Chapter 9: Divine War, Another Divine Decree
"Total number of Believers reaches three hundred..."
Li Yue's brow furrowed slightly.
Li Family Village, counting the eight people who had left, had only two hundred and twenty-three residents.
Among them, there were eighteen children under the age of five.
In other words—
Excluding the eight who had left and the eighteen children under five,
the maximum number of Believers he could have in Li Family Village was one hundred and ninety-seven.
He was still more than a hundred short.
"It seems I'll need to develop Believers in the other villages nearby..."
He muttered to himself.
But what he was uncertain about right now was—
Among the three billion Feral Gods who had transmigrated from Blue Star, were any of them in the villages near him?
It was easy to imagine.
If there was another Blue Star deity nearby, the two of them would find it virtually impossible to coexist!
Competing for Believers — this was a conflict over the most fundamental of interests!
At this very moment,
he suddenly understood why, in the myths and legends of Blue Star, gods could wage divine wars over the struggle for faith — wars that would not end until one side was utterly destroyed.
Believers—
were a god's most important asset.
Want more Believers?
More often than not, you had to seize them from other gods!
Even if you didn't go after others, other gods would come after you!
"I'll have Li Youming arrange for someone to investigate..."
"As long as we find out which villages have gods that have suddenly performed miracles, we'll know whether any Blue Star deities are present..."
His expression calmed.
What did it matter if there were other Blue Star deities?
His offering's hundredfold amplification had instantly granted him three hundred and sixty units of Divine Power.
Meanwhile, all other Blue Star deities were surely still in the Feral God state — none of them had yet been promoted to Ninth Grade (Lower) and become Ordained Earth Gods!
Being one full Divine Grade higher was more than enough to crush the opposition with ease!
He opened the last interface — [Divine War] — and began to examine it.
He had tried to open this interface yesterday, but it had been inaccessible.
His guess was—
Yesterday he had still been an Unranked Feral God, which was why the interface couldn't be opened.
[Divine War]
[Unlock Condition]: Divine Grade reaches Ninth Grade (Lower); has been a deity for more than one year
[Activation Cost]: 100 units of Divine Power [Cost increases with each higher Divine Grade]
[Activation Effects]:
I. Forcibly matches one deity of a Divine Grade no lower than one's own for a Divine Battle; the Divine Battle is divided into three phases.
II. Divine Battle Phase One — Believer War! The transcendent Believers of both sides engage in battle; the side that loses the Believer War suffers a 30% reduction in divine power.
III. Divine Battle Phase Two — Subordinate Deity War! Both sides' Subordinate Deities or Ghost Soldiers engage in battle; the side that loses the Subordinate Deity War suffers a 20% reduction in divine power.
IV. Divine Battle Phase Three — God-to-God Battle! The deities themselves fight to the death.
[Divine Battle Rewards]: All surviving Believers of the losing side, five times the activation cost in Divine Power, a certain number of Divine Blessing Talismans, Divine Path Law Fragments, and more.
"So this is the Divine War?"
Li Yue's eyelid twitched slightly.
After reading through the interface, his first thought was that the mastermind behind all this was actively encouraging them to slaughter one another!
The rewards were far too generous.
His current number of Believers was insufficient.
But if he could initiate a single Divine War and emerge victorious,
he would immediately gain a large number of Believers and complete [Personal Mission II]!
On top of that, the Divine Power reward was substantial, and he could also obtain Divine Blessing Talismans, Divine Path Law Fragments, and more!
Without a doubt,
this [Divine War] interface would inevitably cause the deaths of a vast number of Blue Star deities in the future!
"A horse grows fat on night grass; a man grows rich on windfall gains..."
"Isn't it the same for gods?"
"If one can seize a windfall, one's power can skyrocket in an instant."
He sighed with feeling.
And [Divine War] was precisely the mechanism that could deliver such a windfall to a god!
But it was far too dangerous.
The deity matched against you would always be of a Divine Grade no lower than your own.
What did "no lower" mean?
It meant that the side which actively chose to initiate a [Divine War] match might be paired against someone of a higher grade — but never a lower one!
Only if you did not actively choose to match, and were instead passively and forcibly drawn into a Divine War, would you have any chance of facing someone of a lower Divine Grade than yourself.
Moreover—
the Divine Battle was divided into three phases, which made it abundantly clear just how important Believers and Subordinate Deities were.
The strength of one's Believers and Subordinate Deities directly influenced the outcome of a Divine Battle!
In other words—
the strength of one's Believers and Subordinate Deities was tied directly to a god's very survival!
"Those Blue Star deities who listed first-grade Divine Blessing Talismans on the marketplace — once they become Ninth Grade (Lower) Ordained Earth Gods, will they come to regret it?"
He smiled faintly.
Gazing at the full two hundred and thirty-four units of Divine Power he still had, he deliberated for a moment.
In the end, he spent one hundred and sixty units of Divine Power and opened the [Regional Marketplace] interface to purchase forty first-grade Divine Blessing Talismans.
Once more deities in this region were promoted to Ninth Grade (Lower) Ordained Earth Gods and could see the information on the [Divine War] interface,
they would inevitably begin buying up first-grade Divine Blessing Talismans from the [Regional Marketplace] in bulk!
By then—
the price of first-grade Divine Blessing Talismans would surely rise even further!
They might even become priceless — available in name only, with none left to buy.
After all—
first-grade Divine Blessing Talismans currently only appeared in the rewards for [Personal Mission I].
They did not appear in the rewards for [Personal Mission II].
"Only seventy-four units of Divine Power left..."
"But it's enough for now."
"Casting one Divine Art only costs ten units of Divine Power."
"And no one can activate [Divine War] yet — after all, you need to have been a deity for one year."
"It's only the second day."
Li Yue's expression settled into calm.
But beyond the importance of Believers,
Subordinate Deities mattered too.
And right now, he didn't have a single Subordinate Deity.
"Looking at the information in [Divine War], do Ghost Soldiers count as a type of Subordinate Deity?"
"Perhaps Ghost Soldiers don't count as Subordinate Deities per se, but they do count as combat power in the Subordinate Deity War."
His eyes flickered.
How did one obtain Ghost Soldiers?
Simple.
Any Believer whose name was recorded in the Earth God Registry — upon their death, their soul could be consecrated by him using the Divine Art Ghost Soldier Consecration, transforming them into a Ghost Soldier!
Ghost Soldiers could leave his Divine Jurisdiction without any loss of strength!
They were a powerful tool for a god's external campaigns.
"I'll take it slowly."
"Over the course of a year, I should be able to consecrate a few Ghost Soldiers."
"If it really comes down to it—"
A gleam flashed through his eyes.
* * *
Late at night.
Li Youming sat cross-legged in meditation, cultivating.
After becoming the Temple Priest during the day,
not only had five divine arts appeared in his mind, but a cultivation method had as well.
This cultivation method was called the "Qi Refinement Divine Cultivation Method."
It could allow him to increase the ethereal energy within his body — the energy that perhaps ought to be called "qi" (炁) — and even advance his cultivation, promoting him from the mid second-grade to the upper second-grade!
Naturally, he would not waste a moment. Even at night, he was diligently cultivating,
striving to one day advance to the upper second-grade.
Only by growing stronger could he better represent Lord Zhangyue in walking the mortal world!
And just at that moment—
he suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him, and then he collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep.
In his dream, he once again beheld Lord Zhangyue — towering and majestic, like the heavens themselves.
"Li Youming."
"As my Temple Priest, you must spread my faith."
"Within one month, I wish to see the number of Believers who worship me exceed three hundred."
"And as my Temple Priest, you must also be aware of information regarding foreign gods."
"Go and investigate the other foreign gods in the surrounding area."
A voice filled with boundless majesty rang out, vast and sweeping, filling the entire dreamscape.
"Li Youming humbly obeys Lord Zhangyue's Divine Decree!"
Li Youming knelt respectfully on the ground and spoke with devout reverence.