebrate.


    From Landon¡¯s initial outburst to the breach of the castle gate, the entire process, when spoken of, seemed lengthy. However, in reality, it was only a matter of a few minutes.


    Gruberg¡¯s defenses were lax. Apart from a few soldiers on duty, most of them were sleeping in the barracks or drinking and reveling in small groups.


    As for some of the higher-ranking officers in the camp, they were mostly Baron Gandial¡¯s confidants, who had likely gathered on the top floor of the watchtower, preparing to indulge in night-long festivities with the ¡°bride.¡±


    Under these circumstances, Gruberg was suddenly attacked, and it would be strange if they could respond in time.


    As the castle gate was breached, Gruberg erupted into chaos.


    Countless soldiers woke up from their beds, hastily donning their leather armor and grabbing weapons. The soldiers who were on duty or drinking were also terrified, rushing toward the castle gate in a panic, attempting to halt the relentless advance of the army of believers.


    It was a scene of utter disorder.


    But Landon knew well that this chaos was only temporary. Once they regained their composure or the commanders in the castle reassumed their positions, not only would the advantage brought by the surprise attack disappear, but they might even be counterattacked.


    Moreover, the Holy Maiden was still inside.


    They had to seize the opportunity and transform the momentary advantage into a complete victory.


    A fanatical gleam flickered in Landon¡¯s eyes as he quickly bound his longsword to his hand with a strip of cloth. He turned around and charged back into the castle, shouting, ¡°Follow me and kill!¡±


    ¡°Kill! Kill! Kill!¡±


    The thunderous roar echoed like a tsunami through the gate as the believers, with unwavering morale, surged behind him into the castle. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they appeared possessed.


    Baptized in blood, these believers who were once ordinary people or common soldiers had completely transformed into frenzied warriors. Their mad onslaught was so terrifying that it sent shivers down one¡¯s spine.


    The soldiers inside the castle were caught off guard, with some of them having just gotten out of bed, not even having time to put on their armor or grab their weapons.


    Seeing the believers¡¯ ferocious momentum, the little courage they had vanished instantly.


    Even the battle-hardened elite soldiers, equipped and experienced, felt a bit apprehensive at the sight of this overwhelming force.


    In just one charge, the castle soldiers blocking the entrance were forcefully pushed aside by the frenzied army of believers, creating a breach.


    Moreover, this breach was widening rapidly in an unstoppable trend.

 CH 30

    ¡­


    ¡°Slaughter! Slaughter! Slaughter!¡±


    The sword carried by Landon was now dull and unusable. He tossed it aside and picked up a spear from the ground, continuing to charge forward without hesitation.


    His voice had already become hoarse amidst the frenzy of shouting, but he seemed oblivious to it. His eyes were bloodshot, consumed by madness. Under his stimulation, the fervent atmosphere continued to envelop the entire army of believers.


    One believer after another fell, but not a single person halted their steps.


    All the believers had forgotten about the danger, oblivious to life and death, only knowing to charge forward madly, relentlessly¡­


    In the chaos, these disorganized and unformed soldiers, without any commanding authority, were pushed back in defeat. Even with some elite soldiers attempting to maintain order and desperately organize resistance, their morale inevitably weakened, growing weaker and weaker.


    The balance of victory gradually tipped to one side.


    Watching this scene through the ¡®Eye of God¡¯ in the Divine Realm, Wu Hui couldn¡¯t help but be overwhelmed with excitement, his blood boiling.


    Although he held the esteemed position of the God of Light, this was his first time witnessing a real war from an actual perspective. The feeling was far more nerve-wracking than watching movies on Earth, multiplying the tension countless times over.


    Especially when he adjusted his perspective, placing himself on the battlefield, the nervousness, the thrill, the madness, it made his heart tremble in unison.


    Exhilarating!


    Truly exhilarating!


    Wu Hui¡¯s heart burned with passion, and the manly blood within him was fully awakened. He yearned to rush forward and fight alongside them, to experience the heat and heroism of the battlefield.


    Of course, amidst the excitement, he still retained some rationality. He couldn¡¯t actually charge in; it would be a waste of divine power.


    Meanwhile, inside Gruberg, the soldiers of Gruberg, seeing the inevitable outcome, finally succumbed to the mental pressure. Some turned and fled from the battlefield, while others simply dropped their weapons, crouched down, and surrendered.


    When one does it, others follow suit.


    Gradually, more and more soldiers surrendered, and more and more soldiers escaped from the battlefield. Only a few scattered resistances remained.


    At this point, the outcome of the battle was no longer a suspense.


    Before long, due to Catherine¡¯s control over Baron Gandial, the upper levels of the castle, who had been hesitant to make a move, were defeated under the siege from both inside and outside. They suffered heavy casualties from the fanatical army of believers. The few survivors were thrown into the dungeons to enjoy the ¡°wonderful¡± life of prisoners with Gandial.


    As for how the previously oppressed believers would treat them, that was a story for another time.


    By now, this easily defensible Gruberg had been completely conquered. The original banner belonging to Baron Gandial was lowered, replaced by the main banner representing the God of Light, with the small flag of the Light Saint by its side.


    Under the night sky, the white flag fluttered in the wind, emitting a faint golden glow amidst the darkness, as if heralding that the darkness had passed and the dawn was about to come.


    At this point, Wu Hui¡¯s heart, which had been leaping up and down incessantly, finally settled down and became at ease.


    If they couldn¡¯t capture Gruberg, the St. Lu¡¯an Monastery would have no buffer and would constantly be under the threat of enemy forces, like a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.


    But now, it was different.


    Gruberg would become a barrier in front of the monastery, and the geographical advantage that belonged to Gruberg now became their own advantage. Even if the regular army of Lu¡¯an City was powerful, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for them to take Gruberg as long as they didn¡¯t make any foolish mistakes.


    This place would become the foundation for their foothold in this world, as well as their confidence and capital to resist Lu¡¯an City.


    Moreover, there was another benefit to capturing Gruberg.


    Gruberg was the castle of Baron Gandial, so taking Gruberg was equivalent to taking control of this territory. From now on, the entire Grue region and its thousands of residents would become his possessions.


    These people were potential followers to him. As long as he developed them properly, the number of his followers would undoubtedly skyrocket.


    The future looked bright.


    Suddenly, Wu Hui felt like a window had been opened in his heart. His mood instantly became spacious and bright, and everything he saw appeared vivid and beautiful. Even the bloody scenes and scattered limbs on the battlefield couldn¡¯t affect his good mood.


    However, deep down, he was still a ¡°Five Goods¡± socialist youth who was born under the red flag and grew up in favorable circumstances. He was still quite unaccustomed to the bloody battlefield. Especially now, with the strong smell of iron and blood permeating the air, he almost felt nauseous when he came back to his senses.


    Better not torture his sense of taste~


    Wu Hui¡¯s vision decisively moved away from the area near the heavily contested city gate. Using the perspective of the God¡¯s Eye, he leisurely began to patrol his new territory, Gruberg.


    To be honest, in his previous life, Wu Hui had only seen European castles in movies and TV shows. In reality, he had never traveled abroad.


    Wu Hui inspected the area as he went along.


    This castle had been around for quite some time. The walls made of stone showed signs of weathering, revealing a sense of history. Nevertheless, the castle¡¯s walls remained incredibly sturdy, and all the watchtowers and lookout posts were well-preserved, exuding an aura of battle-tested reliability and safety.


    The only downside was probably the darkness and dampness inside the castle.


    Even if torches or candles were lit, the castle remained dim, with many corners shrouded in darkness. The stone walls were noticeably damp, and in some places, ferns and moss had even started to grow.


    However, since the castle was primarily a fortress of war, as long as it was secure, the lack of comfort was not a major issue. After a brief sigh of emotion, Wu Hui didn¡¯t pay it much attention and continued to explore enthusiastically.


    There were still many people inside the castle.


    When the castle gate was breached earlier, most of the soldiers rushed towards the entrance, but the powerless male and female servants were scared and hid themselves. Now, they were like trapped turtles, cowering in cabinets or trembling under the beds.


    As soon as the army of believers took control of the castle, a group of them entered and systematically searched room by room. They quickly discovered all the male and female servants, collectively cramming them into the dungeon.


    Wu Hui stood by and observed the whole process, finding it quite interesting.


    Although these servants were afraid, except for a few higher-ranking ones who showed despair, the majority of them remained surprisingly calm.


    Some even had a hint of joy on their faces, forming some kind of kinship with members of the army of believers.


    When the army of believers dealt with these servants, there was none of the hostility they had shown towards the castle soldiers. Though not pleased, their expressions were more relaxed.


    The most magical thing was that during this process, some of the servants spontaneously became his followers.


    Although they were only shallow believers, it still surprised him.


    Wu Hui eavesdropped on their conversations for a while before gradually understanding. It turned out that most of these male and female servants were actually commoners from the town of Gru. They simply worked in the castle, and their relationship with Gandial was only that of employment, not particularly close.


    In this way, it was understandable that some of the servants felt awe after witnessing the grandeur of the army of believers and became shallow believers.


    Those who showed expressions of despair were mostly servants who had served Gandial¡¯s family for generations.


    Soon, Gandial¡¯s personal steward was also dragged out by the believers.


    Landon personally interrogated him, quickly extracting the locations of all the storerooms in the castle. He also found a bunch of keys on the steward. Without a second thought, he took a group of people and began to inventory the storerooms.


    There were quite a few places in the castle where things were stored, but only three could be considered storerooms: the cellar for food storage, the armory for weapons and equipment, and Gandial¡¯s personal treasure vault.


    Landon directly appointed three individuals in charge, dividing the teams to inventory the supplies. He himself went to Gandial¡¯s personal treasure vault.


    Wu Hui was also very interested in Gandial¡¯s personal treasure vault and controlled the Eye of God¡¯s perspective to follow along.


    After a war, looting wealth and treasures was one of Wu Hui¡¯s favorite things.


    Back on Earth, when playing games, Wu Hui loved the part where he could obtain equipment and loot wealth.