CHAPTER 122: BATTLING A DEITY

"If anyone in the demonic churches tries to trick you by claiming that they're also an undercover agent, then kill them right away on the basis that you've weeded out a traitor! You are the only one in history! Do not let anyone try to tell you otherwise!"

"I'll be sure to remember that, Master Nine!"

"This is why I had to come in person to tell you all of this and help you perfect all of your plans. You are our most important asset, and no harm can be allowed to befall you. Even after this meeting, you will still be all on your own. In fact, things will only become harder for you as I will instruct the academy to target you and make your life more difficult.

“You have to understand that in the eyes of the academy and the Protectionists, you will always be suspicious, and the more they target you, the safer you'll be in the One Heart Church. Hence, I will intentionally set up situations to pick on you every once in a while, particularly in the presence of the One Heart Church mole, understood?"

"Got it!"

Dongfang Sansan was right. He was finally going to have to face the oppression and adversity that he had anticipated would come his way.

For some reason, he couldn't help but feel a little excited.

"As we get out of here, I'll deal you a psychic blow that'll knock you out for a few days. We have to make Yin Shengong worry a little so he doesn't take you for granted," Dongfang Sansan said with a smile.

"That's fine," Fang Che replied with a wide grin.

"Also, I've already made arrangements in accordance with the report you made about the internal conflict in the One Heart Church. However, it seems that the internal conflict has been temporarily suppressed for now, and the reason for that is most likely the Parasite Ascension Project."

"Even so, the tensions are inevitably going to boil over at some point. Otherwise, Yin Shengong wouldn’t have been so desperate."

"I understand that, and that's why I've been monitoring the situation this entire time. We can't allow Yin Shengong to fall. If that happens, your future in the One Heart Church will be greatly compromised."

"Precisely, Master Nine!"

This was the most relaxed and unguarded Fang Che had ever been in this lifetime, and it was a slightly intoxicating feeling.

"How long are you planning to remain undercover for?" Dongfang Sansan asked.

"If I'm never exposed, I would ideally want to infiltrate the Church of the Self-Righteous, and it would be great if I could become a deputy pope."

"That's a little too ambitious of you, don't you think?" Dongfang Sansan chuckled.

"Heck, I wouldn't even mind becoming the pope of the Church of the Self-Righteous!"

Dongfang Sansan burst into laughter upon hearing this, then said, "There are some things that you must know. Firstly, I suspect that our world no longer has a god."

A solemn look appeared on Dongfang Sansan's face as he continued, "I believe that's what has led to this extreme clash between good and evil."

Fang Che had no idea what Dongfang Sansan was talking about.

"I... I don't understand."

"It's alright, just listen to what I have to say and commit it to memory. According to my observations, humans are very strange creatures. There is both good and evil in human nature, and conflicts between forces of good and evil have been ever-present throughout history. However, in the past, even if the forces of evil gained the upper hand, they would still try to make the world a better place and lead the people to prosperity.

“Ultimately, all of these conflicts boil down to battles for resources, and whichever side came out on top would get to distribute the resources as they saw fit. The process may not be pretty, but ultimately, everyone is striving for positive outcomes, and all those in power want to see their people thrive.

“This has always been the case prior to the advent of the Five Spirit Parasite. The world has a will of its own, and there are conflicts of interest even between gods. Gods also possess both good and evil in their nature, and that is how we've inherited those traits. However, ever since the Church of the Self-Righteous began worshiping the Heavenly Centipede Deity and came into possession of Five Spirit Parasites, that has completely changed.

“All of a sudden, it's as if their sole purpose has become to try and enslave everything and destroy everything that refuses to be enslaved! Also, with the advent of the Five Spirit Parasite, the internal conflicts within the Church of the Self-Righteous have also become more fierce, and its subsidiary churches have been willing to stoop to any means necessary to get ahead of the competition. I'm sure this is something that you've also noticed."

"I have. The southeastern churches aren't interested in working with each other at all. On the contrary, they're constantly trying to screw each other over, and they're not holding back at all. It's as if they truly want to wipe everyone else out of existence!"

"An organization with such intense internal turmoil should've fallen to a catastrophic demise long ago, yet the Church of the Self-Righteous is only becoming more and more powerful, so there must be some factor that's unknown to us aiding them in some way. On top of that, the Heavenly Centipede Deity that they worship is extremely strange as well.

“I've read through countless scriptures, and I've confirmed with certainty that there were no records of the Heavenly Centipede Deity at all before fifty thousand years ago. Prior to that, the Heavenly Centipede Deity didn't exist on this continent, and it had appeared all of a sudden, completely out of the blue! How could a deity suddenly just appear without any basis?

“This is a huge question! Prior to that, the predominantly worshipped deity on this continent was the Flying Bear Deity, and apparently, temples of the Flying Bear Deity were extremely prevalent. However, ever since the emergence of the Heavenly Centipede Deity, almost all of those temples have been destroyed, with the only remaining ones situated in very secluded and rural areas.

“This is another mystery. In light of all of this, I have reason to suspect that this Heavenly Centipede Deity truly exists. Otherwise, there's no way to explain the existence of Five Spirit Parasites as humans are clearly not capable of creating such things. I also suspect that our continent originally worshiped the Flying Bear Deity, and that the Flying Bear Deity was the deity ruling over this continent, perhaps even this planet.

“However, the Heavenly Centipede Deity suddenly appeared fifty thousand years ago and began exerting its influence on our continent, while the Flying Bear Deity hasn't done anything. This leads me to believe that our god has most likely already met Their demise or been banished."

Fang Che was completely flabbergasted.

This was completely unfathomable to him, and if he were hearing this from anyone other than Dongfang Sansan, he would've instantly written them off as a complete nutcase!

"Hence, during your time undercover, I need you to try and find out for me if this theory of mine has any legs to stand on. This sounds like a very abstract problem, but it's extremely, extremely important," Dongfang Sansan said with a serious look in his eyes. "Also, this matter must be kept strictly between you and me."

Fang Che nodded in response with a grim expression.

This was indeed a very abstract mission, but just as Dongfang Sansan had said, it was one of the utmost importance.

If this were true, Fang Che couldn't imagine how the future of this continent was going to unfold.

One side had a god, while the other didn't! How was the latter supposed to contend with the former?

Just the mere thought struck Fang Che with a sense of despair, and his admiration for Dongfang Sansan only grew.

He had persevered for so long under this type of pressure, leading everyone in a battle against a god!

"Make sure to nurture Ye Meng well. Once you reach the Emperor tier or the Sovereign tier, you'll be able to use your soul to communicate and send messages, at which point she will no longer be by your side."

"I understand, but when that time comes, I'm going to need a spatial ring. Our communication jade can't be hidden in the body, so it needs to be concealed somewhere."

"That's true," Dongfang Sansan said as his brows furrowed slightly. "In that case, you'll need to be a little more advanced in cultivation base. Otherwise, a spatial ring would look a little out of place even in the possession of a Sovereign. Alright, I've said pretty much everything I want to say. Is there anything you want to say?"

"I have some doubts and concerns that have been troubling me for quite some time," Fang Che said.

"Go ahead," Dongfang Sansan prompted.

"My first concern is that as a member of the One Heart Church, I'm eventually going to have to do some things that will go against my values. Right now, this is a rather difficult mental hurdle for me to overcome. I infiltrated the One Heart Church to prevent such events, and if I have to contribute to them instead, it's going to feel very difficult to justify for me."