Chapter 1022

Chapter 1022: Deceit

At this moment, the Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo, who was recovering from injuries, suddenly sensed a surge of pure force of faith being received by their sacred artifact, the Primal Spiritual Treasure Saint Moon Bay.

“What’s going on?” The Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo murmured, a crescent moon materializing in her hand.

She then traced the source of this pure force of faith back to the Saint Moon Hall, where Xu Fan was explaining his understanding of faith to other members of the Saint Moon Tribe.

“Who is this man? He’s already reached the level of a saint. How could such an experienced saint have gone unnoticed until now?”

However, the Primal Spiritual Treasure Saint Moon Bay soon provided the answer.

This saint had simply been wandering the Immortal Realm for too long, too far from the main body of Saint Moon Bay; even the purest and most sacred faith couldn’t reach it.

“Ah, I see. I never expected that at such a critical time, our tribe would gain another saint. It seems the Heavenly Way’s Will is indeed on our side.”

“I will use our tribe’s sacred artifact to enlighten this saint.” The Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo, still recovering from her injuries inflicted by the Wood Thunder Saint, felt a slight easing of her burden.

Meanwhile, aboard a Giant Ship shaped like a crescent moon, another Great Luo of the Saint Moon Tribe received the news.

“Another saint has emerged in our tribe. Excellent.”

“A few more, and we can truly awaken the power of Saint Moon Bay.”

“Only then will our tribe be fundamentally positioned to replace the human race as one of the top powerful families.”

“For now, our only goal is to sow chaos among the human race.” A full moon gleamed in the eyes of the Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo.

Back in the Saint Moon Hall, as Xu Fan was explaining his understanding of faith to the crowd, a sudden idea struck him.

Fighting and killing are so mundane; infiltrating the enemy’s ranks, deceiving their emotions, and stealing their treasures—that’s the true path to power.

“Grape, change the plan. Focus on deceitfully acquiring the treasure of the Saint Moon Tribe,” Xu Fan mentally instructed Grape.

“Understood, Master. Adjusting the plan now,” Grape’s voice replied.

“Friends, remember, by living for the Saint Moon, we can restore the glory of our Saint Moon Tribe.”

“This is a truth I’ve come to understand after a hundred thousand years of traveling the Immortal Realm and observing the rise of various races.”

“The Immortal Realm can exist without the Saint Moon, but it cannot exist without us, the believers of the Saint Moon.”

Xu Fan’s final words struck like the finishing touch on a masterpiece.

In that moment, several true immortals of the Saint Moon Tribe began to emit holy light, which transformed into a vast, pure force of faith that merged into the Saint Moon floating above the Saint Moon Hall.

With this single explanation, Xu Fan had brought forth four new saints for the Saint Moon Tribe.

The Golden Immortal guarding the Saint Moon Hall watched in awe, as if witnessing a miracle, and performed the highest gesture of respect for Xu Fan on behalf of the Saint Moon Tribe.

Even the Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo was stunned, rising to her feet in amazement.

With a gentle wave of her hand, she broke through space and summoned Xu Fan to her side.

“I greet the Sage.”

Now fully embodying the role of a Saint Moon Tribe member, Xu Fan performed the highest gesture of respect with visible excitement.

At this moment, Xu Fan was indistinguishable from a native of the Saint Moon Tribe; even a soul search would reveal nothing but the life of a devoted saint.

“Why did you dare to venture into the Immortal Realm at the Great Ascension stage back then?” the Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo asked, her curiosity piqued as she gazed at Xu Fan.

She uncovered Xu Fan’s past through the Primal Spiritual Treasure Saint Moon Bay, guided by his faith.

The Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo was utterly convinced by this revelation.

“Ever since I started believing in the Saint Moon, I’ve always felt something was missing.”

“Back in ancient times, when our tribe was at its peak, we had a hundred thousand saints, and our strength rivaled that of the human race today.”

“Just as a quasi-saint was about to emerge in our tribe, an unexpected upheaval occurred. The human race rose, chaos spread among the myriad tribes, and our path to greatness was abruptly cut short.”

“At that time, I kept wondering what exactly led to our tribe’s downfall.”

At this moment, Xu Fan, disguised as a member of the Saint Moon Tribe, appeared like a wise sage bearing the burden of his people.

As Xu Fan spoke, the Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo’s expression grew more serious.

“After wandering the Immortal Realm for thirty-eight thousand years, I finally found the reason.”

The aura surrounding Xu Fan’s transformed Saint Moon Tribe form radiated the majestic power of the Heavenly Way.

The Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo sat upright, treating Xu Fan as an equal.

“What is the reason?”

“The Saint Moon is only the Saint Moon of our tribe, not the Saint Moon of the Immortal Realm.”

“The great force of destiny does not lie with our Saint Moon Tribe!” Xu Fan declared, looking directly at the Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo and emphasizing each word.

This statement struck the Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo like a bolt of lightning.

She stood up, gazing at Xu Fan with newfound respect.

“Sage, what did you discover in those six thousand years that followed?” the Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo asked, her voice filled with hope.

She knew the great force of the Immortal Realm was not with the Saint Moon Tribe, but she wondered if there was a way to change that.

“Great Luo, before I continue, may I see our tribe’s sacred artifact?” Xu Fan asked calmly.

“Of course.”

The Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo waved her hand, and they were transported to a strange spatial realm.

A full moon, glowing with divine light, hung in the sky above this world.

Xu Fan bowed reverently to the full moon, and streams of pure force of faith flowed from him, merging into the moon above.

The amount of faith Xu Fan emitted was equivalent to what three saints would produce in a year of worship.

After gazing at the moon for a long time, Xu Fan finally spoke, “Sage, please take me back.”

There was a faint sigh in his voice.

In an instant, the Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo returned them to the main hall.

“In the remaining six thousand years, I traveled across the Immortal Realm, visiting all its powerful races.”

“The human race, the beast race, the Ancient Gods Tribe, the Rakshasas, the Sea Gods.”

“I studied their histories, tracing how they rose to power in ancient times and even earlier. From this, I gained a crucial insight.”

“What insight?” the Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo asked urgently.

“Our Saint Moon Tribe is limited,” Xu Fan said softly.

“Limited?”

“Yes, Sage. As I said earlier, our Saint Moon is not the Saint Moon of the Immortal Realm.”

“What limits our tribe is our sacred artifact, Saint Moon Bay.”

“Though a Primal Spiritual Treasure is powerful, it cannot elevate our tribe to the level of the human race.”

“I’ve visited all the great tribes in the Immortal Realm, and none of them rely on a single Primal Spiritual Treasure to sustain their faith,” Xu Fan explained to the Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo.

“For millions of years, our tribe’s faith has been absorbed by that Primal Spiritual Treasure. While it has allowed many powerful beings to emerge, it’s also the reason the great force of the Immortal Realm does not favor us.”

“And when I studied the histories of the great tribes that rose in the Three Thousand Realms, I found two words that defined their success.”

“What two words?” The Saint Moon Tribe Great Luo felt her faith beginning to waver.

“Unyielding!”

“Apart from those races born with innate strength, every tribe that rose from weakness to greatness shared one trait: an unyielding spirit.”

“Our Saint Moon Tribe can have our own faith, and we can still believe in the Saint Moon.”

“But this Saint Moon must be the Saint Moon of the Immortal Realm, the Saint Moon of the Three Thousand Great Worlds—not just a small Primal Spiritual Treasure like Saint Moon Bay,” Xu Fan concluded, finally reaching the heart of his message after a long and winding discussion.