Chapter 244.2: The Evil God Lu Changsheng Manifests His Saint Body, Destroying the True God in the Moon Capital With a Single Blow! (II)

Lu Changsheng was spectating the trial from afar, and when he saw Tang Lu take first place in the provincial trial, he made out a thread of the power of faith slipping swiftly into her body.

Has she been noticed? I can't tell whether it's the Great Moon True God or the False God. Most likely the false one. It seems like I can't have any real contact with Tang Lu anymore, or the Great Moon False God might notice me...

A chill ran through Lu Changsheng. He had not predicted that Tang Lu would earn the False God's attention just by ranking first in the provincial trial, though it was reasonable enough. It was genuinely a rare occurrence for a woman to take first place in a provincial trial, and it was not unusual for the Great Moon False Good to take interest in such rare events.

It was only a single thread of the power of faith, which did not mean the False God's gaze rested on Tang Lu every moment of the day. Still, better safe than sorry, and Lu Changsheng had no intention of gambling. He left Tang Lu a note explaining the situation and instructing her that the two of them were not to meet. Everything would go through letters, and he would guide her next steps that way.

Tang Lu returned to her lodgings, found Lu Changsheng gone and his letter in his place, and was not particularly surprised by what it said. If anything, she had long been prepared for it.

After all, her master was an Evil God, and how could an Evil God appear in the sunlight? With the Great Moon False God's gaze on her, he certainly would not risk showing himself.

Following his instructions, then, she still had to travel to the Moon Capital, though there was no rush. The Divine Child Trial there was three months away, which gave her ample time to make her way at an unhurried pace.

Tang Lu stayed in the provincial capital for the better part of a month while Lu Changsheng observed her from the shadows, and he found that the power of faith, once inside her, had no effect on her whatsoever; nothing about her had changed.

He guessed the thread was most likely no more than a mark, the equivalent of a brand set on her by the Great Moon False God. Since nothing seemed amiss, he sent a letter ordering her to set out for the Moon Capital.

Lu Changsheng traveled in her caravan again, but with the greatest caution, avoiding any interaction with her so as not to be sensed by the Great Moon False God. The caravan was a large one, and though the road was long, Tang Lu was traveling to sit the Moon Capital's Divine Child Trial, and doing so as the first-place finisher of the provincial trial, no less.

The whole journey was safe and free of trouble, with officials waving her caravan straight through wherever it went, since no one dared obstruct it.

Before long, they arrived in the Moon Capital. At the gates, the guards conducted a cursory search, no more than a formality, and then waved them through.

At last, they were inside.

Buzz...

Lu Changsheng felt the difference at once. The power of faith in the Moon Capital was overwhelmingly dense, like an enormous net, with everyone bathing in it every hour of the day. Even someone with little belief in the deities would, under its imperceptible erosion, become one of the most loyal subjects of the Great Moon True God and the Great Moon False God.

What a terrible thing this power of faith is. A world ruled by deities holds no hope whatsoever. There was a reason the experts of the Immortal Dao and the Martial Dao joined forces to drive the deities out...

Lu Changsheng was beginning to grasp why they had been driven out. Such power of faith simply erased whatever spark of spirit a living being possessed, and given enough time, everyone would be reduced to mere puppets.

Here, in the Moon Capital, Lu Changsheng had to be more careful than ever. He could not step a hair out of line, for the whole city lay beneath that net of faith, and the smallest irregularity from him would likely be spotted by the Great Moon False God at once.

He even reduced his correspondence with Tang Lu to almost nothing. They had discussed everything on the road, though, and she knew her objective well: to determine the Great Moon True God's precise location by any means available. Once she obtained that information, the rest had nothing to do with her.

After reaching the Moon Capital, Lu Changsheng went completely still, not making a sound and not even venturing out to gather news, because he understood that in this city, anyone's movements could easily be tracked by the Great Moon False God. The best way to remain safe was staying put and doing nothing.

The days passed one after another, and at last, the day of the Moon Capital's Divine Child Trial arrived. Tang Lu came to the examination ground along with everyone else, and Lu Changsheng watched from far away.

The first trial was already brutal: lift a thousand-jin stone lock, far harder than anything in the provincial trial. This was the empire selecting its finest from the whole country, people who could bear a deity's power, and without a strong physique, no one would hold up under it.

Tang Lu, however, cleared it smoothly, her physical constitution ranking near the very top among the entrants. Not first, perhaps, but surely within the top three, which was excellent already.

Then came the second and third trials. More and more were eliminated while Tang Lu held steady throughout, and even when it came to real combat, she did not yield an inch. If anything, she performed even better in actual combat. After all, she had been hunted for her life and had cut her way into the Tang Manor, killing more men than she could count. Despite her looks, Tang Lu was no delicate, pampered daughter of a wealthy house.

At last, the Divine Child Trial came to its close, and Tang Lu finished in third place—a most honorable ranking.

Lu Changsheng's expression turned grave as he fixed his eyes on her, because this was the crucial moment. It was said that whoever passed the Moon Capital's trial would become a Divine Child and receive the blessing of the Great Moon True God. The rite could not be performed by the False God, as those who completed the trial were the Divine Children of the True God.

Tang Lu raised her head and gazed at the sky, knowing as well that the crucial moment had come. Was this not exactly what the master behind her had been waiting for? She did not know what he wanted with the Great Moon True God, but she could make an educated guess.

Evil Gods and True Gods could not coexist, and when an Evil God schemed and labored to find a True God, what else could he intend? Tang Lu suspected that after today, if all went according to plan, the Moon Capital would cease to exist.

"All Divine Children, step forward. The True God grants its blessing," announced the official presiding over the trial.

Everyone who had passed stepped forward and knelt, hearts filled with reverence, waiting for the blessing.

Buzz.

The next instant, a dazzling radiance emerged seemingly out of nowhere, and a faint but towering shadow stretched across the sky, radiating a dreadful aura.

That was the Great Moon True God!

It was not its true body, of course, only its aura, and Lu Changsheng still could not pinpoint its position. Still, he did not fret. This moment was precisely what he had spent all this time cultivating Tang Lu for.

The instant the radiance enveloped her, Lu Changsheng shouted, "Tang Lu!"

"Yes, Master."

Tang Lu's eyes were resolute, and the next moment, she hurled herself toward the crowd, leaving everyone present stunned as she rushed straight to Lu Changsheng.

Almost at once, he sent his mind probing into hers, and sure enough, a seed had already been planted there—a seed of faith.

Once such a seed was planted, the Great Moon True God could channel its power into her body, and it served one other crucial function: through it, Lu Changsheng could instantly determine the True God's exact location.

Whoosh!

His consciousness swept across the seed of faith. His mind was roaring, shuddering violently, yet Lu Changsheng stood resolute and unyielding.

Eventually, he opened his eyes, and a fierce gleam flashed through them.

Found you!