Dawn of a New Era

Chapter 675 649: Temple Purge (Part 2)

Zhou Weiming didn't expect to flatter himself awkwardly, so he immediately changed strategy, "General Manager Chen, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Why not have some first?"

"I've already eaten." Chen Shouyi said casually.

Unless he had to eat at home, he basically didn't eat ordinary food at other times.

Everyone surrounded Chen Shouyi like stars around the moon, with mysterious smiles and obedient expressions.

Chen Shouyi paid no mind; he had experienced such situations many times before.

Regardless of status or age, it was basically the same. Some were subtle and reserved, while others were blatant and open. He used to feel a bit inflated, but now he's long since gotten used to it.

After all... it was like being handsome, there's nothing he could do about it.

Perhaps this is what maturity is; he had already passed the age of adolescence.

He looked at Division Commander Zhao beside him, "How's the situation now?"

"Everything is ready; we're just waiting for your orders to take action." Zhao Song quickly said, with a natural expression.

"Then let's begin." Chen Shouyi nodded and said.

"Yes, General Manager Chen." Zhao Song immediately saluted again, standing upright.

...

"Fellow villagers, according to the City Government's investigation, a cult has started spreading under the guise of the Goddess of Childgiving... please stay calm... We need to recognize the true face of the Barbarian God enslaving humans; our attitude towards the cult is to strike hard, without mercy!"

"In the face of the cult, do not listen, do not believe, do not spread, do not participate. Trust science, reject the cult."

Soldiers started propaganda with megaphones.

Thanks to the years of propaganda, even though the villagers were incredulous, nothing happened.

Truly devout believers were only a few; most were shallow believers, just joining in the fun.

Chen Shouyi didn't go in, but stood not far from the village temple, looking at Bai Xiaoling who was following him obediently: "You don't need to follow me; it might be dangerous here."

"I'm not afraid!" Bai Xiaoling said weakly, "I passed the Great Martial Artist test some time ago."

You can't compare people. Some struggle with all their might, sweat a ton, and still find it difficult to become a Martial Artist. Others just need to know Chen Shouyi.

Chen Shouyi's mouth twitched. Is there a difference between a Great Martial Artist and an ordinary person?

But he didn't persuade any longer. This time there's probably no danger. Even if a Barbarian God truly arrives, with his current strength, as long as it's not a Powerful Divine Power Barbarian God, ordinary Barbarian Gods aren't worth worrying about.

Soon, the first divine statue was pushed over by several military Martial Artists. The clay statue smashed onto the ground, shattering to pieces.

"Boom!"

Even though the sky was clear and blue, everyone heard a muffled thunder-like explosion.

The atmosphere suddenly became stagnant and oppressive, the air around started swirling out of nowhere, whipping up a strange wind, making nearby villagers who were watching from afar feel a sense of impending doom.

"This is the Bodhisattva getting angry!" Many people's legs went soft, kneeling on the ground, continuously kowtowing, murmuring prayers for forgiveness.

"You mortals who blaspheme the divine! You destroy my statue, you shall surely suffer divine punishment!" A sharp female voice, seeming both loud thunder and soft thunder, echoed with an endless fury.

The oppressive atmosphere seemed to climb indefinitely.

The Martial Artists who had pushed the statue retreated in fear, their faces pale.

The vast majority of Martial Artists have never faced a deity directly, nor do they know how terrifying a Barbarian God can be. Suddenly encountering it now, they were terrified.

"General Manager Chen, is everything okay?" Zhao Song quickly came over, looking serious and asked.

"Don't worry, it's fine." Chen Shouyi said, his face slightly cold, his will focused, and his mind explored the void above the statue. From his perspective, a Divine Power channel was forming.

The next moment.

Two forces violently collided.

"Boom!"

It was like an explosion, a strong airflow burst out from the middle.

Then the oppressive atmosphere suddenly dissipated, everything became calm.

Will and Divine Power are similar forces, both belonging to the Power of Thought. Except the former comes from individuals, the latter from the collective consciousness.

Under normal circumstances, the latter even if it's only Weak Divine Power, far outweighs Chen Shouyi's will. If forced to use otherworldly deific systems for a comparison, his willpower is only approximately equivalent to a Demigod's power.

The reason he so easily blocked the opponent was entirely because they were projecting their power remotely through a divine statue, heavily consumed, with only a tenth of the strength left.

It became quiet around, even those kneeling villagers stopped blankly, looking at Chen Shouyi with indescribable reverence.

This Bodhisattva... no, Barbarian God, seems so weak.

Then why should we bother worshiping?

All villagers expressed that their emotions have stabilized.

"General Manager Chen, has it been resolved here? That Evil God won't appear again, right?" Zhao Song, having witnessed the unbelievable means by which the Barbarian God was confronted, immediately became more naturally subservient.

"What's toppled is just a god statue, but the faith..." Chen Shouyi said halfway, only to find the Domain of Faith here was quickly fading.

Truly pragmatic believers.

Then he continued, "In any case, strengthen the propaganda."

Zhao Song made a listening expression and nodded repeatedly. In fact, there's no need for Chen Shouyi to specially instruct. The government has long summarized effective methods to eliminate cult faith, the simplest being desecration and derision.

"General Manager Chen, you've worked hard, have some water." Bai Xiaoling held back her excitement as she handed over a thermos bottle, her heart pounding wildly.

The scene just now was too thrilling.

Even her chest couldn't take it.

Chen Shouyi took it, opened the lid, sipped the water, and said, "Next time, don't put tea leaves."

Bai Xiaoling quickly took note of it.

...

There was more than one temple; almost every village in the area had one.

At first, the Barbarian God would still rage, but after being repeatedly defeated by Chen Shouyi, it seemed to have completely resigned to its fate, making the cleansing process faster.

...

"You say this Barbarian God is likely from the Southeast Asian God of Fertility?" Chen Shouyi asked.

"According to intelligence, its abilities are very similar to this Barbarian God!" With everything going smoothly, Zhao Song's mood lightened up, speaking of interesting news he'd heard, "It's said that where it's occupied, many have starved to death."

"Why?" Chen Shouyi turned his head and asked.

"Because too many people were born," Zhao Song said.

Chen Shouyi nodded.

Modern agricultural yields are closely tied to industrialization; which part of fertilizers and pesticides can be separated from modern industry?

In the Great Xia Country, where almost everyone practices martial arts, food shortages are avoided, ensuring a basic living standard. Besides having prioritized the recovery of these related industries, even without explicitly stating it, Chen Shouyi could roughly guess that those high-yield seeds are probably tied to genetic engineering.

And in Southeast Asia, it's clear they lack this technological capability.