Divine Flame Crystal

Chapter 622 Xingluo’s Special Live Broadcast

Faith should be humanity's pursuit of truth and eternity, a spiritual beacon, a light that pierces through suffering. However, in the process of reorganizing the Church of Light, Tiffany increasingly finds that the "faith" she holds in her hands is rapidly becoming hollow.

Even though she prayed for the believers every day, presided over the purification ceremony, and distributed the water of salvation herself... in return, she was filled with Flame Hammer brand "household purification bottles" and "soul exorcism sachets" at the church entrance.

One bottle is more effective than three days of prayer for her, and one stick of exorcising incense is more reassuring than thirty prayers.

What's even more terrifying is: people no longer scold her.

They just nodded and smiled politely, then turned and left, throwing themselves into the arms of the "Moonfall Civil Affairs Bureau", "Flame Hammer Welfare Bureau" or "Sky City Employment Management Office".

She knew that it wasn't that people hated her, it was that people no longer took her seriously.

Tiffany finally ordered the convening of a continent-wide clergy council, hoping to use the final sense of ceremony to arouse people's awe of divinity.

This time, she personally wrote a 27-page "Holy Light Declaration", every word of which was precious and every sentence was well-written. She led with the high-level prayer "Holy Light Returns to the Origin", which she was always good at, with the intention of awakening the people's dormant faith.

The venue was chosen to be the "Tianyu Altar" above the Great Rift Valley. One hundred thousand believers sat on the ground, clergy gathered, the Knights were ready, and even the Knights of Judgment were in attendance.

Everything is ready.

however--

Five minutes after the announcement ceremony began, a silver-glowing "magic sky curtain advertisement" appeared on the edge of the altar.

[Special Live Broadcast]: Sky City Magic Entertainment Channel brings you "Holy Hymn - Talk Show Edition"! Starring: Xingluo.

——This program is a fusion of high-level magic and satire. Minors are advised to watch it under the supervision of their parents. *

"What the hell?" The priest's expression suddenly changed.

Tiffany slashed at the sky with her sword, but that was the "virtual double-imaging technique" that Xingluo had already set up, and she was only slashing at the air.

And what rang in the ears of the hundred thousand believers was a familiar, somewhat lazy, yet extremely penetrating voice:

"Everyone, this is the Sky City Education Channel. To help you understand the true meaning of 'faith,' I'll tell you a joke: There was a god whose followers dwindled. So, he took out a glittering golden scepter and declared to everyone, 'You don't believe in me? I'm the god who can give you fire!' He forgot that those people had already used the alchemical products of the Flame Hammer to light their furnaces, roasting potatoes and drinking wine."

The whole audience burst into laughter.

Even though Tiffany tried her best to suppress the sound waves, the joke had already been heard by a hundred thousand ears, and the most terrifying thing about a joke is that once it's heard, it can never be undone. Tiffany stood in the center of the altar, her face pale, the staff in her hand trembling slightly. She looked at the believers, who were reeling in laughter, and a sense of powerlessness welled up within her. She knew she had already lost this battle of faith. The joke, like a sharp blade, pierced the solemnity of the divine, leaving only the irony and helplessness of reality. Tiffany took a deep breath and tried to salvage the situation with a final prayer, but her voice was weak amid the roar of laughter. Around the altar, the clergy looked at each other in bewilderment, the armor of the Knights pale in the sunlight. The staff in her hand, once a symbol of faith, had now become a tool of mockery. The believers' eyes shifted from awe to mockery, and the radiance of the divine gradually faded amidst the laughter.

The large-scale faith revival conference painstakingly organized by the Holy See of Light was transformed into an outdoor talk show that was more lively than a large wedding.

After the meeting, many clergymen sadly resigned from their posts, with some even publicly declaring they would join the Freedom Alliance, “just for a hot meal and the freedom to think.”

Xingluo's tactics are extremely simple:

Use humor to defeat the sacred.

Use life to crush faith.

Use a smile to pierce hypocrisy.

After learning that "faith propaganda is ineffective," Tiffany decided to return to the traditional path:

Miracle.

She ordered the activation of one of the Vatican's secret treasures—the "Spring of Holy Water," a sacred spring guarded by generations of the Church of Light. It was said to purify curses, cure all ailments, and regenerate barren lands. She planned to encapsulate the spring into a "mobile miracle" and use it as the centerpiece of a faith tour, distributing alms along the way from south to north.

However, just as they reached the first stop, the entire holy water transportation system - broke down.

The cause was that the magic convoy carrying holy water was intercepted while crossing the Frost Ridge Pass.

The interceptors are not enemy troops, nor are they thieves, but rather a group of "Flame Hammer Experience Officers".

They stood in front of the car, looking confused, holding banners that read "Anti-Drug Clean Water Law":

"Excuse me, have these liquids passed the Moon Meteorite Hygiene Standard Certification?"

"I suspect this thing contains unauthorized divine ingredients. It requires on-site sampling and testing."

The team leader roared, "Are you blocking the path to the Holy Water of the Church?!"

"We're just following the law." The experience officer pushed his goggles up his nose. "Look, this shipment has no explosion-proof markings, and no declared flow magic level. It's very dangerous."

The Vatican team was furious, and when they tried to force their way through, for some unknown reason, all the tires of the transport vehicles burst, and spring water spilled all over the ground.

What follows is even more outrageous—

Xingluo ran over with a group of children and collected the holy water on the ground directly into the "newly developed Flame brand multifunctional water storage tank", and put a label on it that read:

"Original Vatican second-hand goods, now on sale at 20% off."

When Tiffany heard the news, she almost fainted on the spot.

She no longer sent people to spread the holy water.

She feared that if she sent it again, the "holy water" would be sold as bath bags. She knew the foundations of her faith had been shaken, and even sacred objects had become a laughingstock. In desperation, Tiffany ordered the holy water fountain sealed to avoid further embarrassment. The Vatican began to reflect on whether the spread of faith should return to inner sincerity, rather than external miracles.

Xingluo will be officially upgraded from a "faith opponent" to an "ideological opponent", revealing the hypocritical nature of the divine agency system within the Vatican.

To continue, just say "Continue" or specify a chapter and I'll pick up right away.

Do gods really exist, or are they carefully crafted images of faith?

This was the boldest question Xingluo ever asked during a public speech.

It was a sudden "speech raid" at the square outside the Burning Heart Temple, the largest fortress of faith of the Holy See of Light in the North. This place was once a center of worship for countless believers, with over 100,000 people receiving "divine baptism" there every year.

And today, Xingluo stood on the podium that "only clergy can set foot on", wearing a short robe with the "Sky City Commemorative Edition" badge printed on it, holding a cup of coffee in his hand, and with his signature smug smile on his face.

He didn't even say a word of greeting, and just opened his mouth:

"Everyone—where did that God you believe in come from?"

The square fell silent for a moment.

Xingluo slowly held up a sealed file. "This is the secret archive of the Holy See of Light—the 'Divine Command Coding Project.' It records all the 'oracles' issued by the Lord God you speak of over the past thirty years."

He glanced at the audience and continued:

"A third of these oracles were drafted by 'divine agents,' a third were forged based on religious and political needs, and a third... well, were simply written for fun after winning a bet."

A dry cough erupted from the audience.

"I didn't blaspheme your faith," Xingluo changed the subject, "I just peeled off the cloth that was painted too brightly."

Then he threw the file lightly, and more than 300 pages of paper scattered in the air. When the wind blew, it was like rain.

Those pages were filled with fictitious miracles, tampered words of God, records of unfulfilled prayers, tragic endings of believers and secret orders for remediation. Every piece of paper was like a knife, piercing the hearts of the people who had once bowed their heads devoutly.

What was even more shocking was the person who appeared on the steps in front of the temple.

Belrus, the former "envoy of God" of the Holy See.

He should have died in a "divine punishment incident" five years ago. It is said that when he was executing the oracle, he refused to perform "soul purification" on children of other races, and was "punished by divine power" and burned to ashes on the spot.

But now he stood before everyone, alive and well, his voice hoarse but firm:

"I am Belrus, and I was not punished by God. It was the people of the Church who drugged me with a sleeping drug and then set fire to a substitute. I am alive because Xingluo saved me."

The whole place was boiling.