Chapter 154: Spirits, Holy Spirits, and the Gathering of Faith
Only after merging with divinity did Donald realize that a divine bloodline was even rarer than he had imagined. An entity with such a bloodline could see its strength and combat capabilities rise beyond ordinary limits. For example, between two beings at the Bronze level, if one possessed a divine bloodline, the other, despite having all the advantages, would find it extremely difficult to defeat or kill them. Some intelligent beings were even powerful enough to challenge those several levels above them.
Already having a solid foundation, Donald felt an even greater surge of power after acquiring the divine bloodline. He sensed that if he wished, he could break through to the upper stages of Bronze or even reach the Silver level at any time.
Yet he did not do so. His basic knowledge was already weak—having only Bronze-level strength without mastering many spells or principles. Instead, he decided to follow in his teacher’s footsteps, accumulating enough strength before breaking through naturally. This way, the benefits of the breakthrough would be greater, making his power several times stronger than that of ordinary Silver-level warriors, even comparable to seasoned Silver mages.
“Only with the help of a high-tier artifact like the Book of Truth can one successfully merge with divinity and obtain a divine bloodline. Otherwise, just the first step of capturing divinity would be insurmountable for me!”
“Someday, I’ll definitely craft a Divine Whip that will shock even the gods of the heavens!”
As Donald spoke, the actual Book of Truth before his soul pillar suddenly lit up, clearly intrigued by the Divine Whip described in his memories—a weapon capable of subduing even the gods. As its light flickered, it projected a virtual image of the whip above, very similar to what Donald had imagined earlier. However, the 86 runes on it appeared even more mysterious, with a more perfect structure and shape, as if containing immense power.
The Book of Truth transmitted its thoughts, explaining the Divine Whip it had devised, which could counteract true gods. But upon seeing the list of materials required to create this artifact, Donald was immediately stunned.
“Branches of the World Tree? Divine blood of higher gods? Brain fluid of cosmic beasts? Core of abyssal lords? Are you joking? What level of materials are these? If I could get them, I’d already be a powerful true god!”
Take those World Tree branches, for example. Legend has it that after the World Tree disappeared, its remaining parts were excellent materials for crafting divine artifacts—so much so that even true gods would fight to seize them!
There is also the divine blood of higher gods. Ordinary people are likely to never see a true god in their lifetime, let alone a higher god at the pinnacle of all gods. As for the legendary cosmic beasts and abyssal lords, they are equally powerful as true gods. Obtaining their brain fluid and core is undoubtedly as difficult as slaying a god! Of course, aside from these four, they are not the only materials; alternatives can be used. For example, if one cannot find branches from the World Tree, branches from the Tree of Life can be used instead. Combined with ordinary divine blood, the brain fluid of legendary heart-stealing demons, and the core of legendary demons, one can still create this divine artifact. However, compared to the highest-quality advanced divine artifacts predicted by the Book of Truth, a divine whip made from inferior materials can at most reach the level of an elementary divine artifact. Its effectiveness against true gods above mid-tier gods will be greatly reduced, and it will not be lethal even against lower gods. It can only exert a decisive advantage when dealing with newly ascended gods. Fortunately, he doesn’t need to create those rule runes that are integrated into the divine artifact to counteract divinity; otherwise, even with these materials, he would likely be at a loss. Since he is already a being of divinity, the Book of Truth has already imparted to Donald some basic knowledge related to divinity. A being of divinity refers to one with divine blood within them. The sources of this divine blood can be divided into three categories: bestowed by true gods, inherited from ancestors, or acquired through later integration. Among these three, the first two are the most common, as it is unimaginably difficult for ordinary people to acquire and integrate divinity. Even most domain masters at the legendary level have not achieved this, let alone ordinary bronze or silver-ranked professionals! There is also a very special case: beings that generate their own divinity. Such beings mainly include heroes, holy spirits, and demigods. It’s not only true gods who are worshipped by intelligent beings; many powerful demons, dragons, and even powerful creatures from other realms are also worshipped by mortal beings. Take human society, for example! Any outstanding figure in a certain field—such as a great hero on ancient battlefields, a famous literary master in history, or a lord or king who rules a region—will have many people who worship and revere them. The mental energy generated by these worshippers’ desires is actually a form of faith power. Although it is not as pure as that obtained from gods, if it can be absorbed and gathered together, it still becomes an incredibly powerful force.
Of course, very few mortals can actively gather the power of faith for their own use. In his past life, Donald had heard such legends—of ancient generals or renowned officials who possessed the authority bestowed by the emperor, making even ghosts and demons afraid to approach them. In reality, this was the result of gathering the fighting spirit of countless armies or the wishes of the people, which transformed into the power of faith and prevented lower-level ghosts and demons from approaching. There were also highly respected scholars of the time who, through their pure intentions, generated an aura of righteousness that drove demons and monsters away.
These were all different forms of applying the power of faith. However, those mortals who possessed this power were not gods; they could only passively benefit from it. Much of this power would dissipate into the world over time, and only after their natural life ended and their souls separated from their bodies would they be able to actively absorb and utilize that willpower. Some even managed to become gods capable of displaying supernatural powers—this was the fundamental reason for so many legends of people becoming gods after death in his past life.
This world indeed has true gods, and those who become gods after death certainly exist, with many of them in the primary material plane. They are collectively called heroes of legend—usually the founders of a kingdom or territory who, after death, are venerated by the royal family and their clans. Their souls, bound by the power of faith, do not go to the underworld but remain in the human world, continuously gathering faith over thousands of years to exist as spiritual beings.
Heroes of legend are similar to gods but different from true gods. Most of the messengers served by true gods are actually heroes of legend, as the more devout the believers, the more likely their souls are to become such beings. Unlike those who naturally become heroes of legend, these believer-based heroes exist relying on the power of their gods. If the god they worship falls, they too will cease to exist. True gods greatly appreciate such heroes of legend and usually grant them the status of messengers to spread their teachings among humans.
Among heroes of legend, there are also powerful ones who have transcended the status of ordinary heroes and are evolving into true gods. These powerful and rare beings are called sacred spirits. Their strength is generally higher than that of legendary warriors, but since they lack a physical form, they are slightly inferior to demigods who have ignited divine flames.
Though they exist only as spirits without a physical body, they can still become true gods. It is said that among the gods of past ages, there were many who became gods as sacred spirits. For example, the Beast God who perished a thousand years ago was once the most powerful ruler of the first orc empire. This great orc emperor also became a sacred spirit after death, then ignited a divine flame and successfully became a god.
With hundreds of millions of various beastfolk sharing a unified faith, in just 300 years, the Beast God evolved from a sacred spirit into a great true god—a powerful supreme deity among true gods. However, although the sacred spirit became a true god through deification, due to its lack of a physical form before deification, true gods without a physical form were not as strong as those with one at the same rank. Because of this weakness, the Beast God was the first powerful deity to fall in thousands of years.
As for demi-gods, they are those who have condensed divinity within their bodies or accidentally inherited divine bloodlines, gradually strengthening their divinity until they reach the point of igniting a divine flame. When true gods become too powerful, exceeding the world’s capacity limits and being constrained by the rules of the primary material world, preventing them from descending to the mortal realm in their true form, demi-gods become the most powerful force in the world.
In addition to introducing knowledge related to deities such as heroes, sacred spirits, and demi-gods, the Book of Truth also provided a brief and general description of the relationship between true gods and the power of faith.
“Does that mean those true gods are restricted by their believers? If most believers change their faith or even curse the true gods, even if they don’t fall, they will suffer severe damage. In that case, it might be better not to accumulate a divine essence to become a true god and instead remain a carefree demi-god, right?”
The Book of Truth did not answer this question. Perhaps the reason was that its own realm had not yet reached that level!
Then, the Book of Truth gave another hint: whether to absorb the surrounding power of faith and convert it into divine power or use it to nourish divinity.
Donald was surprised and said, “How come I also have the power of faith?” Immediately, the Book of Truth enhanced his divine vision, raising him from an ordinary divine being to a demi-god level. In this state, Donald looked around and saw a layer of misty light swirling around him.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that this mist was composed of countless tiny threads of light, each with an immeasurable length. The parts near his body took on a misty appearance due to certain forces, while three feet away, they were just transparent, thin threads stretching into infinity.
Is this what the power of faith looks like?