At the same time, upon the divine altar of the Gu Lan Holy Church on the Gu Lan Continent, there existed all the Faith Power of the entire Gu Lan Holy Church. Vast and mighty, it directly filled a vast space that contained this Faith Power, with the overflow alone comparable to a boundless ocean.
The amount of Faith Power here was so immense that describing it as vast as an ocean would be an understatement; it was enough to fill an entire star domain within the Ancient Orchid Great World. It was truly too vast, unimaginable.
The Faith Power was boundless and endless, far more abundant and potent than when Ye Chen was alive a century ago.
Not to mention ancient Great Sages, even Primordial Monarchs would be shocked upon seeing it, for even many supreme Sacred Lands, after exhausting efforts over a hundred thousand years, might not necessarily amass so much Faith Power.
Yet, all of this was because Ye Chen sacrificed himself to protect the Sealed Universe, earning the gratitude and recitation of his virtues by all living beings.
This was not limited merely to the Gu Lan Continent and the Gu Di Continent and Gu Shen Continent of the Ancient Emperor Realm. Even across the myriad realms, countless people had recited his name, grateful and reverent. Countless strands of Faith Power traversed the void, one by one merging into the divine altar of the Ancient Orchid Great World, causing this already vast and potent ocean of Faith Power to become even more immense, increasing dramatically.
Were it not for the mysterious nature of the Holy Church Altar, capable of containing everything, and the fact that Ye Chen had once personally opened up another expansive internal space to receive the endless Faith Power, it could almost have submerged half of the Gu Lan Continent.
Because of such an immense amount of Faith Power, the Holy Church Heavenly God, who had inherited this vast Faith Power anew after Ye Chen's death, had undoubtedly become the ruler of the Ancient Orchid Great World once more.
Even though he could not wield the fundamental power of the Great World like the Battle Saint King of old, nor could he fully mobilize all the Faith Power at once, the invocation of this boundless, endless Faith Power was something even ancient Great Sages would regard with extreme caution.
Now, the Holy Church Heavenly God had devoted himself to the study of Faith Power for over a century, his mastery growing ever more profound. He was just a step away from breaking through the boundary to become a true Supreme Great Power, at which point he could wield even more Faith Power.
Moreover, over these years, freed from the control of the former World Lord Ye Chen, the Heavenly God had regained dominion over the world and nurtured grand ambitions anew.
He not only sought to achieve the realm of an ancient Great Sage but also aimed to seize the colossal entities left behind by the former Battle Saint King, such as the Gu Lan Holy Church and the Holy Domains spread across the two continents of the Ancient Emperor Realm, with their countless subjects.
He even desired to completely control the entire Ancient Orchid Great World.
For only by completely controlling the Ancient Orchid Great World could he truly fear nothing, becoming utterly invincible within it.
During the past century, he had attempted more than once to refine the world origin of the Ancient Orchid Great World, yet each time he fell just short of success.
The root cause ultimately lay in insufficient strength. The world origin of the Ancient Orchid Great World was too potent. That September Great Power had managed to refine it only by a stroke of luck. Even with the aid of immense Faith Power, he still encountered some resistance, falling just a bit short.
At this point, the Heavenly God understood that unless he achieved the realm of an ancient Great Sage, combining his powerful cultivation with the even more boundless Faith Power he could then control, would he be able to truly and completely refine the world origin and become the Master of Gulan World.
On this day, as the Heavenly God sat in meditation upon the upper seat of the divine altar, he suddenly opened his eyes, gazing into the endless Faith Power. To his shock, he discovered a peculiar ripple had appeared within the ocean of Faith Power.
For unless he mobilized it, this Faith Power usually lay silently settled, motionless, rarely shimmering with ripples.
Moreover, he found the ripple somewhat special, as if it had suddenly shimmered due to something.
It could be said this was an unusual anomaly, and for some reason, a sense of foreboding lingered in his heart.
The Heavenly God dared not be negligent. He immediately began to investigate, even starting to deduce!
He was a peak Heavenly King of the current era, just a step away from the Great Power realm. The strength of his divine soul was such that even without using Faith Power, he could almost deduce everything within the entire Ancient Orchid Great World.
However, no matter how much mental effort he expended on deduction, the result was a haze of mist; he could deduce nothing.
This was strange, but it made the Heavenly God feel increasingly grave.
"Faith Power, come!"
Subsequently, the Holy Church Heavenly God mobilized the endless Faith Power to aid his deduction, greatly enhancing his perception and thoughts. The space between his eyebrows, where his divine soul resided, blazed with fiery light. Boundless Dao marks shot forth, illuminating various scenes as he continued his deduction.
Yet, ahead remained a haze of mist. He could barely make out some details. Vaguely, he saw the figure of a heroic, imposing man standing tall, proud and aloof over heaven and earth, his heroic bearing vigorous, possessing a peerless, matchless forcefulness and domineering aura that transmitted through the mist, shaking the Holy Church Heavenly God's heart and soul as he stared in horror at this sight.
Could it be him!?
The Heavenly God's expression changed, forming a startling conjecture. Yet, he also held a sliver of hope, wishing it was not that person. He did not hesitate to directly burn a large swath of Faith Power, once again greatly enhancing his perception and thoughts, seeking to pierce through all confusion.
There was still some mist, preventing him from clearly seeing the man's true visage, but he sensed a wisp of familiar aura.
Finally, he bit the tip of his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of essence blood, burning it along with a massive amount of Faith Power, striving to dispel all bewilderment, straining his eyes to see the man's true face completely.
At the same time, Ye Chen, who was traveling through an ancient kingdom on the Gu Lan Continent in search of his memories, suddenly frowned. His fearsome perception, surpassing the ordinary, immediately sensed someone was spying on him, deducing him.
Although he had long forgotten the various Daos and techniques of his past, at this moment, the space between his eyebrows shone with a terrifying, blazing radiance of the Great Dao—it was the light of chaos, illuminating everything. He directly saw upon an ancient divine altar a supremely powerful peerless powerhouse deducing him.
The space between his eyebrows glowed, locking gazes with the Heavenly God seated upon the Holy Church divine throne.
Ye Chen's gaze was so profound it was like a boundless sea of chaos, impenetrable. As their gazes met, a fearsome aura pierced through the vast distance, landing upon the Holy Church Heavenly God.
Boom—
At this moment, the immeasurable Faith Power upon the divine altar suddenly boiled without warning, surging through the heavens as if about to explode.
The Holy Church Heavenly God hurriedly severed his deduction, cutting off the gaze with the heroic man. Only then did the ocean of Faith Power upon the divine altar gradually calm down, eventually returning to complete stillness.
Yet, at this very moment, the Holy Church Heavenly God's expression was exceedingly grim, even carrying a trace of horror.
Indeed, it was him. The Master of Gulan World who had perished a century ago—the Battle Saint King!
He had returned!