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"I think I've got it now."
Within the Sea of Consciousness, Chen Junting's awareness nodded slowly.
"In other words, it's perfectly fine for me to gather faith through Spirit Souls or future arrays—but without establishing a clear, guiding principle, my divine authority would be limited solely to those arrays and Spirit Souls. Hmm…"
He fell into deep thought.
Would that be enough?
If his only goal was to become a god, then yes—it would suffice.
But if he wanted his self-created divine title to stand at the very apex of the God Realm, both in status and power—like a God King—then his authority would likely need to encompass fundamental cosmic forces: things like Kindness, Evil, or Annihilation.
"Maybe I can take inspiration from the First Angel God's principle."
The idea suddenly sparked in Chen Junting's mind—and the more he considered it, the more natural it felt.
After all, the Angel God's divine title was fundamentally different from that of the Rakshasa God. Bibi Dong had been slain as the Rakshasa God by Tang San, meaning she retained the full essence of that godhood even in death. Thus, the Rakshasa title remained intact and preserved.
But the Angel God was different!
Qian Renxue wasn't killed—but her divine title shattered.
That shattering signified the loss of the Angel God's authority. He could absolutely draw upon the Angel God's original principle and use faith to forge his own divine title. After all, in just a few years, this era would mirror—and possibly surpass in brutality—the chaotic age in which Qian Lingyun had lived.
That said, if he merely copied the Angel God's concept, his resulting authority might still fall short of a God King's. He'd likely need intense cultivation after ascension to reach that tier.
"Master, what do you think of this idea?"
"I can't give you advice on this."
Electrolux had listened carefully to every word of Chen Junting's reasoning—and couldn't help but feel a touch of admiration.
He'd never expected his disciple to think this far ahead.
And upon closer examination, the idea was theoretically sound. To be blunt—even replicating Qian Lingyun's exact path to godhood might very well succeed.
"Then let's set this discussion aside for now."
Though Chen Junting spoke those words, the idea had already taken root deep in his heart.
As his consciousness returned to the physical world, Gu Tianchen gave him a knowing look and said dryly, "You're back."
His tone carried a "I see right through you" implication as his eyes swept over Chen Junting.
Chen Junting merely smiled faintly in response.
Gu Tianchen didn't press further. Gazing at the now-faded projection of the restored murals, he sighed with regret. "I never imagined the Spirit Hall's original purpose was so noble… and yet, in the end, it couldn't resist the corruption of greed and was swallowed by history."
"People change—let alone vast, complex organizations."
With the Eye of Fate now closed, the angelic energy supply ceased. The luminous projections dimmed and vanished, leaving only the original ruined walls behind.
"This history shouldn't be buried here."
Hearing Gu Tianchen's remark, Chen Junting didn't disagree—but offered a practical suggestion.
"I'd advise you to commit this story to memory. Once I become a god, then we can let others know."
Gu Tianchen chuckled. "So confident?"
"Absolutely."
They let the topic drop and decided instead to explore deeper into the hidden chamber—see what else lay within.
"This should be the burial chamber up ahead," Gu Tianchen murmured as they neared the corridor's end, his voice tinged with sudden unease.
Chen Junting halted and gave him a strange look.
"Are you… afraid of ghosts?"
At that, Gu Tianchen practically jumped. "Afraid of ghosts? No! I just think it's disrespectful to disturb the dead!"
"Right, right—not afraid of ghosts," Chen Junting said with a light laugh, as if believing him. Then his expression turned serious. "But listen—if it really is a tomb chamber, we leave immediately. I've already learned what I needed. Let the dead rest in peace."
"Agreed!"
Just as Gu Tianchen readily nodded—
—they stepped into the chamber and saw what was inside…
"Grave robbery… or worse—zombie uprising!"
The spacious chamber held only two crystal sarcophagi at its center. But one of them stood wide open—its interior completely empty.
On the floor beside it lay a single crown.
Judging by its craftsmanship, it was clearly ancient.
"There's no such thing as zombies rising," Chen Junting said, flashing to the sarcophagus in an instant. His gaze sharpened as he examined it—this was Bibi Dong's coffin, and it had been opened no more than a few days ago.
"It looks like someone looted the tomb."
"Looted? Why steal a corpse?" Gu Tianchen joined him, baffled. "Could it be… because Bibi Dong was a deceased god? Are they after her body for that reason?"
"That's the only possibility."
"And this kind of despicable act was almost certainly done by evil soul masters."
Chen Junting couldn't imagine any upright soul master—no matter how powerful—stooping to corpse theft, not even for a fallen deity.
And if Qian Renxue hadn't lost her divine essence after her title shattered, her body would likely have been targeted as well.
"The real question now," Chen Junting said grimly, "is what do those thieves intend to do with Bibi Dong's corpse?"
He had no answers.
In his view, if a god's body truly held value, everyone—including past visitors—would have succumbed to temptation and taken something long ago. Why wait until now?
His eyes swept the chamber walls—and found them scrawled with graffiti akin to "I was here." Out of face-saving propriety, none of the powerful visitors had signed their names.
These seniors sure lack manners, he thought, inwardly rolling his eyes. Then he called out in his mind: "Master, what's your take on this?"
"It's hard to say," Electrolux replied cautiously, then offered his analysis.
As a god's corpse, Bibi Dong's remains would contain a divine-tier physical body and traces of Rakshasa divinity—but little else of value. Even her shattered divine armor would hold only residual divinity worth noting.
"Exactly," Chen Junting muttered, a look of helplessness flickering across his face.
Regardless, this was a grave matter.
Whoever stole the body—whatever their motive—this incident demanded immediate investigation. If some catastrophe were brewing, waiting until it erupted would be far too late.
Without another word, Chen Junting placed Bibi Dong's crown back into the crystal coffin, then lifted the lid and sealed it once more.
The body was gone—but at least the crown could serve as a symbolic tomb.
"Let's go. We need to inform our sect… and Shrek Academy."
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