But it was a different story for the Followers who relied on a Deity and offered up their faith. Only a small part of their advancement came from their own hard work; the majority of it depended on the grace of their Divine Spirit.
Furthermore, the classification of Talent among Deity Followers wasnât simply determined by their Spiritual Root, but by their compatibility with the Deity.
In some respects, Zhong Mingâs Eternal Flame could be considered a form of divine inheritance.
Yi Yunya could only harvest as much as Zhong Ming gifted her.
And Zhong Mingâs own abilities were mostly related to water, sword, dragons, the Great Sun, and so on.
Without a doubt, the closer and more compatible oneâs attributes were to Zhong Mingâs, the more they would comprehend after receiving his inheritance.
However, Zhong Ming was still weak in the end. All he could pass on to Yi Yunya was Dao Rhyme. A true Deity, on the other hand, could directly strengthen a followerâs physical body and Magical Power, or even bestow Divine Protection.
This was also why the strength of Evil God Cultists could skyrocket in a short period.
The bestowal of Holy Blood was one such method, and a very high-level one at that.
After consuming the diluted Divine Blood, a Followerâs strength would see a comprehensive increase of one minor realm in a short amount of time.
If they burned it completely, their strength would even increase by a major realm.
"After consuming the Holy Blood and completely burning it, Mingyaâs strength could even reach this worldâs Foundation Establishment Realm for a short time. Dealing with Zhong Ming will be more than enough!" the Chief Priest said with conviction.
Li Ye agreed, but the thought of that drop of Holy Blood still made him sigh. "Alas, such a priceless treasure... Itâs a waste!"
Having made his decision, the Chief Priest immediately used a special method to transfer the drop of Holy Blood.
Meanwhile, aboard Ji Qinghuiâs Flying Ship, voices of ridicule rose and fell in waves.
"Hey, you! Why donât you give us another performance? âPour all your strength into your most powerful attack! Let me see if this so-called âstrongestâ of yours can even touch meâ... Hahaha!"
"Iâm really curious. Who gave you worthless trash the guts to spout such arrogant nonsense?"
"Yeah! Who do you think you are, Zhong Ming?!"
Initially, Zhu Junfengâs refusal to fight had led to the Void Moon Sect Cultivators being viciously mocked by the Youtan Heaven Followers. Now that they had an opportunity, they were naturally doing everything in their power to return all the humiliation they had suffered.
"Calling us cowards who donât dare to fight? Why donât *you* go up now!"
"So this is your âcourageâ? Hiding in the cabin like turtles in their shells..."
The widespread disdain, mockery, and strange looks made the ordinary Youtan Celestial Cultists tremble with rage.
Mingya, too, was in turmoil. He had never expected Zhong Ming to be so powerful, and he certainly hadnât expected that the ability he relied on would be considered beneath mention in Zhong Mingâs eyes.
It wasnât that he lacked the courage to step forward; the gruesome death of his teammate had already made his expression as grim as still water.
He held his ground for now only because he wasnât certain of victory.
Besides, he wasnât a fool. He knew full well that if he stepped forward and was defeated again, Youtan Heavenâs situation would undoubtedly go from bad to worse.
And so, he suppressed the rage in his heart and awaited the Chief Priestâs decision.
To his relief, he didnât have to wait long before an order came down.
At the same time, a drop of Holy Blood brimming with immense power was fused into his body by the Chief Priest via a special Secret Technique.
âHoly Blood!â
Feeling the vast power surging from his heart, Mingyaâs anxiety and frustration vanished in an instant, replaced by a sense of unparalleled might.
âOnce I activate the Holy Blood, I will be invincible!â
With this thought, Mingya didnât immediately rush from the Flying Ship to challenge Zhong Ming. Instead, he turned his murderous gaze toward the Void Moon Sect Cultivatorsâtheir skill at backhanded, sarcastic taunts was so advanced it had driven him into an unbearable rage.
"?!"
"What do you think youâre doing?!"
Zhu Junfeng caught the dangerous glint in his eyes and immediately roared.
Ji Qinghui also stepped in to de-escalate, fearing infighting within his own group. "All of you, stop!"
Previously, Mingya might have stopped at Ji Qinghuiâs rebuke; after all, he still harbored some apprehension toward him.
But now, the surging power in his body gave him a sense of invincibility, and his fear of Ji Qinghui had completely vanished.
âHe has no right to tell me what to do!â
âOnce I defeat Zhu Junfeng and Zhong Ming, even if heâs unhappy about it, heâll just have to swallow his pride!â
With that thought, Mingya completely ignored the pleas to stop and attacked the Void Moon Sect Cultivators directly!
BOOM!
Amid a violent roar, a sharp shockwave instantly ripped Ji Qinghuiâs Flying Ship to shreds.
The Void Moon Sect Cultivators standing opposite Mingya were sent flying in all directions by the shockwave, plunging into Crescent Lake. Many were severely injured on the spot.
And that was only because Zhu Junfeng had managed to block in time. Otherwise, it wouldnât have been a matter of several people being seriously injuredâthey would have died horrible deaths.
As for Zhu Junfeng, caught off guard while trying to protect his sect brothers, he was blasted into the air. This made him roar with uncontrollable fury:
"You bastard! You think Iâm afraid of you?!"
Zhu Junfeng was afraid of Zhong Ming, who had killed Lin Kong in an instant, but he felt no such fear toward this person who had popped out of nowhere.
This was also why he had let his junior brothers mock Mingya.
âHow dare you mock our Void Moon Sect! Who do you think you are, Zhong Ming?!â
In a towering rage, Zhu Junfeng prepared to strike with his full power. He was going to let Mingya and everyone else know that the Void Moon Sect was not to be trifled with.