Projection of the Heavens: I prove my immortality through slaughter.

Lin Xuan's divine sense, like an indifferent eye hanging high in the heavens, watched the dramatic changes in the Rock Tribe below.

In just a few days, this once lifeless and nearly extinct tribe has been revitalized like never before. The dilapidated huts have been repaired, and they have even begun to use their newly acquired strength to cut down sturdy ironwood and build more robust wooden houses. The campfire burns day and night, with hunted beasts, much larger than before, resting on it. Fat drips into the fire, crackling and sizzling, filling the air with the aroma of meat.

The most significant changes occur in people.

Those clansmen who successfully established their foundations, including the old priest Cang, had become the core and pillars of the tribe. Their auras were steady, their eyes sharp, and their every move contained power far exceeding that of the past. Cang, in particular, relying on his profound experience and nascent grasp of divine sense, began to systematically organize the clansmen's cultivation, hunting, and vigilance.

The other members of the clan who had reached the Qi Refining stage also experienced a significant improvement in their physical condition. They were no longer sallow and emaciated; their faces began to regain color, and the numbness in their eyes was replaced by a light called "hope." They quarried stone, crafted bone tools, and even attempted to guide faint true energy to attach to them, creating more powerful tools and weapons.

The entire tribe, like a rusty machine, was injected with surging power and began to operate at high speed.

The source of all these changes can be traced back to that supreme being hidden in the void, who bestowed power and life—Xuan Zun.

Initially, it was merely an honorific title bestowed upon the old priest Cang out of extreme gratitude and reverence. But soon, this title was passed down orally within the tribe, and in the process, it was continuously deified.

"It was the Mystic Lord who dispelled the shadow of death!" "It was the Mystic Lord who bestowed upon us the power to tear apart ferocious beasts!" "The Mystic Lord's gaze is upon us, protecting us!"

Simple gratitude gradually evolved into fervent worship. Especially after they personally experienced the survival security brought by the power, their faith in "Xuan Zun" became incredibly firm and pure.

They did not know the name of the Mysterious Lord, nor his origins; they only knew that he was powerful, majestic, and had extended a helping hand when they were in their most desperate moment. Thus, a more symbolic title, more in line with their understanding, quietly formed in the collective unconscious and was formally established through the words of the old priest, Cang.

It was early morning on this day.

All the tribespeople, young and old, gathered in the center of the tribe, led by Cang, on the open space that had once been used for sacrifices. The wooden stakes that had been used to bind the skeletons had been knocked down and burned, and in their place stood a simple altar roughly constructed of white boulders.

The altar was empty; there were no statues of gods, no memorial tablets. For in the hearts of all the clansmen, the Mysterious Venerable was formless and without appearance, yet omnipresent.

Cang, dressed in a clean animal skin robe, though still simple, exuded unparalleled solemnity. Standing before the altar, he took a deep breath, faced the void, and with all his might and utmost devotion, proclaimed in a loud voice:

"Supreme and all-encompassing, who saved me from fire and water, and bestowed upon us power—the Mysterious Heavenly God!"

"The Rock Tribe, for generations to come, will worship the Xuan Tian God as the one and only true god! We offer our most devout faith and souls!"

"Thank you for your grace!"

As his aged yet incredibly resolute voice fell, he was the first to prostrate himself, offering the most solemn salute to the altar and the void.

"Thank you for your grace!"

Behind them, hundreds of tribesmen shouted in unison, their voices soaring into the sky. With a fervent sense of breaking free from shackles and gaining a new life, they knelt down in unison!

At that very moment—

"boom!"

Lin Xuan's divine sense suddenly jolted!

If the faith power that had previously flowed into his divine sense was a babbling brook, then at this moment, it was as if a river had burst its banks! A massive, pure, and extremely fervent torrent of faith, like a golden ocean, erupted from the hundreds of kneeling humans below, crossing the boundary between reality and illusion, and surging wildly toward his projected divine sense!

This power of faith was no longer a tiny speck of light, but had condensed into substantial golden threads of light, each containing the purest gratitude, worship, dependence, and unreserved dedication! Its purity far exceeded the faith provided by the disciples of the Kunwu Star Dao Profound Sect, and was even several times more concentrated than all the faith he had previously acquired combined!

"Mysterious Heavenly God..." Lin Xuan savored the title and the immense power of faith it contained. The faith gained from giving hope in dire straits was indeed extraordinary.

As this massive torrent of faith surged in, his projected divine sense became solid and powerful at a visible speed, even faintly emitting a pale golden glow, appearing even more stable in the world of this desolate ancient realm.

However, the changes are not limited to this projection!

In the Xuanzun Hall of the Dao Xuan Sect, Kunwu Star in the Xuan Tian Star Domain.

Lin Xuan, who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, his aura subtly merging with the stars beneath his feet and the starry sky above, suddenly opened his eyes!

His eyes burst forth with an unprecedentedly brilliant divine light, like two miniature stars igniting in his pupils!

"Buzz—!"

The Nine-Turn Golden Core slowly rotating within his body emitted a joyful hum at this moment! On the surface of the Golden Core, the eight purple-gold Dao patterns shone with unprecedented brightness, especially the Dao patterns representing "life" and "power," which were exceptionally active.

A power of faith, several times more powerful and refined than before, seemed to disregard the barriers of time and space. It traveled along some mysterious passage, directly from the desolate ancient realm, across endless dimensions, and poured into his dantian, sprinkling onto the Nine-Turn Golden Core like sweet rain!

This is not an energy replenishment, but the most fundamental "catalysis"!

The rotation speed of the Golden Core suddenly increased! The efficiency of tempering the Great Dao soared at this moment!

Previously, relying on the faith gathered from Kunwu Star, the tempering speed increased by one percent to one-thousandth. But now, propelled by this extremely high-quality torrent of faith from the human tribes of the Ancient Wilderness Realm, the tempering speed has suddenly increased by nearly ten percent!

Don't underestimate this one-tenth; for Lin Xuan's current level, this is an astonishing leap! It's enough to save him several years, or even more than a decade, of arduous cultivation and comprehension!

His aura spread uncontrollably, with purple-gold Daoist energy flowing within the hall, sparks crackling in the void, and laws manifesting. Had it not been for the array protecting the Xuanzun Hall, this aura would have been enough to make all the cultivators on Kunwu Star kneel in submission!

"Such pure faith... What a 'Mysterious Heavenly God'." Lin Xuan muttered to himself, a satisfied smile curving his lips.

He could sense that it wasn't just the increased speed of tempering; the sense of "new life," "hope," and "breaking free from constraints" contained within this torrent of faith seemed to be uniquely nourishing the Great Dao of "life."

The investment yielded returns far exceeding expectations.

This further solidified his resolve to manage this tribe in the Desolate Ancient Realm. It was not merely a source of faith, but also a highly efficient "cultivation accelerator"!

His divine sense once again turned towards the desolate ancient realm, towards that simple altar, and towards those clansmen who were still kneeling in fervent worship.

At this moment, in his eyes, these frail humans had become precious crops that could grow on their own and provide high-quality fruits of faith.

It needs to be carefully "cultivated".

With a thought, a divine thought containing comfort and encouragement swept across the entire Rock Tribe like a spring breeze:

"Good." "Keep this mind firmly in mind, and diligently cultivate without ceasing. I am with you all."

The simple words, however, were like the most sacred decree, causing all the tribesmen below to tremble with excitement and their faith to burn even more fiercely.

Feeling the continuous, surging pure faith and the significantly accelerated tempering process of his golden core, Lin Xuan knew that he had made the right move in the Desolate Ancient Realm.

The next step is to ensure that this precious "ranch of faith" is not destroyed in the coming storm.

His gaze turned deep and cold as he looked beyond the hills at the vast, distant land.