As Qin Shilei was being disparaged by some, countless survivors staunchly supported him.
Suddenly, the topic of what would sustain human civilization ignited a fervent discussion in the chat channel.
Qin Shilei saw these remarks, neither participating in the discussion nor becoming angry at the attacks against him.
However, his subordinates could not stand idly by. They first worked hard to defend the image of King Qin An in the chat channel.
But the followers of the gods grew increasingly brazen.
“King Qin An is nothing. He’ll be dead in two years!”
“Don’t be fooled by his Diamond Seven-star cultivation. Before my god, he is as weak as an ant.”
“Didn’t King Qin An go around conquering cities and raiding villages recently? Why is he now cowering in Great Xia like a turtle?”
“King Qin An is nothing but a selfish invader. Only the blind would believe he is the future of Blue Star.”
Facing the increasingly vicious insults, Qin Shilei’s subordinates could no longer bear it and went together to King Qin An’s mansion.
“My King, please permit me to lead a hundred Dark Night members to destroy the temples of their so-called gods and show them whether those gods are truly omnipotent?”
After respectfully bowing, Zhang Qiang directly stated his purpose.
“Zhang Qiang, remain calm!”
Qin Shilei said calmly, “Destroying the temple, they can simply erect another statue. If we cannot completely prohibit the worship of these gods like in Tianzhu, we cannot sever the possibility of their avatars descending to Blue Star again. Why waste effort on such a futile act?
Furthermore, are you certain these are the plans of Odin, Hela, and the other gods, and not a stratagem by some schemer to sow discord among us?”
“This…” Zhang Qiang said indignantly, “Are you just going to let them insult King Qin An so freely?”
“Of course not.”
A cold glint flashed in Qin Shilei’s eyes. “Let’s wait a bit longer. I believe it won’t be long before they completely submit to our Great Xia.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiang and the others showed expressions of pleasant surprise.
Since King Qin An already had a plan, Zhang Qiang and the others ceased paying attention to the remarks in the chat channel and focused on diligently cultivating their own power.
While Qin Shilei and his followers continued their secluded cultivation, numerous avatars of gods appeared on Blue Star.
These god avatars easily slew the foreign powerhouses who had invaded Blue Star, helping survivors reclaim much of their living space.
Consequently, those gods gained a large number of followers.
In the magnificent temple of Ust City.
A dark light flashed from the statue, and then Rudolf’s avatar appeared before Emperor Caesar.
Emperor Caesar respectfully bowed, “Greetings, my god!”
Rudolf nodded, “Have you arranged for people to continue the verbal attacks against that King Qin An in the chat channel?”
Emperor Caesar replied, “Everything is proceeding according to my god’s instructions.”
He paused and then added, “However, the gods Odin and Hela have snatched away a large number of our followers. Should we take corresponding measures?”
Rudolf smiled with an unreadable expression, “The more they snatch, the better. I even have a great gift to send them.”
Emperor Caesar’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “Does my god have any further plans?”
Rudolf smiled but did not answer, instead saying, “You may leave and continue with the matter of receiving followers.”
After the other party left, he quietly said, “I am the God of Schemes. Without schemes, how can I live up to my divine name?”
With that, he transformed into a silhouette and flew eastward.
Soon, he arrived at the territory of Great Xia.
Rudolf’s form shifted, his appearance completely changing to that of Odin.
Then, he concealed his presence and flew towards a distant city.
…
At King Qin An’s mansion.
Shi Liren handed a document to Qin Shilei and then stated, “Reporting to my King, it seems our vassal states are also influenced by the people in the chat channel, showing signs of worshipping various gods.”
Qin Shilei frowned, “Have avatars of gods appeared in those vassal states?”
Shi Liren shook his head, “Not yet. However, statues of gods like Odin and Hela have appeared in many temples, churches, and shrines. Many survivors pray to these statues daily.”
Qin Shilei pondered for a moment and then instructed, “You must closely monitor these situations. Inform me immediately if any god avatars appear. Also, such a situation is absolutely forbidden within Great Xia.”
Due to manpower constraints, King Qin An’s mansion had not implemented direct management like that in Tianzhu for the vassal states, which had more than ten times the population of Great Xia.
King Qin An’s mansion had dozens of vassal states. In the past, they worshipped all sorts of gods.
The issue of faith was not trivial, but Qin Shilei was either unable or temporarily unwilling to force them to become atheists.
Half a year later.
Qin Shilei’s cultivation had reached Diamond Nine-star, and he was about to begin the promotion to the Master realm.
While he was in secluded cultivation in the Blessed Land, Tan Anguo summoned him via a phantom avatar.
Tan Anguo said with a frown, “The influence of those gods in our vassal states is growing. The envoy from the威尔 Empire just sent a request, asking if their monthly tribute could be reduced.
This is because they need to allocate some crystal cores to cover the temple expenses.”
Qin Shilei’s eyes turned cold, and he said sternly, “Are they doing this because they believe they can rely on those gods to resist the invasion of foreign races, and think they can survive the apocalypse without King Qin An’s mansion, thus wanting to cast us aside?”
Tan Anguo nodded, “Indeed. Although we haven’t found any evidence, those gods must have manifested themselves, making people feel secure and preparing to pledge allegiance to the gods.”
Qin Shilei asked calmly, “Is it only the 威尔 Empire, or are all the vassal states like this?”
Tan Anguo replied, “For now, only the 威尔 Empire has made this request, but the influence of the gods in other vassal states is also gradually surpassing that of King Qin An’s mansion. Their reverence for you has also gradually decreased to the lowest point.”
“It seems it’s time for me to make a move, lest some people truly believe that Qin is without temper.”
A cold glint flashed in Qin Shilei’s eyes, as he prepared to manifest his power in the vassal states.
He summoned Shi Liren, gathered detailed intelligence, and then set off for the 威尔 Empire.
The 威尔 Empire had a territory of only over five hundred thousand square kilometers, with a surviving population of about 1.2 million, distributed in three cities.
Qin Shilei flew directly to its capital, Ellington.
Upon entering a church in Ellington, he found a statue clad in golden armor in the center, while the church’s former idol had been pushed to a corner.
The church was packed with people, all with their hands clasped, praying with sincere expressions.
Qin Shilei casually scanned the crowd and found no fluctuations from the statue. He then proceeded to the 威尔 imperial palace.
“Greetings, Your Highness King Qin An!” Harry, the ruler of 威尔, bowed.
Qin Shilei frowned.
Although the other party’s attitude was respectful, there was no hint of subservience.
Moreover, he merely bowed and did not prostrate.