Chapter 542 - 327: Godfall Aftermath! War of Faith 2

"They were enslaved by that viper Hiss for a thousand years. The fear is carved into their very bones."

"Even though Hiss is dead, they just see the General as an even more terrifying demon. There’s only fear, no faith."

"We’ve tried threats and we’ve tried bribes, but with little effect. And if we just killed them all, it would defeat our original purpose."

Ye Jinghong sighed. "Han Feng, you’re full of crafty ideas. Do you have any way to make this bunch switch sides quickly?"

"Proselytizing isn’t exactly my area of expertise."

Han Feng shrugged. He cultivated a pragmatic Sword Dao of "do business or die," so he really wasn’t skilled in matters like brainwashing.

However...

A wretched figure suddenly flashed through Han Feng’s mind.

The Void Ghost Crab, hiding out in the Split Teeth Tribe and thriving by mastering the art of "laying low."

"I might not get it, but someone else does."

Han Feng smiled playfully.

"We’re outsiders; we don’t know the rules here. But the native Divine beings must have a well-established procedure for ’mergers’."

"I’ll be right back. I happen to have an old friend who should be more than happy to help the General with her troubles."

...

「Rift Tooth Canyon.」

Han Feng’s figure appeared silently before the simple altar.

Sensing that familiar aura, the Void Ghost Crab’s massive Divine Soul trembled deep within the altar and "floated" out, scrambling and tumbling over itself.

"L-Lord, what brings you here?"

Its Divine Thought rippled with fawning and awe.

Han Feng didn’t waste any words and got straight to the point.

"After conquering a tribe, how do you quickly make its people believe in a new God?"

"Well..."

The Void Ghost Crab’s Divine Soul wavered as if in thought.

"Lord, it depends on which tribe you’ve conquered.

If it’s a small tribe with no backing, you just kill all the Priests, destroy their Totem, starve them for a few days, and they’ll naturally..."

"It’s the Black Viper Tribe," Han Feng cut it off.

"The Bl... Black Viper Tribe?!"

The Void Ghost Crab’s Divine Soul shrank violently as if it had heard something utterly terrifying.

Its Divine Thought instantly became chaotic as it shrieked.

"Catastrophe! Lord, a great disaster is upon us!"

Han Feng raised an eyebrow. "What? Is there something special about this tribe?"

The Void Ghost Crab was on the verge of tears.

"Lord, there’s something you don’t know!

Beings like me, or that Thousand-Eyed Demon Moth you destroyed earlier, we’re all wandering Wild Gods with no backing. If we die, we die. No one cares."

"But the Black Viper Tribe is different! Its God, Hiss, was a vassal who paid tribute to Lord Profound Prison!"

It explained at a rapid pace.

It turned out that in the Dragon Abyss World, a strict pecking order existed among the Divine.

At the very bottom were wandering minor gods like itself.

Above them were the "Temple Gods" who occupied fertile territories and had tens of thousands of believers. Hiss belonged to this level.

And above the Temple Gods, most would choose a more powerful being as a backer, paying regular tribute in exchange for protection.

Hiss’s backer was none other than the sole hegemon within a hundred-mile radius of this area—the Totem of the Negative Stele Tribe, Profound Prison, the King of the Swamp!

"Lord Profound Prison is a being second only to the Ancient Gods!"

The Void Ghost Crab’s Divine Thought was filled with terror.

"Its power is unfathomable! Its true form is a descendant of the Ancient Xuanwu, its defense is unparalleled, and it controls an Upper-Rank Law related to Gravity!"

"In this region, it is invincible!"

"Y-You killed Hiss... Lord Profound Prison will absolutely not let this go!"

Han Feng’s expression finally grew solemn.

He had learned from the Void Ghost Crab that the Ancient Gods of this world were comparable in strength to Tier Five beings from the outside world.

In that case, Profound Prison, a being second only to the Ancient Gods, must be at the apex of Tier Four.

Recalling the terrifying aura he had sensed before, Han Feng realized the gravity of the situation.

’And the Gravity Law?’

He immediately thought of the Supergravity Field that Wang Rui’s squad had encountered, as well as Ye Jinghong’s Military Soul Battle Spirit, which required the combined effort of several thousand people to manifest.

’This is a perfect counter!’

Under the suppression of absolute Gravity, let alone forming a Military Array, the soldiers probably wouldn’t even be able to stand steadily.

"E-Even more terrifying is..." the Void Ghost Crab added, trembling.

"The Negative Stele Tribe is also related by blood to the Xuanwu Tribe, one of the Four Great Ancient Divine Clans of the Dragon Abyss Core!"

"Even if you could defeat Lord Profound Prison, killing it would be like poking a hornet’s nest! The Xuanwu Tribe would surely send true powerhouses, and then..."

Now, things were truly troublesome.

’If we can’t win, we’re doomed.’

’If we do win, it’ll attract someone stronger, and we’ll still be doomed.’

It was a no-win situation.

"Run! Lord, just run!"

The Void Ghost Crab pleaded desperately, "Run as far as you can while Lord Profound Prison hasn’t attacked yet!"

Han Feng was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Do you think it will attack immediately?"

"Well... probably not."

The Void Ghost Crab thought for a moment.

"Lord Profound Prison is naturally suspicious and extremely cautious. It won’t act personally until it has figured out your background."

"But it will definitely dispatch its most loyal enforcers, the Black Rock Tribe, to probe you!"

"The Black Rock Tribe’s Totem is a Black Fierce Ape. It also wields the Gravity Law—only a superficial understanding, mind you—but it’s still extremely difficult to deal with!"

Hearing this, Han Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he didn’t have to face Profound Prison directly, there was still some room to maneuver.

The most urgent task was to find a way to convert the believers as quickly as possible, allowing Ye Jinghong’s strength to increase rapidly so she could hold the front line.

That way, he could continue to quietly focus on his own growth.