Chapter 579: If He Dares to Covet a God's Position Now, I Don't Even Dare Imagine What He'll Do in the Future!
Upon hearing this, Kong Deming's expression became thoughtful.
In truth, he was already aware that Huo Yuhao had planted spies within the Holy Spirit Cult.
Jing Hongchen had previously informed him that Huo Yuhao had once worked with him to capture elders of the Holy Spirit Cult, using a so called soul core seal to force their submission.
If Huo Yuhao had truly obtained intelligence through these captured elders, it wasn't entirely unreasonable. After all, they were high ranking members of the cult and had access to sensitive information.
Kong Deming frowned.
"Why is the Holy Spirit Cult so insistent on becoming the State Protected Religion? As a faction of evil soul masters, they've always been despised. Their reputation is inherently abysmal.
Even if they do become the so called State Protected Religion, their reputation won't improve. Could it be that His Majesty has promised them some special benefits, which is why the cult's leadership is so eager to make it happen?"
"Strictly speaking, that is indeed the case," Huo Yuhao replied, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
"From what I know, Xu Tianran has promised Zhongli Wu that if the Holy Spirit Cult supports the Sun Moon Empire's conquest of the Douluo Continent, once the empire achieves total unification, Zhongli Wu will be granted the title of 'Protector God' and receive assistance in ascending to godhood.
Perhaps the temptation of godhood is why Zhongli Wu is so desperate to establish the cult as the State Protected Religion."
In the original timeline, following the Mingdu Explosion Incident, it was revealed that Xu Tianran had dangled the promise of godhood and a religious empire before Zhongli Wu.
However, there was a contradiction in the story's setup initially, the plan was for the Holy Spirit Cult to become the State Protected Religion only after the empire unified the continent.
But later, during the war for continental conquest, the cult had already gained this status even before unification.
This inconsistency could still be rationalized, though.
Given the deep entanglement of interests between Xu Tianran and the Holy Spirit Cult, and the overwhelmingly favorable situation for the empire at the time, it made sense that Xu Tianran would grant the cult this status early to solidify their alliance at least until the time was ripe for betrayal.
Even with Huo Yuhao's presence altering the course of events, he was certain that the fundamental alliance between Xu Tianran and Zhongli Wu remained intact.
Both sides were engaged in a transaction of benefits.
Of course, Zhongli Wu's ambition wasn't unfounded.
If the Sun Moon Empire did unify the continent, the number of citizens and soul masters under its rule would skyrocket, creating an unparalleled pool of faith energy.
Even though evil soul masters were widely despised, they could still harness faith power in twisted ways just like the Rakshasa God and Asura God.
The Rakshasa God fed on dark thoughts from both the living and the dead, while the Asura God absorbed killing intent.
And what were evil soul masters best at? Killing.
Through mass slaughter, Zhongli Wu could generate both killing intent and dark thoughts, effectively fueling his ascent to godhood.
"Zhongli Wu's ambition is this vast? He dares to covet a god's position even now? I can't even begin to imagine what he'll attempt in the future!"
Jing Hongchen's expression was one of utter shock before he turned to Kong Deming.
"Elder Kong, you absolutely cannot allow the Holy Spirit Cult to become the State Protected Religion! If an evil soul master like Zhongli Wu achieves godhood, it will be a disaster for the entire continent. Countless lives will be lost!"
He had never encountered a deity before, nor had he fought one.
But based on the books Shrek Academy had published about the original Seven Monsters, he knew for certain that a deity's power far surpassed even Ultimate Douluo.
Xuan Ziwen also chimed in.
"Teacher, for once, I agree with the Dean. If an evil, bloodthirsty individual like Zhongli Wu becomes a god, the entire world will suffer. We absolutely cannot let this happen!"
Kong Deming's gaze swept across their faces before he grimly nodded.
"I understand your concerns. And frankly, I don't want to see Zhongli Wu ascend either."
He then turned to Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao, one thing still puzzles me why are Zhongli Wu and Xu Tianran so confident that once the Holy Spirit Cult is established as the State Protected Religion, Zhongli Wu will automatically be able to achieve godhood?"
He had already stopped referring to Xu Tianran as 'His Majesty'.
The Emperor had deeply disappointed him.
Xu Tianran was prioritizing short term benefits, completely ignoring the future repercussions of his actions.
Even if the Sun Moon Empire did unify the Douluo Continent, so what?
If Zhongli Wu used this position to ascend, the empire itself would suffer immense damage.
As a loyal native of the Sun Moon Empire, this was absolutely unacceptable to Kong Deming.
Huo Yuhao answered truthfully.
"Based on my intelligence, Xu Tianran's plan is to officially proclaim Zhongli Wu as the 'Protector God' and ensure that he is revered by the empire's citizens. This mass recognition would serve as the foundation for his divine ascension."
Kong Deming's brows furrowed deeply.
"Mass recognition? Yuhao, you must be joking.
How could an evil soul master ever receive widespread reverence?"
Even if the Sun Moon Empire fully unified the continent, and Xu Tianran officially granted Zhongli Wu the title of 'Protector God', there was no way the people would truly revere him.
The hatred for evil soul masters ran too deep.
The common people and soul masters alike despised them.
The idea that anyone would genuinely worship Zhongli Wu was laughable.
Huo Yuhao sighed.
"This is the truth."
In the original timeline, this was explicitly stated.
Perhaps Zhongli Wu's understanding of 'reverence' differed from conventional faith, but the plan remained the same.
Kong Deming's frown deepened.
"No matter what, we cannot allow the Holy Spirit Cult to become the State Protected Religion. Who knows what kind of catastrophe that would bring?"
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao's expression shifted.
Within his mental detection field, he had sensed two powerful auras approaching both of them Ultimate Douluo.
One was Long Xiaoyao, whom he had encountered during the tournament.
The other was a woman he had never seen before, but her aura unmistakably that of an Ultimate Douluo left no doubt as to her identity.
She was the one who had once toyed with Mu En and Long Xiaoyao alike.
Ye Xishui.
Huo Yuhao turned to Kong Deming.
"Elder Kong, Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao have arrived at the academy gates. They're most likely here for the State Protected Religion matter. After all, without your approval, they can't push the plan forward."
Although Huo Yuhao always kept his spiritual detection active, he didn't normally use it at full power unless necessary.
Currently, his spiritual detection only covered the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
Kong Deming's face darkened.
"I will go meet them. For safety's sake, you should all stay here."
With that, he strode out of the laboratory.
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