Ch 200: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

This high priest had always been cold before outsiders. No matter how Amos pestered him, he acted as though he did not hear.

Amos had no way around it.

Mu Xing found the scene amusing.

He liked this handsome big lion, and could also see that the lion probably regarded him as a stalk of catnip that was especially pleasant to rub against.

Fortunately, he was not an original god of this world, otherwise he might have felt offended.

But now his heart was occupied with greater matters, and he had no time to play.

From time to time, he could sense the divine power of the light god and the beast god from the earth. Those two frequently descended into the mortal world now, trying to completely annihilate the god of desire.

The result was obvious.

Years passed, yet the aura of the god of desire still lingered across the land.

Something even more troubling was happening: although again and again the light god and beast god discovered and dispersed the shadow, the god of desire’s power only grew stronger than before.

Now, compared to a thousand years ago, the various races flourished countless times more.

Just in numbers alone, they had multiplied several hundredfold.

The more people, the more emotions and desires arose.

And the power the god of desire could draw from them grew greater and greater.

The light god and beast god noticed this as well.

Even if the god of desire’s strength was negligible in their eyes, if it kept increasing at such a terrifying speed…

They both realized the seriousness of the matter.

They were gods born of law itself, but also absorbed their followers’ faith and converted it into divine power. For millions of years, they had become inseparable from the faith of mortals.

But the god of desire did not need faith at all. He could directly draw strength from any desire.

If he truly could not be destroyed, then given time…

For the first time, the supreme gods felt troubled.

The beast god suddenly said, “If we were to exterminate humanity…”

The light god looked up at him, but before he could speak, the beast god shook his head. “Impossible. If we did that, we would no longer receive faith.”

For millions of years, they had absorbed human faith and converted it into divine power.

By now, faith was inextricable from them.

Losing it would be a grievous blow.

Moreover, even if all the humans on the continent were destroyed, and a new batch created, what would that change?

Not just humans—even gods had desires.

As long as desire existed, the god of desire would be born again.

It was an unsolvable dilemma.

What’s more, when the gods created the races, they had shaped them in their own image.

They loved these beings they had created, otherwise they would not have protected them for millions of years.

Yet now, it was this very bond that trapped them.

When Mu Xing next received word, five years had passed.

The light god and beast god had actually joined forces, constructing in the endless western seas a prison meant for gods.

They poured their divine power into it continuously, sealing the god of desire inside.

Unless his power surpassed theirs, he would never escape.

But though they had imprisoned the evil god, there was no joy on their faces.

Unable to destroy him, this was the only way: to prevent him from wreaking havoc in the mortal world, leading people into corruption.

And yet, in their eyes, they could still see the endless gray current of desire, stubbornly piercing through the divine barrier they had set. Even if only a tenth or less seeped through, it still gathered inside the prison.

That shadow was still growing.

Even sealed, it only laughed harshly, declaring that no one could keep it trapped forever.

With the god of desire sealed, the mortal world enjoyed a time of prosperity and peace.

Under the gods’ protection, the weather was favorable, people lacked for nothing. Temples to the gods stood everywhere, and scenes of splendor never ceased.

For the gods, time passed quickly.

Mu Xing counted the years. He watched as Or went from a flourishing youth to an old man with white hair.

Amos grew lazier and lazier. He had returned to the Vista Empire, and in recent years loved to remain in beast form for long stretches, lying in the warm sunlight.

It was because he had grown old.

The divine realm was unchanged, while in the mortal world, life and death cycled in but the blink of a god’s eye.

Centuries later, the priests of the great temples had been replaced again and again.

The gods observed as mortal faith waned, no longer as devout as it had once been.

People grew selfish.

Temples began coveting the power of royalty, using their sacred offices to seek greater benefits for themselves. Though the god of desire was still imprisoned in the endless western seas, his influence had long since seeped into every corner of the mortal realm.

The nobles at the top grew ever more decadent, while the common folk’s lives grew harder.

They pinned more and more hopes on the gods, asking endlessly.

For millennia, indulged by the gods, they had grown accustomed to praying for divine protection at the first sign of hardship, rather than finding their own solutions.

The light god and beast god followed Mu Xing’s advice: over the past century, they began lessening their contact with the mortal realm.

Temples noticed that the gods were no longer responding actively to their prayers.

The gods no longer indulged every wish of their believers.

At first, the mortals panicked, thinking they had angered the gods, trembling in fear for a time.

But later, they realized: no punishment had fallen upon them.

Perhaps… the gods simply no longer looked their way?

The clergy grew bolder.

The God of Light watched as his followers fabricated oracles, demanding offerings of gold and constructing golden statues in his image.

The Beast God remained silent as he saw the royal family of Vista abandon their sworn vows to the gods, indulging in pleasure and pouring all their efforts into suppressing the nobility.

Mu Xing observed the rising fractures within Naya.

This empire, once rapidly established through devout faith in the gods, was now rotting with selfish desires. The royal family grew muddled, the great houses increasingly dissatisfied, and signs of division once again surfaced.

*

Within the realm of the Earth God.

Mu Xing looked at the God of Light and the Beast God, his voice gentle. “Well then, have I won?”

They had made a wager a century ago.

Mu Xing had said that human desire could never be eliminated—only grow stronger.

The God of Light and the Beast God had placed their faith in the loyalty and devotion of their believers.

Thus, the bet was made: if the gods ceased to appear for a hundred years, what would become of their followers?

The outcome no longer needed to be stated.

A century was enough for mortal generations to turn over.

The most devout worshippers of old were gone. The new humans, though raised on countless legends, had never seen the gods with their own eyes.

And once the idea of “the gods are watching me at all times” faded, humanity could no longer suppress its own desires.

Over this hundred years, the two gods received far less power of faith from the world.

By contrast, across the Endless Sea…

The God of Light lowered his eyes and said softly, “We won’t be able to hold it much longer.”

The Beast God roared, “We are gods born of law itself! It is nothing more than filth born of desire! How could it come to this?”

Mu Xing answered calmly, “And why not? If gods can exist in this world, then anyone could become one.”

The God of Light frowned. “What do you mean?”

Mu Xing looked at him. “Galia tried once before. Even with his strength, all he managed was to suppress it for a thousand years. And when that millennium passed, the God of Desire was reborn.”

Both gods’ expressions shifted. “What do you mean?”

Mu Xing said evenly, “Do you truly not see it? Was the God of Desire back then really so powerful that Galia’s divine body was shattered, his very soul extinguished?”

The God of Light’s face twisted with grief. “That is what I never understood. Galia was so strong…”

Suddenly, he lifted his head. “You mean—?”

Mu Xing nodded. “He must have foreseen the threat of the God of Desire, and chose to sacrifice himself to resolve it for you.”

But he had underestimated the God of Desire.

The sliver of soul he left behind was twisted into fuel, ultimately summoning forth a monster bound by dark obsession.

The Beast God shuddered. “Galia…”

Mu Xing’s voice turned cold. “The God of Desire once said he would become the one and only supreme god. Between him and us, there was never room for reconciliation.”

Desire itself was bound by its own hunger.

His greed and ambition could never tolerate the existence of three gods born of law.

The Beast God snorted. “Then let him come! I have never feared any opponent!”

His voice grew chilling. “If it comes to it, I’ll simply wipe out every living creature on earth, and leave him nothing to feed upon.”

The God of Light’s expression flickered with reluctance.

He glanced at the Beast God. “Slaughter all life—and then what? Without faith, we too will slowly wither, until in the end we fall into slumber.”

Mu Xing cut in. “Even if you create new beings, a new God of Desire would one day rise again.”

The Beast God growled, “So there is truly no other way?”

“There is.” Mu Xing said.

Both gods turned their eyes on him.

Mu Xing spoke evenly. “Abandon your followers. Abandon the power of faith. Can you do that?”

The God of Light asked in confusion, “If we abandon faith, we’ll only grow weaker. How would we fight the God of Desire then?”

Mu Xing smiled faintly. “Why is he called the God of Desire? Because mortals are filled with endless wants—and because they believe in gods.”

It was belief that made the God of Desire possible.

“What if,” Mu Xing said quietly, “mankind no longer believed in gods at all?”

At last, the Beast God and the God of Light understood his meaning.

The Beast God asked warily, “Do humans truly hold such power?”

Mu Xing gazed at him. “Beast God, you are a being born from law itself. You were meant to be eternal. And yet now? Your fate is bound to faith.

“Lose that faith, and in mortal eyes you cease to exist. You will grow weaker, and may one day fall into slumber.

“That is the price of drawing on belief.”

Mu Xing had pieced this truth together from fragments of worlds he had experienced.

The gods born of law, like the God of Light, still held some inherent stability.

But the God of Desire—he was entirely a product of want, born afterward.

So long as humans ceased to believe in gods, no new deity could ever be born in this world again.

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