Chapter Thirty-Three: The Baptism and Transformation of Faith (Please Cast Your Recommendation Votes)
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“My God, Mu En’s junior disciple has been driven back by the Golden Knight.”
“Mm, I know. By the way, Xu Hu, bring out some spirit medicine that can stop bleeding and restore the mind.”
As Lu Chun helped the wounded soldiers bandage their injuries, he spoke to Xu Hu.
Even before Xu Hu had arrived, Lu Chun had already witnessed everything through the plants he had cultivated in that garden. Although he was somewhat surprised that the Golden Knight Douluo could briefly unleash such overwhelming power, it had all been within his expectations. These great powers had been passed down for ten thousand years; naturally, each possessed a few hidden trump cards. Otherwise, they would have been devoured long ago.
What concerned him more was Xuan Zi’s appearance. Clearly, the Sea God had finally reacted. What puzzled him was why Xuan Zi had come alone. Was it the Sea God’s arrogance, or was there another reason?
No, that could not be right. From what Lu Chun knew of the Sea God’s character, after learning that he had been insulted so thoroughly, his first reaction should have been to send a trident falling from the heavens and kill him in a single blow.
The fact that he had not acted personally meant either that he was preparing his grand undertaking of ten thousand years and truly could not spare the time, or that the other God Kings were watching him and preventing him from making a move.
Whatever the reason, it was beneficial to Lu Chun in every way. At present, he could not guarantee that he would survive an attack from the Sea God. Unless he used the summoning art recorded in The Secret Canon of the Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord, he would indeed have no ability to resist.
“Ah!”
“Kill me!”
“It hurts! Father! Mother!”
Screams and wails rang incessantly in his ears. Lu Chun cast all distracting thoughts aside. For now, the most important thing was the wounded soldiers before him.
The Emperor of Dou Ling had sent Lu Chun to the front line to intensify the war and increase the death toll, creating enough blood sacrifice to bring back and feed to the Ginseng Fruit Tree.
Yet when Lu Chun arrived, he discovered that there was no need to do anything of the sort. The Xing Luo army, having been suppressed for so long by the Sun-Moon Empire, had completely lost itself to bloodlust after slaughtering three cities in succession. Their commander had allowed the soldiers to vent freely, and everywhere they passed, heads rolled in heaps.
Faced with such a devilish army, the Dou Ling forces—who had spent too long enjoying comfort in the rear—lost their nerve the moment they encountered it. They could not organize an effective formation and were subjected to one-sided slaughter from beginning to end.
Many people died, and even more wounded soldiers appeared in their wake. After arriving, Lu Chun did not take part in the command. Instead, he organized members of the Church of Abundance and had them join the relief efforts.
There were many more camps like this one. The number of wounded reached into the tens of thousands—far beyond what the mere hundred or so medicine-seeking envoys present could possibly treat.
Looking at the wounded soldiers who writhed and cried out in agony, Lu Chun’s face filled with compassion. Grief welled within his heart, and a tear slipped from the corner of his eye.
Drip—
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Green shoots sprang from the withered earth at his feet. His lips moved slightly, and his ethereal voice sounded beside the ears of every wounded soldier. Their anguished hearts were soothed in an instant, and they stared blankly at the figure whose entire being radiated benevolence.
“Let me bear this suffering in your place.”
Lu Chun murmured softly. Green motes of light fell like jade, taking root the moment they touched the ground. In the blink of an eye, they became plants; flowers bloomed in an instant, and their fragrance spread in all directions.
Multicolored pollen drifted down over the wounded soldiers. At once, they felt the pain leave their bodies. From wounds deep enough to reveal stark white bone, tender green shoots emerged, stitching the flesh together like needles and thread. Before long, the wounds had transformed into fresh, unblemished skin.
Witnessing this miracle, the medicine-seeking envoys of the Church of Abundance revealed expressions of fanaticism and piety. They bent down, planted the spirit medicines in their hands into the soil, closed their eyes, and began to chant prayers.
At that moment, a strange magic seemed to coil through the wounded camp, spreading outward without end. More and more people joined the prayer, offering their devotions to the great being hidden beyond the mortal world—the Nurturer of All Life, the God of Paradise, the God of Abundance.
“The Medicine King’s compassionate heart… the sowers united as one, ascending together to eternal bliss!”
At that moment, the military camp seemed to transform into a paradise. Every human and nonhuman within it appeared to be drifting through an ocean of light. The light was so gentle, as though a mother were tenderly embracing them.
In a daze, some of them glimpsed a great figure with a thousand hands and a hundred eyes gazing upon them with benevolence. Their faith became firmer than ever.
Yet Lu Chun, who witnessed all this, felt only sorrow. As more and more people placed their faith in and prayed to the God of Abundance, an ethereal power wholly different from soul power gradually gathered around him.
This power was called faith. It came from the hearts of all living beings and was filled with their hopes and expectations.
Compassion, mercy, healing, harvest, life… An infinite multitude of thoughts was enough to drive anyone insane.
Endless prayers and murmured voices circled through Lu Chun’s ears.
Faith was poisonous. That was why Lu Chun had never touched it before.
“But if this is what you hope for, then I am willing to accept it.”
He opened his mind, and the power of faith—vast as an ocean—surged toward him as though it had finally found an outlet.
Lu Chun had gone mad. No—perhaps he had gone mad long ago. Long before this, he had already abandoned the attempt to resist the madness buried deep within his soul. His reason came into contact with that madness, understood it, and ultimately embraced it. From that union, a twisted will aligned with his ideals was born.
One after another, pure white hands grew from his back. Pair after pair of scarlet eyes opened between his skin, and a merciful, compassionate gaze descended upon the world.
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“What… what in the world is that thing?”
“It’s a monster!”
The Xing Luo army, camped in the distance, saw the sudden change within the Dou Ling camp and craned their necks to look. But when they saw that dreamlike figure—something that should never have existed in reality—their throats erupted with terrified screams. They wished they could gouge out their own eyes at once.
It was as though their eyes had seen something filthy, and their bodies instinctively rejected it.
At that moment, only high-ranking soul masters above the Soul Saint realm could offer even the slightest resistance.
The commanders of the Xing Luo army had no idea how this sudden change had occurred, nor whether the people of Dou Ling were plotting something. But after seeing their own soldiers affected, they still regarded that figure as an enemy.
“All troops, advance!”
Several Soul Douluo used their soul skills to calm the agitation and terror in the hearts of the Xing Luo soldiers, driving them to take up their weapons and charge toward the Dou Ling camp.
The commanders themselves attacked the figure.
Sensing the undisguised killing intent, Lu Chun—whose spirit had been purified by faith—sighed with compassion and slowly walked forward. Everywhere he passed, greenery appeared. Spring followed in his wake.
“Monster, die!”
Faced with the torrents of attacks, Lu Chun neither dodged nor evaded. His dark green eyes were filled with benevolence. He merely sighed.
“I have come in response to your prayers. But what of you? Life—why do you kill?”
“I… we…”
Confronted by Lu Chun’s question, the soul masters of the Xing Luo army stammered. For some inexplicable reason, they halted the attacks they had been preparing to unleash.
They were not indecisive people. Yet before this figure whose entire being radiated compassion, they found themselves utterly incapable of striking the killing blow.
It was as though killing him would be the same as killing themselves.
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