Chapter 155: Post-War Affairs

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for unlocking the achievement: Heretic Judgment. You have completely eradicated the heretical church that blasphemed the Father God and the Church, greatly amplifying the divine prestige of the Father God. You have been rewarded with an advanced skill. Commencing matching... Matching complete. Congratulations to the host for acquiring the advanced skill: 'Levitation Sorcery'.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for unlocking the achievement: Massive Expansion. You have expanded the Church's sphere of influence by more than fivefold in a single stroke, greatly enhancing the Church's reputation. You have been rewarded with an advanced medicinal ingredient. Commencing matching... Matching successful. Congratulations to the host for acquiring the advanced medicinal ingredient: 'Blood Crystal Red Lotus'.]

At midnight on the very night the Temple of the Wild God was completely eradicated, the system delivered these two rewards.

Levitation Sorcery was, as the name suggested, used for flying. However, its effect was not limited to Link alone; it could also be applied to other objects. Currently, Link could lift a total of ten tons of objects into the air. Although that might seem a bit modest, translated into personnel, it meant he could at least cause a hundred fully armed warriors to take flight simultaneously. Furthermore, the effectiveness of Levitation Sorcery would increase alongside his own strength. By the time he reached the ninth tier, he would presumably be able to lift an army of tens of thousands into the sky at will—an absolute strategic and highly practical skill.

As for the other reward, the 'Blood Crystal Red Lotus', while it could not be used directly, how could an advanced medicinal ingredient be so simple? This item was recorded in ancient texts; rumor had it that it was formed from the divine blood of the Holy Spirit. It was a once-in-a-millennium rarity, having appeared only in a few great empires, and was universally priceless with a market value beyond measure. The outside world knew only its name and had never laid eyes upon its physical form. According to historical records, elixirs refined using the 'Blood Crystal Red Lotus' were panaceas capable of mass-producing supreme powerhouses. A thousand years ago, after mastering the refining method for the Blood Crystal Red Lotus, the Everlasting Empire had used merely half a lotus to abruptly give birth to over a hundred seventh-tier powerhouses in one fell swoop.

One could easily imagine that if news of the 'Blood Crystal Red Lotus' leaked out, Link and the Church of the Father God would inevitably face a bloody storm. Yet, if a refining method could be found, the Church of the Father God could directly defy the heavens—even if it merely spawned a hundred seventh-tier powerhouses, Link could lead that cohort of seventh-tier experts to trample over all the heretical religions throughout the entire Starry Kingdom.

"If only Cecily knew how to use the Blood Crystal Red Lotus, though I suppose that is unlikely." Thinking of the Church's master alchemist, Link sighed softly. While Cecily had repeatedly surprised him and her alchemy skills were improving daily, the Blood Crystal Red Lotus was no ordinary herb; the method of its usage had been lost to time long ago. No matter how brilliant Cecily might be, it was impossible for her to know how to refine it.

Without further delay, Link wrapped the basin-sized crystal lotus in cloth and carefully stored it away. Even if it could not be used now, that did not mean it would remain useless in the future. The Blood Crystal Red Lotus would not spoil even if left untouched for several centuries; it would not be too late to use it once the refining method was discovered down the line.

Simultaneously with the downfall of the Temple of the Wild God, the Temple of the War God had also been absorbed into the Church of the Father God. The current Temple of the War God had long since fallen under the control of the Church of the Father God. Through months of effort, coupled with the covert support of the Church of the Father God, the converted sleeper agents had completely taken command of the Temple of the War God two months prior. It had simply not been officially merged back then to retain a trump card for dealing with the Anti-Father God Alliance. During the operation against the Temple of the Wild God, the Temple of the War God had contributed significantly, and with things impossible to conceal anyway, there was no need for a direct confession; instead, the Temple of the War God was simply left to officially become history.

Swallowing the Temple of the Wild God and the Temple of the War God in one breath caused the influence of the Church of the Father God to swell dramatically. The mere number of subordinate chapels and monasteries under its banner had increased sixfold. A grand total of one hundred and six monasteries and churches would require a considerable amount of time to digest. Coupled with the current shortage of personnel, the Church of the Father God would not make any major moves for at least the next four to five months.

Nevertheless, once all this influence was fully digested, the strength of the Church of the Father God would expand to a terrifying degree. By then, sweeping away the other churches within the Red Moon Province in a single stroke would be no difficult task.

"What needs to be done now is to fully consolidate the rear and develop our sphere of influence. Even if the system provides no further wondrous items hereafter, everything we have already acquired is quite sufficient to unify the Red Moon Province," Link muttered to himself, his heart surging with passion.

***

Over the next five days, Link remained at the front lines to clean up the aftermath, stabilize public sentiment, and lead his Holy Knights in providing free treatment for those who were wounded and ill. This drastically altered the perception of the Church of the Father God among the former believers of the Temple of the Wild God, winning over a portion of their devotion.

During this period, Link also encountered assassination attempts by a few stubborn remnants, but how could those individuals possibly harm him? They were all easily dealt with. Utilizing the enemy's assassination attempts, he forged a powerful and lofty image before the public eye, causing many to feel not only awe but also the conviction that the destruction of the Temple of the Wild God by the Church of the Father God was certainly no accident. This prompted some high-ranking figures who had been sitting on the fence to harbor thoughts of befriending the Church of the Father God.

By the fifth day, Jack Sparrow arrived with a batch of administrative talents. Jack had served as the presiding priest of the Holy Light Cathedral for nearly a year and had learned a great deal, making him fully capable of standing on his own two feet. Sending him here this time was precisely to test whether he possessed the ability to shoulder responsibilities independently. If he handled the task well, the provisional prefix on his title as acting director of the institution could finally be dropped.

After Jack gave a brief report on the events at headquarters, he took over the work from Link's hands, and Link immediately set off, boarding Bailing to return to headquarters.

Along the way, Link experimented with the effects of Levitation Sorcery and discovered that it was indeed remarkably useful. Its speed was not slow either—even faster than Bailing had been prior to her rebirth. However, the energy consumption was staggering. Link estimated that if he were to fly while carrying a hundred people, half an hour of travel would leave him utterly exhausted.

One had to bear in mind that even though the energy within Link's body had transformed into Sacred Immortal Force, the restorative effects of the Nine Yang Divine Skill and the intermediate magic core remained potent. Under such circumstances, he could only persist for half an hour. One could easily imagine just how monstrous the consumption rate of Levitation Sorcery truly was; attempting to use it to lead a large army on long-distance marches was utterly unfeasible.

Yet even so, the utility of Levitation Sorcery was immense, making it an absolute strategic divine skill. Most typically, when encountering complex or impassable terrain, one could bypass it using Levitation Sorcery, saving time that would vastly increase the marching efficiency of the troops. Link was quite satisfied with this technique and believed that in future struggles against the major churches, this divine skill would undoubtedly prove immensely useful.

Having finished experimenting with Levitation Sorcery, Link instructed Bailing to travel at full speed. At present, even with Bailing flying at maximum velocity, he felt no discomfort. The Sacred Immortal Force brought Link not only formidable strength but also exceptional environmental adaptability; he could easily cope even when speeding through the sky at an altitude of ten thousand meters.

In a mere three hours, Link returned to headquarters. The moment he arrived, he summoned all the high-ranking members for a meeting, primarily to discuss the celebratory banquet and reward distributions. Although it was a religious organization, necessary rewards could not be omitted; after all, during the life-and-death struggle between the two churches, many individuals had rendered stellar contributions. Those who achieved merit must be rewarded—a principle universally applicable in any institution.

Two hours later, the matters were concluded. Link immediately ordered the propagandists to spread the news of the great victory of the Church of the Father God and the destruction of the wicked heretical church using inflammatory language, sending ripples of excitement throughout the entire Church of the Father God and even the entirety of God's Grace City.

Originally, the war between the two churches had caused widespread anxiety among the populace. After all, the Temple of the Wild God had long been famous, while the external display of power by the Church of the Father God did not seem overwhelmingly heaven-defying. Consequently, many people harbored deep doubts in their hearts. Following the mutual declarations of war between the two churches, countless individuals had worried that the Church of the Father God would be defeated. Now that the news of victory was released, those who had been anxious could finally set their minds at ease.

On this day, God's Grace City plunged into an ocean of jubilation. They neither knew nor cared about the complexities hidden behind the annihilation of the Temple of the Wild God; they only knew that the Temple of the Wild God was, in the words of the Church of the Father God, an evil heresy, a sect of demons, and targets designated for purification. They knew nothing of the bloodshed implied by the word 'purification'; they only knew that the wicked heretics had been eliminated by the righteous Church of the Father God. This demonstrated that the exalted Father God was the true deity, and before Him, wicked demons would find nowhere to hide, ultimately being cleansed entirely alongside the Temple of the Wild God.

***

Indeed, regardless of the denomination, no matter how powerful it had been prior to its downfall, once it collapsed, both its believers and outsiders would universally adopt a single mindset—the god of this church was a false god, or perhaps insufficiently powerful, which was why it was vanquished by a greater church and deity.

Faith was resolute. On the premise that a church maintained its strength and existence, faith could bring immense benefits and ignite unparalleled combat capability among its followers.

Faith was also fragile, because the essence of faith originated from the church itself. When the church vanished, the so-called deity ceased to exist along with it, and even the most steadfast faith would inevitably collapse overnight in a single evening.

Such was the religious world: complex yet simple, glossy yet bloody, gentle yet brutal, dreamy yet cruel—a special world formed by the convergence of various contradictory elements.

Having personally instigated and witnessed the downfall of a major church, Link acquired a deeper and more intuitive understanding of this contradictory and cruel world. It made him realize that no matter how vast the number of believers, it only indicated that the church had won the hearts of the people, serving as the church's soft power, but it could not guarantee the church's eternal survival. The foundation that allowed a church to endure and flourish remained its hard power; only through formidable strength could a church fundamentally survive in this intricate world.

"Strength. Only by continuously growing stronger can the church persist. Besides, even if I wanted to stop now, the other churches would not grant me peace!" Link thought to himself, feeling a mixture of tension and anticipation for the future upheavals.

However, those were matters for the future. For now, what Link needed to do was properly reward those who had rendered meritorious service during the war.

That very evening, Link convened a grand celebratory banquet, publicly rewarding all contributors and shaping several of them into heroic figures. Among the Saints, aside from Asmita—who was absent and remained sequestered in his room for meditation—and a small minority of unsociable individuals, everyone else enjoyed a hero's treatment.

Link even had Saga don the Gold Cloth to put on a cool display, letting the congregation witness firsthand just how formidable the legendary Gold Saints truly were, while deliberately leaking the news that the Gold Saints were seventh-tier powerhouses. Link could easily anticipate with his heels that certain individuals would inevitably harbor ulterior motives while the Church of the Father God was just recovering from war. To forestall such a scenario, he needed to employ certain methods to deter those people, and a seventh-tier powerhouse was unquestionably a humanoid nuclear-grade strategic threat within the Red Moon Province.

Therefore, Link deliberately brought the customarily mysterious Gold Saints out for a public appearance. In his mind, the Gold Saints ought to be an overt threat; enemies might not know how many Gold Saints existed or what their precise capabilities were, but they had to know that Gold Saints existed and served as the guardians of the Church—a nuclear-tier combat force. Anyone wishing to move against the Church of the Father God would first have to consider whether they could handle the Gold Saints.