Chapter 320: The Serene Town Visited by the Divine

Since planting the Tree of Miracle, it had grown continuously for four days.

Over those four days, the Miracle Tree in the Tan Mountain cave grew laterally, its emerald canopy spreading along the cave ceiling toward both sides, gradually forming a green hemisphere.

The entire cave was shrouded by the lush canopy, one tree seeming to become an entire forest.

It was not only the Tan Mountain cave that was covered by the canopy.

When Wu Chang and Ailin connected their consciousness to the Miracle Tree, they entered the Vision of the Pillar of the Divine Realm; their sight soared upward, seeing the massive canopy enveloping the entire planet, as if placing a green lid over it.

As the Miracle Tree fused with the plane, Gao Mu Country underwent earth-shattering changes.

First to change were the believers of the Yongguang Sect.

Devout believers found that when they prayed to the deity, they saw faint specks of light that sank into their bodies, mildly alleviating minor ailments and easing severe ones.

The most talked-about event was the cancer cure incident.

In the ICU of the capital hospital, a terminal cancer patient, given only seventy-two hours to live, spent his final seventy-two hours entirely in prayer.

His powerful will to live and the strength of his faith summoned a beam of light descending from the heavens.

The next day, during routine checks, doctors were astonished to find the patient's cancer cells had vanished; he would soon recover fully.

According to the patient's own account, in the glow, he faintly saw a colossal tree radiating light, which dropped a fruit that traveled along the light into his hands.

After eating the fruit, he felt unprecedented ease and gained greater power in prayer.

The miracle of curing cancer instantly drew nationwide media coverage; among Gao Mu's population, nearly seventy percent had already registered as Yongguang believers, and within three days, that number surged to ninety percent.

The remaining ten percent did not wish to join—they simply could not, as the registration system had overloaded and temporarily halted.

The cancer-curing miracle was not Wu Chang and Ailin's doing; in a sense, the miracle had been begged for by the patient himself.

Inside the Tan Mountain cave, Wu Chang approached a low-hanging branch and plucked a golden fruit, intermediate between an apple and a peach.

Unlike the "Mythical Fruit" the Grand Sage in the Midnight Cemetery Plane had wanted him to eat, this fruit bore no dazzling starlight—merely gazing at it drew one's soul into its magic.

Its surface held only a faint golden glow—the color of Ailin's divine power—though slightly inferior in rank, it remained extraordinary.

"Item Name: Yongguang Fruit"

"Item Type: Special"

"Item Description: A fruit saturated with votive power; consuming it grants one small miracle, fulfilling a single wish of the consumer, provided the wish's difficulty does not exceed the upper limit of a Wasteland Realm F-rank instance. If the consumer has no wish or the wish cannot be fulfilled, they receive five free attribute points. This effect activates only once."

"Note: One fruit can be condensed from one million believers' votive power per year. Only the owner of the Divine Realm may actively pluck it. One fruit may be harvested every ten days. Yongguang Fruits cannot be removed from the Divine Realm."

Wu Chang toyed with the golden fruit in his hand; for high-rank players, a wish capped at F-rank instance difficulty held little value, but five free attribute points? That was very appealing.

It was equivalent to gaining a full level simply by eating the Yongguang Fruit.

If sold externally, it would be fatally attractive to members of powerful factions with deep pockets.

He looked up at the canopy; having absorbed the faith of ninety percent of Gao Mu's population, it now bore forty to fifty Yongguang Fruits.

Unfortunately, the fruit's effect could activate only once, and only one could be harvested every ten days in the real world.

The remaining fruits would, according to the Divine Realm's rules, spontaneously appear in the hands of believers whose faith was pure enough.

The believer cured of cancer had simply possessed faith pure enough to attract a ripe fruit.

Achieving a wish capped at F-rank instance difficulty to obtain an E-rank skill or item was difficult, but curing a normal person's cancer was more than sufficient.

Wu Chang stared at the Yongguang Fruit in his hand, hesitated a moment, wrapped it in a gift box, and placed it in his inventory.

The fruit's effect could activate only once, and he didn't currently need those five free attribute points—better to wrap it up and save it as a favor.

Hopefully, He Yun and Ailin would not be too tense when they met, thanks to the Yongguang Fruit.

Leaving the Tan Mountain cave, he saw Ailin, revealed in her divine true form, hovering above the mountain peak.

The sudden influx of tens of millions of believers had stabilized her divine true form, which previously lacked grounding.

Like Zhenwo, Ailin's attribute growth was bound to Wu Chang's; as Wu Chang rapidly stacked attributes and acquired divinity and authority, Ailin rose alongside him.

Now that her divine true form had stabilized, she had begun to consolidate her past insights, showing faint signs of another ascension.

Ailin's current rank was Archangel; her next ascension would make her a Seraphim—equivalent to the pinnacle of a Lower Deity.

Ignoring creatures like Huanxi, the pinnacle of a Lower Deity reached the limit of the Rational Realm; at that point, even facing the true forms of Moqiu Li and Peilun, Ailin would not be at a disadvantage.

Ailin noticed Wu Chang's gaze, retracted her wings, and landed before him.

Wu Chang smiled and asked, "How do you feel today?"

Ailin showed a thoughtful expression and said, "Just one more spark is missing."

Wu Chang shrugged and said, "Breakthroughs can't be rushed—maybe after a couple of days, returning to my hometown will provide that spark."

As he spoke, both he and Ailin felt the Tan Mountain beneath them begin to tremble; they entered the Vision of the Pillar of the Divine Realm and saw the Miracle Tree's canopy had fully enveloped the planet.

The next moment, every citizen of Gao Mu Country looked up at the sky.

A golden cloud layer appeared over the Taibai Mountain Range and spread across Gao Mu Country at a visible pace.

Given Gao Mu's size, the entire nation would be shrouded beneath the golden clouds within half an hour.

Wu Chang felt all this, his face lighting up with excitement.

"Plane ascension has begun."

The Omniscient Crystal had once said that constructing a hidden Divine Realm required three Real-World Pillars and temporary administrative authority over the Wasteland Realm.

The triangle is most stable—three Real-World Pillars are necessary to firmly structure a large Divine Realm.

So far, he possessed only two: the 88th Underground Shelter and the Hymn Corporation.

The Curse-Bound instance was Amber's inner world—he could not interfere, leaving him still one Real-World Pillar short.

His intuition told him the World instance was the turning point; after it, both reality and the Abyss Game would undergo massive changes.

Only one final qualification instance remained before the World instance; no one could be certain whether the last one would bring unexpected complications.

If he failed to gather all conditions when the World instance opened, there would be no turning back.

What if he couldn't find a Real-World Pillar? He instinctively thought of the Underground Shelter, of the actions of the Four Organizations.

Without a Real-World Pillar, he could simply create one himself.

So he turned his gaze to the Silent Passage instance.

The Silent Passage instance was once an A-rank instance on the brink of going out of control, possessing a solid foundation; with the faith of the Yongguang Sect and the influence of the Pillar of the Divine Realm, it had a high probability of catalyzing this plane into a Pillar of the Present World.

In the past, others always acted first and Wu Chang took over; this time, it was finally his turn to act directly.

If you ask what to do if it fails, first blame the Technical Guide: Omniscient Crystal, then blame the Gao Mu believers for lacking conviction—they failed to follow the god's rhythm and used their faith to lift the Divine Realm; they must listen to the hymn of grace twice more, so they may raise their hands to praise the grace of the Eternal Pure Light.

Finally, failure doesn't matter—the Pillar of the Divine Realm isn't rooted in place; if needed, just pull it up and take it away, since there's virtually no cost to trial and error.

But judging from the current results, he succeeded.

As golden clouds spread across the sky of Gao Mu, about to expand further, Ailin, through her control, halted the Tree of Miracles, interrupting the Ascension Ritual.

"Player has become the ruler of Wasteland Realm -75236; Wasteland Realm -75236 has become the player's private realm."

"Detected: Player has obtained temporary administrative authority over the Wasteland Realm; temporary administrative authority upgraded. Player may construct their own power space within the Crimson Courtyard Wasteland Realm region."

Wu Chang's vision flashed with an official Deep Abyss Game notification—his third Pillar of the Present World and temporary Wasteland Realm administrative authority were both secured.

All that remained was to spread faith through the other two Pillars of the Present World; then the great Divine Realm would be complete.

At that moment, thunder rolled along the distant coastline; a dragon-shaped phantom leapt from the sea and flew swiftly toward Tan Mountain.

The dragon-shaped phantom landed on the Taibai Mountains, entering the body of Cui Chengze, who stood waiting outside Tan Mountain. Cui Chengze's aura instantly grew ancient and heavy, acquiring a presence he had never shown before—his body had now been taken over by the Sea General.

The Sea General flickered forward, took a few strides to the summit of Tan Mountain, and glared fiercely at Wu Chang: "I require an explanation."

Wu Chang said nothing, but gave Ailin a glance. Ailin rose into the air, fully manifesting her divine true form—two pairs of golden wings blotted out the sky.

In divine rank, divine intensity, and amount of faith, Ailin utterly dwarfed the Sea General. Right now, the Silent Passage plane was still Ailin's divine realm; on her turf, the Sea General had no room to resist.

The Sea General, who had moments ago been fierce and threatening, instantly calmed, reorganizing his words.

He had sensed the plane's ascension and feared this change might bring calamity to the world; in a rush of emotion, he had charged here.

Only after arriving did he realize Ailin had not come as a projection—she had manifested her true divine form.

Though he did not understand how a true form from the upper realm had smuggled itself into the lower realm, the current situation clearly left no room for his interference; he immediately spoke carefully:

"I come to warn you: your actions are disrupting the world's balance. If you continue, you may bring catastrophe upon the world."

"But I see you two have full awareness—this humble god has overstepped. I shall depart at once."

Wu Chang suppressed his laughter, reached out, and placed a hand on the Sea General's shoulder:

"You've come all this way—don't rush to leave."

The Sea General stiffened—he suddenly remembered this man possessed oceanic aberrant bloodline.

Damned—it's like delivering the goods right to his door.

He forced a laugh: "What else do you require of me?"

Wu Chang pointed to the mountaintop shrouded in golden clouds and asked: "What do you think of this faith energy? Is it worthy of your notice?"

The Sea General immediately smiled apologetically: "Of course it is. Even the former Tan Jun, and the foreign monks who once spread across Gao Mu, never possessed such concentrated faith energy."

Wu Chang asked: "Would you be willing to serve as a guardian deity?"

The Sea General paused, then exclaimed in surprise: "Me? Are you certain?"

The Yongguang Sect now held absolute dominance; if Wu Chang wished, he could establish a monotheistic faith and monopolize all worship.

Wu Chang said: "There's too much faith for us to consume. You only need to stabilize the sect while we're away, and occasionally manifest a miracle. How about it?"

The Sea General feigned hesitation for a moment, then agreed.

Both Wu Chang and the Sea General were highly satisfied with this arrangement—it was a win-win.

The Sea General could ride the Yongguang Sect's momentum and claim a share of the faith energy, while Wu Chang secured a loyal guardian dragon with minimal divine will.

Though the Sea General couldn't defeat him or Ailin, as a native deity, he was more than sufficient to handle the vast majority of players.

With him stationed, the Silent Passage instance would be impregnable—whether internal anomalies arose or outsiders sought to intrude, they would first have to pass the Sea General.

Moreover, the Sea General could not only guard the realm but also manifest miracles to aid the Yongguang Sect's missionary work—adding value without extra cost.

After brief negotiations, they settled how the Sea General would transfer allegiance from Tan Jun to Ailin through miracles. Once details were finalized, Wu Chang casually brought up the matter of the Heretic God's Remains.

He needed more information on the Heretic God's Remains; next, he and Ailin would travel to the Quiet Town realm.

Wealth without returning home is like walking in fine clothes under the dark night.

Once, Ailin had been used as a tool by the state religion of the Augre Kingdom, her life and will entirely controlled by the sect, like a puppet on strings.

Now, Ailin had become an Archangel, capable of manifesting her divine true form in the Wasteland Realm; returning now, she would settle this old score properly.

Ailin was kind-hearted and might not hold a grudge—but Wu Chang certainly would.

If they didn't go to the Augre Kingdom to demand justice, this Archangel might as well be called "Non-Angel."

Aside from helping Ailin collect her debt, he also remembered a mysterious presence lurking deep in the seas around Briver Island.

That presence was the origin of the oceanic kin's transformation, and when Wu Chang first gained the oceanic kin transformation, it had whispered to him, luring him to dive beneath the waves.

If nothing went awry, the entity hidden in the depths of Quiet Town and the Heretic God's Remains in the Wreck Belt shared the same origin.

But the entity within Quiet Town may never have encountered the manifestation of Wuqu Star Lord, nor been suppressed for millennia.

To confront it, thorough preparation was essential.

Speaking of the Heretic God's Remains, the Sea General had guarded the Wreck Belt for a thousand years; no one in the Wasteland Realm understood them better than he did. Before leaving, Wu Chang naturally sought his counsel.

Upon learning that Wu Chang and Ailin might encounter another fragment of the Heretic God's Remains, the Sea General immediately revealed all he knew.

"I personally experienced the monster's attacks and witnessed the battle between the Supreme Deity and it."

"From my observations, though its flesh is powerful, it is extremely cautious; whenever facing the Supreme Deity's style of trading blows, it always avoids direct confrontation."

"Its mind is also fragile—each time the Supreme Deity used divine power to intimidate it, it would be struck, falling into brief chaos."

"Most notably, if the Heretic God's Remains you face remains intact and has not endured battle, it will be accompanied by large numbers of massive fish-men and small octopus-headed monsters; when its life is threatened, it will summon yellow monster projections to assist."

"The final yellow monster projection is extremely troublesome—it can manipulate gales, its combat power rivaling that of the Heretic God's Remains itself. The Supreme Deity's statue was caught off-guard by its ambush and suffered serious injuries, making the subsequent battle difficult."

Wu Chang recorded the Sea General's intelligence, especially the final yellow monster projection.

If it could injure the Wuqu Star Lord statue, it might injure him too—if he relied on his Titan effect and underestimated the enemy, he might lose a limb from sheer carelessness.

Perhaps to eliminate the Evil God's remains, perhaps to curry favor with the new boss, the Sea God General finished delivering the intelligence, reached into his robes, and drew out a pocket-sized dragon horn thirty centimeters long.

The dragon horn was hollowed out inside, and a giant pearl was used as a stopper at its base, turning the horn into a special container.

He said, "If I'm not mistaken, the reason you want to deal with that Evil God remnant is for the deep-sea aberrant bloodline within your body."

"It is refined from a dragon horn I shed, and can store the finest flesh and blood essence of ocean races. With your current bloodline intensity, the Evil God remnant alone cannot push you further. You can first store the Evil God remnant's essence within it, and use it when the opportunity is right."

Wu Chang took the dragon horn and offered his thanks.

Setting everything else aside, this dragon horn alone was worth the Sea God General drawing a 'salary' from him.

With everything in place, he told the Sea God General to keep an eye on the Gao Mu Kingdom. Wu Chang and Eileen returned to the Altar Mountain cave and set off for the Quiet Town.

Wu Chang poured his consciousness into the Miracle Tree, and his awareness could extend along with the Miracle Tree, allowing him to see its canopy and root system.

Among the Miracle Pillar's roots, two were especially thick. He found the one leading to the Quiet Town, and his consciousness followed the root downward, leaving the Silent Voyage plane and entering the Quiet Town.

"Player is passing through a Divine Kingdom passage, entering the Wasteland — Plane 86951."

"Note: the current instance will be treated as a Faith Instance. After the player enters, the time flow between the Faith Instance and reality will be 15:1. Each day spent inside costs 300 Decayed Silver Coins. When the balance is insufficient, the player will be forcibly teleported out of the instance plane."

Wu Chang looked at the prompt and couldn't help clicking his tongue. It was an unofficial, opportunistic method after all — compared to the old instances, the Faith Instance had quite a few more restrictions.

The time flow had changed from 1440:1 to 15:1, so using the Faith Instance to grind skill proficiency was far inferior to the old instances, and the daily cost of staying had risen from 100 to 300.

This confirmed one thing for Wu Chang: the Tranquil Church, able to send people stirring up trouble across various planes, was definitely not short on money.

His consciousness kept moving forward along the root. When it reached the root's end, his vision blurred, and he was already back at the Earl's Manor on Brifo Island.

More precisely, the ruins of the Earl's Manor.

Before he and Eileen could even observe their surroundings, Wu Chang caught an unusual scent in the air.

He smelled the briny sea — heavier than when the Brifo Island natives had transformed into fish-men.

Besides that, his Blasphemer title reacted, indicating that within the ruins of the Earl's Manor, the aura of divinity lingered.

Something from the bottom of the sea, carrying divinity, had been here — and had only just left.

Could it be that the deep-sea fellows couldn't wait any longer and wanted to come ashore?

(End of this chapter)