Chapter Nineteen: The Clash of Faiths

“What are you all thinking about?”

Seeing the expressions of her companions, Xiao Tao immediately knew they had misunderstood her and couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head. “I don’t believe the God of Abundance is a true deity; I don’t even think he exists. But I’m operating under the assumption that he does exist and is indeed a true god. So how could I possibly be thinking about defeating him on a physical level?”

Hearing her explanation, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Ling Luochen then asked curiously, “If not on the physical level, do you mean defeating him on the spiritual level? But that… ah! I see now!”

Before Ling Luochen could finish her sentence, a flash of insight struck her mind, and she instantly understood what Xiao Tao meant.

Beside her, Dai Yaoheng’s thoughts snapped into place as well, his eyes lighting up. “Defeating him spiritually—you mean a battle of faith, right?”

Their previous mindset had been too narrow. After all, what did the policies issued by the Emperor of Douling matter to them?

From beginning to end, their only concern was that the Sea God had been replaced by a false deity appearing out of nowhere, an insult to his honor.

As long as they could restore the statue of the Sea God to its rightful place without interfering with the Emperor’s policies, everything would return to normal, and any negative consequences would dissipate on their own!

And there was no better way to achieve this than to openly defeat that God of Abundance. If everyone saw that the Sea God was greater than the God of Abundance, not only would the Sea God’s dignity be restored, but even the number of his followers would surge dramatically.

It was expected that the so-called God of Abundance would not appear in person; thus, the decisive battle in this war would fall on the shoulders of the respective believers.

Seeing that they all understood her point, Xiao Tao said decisively, “Let’s act now. Ling Luochen, you gather those who are discontented and still hold faith in the Sea God’s ancestors. These people are our natural allies; they might not be entirely reliable, but something is better than nothing.”

“As for me and Dai Yaoheng, we will go to pay our respects to the emperor.”

“What! Didn’t we agree to avoid entanglements with the Douling Empire as much as possible?” The companions were startled and exclaimed when they heard the latter half of Xiao Tao’s words.

Xiao Tao replied sternly, “Do you really think the empire won’t intervene in what we’re about to do? Don’t forget, we didn’t hide our identities when we entered the city. If I’m right, our intelligence is already known to someone.”

“Since contact is inevitable, we might as well take the initiative. We will present ourselves as descendants of the first generation of the Seven Devils of Shrek, trying to secure some convenience for our actions within the Douling Empire.”

Upon hearing this explanation, Ling Luochen hesitated briefly before nodding in agreement. “Alright, be careful.”

After seeing them off, Dai Yaoheng turned to Xiao Tao and said, “I didn’t expect you to analyze all this so thoroughly. I thought with your personality, you’d be disdainful of such matters.”

Xiao Tao raised an eyebrow, her smile tinged with danger. “What exactly do you think of my personality?”

A chill ran down Dai Yaoheng’s back. He quickly laughed awkwardly and left the chamber.

“Phew—”

Xiao Tao rubbed her forehead in frustration, exhaling deeply before closing her eyes and silently praying, “Ancestors above, I hope everything goes smoothly.”

……

Another morning court session began. This time, having learned from past experience, the ministers arrived carrying piles of memorials.

The Emperor of Douling sat silently on the throne, watching the ministers below fiercely accuse each other of policy errors. Various methods of attacking political opponents arose endlessly. Having not attended court for over ten years, he found the scene surprisingly enjoyable after such a long absence.

Many ministers noticed the emperor’s unusually good mood and lost their previous nervousness. Some loyalists even felt joy, pleased to see the return of the wise ruler they remembered from his early reign.

Even the Grand Tutor standing to the emperor’s right seemed more agreeable today.

“Your Majesty, the orders issued by the Grand Tutor are being carried out in an orderly manner. In Douling City and some nearby villages, the symbols of the Gods of Abundance and Life have been placed in the main altars,” a minister reported.

“However, during this process, many priests and believers of the Sea God have obstructed us, causing difficulties in enforcing the orders.”

Though few genuinely believed in the Sea God enough to dare confront armed soldiers, their scattered presence across the empire made the situation troublesome.

The emperor glanced toward Lu Chong, as the order originated from him and it was his responsibility to handle this issue.

Sensing the gaze, Lu Chong stepped forward. Today, he wore a pristine white robe adorned only with subtle floral and arboreal patterns. His beige hair was braided into thin plaits that fell to his sides.

Lu Chong smiled warmly, his ethereal voice emanating clearly.

“Why do birds fly?”

The ministers, expecting a practical solution, were stunned by the seemingly irrelevant question. Their expressions turned to confusion.

Before anyone could respond, Lu Chong continued, “Because they have wings. They are born to soar into the sky and pursue what they desire.”

“Likewise, all humans are born free. Why should they be bound by rules and restrictions? If they choose to worship the Sea God, that is their freedom—and freedom must not be taken away.”

The ministers frowned, not only because he offered no concrete solution but also because they disliked his words.

Only the Emperor of Douling, seated high on the throne, brightened at this statement, clearly pleased by the sentiment.

Noticing this, the ministers’ contempt for Lu Chong deepened, calling him a deceptive heretic. Judging by his appearance alone, they believed he was no proper man.

Despite their disdain, their eyes kept drifting back to Lu Chong.

Just then, a palace attendant hurried inside, running to the front and calling out loudly, “Your Majesty, descendants of the War God, Dai Yaoheng, and of the Phoenix God, Xiao Tao, have come to pay their respects!”

At once, the hall fell silent. The ministers felt a chill run down their spines.

They were neither the legitimate heir of the White Tiger Duke nor students of Shrek Academy; their identities as divine descendants made their purpose unmistakably clear.

Everyone had anticipated what would happen once the order was enforced but hadn’t expected it to come so soon.

Many glanced at Lu Chong with growing hostility. If the situation was hopeless, they thought, he might as well be thrown out!

Ironically, those who first succumbed to temptation and changed their stance were now the quickest to rebel.

The Emperor of Douling noticed their shifting attitudes and snorted coldly. After glancing at the composed Lu Chong, he said, “Since divine descendants have come to see me, bring them in.”

“Yes!”