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Every God King had their own methods of cultivation, and there was no one-size-fits-all approach. As such, Ye Wen was essentially feeling his way forward like a blind man exploring an elephant.
However, with no major crises in this era, Ye Wen wasn't in a rush to cultivate. He still intended to focus on handling the affairs of Douluo Star.
As his foundation, how could he tolerate its current chaotic state?
Ye Wen now deeply regretted not having his divine consciousness take care of more matters earlier, which allowed those beneath him to run amok.
But fortunately, it wasn't too late. As long as he excised the diseased parts of this great tree that was Douluo Star, there was still hope for recovery.
All intelligent life would eventually fall into corruption through learning and exposure.
As for the merfolk, his former top henchmen, Ye Wen's feelings toward them were now complex.
"Hai Te, can I still trust your race?"
Ye Wen's voice, filled with disappointment, sent chills down the spine of Hai Te, the merfolk chieftain who had come to report. Panicking, Hai Te knelt and kowtowed frantically.
"Please, give our race another chance! I, Hai Te, will restore the loyalty that the merfolk once had!"
Ye Wen gave Hait a deep look before turning away.
"This time, you must prove yourselves. I've never given traitors a second chance before."
Though Ye Wen's voice was cold, Hai Te finally breathed a sigh of relief. The anxiety that had been pounding in his heart like a drum now eased.
Once Ye Wen's presence disappeared from sight, Hai Te's gaze turned fierce and menacing.
"A bunch of damn little fish! I'm working myself to death for the future of our race, and you dare hold me back!!!"
Hai Te muttered through gritted teeth, his once azure eyes now blood-red, overflowing with killing intent.
"You're all dead meat!!!"
Though the merfolk remained few in number, in this moment of crisis for their entire race, Hai Te no longer cared about mercy. At worst, he could squeeze the remaining members of his race dry in the coming tasks—anything to avoid losing Ye Wen's favor. Otherwise, the merfolk would face catastrophic consequences.
The corrupt groups that lacked god-level protectors were now utterly doomed. The usually idle or bribe-taking merfolk went berserk, conducting frenzied investigations.
In less than a month, the bureaucratic atmosphere of the Holy Spirit Empire was completely revitalized.
When the assembled god-level experts arrived as scheduled, Ye Wen didn't say much, only giving them a cold glance.
This made some of those with guilty consciences feel uneasy, wondering if another calamity was imminent.
But they didn't realize that Ye Wen wasn't omniscient or omnipotent.
Over the years, he had simply come to understand that as a superior, he couldn't show too much kindness to his subordinates, or they would take advantage of it.
At this point, the overall state of the Holy Spirit Empire had returned to what it was when Ye Wen ascended. Though it wasn't absolutely incorruptible, it was already much improved.
The happiness index of the populace skyrocketed. How did Ye Wen know? Because the amount of faith energy they generated had increased exponentially compared to last month.
Seeing the atmosphere was just right, Ye Wen began today's agenda.
"I plan to write the continuation of Douluo's mythology for the new era."
These words caused even those still harboring fear to breathe heavily with anticipation.
At their level, none of them were unaware of Ye Wen's methods of gathering faith energy.
The original Douluo mythology Ye Wen had written had brought him an immense amount of faith energy. Moreover, some of the divine positions mentioned in it had provided significant faith energy for those close to Ye Wen in later stages.
"Therefore, to compile the continuation of this new mythology, each of you must submit a brief report about your respective divine cores. I will personally pen the continuation of this new mythology.
Of course, I must make one thing clear beforehand.
Due to the unique nature of certain divine positions, the amount of faith energy they generate will be minimal. Thus, most of your progress will depend on your own insights.
Only by reaching the stage where you can independently cultivate divine power can you aspire to higher realms."
The god-level experts present clearly understood Ye Wen's preemptive warning and nodded in agreement.
Afterward, Ye Wen discussed a few other matters of moderate importance to further guide the development of the Holy Spirit Empire.
Finally, regarding future plans, Ye Wen proposed the large-scale development of mineral resources in the extreme northern regions of the Sun Moon Continent and the Holy Spirit Continent to prepare for a certain plan.
Some of the smarter individuals had already guessed what Ye Wen intended to do, but they kept silent and obediently carried out his orders alongside the other god-level experts.
As a result, the prices of metal materials across Douluo Star began to steadily rise, bringing smiles to many faces.
In the following months, Ye Wen continued to propose various reforms.
These frequent high-level meetings inadvertently exposed Ye Wen to the eyes of the common people of Douluo Star.
Rather than suppressing the spread of information, Ye Wen allowed it to circulate freely.
Soon, the return of Ye Wen, the Eternal King, ignited the enthusiasm of Douluo Star's civilian population. After all, they were unaware of the secrets of the god-level experts.
In their hearts, Ye Wen was the Creator God of the Douluo world from the myths—the Sea God—an existence both supreme and benevolent, the Eternal King who had ushered Douluo Planet into its current era.
Though darkness and injustice still existed, after reading about the oppressive feudal empires of the past, the populace couldn't help but feel deeply satisfied.
The surge of faith energy born from these emotions made Ye Wen feel as though he were celebrating a festival.
Indeed, faith energy was best harvested by capturing hearts. The periodic worship rituals of the past were far less effective.
The new mythology, Genesis: New, was soon released. Its main storyline was inspired by Investiture of the Gods, making it highly narrative-driven. It became an instant hit upon release.
The central figures of the story were the gods of humanity, with one of the biggest beneficiaries undoubtedly being Ning Fengzhi, the Fortune God.
After all, no one could resist good fortune. Ning Fengzhi's position as the Fortune God perfectly catered to the desires of humankind.
As time passed, the new mythology was quickly embraced by the populace. Ye Wen then embarked on another sweeping reform.
The old model of worship at the Spirit Hall was no longer suited to this era, so Ye Wen transformed the Spirit Hall into the Hall of the Gods.
Within it, all the deities of Douluo Star who held divine positions were enshrined. However, neither Ye Wen nor Bibi Dong, the God Kings, were represented beyond their names. Based on their divine ranks, they were divided into tiers and collectively received the worship of Douluo's people.
Nearly a year later, Ye Wen personally inaugurated the Era of the Gods.
With the revelation of the attainable godhood realm, an unprecedented wave of cultivation fervor swept across Douluo Star.
It turned out that becoming a god was no longer an unreachable dream!
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