If Teng Liang’s premonition was true, then the arrival of a Divine Son meant they were surely plotting something. It was even possible someone within the Sect had already colluded with them.
Qing Cang naturally wanted to find out who. And if he was wrong, it would be nothing more than a waste of time.
’Old Qing is fishing again...’ Su Chen muttered to himself, then asked cautiously, "There won’t be any problems, will there?"
Qing Cang shot him a look and said irritably, "It’s just a blood-and-flesh body. It can’t escape my grasp. No one noticed my arrival, so I should be able to uncover quite a few clues."
"A blood-and-flesh body?" Su Chen paused, then couldn’t help but ask, "What’s a blood-and-flesh body?"
Information about Deceitful Gods wasn’t easy to find within the Sect. It took considerable effort, so Su Chen hadn’t paid it much mind.
"A blood-and-flesh body, you ask..." Qing Cang’s eyes swept around the room. Though carefully arranged by the port director, it couldn’t compare to the Sect’s core facilities. The decor was spartan, and the great man seemed somewhat disdainful.
He walked over to the sofa and sat down before speaking. "If a Divine Son wishes to appear in the physical world, there are only three ways."
"First is an Incarnation. That’s the situation you encountered before. Through the sacrifices and prayers of Believers, and the provision of a suitable vessel, a Divine Son can descend through some esoteric connection."
Qing Cang spoke in a measured tone, and Ming Lin and Teng Liang also leaned in to listen. "The second is a blood-and-flesh body. Most of the Divine Sons active in the Dust Star Sea use this method. It’s a body created from Deceitful God Essence—quite powerful, allowing them to wield a portion of their true Power."
"As for the third, that would be their true body, the state in which they can unleash their full strength."
At this, Qing Cang shook his head. "However, bringing their true body into the physical world requires an immense price. Moreover, if they are killed in that state, they are completely and utterly annihilated. For that reason, almost no Divine Son would ever do it."
"A blood-and-flesh body is formidable, but it’s not enough to turn the world upside down." His voice was calm, but his words were laced with immense confidence.
"Incarnation, blood-and-flesh body, and true body..." Su Chen nodded, lost in thought.
’A blood-and-flesh body is made from Deceitful God Essence... I wonder if that essence can be extracted...’
Su Chen took the opportunity to sit as well, asking, "Then how does a Divine Son’s true body come to be? Are they really the children of Deceitful Gods?"
Qing Cang couldn’t help but chuckle at the question. "Deceitful Gods don’t even have physical forms. How could they have children? Besides, who would bear them?"
"A Divine Son..." A complex emotion flickered in Qing Cang’s eyes, and his voice dropped. "Is actually the corrupted byproduct of a Professional Spirituality."
"A Professional Spirituality can become corrupted?" Su Chen was stunned.
Then they heard Qing Cang continue, "Professional Spirituality isn’t exclusive to the Morning Star Tier or higher professions..."
For some reason, Qing Cang fell silent for a long moment before he went on. "Take a Tier Nine profession, for example. If there are enough people who have taken up that profession, a special method can be used to make its Professional Spirituality fall completely into the Nether Realm. It then evolves its own consciousness, becoming a Divine Son. And once that happens, the profession is ruined."
"So that’s how it works." Su Chen was genuinely amazed. ’A corrupted Professional Spirituality giving birth to a consciousness... how bizarre.’
After a moment’s thought, another question arose. "But unlike the Morning Star Tier, Tier Nine professions don’t have a limit on the number of people who can take them up. Even if a Divine Son is born, how is the profession itself ruined?"
"Then you underestimate the Deceitful Gods," Qing Cang cut in. "Once a profession has completely fallen through this method, even if the requirements to take it up aren’t secret, anyone who does so will be inherently susceptible to the Divine Son’s corruption. They won’t be able to break free and will eventually merge with it completely."
’That’s just twisted...’ Su Chen thought, clicking his tongue. Beside him, Ming Lin and Teng Liang were also hearing this for the first time. They exchanged a look of silent astonishment.
"Then if a Morning Star Tier’s Spirituality falls, does it also become a Divine Son?" Su Chen asked as the thought occurred to him.
"More or less." Qing Cang first shook his head, then nodded. "If a Morning Star Tier’s Spirituality falls into the Nether Realm, it becomes a Deceitful God."
’So that’s how Deceitful Gods are made...’ Su Chen realized with a start.
Qing Cang shook his head. "That’s just one of the more direct ways. Netherworld Creatures also have a chance to ascend and become Deceitful Gods, though the process is rather cumbersome. Furthermore, a Deceitful God that ascends from a Nether Fog creature is independent."
"But if a Great Deceitful God is the one to pull a Morning Star Tier’s Spiritual essence into corruption, the new Deceitful God will inherently obey its creator’s commands. This kind is known as a Vassal Deceitful God..."
’A Vassal Deceitful God... No wonder all those Deceitful Gods had their sights set on Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator’s Spiritual essence,’ Su Chen thought, finally understanding everything.
’It seems Professional Spirituality is incredibly important to the Deceitful Gods.’
"Alright." Qing Cang stood up and instructed, "For the time being, if you’re not heading back, stay by my side. Don’t go anywhere."
Su Chen naturally agreed, but inwardly he was already scheming. ’If I take care of these two, I might be able to trick something out of Faceless Ghost and Black Tuo.’
’Two Divine Sons were discovered out of the blue. The other side will definitely want to figure out what happened.’
’If I play my cards right then, there’s a lot to be gained!’
’After all, I still need to find a Heart of Spiritual Light in the Nether Realm, and that thing is as rare as Spiritual Fire.’
......
Canglan Star was a resource-trading planet. Over many years of development, its cities had mostly sprung up around mining operations.
In Gray Stone City, the outer walls of every building were covered in a composite coating extracted from local minerals. During the day, it absorbed the radiation from the Flame Fire and converted it into electrical energy.
At night, residual radiation caused the walls to emit a cold, eerie green glow. The streets weren’t traditional roads but a network of suspended cargo rails and enclosed pedestrian tubes.
Massive, automated mining carts, like steel centipedes, shuttled along the rails day and night, their passage causing the foundational supports of the buildings on either side to tremble slightly.