The severe drought continued to affect the outside world, but the town remained peaceful, and more and more refugees kept wandering into the town by mistake.
As more and more people disappear from the outside world, many deities have also noticed this phenomenon.
At first, no one paid much attention, assuming they had all died from the drought.
"Hmph, you all would rather starve to death than enter my divine kingdom. Although life is a bit tough inside my divine kingdom, at least I can save your lives."
A deity scoffed.
Here, it is necessary to mention why there are refugees, and why these people were not abducted by those gods to become believers.
This is because some people who are unwilling to be the source of incense offerings will form villages of several dozen people scattered across the land.
The gods wouldn't personally mobilize and slowly gather a few dozen humans; that would be too inefficient. They would only intervene after the humans had developed to a certain stage and their population had grown significantly.
Of course, humans are also quite clever, knowing that the scale cannot grow too large, so when the population reaches a few hundred, they will continue to separate and scatter across the earth.
This is why Zhang Mu saw a group of people coming to reclaim wasteland.
Several years have passed in the blink of an eye.
The town has finally reached the size of a city, with a population of tens of thousands, many of whom have been continuously moving into the town in recent years.
"This city exists because of the protection of the Willow Goddess, so let's call it Willow City!"
No one objected; everyone cheered.
Although they also offer incense in Liucheng, it is voluntary and infrequent. They offer a small prayer once a day and a large prayer every seven days, and spend the rest of their time resting and recuperating.
Moreover, Zhang Mu's abilities gave them plenty of energy to work, and they never got sick. They had everything they needed for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation—it was practically paradise.
After the town developed into a city, Zhang Mu also realized the path to becoming a god.
"Gather faith...ignite the divine fire...ascend the divine ladder...build the divine kingdom!"
These are the four steps to becoming a god, and the kingdom of God needs to be built slowly from the beginning, starting from villages, then small towns, then cities, and finally the kingdom!
Then gather the power of faith from another nation, have believers light incense and make offerings together, burn their own divine fire to ascend to divine body, use the power of incense to forge a ladder to godhood, and step by step ascend to the heavens to gain the world's recognition.
Finally, he ascended to the divine realm and became a god in one fell swoop!
"It's a huge project..."
Zhang Mu seemed to be deep in thought. After decades of development, it had only grown from a village to a small city, and he didn't know how far it was from becoming a country.
"However, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and a great river is formed from countless small streams. Let's take it slow. In any case, even without becoming a god, my breathing technique and spatial willow body should be no weaker than those gods."
Time flies, and several more years have passed. With Zhang Mu's continuous development of his abilities, he has been able to carve out his own little world.
He began preparing for the founding of the nation.
First, create a vast little world within your body, and then continuously refine it within it.
It made the conditions inside suitable for ordinary people to live in.
"Humans are still too weak. If only they could cultivate."
[Ding! Host's troubles detected! As the host's good helper, the system cannot sit idly by!]
[Ding! The host is hereby rewarded with a copy of the "Qi Cultivation Manual"!]
The Qi Cultivation Technique: It cultivates essence, qi, and spirit, fully developing the body's potential. When cultivated to its peak, the qi can move mountains and rivers! One breath can transform into all things! One breath can extinguish stars! One breath can build a golden body!
Zhang Mu's eyes lit up. This is good stuff.
"System, I'm so upset I could cry!"
[The system cannot bear to see its host being bullied by others, so it must quickly increase its strength to stand at the top of the world!]
Ye Yu said in a grand and dignified manner.
He discovered that this world was of a high level, and he estimated that a large amount of the source of the rules had been distributed. To avoid any unnecessary accidents, he quickly obtained the source of the rules.
"Don't worry, System, we'll definitely clear this world!"
Zhang Mu solemnly began to plan how to get the city's residents to cultivate the "Qi Cultivation Technique".
"They have remained hidden behind the scenes all these years, and now it's time for them to show their power and unite the people's hearts."
After looking at the city lord's mansion, he had an idea.
night.
Just as Liu Zhengyuan fell asleep, his consciousness was pulled into a special space.
"Huh? Where is this?"
Liu Zhengyuan looked around in a daze. He was fully conscious and remembered that he had just fallen asleep.
There are two possibilities in this situation: either you are having a lucid dream, or you have been pulled into an illusion.
Anyway, there are many strange things in this world, and he is used to them. However, now that he has the protection of the Willow God, it should not be those gods who pulled him into the illusion.
I am but a mortal, not worthy of such treatment from those self-proclaimed arrogant gods.
With some suspicions in mind, he began to look around.
He quickly spotted a willow tree not far away, his heart skipped a beat, and he ran over immediately.
"Are you the Willow Goddess?"
Zhang Mu had been watching Liu Zhengyuan's every move closely. As expected of the city lord, this man had some composure and wouldn't let his panic affect his analysis.
"Willow Goddess... I've gradually gotten used to how you address me over the years, so it's acceptable for you to call me that."
Liu Zhengyuan was very excited when he heard Zhang Mu admit it, and immediately knelt down.
"On behalf of all the people of this city, I thank Lord Liu for protecting us all these years!"
This is heartfelt gratitude. Without Zhang Mu's protection, the town wouldn't be as prosperous as it is today, and we might still be struggling to make ends meet elsewhere.
"I accept this bow. Humans are indeed living a hard life on this land. Gods roam freely, and humans are merely tools for them to offer incense."
I believe you also know that I am a willow tree. Although I have become somewhat powerful through years of cultivation, enough to protect you and ensure good weather and abundant harvests, if I were to be discovered and besieged by other gods, I'm afraid...”
Liu Zhengyuan's heart sank. He knew that what Zhang Mu said was true. Humans on this continent were just tools for the gods to offer incense and prayers, and the gods didn't care about their lives at all.
Zhang Mu continued slowly, "Although I am a willow tree, I care about the human race. This is a cultivation method that I have specially created for humankind in recent years."
If that day ever comes and my true form is destroyed by those gods, it will at least leave you some means of survival... Take it...
A bright light flew into Liu Zhengyuan's mind, and he instantly felt that something had appeared in his brain, but he was in no mood to examine it carefully at the moment.
"Willow Goddess..."
Liu Zhengyuan was deeply moved.
"It is because we humans are weak and incompetent... If those gods really come knocking, we will also take up arms and defend you to the death, and we will not let you, Goddess Liu, fight alone!"
"Sigh... there's no need for that... it's kind of you all to show your concern. I will seize the time to improve my strength, hoping that one day I can truly protect you even when the gods are besieging us..."
Zhang Mu's sigh came from behind.
Liu Zhengyuan wanted to say something more, but his consciousness gradually faded.
Then, startled, he sat up abruptly.
He glanced at the dazzling sunlight outside the window, and at the shimmering cultivation manual, "The Nourishing Qi Technique," in his mind.
"We've been living in peace for too long, and we've forgotten the cruelty of the outside world! Humanity must become stronger! We cannot let down Goddess Liu's expectations!"
His eyes gradually brightened, and he bowed deeply in Zhang Mu's direction. After dressing, he began to have people gather the crowd.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com