Chapter 132: Charlatan

At this moment, Chen Xiao resembled a charlatan more than anyone else—repeating phrases about the glory of deities and the splendor of gods. If not for the sensitivity of his identity, even Chen Xiao himself might have been tempted to change his plans.
Earlier, while speaking, Chen Xiao unconsciously used a small amount of divine power to convey his voice and merge himself with the statue behind him. Now, he appeared as the incarnation of the God of Light on earth.
Li Chengfei was left speechless by Chen Xiao’s words, his entire body trembling slightly. The followers of the “God of Light,” upon hearing Chen Xiao’s words, all turned their gaze toward Li Chengfei, their expressions even darker than when facing Chen Xiao earlier.
Although these followers numbered only about a thousand and most of them were not very strong, with many not even having developed their mental seas, there were a few among them who were powerful third- or even fourth-tier ablers.
“Blasphemy against the gods! According to the ancient laws of the secular world, execute him by fire!”
The strongest among them, a fourth-tier abler who had become the leader of this group, spoke up.
The world of ablers was different from the secular world. In the secular world, due to various constraints, ablers had to abide by its laws and could not act recklessly. But in this world of ablers, it was a vast jungle where the strong preyed on the weak, and strength ruled—there were no laws to restrain them. Fire execution, once a punishment for blasphemers in medieval Europe, was now to be used by these fanatical followers.
“No, no! I’m not a blasphemer! I’m also a follower of the God of Light!”
Li Chengfei was the typical foolish type—usually relying on his family’s power to commit crimes, but panicking at the first critical moment. Shouting, he ran outside the temple, even forgetting to use his ability card to escape.
“No bloodshed inside the temple.”
The fourth-tier abler smirked eerily. In just a few leaps, he followed Li Chengfei outside the temple.
“Stop him for me!”
Outside the temple, Li Chengfei’s subordinates remained. Hearing his cries, they immediately rushed forward to stop the fourth-tier abler.
“Seeking death.”
The fourth-tier abler sneered. With a wave of his hand, a golden blade appeared in his hand. In a single move, he killed all seven of Li Chengfei’s second-tier ablers.
The fourth-tier abler leaped forward and grabbed Li Chengfei.
“A blasphemer deserves to be beheaded, not just burned!” With a fierce expression, he used the golden blade to split Li Chengfei in two from the waist.
Instantly, blood sprayed into the air, and internal organs flew everywhere. Li Chengfei’s eyes and mouth were wide open, but he couldn’t utter a sound. He simply couldn’t believe he had died like this.

“Those who desecrate the gods shall not be spared.” This fourth-tier ability user intended to assert his authority, so he didn’t give Li Chengfei any chance to explain and immediately moved to eliminate him. “And you—failing to worship the gods in the temple is an act of disrespect. You deserve to be burned at the stake.” By this time, Chen Xiao had followed the others out of the hall and witnessed Li Chengfei’s death with his own eyes. “This guy is really something special,” Chen Xiao said with a smirk, dismissing the words of the fourth-tier ability user. The next moment, that fourth-tier ability user rushed at Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao shrugged, gently slapped his palm toward the sky, and instantly a three-meter-wide wave erupted from his hand, sending the fourth-tier ability user flying away. “I’ve said I’m a believer of the God of Light. I would never do anything to desecrate the gods. Besides, if you want to assert your authority by finding a rival, you should first assess both of your strengths.” Chen Xiao sneered, his body instantly enveloped in a black light and disappearing. If not for the fact that this person might still be useful later, Chen Xiao would never have spared him. The fourth-tier ability user was stunned, staring in disbelief at the spot where Chen Xiao had disappeared. … “Stedley and Wan Hu are both in Jiangnan?” Chen Xiao pondered for a moment before quickly dialing Wan Hu’s number to summon him and Stedley back to Jinghua. As for matters in Jiangnan, another fifth-tier ability user would take care of them. Half a day later, Wan Hu and Stedley appeared before Chen Xiao. “Young master, what exactly happened that you need to summon us so urgently?” Wan Hu asked respectfully as he stood before Chen Xiao. “Sit down and talk,” Chen Xiao said smilingly to Wan Hu and Stedley. Having grown up in a poor rural area and lived in the lowest strata, Chen Xiao, despite his current strength, was still not used to—or didn’t like—it when others treated him with such reverence. “Do you all know about what happened yesterday in the Flame Soul Realm of the ability world?” “You mean the miracle where tens of thousands of blood-colored monsters were wiped out?” Wan Hu’s expression changed slightly. This incident had now become the biggest news in the ability world. In just one day, almost all ability users in the world knew about it, and among China’s various ability factions, it even overshadowed the upcoming discovery of the Tianlong Secret Treasures. The Tianlong Secret Treasures were merely treasures left by ancient dragon gods. But in the Flame Soul Realm, a god had appeared in person—clearly, this was far more significant. Almost instantly, all the major factions in the ability world fell silent; no one dared to act rashly. Tens of thousands of blood-colored monsters could sweep through all human factions in the ability world, leaving nothing standing in their way. Yet now, they had all been destroyed with just a snort from a giant face—this could only be explained by a god. At first, many factions in the ability world doubted the truth of this incident. But when their people arrived in the Flame Soul Realm and saw the corpses of those blood-colored monsters everywhere, they were convinced. They temporarily set aside the Tianlong Secret Treasures and shifted their attention elsewhere.

“That’s right, it’s exactly this matter,” Chen Xiao smiled and then said, “Now, a Glorious Temple has been built in the Flame Soul Realm. I want you two to take control of this temple and use it as a base to gain followers. Remember, what I need this time are followers, not subordinates— they can be from any faction.”
No other faction dared to touch the Glorious Temple; they didn’t have the courage, after all, the true god had once manifested and easily destroyed tens of thousands of bloodthirsty monsters.
But in Chen Xiao’s eyes, the Glorious Temple was undoubtedly a huge opportunity—a tool to absorb faith and enhance power. Mu Mu, Gui Gui, Meng Fei, and even the godly master Chai Yunke were all under Chen Xiao’s control. The faith of those with supernatural abilities naturally belonged to Chen Xiao.
Yet, Chen Xiao could only feel at ease if he kept this huge opportunity in his own hands and had his own people in control of it.
“Take control of the Glorious Temple? Young master, that’s a bit…” Wan Hu and Stedley exchanged glances, both finding Chen Xiao’s bold idea incredible—targeting a deity was something unprecedented.
“Don’t worry. Just follow me. I have my plans,” Chen Xiao said with an indifferent smile.
…
By now, the area around the Glorious Temple had returned to calm. People from the Li family also arrived to collect the bodies of Li Chengfei and his seven guards.
They couldn’t speak out against the followers of the Glorious Temple, as after the deity’s manifestation, no one could guarantee whether the deity would return. Even the major factions in Huaxia Country didn’t dare interfere.
But they hated Chen Xiao. From their investigations, they had learned that Li Chengfei was killed because of the young man who had clashed with him before. However, no one told them about Chen Xiao slapping away a fourth-tier supernatural being with one hand.
Chen Xiao changed his clothes and returned to the Glorious Temple with Wan Hu and Stedley.
As soon as they entered the temple, Stedley and Wan Hu shuddered violently. Now they finally understood why Chen Xiao was so confident that they could take control of the temple.
Both of them saw the three statues of the Glorious Goddesses beside the God of Glory. Meng Fei and the others had never seen them, but Gui Gui and Mu Mu had.
On the statues, Gui Gui and Mu Mu, one black and one white, held golden flowers, their expressions so lifelike they almost resembled real people.
Could it be that these two seventh-tier supernatural beings who always followed Chen Xiao were two of the legendary Glorious Goddesses beside the God of Glory?
Back then, Wan Hu and Stedley, one a sixth-tier and the other a fifth-tier supernatural being, were so shocked their tongues almost fell out. If the Glorious Goddesses served as servants to Chen Xiao, then what exactly was Chen Xiao?
And what was the relationship between the God of Glory and Chen Xiao?
They exchanged glances, seeing shock and a hint of excitement in each other’s eyes.
This master was truly someone worth following.
Immediately, they suppressed their shock and, as planned, strode confidently into the main hall.

“Dare you enter the Temple of Glory without kneeling?” The previous fourth-tier ability user had now become the master of this place, the leader of the many believers. “I, Wan Hu, swear an oath to the gods,” Wan Hu said, ignoring the man entirely and continuing on his own: “I vow to serve the gods throughout my life, to be their servant for the rest of my days! If I break this oath, may I die eternally, with no soul left!” Soon after, Stedley also saw such an oath before the statue. “You two, what boldness! How can such words of serving the gods be spoken so easily? You are clearly desecrating the gods!” The fourth-tier ability user suddenly jumped up and cursed at Wan Hu and Stedley. By now, Chen Xiao was certain that this fourth-tier ability user was not a believer in any god; he was simply trying to take control of this place. “Guigui, Mumu, Mengfei, it’s your turn,” Chen Xiao said, shaking his head and sighing. …