Three months later, hundreds of thousands of people stood densely packed on a vast island.
In front of them, Su Cheng stood alone opposite to everyone else, his entire body exuding a vast and condensed aura like a mountain, with nine soul rings floating and shimmering beneath his feet.
Bibi Dong hid in the distance, silently observing the scene.
The island he was on now was not far from the core base of activity for the members of the Bright Church
The people before him were all the core members of the Bright Church today.
The term "core" had nothing to do with their strength; it was just that their souls sparkled brightly, their beliefs were pure, and their will was firm.
However, among them, there were only tens of thousands who possessed soul power. Even with Su Cheng's help over the past few years, combined with the several thousand people who had it before, they barely reached this number.
Whether one possessed soul power or not was not important. After all, the vast majority of them were ordinary people before, and even now, becoming a soul master did not necessarily mean having strong combat power.
"I once said that the people of the sea are free. Everyone has the right to pursue their dreams."
Su Cheng's clear voice, enhanced by soul power, spread across the entire island, resonating clearly in everyone's ears.
"But ask yourselves, are you truly free?"
Su Cheng gazed at the crowd before him.
"No, you are not free.
"You have to strive and toil for a living, you have to exhaust yourself to survive.
"But most importantly, you have willingly bound yourselves with heavy chains and fetters!"
He looked towards the girl standing at the forefront.
Her wheat-colored skin gleamed with a healthy glow under the sunlight, and her bright eyes sparkled with vitality.
"Miwei, you once said that after coming to the sea, your dream was to build your own fleet and venture into adventures.
"Believing in the Sea God, what have you gained?
"Praying devoutly every day, entrusting hope and the future to a never-appearing, elusive Sea God, is this the adventure you longed for? Is this your pursuit?"
Hearing these words, Miwei's eyes showed a hint of confusion.
Su Cheng's words caught her off guard.
She had never expected to hear this today.
But those words just now seemed to echo deep in her soul, making her involuntarily ponder the deeper meaning behind Su Cheng's words.
Apart from her, there were also stirrings among the crowd.
Even the vast expanse of soul lights in Su Cheng's vision showed slight flickers and tremors.
Obviously, although those words were directed at Miwei, the underlying implications, the questioning of the Sea God, still left people feeling perplexed.
Su Cheng ignored the commotion.
Under the cover of his aura, the situation didn't escalate beyond control.
"We once pursued equality.
"Being born as humans, equality is our inherent right.
"But unfortunately, there is no equality above the sea.
"Whether you have soul power or not determines your future class and destiny from birth.
"The natural hierarchy of soul power further divides sea soul masters into three, six, and nine ranks.
"Talking about equality is simply laughable!
"It's nothing but a self-deception!"
Su Cheng raised his arm again, pointing towards the direction of the Sea God Island.
"Above the vast sea, life and death are common occurrences.
"Everywhere, storms, tsunamis, and sea beasts constantly threaten the lives of all sea people.
"That's why we join hands, unite, and help each other to resist various unknown dangers.
"And at this time, what have those lofty Sea God warriors on Sea God Island done?
"They guard the Sea God Island and refuse to leave that safe and comfortable island for a single step.
"But how much resources are there on that tiny island? How much of their necessities are provided by us, the sea people?"
Silence enveloped the island.
The previous unrest gradually subsided with Su Cheng's words.
"I taught you martial arts, helped you awaken soul power, this is destiny, it has nothing to do with gods," Su Cheng confessed, "The Sea God? The Sea God won't teach you those things, nor will they. Do you know why?"
"...", everyone remained silent, their eyes flickering with confusion.
"When everyone becomes a soul master, soul masters will no longer enjoy privileges," Su Cheng declared loudly, "When everyone has the opportunity to become a deity, there will be no distinction between gods and men! How can they still remain aloof?"
His gaze was piercing as he looked at these "ordinary people" with low aptitude but firm will. "And what I'm teaching you is the path to become deities. As long as you continue step by step, everyone can become a deity!"
Su Cheng's last words were somewhat exaggerated, but they were not lies either.
Following this path did provide a chance for transcendence.
However, it was not the conventional "god" of the Douluo Continent, but another path.
Even Su Cheng himself was striving towards this direction.
"But," after a moment of silence, he spoke again, "To achieve that step, there is a prerequisite: to sever the chains binding your souls! If even your souls are not entirely your own, what right do you have to demand anything else?"
"..."
"What should we do?"
"Divine Envoy, please continue to teach us."
"..."
They did not doubt Su Cheng's words.
Aside from the transformations brought by years of learning martial arts, they had already regarded the teachings of the Bright Church as spiritual guidance.
All the profound truths contained within had been integrated into their hearts and minds.
And just now, as Su Cheng's words fell, they all felt a slight resonance, a connection with the Sea God Island.
Although extremely faint, it was undeniably real.
On the Douluo Continent, gods indeed can harness the power of belief, with the Sea God being particularly skilled in this aspect.
In the original timeline, Tang San's resurrection was achieved through the abundant belief power of the Sea God's followers.
"I can't help you!" Su Cheng said resolutely.
Upon hearing this, a sense of loss and confusion appeared on the faces of the crowd.
"Why?"
"Are you abandoning us?"
"..."
"To achieve this, you can only rely on yourselves. With your wills, come with me to push back the Sea God's Mountain! But, I must tell you—"
Su Cheng looked at each person in front of him, "This journey will lead to death for all of you!"
"..."
The members of the Ming Cult on the island showed signs of terror at his words.
The teachings of the Bright Church never advocated sacrificing oneself.
It wasn't a cult that aimed to make people forget their worries and ambitions; rather, its teachings encouraged self-improvement and perseverance.
The Bright Church also never told people that after death, they would return to the embrace of the gods, thereby erasing their fear of death.
Achieving this would not be difficult for Su Cheng.
But if it took that form, these people before him would be of no use to him.
So when they heard Su Cheng's words just now, even though their wills were firm, they couldn't help but waver.
Throughout the ages, only death was certain.
"Everyone will die! Are you afraid?" Su Cheng's cold gaze swept over them.
The majority of these Ming Cult members came from humble backgrounds, over ninety percent of them were ordinary people without soul power, who never had the opportunity to practice martial arts.
In the past, their greatest dream was merely to find a place to settle down and live in peace.
Perhaps many of them had even clashed over conflicts and tasks to avoid sailing too much.
"I'm afraid too." Su Cheng suddenly smiled.
His gaze softened as he silently observed the people before him.
Their skin was mostly rough and dark, with faces bearing the scars of weathering.
Even though many of them had become esteemed soul masters, they couldn't erase the marks of struggle and hardship from their lives.
"No one is exempt from death, including you, you, and you..."
Su Cheng pointed his finger at them.
Some were already aged, with hints of gray between their temples.
Some had just reached adulthood, taking on the burden of their family's livelihood.
And there were also some seemingly delicate girls who had no time to adorn themselves...
"...Of course, that includes me too!" Su Cheng's voice suddenly became louder.
"Who can escape death? Even the lofty gods, are they immortal?! Even this world will one day dissipate into nothingness!
"I can't guarantee your safety, but I can promise that when the time comes, I will stand at the forefront, and I won't take a step back until I die!
"So, tell me, what is your choice?
"Is it to continue living aimlessly, or to fight this time, and from then on, be free from all restraints and compete for freedom among all things!"
His final roar spread out, echoing in everyone's ears and resonating deep within their souls.
"Divine Envoy..."
Eyes lit up, and the light of their souls continued to shine brightly, sparkling like stars.
"Without the Divine Envoy, I wouldn't be where I am today. I'm in!"
"I'm in too!"
"This is a fight for ourselves!"
"..."
Su Cheng solemnly nodded as he saw their determined expressions.
At this moment, the brightness of their souls filled his entire field of vision. The steadfastness of some of these people's wills even surprised him.
But their reactions were within his expectations.
He had known that after saying those words, some of these people would respond because the early core members had already experienced too much hardship and trials.
And once someone responded, the resolute will of others would become even firmer under the resonance of their souls.
However, Su Cheng did not intend for them to go to their deaths.
Firstly, to confront a god, even if it was just the shallow divine will on Sea God Island, required extremely strong willpower from them.
They had to be firm enough; otherwise, if their beliefs wavered, there would be no chance to resist.
Secondly, only when these people were certain of their choice would they not hesitate when facing Bo Saixi in the future.
Bo Saixi would not kill these people unnecessarily, and the people on Sea God Island wouldn't go to such lengths.
Their existence alone was already the greatest help to Su Cheng.
The role of these people was simple yet crucial.
Originally, they were part of the foundation of the Sea God's belief, but under the backlash of their beliefs, they would completely undermine the belief foundation of the Seven Sacred Pillars on Sea God Island.
However, their backlash could damage the Seven Sacred Pillars, but it would not affect the Sea God itself in the slightest; the gap between them was too vast.
These people were also closely connected to the Sea God. Once the Sea God appeared, none of them would survive.
But it was precisely because of this that Bo Saixi would hesitate to sacrifice herself easily, to open the inheritance passage.
If the Sea God personally intervened, Su Cheng would definitely be unable to resist.