Chapter 261: Zhongli Wu in Shock
Although Tang Ya had not been in the Holy Spirit Cult for long, as the Saintess, she naturally had access to most of the cult's internal records.
After all, within the Holy Spirit Cult, very few people held a higher status than the Saintess.
Thus, she was well aware of the origins of the Sacred Emperor's statue.
According to legend, the first cult leader of the Holy Spirit Cult was once hunted by Spirit Hall and was forced to take refuge in the Slaughter City, where he became a fallen one.
However, he desperately wanted to escape from that dangerous place and return to the outside world.
After all, Spirit Hall couldn't possibly keep hunting him forever as long as he left Slaughter City and found a place to live in anonymity, he stood a good chance of survival.
But escaping Slaughter City was not easy, and he fell into despair.
Then, a mysterious figure appeared and destroyed the very foundation of Slaughter City, causing its collapse.
The first cult leader possessed a unique martial soul, allowing him to survive.
He eventually escaped, continued growing stronger, and ultimately founded the Holy Spirit Cult.
Later, he investigated the identity of this mysterious figure and began worshiping him as the Sacred Emperor.
However, for unknown reasons, he never recorded the true identity of the Sacred Emperor.
At this moment, the eight elders and the top disciples of the Holy Spirit Cult stood frozen in shock, staring at the statue.
Ordinarily, the Sacred Emperor's statue had never moved but today, it had raised its trident on its own.
Masked Douluo let out a cold snort.
*"What kind of trick is this? Who dares to play god here? If you ask me, some soul master nearby must be manipulating the statue!
Since the founding of the Holy Spirit Cult, the Sacred Emperor has never manifested."*
After saying this, Masked Douluo took a step forward, his eyes locked onto the statue.
"I'd like to see who is really behind this farce."
But just as he was about to act, an overwhelming divine pressure erupted from the statue so intense that everyone in the room felt suffocated.
Masked Douluo's body froze in place, unable to move.
A surge of pure terror washed over him he could sense his life was in danger.
Whoever controlled this power could kill him instantly with a mere thought.
"Impossible! Even Supreme Elder Ye Xishui couldn't immobilize me with just her aura... Could it really be that the Sacred Emperor has descended?"
Tang Ya also felt the immense divine pressure, and her face immediately filled with reverence.
She respectfully bowed and said,
*"Great Sacred Emperor, I am the Saintess of the Holy Spirit Cult.
May I ask why you have graced us with your presence?
If there is anything we can do for you, it would be our greatest honor."*
Meanwhile, Tang San, who had just sent a strand of his divine consciousness into the statue, felt deeply irritated
Because he recognized Tang Ya.
This woman was none other than the current leader of the Tang Sect, the one responsible for reviving its legacy.
Yet somehow, she had ended up becoming the Saintess of the Holy Spirit Cult?
According to Tang Sect's rules, Tang Ya, as the sect master, should have been cutting off all ties with the evil soul masters.
However, from Wang Dong's perspective, he had already understood Tang Ya's personality
She would never betray the Tang Sect of her own will.
Which meant…
She had most likely been captured by the Holy Spirit Cult.
But Tang San had no intention of rescuing her.
After all, Tang Ya still had value while she remained within the Holy Spirit Cult.
And in the future, when the Holy Spirit Cult outlived its usefulness, he could use Tang Ya to destroy the cult from within, which would in turn boost the declining reputation of the Tang Sect.
"At least she's useful for now."
He finally spoke, his voice carrying an aura of divinity.
*"You are indeed an obedient Saintess.
I do require something from you."*
Then, he began making promises.
"If you complete the tasks I give you, I shall bestow upon you great rewards."
He ordered the Holy Spirit Cult to capture talented soul masters from the Douluo Continent and bring them to the statue, allowing him to examine them personally.
This was all part of his plan to find promising new talents.
Additionally, to increase the flow of faith energy, he demanded absolute devotion from the members of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Lastly, he spared Masked Douluo, which left the man feeling immensely grateful.
Although Tang San had used his divine pressure to intimidate the evil soul masters, he was careful not to take direct action.
He was exploiting loopholes because unless absolutely necessary, he did not want to openly interfere in the lower realms.
After all, Destruction God now had full control of the Divine Realm's Core, making him stronger than ever.
This meant that if Destruction God wanted to, he could much more easily detect any violations of divine law.
If Tang San broke the rules and got caught, Destruction God would immediately report him to the Divine Realm Committee.
Worse still, Destruction God could publicly denounce him before the entire Divine Realm.
Of course, the scandal of Tang San's parents' crimes had already spread throughout the Divine Realm.
However, because Tang San had spent many years acting like a righteous god, his reputation among the other deities remained largely intact.
And since Destruction God was widely disliked, most deities were still on Tang San's side.
But if scandals like this kept happening, even the most naïve gods would start to question him
And once that happened, Tang San would lose his influence over the Divine Realm.
Holy Spirit Cult Headquarters
*"What did you say?
The Sacred Emperor's statue moved?"*
Zhongli Wu stared at Nangong Wan in complete disbelief.
Nangong Wan had just excitedly described the entire event in vivid detail.
Yet, as the Holy Spirit Cult's leader, Zhongli Wu had never once believed in the Sacred Emperor.
The only thing he believed in was his own power.
Even the so called Saint Son and Saintess were, in his eyes, nothing more than useful tools.
The only reason he cultivated a Saintess was to ensure the Holy Spirit Cult would still have a powerful leader after Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao passed away.
After all, those two were already old who knew how much longer they would live?
Yes, Limit Douluos were powerful and long lived, but their lifespans weren't infinite.
Eventually, even the strongest would die.
And since Zhongli Wu had no confidence in reaching Limit Douluo, he had to pin his hopes on the next generation.
*"Leader, isn't this a great blessing?
With the Sacred Emperor guiding us, our Holy Spirit Cult is destined to rise to new heights!"* Nangong Wan said with a broad grin.
Zhongli Wu fell into deep thought.
If the Sacred Emperor truly existed, then this was undoubtedly an opportunity.
If he played his cards right, the Holy Spirit Cult could soar to unimaginable heights.
As for whether the Sacred Emperor was a real god…
For now, there was no reason to doubt it.
After all, every elder and disciple present had personally witnessed the overwhelming divine pressure.
(End of chapter.)
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