Chapter 340 - 251: Join the Great Soul Ascension, Part 2

Chapter 340: Chapter 251: Join the Great Soul Ascension, Part 2

Zog nodded.

’I see. So a Priest is just a God Stick.’

’To be honest, the way this Priest talks... they have to be a veteran God Stick.’

"If I may ask, how did you realize this scene was abnormal? Everyone who came before you fell into a beautiful illusion of their childhood."

"Then let me ask you: how do you know what my childhood illusion is supposed to look like?"

The Priest replied, "From *The Vanished Ancient Kingdom: A Study on the Origin of Giant Dragons*."

"Then I suggest you first read up on the biological studies of Giant Dragons."

Zog pointed to the huddle of young Red Dragons.

"You would never see a scene like this in a Dragon’s nest. Weak hatchlings have no right to live. They die under the claws of their own siblings. The competition begins the moment they hatch."

’Compared to the Dragon Race, even Sparta seems a bit too civilized.’

When Zog hatched, the scene was probably similar to Marshal Tianpeng’s reincarnation as a pig.

Out of instinct, the first thing he did was wipe out the other hatchlings.

It happened so fast that his newly transmigrated self didn’t even realize what was going on.

Zog’s starting stats were just too high. It’s no wonder he became an Ancient Dragon.

The Priest was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then said, "The Dragon Race truly is a cruel species."

Then, with a wave of their hand, they dispelled the scene and replaced it with an ordinary room.

There was almost no delay as the scene changed.

Zog guessed that this probably wasn’t a pure Illusion Technique; an Illusion Technique couldn’t be this fast.

The Priest sat in a chair and stated the purpose of their contact with Zog. "We mean you no harm. We simply hope that you will join our great cause. The abilities you’ve demonstrated by founding the Zog Group are exactly what we need."

Zog’s form was no longer that of a hatchling; he had returned to his most commonly used appearance.

"You need me to join? After using my Magic Vision Device network to cause so much chaos, now you’re telling me you need me to join?" Zog retorted, his tone hostile.

The Priest didn’t seem surprised by Zog’s reaction. "That was merely a necessary step toward achieving our great cause."

"You know, I hate people who speak in riddles. So I have a lot of questions for you, if you really want me to join this so-called ’great cause’ of yours."

’I have no intention of joining at all. I just want to see how much information I can get out of this Priest.’

"I will answer what I can."

"First, are you the Mammon Sect, or are you that bunch that used to call themselves the Soul Ascenders?"

"We have always been ourselves."

The Priest’s answer was still true to their God Stick nature.

"Titles and codenames are not important."

"Then what is this ’cause’ you mentioned?"

At this question, the Priest’s demeanor grew much more serious. The eyes beneath their mask showed extreme piety, no different from the fanatics in the Church.

’I realized at that moment that whatever these people’s ideology or faith was, it wasn’t just a ploy to deceive others. They truly believed it.’

The Priest said, "We are going to create a god."

Zog spread his little claws in a shrug, a clear sign that he wasn’t going to believe every fantastic claim they made.

The Priest paid no mind to Zog’s attitude and changed the scene again.

A battlefield suddenly appeared.

A boundless plain had been turned to scorched earth. The living fought in a chaotic melee while the dead littered the ground. Tenth Ring and even High Tier Magic efficiently reaped lives.

This was a battlefield from the time of the Divine War.

In Zog’s memory, this was the most intense battlefield that had ever appeared on this Continent.

The believers of different Deities all fought with the goal of exterminating heretics.

’A very accurate recreation.’

’It proves this bunch of Soul Ascenders have preserved historical records of the Divine War.’

’That’s very rare. Most records on this topic were destroyed by the Church. The Divine War is now described as a war of salvation, waged by the Magic Goddess to save the world and end the chaotic conflicts among the gods.’

’Either the Soul Ascenders recorded history through some special means, or they have an old fossil like me who witnessed it firsthand.’

"The Deities have never loved the living beings of this world," the Priest said in a grief-stricken tone. "They are nothing more than bloodsucking leeches that cling to all life, greedily feeding on faith. They first bring suffering, then offer salvation. They *are* the suffering. Humanity has no need for Deities!"

The Priest turned, their gaze burning as they looked at Zog.

"And you! You are becoming her accomplice, allowing faith in that sinful Goddess to fester within those network tricks! Now, a chance to correct your mistake lies before you.

"Faith is merely a part of consciousness. If we merge countless consciousnesses together, we can create a god that represents the will of all living beings. It will be perfectly rational, possess the wisdom of all life, and guide all beings to the shining shore beyond."

’I now had a general idea of what the Soul Ascenders were trying to do.’

’It sounded like they wanted to create a collective consciousness. Uploading consciousness... so that’s why they’re called Soul Ascenders.’

’Setting aside whether something created like that could even be considered a god, it sounded a lot like a super AI.’

’I wasn’t sure if this kind of thing would have Divine Power. It’s just like how when the Magic Goddess banned Tenth Ring and higher Magic, Mages all over the world really couldn’t use them anymore.’

’After all, faith is a real force in this world. Maybe a collective consciousness wouldn’t just be an AI, but could also give rise to some kind of great power.’

"Got it. One more question. What are those machines of yours that use living creatures as cores?"

"The best vessel for a consciousness is the vessel in which it originally resided."

"So you’re using a bunch of brains to store consciousness?"

The Priest didn’t answer directly. Instead, they said, "It’s not just for storing consciousness. It is also a great space. Look around you. Here, you can create anything you wish, no longer bound by the flesh."