At the same time, within a space on the coral reef that had clearly been given a special decoration.

"Great True God, may you bless this negotiation to proceed smoothly!"

The oldest Merfolk, who was also the current Prophet of the Merfolk Race — Zequan, silently prayed.

And before her, a floating [Creator Totem] shone brilliantly in the water, as if foretelling something.

The Prophet is the Messenger of the Gods, yet they may not necessarily be able to truly contact the Gods.

The only ones who can directly contact the Gods are the Gods' Apostles.

If Li Hao were to make a more vivid description.

He feels that the "Gods" themselves are more like a fundamental rule of the universe's operation, a transdimensional existence akin to the world itself—omnipresent, omnipotent.

In a world where Gods truly exist, as long as certain conditions are met, any living being can resonate with the Gods.

It's like mastering the tool to ignite a fire, and you can kindle a fire anytime and anywhere.

This was the original Prophet, the pioneer who led their people forward with the "Wisdom of the God".

As the Prophet's understanding of the world deepened, and their synchronicity with the Gods increased, the information they could access grew.

Prophets at this stage, like Zequan now, could even vaguely perceive impending opportunities and dangers through the power of the Gods.

However, even so, Prophets remain just Prophets.

Only when the Gods respond to a Prophet's prayer do they officially come under the gaze of the Gods.

A Prophet at this stage may be called many things by outsiders—Priest, Enlightened, Pastor, Father, etc.

Regardless of the title, their essence has surrendered their self, letting the "Will of the God" be the mainstay of all their actions.

Li Hao disliked this situation, and therefore he never truly allowed any Prophet to become a Priest.

As a Creator, Li Hao didn't need to harvest faith like a typical god.

The entire world is his Source of Power, and all creatures of the Mountain and Sea Realm see him as a "Father".

Of course, Li Hao didn't actually forbid the creatures of the Mountain and Sea Realm from believing in other Gods.

As long as this God wasn't a cruel and bloodthirsty Evil God, choosing to believe in them was a personal choice of the creatures.

What Li Hao needed to maintain was an order, one enabling all creatures to live and evolve peacefully.

[So, just where do you come from, Evil God?]

[Daring to deceive my people in my name?]

The [Creator Totem] in front of Zequan suddenly emitted light, and a vast will descended.

Under the pressure of this immense will, the light from the [Creator Totem] shifted from bright to dark, then revealed a tint of azure.

"This..."

Witnessing this, Zequan's pupils quaked with immense fear in her eyes.

This was her first time feeling the power of the God.

Even a mere trace of power unwittingly leaked by an Evil God was enough to annihilate her.

As the wisp of azure light departed from the [Creator Totem], intending to rush towards Zequan.

A black flame suddenly arose from nowhere, and no amount of surging seawater could extinguish it.

It seemed shapeless, yet surely had form...

The searing temperature confined the crimson light, forcibly compelling it to expose its true form.

[Ah!]

A mind-shattering wail emanated from within the flame, transforming in the next instant into a wicked god remarkably resembling a Merfolk.

[A Merfolk, after all?]

Surprised to see the wicked god resembling a Merfolk, Li Hao then controlled the ominous misfortune's flames to lessen the damage.

Simultaneously, the Merfolk-like Evil God within the flames knelt with a face full of pleading.

Incessantly bowing toward the direction of the [Creator Totem], hoping for mercy.

To show sincerity, the Merfolk Evil God even actively opened up his memory, allowing Li Hao to peruse at will.

.........................................................

The Merfolk Evil God, or rather Evil Spirit, came into being before the dawn of civilization.

Then, it was merely a hazy energy, without a stable vessel, wandering freely among various sea creatures.

Until one day, the sun plummeted from the sky, its scorching essence vaporizing the ocean, destroying the seabed's ecosystem.

Forced to survive, the Evil Spirit burrowed into a rock deep in the seabed, narrowly escaping the catastrophe of the "Dark Sun's fall."

Unfortunately, since then, the Evil Spirit could no longer move freely beyond the unyielding rock.

The Evil Spirit was trapped within the rock for a full five thousand years.

Until by chance, it was taken to the coastal area as a gastrolith by a massive sea beast.

Perhaps out of worship for the sea beast, a group of not fully evolved amphibious beings picked up the rock, cherishing it as a treasure.

This group of amphibious beings was the ancestors of the Merfolk, the very first of them.

Survival, procreation, evolution...

Repeating such acts day after day, year after year.

Eventually, a truly wise individual emerged among the Merfolk, successfully attracting the arrival of the Immortals.

—Where there is wisdom, there will be Immortals.

This is a widely circulated proverb among the Hundred Races, also a reality occurring throughout the Mountain and Sea Realm.

The Immortals planted the initial seeds of civilization within the Merfolk Race.

Aiding them to get past the stage where they were most susceptible to extinction before evolving into intelligent beings.

During this process, the Evil Spirit existing as a rock also witnessed the entirety of the Immortals' teaching.

From technology to thought, from faith to belief...

The Evil Spirit, far more intelligent than the Merfolk, unknowingly developed higher wisdom.

It began to feel confused, to ponder the meaning of its existence, and sought to explore the broader world...

However, at that time, the Evil Spirit was merely a stone imbued with consciousness.

The more acutely it realized its existence, the more it tortured the Evil Spirit.

This condition persisted until the first Prophet of the Merfolk was born.

The Prophet, to retain the Immortals and also to express his reverence for the Creator, decided to carve the precious stone preserved by his ancestors into the [Creator Totem].

From that point on, the Evil Spirit found it seemed to be transforming into a distinctly different entity.

Its will could interfere with Merfolk's thoughts and subtly impact physical entities.

Especially after absorbing the Merfolk's faith in the Creator, the Evil Spirit found itself gradually becoming a false "Creator".

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