World version update

Chapter 306 The Storm Arrives!

Since Anna successfully rose to the rank of Impermanent Underworld Marshal and took over the authority of Yama, the spread and development of the Underworld belief took off as if it had sprouted wings, entering an unprecedented period of rapid expansion.

Anna, the newly appointed Fifth King of Hell, still looks like a petite and adorable little girl, but she acts decisively and displays a resolute and dignified demeanor that is completely different from her appearance.

She took charge of the underworld temple in McDonald City, and with the Yama Seal as its core, she quickly built a preliminary underworld system.

Through idols and dreams, she conveys divine pronouncements to devout believers in the underworld and recruits promising souls after death, granting them the opportunity to enter the underworld's order and helping them advance to the ninth level of the order.

Furthermore, with the help of Yama's authority and the power of faith, Anna successfully created a small underworld in McDonald's City, where the souls of the dead could rest and recuperate.

Although this small underworld is not large, and its area only covers McDonald City, it has brought about earth-shattering changes.

The manifestation of divine pronouncements and miracles greatly enhanced the prestige and influence of the underworld in the mortal realm.

In the past, people were filled with uncertainty and fear about death, but the emergence of the underworld depicted a relatively clear and orderly afterlife for them.

Although all of this is just a prototype, and even involves only low-sequence transcendents, given the growth rate of the Underworld, it is not difficult to establish the Underworld Bureau to guide the deceased in the Mysterious version.

Almost every day, Lu Yan could clearly feel that a massive amount of pure faith power was flowing in from all over the world like a trickle, continuously merging into the origin of Fengdu Underworld.

These forces of faith nourish the nascent underworld of Fengdu, while the public's recognition subtly strengthens the order and laws of the divine court and the underworld.

As the Emperor of Fengdu, Lu Yan was naturally the biggest beneficiary of this faith-based support.

Relying on the immense backflow of rules brought about by the collective promotion of the six thousand Yin soldiers to the Impermanent Yin General, his cultivation level successfully broke through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm in a very short time, and his foundation was solid and his magic power was pure, without the slightest sense of superficiality.

Such a cultivation speed, if it were to spread to the cultivation world, would be enough to leave even those self-proclaimed geniuses who consider themselves unparalleled speechless and ashamed of their own inferiority.

However, Lu Yan was not entirely satisfied with this miraculous cultivation speed.

He knew that this was just a benefit brought about by the stability of the Divine Court and the Underworld. Although the six thousand Impermanent Underworld Marshals had successfully integrated into the Underworld's sequence system and become the backbone of the Underworld, their status as sixth-rank Impermanent Underworld Marshals had become a bottleneck for their current advancement.

To help them advance further, bring more rule feedback to the Underworld, and thus promote another breakthrough in their cultivation, it is necessary to create the next rank above the Impermanent Underworld Marshal.

The key issue is that Lu Yan has very little time left to stay in this mysterious version.

In such a short period of time, it would be almost an impossible task to get Anna, who had just been promoted to the rank of Wuchang Yin Shuai, to break through again.

Therefore, Lu Yan could only suppress this thought for the time being and place his hopes on the future.

He believed that with Anna's potential and the flourishing trend of the Underworld faith in this world, given enough time, she would definitely be able to comprehend the path to advancement on her own, and even take the initiative to create a more suitable Underworld sequence.

Time slipped away quietly day by day in this seemingly smooth but actually turbulent transition.

Since the Feast in the Underworld, the seven major orthodox churches have completely ceased their activities and have not made any public interventions or suppressions against the expansion of the Underworld.

It was as if the erased Storm Angel King and the sword light that annihilated the only mortal realm had completely terrified them.

After witnessing the enormous benefits Queen Elizabeth Victoria gained from cooperating with the Underworld, and the terrifying power displayed by the Underworld, the royal families of the six kingdoms all chose to remain silent and observe, not daring to easily intervene in the power struggle between the Underworld and the Church of the Seven Gods.

The wave of labor unions continues to sweep through mortal society, and the belief in the underworld is also gaining popularity.

Everything seemed so calm and smooth, as if the darkness before dawn had been completely dispelled and an era of light and order was about to begin.

In the quiet chamber of the royal palace in Orank, the capital of Victoria, Lu Yan sat cross-legged, his mind immersed in the subtle control of his own power and the understanding of the laws of heaven and earth.

In the void before him, a semi-transparent panel, visible only to him, floated silently, displaying lines of data clearly.

[Version update progress: 99%]

According to the countdown on the panel, the new version will be released in less than a day.

Lu Yan looked away from the panel and silently calculated in his mind.

Based on his previous accurate deductions from various sources, the seven great gods are awakening from their slumber and will be able to project most of their power into the mortal world in seven days.

As long as the version update proceeds smoothly, he will be able to easily avoid the sharp edge of these seven unique individuals in this world.

However, for some reason, an indescribable sense of unease quietly enveloped his heart like a shadow.

This feeling was very subtle, not stemming from a specific premonition of danger, but more like an intuitive warning, as if he had overlooked something crucial.

Lu Yan frowned slightly, trying to pinpoint the source of this unease, but his divine sense swept across the surroundings without finding anything unusual.

The palace and its surroundings were peaceful, and the night sky over Orank was no different from any other day. Only the stars hanging high in the sky still outlined the huge and blurry silhouette of the old corpse in the night.

This strange celestial phenomenon has existed since the stars returned to their positions more than twenty days ago, and people have long been accustomed to it.

However, tonight, some highly perceptive superhumans have vaguely sensed that the unusual celestial phenomena of today seem different from those of the past.

"What is that?" A startled exclamation broke the silence of an astronomical observatory.

Around the outline of the ancient corpse formed by billions of stars, endless starlight gathered and eventually outlined seven towering, humanoid phantoms.

Their figures were indistinct, yet they exuded a terrifying pressure that sent shivers down one's spine. Like ancient deities, they silently surrounded the old corpses, each in a different posture.

Some bowed their heads in deep thought, some raised their cups to invite the moon, and some listened intently, as if they were sitting around an invisible, enormous banquet, waiting for the start of some grand feast.

Meanwhile, in the city of Orank, deep within the magnificent steam cathedral that symbolizes the god of steam and machinery, in the hidden temple where the King of Angels resides, the atmosphere suddenly became both fervent and solemn.

Thousands of devout believers, dressed in uniform robes, held aloft intricately designed brass clocks and chanted ancient and sacred hymns.

Their voices converged into a torrent, filled with fervent faith and dedication.

"boom!"

In an instant, a dazzling holy light shot into the sky from the hidden temple.

This holy light contained immense faith power accumulated over hundreds of years. Its power was so great that it directly pierced through the layers of restrictions and thick layers of earth above the temple, like a divine sword piercing through the darkness, tearing through the night sky and soaring into the heavens, echoing one of the seven majestic phantoms.

Under the intense holy light, the outline of one of the seven majestic phantoms began to rapidly become clear. The originally blurred face gradually revealed a metallic texture and a misty vapor, and the endless stars surrounding it began to spin and recombine rapidly, eventually transforming into a huge and eye-catching emblem.

It was a giant iron hammer ingeniously assembled from countless precise gears, which was the church emblem representing the god of steam and machinery.

"not good!"

Lu Yan, who was inside the quiet room, was suddenly awakened by the violent change in the world almost the instant the holy light shot into the sky.

His sense of unease reached its peak at that moment.

Without a second thought, Lu Yan's figure blurred, and he stepped out of the palace's quiet chamber, appearing atop the highest tower of the palace, his gaze sharp as lightning as he looked at the strange phenomenon in the sky.

However, to his dismay, the anomaly was not limited to the steam cathedral.

As far as the eye could see beyond the Kingdom of Victoria, the other six kingdoms also erupted with equally dazzling pillars of holy light almost simultaneously.

The Church of the Eternal Sun, with its blazing light like the sun; the Church of the Goddess of Night, with its deep shadows like eternal night; the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, with its arcane brilliance shimmering with words and star trails; the Church of the Earth Mother, with its vibrant and weighty earthen-yellow aura; and the Church of the God of War, with its crimson battle intent surging with iron and blood and slaughter.

Each emblem, symbolizing a major orthodox church, appeared like a star simultaneously lit up, manifesting around its corresponding majestic phantom, radiating dazzling light and illuminating the entire night sky as if it were daytime.

Only after the emblems of the other six major gods had been lit up did the seventh pillar of light, piercing through heaven and earth, arrive belatedly with its world-destroying power.

Endless dark clouds rolled and gathered from nothingness, with raging thunder and destructive storms intertwining and roaring within them, eventually transforming into a ferocious emblem composed of lightning and hurricanes—the mark of the god of storms.

The emblems of the seven righteous gods appeared together, and the seven majestic phantoms solidified into reality.

Only now did Lu Yan realize, as if struck by lightning, the source of the unease he had sensed earlier.

"A devout believer!" he uttered, his face instantly turning ugly.

More than twenty days ago, when the unusual phenomenon of the stars returning to their positions first appeared, Lu Yan had instructed Elizabeth to closely monitor the actions of the seven major orthodox churches.

Intelligence at the time indicated that the seven major churches were all conducting large-scale mobilizations of their most devout believers, numbering in the thousands or even tens of thousands.

At the time, Lu Yan subconsciously believed that the gathering of these devout believers was for the purpose of holding some kind of large-scale ceremony to call the stars back to their positions and reveal the outlines of the old corpses.

After all, such a grand celestial phenomenon must require a massive amount of faith as its support.

Therefore, after confirming this, he put the matter out of his mind, and even in the subsequent continuous surveillance of the Church of the Seven Gods, he subconsciously ignored these devout believers who had completed their mission and disappeared from public view.

But with the appearance of this terrifying phenomenon tonight, Lu Yan suddenly realized what a fatal mistake he had made.

These devout believers are not the reason for the stars returning to their rightful places.

No matter how numerous or devout ordinary believers may be, they would never be able to cause such a terrifying phenomenon involving the very origin of the world.

Their true role is to serve as precise coordinates and beacons, building solid bridges of faith by gathering their purest and most fervent power of faith, in order to guide the seven righteous gods who should have been awakening from their slumber in a few days ahead of time.

May their will and power descend upon this world sooner.

The lives and faith of the thousands of devout believers in each church are like the clear and melodious bells that ring before the banquet begins, awakening the seven ancient deities who slumber in the depths of time from their dreams and inviting them to begin enjoying this ancient feast.

"These devout believers have been gone for so long, why did Elizabeth and I subconsciously overlook their existence?"

Lu Yan's gaze suddenly sharpened, a terrifying glint flashing in his eyes. His gaze, like a sharp sword, instantly converged on the still-glowing steam cathedral in Orank City.

At this moment, his divine power was pushed to its limit. Following the dazzling torrent of holy light, it forcefully penetrated the three large bronze, silver, and gold gates beneath the steam cathedral, finally descending upon the hidden temple deep underground, where thousands of devout believers gathered.

Inside the temple, sacred chants still echoed, the intense power of faith almost tangible.

On the throne made of countless gears and steam pipes, the figure of the King of Steam Angels is clearly visible.

He seemed to sense Lu Yan's sudden probing gaze, and slowly turned his head, revealing his face, which always carried a gentle smile.

The smile at this moment seemed meaningful, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible mockery.

Beneath His throne, thousands of devout believers remained immersed in fervent prayer.

The brass clocks in their hands emitted a dazzling light, continuously channeling all the faith of the Steam Cult into that all-pervading holy light.

"Yes. It is these hidden temples that isolate us from outside investigation, and the hidden authority held by the Goddess of Night has allowed them to interfere and cover up the situation in secret."

Lu Yan instantly understood the key to it.

The previous series of actions against the Church of the Seven Gods had gone too smoothly, even overwhelmingly, which made Lu Yan unconsciously develop a slight sense of contempt.

Unexpectedly, the Church of the Seven Gods was already prepared when the stars returned to their positions, and was dealt a heavy blow by the opponent at the last moment before the version update.

Just as Lu Yan's mind was racing, the anomaly in the sky changed once again.

With the emblems of the seven great gods fully illuminated, their divine positions were completely secured in the starry sky.

But in the next second, an endless storm of thunder and lightning erupted without warning from the emblem representing the god of storms.

The storm was so violent and terrifying that it seemed poised to utterly destroy the entire world.

Billions of bolts of lightning, as thick as mountains, accompanied by hurricanes powerful enough to tear space apart, swept across the entire sky above Orank in an instant.

The countless stars and the outlines of the old corpses, along with the six newly solidified phantoms of the true gods, were all obscured by the terrifying thunderstorm, as if the sky itself had been devoured by the wrath of the true gods.

Then, in the center of that endless storm and thunder, a terrifying face, so enormous that it defies description, slowly emerged, formed from pure storm elements.

The face had no specific features, only two eyes as deep as black holes, and a gigantic mouth that opened and closed, spewing out destructive lightning.

His mere existence exuded a terrifying divine power capable of crushing the entire world.

One of the seven great gods, the Storm God who controls natural disasters and thunder, has descended!
(End of this chapter)