Chapter 598: Xiao Guai, Father has Come to See You!
Merely by sensing this divine spell through the believers, the fishman youngster gained profound insights into both the believers and the deity upon his first use.
He focused his attention and observed Cang Xu again, discovering that he was guiding faith for Qi Ling.
“Qi Ling holds no faith in the Charming Blue Goddess. Within the range of my divine art's perception, there is not a single speck of light.”
“Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be able to observe her.”
“Only now, with Cang Xu in close contact, can I detect her presence.”
“Looking at it this way, establishing a bond of faith with a deity makes one perceptible!”
“Wait, could I use this opportunity, with Cang Xu as the bridge, to influence Qi Ling?”
Theoretically, it was feasible.
The divine spells Cang Xu wielded could guide Qi Ling to channel her spiritual energy, delivering it to the Charming Blue Goddess.
Thus, the fishman youngster's divine emissary status allowed him to communicate with Qi Ling.
“Qi Ling isn't a believer, but Cang Xu serves as the crucial bridge, enabling me to exert direct influence.”
At that moment, the fishman youngster suddenly realized just how vital Cang Xu's role was at this juncture!
“Cang Xu's unique divine spells can selectively alter the faith of certain sentient beings.”
“Used effectively, this holds immense potential for expanding the entire Charming Blue Church!”
“No wonder Zhou Zhang holds Cang Xu in such high regard, clearing the way for him. Even Cang Xu's demand to sacrifice vast numbers of undead creatures was swiftly approved by Zhou Zhang.”
In that instant, the fishman youngster truly grasped Cang Xu's unique value.
After some thought, he ultimately refrained from seizing the opportunity to influence Qi Ling.
On one hand, he feared that displaying divine miracles might alarm Jian Gui, prompting him to react violently.
The current situation was ideal, its continued development would greatly benefit both the fishman youngster and Cang Xu.
On the other hand, he didn't want Qi Ling to believe she had changed her faith, gained Charming Blue Goddess' approval, and could survive the blood sacrifice.
Qi Ling's fate had already been decided by the fishman youngster and Cang Xu—she wouldn't be killed by them, but would become a captive, deceived into thinking she was dead, sharing the same fate as Qing Xin, Ku Feng, Xiao Wang Zi, and Lady Sea Snake.
With that, the Deep Sea Monster Fish now held four silver level captives.
The fishman youngster continued observing Cang Xu, focusing his attention on the third layer.
He had also extracted the deeper information embedded within Cang Xu.
“No trace of the Hanging Corpse Tree bloodline, even though I already know the answer.”
“Cang Xu has been imbued with the Deceptive Disguise spell and Anti-investigation and Prophecy spell, yet the information remains unaltered and undisguised.”
“Perhaps because I am already privy to the truth?”
“Or could it be that this spell combination cannot deceive the Believer Perception divine spell?”
“If so, is it that Charming Blue Goddess is unique, or do other deities possess such abilities?”
The fishman youngster pondered for a moment, concluding that the combination of the Deceptive Disguise spell and Anti-investigation and Prophecy spell should be capable of resisting the Believer Perception.
Otherwise, their tracks would have been discovered long ago.
Since nearly all survivors were believers, they could be perceived by the deities they worshipped. If deities could extract deep information from their believers, they should be able to uncover the survivors' secrets, exposing the two divine artifacts on Mystifying Monster Island.
Yet, to this day, the survivors lived well, free from joint manhunts by major and minor deities or religious sects. Inverse reasoning suggests the artifacts remain undiscovered. The combination of the Deceptive Disguise spell and Anti-investigation and Prophecy spell effectively masked their presence, countering the Believer Perception divine spell.
The fishman youngster surmised: Charming Blue Goddess must be unique. After all, the core of this spell combination was the Deceptive Disguise spell, and its source originated from Charming Blue Goddess' divine artifact.
“Thankfully, Charming Blue Goddess remains dormant, trapped in slumber.”
“Otherwise, the day I arrived at the Ocean Mother Nest would have been my last!”
"For us survivors, the Charming Blue Goddess poses an immense threat. Before Her, the Deceptive Disguise spell proves utterly useless."
This revelation held no surprise for the fishman youngster. Before this, he and Cang Xu had already suspected as much and confirmed it once.
The fishman youngster refocused his attention, observing the other Charming Blue believers.
He paid particular attention to the stronger ones among them.
For instance, the two known as Jiu Hua Bi and Zhang Yu Wan.
After continuously gathering intelligence, the fishman youngster concluded these two were the strongest Charming Blue believers aside from Zhou Zhang.
“Truly worthy of being Zhou Zhang's right-hand men.”
“Both are fighters possessing formidable aquatic prowess. Their battle skills and battle qi complement each other perfectly, making them exceptionally skilled in aquatic combat.”
“Their Charming Blue faith is at the pious level.”
“But I still can't detect their bloodline. It's likely because they aren't fishmen, but octopusmen.”
The fishman youngster kept trying, guessing and speculating throughout the process.
“Next time I pray, I should ask for relevant usage experience.”
After scanning the believers around him, the fishman youngster began attempting to “see” into the distance.
“Just how far can this perception reach?” the fishman youngster questioned inwardly.
As he observed figures like Zhou Zhang and Cang Xu, his sensory range kept expanding without pause, not for a single second.
It spread and spread, seemingly boundless.
But the fishman youngster knew full well there was a limit. At least his own mental energy was one constraint.
Once his mental energy depleted. no, even reaching a certain low point, it would leave him dizzy and drowsy, drifting into sleep. Pushing further would trigger his body's self-preservation instinct, plunging the fishman youngster into a deep slumber.
The fishman youngster “gazed” toward the farthest reaches.
Beyond the Ocean Mother Nest, near-total darkness prevailed, with only rare specks of light appearing.
“Charming Blue Goddess has slumbered for ages, and the Charming Blue Church faces relentless suppression. The situation is dire...”
Through the unique perception granted by divine magic, the fishman youngster gained clearer insight into the current state of the Charming Blue Church.
This had nothing to do with his immediate surroundings.
In fact, the oceanic environment was remarkably conducive to spreading the Charming Blue Goddess' faith.
The sea teemed with intelligent beings, such as sea elves, nagas, sea giants, lobstermen, and more. The most numerous and largest in scale were the fishmen.
Perhaps this explained why Charming Blue Goddess held the Fishman God authority.
Possessing such an authority made it remarkably convenient to recruit believers, spread the faith, and expand the divine domain's influence.
The state of the Charming Blue Church was dire. Beyond the White Hair Trench, it was practically a wasteland.
Only occasionally could scattered points of light be found.
Oh?
The fishman youngster had no sense of actual distance. Just as he was about to retreat, he suddenly spotted a unique believer's light point.
This light point shone brightly in the vast darkness, radiating a glow akin to an alchemy light bulb. To be precise, its luminosity fell short of Zhou Zhang but surpassed gold level believers like Zhang Yu Wan and Jiu Hua Bi.
The moment the fishman youngster saw it, he sensed this believer's light was different.
“Why does this believer feel so familiar and comforting?”
This sensation was unlike any Charming Blue believer he'd encountered before.
It felt like... one of his own.
Immediately, the fishman youngster focused his attention on it.
The next moment, shock rippled through his heart: “Xiao Guai? How could it be Xiao Guai?”
He had discovered the big guy!
Magnet Archipelago.
After failing to challenge Da Dou, the big guy had been knocked unconscious and fed a filling meal.
Da Dou hadn't immediately stowed the big guy into his storage bag. The reason was that the packing bag was special, excelling at preserving ingredients and maintaining freshness.
Once the big guy entered, his entire being was treated as an ingredient. Anything he consumed would be preserved, severely hindering his digestion.
The environment inside the storage bag also drastically reduced the big guy's efficiency in cultivating his battle qi.
Da Dou sat beside the giant, eating dry rations and drinking water to replenish his stamina and battle qi while also praying. He remained vigilant and protective.
After all, they were in the wilderness.
In his deep sleep, the big guy was plagued by nightmares.
On a colossal sea vessel, he was no longer a giant's form but had shrunk to the size of a normal infant.
The ship was immense, its deck as vast as a city.
The surroundings were gloomy, shrouded in mist that formed an endless fog.
The big guy could hear waves crashing against the hull. He ran across the vast deck, wailing, stumbling and falling as he fled.
As he ran, the solid deck beneath his feet suddenly softened, gradually transforming into a curved arc.
The arc became a curve, then dissolved into the sea.
The giant thumped into the sea and began swimming.
Calling out “Father” as he swam, he drifted aimlessly, searching for his home and the dragonman youngster.
The divine spell [Believer Perception] allowed the fishman youngster to discern the big guy's mental state, revealing this nightmare-like scene within his perception.
“So, when a dreaming believer is perceived by divine magic, the deity can also see the scenes within their dream.”
“Xiao Guai... he misses me.”
For a moment, the fishman youngster felt both touched and guilty.
Before leaving, he hadn't properly bid farewell to the big guy. The situation had been urgent back then, chasing after Lan Zao.
“He's been gone for so long. It's only natural Xiao Guai sees me as his sole support and seeks me out.”
“Thankfully, the others know Xiao Guai is my son. They must have been looking after him all this time.”
“Ah, I wonder how Lan Zao is faring now?”
There was nothing he could do. The dragonman youngster had truly given his all back then, killed once by Feng Lian's slash, then suddenly teleported straight into the Ocean Mother Nest.
Only now had he finally obtained the divine spell [Divine Domain Descent], securing a way out.
Before, leaving meant directly breaking through the Mother Nest, far too dangerous! Later, he learned this place was still part of Charming Blue Goddess' divine domain. He was relieved he hadn't forced his way through.
But to leave using the divine spell [Divine Domain Descent], the fishman youngster still needed time to experiment and explore this unfamiliar high level divine spell.
“The big guy never worshipped the Charming Blue Goddess. Why can I sense his presence with the Believer Perception divine spell?”
“Let's put that question aside for now.”
Divine spell - Divine Power Channel!
Gazing at the nightmare before him, the fishman youngster felt a surge of inspiration and activated another divine spell.
In the next instant, the divine power within him accelerated its consumption, weaving a wondrous energy conduit.
The conduit connected the big guy and the fishman youngster.
Thus, the fishman youngster descended into the big guy's dream.
In the dim nightmare world, a patch of mist suddenly shifted to a deep blue.
Then, a gale swept through, coalescing the mist into a colossal humanoid form, the likeness of the dragonman youngster.
To accommodate the big guy, the fishman youngster deliberately transformed his appearance into the familiar image from the big guy's memories.
“Father?”
Xiao Guai stared in shock at the enormous dragonman youngster standing directly before him.
“Father, Xiao Guai was looking for you!”
“Father, you're so big!”
As he came to his senses, the big guy cried out in joyful surprise, tears streaming down his face.
He danced excitedly yet did not drown.
As his state of mind shifted, the undulating lines of seawater enveloping him straightened, transforming back into the deck's form.
Xiao Guai stepped onto the deck, spread his arms wide, and ran toward the mist surrounding the dragonman youngster.
He grew larger with each stride, his form swiftly reverting to that of a giant.
The dragonman youngster smiled, extending his right index finger and slowly reaching toward the giant.
The mist-shrouded youngster's physique was mountainous, and his single finger was larger than the giant himself.
As the finger touched the big guy, the youngster spoke softly, “Xiao Guai, Father's come to see you.”
“Father... Father!” The giant clutched the youngster's finger, wailing with overwhelming sorrow.
“Father, Xiao Guai... missed you!”
“Father, let's go.”
“Take Xiao Guai with you!”
Seeing the giant's emotional state, the fishman youngster sighed deeply, his heart filled with tenderness.
Suddenly, he understood the truth.
“Xiao Guai isn't a Charming Blue believer. He never was, and he isn't now.”
“His true devotion... is to me.”
“He is my... fanatical believer!”