Chapter 290: Douluo Developments – Part Two
Why include worship of the Asura God? Ye Wen's reasoning was simple: he planned to pass on the Asura God's divine position after resolving its inherent risks. After all, it was a God King level position, and someone in his circle would be a perfect fit. And if he handed down the title without building up a following, the lack of faith would hinder that successor's cultivation hardly ideal.
Ye Wen's preparations didn't stop there. He began compiling an epic mythological history to circulate throughout the Douluo Continent, an ambitious plan to attract even broader faith. Although he had already mandated ritual worship for gathering belief on a massive scale, he understood that voluntary worship would yield richer returns.
Crafting a myth, however, was no easy task. Ye Wen knew he couldn't afford any loose ends; clumsy storytelling and contradictions would only lead to criticism and weaken the power of faith. So, he carefully laid out his foundational ideas. In Ye Wen's mythos, the Sea God would stand as the primal creator, the deity from whom all life originated. And while Dragon God had once been worshipped as the first lifeform, Ye Wen claimed the role of the original creator for himself without guilt.
The myth would describe how other deities came forth afterward, with the central focus on the three major gods. The Rakshasa and Asura Gods would be portrayed as the gods of order, restoring balance in times of chaos. Ye Wen cast the Rakshasa God as the Lord of Purgatory, punishing all evildoers. Purgatory, represented by today's Capital of Purgatory, would serve as a reminder of suffering that awaited sinners both in life and death.
The Asura God would retain the role of Enforcer, the god of justice through retribution. Anyone judged by the Asura God would endure eternal torment for their crimes, forever imprisoned within Asura's domain. This belief in karmic retribution appealed deeply to the powerless and underprivileged, who yearned for justice and salvation.
Meanwhile, Ye Wen recast the Angel God as the Sea God's prime protector, a god of justice and righteousness, who would extend blessings to all who stayed true to the righteous path. For weeks, Ye Wen worked tirelessly on this mythic narrative, producing over 100,000 words just for the framework. But, remembering past authors who'd botched their own settings, he refused to rush the work, painstakingly refining it to avoid inconsistencies.
With time, Ye Wen's strategic positioning of faith progressed smoothly. Given his role as Sea God, marine spirit masters were naturally his followers. However, the original Sea God's influence had barely reached beyond the southwest seas around Sea God Island, leaving vast unclaimed territories. Ye Wen thus expanded his influence, calling forth the sea spirit masters who had long trained in isolation on Sea God Island.
Thanks to the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's allegiance, the Demonic Whale Sea no longer posed a threat. With two of his divine officials now stationed there, Ye Wen assured Sea God Island's authority over those waters. Given its abundant resources, Ye Wen opened trade routes to supply Sea God Island, exchanging rare goods and enhancing his followers' strength.
His efforts paid off. With word spreading of the island's unique treasures, Sea God Island quickly gained prestige, and demand for sea spirit masters skyrocketed. The landlocked forces, typically disadvantaged in maritime survival, valued sea spirit masters like never before. And with the public's attention on the revised pantheon of worship in the Spirit Hall, Ye Wen's influence soared. As faith flooded in, his divine power reserve, once running low, rapidly swelled.
With ample faith and an alignment to the ocean's essence, Ye Wen's cultivation surged forward. Time passed swiftly, and soon, three decades had slipped by. The traces of the former empires of Heaven Dou and Star Luo had faded into history, and yet, the ruling sovereign who sat upon the highest imperial throne looked as unchanged as ever.
Under his rule, the Douluo Continent had prospered. Commoners lived well, spirit masters grew in number, and society flourished. Twenty years prior, Ye Wen had introduced artificial spirit rings through a device known as the Spirit Ring Pillar. These pillars could gather the residual energy from deceased spirit beasts within a certain range, concentrating it into a ring that, although lacking inherent abilities, could be customized with spirit techniques chosen by the user.
The invention was a revelation, sparing soul masters from randomly assigned skills and granting them tailored control over their spirit rings a boon especially for those with weaker talents. The popularity of the Spirit Ring Pillar brought unprecedented faith to Ye Wen. However, he had enacted strict hunting regulations, designating soul beast forests as forbidden zones, effectively ending the practice of hunting spirit beasts.
This regulation, though controversial, stemmed from Ye Wen's insight into human greed. He had seen the unchecked exploitation in the Douluo Continent's future, where even educated spirit masters would risk soul beasts' lives for profit. Left unchecked, the Pillar's benefits would only be corrupted by exploitation.
Ultimately, his decree forbidding the hunting of spirit beasts sparked discontent among low ranking spirit masters whose livelihoods had depended on hunting. But Ye Wen held firm; he knew that enforcing such measures now would safeguard both people and soul beasts, preserving balance across the continent.
(End of Chapter)
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