Seeing Jiaoshu suddenly speak, Dong Che glanced at her.

"You don't look like a prisoner now," I said.

Xiaoqiao, unaware of Jiaoshu's identity, looked at Jiaoshu unexpectedly and said in surprise, "Prisoner?"

After pondering her words, Jiaoshu said, "I cannot control even my life or death now, but I am still a devout believer in Xuanming, representing Xuanming's face here to some extent. Even if the person is you... No, precisely because the person is you, I must stick to my character even more."

"There's no need to be so tense. I won't do anything to you just because you say a few words. But since you want to speak, go ahead. Why is it impossible?" I asked.

"The ritual of summoning the Power of Great Unpredictability generally doesn't depend on how thorough the believer's ceremony is," Jiaoshu said. "Compared to the power of Impermanence itself, no matter how comprehensive a believer's ritual is, it has its limits. The key is whether Impermanence itself is willing to bestow power.

"The current situation is completely different. As Impermanence, you want to allow more power to descend upon this land but can't because of the resistance of the city's barrier. In such a situation, it's no longer about Impermanence's own intentions, but rather whether the believers can establish a deep enough connection with you and prepare a medium container to receive all your power.

"Although we've been inside the barrier from the beginning and aren't affected by resistance, our capabilities are very limited. Even if every one of the dozen or so Zhuang Cheng believers concentrates on praying, the established summoning channel is not enough to bear the ocean-like immense Power of Great Impermanence.

"In fact, the simple summoning ceremony Dow Che used should already be very powerful in effect because he used the rumored Furnace Slag Impermanence Sword, which is the real focal point. Even if other details of the ceremony are enhanced, the effect won't significantly improve.

"In extreme terms, what if the effect of the summoning ceremony is enhanced a hundredfold? Currently, the power descending upon this land from you is nowhere near even a ten-thousandth of your true form's power. Even if it were restored to a thousandth of your true form's level, it would still be far from enough for what you hope to achieve."

After hearing these words, although Dong Che looked a bit unwilling, he could only nod in agreement: "…She is right, I cannot do it."

"You should be well aware that my goal is to kill Xuanming, right?" I said to Jiaoshu. "Analyzing these things for me, even if you conclude negatively, the analysis process is correct. Isn't this aiding the enemy?"

After a moment's pause, Jiaoshu answered, "—Xuanming also wants to compete against you. Only by achieving this can the city center's barrier be crossed, something even he acknowledges.

"At this stage, helping you restore all your power here serves both parties' interests. I believe that Xuanming will eventually win, so even if aiding the enemy for now, what's the harm?"

After witnessing my exchange with Xuanming, she was emotionally stuck in a rut all the while, but she seemed finally to have sorted out her thoughts, able to view the relationship between me and Xuanming with a mature and calm attitude.

"There must be a way..." Dong Che pondered deeply, "We should have the conditions for Zhuang Cheng to recover all his power. We must think of it..."

"Do you have any basis for that?" Jiaoshu asked.

After shaking his head, Dong Che said: "... No. If I must say, it's intuition. I feel the answer surely exists, and even all the conditions are laid before us. It's just that we're shackled by stereotypes and can't find it for now. We must change our thinking angle..."

I have a similar feeling. The opportunity to restore all power must be right here, a premonition that has not left my heart even now.

Jiaoshu also showed a serious expression.

"The direct disciple of Gua Tianshi... I've heard that although you don't specialize in Divination Skills, you naturally have a very strong perception, able to grasp the key to various things..." she meticulously observed Dong Che.

Just then, someone knocked on the door of the room from outside. Dong Che snapped back, first reflexively saying "Come in," then realizing I was still there, he felt he had overstepped his bounds.

Then, a dozen people filed into the room. Their clothing varied, lacking consistency in gender and age, yet sharing some common feature. I could discern that these people were my believers.

Their eyes were all fixed on me.

The leader, a young-looking male, gazed at me boldly, then slowly asked, "Could it be that you are——"

Meanwhile, he glanced at Dong Che, who then introduced in my stead in a serious tone: "You are not mistaken, this is indeed our God—Zhuang Cheng."

The believers stirred, exchanging looks, then the leading male believer was the first to bow and worship.

Other believers followed suit, mimicking the gesture one after another.

Dong Che and Jiaoshu remained unfazed as they watched, but Xiaoqiao next to me seemed flustered, as if unsure whether she should join in.

Being worshipped like this was a novel experience. While at Luoshan Headquarters, I saw some believers gather in a temple dedicated to me, performing worship gestures towards a totem representing me, which always felt odd. But that was at a remove; now, being worshipped in person conjured that unsettling strangeness again.

It's more awkwardness than pride or vanity. Like acting in a stage play in a bustling market, it feels out of place. Watching people in modern attire worship me, the God, adds to the surreal absurdity. I've never been able to comprehend the mindset of those who worship a deity, much less do it myself, yet here I am, being worshipped as one—it truly is absurd.

I even thought about stopping their worship, but I knew well enough that this is the position I'm in now. Acting in ways not in line with that position would only bewilder the people around and interfere with the work of Lu Chan and Mr. Zhu. Although I don't intend to be shackled by such formalities, perhaps I should spend some time adapting. If I find I truly can't adjust, I can always change my mind later.

After their worship ended, I then said, "So, is there something you need?"

The leading male believer seemed to realize my indifference to the rites, and his tone became more informal, "We just wanted to pay our respects to the God. As for whether we have something specific... we didn't think about that much."

Meanwhile, he carefully observed my face, seemingly trying to probe my inner world, his gaze almost invasive.

"Then let me ask differently, why are you in this city?" I asked, "I saw reports from Lu Chan; you reported to him before your actions, and he ordered you not to act rashly, yet you ventured into this city anyway...

"Moreover, I heard that you have come here for some unknown purpose... What exactly is that purpose, and can you tell me?"

"This..." The leading believer hesitated.

I was somewhat surprised that he didn't answer immediately. My questioning possesses word spirit properties, he should not be able to resist.

Actually, I didn't intentionally use the Power of Word Spirit; it naturally manifested. Only after practically conversing with my believer did I sense this occurrence. It seems my believers have an inherent inclination to obey me; it's not solely because they worship me but also because my demeanor has a mystically intrinsic effectiveness.

I feel that just by casually uttering a word, even believers who don't particularly worship me at other times would be willing to devote themselves for me.

Normally, I need to consciously use the Power of Word Spirit to produce the verbal effect when talking with others; when talking to believers, unless consciously preventing this effect, any utterance inherently holds the effect of spiritual word spirit.

It might not even require speaking; merely thinking about it could produce the corresponding effect. For instance, if I especially dislike someone, a believer seeing that person may spontaneously feel an aversive emotion. The higher the belief intensity, the more likely this is to occur. As believers might summon divine power through faith, they seem to be strongly influenced by the deity's intent, possibly even affecting their personality.

Occasionally, I can perceive similar value orientations akin to Xuanming from Jiaoshu, likely due to such an influence. Although Dow Che hasn't exhibited this phenomenon for now, his ability to summon my power isn't entirely dependent on the strength of his faith; his strong personal talent also plays a role.

As for faith intensity, he might be my most devout follower in this room.

"Is there a reason you can't answer?" I asked.

The leading believer shook his head, "It's not that I can't answer; it's just that I'm not quite sure how to explain."

"Let me explain it," Dong Che said. "Their goal was actually just to imitate you."