311: Soul Returns

Main City, City Tower.

"I can understand you changing your appearance after advancing to Core Formation, but what's the deal with this Book Spirit being able to take human form and travel from the Main City to the Eastern Region?"

"And another thing, I remember leaving some arrangements before I went out, didn't I?"

"So how did you manage to go from having just one decent church before I left, to leading hundreds of thousands of people into war by the time I returned?"

"I ran into some trouble outside and was delayed for a bit, but it hasn't even been half a month, has it?"

Zhou Yan pulled out a chair, leaning back as he scrutinized these two 'talents' before him.

Although he had already gotten a general idea of the situation from that youth named An Xu and that beast Wilde, he still wanted to hear why these two, Benbor'erba and Babor'erben, dared to touch any Karma they came across.

He had clearly agreed before leaving that he would keep them safe from anyone below Soul Transformation, yet they had to make such a big scene, even involving an old-established Soul Transformation expert.

They really didn't know the cost of living; Soul Transformation experts are very hard to kill, alright?

Now he had to find a way to deal with that old geezer himself; he could only say they were far too good at making trouble.

"Boss, as God is my witness, I followed your policy from beginning to end!"

"Blame it, this dead black chicken is wicked to the core. It kept shouting about planning and strategy all day, and as a result, it 'strategized' out all these Nascent Soul Mechas this time."

"If it weren't for you, Boss, descending like a god from the heavens, radiating overbearing dominance, sweeping away thousands with a wave of your hand, and not even caring about Soul Transformation with a stomp of your foot, we would have been truly screwed by this dead black chicken this time."

After Yuan Chenling finished speaking, Zhou Yan turned his gaze toward Qing Xuan.

Qing Xuan was stunned; he realized he had always underestimated Yuan Chenling.

Because they hadn't interacted much, the other party had always been lazy and gluttonous before, and although he had become a bit more diligent later on, Qing Xuan had only treated him as a stupid lion.

He didn't expect this guy to be so slippery, especially since he had patted his chest back then and said, 'Call me if there's trouble, otherwise don't say I'm not loyal to our brotherhood.'

So that's what he was waiting for; those are two completely different things!

'Call him if there's trouble' was true, but after calling him, one 'couldn't blame him for being disloyal'.

What a beast! A total beast!

Wait, this fellow was a beast to begin with, so cursing him was useless!

Qing Xuan's face looked like he was constipated as he secretly resolved never to underestimate Yuan Chenling again; furthermore, this wasn't over, he would remember this grudge.

Avoid his edge for now, and endure for the time being.

"Holy Brother, let me explain."

"You know me; my library database is massive, and my calculation abilities are quite reliable."

"Regarding this matter, if we hadn't done it this way, the losses would have been even greater. And kid Mo Ran definitely wouldn't have agreed; you know his personality. I could only choose the lesser of two evils."

"Otherwise, who doesn't know that I am your most trusted lackey, Holy Brother?"

After Qing Xuan finished, Zhou Yan looked back at Yuan Chenling.

Yuan Chenling quickly waved his hands.

"Boss, you know me; I'd definitely wimp out on something like this. Even with eight times the courage, I wouldn't dare do it."

"So I suggested at the time to let Mo Ran put on those clothes you gave him and just hide for a dozen days until you got back. But they were stubborn as hell, and I couldn't persuade them."

"I couldn't just stand by and watch Mo Ran die, Boss."

"I hear you; each of you has your special skills, and each has your own reasons."

Hearing Zhou Yan say this, both of them breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously.

"But, is there a possibility that you could have gone directly to the Elders and had them contact me?"

"Don't tell me that one of you, as the Saint's Mount, and the other, as a veteran Book Spirit, didn't even have that much capability."

"Oh-ho! x2"

The two of them showed surprised expressions together, then glanced at each other and smiled with resignation.

They were going to get beaten up.

Half an hour later.

"Requesting an audience with the Taiyi God."

A voice came from below the tower. Zhou Yan let out a breath and casually tossed aside the electrotherapy-treated Yuan Chenling and Qing Xuan, appearing at the base of the tower as a cool breeze.

Seeing that the visitor was Mo Ran, Zhou Yan was somewhat surprised.

After resolving everything, Zhou Yan had already dumped a pile of affairs onto Mo Ran to handle.

With the prestige he had just established, no one should dare to be defiant right now, and no one would dare to act rashly. Therefore, Mo Ran's work should be proceeding smoothly.

However, post-war affairs should be extremely numerous—so numerous that he shouldn't be able to get away.

How did he still have time to come looking for him?

"Rise."

"Coming here so suddenly, is there something the matter?"

Zhou Yan had no complaints about Mo Ran.

This man was indeed quite good, a real character.

Moreover, he felt he owed him somewhat, so his attitude was quite tolerant.

"Taiyi God, the people have been temporarily settled for now."

"The main remaining issues are the ideological development of the Pastoral Area residents and the middle-to-upper-class people of Grace City."

"The people of the Eastern Region themselves have relatively open concepts, while the middle and upper classes, due to long-term contact with the high-level elite, have inevitably been tainted by some dark habits."

"Although most Pastoral Area residents are pitiable, their mental states and values are not very stable due to the oppressive environment."

"In addition, there are matters like post-war reconstruction. With the assistance of the unique technology of the Eastern Region, these will be completed very quickly."

Mo Ran explained the current to-do list with clear logic.

However, Zhou Yan didn't care much, because with Qing Xuan around, it could handle these things very well.

So, once it woke up, he would send it to the Eastern Region to continue field work.

"You can discuss these matters with Qing Xuan later; its ability in this area is acceptable. You can also train some trusted aides to help share the pressure; it's not a good thing to always handle everything alone."

"Now Grace City can be considered a territory of my Taiyi Sect. As the Pope of the Taiyi Sect, you can also be said to be the nominal helmsman of Grace City."

"There are many things you still need to learn."

Mo Ran was stunned upon hearing this, his whole body trembling slightly.

He had drifted for half his life with his Master, mostly living unsuccessfully, and because he was slow-witted, he couldn't accomplish many things.

But now, the god he believed in actually wanted him to serve as the helmsman of a city.

He instinctively wanted to refuse.

But Zhou Yan pressed down on his shoulder before he could.

"Mo Ran, you can hold the position of Mayor."

"This is what I said."

"So, believe in me, and believe in yourself."

A boom echoed in Mo Ran's mind.

Suddenly, he understood everything.

The Taiyi God was right!

When shouldering a heavy responsibility, the body inevitably undergoes hardships, and this is precisely the time to temper one's will!

I see it now!

Seeing Mo Ran's look of sudden enlightenment, Zhou Yan was completely baffled.

What is this silly kid thinking about that makes him so happy?

If Zhou Yan knew the other party was using his own way to diligently understand 'When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on any man' and had already finished his own mental elaboration, who knows what he would think.

However, at this moment, Mo Ran suddenly remembered something and shook his head, forcing himself to calm down.

"Taiyi God, there is one more thing."

"Although the people have settled after the war, they are still panic-stricken and unstable. People are still praying."

"Unlike before when they only sought freedom from illness and disaster, this time they also pray for the souls of those who died in battle to find peace, even condensing a Godhead because of it."

"So I have come specifically to report this."

Hearing this, Zhou Yan instinctively connected to the small yuanwu xielü, or more accurately, the Taiyi God statue.

When he connected with the statue, he found himself situated on the high platform in the center of the square.

At this moment, the yuanwu xielü was no longer in its original stick-figure form.

Its figure was closer to a cross-legged statue wearing a green robe, and above that empty neck, a ball of light had emerged to replace the head.

Below the platform, the crowd knelt and shouted one after another.

"Return of the souls."

"May the Taiyi God protect us."

"Let the deceased rest in peace."

And it was at this moment—

"Ding, player Zhou Yan has obtained the Divine Position [Earth God], unlocking the Divine Position panel."

"Ding, player Zhou Yan has obtained the Divine Position [City God]."

"Ding, player..."

A series of System notification tones rang out one after another, leaving Zhou Yan momentarily overwhelmed.

Although he already possessed the Power Of Faith, he had not yet had time to study it deeply and had no obvious feelings about it. Connecting to the statue now, a massive amount of information and System notifications rushed toward him.

He was not yet clear on what exactly had happened, but he knew that his so-called 'Main God Space Project' could officially begin.