565: Chapter 566 Divine Monarch's Strange Phenomenon

Then Lu Ming felt it again; that warm sensation surged forth once more, longer-lasting and gentler than before.

Countless fine streams of the Power Of Faith gathered from all directions, like innumerable tiny rivulets merging into a great river.

He closed his eyes, felt it for a moment, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"It seems the Power Of Faith doesn't necessarily have to be harvested through disasters."

"As long as you do things that benefit those living beings and stand in their shoes to think for them, the Power Of Faith will naturally come knocking."

"And what these living beings seek is actually very simple: that is, to live."

"So, rather than trading fear for awe, it is better to trade kindness for trust."

"This is sustainable development!"

"A guy like the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord, who hasn't experienced the baptism of socialism, is still too extreme."

"Unlike him, who was born under the red flag, grew up in the spring breeze, and developed comprehensively in morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor!"

Thus, in the following days, Lu Ming did not rush to return to the Middle Three Heavens but instead utilized his official authority as a Heavenly Official to roam every corner of the Lower Three Heavens, helping the creatures of all races to the best of his ability.

He dredged river channels and diverted water for irrigation for the Human Race tribes, and demarcated water territories for mountain spirits and wild monsters to reduce slaughter over resource disputes.

In short, over a long period, the creatures of all races received some form of grace to varying degrees.

Consequently, a vast amount of the Power Of Faith began to gather.

Until the balance in the Tianbao Treasury far exceeded his expectations, Lu Ming finally stopped and then quietly left.

However, what he did not know was that his actions not only left behind the legend of the Heavenly Official bestowing blessings in the Lower Three Heavens, but some Human Race tribes even built longevity temples for him, offering sacrifices day and night with incense that never ceased.

Although these were currently insignificant, they added up to a very considerable number over time.

...

On the other side. Time rewinds several days.

Just at the moment Lu Ming broke free from his restraints and his divine thoughts became clear.

The consciousness avatar of the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord, still lingering in the Upper Three Heavens, instantly opened its eyes and then swayed violently.

This already illusory Incarnation of consciousness became even more ethereal, even beginning to turn translucent, as if it could be scattered by the wind at any moment.

This time, the action consumed more than he had anticipated.

Whether it was suppressing that [Divine Lord of Nine Heavens Illumination and Myriad Spirits Response] or attempting to guide the will of "Wang Chan", he had utilized the power deposited within the divine Talisman.

At this moment, he was near exhaustion, but fortunately, he had not yet dissipated immediately.

"So, it failed after all."

Regarding "Wang Chan" being able to break free from his Divine Soul influence, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord felt it was unexpected, yet also within reason.

Unexpected, because this person had clearly fallen into the script he had pre-set under his deliberate guidance, yet suddenly escaped control at the very last moment.

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord knew that this was that mysterious Nascent Soul True Monarch making a move!

Otherwise, relying on that kid himself, it would have been absolutely impossible to achieve.

It was just a pity that he had originally thought that was merely a discarded pawn thrown into the Divine Court as some sort of probing move.

But now it seemed he had misjudged.

This mysterious Nascent Soul True Monarch valued this chess piece more than he had anticipated.

Otherwise, he would not have intervened at such a critical moment.

"Good technique..."

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord muttered to himself, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

In fact, he was not too surprised by this mysterious Nascent Soul True Monarch's intervention; he even held some faint anticipation in his heart.

This was because he also wanted to attempt to leave some traces through the opponent's intervention, allowing him to trace back and peek at which Fellow Daoist was truly behind this.

However, it was a pity that this person moved too quickly and silently; he had not even noticed how that power intervened.

Not until "Wang Chan" broke free did he react in hindsight.

This could not help but make the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord curious about what kind of identity this person had.

However, although he lost a move this time, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord was not discouraged.

A hidden opponent is not terrifying; this only shows that the opponent's strength is not yet enough to override him and can only engage in small actions behind the scenes, so there is no need to be overly wary.

Moreover, he had not failed completely.

Unsure if the opponent did it on purpose or simply did not discover it, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord could feel that the connection between the divine official Talisman that "Wang Chan" had refined and himself still existed.

Clearly, the opponent had not completely eradicated it.

As long as he wanted, it could carry his will at any time, which meant he still had the ability to make a move.

More importantly, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord could clearly perceive.

At this moment, a massive amount of the Power Of Faith was pouring into that divine Talisman at an astonishing speed.

Clearly, although his "leek harvesting" had failed, this "Wang Chan" had still found a new way to gather the Power Of Faith.

Although he did not know how he managed it, the process was not important; the result was what mattered most.

As long as the opponent was still collecting the Power Of Faith to charge towards the position of Divine Lord, then for him, there was still a chance.

However, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord felt that it was a flaw deliberately left by that mysterious Nascent Soul Fellow Daoist.

His purpose was likely the same as his own, wanting to draw out the opponent's true identity.

Clearly, in the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's cognition, this Fellow Daoist did not know his identity, and this was bait deliberately left for him to take the hook.

Otherwise, with the opponent's strength, it was unlikely they would not notice the anomaly on this person.

But since the opponent did not take action, he was happy to let it be.

Because as long as he waited for "Wang Chan" to become a Divine Lord again, he could use that divine Talisman to complete an alternative "Possession" and return.

Once he successfully occupied that Divine Lord's body, his consciousness avatar would no longer be a rootless duckweed, and many methods would be usable.

At that time, he would have the confidence to forcibly expel the influence of this mysterious Fellow Daoist, re-layout in this world, and reignite the fire of the Law of Reincarnation.

And his ultimate goal had never been purely revenge.

What he wanted to do was create a prototype of the Law of Reincarnation, open up a new cycle, and then imprison the Divine Dao within the Reincarnation.

The composition of the Divine Dao core lies in two pillars.

The Divine Dao itself, and the Law of Heavenly Punishment.

If he could suppress these two with the Law of Reincarnation, then he would be disguisingly suppressing the Great Dao of the True Monarch Yuji Sitian of the Yujing Dao Court and the True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei of the Zixiao Grotto-Heaven.

Of course, merely suppressing the Divine Dao was not enough to directly affect the true bodies of those two True Monarchs.

The real key lay in the second step.

That was to transplant the Divine Dao into the Immortal Dao system to replace the "Order" position of the Yujing Dao Court.

This step was actually identical to the original plan of True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei.

The only difference was that True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei planned to suppress the Order Dao with the Heavenly Punishment Dao, while he planned to suppress both with the Reincarnation Dao, ultimately reaping the benefits as the fisherman.

But he also knew in his heart that this path would not be smooth sailing.

Not to mention that this was an enmity of blocking the Dao, True Monarch Yuji Sitian and True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei would definitely not sit idly by and would inevitably react fiercely, perhaps even directly sparking a war between True Monarchs.

Not to mention that mysterious Fellow Daoist hiding behind "Wang Chan".

He still did not know to this day which True Monarch that person really was, and whether they were friend or foe?

If the opponent intended to disrupt the situation, his consciousness avatar could not withstand a single blow, and subsequent plans would naturally be out of the question.

However, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord was not without a backup plan.

He had not easily used his true body these years simply because he did not want to waste his Origin, but if it truly came to a matter of interests, or even the need to tear off the mask, he would absolutely not go soft.

And in this world, apart from that old monster of the Taixuan Immortal Sect, he really did not fear anyone.

If not for the concern about the excessive consumption of the Nascent Soul Origin, he would have long since descended with his true body and trampled those Grotto-Heavens like Zixiao that were just making up the numbers.

Did they really think that just because they became True Monarchs and called each other Fellow Daoist, they could sit on equal footing with him?

How ridiculous!

What kind of status do they have to sit at the same table as him! Usually, it's just a courtesy!

One must know that there are differences even among Nascent Souls!

"So I hope you don't fail to appreciate my kindness, and quietly offer your necks to be slaughtered. If you dare to resist, don't blame me for flipping the table!"

After whispering this, his figure completely dissipated in the hall, as if he had never existed.

The hall returned to quiet.

...

Middle Three Heavens.

Lu Ming returned to his official residence in the Outer Dao City and could not wait to start preparing to refine the Power Of Faith and charge towards the position of Divine Lord.

Although he knew that this Divine Lord position likely had huge hidden dangers.

After all, according to the normal process, the conditions for ascending to Divine Lord were extremely harsh; it was one radish for one hole. If nobody above moved, those below would never have a chance to get ahead.

But his position as the Water Virtue Divine Lord was clearly a bit different; as long as the Power Of Faith was sufficient, it was enough to let him go through the process of certifying as a Divine Lord without any obstructions.

Clearly, this position seemed to be reserved specifically for him; as long as his qualifications were sufficient, ascending was just going through the motions.

But Lu Ming knew one more thing, which was that pies don't fall from the sky.

He did not have such a big face to make someone specially open a back door for him.

Clearly, there must be a trap behind this, and if judged by his previous judgment, this was highly likely the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord playing tricks.

Then his previous deduction had some discrepancies.

Lu Ming was also slow to realize that the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord probably did not follow him here, but rather that the other party had already come to the Divine Court long ago.

And even left a foreshadowing in the divine Talisman in advance.

Therefore, his refining of the divine Talisman was exactly what the other party wanted.

This explained why the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord could silently play dirty in this divine Talisman, while he was completely unprepared and unaware.

In that case, this Soul-Devouring Demon Lord must have a huge scheme, and he had ruined the other party's plan, so the other party would definitely not be willing to give up, and would absolutely not let it go.

There must be some backup plan waiting for him!

And the only possibility Lu Ming could think of was this Divine Lord position; it was likely the point where the other party was making moves.

If he ascended to Divine Lord, he might fall into the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's scheme.

But although Lu Ming knew this clearly, he did not give up on this great opportunity because of the fear of choking.

As the saying goes, soldiers come to block, water comes to cover; the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord had his Zhang Liang's strategies, and he had his own wall-climbing ladders.

Isn't it just comparing each other's methods? He, Lu Ming, had never feared anyone along the way.

Thus, Lu Ming did not stop. He sat cross-legged on the futon, formed seals with his hands, and slowly guided the Power Of Faith that was rolling in from the Lower Three Heavens into his body.

Those Powers Of Faith were like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, flowing endlessly along his Meridians, and finally all gathered on the Water Virtue Divine Talisman deep in his Sea of Consciousness.

As the endless Power Of Faith poured into it, the dark golden Talisman gradually became scorching hot, and the runes on its surface lit up one by one, as if some long-dormant power was awakening.

Lu Ming could clearly perceive that something heavy and vast was slowly taking shape deep within his official Talisman.

In an instant, he felt something in his heart.

Countless profound insights surged into his heart like a tide. He closed his eyes slightly and unconsciously recited the true words:

"Vast Cangming, Pobo Yuanquan, moistening the eight poles, flowing waves in the Nine Heavens, sweet dew falls universally, the withered and rotten are reborn, cleaning filth and washing away turbidity, sweeping away dirt and removing transgressions, I now accept the mandate, to rule over the myriad rivers, Water Virtue shines brightly, uniting with the Dao, the imperial order is like the Law! Hurry!"

As the true words settled, an irresistible force surged from within his body.

"[Divine Lord of Nine Heavens Moistening, Flowing Waves, and Universal Salvation]... So this is the full name of this Divine Lord position."

Only at this moment did Lu Ming truly understand what this divine position meant.

If compared to the realm of the Cultivation World, this was merely a Great True Person of Golden Core Perfection who had initially condensed the prototype of a Law.

But if placed within the Divine Court, it was truly an existence below one person and above billions of living beings.

And the authority he wielded was far from as simple as just managing clouds and rain or controlling water.

All the waters of the world were under his rule!

Not just rivers, lakes, seas, streams, and springs, but also the legendary Weak Water where not even a feather can float, the Boundless Water that has never dried up since ancient times, and the Three Lights Divine Water that can bring the dead back to life.

Even the Bloodlines and fluids surging within living beings, and the water vapor and mist permeating the world, everything related to water.

Whether tangible or intangible, concrete or conceptual, all were covered by his authority.

With a single thought, he could moisten all things to grow, or drain a thousand rivers dry.

As Lu Ming's comprehension of [Divine Lord of Nine Heavens Moistening, Flowing Waves, and Universal Salvation] deepened, the outside world also produced phenomena.

The sky of the Middle Three Heavens suddenly dimmed for a breath in that instant.

It was not dark clouds obscuring the sun, but the daylight itself seemed to be frozen by an invisible force for a moment; that heavy feeling pressed directly on people's hearts.

Immediately after, a huge light of water rushed into the sky from the direction of the Water Mansion, like a pillar of water connecting heaven and earth, running straight from the top of the Outer Dao City to the clouds.

That water light was not a physical entity, but more like the concrete manifestation of some Law.

Cold, vast, carrying a kind of calm and irresistible pressure.

In the process of rising, it continuously stretched and expanded, like a drop of thick ink falling into clear water, rendering the entire firmament of the Middle Three Heavens into a vast, pale cyan at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"What is that!"

This movement instantly alarmed countless Cultivators and Heavenly Officials in the Middle Three Heavens.

Heavenly Officials from all over flew out of their official residences and palaces one after another, hanging above the Void Realm, looking up.

What met their eyes was a vast water screen slowly unfolding above the firmament, covering the ten-thousand-mile sky, as if the Nine Heavens River was about to pour down and invert into the human world.

"This, this is... someone is charging towards the position of Divine Lord!!"