373: Three options

Mang Star was plagued by frequent disasters, and its incredibly harsh living environment meant that food usable by the Mang Clan was scarce, making the Mang Clan's situation extremely difficult.

If not for the benevolent Mang God occasionally bestowing divine grace, the Mang Clan might have gone extinct countless years ago.

Aux had thought that the Mang Clan would continue to struggle and survive in this desperate yet somewhat hopeful situation, but he never expected them to immediately face a crisis of extinction.

The Mang God had disappeared; the Mang God who provided them protection was gone.

Without warning, the Mang God seemed to have vanished completely, no longer responding to their prayers or bestowing divine grace.

Deprived of divine grace, they no longer had the means to contend with Mang Star's natural environment, and their situation instantly became dire, a state that 'deep water and scorching fire' could not adequately describe.

From initial fear and panic to their current numbness and self-pity, the Mang Clan's mindset underwent a dramatic change in a short period.

The Mang God had disappeared, or perhaps had fallen.

The Mang God had not disappeared; all of this was merely a test for the Mang Clan. Only by strengthening their faith in the Mang God could he bestow divine grace as before and protect the Mang Clan to continue living happily.

Suddenly, two different ideas emerged within the Mang Clan.

This clash of ideologies and beliefs was destined to be incompatible.

Thus, the Mang Clan split into two factions.

One faction firmly believed that the Mang God would reappear, and this was merely a test from the Mang God for the Mang Clan. Facing despair, only a more steadfast faith could please the Mang God and make him bestow divine grace again.

The other faction firmly believed that the Mang God no longer existed, or at least was unwilling to bestow divine grace upon them. Facing despair, they should unite and seek a way out.

Aux, who appeared here, naturally belonged to the second faction, hoping to find a glimmer of hope for the Mang Clan through his own efforts.

However, he had clearly failed, or was on the verge of failing.

At the moment when despair was about to descend, he still placed his hope in his former faith in the Mang God.

It wasn't that he no longer believed in the Mang God; he simply knew that the Mang God might no longer be present and hoped to carve out a path to survival for the Mang Clan with his own strength.

Being abandoned by a deity was not terrifying; what was terrifying was not having the ability to forge a broad and prosperous path for oneself.

How could there be a second path on Mang Star after it had been meticulously transformed by the Mang God?

Even if there had been one, it had already been mercilessly annihilated by the Mang God, and only failure awaited Aux and the other beasts.

As his life was nearing its end, Aux decided to perform one last sacrifice, hoping that the Mang God would continue to protect the Mang Clan as he once had.

However, Aux's sacrifice was destined to receive no response. After going through the tedious and complex ritual, even the most devout prayer received no reply from the Mang God.

Aux's body gradually began to tremble, until it finally collapsed.

Aux cried out loudly, "Oh Mang God, what wrong have we, the Mang Clan, committed, and why have you abandoned us?"

"No matter who you are, as long as you can let the Mang Clan survive, the Mang Clan is willing to offer its Power of Faith and eternally sing your benevolence."

Having said that, Aux turned his back to the necklace and began to prostrate himself in worship, praying to an unknown, possibly nonexistent, entity, seeking its protection.

Blasphemy, this was absolute blasphemy! Aux had betrayed his faith.

However, facing Aux's actions, the Mang Beasts behind him chose silence.

Aux merely wanted to lead the Mang Clan to survive; what wrong had he committed? What wrong had the Mang Beasts committed?

Considering that the Mang Clan's suffering was itself the Mang God's creation, Aux's actions could be considered excusable.

Faced with such a scene, to obtain more abundant Power of Faith, the best option might be for one god to play two roles.

Black was himself, and white was also himself.

Using the shift in faith of Aux and the other beasts as an opportunity, a moving war of faith, or rather, a divine war, could be launched on Mang Star.

Through war and the clash of beliefs, the Power of Faith would become increasingly concentrated.

He could even secretly mock them while his followers fought to the death for him, laughing and telling them the truth:

Didn't expect it, did you? Both gods are me.

Such wanton trampling of the dignity of countless beings was precisely what gods most enjoyed doing, allowing them to find a bit of amusement in their long and monotonous lives.

Shaking his head slightly, Lin Tianwei was not such a mischievous Siberian Tiger and immediately abandoned this inhumane idea.

He had countless ways to find amusement and did not need to build it upon the Mang Clan.

After a moment of thought, Lin Tianwei had an idea in his mind; this was the best entry point to change Mang Star.

With a thought, Lin Tianwei's terrifying Mental Power materialized, gradually condensing into a bizarre cloud above the location of Aux and the other beasts. It opened and closed its mouth, making a sound, saying:

"Aux, I have received your prayer. If you are willing to abandon your former faith and fight for me, I can bestow divine grace and protect you all."

As if to demonstrate his ability to fulfill his promise, a divine light suddenly descended from the sky, showering upon all the Mang Beasts.

This divine light was formless and intangible, yet it contained immense energy. The moment it touched the Mang Beasts, it drilled into their bodies.

A terrifying power erupted. Bathed in the divine light, the wounds on these Mang Beasts began to heal rapidly, and their fatigue vanished instantly.

In less than three seconds, they had already recovered to their peak condition, as if the hardships they had endured along the way were merely an illusion, truly miraculous.

A miracle.

This was a miracle.

This thought instantly surged into the hearts of all the Mang Beasts.

However, Aux, as the leader, had a truly remarkable expression.

He never imagined that a casual prayer in a moment of despair would actually receive a response from a new god.

Not only that, the new god seemed incredibly benevolent, prepared to take in him and his homeless Mang Beasts.

However, Aux keenly detected something unusual in the phrase "fight for me."

A battle naturally requires a target for the fight.

And this new god's enemy was very likely the old god known as the Mang God.

The Mang God was not dead; perhaps he was merely caught in a bitter struggle from which he could not extricate himself, and thus was unable to protect the Mang Beasts.

But what did it matter if he understood, or if he didn't?

Looking at the necklace that had already diverged from his path, Aux smiled bitterly. He had been the first to betray the Mang God; he had long since lost the chance to turn back.

The other party, who could instantly heal all the Mang Beasts, could also undoubtedly annihilate all of them in an instant.

He actually had no right to refuse; he could only go down this one path.

Thinking of this, Aux's gaze gradually became firm, and he said:

"I am willing to fight for you. If my strength allows, I can even eliminate the Mang God for you to see."

Lin Tianwei was somewhat surprised; this Mang Beast named Aux seemed unusually flexible, having analyzed the truth of the normal situation in a very short time.

It was no wonder he could become the captain of this team.

He was also very pragmatic, making the most correct choice at the most opportune moment.

After Aux's reminder, the Mang Beasts behind him finally reacted, understood the current situation, and fell into a very conflicted state.

This was a clash of old and new beliefs, destined to have only one victor.

However, when they had chosen to turn a blind eye to Aux's blasphemous act earlier, they had already made their choice in their hearts.

Without any surprise, all the Ze Clan beasts mimicked Aux, prostrating themselves on the ground, pledging allegiance to Lin Tianwei, and reciting new prayers.

For a time, melodious prayers filled the air, creating an effect akin to heavenly music in this harsh Thorn forest.

Faced with such a scene, Aux was both happy and sad.

He was happy that his compatriots were also so pragmatic, at least having hope of survival.

What made him sad was the speed at which they abandoned the Mang God. This, this, this was simply too fast.

However, he was not in a position to criticize these Mang Beasts and could only look at the sky with firm eyes, waiting for Lin Tianwei to issue the first task.

Looking at these Mang Beasts, whom he held in the palm of his hand, Lin Tianwei had no intention of speaking.

These Mang Beasts seemed incredibly ridiculous, perfectly illustrating the pathetic nature of the weak.

Yet, they also sounded an alarm for Lin Tianwei.

If he didn't grow stronger soon, perhaps one day he, too, would be like the Mang Beasts, having his dignity crushed into dregs by a more powerful existence.

He did not want to experience that feeling of powerlessness he felt when facing Miguel a second time.

He must constantly grow stronger, stronger to the point of being able to suppress all enemies.

Thinking of this, Lin Tianwei slowly spoke, "You truly are pathetic to the extreme, manipulated in the palm of my hand without realizing it."

"The so-called natural disasters are merely the Mang God's means of obtaining Power of Faith and firmly controlling the Mang Clan."

"Yet you feel grateful and thankful for being saved by him from these sufferings that he himself caused."

"How do you know that the so-called fighting for a god is not a new method of extracting Power of Faith, or simply a ridiculous performance to please a deity?"

Hearing Lin Tianwei's words, Aux's scalp instantly tingled, his entire body trembled, and cold sweat instantly drenched him.

He never imagined that he would hear such remarks from Lin Tianwei's mouth.

He hadn't been entirely without similar thoughts, but he simply dared not delve into them.

Because he simply had no ability to resist the Mang God.

Delving deeper would only bring destruction to the Mang Clan.

The wrath of a god was a power they simply could not bear.

Aux didn't know Lin Tianwei's purpose in saying that, but he also knew that the critical moment of life and death had arrived.

After forcing himself to calm down, Aux said with a firm tone, "It is our honor to be able to please a deity."

"To fight for a god is even more our glory."

"The will of a god is the meaning of our existence."

As a subordinate just subdued by Lin Tianwei, Aux could not possibly have too strong a faith.

His faith in Lin Tianwei was even less than his former faith in the Mang God.

However, Aux had to maintain a steadfast faith in Lin Tianwei if he didn't want to die.

Lin Tianwei naturally could not believe such nonsense, but he also knew that this was the only choice Aux could make, and he immediately sighed, saying:

"Very well, this is not your fault. Strength and perspective determine everything you can see."

"In fact, as early as when Mang Star was captured and marked, you had no choice."

"To become tools for the Mang God to acquire faith for generations was your only reason for existence."

"Furthermore, when you could no longer provide enough Power of Faith for the Mang God, he instantly abandoned you, selling you along with the entire Mang Star."

"That's right, I purchased Mang Star from the Mang God."

"My purpose is also the same as the Mang God's, which is to obtain more Power of Faith."

"However, I am slightly more benevolent than the Mang God and am willing to give you a little freedom of choice."

"I find you somewhat pleasing to the eye, so I have decided that you will represent the Mang Clan in making a choice."

"You can choose one of three options that you believe is most suitable for the Mang Clan."

"The first option: let the entire Mang Star remain as it is. I will take over from the Mang God and continue to protect the Mang Clan."

"And you, as an informed party, must guide the Mang Clan to provide me with more abundant Power of Faith."

"The second option: I will improve the environment of Mang Star, making it more suitable for survival. In this way, your Mang Clan will also have better opportunities for development and reproduction."

"And you, as an informed party, must guide the Mang Clan to provide me with more abundant Power of Faith."

"The third option: destroy the Mang Clan, ending their pathetic fate of being toyed with by deities."

"In fact, as long as Mang Star exists, what race lives on Mang Star—whether it's the Mang Clan or others—as long as they can produce Power of Faith, it makes no difference to me."

"So you are not as important to me as you imagine, which is why I am willing to grant you an opportunity for liberation."

"An opportunity to be liberated from this pathetic fate of endless manipulation."

"But as a price, you must repay the karmic debt of providing Power of Faith for me on behalf of the entire Mang Clan."

"In other words, they can be liberated, but you cannot. You must work for me forever, directly until death."

"Don't worry, if you choose one or two, I will provide you with a little necessary help, so that you do not die too tragically."

Aux felt that Lin Tianwei was indeed overly benevolent, actually giving him, a plaything, the chance to choose one of three options.

Although each choice was a bitter one, leaving Aux with no clear path.

But compared to the former Mang God, this was, for Aux, simply a divine gift, supreme divine grace.

Comparing the three choices, Aux favored the second option the most.

The harsh environment and frequent natural disasters on Mang Star were undoubtedly calamities in the eyes of every Mang Beast.

If the environment of Mang Star could be improved, he believed the Mang Beasts would surely live very happily.

For this, only a little Power of Faith for the deity was required. In Aux's eyes, this was undoubtedly a sure-win situation.

However, choosing the second option also simultaneously meant choosing the tragic fate of Mang Star.

The Mang Clan would never have a chance for liberation; they would only forever be tools in the eyes of the deities, constantly producing Power of Faith.

This fate was truly pathetic to the extreme; only the third option could free the Mang Clan from this tragic destiny.