Chapter 96 – The Reaction of the Pantheon

The High Priest flicked his sleeve, his voice calm yet carrying an air of authority: “This ‘Wuwang Kuangzun’ is someone we cannot afford to offend; we must win him over as quickly as possible, no matter the cost. It would be best to send a Divine Statue into his hands!”

“Hiss—”

“What? Send out a Divine Statue?”

“Isn’t the price a bit too high?”

No matter how composed the others were, upon hearing the High Priest’s intention to gift a Divine Statue, they couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath, their faces filled with shock.

Two figures standing at the front exchanged a glance and simultaneously stepped forward. One of them advised, “High Priest, please reconsider! Divine Statues contain a trace of a Deity’s immense power—they are rare treasures. How many within the Temple have achieved illustrious military feats yet still struggle to receive a Divine Statue as a reward? Now, to casually give one to a ‘Wuwang Kuangzun’ whose identity is unclear and origins questionable—this is far too risky.”

“Indeed, High Priest,” the other immediately added. “Fair rewards and punishments are the foundation upon which the Temple stands. To so easily bestow a Divine Statue upon an unrelated outsider may provoke discontent among the Temple’s members and shake its very foundations!”

The High Priest swept his gaze over the others below, his expression calm. “Do you all share this view?”

The group exchanged glances, then stepped forward one after another, bowing respectfully. “We implore the High Priest to reconsider!”

However, the High Priest’s deep, unfathomable pupils showed no sign of being swayed by their dissuasion. “I can only tell you this: if we fail to win over this ‘Wuwang Kuangzun,’ not only our Temple of Light but even the Pantheon itself faces the danger of annihilation! No matter the cost, as long as we can bring Wuwang Kuangzun into our Camp, any sacrifice will be worth it!”

A Priest standing at the forefront spoke up, “Then why don’t we eliminate him sooner?”

The High Priest glanced at him and said quietly, “A peerless genius who has broken Records six times in a row is either protected by immense Luck and great fortune, or supported by a formidable power beyond our imagination. To rashly attempt an ambush—if it fails, we would incur an irreconcilable blood feud with whatever force stands behind him. Moreover, is such a genius so easily killed? Have you forgotten the price the Pantheon paid to besiege Lei Wanjun? Lei Wanjun still lives well to this day. To quell his wrath, what immense cost did we bear to make him cease hostilities against us? And what further price did we pay to prevent him from siding with the War God Organization?”

Upon hearing this, everyone below fell into silence. The brutal scenes from the past siege of Lei Wanjun resurfaced in their minds—a battle that had nearly drained the Pantheon’s vitality, costing countless elites and consuming resources like flowing water.

It was precisely because of Lei Wanjun’s emergence that the Pantheon’s attention and resources were diverted, weakening their efforts to suppress the God-Slaying Organization and allowing it to catch its breath in the cracks.

Seeing their silence, the High Priest continued, “Now, the appearance of this ‘Wuwang Kuangzun’ may be the key to turning the tide. If we can successfully win him over, firstly, it will strengthen the power of our Temple of Light and even the Pantheon; secondly, it could deliver a fatal blow to the God-Slaying Organization. Conversely, if he joins the God-Slaying Organization, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

At this moment, Yu Liuguang cautiously spoke up: “High Priest, even if we decide to win over ‘Wuwang Kuangzun,’ how can we ensure he will accept our goodwill? After all, he has broken records one after another and is currently at the peak of his fame. He must have extremely high ambitions, and ordinary temptations will likely fail to move him.”

The High Priest said: “That’s why I suggested sending a Divine Statue down to him, isn’t it? I believe anyone would find it difficult to resist the temptation of a Divine Skill! Moreover…”

“As long as he absorbs Divine Power and experiences a Divine Skill, then…”

The High Priest paused slightly, his gaze sweeping across the room, his voice low yet filled with power: “Then, he will become intricately connected to the Deity, and breaking free from the Deity’s control will be as difficult as ascending to heaven. The divine might contained within the Divine Statue not only enhances his strength but also plants a Divine Mark within his body, gradually making him a member of our Pantheon without him even realizing it.”

Upon hearing this, everyone showed expressions of sudden understanding.

The reason Lei Wanjun had not sided with the God-Slaying Organization was that he had once accidentally come into contact with a Divine Statue and attempted to absorb Divine Power. Although he failed to Convert it into a Divine Skill, it still imprinted him with the aura of a Deity. The Deity behind it still held lingering thoughts of him and had been trying to turn him into a believer. It was precisely for this reason that the God-Slaying Organization dared not accept him.

Now, while Wuwang Kuangzun is still in the low-level zones, whichever side extends its influence to him first will gain the upper hand in this talent competition.

The God-Slaying Organization has been suppressed by the Pantheon in recent years and likely lacks the resources to invest heavily. This presents an excellent opportunity for the Pantheon.

As long as such a genius is won over to the Pantheon’s side—or at least prevented from siding with the God-Slaying faction—that would be a victory!

Seeing that no one else had objections, High Priest Daman instructed: “Marsai, Austin, your primary tasks from now on will revolve around Wuwang Kuangzun. All members of the 16th Branch Temple will fully cooperate. I don’t care what methods you use, you must ensure the Divine Statue reaches Wuwang Kuangzun’s hands and subtly yet sufficiently inform him of the power of Divine Skills. You must make sure he comprehends one Divine Skill.”

The two Chief Priests, Marsai and Austin, standing at the forefront of the two teams, immediately stepped forward. “Yes!”

Yu Liuguang, the Hall Master of the 16th Branch Temple, who was at the back of the line, also stepped forward, his expression resolute: “High Priest, rest assured. The 16th Branch Temple will spare no effort and will not fail in this mission!”

High Priest Daman nodded slightly: “Good! Today’s meeting ends here. All of you, return and prepare!”

——————

Due to Xiao Wuwang repeatedly breaking records, scenes like the one in the Temple of Light were playing out one after another in the major Temples across the Infinite Train Survival World.

Some Temples sought to win him over, such as: the Temple of War, Temple of Harvest, Temple of Nature, Temple of Earth, Temple of Fate, Temple of Covenant, Temple of Ocean, Temple of Love, Temple of Order, and others.

Others advocated for completely eliminating Wuwang Kuangzun, such as: the Temple of Darkness, Temple of Storms, Temple of Berserk War, Temple of Explosive Flame, Temple of Ice-Sealing, Temple of Wealth, Temple of Nightmare, Temple of Chaos, Temple of Curses, Temple of Sky, and others.

Due to the considerable distances between the various Divine Cities, real-time communication was impossible, and each was unaware of the actions taken by the other Temples.

However, after issuing the instructions to their respective Temples, all Divine Cities took unified action, with trains roaring out from each one.

——————

In the deep void, an advanced train crafted entirely from dark gold metal sped past like a bolt of lightning tearing through the darkness.