Chapter 2726: After the Disillusionment, the Riot

The festering rash that had plagued them for four hundred years had always been neatly concealed beneath splendid robes, but the Demon Emperor suddenly tore it open, letting the world see the vast expanse of ulcerated, pus-filled sores beneath.

The Bekans were shocked, yet they could no longer face it directly.

They had lived frugally, observed rites strictly, and devoted their lives to this—was it merely this rotting, oozing thing?

Many could not bear it, driven mad to death.

"It's probably not that simple," He Lingchuan said, seeing deeper, "The Demon Emperor's actions are all out in the open, so the spectacle is grand, for he must mobilize the people and the army; but I suspect the counterattacks from the Heavenly Fiends and the Heavenly Palace are happening in secret, so we may not see them, yet the Demon Emperor has already felt their power, which is why he decisively exposed the Heavenly Palace scandal, hoping to shake the Heavenly Fiends' faith-based foundation in the mortal realm."

As Lord of Bekan, the Demon Emperor cannot openly oppose the Heavenly Palace, precisely because the Heavenly Fiends' faith-based foundation in Bekan is too solid.

So, in this life-or-death game of chess, does the Demon Emperor have a chance to win?

Yes, as long as he can destroy or shake the faith-based foundation of the gods.

The temples bear the people's incense and spread the gods' grace. And the chief priests and divine envoys are the gods' mouthpieces; during major sacrifices, festivals, court assemblies, and other important occasions, they must also convey the gods' words and bestow divine favor.

As the gods' mouthpieces, they naturally enjoy a holy image and transcendent status in the mortal realm.

For four hundred years, the Heavenly Palace has stood apart from the Bekan court, using divine grace to build a radiant, shining high wall and holy temple, blocking the gaze of mortals who would peer and scrutinize.

With the images of many divine envoys suddenly collapsing in ruin, the wall and temple crumbled in multiple places. The filth hidden within the halls, once unshielded, was instantly exposed before the eyes of the world.

At this moment, the common folk were caught off guard, day after day staring agape as they consumed the gossip.

The public outrage grew ever larger, and under the guidance of those with intent, the secular spear naturally pointed at the Heavenly Palace's credibility.

Since the gods are all-knowing and all-powerful, why do their temples and servants commit acts that outrage both heaven and humanity, yet the gods turn a blind eye and let it pass?

This reasoning fails to reach most people.

Is it that the gods are not all-knowing, or do they simply not care what their servants have done, nor what befalls their followers?

Or do they fundamentally not care about their followers' life or death, honor or disgrace, wealth or poverty, joy or suffering?

Whichever option, it is unbearable for the common folk.

The belief they had held without doubt since childhood now begins to crumble, and people fall into confusion.

If the divine servants are like this, then what of the gods themselves?

Do the gods truly love Bekan? Do the gods truly watch over themselves?

At this moment, noise from beyond Bekan began to come in.

How proud the Bekans once were!

Panlong said the gods are demons from beyond the realm, cloaking themselves in divine garb.

The Bekans: Pah! We are the chosen children of heaven.

Panlong said the gods incite war and steal human nightmare energy.

The Bekans: Pah! You understand nothing of the gods' love for humanity.

Now, rumors spread throughout Bekan: in the streets and alleys, people hotly discuss—do you know? Those divine servants and high officials still eat people, eat children—some sliced raw, some made into dipping sauce, some stir-fried, pan-seared, boiled, or deep-fried. And moreover, they make infants into purple river carriages, an elixir for immortality!

The Bekans: Good god, this might actually be true!

Why would they believe this? Because Bekan has always been a demon realm, and in every region, criminal punishments include the option of demons eating people—what is called "beast-devouring."

Now these rumors merely shift the eater from demons to divine servants, and the eaten from criminals to innocent infants—what is so strange about that?

Know this: Bekan has some great demons who serve in court and hold office; when they get peckish, they too secretly eat people.

But when demons eat people, it is by instinct; when people eat people, it is shocking to hear.

"The one who first thought up such a rumor must understand Bekan very well," He Lingchuan said upon hearing it, giving a thumbs-up,

"Indeed, great propaganda work must still be done by the locals themselves."

Rumors, anger, suspicion, and schadenfreude, like a spreading fire, grow ever fiercer under the covert stirring of hidden forces.

There are still fanatics in Bekan.

These fanatics still believe this is a difficult trial sent down by the gods, and only the most steadfast believers can enter the divine realm and gain eternal life. Otherwise, how would they differ from ordinary people, and how would they manifest their deep love for the gods?

But even if they argue with ordinary people until their faces flush and necks bulge, they cannot change the fact that the gods' lofty image has been stained with black blemishes upon a white jade.

The Heavenly Palace's exalted image faces disillusionment like a soap bubble.

Ordinary people are the majority; whichever way the wind blows, they follow.

The conflict sparked by the divine servants' scandal and the faith struggle, somehow, suddenly grew from small to large, from point to surface, rapidly spreading across all of Bekan.

And needless to say, of course, the contradictions within the Heavenly Palace faction inside Bekan are the most numerous and concentrated.

Physical clashes quickly escalated to life-and-death duels; small arguments soon bred mass casualties, and even multiple temples and government offices were stormed and burned, with suspects and criminals apprehended without end.

Thus, mass incidents quickly rose to become national riots.

This should not have happened—the cause was merely that the divine servants failed to hide their telltale sign. In the past, even the most shocking revelation would not have stirred a ripple.

But times have changed, and behind this event, national forces have pushed forward wave after wave. What was once merely various butterflies flapping their wings in different places now looks set to become a great riot sweeping across all of Bekan!

The most excited at present is none other than Panlong.

When the Heavenly Fiends just discovered the whereabouts of the great cauldron, and Bekan had just begun invading the Panlong Wasteland, the Panlong soldiers and civilians, though bravely resisting, were filled with anger and despair, not knowing where survival might lie. In real history, this very scenario had indeed occurred two hundred years prior, ending in Panlong's tragic downfall.

Now, though the war on the wasteland is even more brutal and difficult, all soldiers and civilians know that whenever the sun rises in the east, Bekan descends into chaos by one degree, and the enemy weakens by one degree!

Dawn lies ahead; as long as Panlong holds fast to the end, it can break through the final obstacle.

War is waged to end war.

Even on the wasteland front, fireworks were set off, illuminating the deep darkness—of course, these are the remnants from He Lingchuan's last farewell to Fushanlie.

Zhong Shengguang could not help but contact He Lingchuan, wanting to hear his assessment of Bekan's domestic situation.

After all, this brat is the mastermind behind the scenes—he gave the "Yearning Intestines" recipe to Fushanlie, and he single-handedly sparked the great upheaval within Bekan.

This fellow is disaster, is an omen of ill fortune—luckily, it is for Bekan's sake.

In the eyes of Panlong and Zhong Shengguang, He Lingchuan is truly the one upon whom fortune smiles.