Chapter 146: The Glory of the Believers

Once Yang Fan had completely absorbed the divine kingdom core, Yang Yi was the first to step forward.

"Master, five hundred years have passed since the cultivation of the zombie system began, and the loss of the believer population during this period has been too immense. Now, not only the Mortal believers, but even those at the Qi Refining Realm have begun to show signs of dissatisfaction."

Yang Yi looked up with a heavy tone, "If this continues, I fear it will shake the Foundation of the divine kingdom."

Yang Fan did not respond immediately, instead shifting his gaze toward Yang San.

"What is your solution?"

Yang Fan didn't care about those ordinary believers.

With his hundredfold Evolution Talent, as long as there was enough time, they would refill the entire divine kingdom like ants once more.

But the prerequisite was that the faith of these believers must not collapse.

To a god, believers were like leeks; they could be harvested and would regrow. But unless absolutely necessary, one must not touch the roots of the leeks.

"Reporting to Master, after these five hundred years of development, many rumors have indeed arisen among the believers, but it is not difficult to reverse this situation. We only need to give them 'hope'. Regarding this, I already have a foolproof plan." Yang San's face was full of confidence.

"How so?" Yang Fan frowned slightly.

"I ask Master to grant me temporary authority: allow me to descend a Divine Oracle to communicate with all believers."

"I can demonstrate on the spot," Yang San said.

Yang Fan nodded and granted the authority.

In the next moment, Yang San's consciousness covered the entire divine kingdom.

He did not descend the Divine Oracle immediately, but first explained to Yang Fan: "The first step is to package 'disappearance' as 'ascension'."

As the words fell, the Divine Oracle descended with a boom.

A majestic voice swept through heaven and earth:

"All those chosen have stepped upon the path of ascension, shedding their Mortal shells to travel to higher levels of the divine domain for cultivation, while simultaneously participating in the expedition against alien races to protect the stability of the divine kingdom."

"This journey is one-way not because they cannot return, but because the time for their return has not yet come. They shall grow in a higher world. The day of their return shall be the day they become heroes of the divine kingdom."

"Their names shall be inscribed in the annals of the divine kingdom's history. Their Bloodlines shall all share in the glory."

"Those who bear more children shall receive more divine selections. The more flourishing the Bloodline, the greater the glory."

As the Divine Oracle fell, the entire divine kingdom went briefly silent.

Then, countless believers showed expressions of fanaticism.

Faith in the god had long been etched into the depths of their Souls; the believers would not doubt a Divine Oracle.

Watching this scene, Yang Yi frowned slightly, a flash of disdain in his eyes.

"Drinking poison to quench thirst. Relying on a Divine Oracle to temporarily appease the believers will naturally be effective in the short term, but once we continue to throw believers into the zombie system, this trust will only collapse faster."

"This is only the first step, making 'disappearance' seem meaningful so that believers still have hope." Yang San's tone remained flat.

"The second step is to create 'survivorship bias', something I have already prepared."

Yang San snapped his fingers, and in the next moment, hundreds of supersonic fighter jets roared out from the Extra-Dimensional Research Institute.

Tearing through the sky, they turned into streaks of light, heading straight for the space above the City of Technology.

The jets slowly decelerated and hovered, the hatch doors opened, and figures slowly descended from high altitude.

When those figures actually touched the ground, the entire city instantly boiled over.

They were beings with powerful auras, most having stepped into the third rank, and there were even several fifth-rank existences.

What truly caught people's attention was not their strength, but their identities.

Someone recognized them, their voice trembling, almost unable to believe it.

"That… is that Gouzi?"

"Wasn't he… chosen and taken away long ago?"

"Erdan?" An old man stumbled forward, his voice hoarse, "Is it you… Erdan?"

In the crowd, those who had returned slowly raised their heads, their gazes falling on familiar yet strange faces.

When they left, they were but youths with the air of childhood still upon them, but now their faces were mature, even carrying a few traces of hardship.

Meanwhile, their parents' hair had long since turned white, and their figures were hunched.

At this moment, time seemed to have been torn open.

"Father…"

"Mother…"

Someone's voice trembled, and in the next moment, they knelt directly on the ground.

"Gouzi! It really is you!" An old woman rushed forward, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

"You're finally back… Mother thought… thought I'd never see you again in this life…"

"Erdan! You brat! Where have you been all these years? You didn't even send a word!"

"Mazi, it's me, Wan'er~~~"

The cries and laughter of reunion intertwined, and the entire City of Technology was immersed in the joy of a long-awaited homecoming.

Yet those who had returned each had expressions of fanaticism, their eyes carrying a light akin to religious faith.

"It's the Marshal!"

"It was the Marshal who took us to a more powerful world!"

"The Spiritual Qi there is dense, far exceeding the divine kingdom! Medicinal Pills are supplied without limit! One day of Cultivation is worth half a month in the divine kingdom!"

"We cultivated, fought, and grew there! All to become strong as quickly as possible, so that one day we could return to protect the divine kingdom!"

Their voices carried a fanaticism that could not be faked, quickly spreading through the crowd.

Similar scenes were happening in more than one place.

In every village, every marketplace, and even on every Penglai Island, one or two 'returnees' appeared.

And even more strangely, their parents and relatives just happened to still be alive.

All of this seemed like a coincidence, yet it was terrifyingly precise.

For a high-level intelligent life, achieving this was not difficult.

Over the past few centuries, every ten years or so, Yang San had deliberately mixed a batch of purple-Aptitude Geniuses among those believers with green Aptitude.

These people were sent to the Extra-Dimensional Research Institute, and naturally, they were not turned into zombies but were cultivated separately.

To make the 'lie' more real, Yang San had even specifically purchased Mimicry Cultivation Spaces, allowing these Geniuses to truly 'experience' a fictional world of cultivation.

Rather than forcibly descending a Divine Oracle and commanding the believers to believe, he preferred another way.

To construct a 'reality' real enough that they would believe it themselves.

Then, word would spread from ten to a hundred. Eventually, it would turn into a 'truth' that no one questioned.

"You had this prepared long ago?" Yang Yi's brow furrowed slightly.

"I have been preparing for this for nearly two hundred years." Yang San's tone was calm, even carrying a hint of self-satisfaction, "Now, believers at the Qi Refining Realm have already been cultivated in the Mimicry Cultivation Spaces. When the next batch 'returns', the promotional effect will be even better."

Yang Yi fell into silence, not continuing to argue, because he clearly saw that those believers had completely believed it.

The doubt in the believers' eyes had completely vanished, replaced by yearning, desire, and even pride.

Yang San turned to face Yang Fan and raised his hand in a standard military salute: "Master, next is the third step, binding 'reproduction' with 'glory'."

As the words fell, the authority was invoked once more.

The Divine Oracle descended.

"All those who give birth to offspring are meritorious subjects of the divine kingdom. Families shall receive extra spiritual food rations and Medicinal Pill rewards. The more offspring, the more generous the rewards."

"All those whose descendants are chosen shall receive divine grace; their parents and clansmen shall be granted residence in spiritual lands and enjoy higher-level resource allocations."

"From this day forth, the Divine Kingdom Hero Monument is established. All those who step upon the path of ascension shall have their names carved upon the monument for all to revere. Their Bloodline shall share glory with the god!"