Chapter 318
「the Heavenly Court…… really doesn't care about me? 」
Lin Liu stroked his beard, looked up pensively at the heavens.
To be honest, he never thought it would go so smoothly, because no matter how low-key it was, it was still a heaven-defying act challenging the Heavenly Court's authority.
A single true god ruling mortals in the lower realm is at most him playing house; normally, the Heavenly Court wouldn't pay too much attention.
But if eight true gods form a regime in the lower realm, the meaning changes entirely!
A regime formed by true gods, no matter what name it takes, is essentially no different from the Heavenly Court: openly touching the Heavenly Court's uniqueness, challenging its legitimacy, the seriousness can reach the heavens; even if the Heavenly Emperor personally sends troops to attack, Lin Liu wouldn't find it too strange.
So this establishment of the Heavenly Court is actually just an attempt; Lin Liu had long prepared himself mentally for failure and a restart.
But…… the Heavenly Court actually didn't care; for a regime that obviously challenged its own uniqueness, it actually adopted an attitude of letting things be……
This rather bizarre development left Lin Liu, while relieved, unable to help falling into thought: "Heavenly Emperor…… what on earth is he thinking?"
Is it that the Heavenly Emperor is truly broad-minded, feeling no threat, or is he simply…… laid back? After thinking, Lin Liu leans toward the second possibility—probably the Heavenly Emperor really is laid back! The reason is simple: the Heavenly Court now pays no attention to worldly affairs, and in losing responsibility it also lost its ruling authority.
In a sense, the Heavenly Court now actually cannot be considered a ruling body, but has transformed into a "divine realm self-governing organization".
The heavenly officials and proper gods have nothing to do, idly enjoying themselves up there; the Heavenly Emperor has no tasks to assign them, and even he himself while away his days idly; the sole remaining purpose of the Heavenly Court's existence is to restrain the gods from wreaking havoc on the world.
Thus, they in fact achieved the situation of severed heavenly communication, with gods and humans governing separately, heaven and humanity isolated……
Probably in the Heavenly Emperor's view, there is fundamentally no conflict of interest between the Heavenly Court and the new Heavenly Court; their niches do not overlap, so lacking hostility is normal.
A bunch of layabouts really have no need to go to war over this.
Furthermore, although the Heavenly Court does not want to serve sentient beings, that doesn't mean it hates them; nowadays someone is willing to work for sentient beings without pay as an ox and horse, they would likely only "respect, understand, bless".
Even just to watch for fun.
After all, to have peers actually willing to work overtime for free—such an unprecedented marvel, not gathering to watch would truly be a pity……
The mindset of layabouts is roughly like that.
"But this is a good thing!"
Lin Liu chuckled; the formidable father he'd anticipated hadn't shown up early to confront him, and no matter how you say it, that's a good thing.
As long as we wait until our side develops, then even if the Heavenly Court realizes something's wrong, it won't affect the overall situation……
But will the future really turn out as he imagines?
……
【Year One of the New Heavenly Court, you styled yourself "Heaven‑Soaring General", with seven true gods including the monkey as assistants, and established a new Heavenly Court without a Heavenly Emperor!】
【That year, you issued an edict to implement the "heavenly official system", popularizing the gods' Contemplation Method among mortals, large‑scale selected those with cultivation aptitude, putting them on the smooth road of cultivation‑as‑officialdom; thus the populace cheered the new policies, and your prestige greatly increased.】
【In the tenth year of the New Heavenly Court, you selected over a hundred cultivator officials in total and dispatched them to the four continents, where they served as regional governors!】
【Actually, a hundred is still far short of the upper limit of cultivators among the populace, but to ensure sufficient incense per person, you did not recruit any more cultivators as heavenly officials.】
【Even so, your policy is unprecedented: in the past, dynasties, to protect the interests of one family and surname, without exception imposed a blockade on cultivation arts among the populace, allowing only their own to grow strong while forbidding the populace from rising up.】
【Yet now you have promoted over a hundred cultivators all at once—a selfless initiative and a feat never before seen in history!】
【Thus, your prestige among the populace keeps rising, even surpassing all divine sovereigns of past ages, reaching the supreme, unique solar tier!】
【A great sun spans the four continents, crushing countless heroes of the ages!】
【No matter where you go, local officials and populace alike loudly acclaim your achievements and great deeds.】
【"There cannot be two suns in heaven; in my heart there is only the General as the sole sun!"】
【"General! We all respect and love you!"】
【"The General's kindness is higher than the sky! Deeper than the sea! Never‑ending!"】
【"Loyalty! Sincerity!"】
【"……"】
【Thus thus, so so, clearly you did not use the Blood God Son to brainwash them, yet the enthusiasm and loyalty they show are not lacking compared to the Blood God Son in the slightest!】
【Praise and gratitude fill your senses, causing you to spontaneously surge with boundless heroic ambition, filled with fervent, limitless hope for realizing your great ideal—as if victory were already within reach!】
【You will lead billions of the masses, under their gaze and expectations, to seize victory, to realize your ideal!】
【Thus you gently wave to them in greeting, then stir an even more fervent cry of "loyalty"...】
【And as your prestige grows ever higher, the title "General" you bear becomes ever more conspicuous, even arousing dissatisfaction.】
【"What does a mere title of General amount to, that it could be worthy of you?"】
【"Exactly! Exactly! The General's rank is too low! You should change to something more impressive!"】
【In the face of such talk, you solemnly refuse, for you have resolved not to take the title of emperor; the rank of Great General is already enough.】
【Everyone could only resign themselves to giving up.】
【But since you refuse to change it, the common folk naturally will do it for you, and soon various mighty, overbearing titles began to spread among the streets and alleys.】
【"There is a Heavenly Emperor in heaven; how about giving the General an Earth Emperor?"】【"Earth Emperor…… what a lame sibling‑style name! Better to call it Earth Sovereign!"】
【"Earth Sovereign? Better yet, call it Sovereign Emperor! Offer loyalty to the Sovereign Emperor!"】
【"There is a Heavenly Emperor above; we Generals should be on par with him…… previously the Great Shun Emperor was called emperor; why not take the 'imperial' character from that…… and call it Heaven…… Sovereign?"】
【"Not pleasant to the ear……"】
【"Better to call it Holy Lord! That's imposing!"】
【"……Holy Lord? Not bad!"】
【……】
【In the era when various titles flew about chaotically, the appellation "Holy Lord" gradually gained advantage, for it has neither "imperial" nor "emperor", exactly matching your declaration of not wanting to take the title of emperor.】
【Furthermore, although "Holy Lord" lacks the characters for "imperial" and "emperor", hearing it one immediately knows it denotes a ruler; it can be called low‑key yet luxurious with substance!】
【Thus, starting from the populace, you inexplicably acquired the title "Holy Lord"; this name was even adopted by the officialdom, and many local officials, when reporting to you and presenting memorials, directly addressed you as "Holy Lord"!】
【The Holy Lord governs the world, while the remaining seven great true gods each rule a domain; the eight immortal deities eternally govern humanity……】
【Hold your tongue! Fast‑forward to the bursting forth of talismans!】
……
New Heavenly Court thirty years, with your help using divine power, mortals' various technologies finally gradually accumulated, a 'technological revolution' originating from the broadest masses began to explode!
Someone invented a spinning machine that could spin multiple threads at once.
Someone invented a new technology for mass-producing steel.
Someone also invented a strange machine that moves on its own when water is boiled……
In this vigorous productivity advance, mortals' strength rapidly grew, factories sprang up one after another, products were manufactured one after another.
Advanced tools and technology again pushed population development, so the population number kept multiplying……
A huge population brought huge incense; with the supply of incense, even if a thousand cultivators shared it, everyone's cultivation still steadily increased.
Under the stimulus of benefits, cultivator Heavenly Officials became even more diligent!
Upon realizing that mortals could increase large populations via technological progress, the Heavenly Officials simply devoted divine power to help mortals break through technological barriers.
With divine power cheat, the trend of population development became increasingly unstoppable……
Year after year.
The lives of the Four Continents' people changed day by day; they even invented aircraft, submarines…… various things unheard of in ancient times appeared in large numbers in people's lives.
Due to the rapid change, many elderly born during the Great Shun era could not adapt to the shifting times; amidst the rolling waves, they were at a loss, unable to find their place……
Formerly, ox-drawn iron plows turned into machine farming; formerly muddy small roads turned into level the Great Dao; formerly ancient cities turned into modern metropolises…… lights red, wine green, prosperity endless.
An old era quietly ended, a new era silently arrived!
This change cannot be said to be bad, only too fast—so fast that everyone basically couldn't accept it……
In the latter half of life, machines belching black smoke roared in the fields, ten-thousand-ton vessels sailed on the sea; looking up, several frightening iron birds streaked across the sky……
In less than a hundred years, it became as if one had time-traveled; nobody could adapt!
But no matter how everyone feels dazed by the new era, since it has arrived, it will continue like this.
But no matter how bewildered everyone feels about the new era, since it has already arrived, it will continue to move forward just like this.
Under unrestricted encouragement of childbirth, the world's population nearly grew exponentially; by the New Heavenly Court's seventy years, the world's population had increased by dozens of times!
Thereafter, every twenty years it would multiply by several times again.
The trend of population increase is unstoppable!
Under such massive incense infusion, the hundreds of Heavenly Officials you selected back then successively broke through the mortal-divine limit, reaching the True God realm!
Thus you again selected hundreds of civilian cultivators as Heavenly Officials; this time their speed was faster, in just over thirty years they became True Gods.
Thus you again selected hundreds of civilian cultivators to serve as heavenly officials; this time their progress was faster, and in just over thirty years they attained true godhood.
One batch succeeded, then another was swapped in, this cycle repeated; you are nearly mass-producing Human True Gods.
As the number of True Gods under your command grew ever more, the Heavenly Court, which had been idling for over a hundred years, finally could not help but send someone down to the mortal realm, and the one sent was none other than the Great Shun Founding Ancestor, Tai Bai Star Lord Li Ziliang……
That old acquaintance was not polite either; upon seeing you, he immediately got straight to the point, bluntly asking.
"Lin Liu, what exactly do you intend!?"
"Lin Six, what exactly are you intending to do!"
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