By a twist of fate, Liu Hui overheard the ultimate secret of the gods of the Magic Plane from the Plane Consciousness—a secret that struck him with profound shock: the deities were, in fact, manufactured by the faith power of their devotees.

Liu Hui immediately considered another point and asked, "Venerable Plane Consciousness, if the Goddess of Nature is unwilling to see other religions arise in the Magic Plane, why would she stand by and watch the Church of Light grow so powerful instead of destroying it beforehand?"

The Plane Consciousness stated, "Every five hundred years, the Goddess of Nature falls into a deep slumber lasting twenty years. In her estimation, no divine being powerful enough to threaten her could emerge within such a short span of two decades. However, she never anticipated that you would leverage the Plane Trading Device to expand the Church of Light to its current scale in just over ten years. Thus, when she awoke and discovered a competitor for faith power in the world in the form of yourself, she dispatched an Emissary, intending to eradicate your Church of Light completely."

Liu Hui grew more bewildered and inquired, "Why didn't the Goddess of Nature strike herself? Why rely on her subordinates, the Emissaries? Otherwise, it would have been my One-Winged Angel being slain by her, rather than my One-Winged Angel slaying her Emissary."

The Plane Consciousness responded, "This is because the Goddess of Nature's power has not yet reached the standard of a First-Tier Deity. The rules of the Magic Plane still bind her significantly, preventing her true form from descending in person. Therefore, she can only rely on her Emissaries and the Elven armies who worship her to deal with your Church of Light."

Liu Hui asked curiously, "Only upon achieving the strength of a First-Tier Deity can one cast off the shackles of the rules and personally descend to the mortal realm?"

The Plane Consciousness affirmed, "Precisely. The Goddess of Nature is currently only a Third-Tier Deity and does not meet this standard. Hence, she must operate through her Emissaries and the Elven armies that place their faith in her to counter your Church of Light."

Hearing that the Goddess of Nature could not descend herself, Liu Hui breathed a sigh of relief. He asked, "Venerable Plane Consciousness, how many Emissaries does the Goddess of Nature have under her command?"

The Plane Consciousness replied, "As for how many Emissaries the Goddess of Nature commands, I believe it would be better if you see for yourself!"

A scene materialized before Liu Hui once more. It depicted a vast and imposing divine hall. Upon the white jade throne in the center of this hall sat a formidable goddess, radiating a terrifying pressure. Her form was encircled by dense currents of faith power, which obscured her features so Liu Hui could not discern her exact appearance. On the floor of the great hall before this goddess stood twelve colossal white cocoons.

Liu Hui inquired, "Venerable Plane Consciousness, is the deity seated upon the throne in that temple the Goddess of Nature? And where are her Emissaries?"

The Plane Consciousness stated, "Correct, the one on the throne is the Goddess of Nature. Previously, she had only one Emissary, but that Emissary was slain by your One-Winged Angel. Do you see those twelve white cocoons on the ground? Within them, brand new Emissaries are being gestated. The Goddess of Nature has begun expending her divine essence to conjure twelve Emissaries simultaneously, intending to use these twelve to eliminate your One-Winged Angel."

Gazing at the twelve white cocoons, Liu Hui felt a secret dread. When his One-Winged Angel battled the Goddess of Nature's Emissary, it required an entire day and night to slay a single one, consuming a substantial amount of spiritual energy in the process. If this One-Winged Angel had to face twelve Emissaries alone, wouldn't it stand no chance of victory?

The Plane Consciousness suddenly declared, "Human, make your decision quickly! My time remaining in this plane is short."

Liu Hui questioned, "Are you not the consciousness of the plane I currently inhabit?"

The Plane Consciousness replied, "No. I am the Plane Consciousness from the Magic Plane. I have arrived in this plane because of you, and due to limitations imposed by the rules, I cannot linger here for an extended period."

Liu Hui said, "Venerable Plane Consciousness, you just mentioned that I must make my decision immediately. Is that correct?"

The Plane Consciousness confirmed, "Indeed, you must decide now. You must choose: will you journey with me to the Magic Plane to merge with the Godhead of Light that belongs to you and become the true God of Light, or will you forsake everything and completely sever all ties with the Godhead of Light in the Magic Plane?"

Liu Hui was momentarily stunned. He had assumed he had to travel to the Magic Plane, not realizing he had a choice. After a moment's thought, he said, "If I choose to sever all ties with the Godhead of Light in the Magic Plane, what changes will occur to the Church of Light there?"

The Plane Consciousness explained, "Should you choose to completely sever your connection with the Godhead of Light in the Magic Plane, then from this moment forward, the faith power generated by the devotees of the Church of Light in that plane will no longer transfer to you across planes. All faith power will concentrate upon that Godhead of Light. Furthermore, since you will have abandoned it, that Godhead of Light will become an unclaimed entity. In the void, it will slowly engender a completely new God of Light, who will then receive the faith power of the Church of Light's followers."

Liu Hui understood immediately. The Plane Consciousness meant that if he chose not to go to the Magic Plane, he would thereafter have no connection whatsoever to the God of Light there. Though he felt a twinge of regret about forfeiting such a rare opportunity for godhood, Liu Hui was a man deeply attached to his relationships, meaning he could never journey alone to the Magic Plane to become a deity.

Liu Hui stated, "In that case, I choose to renounce it. Venerable Plane Consciousness, I request that all links to the Godhead of Light in the Magic Plane be severed."

The Plane Consciousness paused before asking again, "Human, are you certain you wish to abandon such a direct path to godhood?"

Liu Hui nodded. "Yes. In this plane, I still have my beloved wife and child, my friends, my career, and ideals yet to fulfill. I cannot leave them."

The Plane Consciousness responded, "Human, I understand your choice. I will handle everything."

Liu Hui suddenly recalled something. This Plane Consciousness seemed omniscient and overwhelmingly powerful, capable of spying on the Goddess of Nature without detection. Did it know the secret of the Plane Trading Device?

Just as Liu Hui prepared to ask the Plane Consciousness this very question, a brilliant flash of light erupted before his eyes. Liu Hui squinted, raising a hand to shield his vision. When the intense light finally faded, he lowered his hands to find himself lying on his bed, the room utterly unchanged, just as before.

However, Liu Hui immediately noticed a massive shift in his own body. He sensed that the powerful, pulling sensation from the void had completely vanished. The light, almost ethereal feeling in his body was gone. Though it was night, his body no longer emitted light, nor could he feel the divine pressure that had resided within him.

When Liu Hui first opened his eyes, he almost believed his conversation with the mysterious Plane Consciousness had been merely a dream. But as he registered the anomalies occurring within his body, he knew the events had been real. Under the Plane Consciousness's manipulation, he had been severed from the faith power of the Magic Plane, forfeiting his chance to become the God of Light. Yet, he could remain on Earth with his wife and child.

Liu Hui felt only a momentary pang of regret over this outcome, quickly replaced by joy. This ending was the one he desired most, the path that brought him the greatest happiness.

From this moment on, Liu Hui was definitively cut off from the Godhead of Light in the Magic Plane. Through the influence of that Godhead, a true God of Light would slowly be born in the void, but this newly created deity would have no connection whatsoever to Liu Hui.

From the Plane Consciousness, Liu Hui also learned that the process of birthing this new god would be lengthy, requiring at least several centuries. During this time, Alexander's Church of Light would still require Liu Hui's assistance. Meanwhile, the Goddess of Nature had already begun incubating twelve Emissaries. If Liu Hui failed to provide new aid to Alexander, the Church of Light, including his One-Winged Angel, would surely be annihilated by the Goddess of Nature's twelve Emissaries, leading to its complete uprooting from the Magic Plane.

The war between the Goddess of Nature's temple and the Church of Light concerned religion and the contest for faith power; thus, the Goddess of Nature would never tolerate the Church of Light continuing its ascent. Had Liu Hui chosen to become the God of Light, he could have ascended immediately to protect the Church. Even if the Goddess of Nature deployed twelve Emissaries, he could have countered with an equal number of battle angels. But having chosen to forfeit that path, he could no longer assist Alexander's Church of Light from the perspective of a God of Light.

Therefore, Liu Hui's only hope now rested on that One-Winged Angel. He had to further enhance its combat strength to enable it to resist the Goddess of Nature's twelve Emissaries, at least for these coming centuries. After those hundreds of years, the true God of Light would have been born, and the new deity would certainly not allow the Goddess of Nature to destroy his followers. However, whether Liu Hui would still be alive by then was a matter beyond his immediate concern.

A sound escaped Liu Hui in his room, which was immediately heard by Hu Xian'er, sleeping in the adjoining guest room. She pushed the door open instantly and saw Liu Hui lying on the bed. She stared blankly for a moment, then her expression brightened, and she laughed, "Water Buffalo, have you finally resolved that problem? Your body seems to have returned to normal."

Seeing Hu Xian'er filled Liu Hui with elation. He laughed, "Yes, Xian'er, I've resolved all the issues. I'm back to normal now; we won't have to be separated."

Tears welled in Hu Xian'er's eyes. Seeing the peculiar state Liu Hui was in earlier, she had feared he would be leaving them forever and had been secretly heartbroken. Now, the strange condition had vanished. This meant her Water Buffalo would not leave them and would continue living with them.

All of Hu Xian'er's previous worries dissolved instantly. She rushed into Liu Hui's embrace, exclaiming with excitement, "Water Buffalo, we don't have to part! That's wonderful, truly wonderful!"

Liu Hui held Hu Xian'er close, overwhelmed with joy. Better to live in this plane with his beloved wife and child than to be the solitary, supreme God of Light in the Magic Plane. He felt the decision he had just made was entirely correct and wise.

A surge of passion overtook Liu Hui. He said eagerly, "Xian'er, because of my condition before, it’s been a while since we... made love. Is it time now?"

Hu Xian'er shot him a look. "Then go lock the door, or what if someone overhears?"

Liu Hui let out a wild whoop, scrambled off the bed, quickly shut the door, and then lunged fiercely toward Hu Xian'er...

The next day, when everyone Liu Hui had invited had gathered, they found him looking energetic and exceptionally happy.

Liu Hui smiled. "Everyone, I haven't seen you all for some time, and I've missed you. I've called you all together today simply to treat you to a meal and share my joy."

Liu Hui's family, friends, and the management team of the 'Starry Sky City' exchanged glances, followed by a flicker of disappointment. They had expected him to announce some major development—some had even speculated he had finally decided to become an Emperor—only to find he merely wanted to host a dinner.

What these people did not know was that had Liu Hui not completely resolved the abnormality in his body the previous night, what they would have heard today were the arrangements for his funeral rites.

Liu Hui initiated a call to the Zerg, and soon, Zerg responded.

The war between the Zerg and the Protoss had concluded with a decisive victory for the Zerg. Although defeated, the Protoss were like a starved camel still larger than a horse, possessing significant potential for warfare. The Zerg, having also suffered heavy losses in the conflict, lacked the strength to eliminate the Protoss entirely. Consequently, representatives from both sides began frequent contact to engage in final negotiations, fiercely arguing over the reparations the Protoss would owe to conclude the war.

Regardless of the final outcome of the negotiations, it did not alter the fundamental premise of the Zerg's comprehensive victory, leaving Zerg, who presided over the rear command, quite pleased with himself. When Liu Hui saw Zerg, he was clearly in high spirits.

Zerg laughed, "Greetings, Esteemed Lord Liu Hui! What brings you to summon me today?"

Liu Hui said, "Esteemed Lord Zerg, previously, the Protoss scientists you captured created that energy being with wings on its back for me, and I am very satisfied with it. However, I have a question now: is there any way those Protoss scientists can make this energy being even more powerful?"

Zerg chuckled, "What a coincidence; I was just discussing your energy being with those Protoss scientists! According to them, your winged energy being can indeed be enhanced further. The appearance of the strengthened energy being won't change significantly; the only difference between them will be the number of wings on their backs—the more wings, the stronger the being."

Liu Hui inquired, "Can they add more wings to the back of the energy being already created?"

Zerg replied, "That poses no issue. As long as you have a sufficient supply of your complete set of high-grade energy stones, theoretically, the number of wings on the energy being's back could be infinite."

Liu Hui had already expended nine complete sets of Divine-grade Magical Beast Cores to create the One-Winged Angel. He had planned to construct more One-Winged Angels to bolster Alexander's forces, but because he couldn't contact Xiaoyaozi from the Cultivation World, he couldn't obtain more combat puppets. Out of necessity, Liu Hui could only consider increasing the combat prowess of the single existing One-Winged Angel, as he had only the one combat puppet.

Liu Hui asked, "How many high-grade energy stones are required to add a pair of wings to the back of the energy being?"

Zerg estimated, "According to the Protoss scientists, nine complete sets of high-grade energy stones should suffice to add a pair of wings to the energy being. Furthermore, for every pair of wings added, the power of that energy being doubles compared to the One-Winged version."

Liu Hui had initially acquired six complete sets of Divine-grade Magical Beast Cores. He used one set to forge the One-Winged Angel, leaving him with five sets. If the Protoss scientists' calculations were accurate, he possessed enough cores to upgrade the One-Winged Angel into a Six-Winged Angel—which perfectly matched the image of the Six-Winged Battle Angel he had previously shown Zerg.

Considering this, Liu Hui said, "Then I will have to trouble you. Once I secure those high-grade energy stones, I will contact you, and I will need your assistance in increasing the number of wings on this energy being."

Zerg nodded, "Esteemed Lord Liu Hui, rest assured, we will be prepared. As soon as you find those high-grade energy stones, we can immediately proceed with upgrading the wings on your energy being."

Liu Hui terminated the call with Zerg, and after a moment's thought, he contacted Alexander in the Magic Plane.

Alexander quickly answered the call, looking at Liu Hui with utter reverence. "Venerable Teacher, greetings!"

Looking at the exceedingly respectful Alexander, Liu Hui felt a wave of deep emotion. He had previously assumed Alexander's deference stemmed from the substantial aid he provided, leading to such high regard. However, after conversing with the Plane Consciousness of the Magic Plane, Liu Hui realized the situation was far more complex.

From the very beginning, Alexander believed Liu Hui was a god sent to aid him. As for Liu Hui's later suggestion of establishing the Church of Light, Alexander simply assumed that Liu Hui found speaking directly inconvenient or was perhaps testing him, which is why he pretended ignorance while discussing the formation of the Church. In his heart, he had long accepted Liu Hui as the God of Light.

Later on, when Liu Hui supplied powerful technological weaponry and sophisticated surveillance equipment, which helped Alexander overcome numerous difficulties, Alexander became even more convinced that Liu Hui was the God of Light. He believed Liu Hui was merely withholding the full truth for reasons he was unaware of.

Consequently, when promoting the God of Light, Alexander established Liu Hui’s image as that of the God of Light, successfully channeling the faith power of the Church's billion followers to Liu Hui and forging a Godhead of Light for him—nearly causing Liu Hui to transcend planes and become the true God of Light.

It was because Alexander believed from the outset that Liu Hui was the God of Light, coupled with Liu Hui accepting him as a disciple, that Alexander was moved to tears of gratitude. This led him to obey Liu Hui without question, tirelessly collecting all necessary items for the Magic Plane on Liu Hui's behalf. When Alexander encountered difficulties, he followed Liu Hui’s instructions without hesitation, because in Alexander’s mind, Liu Hui was the all-powerful God of Light, who, even if temporarily challenged, would never falter, as these struggles were merely tests set by the God of Light.

Liu Hui looked at the deeply reverent Alexander before him, feeling conflicted about whether to reveal the truth. However, he quickly remembered that the current Church of Light was utterly devout to the God of Light. If they discovered their god was merely an ordinary person and the true God of Light had yet to manifest, the very foundation sustaining the Church would instantly vanish, bringing its collapse into view. Therefore, impersonating the God of Light currently offered Liu Hui no harm, so he decided to maintain the tacit understanding with Alexander and continue the pretense.

With this thought, Liu Hui calmed himself and smiled as before, "My dear Alexander, are my Battle Angels proving useful?"

Alexander replied respectfully, "Teacher's Battle Angels are extraordinarily formidable."

Liu Hui stated, "You will trade it to me now! I intend to upgrade it. Because I already know that after the only divine envoy of the Goddess of Nature was slain by my angel, she has become enraged and is creating twelve new divine envoys to deal with you. If you rely solely on the previous Battle Angels, you will be far from their match."

Alexander wholeheartedly believed Liu Hui's words, yet he felt not the slightest trace of fear regarding the twelve divine envoys of the Goddess of Nature, because standing behind him was Liu Hui, the God of Light. Thus, Alexander retrieved the one-winged angel from his storage space, placed it on the planar trading platform, and clicked 'Trade.' Liu Hui also clicked 'Trade,' completing the transaction of the one-winged angel to his own plane.

The one-winged angel materialized before Liu Hui, still crouched in a half-kneeling posture, its pure white wings enveloping its entire form. The wings, which had previously shrunk, had returned to their full size after absorbing energy from the void over this period.

Liu Hui said, "My dear Alexander, the Goddess of Nature is about to make her next move. Therefore, during this time, you absolutely must not take any aggressive action on your own initiative. Focus entirely on implementing defensive measures for safety. If any situation arises, notify me immediately, understood?"

Alexander asked with a touch of apprehension, "Respected Teacher, if the Goddess of Nature herself descends, will you..."

Liu Hui looked at Alexander's unfinished query and smiled, "My dear Alexander, rest assured, the Goddess of Nature will not personally intervene; she can only dispatch her divine envoys."

Alexander suddenly understood, exclaiming, "Ah! I see now. So, Teacher has already reached an accord with the Goddess of Nature; neither of you will... Oh, in that case, I am relieved."

Liu Hui paused, then let out a wry smile. He had learned of the Goddess of Nature's preparations from the Plane Consciousness and knew she was barred from descending, yet he never expected Alexander to assume he had forged an agreement with her, which only solidified his identity as the God of Light. Still, this was for the best; at least his interests in the magic plane would be guaranteed in the short term.

Thanks to the book friend: liúmáng07116 for your support! RO