From the end of the world

Chapter 661 Zhuangcheng's Believers
Upon seeing Jiao Shu suddenly speak, Dong Che glanced at her.

“You don’t look like a prisoner right now,” I said.

Xiao Qiao, unaware of Jiao Shu's identity, glanced at him in surprise and murmured, "A prisoner?"

After carefully considering his words, Jiao Shu said, "Now I can't even control my own life and death, but I am still a devout believer in Xuanming, and in a sense, I represent Xuanming's face here. Even if the person in question is you... no, it is precisely because the person in question is you that I must adhere to my true nature even more."

“You don’t need to be so nervous. I won’t do anything to you just because you said a few words. But since you’re going to talk, then keep going. Why is it impossible?” I asked.

“Generally speaking, the ritual for summoning the power of the Great Impermanence is not about how elaborate the ritual is arranged by the believer,” Jiao Shu said. “Compared to the power of the Great Impermanence itself, no matter how elaborate the believer’s ritual is, it has its limits. The key is whether the Great Impermanence itself is willing to descend its power.”

"But the situation now is completely different. As the Great Impermanence, you want to bring more power to this land, but you cannot do so due to the resistance of the city's barrier. In this case, it is no longer about the Great Impermanence's own intentions, but about whether the believers can establish a deep enough connection with you and whether they are ready to be the medium to receive all your power."

"Although we, who have been inside the barrier from the beginning, are not affected by the resistance, the things we can do are very limited. And even if all the Zhuangcheng believers, who number at most a dozen, are focused on prayer, the descent channel they can establish is not enough to bear the immense power of the Great Impermanence, which is as vast as the ocean."

"In fact, the simplified spirit-summoning ritual used by Dongche was already very powerful in terms of effect, because he used the legendary Slag Impermanence Sword, which is the real key. Even if the ritual is enhanced in other aspects, the effect will not be improved by much."

"To put it extremely, even if the effect of the spirit summoning ritual could be enhanced a hundredfold, so what? The power you have been summoned to this land is far less than one ten-thousandth of your original strength, let alone one hundred-thousandth. Even if you were to recover to one-thousandth of your original strength, it would still be far from enough compared to what you want to achieve."

After hearing these words, Dongche, though seemingly unwilling, could only nod in agreement: "...She's right, I can't do it."

“You should know very well that my goal is to kill Xuanming,” I said to Jiao Shu. “You’re here analyzing these things for me, and although you’re coming to a negative conclusion, your analytical process should be correct. Isn’t that aiding the enemy?”

Jiao Shu paused for a moment before replying, "Xuan Ming also hopes to settle the score with you. Only by achieving this can we cross the barrier in the city center, something he also acknowledges."

"At this stage, helping you recover your full strength here is in the best interests of both sides. I believe Xuanming will ultimately prevail, so what's wrong with temporarily aiding the enemy here?"

After witnessing my conversation with Xuanming, she was still emotionally distraught. But now she seems to have finally sorted out her thoughts and is able to examine the relationship between me and Xuanming with a mature and calm attitude.

“There must be a way…” Dongche pondered deeply. “We should have the means to restore Senior Zhuang Cheng to full power. We must figure it out…”

"What's your basis?" Jiao Shu asked.

After shaking his head, Dongche said, "...No. If I had to say, it's intuition. I feel that the answer definitely exists, and all the conditions are right in front of us. It's just that we're bound by stereotypes and can't discover it for the time being. We need to change our perspective..."

I have a similar feeling. The opportunity to regain all my strength must lie here; this premonition has not left my heart until now.

Jiao Shu also showed an expression of concern.

“A disciple of the Divination Master… I heard that although you don’t specialize in divination, you have a very strong sense of perception and are able to grasp the key to various things…” She observed Dongche meticulously.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Dongche snapped out of his reverie, first reflexively saying "Come in," before realizing he was still there. He seemed to feel like he was overstepping his bounds.

Then, a dozen or so people swarmed into the room. They were dressed in mismatched clothes, and their genders and ages were inconsistent, yet they shared a common characteristic. I could tell that these were my followers.

Their eyes all turned to me.

The leader was a rather young-looking man who stared at me with a bold and fearless gaze before slowly asking, "Excuse me, could you perhaps be—"

Meanwhile, he was still glancing at Dongche out of the corner of his eye, while the latter, on my behalf, introduced him in a serious tone: "You have no misunderstanding, this is our deity—Zhuang Cheng."

The believers became restless, exchanging bewildered glances. Then, the leading male believer took the lead in prostrating himself in worship. The other believers followed suit, one after another making similar gestures.

Dongche and Jiaoshu watched this scene without changing their expressions, while Xiao Qiao, the junior who was with me, was at a loss, as if she didn't know whether she should join them.

Being worshipped is a novel experience. Back at the Luoshan headquarters, I'd seen believers gather in temples dedicated to me, making gestures of worship before my symbolic totem, and it always felt strange. But that was a distance, after all. Now, people are worshipping me in person, and that unsettling feeling resurfaces.

More than pride and arrogance, I felt awkward. It was like performing a play in a bustling city, always feeling out of place. Watching people dressed in all sorts of modern clothes worship me, this deity, only amplified the sense of absurdity. I've never been able to understand the mindset of those who worship deities, much less perform such acts, yet now I'm the one receiving their worship as a deity—it's truly bizarre.

I even considered stopping their worship, but I'm well aware of my current position. Acting in a way that contradicts this position would not only confuse those around me but also hinder Lu Chan and Elder Zhu's work. While I don't truly intend to be bound by such rigid formalities, I might as well take some time to adapt. If I find myself unable to adapt later, I can always change my mind.

After they finished their worship, I said, "So, is there something you need?"

The leading male believer seemed to realize my disregard for formalities, and his tone became more casual, "We just want to pay our respects to the gods, we haven't thought much about the specifics..."

At the same time, he carefully observed my face, as if trying to explore my inner world; his gaze could even be described as somewhat aggressive.

"Then let me rephrase the question. What is your purpose in appearing in this city?" I asked. "I saw the report from Lu Chan. You reported to him before taking action, and he ordered you not to act rashly, yet you still entered this city recklessly..."

"At the same time, I've also heard that you seem to have come here for some unknown purpose... What exactly is that purpose? Would you mind telling me?"

“This…” The leader of the believers paused.

I was somewhat surprised that he didn't answer me immediately. My question had the power of words, and he shouldn't have been able to disobey it.

In reality, I didn't intentionally use the power of words; this power arose naturally. This is something I only realized after actually speaking with my followers. It seems my followers have a natural tendency to obey me, not just because they believe in me, but also because my attitude possesses a natural, mystical power.

I feel that as long as I say something casually, even believers who are not usually particularly devoted to me will become very willing to do anything for me.

When I talk to other people, I have to consciously use the power of words in order to produce the effect of words; but when I talk to believers, unless I consciously prevent this effect from occurring, any words I say will have the power of spiritual words by default.

It's even possible that the effect won't even be spoken aloud; simply thinking about it in one's mind can produce the desired result. For example, if I particularly dislike someone, a believer might spontaneously feel aversion upon seeing that person. The higher the level of faith, the more likely this is to happen. While believers may invoke divine power through their faith, they also seem to be strongly influenced by the will of the deity, potentially even affecting their personality.

I occasionally sense a similar set of values ​​to Xuanming's from Jiao Shu, perhaps because Jiao Shu has been influenced by that aspect. Dong Che doesn't seem to be exhibiting that phenomenon yet; his ability to summon my power isn't solely due to the strength of his faith, but also to his powerful personal talent.

Although the leader of the believers seemed to lack reverence in his eyes, I could sense a kind of piety in his soul.

In terms of sheer faith, he is probably the most devoted believer of me in this room.

"Is it inconvenient for you to answer?" I asked.

The leader of the believers shook his head: "It's not that it's inconvenient, it's just that I don't know how to explain it to you."

“Let me explain,” Dongche said. “Their goal was actually achieved the moment they entered the city.”

"You said 'them'?" I asked curiously. "Aren't you included in that?"

"I just followed them in, but I never expected things to turn out like this," Dongche said helplessly. "As for their specific goal... it's just that they want to imitate you."

(End of this chapter)