Struggling to Survive with Regression Power in the Primordial Saint Sect

Regarding the doctrines and development model of the White Lotus Cult, Lü Yang carefully questioned the three Divine Lords of the White Lotus Cult, and what he learned shocked him to the core.

“Master, there is something you may not know.”

The three Divine Lords were Qinglian, Zilian, and Jinlian. Among them, Zilian was a powerful Divine Lord comparable to the mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm, and Jinlian had already reached the mid-stage’s peak.

At this moment, it was naturally Jinlian who spoke first:

“Although our White Lotus Cult is known for manipulating people’s hearts, we do not rely solely on deception. If we only deceived others without offering genuine benefits, we would never have gathered so many followers.”

“Moreover, beguiling people’s hearts requires casting spells daily, which is both complex and laborious. The incense and faith power generated are far inferior to the pure devotion of true believers. So unless absolutely necessary, we typically refrain from using such techniques. We prefer to earn our followers’ heartfelt devotion through tangible benefits.”

“Exactly, exactly!”

Qinglian hurried to chime in, “The sacred land of our cult, the ‘True Emptiness Homeland,’ is a genuine land of bliss, where people live without disaster, hardship, or fear.”

“All our believers long for it.”

“That is why they have unwavering faith in the White Lotus Cult.”

Zilian also explained, “Among the believers, we screen the most devout individuals each year and send them into the ‘True Emptiness Homeland’ to enjoy supreme bliss.”

“We use this to set an example.”

“When the remaining followers see this, they naturally emulate it and strive even harder to contribute to the cult, offering up all their wealth and faith.”

After the three Divine Lords finished their explanation, Lü Yang quickly grasped how the White Lotus Cult operated—and was utterly shaken.

“No way, you guys actually *nurture* your followers?”

That’s right. According to the three Divine Lords, the ‘True Emptiness Homeland’ truly supported its fanatical followers, spending untold sums daily!

The operation was simple: the cult used the sweat and toil of countless bottom-level believers to support the fanatics in the ‘True Emptiness Homeland.’ Periodically, the cult would purge and recruit new blood to ensure circulation, thus maintaining a stable flow of incense and faith.

“This is something we simply had to do.”

Jinlian sighed, “These troublesome commoners must have something to look forward to. Otherwise, unrest brews. And when there’s unrest, people’s hearts waver, and the incense offerings decrease.”

“But in recent years, we’ve faced quite a few difficulties.”

“Even though the selection process has become stringent, the number of believers in the ‘True Emptiness Homeland’ continues to rise, and the daily expenses are growing exponentially.”

“In the past few months, the cult has been running a deficit. That’s why we dispatched disciples to this remote region—to develop new sources of incense and recruit more capable, hardworking followers. After all, the more believers below, the better life becomes for those above in the ‘True Emptiness Homeland.’”

“You guys…”

Lü Yang shook his head upon hearing this, gazing at the three Divine Lords with a look of disappointment: “The White Lotus Cult? Still too upright in your ways!”

“Huh?”

The three Divine Lords were stunned. They’d been called an evil cult countless times—but this was the first time someone had accused them of being *too* righteous.

Lü Yang calmly said, “In the end, why are you wasting money to support them?”

“What else can we do?”

Jinlian asked in confusion, “Followers are still people. And people need food, have desires, and seek pleasures. All these require money to fulfill.”

“Followers count as people?”

“Why not use a bit of illusion magic? Make steamed cornbread appear like gourmet delicacies, rags look like fine silk and brocade, then dazzle their senses so they believe it’s all real. Wouldn’t that achieve the same effect—without spending a single coin?”

To Lü Yang, this was all a waste.

After all, the All-Spirits Banner was much more efficient. Once turned into Banner Spirits, they no longer needed to eat. They lived off spiritual energy, and the banner could simulate all forms of luxury.

A perfect method for cost reduction and efficiency enhancement.

Not to mention, Banner Spirits were uniquely loyal—once voluntarily absorbed into the banner, they would know nothing but devotion. The incense and faith power they produced was exceptionally pure.

“All right, take me to meet your believers.”

At Lü Yang’s command, the three Divine Lords dared not refuse. After all, as Divine Lords of the White Lotus Cult, each had their own incense territory.

In several remote cities under the Seven Luminaries Sky—

The city god temples here had long since fallen into neglect. Every household now worshiped plaques of the White Lotus Cult, offering sincere prayers day and night.

But in recent days, something had changed.

Where the plaques used to respond by preaching White Lotus doctrines and displaying the blissful ‘True Emptiness Homeland’ to energize believers…

Now, a new name appeared:

【Realm of Parting Hatred】

“Depart from all the world’s fear and hardship, leave behind lingering hatred, ascend to the highest heavens. No conditions required—anyone can freely enter.”

At first, no one believed it.

But when their previously worshiped White Lotus Divine Lords personally vouched for it, there was no room for doubt—especially with Lü Yang’s masterful presentation.

“Everyone, your days of suffering are over!”

“Your good days are just beginning!”

“The Wusheng Holy Mother has descended and wishes to save all. All believers, regardless of gender or age, may enter the 【Realm of Parting Hatred】 and henceforth enjoy eternal bliss.”

Who wouldn’t be swayed by this?

Especially since they were all devout followers of the White Lotus Cult. With Divine Lords backing it, how could it not be true?

In an instant, the crowd surged with excitement.

Lü Yang didn’t even need to do anything. He simply opened the entrance to the All-Spirits Banner and left it there—and the masses threw themselves into it.

What they believed before didn’t matter.

First lure them in under the name of the 【Wusheng Holy Mother】—once they entered the banner, their beliefs were whatever Lü Yang told them. It was a simple matter of words.

“*Hiss!*”

Witnessing this, the three Divine Lords of the White Lotus Cult gasped in unison—only to see Lü Yang remain calm, utterly unmoved.

Entering the banner alive, like Chen Xin’an and Ancestor Ting You, did not mean true death. Aside from absolute loyalty, little else changed.

Some might call this cruel.

But in the Primordial Saint Sect, they called it *efficient.*

‘Still, I can’t just take them all in at once. Right now, I’m doing this reluctantly to gather incense. After all, Banner Spirits can’t reproduce.’

Once the situation stabilized, Lü Yang’s plan was to open an All-Spirits Banner Elder Care Center.

In short, only the elderly nearing natural death but not yet deceased would be turned into Banner Spirits—realizing a sustainable “drain-the-pond” approach.

‘Later, I can even declare a doctrine: as long as you work hard in your youth and have three or four kids, you’ll ascend to heaven in your old age to enjoy blessings. This way, we can achieve explosive population growth—and harvest annually in large numbers.’

Isn’t that beautiful?

Grinning at the thought, Lü Yang released the newly converted Banner Spirits back into the world, not urging them to change faith immediately.

“No rush. Slow and steady wins the race.”

Changing faith too quickly would alarm the White Lotus Cult—especially that 【Wusheng Holy Mother】, a powerful goddess equivalent to Foundation Establishment peak, whom he couldn’t handle right now.

So he would devour them step by step!

With the newly converted Banner Spirits as a foundation, he would gradually consume the rest of the White Lotus believers—until the entire cult was transformed!

Once all believers of the White Lotus Cult became Banner Spirits—

So what if there’s a 【Wusheng Holy Mother】?

By then, the rightful orthodoxy of the White Lotus Cult would lie in the 【Realm of Parting Hatred】!