Chapter 49: Deification and Destruction
The greatest of all time?
The greatest of all time!!!
Seeing the final evaluation on the Ascending Dragon List, Ye Qingshi was stunned speechless.
Suddenly, she recalled how she had just teased Fang Can for dreaming of getting on the Celestial Secret List.
And now, as if a legend had become reality, this youth—praised as the greatest of all time—had just silently, yet violently, roiled the waters of her heart.
"This... it’s you, isn’t it?" Ye Qingshi asked.
All sorts of doubts and suspicions flooded her mind. ’Could this so-called Celestial Secret List be a fake? A cruel joke orchestrated by Yan Zhi?’
But when she looked up, she saw that Yan Zhi, the one who had delivered the list, wore an expression of utter horror. His own face was tight with shock as he stared at the names.
And so, the young woman needed to confirm it. She had to ask Fang Can if this list was real.
"...Mm, it’s not me." Fang Can snapped the book shut without reading any further.
"You’re lying." Ye Qingshi’s retort was immediate. For some reason, she just knew he was lying.
"If Miss Ye believes it is, then so be it." Fang Can stood up from his wheelchair and, in a single motion, crushed the entire booklet into a tight ball of paper.
He glanced up at the sky, and the bright, warm sunlight reflected in his eyes, washing away his frustration.
When he turned back around, a sturdy man with a mustache was standing behind him.
Sighing to himself, Fang Can clasped his hands in salute. "Hall Master Ye, are you here to stop me?"
Ye Yonglie looked at the young man before him with a complex expression. He had suspected there was something more to Fang Can’s identity, but he’d never imagined the secret was this staggering.
For one person to reach the Profound Gate First Layer and awaken a Heart Image at the same time, and after practicing martial arts for less than a month at that... he truly earned the title "greatest of all time."
"I was simply hoping to ask you, young friend, to continue guiding us with your Heart Image," Ye Yonglie said with a smile.
"Oh?" Fang Can countered. "Hall Master, you must have seen the Celestial Secret List. And you still won’t drive me away? Aren’t you afraid of making an enemy of the Tiger Slaughter Sect?"
"Why would I drive you away?" Ye Yonglie said. "As long as we say nothing, who besides the Celestial Secret Tower could possibly know you’re here?"
"It’s like hiding in plain sight. Everyone will assume that you, a renegade Disciple of the Tiger Slaughter Sect, will leave as soon as possible. But if we do the opposite, who could possibly know?"
Fang Can’s brow furrowed slightly. He stared at Ye Yonglie without saying a word.
"The only ones who heard your name yesterday were the few dozen Disciples within the hall. As long as we all agree to keep it a secret, you will naturally have nothing to worry about."
As Ye Yonglie spoke, the thought of attacking that had crossed Fang Can’s mind faded. He looked at the man and said:
"So this is your decision? You’d risk having your entire hall annihilated just to shelter me? What are you after?"
"Because I’m willing to bet that you can become the strongest." A fierce grin spread across Ye Yonglie’s face. "I’m prepared to stake my entire life’s work in the Martial Dao on you!"
"I intend to worship you as my god!" Ye Yonglie’s eyes locked onto Fang Can, his voice firm and unwavering.
"Worship me as a god?"
Fang Can tilted his head, not quite understanding what the man meant. But as he glanced to the side, he saw the looks of pure shock on Yan Zhi’s and Ye Qingshi’s faces.
"I haven’t been practicing martial arts for long," Fang Can asked, puzzled. "This ’worshipping a god’... does it have some special meaning?"
"Of course. ’Worshipping a god’ means treating a living person as a deity to be venerated. You become the god’s most fanatical believer, dedicating your entire being to them and regarding them as supreme."
Ye Qingshi took the initiative to explain, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at her father. She couldn’t believe he was willing to pay such a heavy price.
"Then what’s the point of worshipping someone like that?" Fang Can asked, confused. If what Ye Qingshi said was true, the cost was far too great.
"Of course it’s useful. A pious worshipper can rely on their faith in that god to cultivate. The closer you are to the god and the more miracles you witness, the stronger your faith becomes, and the greater the benefits to your cultivation."
"The believer needs to worship piously, while the god only needs to do one thing: keep winning."
"It is as easy to make a god as it is to break one."
"A believer builds a perfect image of their god to worship in their heart. If the god they serve is defeated and becomes tarnished, the believer’s faith will shatter, and they might even lose their mind."
Ye Qingshi spoke gravely. Her words were both an explanation for Fang Can and a warning to her father, urging him to think carefully before proceeding.
After all, who can remain undefeated forever? Every defeat suffered by the god is a massive blow to the believer. When the god’s golden idol finally turns to clay, the believer is sure to meet a terrible end.
’What is this, fandom-based cultivation?’ Fang Can thought, speechless. He then asked:
"If a real-life god can fail, why not just build a divine image in your mind and worship a fictional god instead?"
’Like Luo Tianyi or something,’ Fang Can’s mind wandered. ’An image like that can’t exactly get canceled, right?’
"Because a fictional god has no miracles. They’re like a flower reflected in water or the moon in a mirror—rootless and insubstantial," Ye Yonglie said gravely.
"What is a miracle? A god walking the earth is itself a miracle. A false god, while seemingly undefeated, is built on lies. The illusion shatters at the slightest touch."
"Only a real god, by defeating rivals time and again through force, by crushing enemies with the fiercest power and the most domineering words, can bring about growth in a believer’s spirit," said Ye Yonglie.
’Got it. A virtual idol won’t work, but a real-life one who carefully curates their public image will,’ Fang Can realized.
"So... I wish to worship you, young friend, as my god, and offer you my all."
Ye Yonglie’s words were earnest. After speaking, he knelt directly on the ground. "My god, please grant my request."
"This..." Staring at the kneeling Hall Master Ye, Fang Can was momentarily bewildered, unsure whether to agree.
"Young Master Fang, you should just agree to the Hall Master’s request," Yan Zhi urged from the side. "All the gains and losses only affect the believer. The god merely needs to accept and enjoy the believer’s worship."
"Every expert with any renown is followed by a group of zealots. In the future, the number of people wanting to worship you as their god will only grow."
"This..." Fang Can hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Alright."
At Fang Can’s words, the tension in Ye Yonglie’s brow finally eased. He kowtowed three times toward Fang Can with an expression of immense piety, then raised his head. "May I ask for my god’s revered title?"
"Then call me... the Celestial Emperor." Fang Can said, sounding a bit sheepish. Even he wasn’t convinced by his own words.
The moment he spoke, Ye Yonglie once again kowtowed three times, his forehead striking the ground with resounding thuds. As he did, he silently recited the miracles in his heart.
’What were the miracles? The words written on the Celestial Secret List—those were the miracles!’
’Which of the commendations on that list had ever been achieved by anyone in history?’
’The one worthy of being called the greatest of all time could only be a god.’
As this thought took root, a profound conviction welled up from the depths of his heart. A tranquil aura immediately enveloped everyone present.
With just a few simple kowtows, a Heart Image spontaneously formed within Ye Yonglie’s sea of consciousness.