【One of your Devout Believers has sublimated their faith, transforming into a Fanatic Saint.】
The sincerity of a cunning person is indeed rare and precious. As Ku Chan bared his loyalty, he also exposed his vulnerability.
Chen Zhou calmly continued to handle each prayer, but his mind drifted to another matter.
He suddenly realized that, without knowing it, he had become the hope of many people.
Many, many people had placed something upon Chen Zhou.
A bit of hope, a bit of trust, a bit of devotion, and a bit of the reassuring feeling that "as long as that Lord is here, life doesn't seem so hard."
These fragments piled up on his shoulders—not exactly heavy, but not light either.
Chen Zhou didn't feel any pressure.
He simply felt that since these people had placed their trust in him, he had to live up to those entrustments.
The light orbs flowed slowly before the three of them as one prayer after another was opened, responded to, and lit up.
Those prayers from ancient times, scattered across the human world and sealed away, were like countless faint sparks.
And what Chen Zhou was doing now, tens of thousands of years later, was making these sparks—which might have long ceased to exist—light up one by one.
By the time the second incense stick burned out, all one thousand prayers had been responded to.
Total divine power consumption: 47.21 units.
The millions of light orbs in the void slowly dissipated, and the hall returned to its original appearance.
The four walls returned, the dome reappeared, and the Zhaoye Ghost Emperor remained seated on the high platform, the golden dragon patterns on his imperial robes shimmering in the lamplight.
Chen Zhou stood in place, the faint light left behind by the dissipating orbs still lingering around him.
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor opened his eyes, glanced at Chen Zhou, and then looked at the third incense stick nearby that had not yet finished burning.
“You came out so quickly?”
Chen Zhou nodded. “Yes.”
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor then sighed. “It is fine if you failed; there is no need to be discouraged.”
“You have only just arrived at the Siming stage, and it looks like you used a divine technique to temporarily boost yourself. As a reserve for a newborn god, handling the heart-intents of a million believers is inherently not an easy task.”
“Heart-intents are like a sea, and prayers are like a tide. One must select accurately from within them and respond reasonably, balancing fairness while considering the long term.”
“The sense of proportion required for this is something even those old fellows who have stepped into the Truth-Usurping, Void-Returning, or even Non-Existence stages might not necessarily grasp well.”
“It is only normal that you found it beyond your strength in your first attempt.”
“Do not lose heart. Go back and settle your mind properly, and come back another time.”
Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow.
“No.”
“They are all finished.”
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor was about to continue his comfort, but his words caught in his throat.
“Hm?”
“They are all finished,” Chen Zhou repeated. “One thousand prayers, all responded to.”
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor stared at Chen Zhou for several breaths.
Then he raised his right hand and extended a finger from his sleeve, tapping lightly in the void.
A screen of light unfolded before Chen Zhou, recording the entire process of the trial just now.
Every selected prayer, every method of response, and every wisp of divine power consumed was recorded clearly.
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor’s gaze swept across the screen, and as he looked, his expression grew increasingly solemn.
One thousand prayers were all responded to, with not a single failure.
The total divine power consumption was approximately forty-seven units.
On average, each prayer consumed less than 0.05 units of divine power.
Furthermore, the devotion of the believers who received responses had generally increased by at least one level, and a few who were originally just Shallow Believers had leaped directly to becoming Devout Believers.
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor fell silent. The only sound in the hall was the faint flickering of the lamps.
He raised his head and re-evaluated Chen Zhou. This young evil spirit at the eighth-stage had a steady aura, though the fluctuations of power from his temporary breakthrough had not yet been fully restrained.
No matter how he looked at it, this was just a new god who had only just touched the threshold of the Siming stage. How on earth did he do it?
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor was completely baffled. “I have presided over the Zhaoye Ghost Emperor Mansion for tens of thousands of years and have seen countless god reserves.”
“There are those with extraordinary talent who become gods in ten years and reach the Siming stage in a hundred.”
“There are those with deep foundations who come from the divine race and are born with a godhead.”
“There are those with ruthless methods who slaughter cities and nations to prove their dao through killing.”
“But someone like you... I am seeing it for the first time.”
Chen Zhou smiled and said truthfully, “Actually, it wasn't me.”
“I have a believer who is quite proficient in this path. I simply handed the trial to him and trusted his judgment.”
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor was slightly stunned. “You trust him that much?”
Chen Zhou countered, “Why wouldn't I?”
“They entrust their lives, souls, and faith to me. If I cannot even give them this much trust, how can I be their god?”
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor pondered, then sighed again. “The Northern Great Emperor often said that the divine path originates from the way of humanity. If a god does not trust humans, how can humans trust the god?”
“If a god suspects humans, humans will surely suspect the god. With all this suspicion, a god is no longer a god, and a human is no longer a human.”
“When I heard those words back then, I only thought they were principles, scriptures, and the decorum a god should have.”
“I have lived for an eon and have seen countless gods.”
“Young gods, I have seen; talented ones, I have seen; those with fortune, schemes, tactics, or ambition—I have seen them all.”
“But I have never seen a junior who speaks of the word 'trust' so nonchalantly, as if it were a matter of course.”
“If the Northern Great Emperor were still here and saw you today, he would likely be very gratified.”
“The divine path he believed in has finally been picked up by someone else after him.”
“Today, I have been taught by a junior.”
He slightly raised his hand and cupped his fists toward Chen Zhou.
“Chen Zhou, may I ask you a question?”
Chen Zhou straightened his posture. “Please speak.”
“You carry the aura of reincarnation and the authority of the Yin-Yang Decree. Have you ever presided over reincarnation?”
Chen Zhou thought for a moment and nodded. “I have presided over a part of it, but it is incomplete.”
He did indeed have the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm, which could guide special souls to reincarnate. However, this guidance was not under his subjective control; the Life-Death Realm had its own ideas.
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor asked again.
“You built a City of the Wrongfully Dead?”
“Yes.”
“To shelter souls that heaven and earth will not accept, and to transcend ghosts beyond redemption?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
This question made Chen Zhou pause for a moment. When he built the City of the Wrongfully Dead, he hadn't actually thought that much about it.
At that time, he had just recruited tens of thousands of refugees from White Jade City and needed a city to house them. He couldn't let the people following him sleep in the open forever. The name "Wrongfully Dead" was also chosen on a whim.
Those whom heaven and earth do not accept, I shall accept.
Those beyond redemption, I shall transcend.
It sounded very impressive, so he used it.
But later, as the City of the Wrongfully Dead grew larger and the number of sheltered commoners, demons, and ghosts increased, the nature of the city changed unknowingly.
Those who should have died unjustly in a chaotic world, the ghosts whose souls had nowhere to go after being devoured by demons, and the remnant souls that had struggled for a thousand years in the miasma of Tianchi Province.
They were guided by Jian Huaishuang’s paper people technique or actively drawn by the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm to the City of the Wrongfully Dead.
Regardless of where they came from, as long as they entered the City of the Wrongfully Dead, Chen Zhou gave them a path to walk.
Chen Zhou truly didn't think of himself as some great philanthropist.
He didn't do these things out of a compassionate heart.
He simply felt that since these beings believed in him, made offerings to him, and provided him with Evil God Points, he had an obligation to give them a place to stay.
It could be considered a trade, but it was also more than just a trade.
Chen Zhou thought for a moment and answered the Zhaoye Ghost Emperor’s question.
“Because I need faith, and they need a place to stay.”
“So it is a fair trade, and neither side owes the other.”
After listening, the Zhaoye Ghost Emperor suddenly laughed—a low laugh filled with deep meaning.
“No wonder you could complete my trial in less than two incense sticks' time. No wonder you could accurately pick the most suitable ones to respond to among millions of prayers.”
“Chen Zhou.”
“I wish to measure your merit and faith.”
“Rest assured, you have already passed the trial. This act of mine is purely out of curiosity.”
“Curious as to how much a newborn god like you actually carries.”
Chen Zhou thought for a moment and said, “Very well.”
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor raised his right hand and drew a line in the void with his finger.
In the center of the hall, the air vibrated violently, and a massive scale slowly emerged from the void.
The scale was pitch black, made of a material that was neither metal nor wood. The crossbeam was ten zhang long, with a large scale pan hanging from each end.
The scale pans were also black, their edges carved with intricate patterns. Upon closer inspection, they were countless kneeling figures, layered and endless.
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor’s voice rang out.
“This is the Zhaoye Scale.”
“The left pan measures merit, and the right pan measures faith.”
“You only need to place your hand on the base of the scale, and it will measure them automatically.”
Chen Zhou stepped toward the base of the scale.
The base was a square black stone slab, its surface as smooth as a mirror, reflecting one's image.
He reached out his right hand and pressed it against the stone surface; a cold sensation traveled from his palm.
Then, a sudden change occurred.
A golden light suddenly erupted from the left pan.
Golden merit was drawn out from within Chen Zhou’s body, strand by strand, like silk woven from gold, slowly drifting toward the left scale pan.
Since Chen Zhou arrived in this world, he had slain snake demons, protected refugees, built the City of the Wrongfully Dead, stabilized the four regions of Gloomlight Province, incorporated Tianchi Province, and taken over Cangzhou...
Every single deed transformed into a wisp of golden light of merit.
The moment the golden light landed on the scale pan, it sank abruptly.
The crossbeam of the scale gave a faint creak.
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor sat on the high platform, his expression calm.
A one-zhang golden wheel was the entry trial; since this young man could enter the door, his merit would naturally not be small.
He estimated it should be around three to five zhang.
After all, he had only just become a god; how much merit could he have?
The speed at which the left pan sank began to accelerate. The golden light of merit accumulated more and more on the pan, turning from a thin layer into a thick stack, and then into a small mountain.
Three inches... five inches... one foot...
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor nodded slightly. One foot—not bad.
...Three feet... five feet... eight feet... one zhang...
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor sat up straight.
One zhang of merit—this was already the standard for his entry trial.
But the left pan was still sinking, and the golden light of merit was still pouring out frantically. The small mountain formed by the golden light grew higher and heavier.
Two zhang... three zhang...
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor’s expression began to change. Three zhang of merit was no longer something a newly formed god could achieve; even many gods of many years might not necessarily have three zhang of merit.
But the left pan was still sinking, and there was no sign of the golden light of merit stopping.
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor couldn't help but speak. “What exactly have you done to have three zhang of merit?”
Chen Zhou did not answer. He kept his eyes closed, his hand pressed against the base, his face calm.
The golden light of merit continued to pour out, illuminating the entire hall with its brilliance.
The golden light spread out from the scale, lighting up the dome, the walls, and the Zhaoye Ghost Emperor’s blurred face.
Four zhang... five zhang...
Five zhang of merit. According to common sense, this was not merit a newborn god should possess.
This was... this was...
Zhaoye looked at the images within the golden light of merit. “Slaying a Judge, taking Gloomlight, stabilizing Tianchi, protecting billions of lives... so you have done so much.”
He murmured to himself, “But even so, it shouldn't be this much.”
“Five zhang of merit... even after doing all that, it shouldn't reach five zhang.”
He stared at the golden mountain of merit that was still rising, and suddenly he seemed to see something within it, his pupils shrinking.
“Hiss—”
“This is...”
“Is that the merit of saving the world?”
The golden light of merit continued to climb, finally stopping at a height of seven zhang.
That golden mountain, seven zhang high, shone with ten thousand rays of light, making the entire hall as bright as day.
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor stared blankly at the golden mountain, unable to speak for a long while.
The hall was so quiet that only the faint groaning of the scale’s crossbeam could be heard.
Finally, he took a deep breath and was about to speak.
Then he saw the right pan.
Changes also began to appear on the right pan.
Strands of grayish-white mist poured out from Chen Zhou’s body, drifting toward the scale pan on the right.
It was Evil God Points, and also the power of faith.
As the mist landed on the pan, it began to sink.
Initially, it sank very slowly, much slower than the left pan.
One inch... three inches... five inches...
But as more mist accumulated, the speed at which the right pan sank also began to accelerate.
The mist condensed on the right pan, no longer in a loose gaseous state but gradually solidifying into a grayish-white light-orb.
Inside the light-orb, countless tiny light-points flowed. Every light-point was the prayer of a believer.
Some prayed for safety, some for a good harvest, some for protection, and some for power.
Millions of voices converged, turning into this light of faith.
The right pan sank faster and faster, actually beginning to catch up with the left pan.
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor had just been shocked into silence by the golden mountain of merit, and in the blink of an eye, he was shaken by the growth rate of the light-orb of faith.
Three feet... four feet... five feet...
The light-orb of faith expanded to five feet in diameter. The number of light-points flowing inside was too many to count, like a miniature star-river.
Six feet... seven feet.
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor could no longer remain seated. “Merit like a mountain, faith like a sea... how long has it been since you became a god?”
“How can there be so many devout believers?”
He suddenly turned to look at Chen Zhou, his gaze burning.
“Exactly how many believers do you have?”
Chen Zhou opened his eyes and glanced at the system panel.
“In total... about seventy million.”
The Zhaoye Ghost Emperor’s body swayed.
Seventy million believers. This number had already surpassed many established gods.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, and asked again, “And Devout Believers?”
Chen Zhou looked at the system panel again.
“Devout Believers and above... about a million or so.”
Over a million Devout Believers.
This proportion and this absolute quantity were enough to make countless gods go mad with envy.
General Believers were just the type of followers who would "pray once to see," but Devout Believers were those who truly entrusted their bodies, minds, and souls to the god. Their faith was pure and firm, and it would not be shaken by any outside influence.
Every Devout Believer was the foundation of a god.
To have over a million Devout Believers among seventy million general believers; the proportion was already frighteningly high.
Rate on N.U.
