Chapter 441: The Eve of Godhood

"Heloise."

The Moon Elf banshee steward phased through the floor and bowed respectfully to the White Dragon Lord.

"This is Sadassim, my new student. He will be living in the White Tower from now on. Show him around to familiarize him with the environment and arrange a room for him."

"As you wish."

The Moon Elf banshee steward led the little red dragon away. The White Dragon Lord sensed a familiar aura approaching the main hall of White Castle. It was his Murloc subordinate—Feixi Darkscale.

Calculating the time, he realized it was time to cultivate believers.

The White Dragon Lord vanished from the White Tower and appeared directly on the throne in the main hall of White Castle, as if he had been sitting there all along.

The small Murloc entered the grand hall through its five-story-tall doors. Seeing the White Dragon Lord on the throne, he walked slowly to the center of the hall and dropped to one knee.

"Good day, great master."

The White Dragon Lord looked at the Murloc with complex emotion. "Are you ready?!"

"I am ready," Feixi Darkscale answered calmly. Shadow energy surged from his body, forming a misty aura around him. The mist condensed without dissipating, shifting shapes according to his will.

The shadow energy formed a sea turtle that flapped its flat limbs, swimming through turbulent waves. Suddenly, a shark darted up from the ocean depths, swallowing the turtle in a single bite...

The White Dragon Lord nodded in satisfaction at the sight. Being able to manipulate energy at will to create such detailed images meant Feixi Darkscale's level of energy control had met his requirements.

"Very good. I have always seen your hard work, but ascending to godhood requires more than just effort." The White Dragon Lord extended a dragon claw and pointed at the half-kneeling Murloc. A spinning black dot appeared in front of him, growing larger and larger until it formed a black vortex that sucked the Murloc inside.

"Good luck, Feixi."

Carrying the White Dragon Lord's blessing, Feixi Darkscale was spat out by the black hole. He found himself in a new place. It was pitch-black and surrounded by water. The sensation was deeply familiar to him; it was the deep sea.

"You are finally here."

The White Dragon Lord's voice echoed from behind him. Feixi Darkscale turned and saw two massive golden lanterns in the darkness. They were the White Dragon Lord's eyes.

Compared to the one in White Castle, the entity before him was far more gargantuan, and the imposing aura radiating from him was much stronger. This was the true body of the White Dragon Lord.

Feixi Darkscale bowed to the White Dragon Lord, then his attention was drawn to the Altar behind the dragon. The Altar had an archaic design and did not cover a large area, yet it stood out as strikingly as a beacon of light in the dark of night.

At that moment, an energy sphere radiating a pale blue glow hovered above the Altar. The White Dragon Lord took the sphere down.

"Come. This is prepared for you. It will help you sense the ethereal power of faith."

Under the White Dragon Lord's guidance, Feixi Darkscale walked toward the Altar. He ascended the steps one by one and sat at the very top.

Seeing his subordinate ready, the White Dragon Lord activated the magic array surrounding the Altar. An invisible Magic Barrier enveloped the Altar, sealing Feixi Darkscale inside. This barrier was to protect the Murloc from external interference.

"Relax, and feel it with your heart."

Mana surged from within the White Dragon Lord and poured into the Altar beneath Feixi Darkscale. Milky-white runes surfaced on the Altar, swimming across the stone like a dense school of fish. These complex runes would amplify the Murloc's perception, helping him discover the power of faith.

Feixi Darkscale's spiritual body entered a pitch-black, mysterious space. He looked around in a daze and noticed several impossibly thin threads attached to him.

Having vigorously studied the knowledge of gods, he instantly realized these were the threads of the power of faith.

These threads acted as the umbilical cord connecting a deity to their believers. The stronger the believer's soul and the more sincere their devotion, the more solid the connecting thread became.

Feixi Darkscale noticed one of the threads light up, and a strange echo rang in his head.

"Great New God of Fishmen, please guide my way..."

It was a believer praying. Feixi Darkscale injected a strand of mental energy into the thread. His vision traveled down the line, instantly seeing the scene of the prayer—a dimly lit room where a New Murloc child knelt before a divine statue. The child's arms were crossed over his chest, his eyes closed, muttering incessantly.

Listening to the New Murloc child's prayer, Feixi Darkscale realized the believer was asking him, a deity, for the location of a lost pet. He was both amused and exasperated. He never expected that the very first prayer on his path to godhood would be a plea to help find a missing pet sea turtle.

Every first time held significant meaning. Feixi Darkscale decided to help his little believer. Based on the information revealed, he cast a Divination Spell to locate the sea turtle.

Because the target of the divination was a trivial little turtle, Feixi Darkscale succeeded effortlessly. He relayed the result to his young believer.

"To the west, beneath the largest rock by the island cliffs, lies what you seek."

On the other end, the majestic voice echoed in the New Murloc child's mind. He opened his eyes in terror, but quickly realized it was the god guiding him. Screaming in excitement, he ran outside to tell his tribesmen what had happened.

"Erduo! Lying is not a good habit!" an Adult New Murloc scolded the child. "Why would a great god answer such a boring prayer?"

"It is true! Teacher! I am not lying to you!" the young Murloc explained, on the verge of tears. Remembering the deity's words, he added, "The god said the lost little green turtle is right under the big rock by the island cliffs in the west."

The argument between the two Murlocs attracted the attention of others in the tribe.

An onlooking New Murloc came up with an idea. "Stop arguing. Let's just go see if the little green turtle is where Erduo says it is."

Several idle Murlocs set off together, arriving at the large rock beneath the island cliffs. Following the young Murloc's calls, a green sea turtle swam out from the rock crevices and lunged toward the pleasantly surprised child.

The New Murlocs watched in shock. The group ran back to the settlement in high spirits, telling everyone they met about what had just happened.

A swarm of Murlocs flooded into the newly built temple, praying fervently before the divine statue.

Feixi Darkscale felt many threads light up all at once. The voices of the Murlocs' prayers erupted in his mind, like a thousand ducks quacking endlessly. His head felt like it was splitting apart, and he abruptly withdrew from the dark space.

Opening his eyes, Feixi Darkscale gasped for breath and rubbed his head.

Nearby, the White Dragon Lord looked at his Murloc subordinate. "How does it feel?"

"Terrible!" Feixi Darkscale shook his head. "I cannot process so many prayers at the same time. I can't even hear them clearly! I cannot imagine how those gods handle the prayers of so many believers!"

"True gods possess a divine spark. It helps them filter out which prayers are worth answering, such as increasing a cleric's Professional level. But even without the aid of a divine spark, they can process thousands of prayers simultaneously. A senior deity offered a piece of advice for you: practice more before ascending. Just keep practicing, and you will get the hang of it."

The White Dragon Lord recalled Sophia's gloating expression when she offered that advice. It was the first time he had ever seen the Elves' flower goddess act so ungracefully. It seemed the process of ascending to godhood was truly unpleasant.

"You do not need to answer all these prayers. Just pick the important ones, or the ones you find interesting. After all, you are their god, not their servant..."

Feixi Darkscale nodded and entered the wondrous dark space once again. He noticed that the threads of faith had grown much more solid. One of them even emitted a faint golden light—it was the connection of the New Murloc child, Erduo. He instantly realized he had gained his first fanatic believer.

Encouraged, Feixi Darkscale felt full of strength. Following the White Dragon Lord's advice, he blocked out the vast majority of the prayers and selected just two threads of faith. With only two voices ringing in his mind at the same time, he felt much better.

Slowly, Feixi Darkscale adapted to listening to two believers simultaneously. Then he added another, listening to three prayers at once...

Outside the barrier, seeing Feixi Darkscale's breathing gradually steady, the White Dragon Lord knew his subordinate had found the right method. Setting his mind at ease, he stood by and carefully observed the Murloc's changes, letting the Gold Finger record the entire process.

Opportunities to observe the apotheosis of a deity up close were rare. The White Dragon Lord would never miss such a prime chance to research the gods. He planned to stay by Feixi Darkscale's side until the ascension began.

Time passed unknowingly. In the blink of an eye, ten years went by.

After ten years of continuous practice, Feixi Darkscale could now listen to thousands of believers praying simultaneously, and could sift through them to find the most noteworthy information.

While his Murloc subordinate made constant progress, the White Dragon Lord was not idle either. Through relentless observation and research, he uncovered some secrets of the gods. For instance, he discovered that the power of faith was fundamentally a spiritual connection with Soul Energy at its core, and that this power could strengthen the ascendant's soul.

Over the years, Feixi Darkscale's soul strength had skyrocketed at a speed that shocked even the White Dragon Lord.

However, this method of improvement did not rely on his own strength. Taking a shortcut came with a price: Feixi Darkscale's Soul Energy had become somewhat mottled and impure.

But that didn't matter. Divine fire possessed the ability to purify souls. As long as Feixi Darkscale successfully ascended to godhood, all these hidden dangers would be resolved.

On the Altar, Feixi Darkscale opened his eyes, a heavy pressure shooting from his gaze. He was adapting more and more to his role as the New God of Fishmen, and his imposing aura grew stronger accordingly.

Of course, this bit of pressure was nothing to the White Dragon Lord. Even if a genuine deity stood before him, he would not flinch in the slightest—he could even go toe-to-toe with a god.

Feixi Darkscale reined in his aura and looked toward the White Dragon Lord.

"Your Majesty, I feel I am ready. I can now listen to the prayers of eight thousand believers simultaneously, and answer the wishes of a hundred at the same time."

The White Dragon Lord calculated in his mind. Over the years, he had used the state machinery of Yafiavi to aid the Murloc's missionary work, earning Feixi Darkscale hundreds of thousands of believers. It was indeed enough for him to ascend.

"Wait a little longer. Let me add one more layer of insurance to your ascension ritual."

Meanwhile, in the White Tower Laboratory, the White Dragon Lord's avatar received a message from his main body and set down the experimental materials in his hands.

"Sadassim."

"I am here, Teacher." The little red dragon looked at his teacher in confusion. In his impression, his teacher was a magic fanatic who would never abandon a magical experiment halfway through.

What was wrong with him today?!

"I need to go out and handle something. Put down your magic experiments for now. If nothing unexpected happens, there will be a once-in-a-lifetime show in two days. Go watch it; it will benefit your future."

For his teacher to call it a once-in-a-lifetime show piqued the little red dragon's curiosity. He asked with a grin, "Teacher, what kind of good show is it? To be worth the wise and mighty you stepping in personally!"

"Cut the flattery. You will know when the time comes." The White Dragon Lord walked out of the laboratory, arrived at the White Tower's Teleportation Platform, and teleported directly to Sky City to find Merlin Heavenly Principle.

With a wave of his hand, a Magic Barrier shrouded the dragon and the man, preventing their conversation from being eavesdropped on.

"Speaker, Your Excellency. The ascension ritual is about to begin."

"Oh? Is everything prepared so quickly?" Merlin Heavenly Principle set down the documents in his hands.

"Very well. Let us agree on a time. When the moment comes, I will exert my full strength to activate the Spatial Lockdown Magic Array and completely seal the dimensional barrier of Nordhill. This will disrupt the perception of those entities and temporarily isolate their wills. After that, it will be all up to you." Merlin Heavenly Principle gave the White Dragon Lord a meaningful look.

The White Dragon Lord nodded. "I think the morning after tomorrow, just as the sun rises, would be an excellent time."

"No problem," Merlin Heavenly Principle agreed without a second thought.

The White Dragon Lord took out a Memory Crystal and floated it toward Merlin Heavenly Principle. "These are the results of my research over the years. It contains data on the gods and some of my hypotheses. I hope it proves useful to you."

"Then I will gladly accept it."

Merlin Heavenly Principle smiled as he accepted the Memory Crystal. He had invested massive resources early on, and now he was reaping the rewards. It was a win-win investment.

The White Dragon Lord teleported away from Sky City.

On the other end, in the sunless abyssal trench, the White Dragon Lord's main body received the reply from his avatar and explained the relevant arrangements to his Murloc subordinate.

"The morning after tomorrow, when the sun rises, will be the moment of your ascension."

"I understand." Feixi Darkscale suppressed his excitement, his spiritual body entering the dark space. Compared to the sparse few connecting threads of faith from ten years ago, the threads in the space were now densely packed, and quite a few radiated a golden light.

Tracing the connections of faith, Feixi Darkscale saw the faces of his believers as they prayed. He issued the first divine oracle on his path to godhood. The general gist of the oracle instructed all believers to wake up early to pray on the morning after tomorrow.

While his Murloc subordinate rallied his believers, the White Dragon Lord toyed with the pale blue sphere of light in his hand.