Before long, the blacksmith's wife returned.
Covered in wounds.
The power of the Tower of Destiny was far stronger than she had imagined.
"I'm sorry, Master. My strength is not enough to get in there."
"It's fine. I'll just go myself in person. You can guard this place with the two priests. Recently, I have to go train."
"Yes."
The two priests she referred to—
Naturally, they were former sages.
Moreover, a shocking announcement had been made within the faith.
Select a character. Choose an appearance. And a pure, female candidate—to become a goddess.
What was a goddess?
It was a woman who served the gods.
She could truly meet the Eternal God, remain by his side always, and gain the privilege of transcending this game's world entirely.
Such benefits—
Countless young women yearned for them.
Now that the Eternal Faith was so powerful—how noble must the true god be?
Everyone wanted to see.
Including Ye Laoxie's elder sister, Liu Qiyue, felt the same.
As a noble lady of the capital—she, too, had to contribute to her family.
After the family discovered that the Chief Priest of the faith was Qiyue's sworn brother, they began putting pressure on her immediately.
Qiyue had no choice but to call and ask for help.
Just before Ye Laoxie went out—
Qiyue came to him, wanting to ask about the specific situation.
"So... younger brother, is God truly that powerful?"
The charming woman still held a glimmer of hope in her heart. She did not want to become a victim sacrificed by her family.
But when she heard Ye Laoxie sigh, he said: "God—it is an extraordinarily great existence. He controls several planes. Sister, do you understand what 'planes' means?"
The beautiful noblewoman naturally did not.
So she shook her head lightly.
The hairpin atop her head trembled slightly with the motion.
"For an analogy—ten times the solar system counts as a single plane... and the gods control this plane. And this is only the most insignificant portion of his power.
Since you are a child of a great family, you must know something about this world.
Let me put it this way: if you become a god within this world, you can also become a god in reality.
But in the eyes of my god, deities of this level are nothing more than backwater bumpkins—that is, native gods—who possess some power, but nothing more."
Ye Laoxie's words made Liu Qiyue shudder.
At the same time, they dispelled her intention to negotiate for peace.
Since God was truly this powerful, there was actually nothing wrong with being His maid.
Besides—wasn't the younger brother standing before her also in need of sacrifices?
"Sister, you shouldn't..."
Ye Laoxie reacted quickly, looking at his explosive elder sister in utter disbelief. His pupils dilated continuously.
He saw Liu Qiyue tuck a lock of hair behind her ear and whisper softly: "Sister is willing to become a goddess. No one is forcing me..."
"Ding... Congratulations! You have obtained the first prepared goddess candidate. Reward: Overlord's Haki..."
"Ding... The mission has been refreshed."
Ye Laoxie was dumbfounded. He had not expected that his sworn sister would be the one to complete the goddess mission.
And she met the standards perfectly.
Liu Qiyue smiled. Only she knew the loneliness hidden in her eyes. But after having been so carefree for so long, she had to pay the price eventually.
Besides—her brother had already said it.
The gods were very kind. And gentle.
That was enough.
Ye Laoxie wanted to say something. But the Fengling Moon Shadow system had already locked in the confirmation. There was nothing he could say now that would change anything.
Unless he chose not to sacrifice her.
Then he saw the punishment that awaited him.
Guoguo would disappear.
How could he give up this little cutie who held clues to his previous life?
Moreover—people had their own happiness to pursue.
They were only sworn siblings.
After Ye Laoxie thought this through, he explained some of the deeper mysteries of the faith to Liu Qiyue.
Among them was the terrifying divine cultivation method.
"Eternal Meditation is actually the foundational cultivation method of our gods. It can be considered an introductory technique. But under the influence of the gods, it can absorb the energy of this world and transform it for one's own use—that is, by killing monsters!"
As a noblewoman of a great Chinese family, Liu Qiyue had contact with the government as well.
She could not help but exclaim when she heard this. Because what Ye Laoxie was saying meant—
Even the Divine Law could be practiced in reality!
That was terrifying enough.
If everyone practiced this kind of method—China's rise would be just around the corner!
The news was explosive enough.
But according to Ye Laoxie's meaning, the faith was going to spread across the entire world.
"Brother, I don't know if the faith can reject foreigners. Right now, many people want to sneak across the border and join our faith..."
"Sister, God loves all living beings and the world. All those who wish to join the faith of God are God's people..."
"But what about those enemies who have been hostile to us for so many years!"
Liu Qiyue did not want to let go of the people from Dongying and the people from the Lighthouse Country.
Ye Laoxie smiled and said: "Those who wish to join are civilians. It's impossible for those high-ranking officials to join."
"Ha... So that's how it is. Then I'm relieved."
Liu Qiyue followed suit and laughed.
That was right.
To revitalize China—even if they were all followers of God—the Chinese would still be the superior existence!
Within the Journey to the West world.
Tang Sanzang and his disciples finally arrived at the Wuzhuang Temple.
And Yang Jian had naturally calculated this point. So he had come here early to rest.
Therefore, Tang Sanzang—who had long wanted to meet Erlang Shen—finally laid eyes on his Master Priest.
"We greet the Master Priest!"
Tang Sanzang and his disciples saluted one after another, their expressions extremely pious.
By now, his Dao Fruit had been restored. His strength was incomparable. Since awakening, he had eliminated thousands of demons along the way.
Yang Jian waved his hand and smiled at the master and disciples: "Come now, don't be so rigid..."
"Hey, I just said that Second Brother is so cool. But the master has too much work to do."
"Brother Monkey is right."
Zhu Bajie now adhered to a single belief.
Brother Monkey was right about everything.
Tell me to fight, I'll fight.
He seemed like an echo chamber—but in truth, the current Zhu Bajie was far stronger than the former Marshal Canopy ever was. The water system magic in his body was sharper even than the Little White Dragon's.
Zhen Yuanzi looked at Tang Sanzang and could not help but sigh: "The Daoist friend has not been deceived by demons. It truly makes me feel gratified. Come inside, please..."
After everyone was seated—
Yang Jian looked at the golden hoop atop the monk's head and frowned: "Didn't I remove it for the monkey before? Why are you wearing it now?"
Tang Sanzang was taken aback, then said with melancholy: "The Demon Buddha Tathagata used the method of planting demons to catalyze all the Buddhas into monsters. I was controlled. Fortunately, Wukong had the means to recover me. This golden hoop will be worn temporarily."
He remembered the scene where thousands of female monkeys had attacked him. Even now he still felt lingering dread.
Obviously this topic was taboo for Tang Sanzang.
Zhen Yuanzi's eyes lit up when he heard this. He asked: "Is it truly that powerful? Can you show it to me?"
Tang Sanzang and his disciples all wore strange expressions.
Was there truly someone rushing to try this kind of thing?
"Why can't I try it?"
"You can, but I'm afraid you won't be able to hold on..."
Tang Sanzang reminded him, then placed the golden hoop on the table.
Zhen Yuanzi curled his lips. He didn't believe Tang Sanzang's words at all.
He picked up the golden hoop and examined it. Feeling it was no big deal, he placed it atop his own head out of curiosity.
The Drifting Monk smiled and said: "Big Brother, how long can he hold on?"
"Hard to say. This bull-nosed Daoist is very powerful. But seeing as he hasn't practiced the divine technique, he'll probably only last a few breaths..."
Sun Wukong smiled wickedly.
It seemed his proud creation would be experienced by another.
That kind of pleasure was exciting just to think about.
Here, something should be said.
Although the material of the golden hoop was special, Tang Sanzang and the others had seen its effectiveness tested along the way on countless demonized monks.
As a result, items like the golden hoop had been mass-produced.
They were used on demonized monks who wished to return to normal.
Unexpectedly, the effect was outstanding.
Zhu Bajie's craftsmanship for making golden hoops was exceptionally fast. Basically, as long as there were materials, he could produce five hundred pieces a day.
And he had also participated in the formation setup.
A group of sows was arranged inside—and they were terrible, black-skinned thieves at that!
So far, no one had been able to resist for longer than the time it took a stick of incense to burn under the power of the golden hoop.
This showed the true power of the golden hoop.
Although Zhen Yuanzi was disdainful in his heart, he didn't want to lose face. He released a heart-protecting spell for himself and lowered the golden hoop onto his head.
As a result, in the next moment—
Darkness fell before his eyes.
His entire being appeared in a bright space.
A group of female monkeys, female orangutans, and female pigs rushed toward him.
"No... don't come here!"
Zhen Yuanzi collapsed.
After a while, the veteran finally woke. He was drenched with sweat as though he had just stepped out of a shower.
His complexion had been ruddy.
Now it was deathly pale.
It was hard to imagine what terrible things he had experienced.
Sun Wukong saw him in this state and offered him a cup of hot tea.
"Daoist, is this golden hoop powerful?"
"It... it's incredibly powerful... it's terrifying!"
Thinking of the scene where his soul had nearly fallen, Zhen Yuanzi wanted to vomit.
This was far too frightening.
Who had designed this terrible thing? It was truly wicked.
No wonder it could turn demonized monks back to normal.
It really was horrifying.
Zhen Yuanzi threw the golden hoop back to Tang Sanzang, closing his eyes to calm his trembling mind.
And Yang Jian said to Sun Wukong and the others: "I am here waiting for you this time for one thing only. Simply putting out fires is not useful. We must eliminate the source."
"Second Brother means—we need to challenge the Demon Buddha?"
"Correct. But not now."
Heaven had been swallowed.
This allowed Yang Jian to develop the faith and constantly weaken the opponent's strength.
Therefore, relying on the power of the monkeys was very necessary.
"Dongsheng Shenzhou naturally has agents in the heavens. Beiju Luzhou is the land of monsters. I want Wukong to go there. And Dapeng Bird will accompany you."
Among the Four Great Continents—
Xiniu Hezhou was the most chaotic place. Yang Jian himself was enough to suppress it. But if he came here, the other regions could not be managed.
The people of heaven were against him.
Not many major figures had joined the faith.
Even though the Jade Emperor had taken the lead in persuading them, it had had little effect.
One could not force others to join.