Chapter 145: Absorbing the divine kingdom core, Hidden Dangers

At that moment, the River of Hope was officially loaded into the Divine Kingdom.

The earth trembled slightly as a wide river manifested out of thin air.

The river water was crystal clear, yet it faintly shimmered with a dim light.

The surface of the water was calm, with almost no ripples, like a mirror spread across the land.

Subsequently, Yang San issued a Divine Oracle on behalf of the deity, his majestic voice echoing throughout the entire Divine Kingdom:

“This river shall be named the River of Hope. All those who have reached the age of ten and have not yet entered a tier may enter the river to test their Aptitude.”

“We thank our God!”

Whether they were believers on Penglai Island or on the mainland, everyone knelt down at that moment, bowing their heads in devout prayer.

Their voices converged into a tide, resonating between heaven and earth.

With the support of the hundredfold Evolution Talent, the speed of the Divine Kingdom's Evolution was astonishing.

In reality, Yang Fan had only just picked up his teacup and taken a small sip when ten million Mortal believers with only green-grade talent had already been taken to the Extra-Dimensional Research Institute by Yang San.

The believers within the Divine Kingdom were completely unaware of any of this.

The testing results from the River of Hope were not made public; all data was uploaded directly into the hands of Yang Yi and Yang San.

Those who watched their children being taken away were not only free of anxiety, but were instead excited, their faces flushed with joy.

In their eyes, this was a symbol of being "chosen," proof of extraordinary talent, and a ticket to a higher social class.

“Old Man Li, didn't your grandson usually Cultivate quite fast? You were bragging to me every day that he would definitely become a Tier 1 Being before he turned twenty,” one man said with a click of his tongue, his tone carrying a hint of smugness.

“How come he wasn't chosen this time? His talent… must not be good enough!”

“Let me tell you, my grandson is a Genius among geniuses! He was personally named and taken away by the Lord Marshal!”

“When he comes back, he might even be a big shot at the fourth or fifth rank!”

“Don't bother me, I need to Cultivate,” Old Man Li replied coldly, his expression sour.

“Hahaha!”

“When my son left, he even told me to take good care of my health,” a middle-aged man spoke with a smile, though his eyes shimmered slightly. “He said when he finishes his studies and returns, he'll take me to live on Penglai Island.”

He looked up, as if imagining that day.

“This child has always been sensible since he was little.”

“My daughter is the same,” a woman nodded repeatedly, her face full of pride. “She said that once she becomes stronger, she can help share the deity's burdens. We parents are just basking in their glory.”

“Sigh, my boy left in such a hurry that he didn't even have time to say a word. He's always so clumsy; I don't even know if he took the protective talisman I wove for him,” someone scratched their head, their tone tinged with regret.

“But it's fine. Being chosen is a good thing.”

“In the future, he might even leave his name in the annals of the Divine Kingdom!”

In the crowd, laughter rose and fell.

Some were proud, some were envious, and some were secretly expectant.

Everyone was rejoicing for being "chosen" and looking forward to the "future."

Time flew by, and five days had already passed.

Yang Er's land reclamation work was successfully completed, bringing back buildings, spiritual plants, and various resources worth a total of eighty thousand divinity points.

Most of them were defensive buildings; after Yang Yi categorized them, he kept a few with high practicality and put the rest up for sale online.

This bit of profit was almost negligible to the current Yang Fan.

The reason he persisted in land reclamation was more out of respect for the "prey" and the principle of not wasting resources.

In those five days, the Divine Kingdom had evolved for nearly five hundred years.

With a thought, Yang Fan's consciousness sank into the Divine Kingdom.

Yang Yi, Yang Er, and Yang San appeared before him almost simultaneously.

“Greetings, Master!” the three of them bowed in unison.

“I will absorb the divine kingdom core first. We will discuss other matters later,” Yang Fan said succinctly.

As he spoke, he took out that divine kingdom core.

Yang Fan closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into it, and a surge of majestic energy flooded into his Divine Kingdom like a torrent.

Since the last time he absorbed one, this feeling had become almost addictive.

For the past few days, Yang Fan had been suppressing this urge, and now it was finally completely released.

His life level changed once again at this moment, as if being forcibly elevated, and as if some kind of shackle had been quietly broken.

Boom—

A silent vibration spread throughout the entire Divine Kingdom, and its territory began to extend outward.

Mountains rose from the ground, rivers were generated out of thin air, and the original outline of the world began to expand.

Yang Fan slowly opened his eyes, and deep within his pupils, there seemed to be a divine light flowing.

“Divine Lord: Yang Fan

Divine Kingdom Area: 11.5 million square kilometers

Talent: Omitted

Believers: Foundation Establishment Stage (5,234), Qi Refining Realm (4.11 million), Martial Apprentice Realm (1.67 million), Tier 5 Being (250 million), Tier 4 Being (300 million), Rank Three creature (400 million), Tier 2 Being (900 million), Tier 1 Being (1.2 billion), Mortal (700 million)

Occupations: Alchemist (110,000), Blacksmith (80,000)

Subordinates: Adult Elves (2.55 million)

Techniques: …

divinity points: 630 million (Real-world daily provision: 1.89)

…

Assets: Dragon Fish fry (100 million), Large Mineral Veins (10), Ordinary Zombies (100 million)”

Yang Fan let out a long breath, feeling an indescribable sense of comfort throughout his entire body. It was as if his whole being had been refined anew.

Looking at the changes on the panel, Yang Fan couldn't help but whisper: “It only increased by five hundred thousand square kilometers. It seems the foundation of that Goblin Demigod's Divine Kingdom was indeed a bit weak.”

With that Demi-god Demon Monkey before, Yang Fan could be said to have gotten a huge bargain.

“These ordinary zombies were actually counted in the ‘Assets’ column,” Yang Fan sighed softly. “Having paid such a high price, I wonder how much of a role they can actually play in the Divine Kingdom War.”

During these five days, Yang Fan was well aware of everything that had happened in the Divine Kingdom.

Basically, every five years in the Divine Kingdom, Yang San would draft a batch of Mortal believers with the worst Aptitude.

It started with ten million, then became twenty million, and later, even Tier 1 Beings were thrown into the Extra-Dimensional Research Institute.

Over the course of five hundred years, even with the continuous support of the grade-a breeding card, the total population of believers still showed a significant decline.

The number of believers consumed solely to Cultivate the zombie system had approached ten billion!

During this time, to coordinate with Yang San's plan, Yang Yi also had to adjust the Divine Kingdom's policies.

In addition to continuously purchasing grade-a breeding cards, Yang Yi also promulgated several Divine Oracles and systems to “encourage childbirth”:

[Those who give birth to offspring can receive extra rations and priority allocation of spiritual food resources.

Families whose number of offspring reaches a certain scale can receive high-grade Medicinal Pills to strengthen their Physique and improve cultivation efficiency.

Families with many children will be granted a “Mark of Glory,” raising their status and enjoying a higher social tier.

Outstanding families will be issued a “Multi-child Certificate” and may even be granted permission to move into the outer areas of Penglai Island.

…]

Driven by this series of policies, the desire to give birth within the Divine Kingdom was once forcibly pulled high.

But even so, the thing Yang Yi was most worried about began to show its first signs.

Too many people had disappeared. Those believers who had once lost their children and relatives might have already died as their lifespans were exhausted.

However, suspicion and rumors were like undercurrents, continuously being passed down from one generation of believers to the next.