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In the calm and peaceful Easton Forest, a series of explosions suddenly erupted. Gray and black mushroom clouds rose from the ground, shaking the entire forest.
Tang San weaved through the clouds, laughing loudly, and shouted toward the sky, "Hey, does this count as stopping the dispute between the two sides?"
[... First trial, passed.]
A voice, which only Tang San could hear, sounded in his ears. The tone carried a hint of helplessness and frustration.
Yet, Tang San had indeed halted the conflict between the two faiths. Upon their return, Mengmeng and Niannian gave up their religious feud and instead united in a common cause—hunting down Tang San. They had made a firm decision: they would capture him, punish him thoroughly, and only then resume their rivalry.
The elves are a single-minded race, not just in love, but in everything they do.
Once they make up their minds, they won't stop until their goal is achieved, no matter how deep the enmity between them might be.
But could they actually catch Tang San?
Clearly, they could not.
The Lord of Eternity had realized that Tang San did not play by the rules, and, in fact, he was nothing short of a scoundrel, especially adept at breaking the hearts of girls.
With most people, the Lord of Eternity would have simply arranged for a fight. However, Tang San's power was off the charts. Even if the Easton King, the Holy Dragon, and the Eternal Angel attacked together, they probably wouldn't last more than a few rounds.
Thus, the Lord planned to make Tang San think...
But the results were not what He expected.
[Second trial: unify the faith of all beings in the Eternal Domain.]
The Lord of Eternity announced the second trial.
This trial was meant to test Tang San's ability. If he wanted to fully control the Godly Throne of Eternity and Creation, he would need the approval of every being in the Eternal Domain.
Whether these beings worshipped the Easton King, devoted themselves to the Holy Dragon, or pledged themselves to the Eternal Angel didn't matter. They could receive their blessings, but ultimately, all faith would return to the great God of Creation. That was the key.
"The Eternal Domain is enormous. It'll take a lot of time," Tang San began negotiating.
[Time flows differently here than in the outside world. A moment outside is a millennium here...]
"Wouldn't I just die of old age, then?" Tang San retorted.
The Lord of Eternity felt His divine consciousness about to explode. He had never encountered a trial-taker as vexing as Tang San. Who was the examiner here, Tang San or Him?
If it weren't for the six Eternal Stars in Tang San's possession, He would have had no interest in dealing with this infuriating fellow.
[Let me ask you—are you going to take the trial or not?]
"Of course, I'll take it. I wouldn't dare refuse the Lord of Eternity's request," Tang San replied with a sly grin, as though he were coaxing a girlfriend. He then stopped flying and landed on the ground, spreading his arms wide.
Seeing Tang San in a posture of surrender, both Mengmeng and Niannian landed as well, warily watching him.
"What are you trying to pull?" Mengmeng asked, a wooden spike forming in her hand. "Are you planning to attack us the moment we let our guard down?"
Six sharp, leaf-shaped blades spun between Niannian's fingers as she cautiously added, "That's the kind of thing magical beasts would do."
"No, it's just that I've already achieved my goal," Tang San said with a smile.
The two women and the elves behind them grew even more alert. "What do you mean, your 'goal'?" they asked.
Tang San grinned, spinning his tale without a second thought. "Naturally, to make you two work together. You look so much alike—aren't you sisters? So why are you fighting each other?"
"Is it just because your beliefs differ?"
"You're both from the same race—peace-loving elves, known for your freedom and liveliness. Why act so rough and aggressive?"
"I understand that as intelligent beings, you all have different sides to you, but it doesn't have to be this barbaric. Sometimes, a calm conversation can lead to better solutions."
Tang San lowered his outstretched arms, sat cross-legged on the ground under the elves' watchful eyes, and sighed, "But I know that when you were fighting before, you weren't willing to listen to anything I had to say. So, I had to be a little reckless. After healing your wounds, I started spouting nonsense to shift your attention onto me, so you'd stop fighting each other and focus on me instead."
"I've seen many disputes over faith. It starts with insults, then escalates into fighting, and eventually erupts into war, where neither side stops until one is dead..."
Both Mengmeng and Niannian shuddered.
Because Tang San was right!
At first, their argument had begun over differing beliefs. It started as a verbal dispute, but soon escalated into the formation of separate religious factions and open conflict.
The final step—an all-out war to the death—hadn't happened yet, but if things kept progressing, it wasn't impossible. It could very well turn out as this handsome man before them had predicted.
"... So I hoped you would give up this unnecessary conflict and focus your anger on me instead," Tang San said, a faint aura of holiness seeming to radiate from him. "It looks like my method worked. You vented your rage, feel much better, and now you can calm down and listen to what I have to say."
As they felt the warm, life-giving energy emanating from Tang San and looked at his sincere smile, Mengmeng, Niannian, and the other elves—all simple-hearted creatures—began to feel ashamed of their earlier actions.
The man before them was so noble. Just to calm them down, he was willing to do something that could tarnish his own reputation.
In comparison, they—the elves, who were supposed to be known as "kind-hearted"—seemed rather savage.
"Why are you all lowering your heads?"
Tang San noticed the elves looked as though they couldn't face him, and asked, "Everyone makes mistakes. That's unavoidable. As long as you correct them, it's fine."
"Everyone can have their own beliefs. There's no need to fight to the death over differences in faith—it's meaningless."
Niannian hesitated for a moment before asking, "But how can it be meaningless?"
"What's the point of fighting—of killing—over beliefs?" Tang San took a deep breath, a look of pity in his eyes, and softly replied, "Do you think the gods want to see you kill each other?"
His words struck like a wake-up call!
Mengmeng and Niannian looked at each other, shock evident in their eyes. They had never thought about this! Did the gods really care about their religious disputes?
If the gods cared, wouldn't they have intervened?
After all, this forest was under the jurisdiction of the Easton King, but it still housed followers of the Eternal Angels. Yet he hadn't done anything about it.
Everything—all of this conflict—was born from the elves' own assumptions!
They were insignificant and pitifully small.
And this was exactly the effect Tang San wanted. He wanted to reveal a simple, undeniable truth:
The gods...
Don't care.
(End of Chapter)