Chapter 658 - My Doomsday Territory

My Post-Apocalyptic Territory Chapter 658: A Battle of Wits Against Air --- Underground in the nation of Talin, lightning and thunder raged. The God of Tribulations was vexed, unable to calm his mind even while in seclusion trying to restore his essence. "The three angels I manifested are each comparable to powerful beings in the Void Crossing realm. How could they possibly..." Before even ten minutes had passed since they entered the city boundaries of Anhu, the three Ghostface Angels had already been defeated. He hadn't even had the chance to use the faith channel to assess the situation. He didn't even know how the Ghostface Angels had met their end! "Missiles? No, impossible. The national power of Anxia is similar to Talin's at best. It could only wound my Ghostface Angels." The God of Tribulations frowned, "Could it be that the sect possesses an entity powerful enough to crush the Ghostface Angels?" He understood the developmental history of the Azure Planet well. Awakened beings had only been around for less than a decade, and it was the intertwining of the Azure Planet and the Shanhai World that increased the concentration of source energy, allowing these awakenings to occur. In the Shanhai World, it was difficult to produce a Void Crossing powerhouse from scratch in a decade. Even with Azure Planet's base population of 15 billion, it was already the limit if one extraordinarily gifted and fortunate individual appeared. The probability of the natives of Azure Planet achieving the Void Crossing level within ten years was less than one in ten thousand by his calculations. It was impossible for a native to appear who could overpower the Ghostface Angels. Unless... "The sect is not native; it's a major force from the Shanhai World. It must be so!" The God of Tribulations thought he had discovered the truth. Typically, the beings that end up on the Azure Planet from the Shanhai World were unintelligent ordinary beasts, but if he himself could escape to this world by chance, so could others. The sudden emergence of the sect was too abrupt. It must be people from the Shanhai World! Previously, he had offended a major power, and his forces were all annihilated. He was hunted by three Domain God-realm powerhouses, severely injured, and has yet to fully recover. He immediately ordered his followers to gather all information about the sect. Currently, The entire nation of Talin was under the control of the God of Tribulations. The leaders were either followers or coerced, with only small towns and villages having any semblance of resistance. With divine authority being supreme and orders being personally delivered by a deity, the efficiency of the state machinery was several times higher than before. Soon, the God of Tribulations obtained the information he sought. A sect leader and four elders. "They should be humans from Shanhai World... or maybe not necessarily humans." Their strengths were all beyond the Void Crossing level, but the God of Tribulations couldn't ascertain how high exactly, as they had never exerted themselves fully. He decided to focus on the sect’s disciples. The decisive elements of a top-tier force in the Shanhai World include: oppressive powerhouses, adequate foundation, and a complete inheritance system. Before becoming a god, he was also at the Domain God level, yet far from being an oppressive powerhouse. He couldn't speak of foundation or inheritance either, as his path to godhood was merely a stroke of luck during an exploration of an ancient cave. Without a foundation, one is vulnerable to world-ending disasters. The attack by three Domain God-realm powerhouses destroyed his entire force. He once possessed dozens of cultivation methods and hundreds of battle techniques and spells, some of which were top-tier, but still not comprehensive. Moreover, he lacked a hall of inheritance, techniques aligned with talents, unique cultivation locations, etc. Most of his elite followers were independent cultivators with limited loyalty. He didn't cultivate anyone beyond the Unity realm. Top-tier forces maintain a training system that ensures a Domain God-realm birth every millennium. The God of Tribulations, though knowledgeable and not weak, was still far from reaching top-tier status. "The sect may not be a top-tier force. The Shanhai World has many ordinary forces that I can wipe out by myself." He found the files on notable sect disciples. Shangguan Ling, the disciple of the sect leader, is rumored to have reached the apex of the Awakening stage in less than a year of cultivation. Cao Xinghua, the disciple of Elder Grace, was one of the first disciples to join the sect, having cultivated for five months, with strength... Awakening stage eleven. Violet Nina, part of the second batch of disciples, has cultivated for less than four months, with strength... Awakening stage ten? The God of Tribulations found it increasingly suspicious as he read. Reaching the apex in one year could barely be acceptable, but achieving stage eleven in five months? Stage ten in four months? Were they nurtured with heavenly treasures? The sect was surprisingly generous, allowing natives to enjoy such resources? He reviewed more information on other disciples. The first batch of disciples mostly reached the Formative stage, excluding a few talentless ones. The second batch followed suit. Those with higher talents had either reached the peak of the Formative stage or... had already broken through to the Coalescent stage. Where did they acquire so many heavenly treasures? "So it implies that with mere 'normal cultivation,' a sect disciple can achieve Awakening stage six or seven within half a year and stage eight to ten within a year without much issue." Moreover, the disciples exhibited outstanding combat skills, often defeating intruding beasts beyond their levels. They were not mere paper tigers! Considering all these factors, the sect seemed even better than the top-tier forces he knew of, perhaps even superior? Thus, it was evident—the sect was a top-tier force from the Shanhai World. Stone-cold truth! The God of Tribulations broke out in a cold sweat. "The sect is cunning. They hide their true strength and feign weakness. I'm fortunate that I didn't leave my divine domain." His divine domain covered dozens of cities, including the nation of Talin, an area equivalent to two provinces. Within this domain, he was nearly omnipotent, even stronger than in his prime. But once he left his divine domain, facing a top-tier force like the sect... He would stand no chance. Everything was part of the sect’s scheme, but thankfully, he saw through it! "The urgent task now is to accumulate faith power and expand the number of followers. Since the sect isn't walking the path to godhood, as long as I endure, there's hope for me!" --- Anxia and other nations acted swiftly. Activities and individuals openly or covertly worshiping the God of Tribulations were apprehended within just two days, followed by an appropriate re-education. Modern people were pragmatic. Most followers were casual believers, some truly dedicated, but few were fanatical devotees. If worshiping the God of Tribulations brought no benefits and landed them in jail instead, not many would persist in their faith. Especially when it comes to averting tribulations. By arresting believers under charges such as disturbing public order and endangering societal safety, many casual followers abandoned the God of Tribulations as soon as they were taken into custody. The verification method was simple. —Curse the God of Tribulations. They could continue with re-education, or… come on, buddy, curse him a few times, and really lay it on thick, and you can be released. The collected statements could fill a book titled “The Art of Cursing.” Abroad, with several major countries leading the charge, and with actions not undermining fundamental national systems, smaller countries cooperated enthusiastically. In southern Talin, Yishun, a picturesque town. In the center stood a lavish domed building, and gathered in front were people "righteously indignant," surrounding a dozen ordinary individuals. Those dozen appeared gaunt and sallow-faced, some with expressions of apathy, others in panic. An elder clad in a bishop’s robe stood on the steps of the domed building, "Let the trial of the heretics begin." As soon as the bishop spoke, the surrounding crowd erupted in unison: "Burn them!" "Burn them!" "Burn them!" The faces of the dozen "heretics" turned ashen.