Chapter 8: Connections Between the Gods

Through this series of discussions, Li Mingxing gained a deeper understanding of the Mythic Layer. He learned that while Earth possesses seventy-two peripheral worlds, the Mythic Layer only contains ten.

The gods of various national mythologies are countless, yet not all are worshipped. Many have been forgotten over the ages, while others are deities of major contemporary religions, supported by vast numbers of followers. Given this, Li Mingxing had an overwhelming abundance of candidates to choose from.

After careful deliberation, Li Mingxing began his first attempt at selecting deities. He would describe the deeds and origins of a specific god, and Raymond would attempt to establish a connection. If successful, Raymond would record the resulting spiritual fluctuations, which Li Mingxing could then embed into his idols. Since the stone he used for crafting was particularly sensitive to the divine powers of Light and Death, he chose his first two major deities from those respective pantheons.

Naturally, Li Mingxing did not aim for mainstream figures like Apollo or Ra. His first choice for a Sun God was Di Jun. He had considered Tai Yi, but after weighing the legends—where Tai Yi is typically portrayed as an offensive deity and Di Jun as defensive, possessing the innate divinatory powers of the Luo Shu and He Tu, and originating from the avian demon clan—Li Mingxing decided that having his Red-Crested Goose-men worship Di Jun would yield more substantial divine favor.

With his first god selected, Li Mingxing had a sudden inspiration. Since his large and medium idols existed in a one-to-three ratio, could he arrange them into pantheons with one major deity and three supporting minor deities?

Raymond’s eyes sparkled with pleasant surprise at the question. "That is an excellent idea, and indeed the best way to utilize the power of the idols. Since you have already established a connection with one god, who do you intend to designate as his subordinates?"

"I assume there are rules for selecting minor deities as well?" Li Mingxing asked, sidestepping a direct answer.

"Of course. Firstly, you cannot pair bitter enemies together. Secondly, it is best if the minor deities and the primary deity complement each other. As for whether they must belong to the same pantheon, that is of little consequence."

"Di Jun has been forgotten for so long that few remember him," Li Mingxing reasoned. "To choose his subordinates, I must look at his original relationships. I have been thinking: the last Golden Crow, his son—who has now become the Tathagata Buddha of the Sun—would be perfect. His synergy with Di Jun regarding solar power would be seamless. Then there is Fuxi, the brother of Nuwa, who once held Di Jun’s Luo Shu and He Tu and was also a member of the demon clan; he would be an excellent choice. Finally, I considered Tai Yi, but since his power is equal to Di Jun’s, I prefer to save him for a future role as a primary deity. Therefore, I choose Xi He. Although she is not a deity of light, her connection to Di Jun is undeniable. With her presence, Di Jun’s power will increase several times over."

Raymond listened to this explanation of Eastern mythology as if it were a foreign fairy tale, yet this did not hinder him from facilitating the connections.

As Li Mingxing had predicted, many of these gods had fallen into obscurity. Once contact was made, faint echoes responded. Sensing these fluctuations, Raymond remarked, "They are very weak—so weak that even with constant worship, it will take a long time to receive their favor."

"That is fine," Li Mingxing replied. "As long as they have me as their only believer, we shall reap the greatest benefits."

Having helped Li Mingxing secure this set of idols, Raymond suggested he return to test them with the Red-Crested Goose-men. Li Mingxing soon returned with good news: the four-deity combination produced remarkable results. If the followers worshipped only Di Jun, Li Mingxing could use a "Single-God Art" before battle to grant his troops a 10% combat boost and partial life regeneration in sunlight. However, by worshipping all four, the synergy provided a massive increase in attack, regeneration, and sensory alerts, and rendered Li Mingxing immune to sneak attacks while under the sun. Furthermore, the accumulation rate of the pre-battle divine art doubled, allowing it to be used twice a day instead of once.

Satisfied, Raymond continued to facilitate whatever connections Li Mingxing requested. For his second primary deity, Li Mingxing chose Houtu. He feared she might already be claimed, but to his surprise, a response came immediately; in an age where most worship the Christian God or the Buddha, the ancient concept of "Heaven and Earth" had largely faded.

Li Mingxing was thrilled to secure Houtu. He then attempted to pull three underworld deities from Western mythology to serve as her subordinates. However, unlike the East, the West experienced the Renaissance, and even the most obscure gods there still had some followers. Only Hades was willing to become a sole deity, and he was quite temperamental, threatening to leave if the arrangement did not suit him. Li Mingxing had to pivot back to Eastern mythology, selecting Yunxiao—the eldest of the Three Fairies—and Bi Gan to complete Houtu’s pantheon.

With two major pantheons established, Li Mingxing turned his sights toward the most powerful figures in mythology. When he asked about the "Three Pure Ones" or the "Dao Ancestor," Raymond was visibly shaken, and no amount of pleading could convince him to attempt contact with such "Sage" or "Creator-level" beings.

Li Mingxing lowered his expectations, turning his attention to Kong Xuan, often cited in novels as the strongest entity below the Sages. Not knowing how much of the literature was true, he figured that since there were likely no temples dedicated to Kong Xuan, it might be easier to reach him. Raymond reported that he could not locate anyone by that name, prompting Li Mingxing to suggest the title "Buddha-Mother Peacock Wisdom King."

Raymond sighed, "You really have been corrupted by those novels. Can’t you have a normal thought for once?"

"How did you choose when you were completing this task?" Li Mingxing countered.

Raymond fell silent, remembering that he, too, had contacted every single entity he could identify as a god. He stopped complaining and began to assist Li Mingxing diligently. They successfully reached the Buddha-Mother Peacock Wisdom King, who was indeed Kong Xuan. Upon agreeing to become Li Mingxing’s exclusive guardian, he requested that no minor deities be assigned to him. Li Mingxing gladly accepted, even replacing the three medium-sized idols intended for him with more of his own likeness. The peacock deity was pleased, promising to provide Li Mingxing with a magnificent mount once sufficient faith had been accumulated.

Despite this success, Li Mingxing’s luck ran out. The remaining deities he could think of were either already claimed or unwilling to serve as exclusive guardians. Unable to fill his remaining three primary and nine secondary slots—and unwilling to use gods already claimed by the Dark Alliance—he decided to leave them vacant for now.

Raymond provided Li Mingxing with the methods for communicating with deities and the promised rewards. Li Mingxing could now have his Red-Crested Goose-men attempt to contact new gods, though they lacked Raymond’s power and risked death if struck by the mental attacks of a higher-order deity. Li Mingxing realized he would have to proceed with extreme caution; he no longer had Raymond to serve as his shield.