"Now, let’s conserve our energy and don’t forget our mentor’s expectations of us... all for a brighter future!"

...

The Divine Country of the World Tree, Eden Garden.

The sky was a splendid river of stars, with a lush and vibrant forest teeming with life.

The figures of Elemental Elves danced gracefully within the woods, while Prayers faced the direction of the Central Temple, incessantly prostrating in worship.

At the center of the Divine Country, within the Supreme Temple.

Eve sat high upon her divine throne, turning off the player perspective projection from Maniya Sacred Square, sighing softly.

She breathed a gentle sigh and waved her hand lightly.

With her gesture, a subtle power spread out, pulling at something in the unseen, continually spreading.

Gradually, specks of golden photons gathered, and a phantom figure slowly emerged.

A holy Priest Robe, somewhat frail, but standing with a straight posture.

That was none other than Old John, who had died in the Fire of Purification.

More precisely, it was his soul.

His figure was a bit illusory, his gaze hollow and vacant.

Only when the light faded did his eyes gradually regain some luster and clarity.

"This... where is this..."

Gazing at the opulent and magnificent temple surroundings, Old John’s vision was somewhat bewildered.

However, when he sensed the almost palpable divine power around him, and saw the holy and beautiful figure on the divine throne, he quickly realized something, and instantly, excitedly prostrated to the ground, devout and fervent:

"Go... Goddess Your Grace!"

"Rise."

Eve spoke softly.

A soft power surged out, gently lifting Old John.

Hearing the voice of the Divine, Old John grew even more emotional, his eyes brimming with tears, he said somewhat remorsefully:

"Goddess Your Grace... John has yet to spread your faith to every corner of the Segis World, John... has let you down."

Looking at his remorseful face, Eve gently shook her head:

"No, you’ve done well, as a devoted Life Believer, as one of my Divine Favored, you’ve already given your all."

"Goddess Your Grace..."

Hearing the divine assurance, Old John was even more moved, tears welling up, almost wanting to kneel down again.

But Eve stopped his actions, her expression turned solemn, her voice majestically declaring:

"John, your deeds have gained my approval, as a martyr and Divine Favored, as a fervent Saint, would you be willing to become my first human Divine Envoy?"

It’s challenging to cultivate a Demigod.

However, there’s one exception, which is when a True God’s believer dies, and their faith ascends to that of a Saint.

Due to the high overlap of faith forces, a True God can easily elevate their saint-level Prayers to Demigod, so Saints have always been the reserve Divine Envoys of True Gods.

At the time of his martyrdom, Old John’s faith had risen to the level of a Saint, and his soul had already gained the capacity to bear God power of the same origin as his faith, making his ascension to Divine Envoy a natural course of action.

Old John rejoiced, devoutly kneeling down:

"John... is willing to become your servant!"

As soon as he spoke, golden light blossomed upon him, dazzling Divine Power surged from all directions, transforming Old John’s soul.

Divine Power poured into Old John’s body, his body gradually solidifying, the once weak aura growing stronger.

A moment later, the light dissipated, Old John now clad in a more sacred and elegant robe, his appearance youthful and handsome.

Sparks of light circulated around him, the radiance of faith.

He bent low again, saluted Eve, and said excitedly:

"John, thank you for your trust."

Eve smiled slightly, saying:

"This is what you deserve."

Having said that, she became slightly solemn:

"Saint John, from now on, assist me in handling human faith matters in the Segis World."

Old John was filled with excitement:

"I shall obey your divine decree!"

After instructing the newly ascended Demigod Old John on various matters, Eve then let him withdraw.

Elevating Old John to a Demigod Envoy consumed nearly two hundred Divine Power points, but for her now, it was just a drop in the ocean.

Divine Favored are the eyes of the True God, everything Old John experienced was witnessed by her.

However, at the time of his martyrdom, Eve did not save him.

This was because she could sense a strong eternal Divine Power shrouding Maniya City, acting rashly might prematurely trigger a divine war with Yiteo.

Before weakening the Eternal Church in the Segis World to a certain extent, initiating a divine war was not the best choice.

After all, the Pantheon is still suppressing the source of the Segis World.

However, while a divine war hasn’t started, a war of faith can already begin.

Presumably... the Eternal Church burned John with that very intention.

Thinking of this, Eve’s gaze pierced through the void, scanning the vast Segis World, her eyes deepened... 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

...

Old John became a Demigod Envoy.

Afterwards, he remained in the Divine Country, assisting Eve in managing divine affairs.

Demigods can descend to the Segis World, but Old John had no immediate plans to do so.

In his words, John had already died, and a dead person holds the most power; descending as an envoy might diminish the impact of his martyrdom.

There’s a certain logic to this; martyrdom evokes remembrance, and often, the power of remembrance is the strongest.

However, Eve did not hide the news of his ascension to Demigod, instead publicizing it.

Martyrdom, death, ascending to the Divine Country, becoming a Demigod.

For many believers, this is indeed an inspirational event.

In Eve’s view, this does not conflict with martyrdom.

Ascending after death, only hearing of it but not seeing it, can sometimes create better publicity and doesn’t necessarily require a complete death.

However, before the news of Old John’s posthumous ascension as a Divine Envoy spread within the church, that trial in Maniya City’s Central Square spread elsewhere at an even more rapid pace...

The life missionary who faced death unflinchingly, the hypocritical and shameless Judgement Bishop, the nobles who were shamed into anger, and the unrest among the populace...

The entire trial spread as a Magic Image across various places.

Moreover, this Magic Image was meticulously edited, becoming more concise and full of tension, with perfectly timed musical accompaniment, stirring emotions of anger, sorrow, admiration, and realization in viewers.

Especially in the editing, contrasting videos of the Elf Forest, Fengyue Free Territory, and various locations of the Empire were added.

The dreamlike Elf Forest, the wealth of Fengyue Free Territory, and the Empire’s war and poverty formed a stark contrast.

Additionally, Magic Image edits of noble oppression and collusion with the powerful provoked anger while inspiring deep thought.

The black market, traveling merchants, minstrels, adventurers... for a brief period, it seemed the entire world knew about the trial, about Old John’s rebuke of the Eternal Church, and about his appeal to the masses.

In no time, throughout the Human Kingdom, more and more converted to Eve, and more people began contemplating Old John’s words, genuinely considering the Empire’s future.

In the streets and alleys, in bars and inns, one could hear travelers discussing the debate.

In the black market, Holy Scriptures of the Life Church and various books sold out, supply unable to meet demand.

The message Old John wanted to convey finally got through.

And shortly after this Life God Favored martyred, a decree that shocked the entire continent was conveyed from the Eternal Church’s core in Maniya City—

The Eternal Church officially declared war on the Life Church.

The two most powerful churches in the Segis World were finally engaging in a war of faith.