Chapter 444: New Function, Shared Perception

Several people simultaneously bowed down, leaving Master Zhan Sheng and the Envoy utterly bewildered. Those two men had no idea what the Deity was or why the others were bowing so fervently.

Master Zhan Sheng rested a hand on his staff, watching the mud statue with wary alertness.

This mud statue wasn’t very large, standing just slightly taller than a person. It had been brought along by the “Gaojia Village Shanxi Expeditionary Force” to boost troop morale.

Master Zhan Sheng had seen it in this room on previous visits, but he hadn’t paid much attention, dismissing it as unimportant. Little did he expect it to speak now, downright terrifying him.

Meanwhile, the Envoy was even more frightened, not daring to utter a single word.

Li Daoxuan spoke one word and, after realizing he could produce sound, felt pleased. He continued, “Envoy, what you said earlier was excellent. We’re all resisting the tyranny of the court and battling for the people’s sake, so naturally, we shouldn’t fight among ourselves. That conflict is terrible—it only causes pain to loved ones and joy to foes. On behalf of Xing Honglang, I accept your request. From now on, Xing Honglang is part of the rebel army as well.”

Upon hearing this, everyone in the entire room was stunned.

Xing Honglang and the others knew the Deity especially despised reckless bandits, as they’d previously fought a fierce battle with Bai Yuzhu under Wang Jiayin at Qiachuan Port. Now he was willing to join them? How strange!

But strange as it was, they never considered objecting. It was best to just listen obediently, since gods must have profound reasons for their actions. As mortals, they needed to reflect deeply and not rush to challenge divine decisions.

The only happy person in the room was the Envoy. He suddenly saw this mud figure held higher authority than even Xing Honglang, so its word must be reliable. His diplomatic mission was accomplished smoothly, and he grinned inwardly, imagining returning for his reward.

Still…

This mud figure was frightening, so he’d better flee fast.

The Envoy hastily cupped his fists. “Well then, I shall take my leave now.”

He sprinted away immediately, terrified the mud man might devour him if he lingered.

Just as he reached the doorway, he heard the mud man say, “Mentally, you cursed me earlier, didn’t you?”

With that question, the Envoy froze stiff… shivering head to toe! How could the mud man know? Good heavens! Was it a monster? The mind-reading kind?

Li Daoxuan spoke. “Relax, I’m not angry. Just tumble in a messy fall right now.”

The moment the words ended, the Envoy threw himself forcefully to the ground—plop! Face-first he went, suffering a nasty, pathetic collapse. Rising afterward, he asked, “That… is that okay?”

“Fine, off you go!”

The Envoy sighed in relief and scurried away disheveled.

Li Daoxuan then turned his attention to the others in the room. His own villagers remained in a worshipful pose, while only the middle-aged monk stayed on guard.

Ignoring the monk, Li Daoxuan addressed his villagers. “Alright, save the formalities. Everyone get seated comfortably and speak up.”

The crowd hurriedly sat down, all gazing at him with reverence.

This marked their first direct conversation with the Deity. Before, it had always been through the Saint Lady, or by the Deity displaying a large written sheet, or extending a golden hand down from the sky…

Interactions had been severely limited!

But this time, the Deity was present before them and could talk directly, leaving them wildly excited all over. A sensation of pumping blood surged through them, an overwhelming feeling of invincibility flooding their hearts.

Li Daoxuan said, “I guess you’re wondering why I’m having you join Wang Jiayin’s bandit army.”

The group snapped back to reality. Yes, why indeed?

Li Daoxuan smiled, causing his mud lips to split apart. Cracks rapidly spiderwebbed across the clay plaster, and half his face suddenly fell off, startling everyone.

“Heaven’s secrets! Heaven’s secrets must stay concealed.” Li Daoxuan stated, “Forget about Wang Jiayin and Bu Zhan Ni. If you just soothe them for a while and prevent an immediate attack, they’ll never target us at all.”

The crowd instantly responded, “Understood!”

“Everyone must recall this.” Li Daoxuan added, “Our goal, from beginning to end, remains singular: ensuring all common folk enjoy a fine life. Whoever contradicts that mission—no matter who—is our foe…”

Here, he noticed the clay shell could hold no longer.

As his mouth moved while speaking, the clay began shedding chunks loudly. Its structure lost stability, and with a boom, the remaining mud face caved inward uncontrollably.

Li Daoxuan felt the surroundings rapidly blur, shifting to a dark, star-studded void. Infinite trails of light and hazy fragments flickered past him, reversed and faded. In an instant, vision reset to normal—he was back inside his own body, seated beside the box on the standalone villa’s second floor.

That fleeting moment inside the box felt dreamy, half-real and half-illusory.

“Damn! The box’s new trick is pretty cool.”

Li Daoxuan hurriedly looked around the box’s exterior for menus, scanning tirelessly until he spotted it beneath the north, south, east, and west buttons sat a new one—”Shared Perception.”

Thanks to that prior incident, Li Daoxuan confirmed one fact: “Shared Perception” worked via a medium alone. He didn’t need his view expanded to that spot first. That medium? His own statue.

In theory, any place with such a statue could be “Shared Perception”-enabled, right?

Might as well test this thought promptly.

Li Daoxuan reached out and tapped the “Shared Perception” button. As it clicked, he suddenly recalled—oops! I’ve yet to choose which statue to link with.

Instantly, his first mental flash was that colossal golden idol in Chengcheng County…

With that idea switched on, it flowed neatly.

He plunged again into a dark cosmic expanse where countless stars and luminous streaks whooshed backward around him. Distant scenes sharpened abruptly from mistiness—his vision locked into place instantly.

A commanding, overhead angle!

Much like if Ultraman stood within metropolitan Tokyo, every building dwarfed by his gaze below.

He maneuvered his visual focus and discovered his perch behind Chengcheng County’s City God Temple. His body was a gargantuan stone block wrapped in gold powder glare, blindingly radiant almost unnerving passerby sight.

Keen to flex limbs briefly, Li Daoxuan controlled reckless impulses. Back in Shanxi, light chatter demolished that fragile clay mold. He couldn’t risk marring this magnificent gilded construction.

Thousands of villagers poured immense sweat this spectacle masterpiece.

True—wonders consumed resources during inception, but wasting both after completion outright waste.

So he stayed motionless, posture properly contained, projecting solemn dignity upon every observer.

Unexpectedly, he noticed below his core a small figure chattering incessantly. Vision tilted downward revealed identity: Liang Shixian.