Chapter 617: Chapter 617: Faith Path

"Eh?"

Li Feng stopped walking completely.

He stared blankly ahead for a moment, as though he wasn’t sure whether he had heard the notification correctly.

’Faith? What is that?’

As soon as Li Feng’s thought appeared, another notification sounded.

[Ding!]

[Faith is the power generated by the belief of living beings!]

[The Host has established a connection with one hundred Star Apostles!]

[Through this connection, the Host may receive a portion of the faith generated by the Star Apostles!]

[The more the Star Apostles worship the Host, the more Faith the Host will accumulate!]

[Faith can be used to perform miracles and unlock various abilities!]

Li Feng’s expression slowly changed.

Now that the system mentioned it, he did have some knowledge about the concept.

In this world, there were some sects that worshipped ancient existences, temples dedicated to mysterious gods, and countless ordinary people who prayed to beings they had never even seen.

Li Feng had even heard rumors about the barbarians living in the southern regions.

Apparently, they were unable to cultivate like ordinary cultivators, yet some of their tribes relied heavily on worshipping mysterious gods and ancient beings.

Through their faith and rituals, they were said to gain strength in other ways.

But Li Feng had also heard that the major sects strongly opposed this kind of practice.

They considered relying on the worship of gods and other mysterious beings to obtain power to be a demonic path, and such practices were strictly forbidden within the territories controlled by the major sects.

He had never paid much attention to those rumors before.

But now...

His eyes slowly narrowed.

’Could this be the same kind of faith that the Righteous Sects have forbidden?’

Li Feng’s expression became slightly strange.

He had never cared much about this kind of thing before.

To him, it had always been something distant, something practiced by strange tribes or people who followed mysterious gods.

But now that he had actually gained the ability to use faith...

And, more importantly, he was literally the object of that worship...

He couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

’Hold on... Does that mean I’m technically practicing a demonic path now?’

Li Feng’s expression became even more complicated.

After all, he had only recently gained the title of Righteous Sword, and now he had somehow awakened a power that the major sects considered a forbidden demonic path.

The reason behind the major sects’ hostility toward this practice was something he had never understood.

They never explained why they considered it so dangerous.

They simply declared it a forbidden path that should never be allowed to spread.

Anyone who dared to openly practice it would be treated as a demonic cultivator.

But Li Feng himself didn’t really care whether a power was considered righteous or demonic.

To him, power itself wasn’t inherently good or evil.

What mattered was the person who used it and what they chose to do with it.

A sword could be used to protect someone, or it could be used to kill an innocent person.

The same was true for any kind of power.

So even if the major sects considered Faith a demonic path, Li Feng wasn’t particularly concerned.

Then he fell silent for a moment as he glanced toward Han Wei.

’Maybe he knows something about this.’

Han Wei had once been a rogue cultivator, and rogue cultivators usually had to rely on their own connections and sources of information to survive.

Unlike disciples of the major sects, they didn’t have the protection of a powerful sect behind them.

As a result, they often knew about all kinds of strange techniques, forbidden practices, and rumors that the major sects would rather keep hidden.

So Li Feng decided to ask him.

"Han Wei."

"Hmm? Yes, Master?"

"Have you ever heard of something called Faith?"

Han Wei’s expression changed slightly.

"Faith?"

He repeated the word, as though searching through his memories.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Li Feng waited patiently.

But then Han Wei’s brows slowly furrowed.

"I think I’ve heard of it before."

Li Feng’s eyes immediately brightened.

"You have?"

"Yes, Master."

Han Wei nodded slowly.

"But I’m not sure if it’s the same thing you’re asking about."

Li Feng wave his hand, "Tell me what you know."

Han Wei thought for a moment before speaking.

"When I was still a rogue cultivator, I once heard some old cultivators mention a strange cultivation method. They called it the Faith Path."

He hesitated for a moment before adding awkwardly,

"And, well... I was curious. So I did some digging because I thought, ehem... maybe I could use it or something."

Li Feng’s expression became slightly strange.

It wasn’t because Han Wei had once considered using the Faith Path.

As a rogue cultivator, it wasn’t exactly surprising that he would be interested in any unusual method that might help him become stronger.

What caught Li Feng’s attention was the name itself.

’Faith Path?’

Han Wei continued.

"It was said that instead of absorbing spiritual energy from the heavens and earth, practitioners of this path gathered the belief of other living beings."

"The more people believed in them, the more power they could obtain. Some rumors even claimed that extremely powerful practitioners of this path could perform what ordinary cultivators would consider miracles."

Li Feng paused for a moment in silence before posing another question.

"Given that, do you understand why the major sects regard the Faith Path as a demonic path?"

Han Wei shook his head.

"I don’t know the exact details. Most of what I heard was based on rumors."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"But apparently, the problem isn’t simply the act of gathering faith."

Han Wei’s expression became more serious.

"According to those old cultivators, the Faith Path has been connected to some very dangerous beings throughout history."

Li Feng raised an eyebrow.

"Dangerous beings?"

"Yes."

Han Wei nodded slowly.

Then he lowered his voice slightly.

"Among them, there was supposedly one person who managed to take the Faith Path to an extraordinary height."

"No one knows his real name. Most records simply refer to him as... the Enlightened One."

"The Enlightened One?"

Li Feng quietly repeated the name.

Han Wei nodded.

"According to the stories I heard and the records I read, he wasn’t originally some ancient god or powerful cultivator. He was once an ordinary human."

"But he discovered a way to gather faith from living beings and gradually began accumulating more and more of it."

Han Wei paused for a moment.

"At first, he only had a small number of followers. But as his reputation spread, more and more people began to worship him. Villages built temples in his name, and eventually, entire cities began praying to him."

"The more people believed in him, the stronger he became."

"Eventually, his influence grew so great that people began claiming he could perform... miracles."

Li Feng’s expression became slightly strange when he heard that, but he didn’t say anything and simply let Han Wei continue.

"They said he could heal the sick, protect villages from disasters, and even bless people with strength."

"Whether all of those stories were true, I don’t know. But according to the rumors..."

Han Wei’s expression became solemn.

"He eventually reached a level that even the major sects considered impossible."

Hearing that, Li Feng’s eyes filled with interest.

"Oh? How powerful was he?"

"Haha... I’m not sure about that," Han Wei said with an awkward laugh, shaking his head.

"It happened far too long ago. Honestly, I doubt even the old monsters from that era are still alive."

He thought for a moment before continuing.

"The records I found were incomplete. Most of them were written long after the Enlightened One disappeared, so I don’t know how much of it can be trusted."

"But according to what was recorded, his strength eventually reached a level that ordinary cultivators could no longer understand."

"They said that as he gathered more and more faith, his body began to change. His soul changed too... and even his very existence was said to have become different."

Han Wei’s expression grew more serious.

"And that was when the Five Major Sects at that time finally realized how dangerous he had become."

"They had always been rivals. Some of them had even been enemies for generations."

"However, due to the influence of the Enlightened One, they chose to disregard all of that. Consequently, for the first time in history, all five major sects united their forces to stop him, and they have maintained that alliance ever since."

Li Feng’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"All because of him?"

Han Wei nodded.

"Yes."

Then Han Wei’s expression became slightly fearful, as if he himself were there.

"Some even said that by that point, he was no longer someone that ordinary cultivators could fight against and..."

He hesitated.

Li Feng frowned when he saw Han Wei suddenly stop.

He reached out and smacked Han Wei firmly on the back.

"And what? Don’t stop after saying something like that."

Han Wei’s entire body nearly stumbled forward from that casual slap.

His eyes widened in shock.

He was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet that single slap had nearly sent him stumbling.

For a brief moment, Han Wei felt completely helpless.

’Master didn’t even use spiritual power...’

He had known that Li Feng was incredibly powerful, but moments like this still reminded him just how terrifying the gap between them was.

Han Wei quickly steadied himself and rubbed his back.

"Ah, I didn’t mean to stop," he said awkwardly. "I just... couldn’t find the right words to describe it."

Li Feng looked at him.

"What do you mean by that?"

Han Wei hesitated again.

"I’m not completely sure myself."

He thought for a moment before continuing.

"From what I found in the records, the Enlightened One had reached a point where he possessed something that was described as..."

Han Wei frowned slightly, trying to recall the exact wording.

Then, almost as if he were speaking to himself, he murmured softly,

"...as something that transcends humanity."

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