The People's God: Sacrificing Trillions to Ascend

High in the air, numerous black wind blades collided with 10,000 incoming attacks. The force of the clash was so powerful that the surrounding space started to fracture.

Steely held the advantage and would prevail if the fight continued.

Han Wu watched with pride. Steely, his first Heroic life form, had grown into an absolute powerhouse among World life forms. He felt like a father witnessing his son’s achievement.

Currently, the Soul Kingdom was in turmoil. With Huangquan granting special privileges, the officials were no longer stuck to their assigned regions. They surged outward like prisoners freed from their cells and hunted any opponents they could find. They didn’t care about life or death. They just wanted to find something to entertain themselves and stir their numbed hearts from endless years of confinement.

Soon, another World official joined Sha Xin. He glanced at Sha Xin, then spotted Qin Shuang and Han Wu. Excitement flared in his eyes. “Two mature fruits!”

Sha Xin pushed Steely back and warned, “Those are my fruits! Gui Yan, get away!”

Gui Yan didn’t take offense. Instead, he chuckled cockily. “Who says they’re your fruits? Is your name written on them? Do they reply to you if you call them?”

“You bastard!” Sha Xin burned with the urge to kill Gui Yan, but Steely’s unblinking gaze held him in check.

Gui Yan feigned fear, then laughed again. “Oh! I’m so scared. Come kill me if you can. I might even thank you. We’re both Huangquan’s prisoners. Even though you are slightly stronger than me, you still shouldn’t look down on me.

“I’ve seen the two fruits, so you should share them. Agree, and I will help you deal with that World life form. Refuse, and I’ll just wait until you die and steal them while you’re still reviving.”

Sha Xin hesitated. Gui Yan was right, but the thought of dividing the fruits he had nurtured filled him with resentment.

Han Wu chose that moment to speak. “I believe I understand your situation. I have a proposal. Will you hear it?”

Gui Yan scoffed. “You’re nothing but a mere fruit. Since when do you have a say in this?”

The words had barely left his mouth when he realized he had misspoken. Steely had shifted his gaze from Sha Xin and was glaring at him instead.

Han Wu gestured for Steely to not do anything rash for now. He needed to deceive the officials. “I think that Huangquan has misled both of you. If he imprisoned you for so long, what makes you think he intends to free you? Even if you hand over the fruits, he may never release you. Maybe, in his eyes, you are also delicious fruits.”

Sha Xin and Gui Yan frowned at the same time. The argument sounded divisive, yet uncomfortably plausible.

“We signed a contract with Huangquan. He can deceive us but can’t forge a contract.” Sha Xin argued.

Han Wu scoffed. “You can’t forge a contract, but does it state that he won’t harm you after you’re freed? It’s just a contract, and there’s always a chance for a loophole. Do you truly believe Huangquan is virtuous? Or would you rather stay here and serve him forever?”

Han Wu could see that he had planted seeds of doubt in Sha Xin and Gui Yan, so he decided to press the advantage. Whether his claims were true didn’t matter. What mattered was that they changed how they looked at Huangquan.

If they remained loyal, then they would dismiss Han Wu’s words as propaganda. However, if they resented Huangquan, the situation would change entirely. At the very least, they would have no need for them to fight.

Gui Yan was the first to snap. “That damned Huangquan!”

Did he trust Han Wu? Absolutely not.

Still, there was no harm in pretending to fall for Han Wu’s scheme. Even if Huangquan were to investigate this, he couldn’t pin the blame on Gui Yan. He could just claim that Han Wu was too powerful and that they had faced too many enemies.

Would it help to declare his distrust of Han Wu right now? Absolutely not. He would then have to fight Steely and his 100 Obsidrum greatswords.

Sha Xin had lived long enough to know better. He was no fool. He joined in, cursing Huangquan for being deceitful.

Han Wu’s smile widened. He loved working with smart people.

“Since you are victims of Huangquan’s deception, shouldn’t you gather the other officials and work together?” he asked.

Sha Xin and Gui Yan understood his intent, but they had their concerns. If they stopped the other officials from waging war, the Soul Kingdom would collapse swiftly. Whether Huangquan died here or not, another power would seize the entire Soul Kingdom. What kind of treatment would await them then?

Han Wu chuckled. “I will most likely seize the Soul Kingdom. Before that, we will sign a contract with one clause only: we will not fight each other. Anyone who breaks it will have their souls torn apart. How about it?”

Sha Xin and Gui Yan nodded. “Alright.”

Using Steely’s authority, Han Wu produced the upgraded contract devised by the Epistians and handed it to them. They reviewed it carefully, confirmed that no loopholes remained, and infused it with their Spiritual Energy.

Han Wu did the same, and the contract took effect at once. Its binding force filled Sha Xin and Gui Yan with relief. As long as Huangquan fell today, they would regain their freedom and soar to the skies like birds once more.

“Go inform the other officials of the good news,” Han Wu instructed. “I’m sure they will be eager to sign this contract.”

The sooner the officials stopped attacking, the more locusts he could save.

After sending them away, Han Wu sighed and looked up at the sky. “My turn now.”

Steely placed several materials into a traditional transport array.

The Soul Kingdom was still Huangquan’s domain, so the most complete and traditional array offered the safest means of departure. They would transport to Han Wu’s own divine realm.

As energy flowed between the materials and linked them together, the array activated.

Han Wu called for Qin Shuang, and they returned together to his divine realm.

Meanwhile, Jing Jing and Sun Qingnian were busy capturing souls and sealing them within their own divine realms. Souls of this caliber were rare resources, and they intended to secure as many as possible before the lecturers and students entered the Soul Kingdom to claim their share.