……
Phantom Prefecture.
The central base of the Ghost Officers in Huaxia.
In a packed church, a silver-haired pastor was reciting the Bible.
"Haaa~~~" A long yawn.
"Haa~~" Another long yawn.
"Haaa~~~" Mo Ziang leaned back against the chair, his messy hair hanging down, his long legs resting against the backrest. His calves dangled over the top of the chair, as if he were a bat hanging upside down from a tree.
"Tired?" asked a white-haired, red-eyed woman sitting next to him.
"Haaa~~~" Mo Ziang answered her with yet another long yawn.
The white-haired, red-eyed woman was named Luo Ying. Her arms were wrapped in white bandages, and she held a slightly curved long sword. Her features were delicate, and her demeanor was sharp and spirited.
"I'm leaving," Mo Ziang said, his calves tightening around the backrest as he curled up and prepared to jump over the chair.
Suddenly, Luo Ying's sword shot out, pressing against his abdomen and pinning him down, forcing him back into the chair.
"I don't want to hit a woman," Mo Ziang said, pretending to be angry as he glared at her.
"I don't want to hit you either," Luo Ying replied with a smile.
"Ahhhh—" Mo Ziang groaned, running his fingers through his already messy hair and making it even messier. Suddenly, he calmed down and looked at Luo Ying, who was smirking, and asked, "How much do I owe you? I'll pay you back!"
Mo Ziang was frustrated. He had finally found some free time to return to the base, only to be ambushed by Luo Ying before he could even go home to feed his succulent plants. She had dragged him here to listen to this old man recite the Bible.
He really didn’t understand why so many people came to listen to this old man talk about the Bible every day. Did they even understand what he was saying?
Luo Ying was momentarily stunned. Mo Ziang's train of thought was truly hard to follow. She shook her head with a chuckle and said, "Just sit for a while longer and keep me company."
"Wait!" Mo Ziang suddenly rolled off the chair and stood up, leaning in close to Luo Ying until their faces were almost touching.
Luo Ying was taken aback and leaned back slightly. "What is it?"
"I must owe you money! Or something else! Otherwise, you wouldn’t keep bothering me like this!" Mo Ziang declared with certainty.
He couldn’t remember when it started, but Luo Ying had begun striking up conversations with him and occasionally seeking him out. This made Mo Ziang suspect that she had some ulterior motive. The only thing he was sure of now was that he must have borrowed money from her at some point!
Luo Ying looked at Mo Ziang's pale, handsome face, which was now uncomfortably close to hers, and sighed, feeling that this man was beyond help.
Suddenly, Luo Ying blew a breath toward Mo Ziang. Feeling the sudden cool breeze and a faint fragrance, Mo Ziang quickly backed away, eyeing her warily.
Luo Ying sighed, stood up, and left. "If I don’t die on this mission, I’ll come find you again."
"Stay safe~" Mo Ziang suddenly called out cheerfully, waving like a happy child as he bid her farewell.
Though his farewell seemed casual, his wish for her safety was sincere.
"My succulent babies, don’t die! Daddy’s coming home to feed you!" Mo Ziang ran out of the church.
Back at his residence, Mo Ziang rummaged around and pulled out a large bag of fish food. He opened a cabinet and sprinkled the food over a thriving cactus inside.
"What’s the point of feeding fish food to a plastic plant?" a voice asked.
Mo Ziang turned around and saw a young man with his hand in the fish tank, stirring the water.
"Who are you?" Mo Ziang asked, genuinely puzzled. He had never seen this young man before.
"I am…" The young man turned his head, revealing a sinister smile, and his right eye glowed with a bright purple light. "A god!"
"A god…" Mo Ziang's innocent smile faded, and his eyes turned cold.
*Boom!*
A deafening explosion rang out as the residence was split in two by a massive blade of energy!
In the sky, the young man who had called himself a god looked slightly panicked, a drop of cold sweat running down his forehead. He stared at the residence that had been cleaved apart by the laws of the universe, his body turning ice-cold.
Are young people these days so disrespectful to gods? He hadn’t even had a chance to explain whether he was friend or foe before Mo Ziang attacked! He hadn’t even stated his purpose yet!
Suddenly, the sky filled with a dense swarm of crows! Crimson and black crows mixed together, blotting out the sun and letting out ominous cries that sent chills down one’s spine.
"Entering Huaxia without permission—death!" Mo Ziang drew a cross in the air with his finger, and the space around the young man instantly twisted!
"Damn it, you’re all lunatics!" the young man cursed as his arm was caught in the twisted space, compressed, and then blood sprayed out!
The young man didn’t seem to care. His figure suddenly vanished into thin air.
"What happened?" Luo Ying, who had just arrived, leaped onto the rooftop and stood beside Mo Ziang.
"...A god," Mo Ziang replied after a moment of silence.
……
In the meeting room.
"He called himself a god, but his level is only at the Lamp Flame Realm. Although he’s a god, his true nature is just a messenger of the gods," said the leader of the Night Watchers.
"So, what do you think this messenger of the gods is doing in Huaxia?" asked Sun Quanliang, the leader of the Ghost Officers.
He was one of the more reasonable leaders among the Ghost Officers, so he was usually the one sent to represent them at meetings.
"What else would a messenger of the gods do in Huaxia? A messenger’s job is to deliver messages," the Night Watcher leader said with a smile. "He approached Mo Ziang first instead of trying to communicate with Huaxia directly…"
The others nodded in realization.
Although the topic of discussion was about "gods," which seemed fantastical, none of them doubted the existence of gods.
After all, Huaxia’s records did mention the appearance of "gods" in the past!
Moreover, a few years ago, when a spatial portal was opened, Chu Yang and his wandering troupe entered it and actually witnessed the true form of a god!
"The messenger has something to say to Mo Ziang, but we also need to establish contact with the messenger. After Mo Ziang injured him, the messenger didn’t retaliate, which suggests he doesn’t intend to be hostile toward Huaxia."
"So, we should avoid unnecessary conflict. Communication is best. We don’t need to make an enemy of a god."
"But Mo Ziang injured the messenger. The reason the messenger didn’t fight back might be because he didn’t receive orders from the god. What if he returns and gets permission to retaliate? What if he tries to kill Mo Ziang?"
The room fell silent as they realized the gravity of the situation.
A god was an immensely imposing existence. Mo Ziang had dared to injure the messenger sent by a god, which was akin to challenging the god’s authority. Gods did not tolerate defiance!
"Hahaha… You’re afraid of this?" A handsome monk, who had been silent until now, suddenly burst into laughter. His eyes gleamed with greed as he said, "Do you realize how vast the laws a god possesses must be?"
The room was silent for a moment before someone asked, "Are we supposed to abandon Mo Ziang?"
Gods were beings that stood above all living creatures. Their level of power was undoubtedly beyond anything they could currently comprehend. Moreover, since gods wielded the laws of the universe, their power was unquestionably immense!
The idea of stopping a god from killing Mo Ziang was almost impossible.
"No!" someone shouted. "Mo Ziang can’t die! He has the potential to surpass the Rolling Flame Realm! He’s the future of Huaxia! If he dies, Huaxia won’t be able to face the coming calamities!"
Almost everyone nodded in agreement. Mo Ziang, Su Ze, and a few others whose names hadn’t been mentioned were the seeds Huaxia was nurturing with great care. They were the future of Huaxia!
"Even if we have to make an enemy of a god, we must protect Mo Ziang!" someone said solemnly. "What’s a god? Can’t they die too?"