Chapter Two: The Rite

The next day, the faint light of dawn bathed the earth. Inside a modest house, an old man lay sleeping peacefully, his expression serene. Weak sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating his face. With a slight movement, his clouded eyes slowly opened. He shook his head, and the haze of sleep began to clear from his mind.

“Was it a dream?” he murmured to himself.

The thought flickered through his heart as he recalled the scene from the night before—a world of unfathomable beauty, where a colossal tree towered over everything. He stood frozen, quietly recalling every detail of last night’s vision, as if reliving the most cherished memory.

Only when a voice called from outside the door did he return to himself.

“Who is it?” he asked.

“Honored Priest, the Grand Elder has sent me to summon you,” came the reply from beyond the window, rousing him fully.

He instinctively tried to stand, and only once he had done so did he sense something amiss.

“My body... is it better?” he wondered, puzzled. He quickly raised his hand. It was still wrinkled, yet it seemed stronger than usual.

With a sudden effort, a faint white glow appeared in his palm. At the same time, the warmth he had felt from the sun in his dream surged through him again.

Unable to contain himself, he burst into joyous laughter and wept tears of excitement, like a child.

Outside, the attendant waiting quietly sensed something was wrong. Without hesitation, he pushed open the door and rushed in, only to find no accident—just the priest standing beside his cane, sobbing.

“Honored Priest, are you...?” the attendant was stunned by the scene.

“I’m fine,” the old man—Grama—quickly composed himself, waved his hand dismissively, and said, “Let’s go.”

The attendant hesitated. “Master, your cane...”

“Throw it away!” Grama laughed heartily. “I don’t need that thing anymore.”

He walked a short distance and arrived at a particular spot.

Here stood a tall, ancient tree. The old man walked straight to its base and, without hesitation, knelt to worship.

This tree was the very one Chen Ming’s spirit had inhabited. In the past, the old man had knelt here for countless ceremonies.

Now, with his renewed vision, he saw a gentle aura lingering around the tree. It was not as magnificent as the vision in his dream, yet the tree stood with an unmistakable grandeur.

At this hour, many others were gathered beneath the tree, kneeling just as the old man did. Some were esteemed elders, others were robust warriors of great renown, and there were both young and old among them. Their common trait was the significant influence each held within the tribe.

These people, too, were the fruits of Adis’s efforts last night. Though no divine powers had been bestowed, they had all received dreams. When they awoke and spoke with one another, they discovered they had dreamt the same dream. Guided by that revelation, they had come to the ancestral tree to pray, just as their forebears had.

Meanwhile, feeling the weakness in his body slowly recede, Chen Ming smiled silently. He turned his awareness outward, and with a single thought, sent a gentle message.

“Return now.”

A voice sounded quietly in everyone’s heart. Unlike the indistinct whisper of the night before, this voice was clear, warm, and deeply familiar, resonant with the weight of the ages, stirring every soul and compelling them to raise their heads.

With reverence and devotion, they gradually withdrew.

Witnessing this, Chen Ming felt a surge of emotion and gazed thoughtfully toward the sky, where a pure white light tangled with a faintly red-tinged destiny, growing ever deeper.

By nightfall, news of the deity’s manifestation had spread throughout the tribe. Unlike the wavering faith of believers in his previous life, the ancient tree—Adis’s incarnation—had protected this tribe for generations. At every child’s birth, fathers would bring their newborns beneath the great tree to seek blessings from the divine.

In truth, every member of the tribe had grown up under this tree. Their faith and resolve, born of such tradition, exceeded anything Chen Ming had imagined.

Especially after Kurama, the priest, displayed his newfound divine powers, the tribe’s fervor soared to new heights.

Three nights later, a thousand people gathered densely, crowding the sacred grounds in a hush.

An elder stepped forward to preside over the ceremony. Thus began a simple yet solemn rite.

To the locals, such ceremonies were nothing new. Across this land, nature spirits and ghosts abounded, and rituals were held frequently—some for ancestors, some for gods, others for mountains or beasts.

Yet this ceremony was different. This one was led by Chen Ming himself.

As the old priest approached the platform before the ancient tree, Chen Ming’s consciousness stirred, and his soul slipped into the priest’s body.

A faint crackle sounded. He frowned, slightly uncomfortable—the sensation of inhabiting a body after so long was strange and unfamiliar.

Raising his head, he seemed transformed. Those below watched in awe, for he radiated an aura of nobility and detachment, as if truly divine.

He ascended the platform step by step, and with every movement, faith from the gathered crowd flowed invisibly toward the tree.

“The tree is glowing!” cried a warrior clad in animal skins.

But Chen Ming remained undisturbed. With each heavy step, the power of belief grew stronger, enveloping the tree and radiating outward.

Standing on the high platform, he looked calmly upon the gathered people.

The energy around the ancient tree reached its zenith, faint lights shimmering visibly along its trunk and branches.

“Not enough... still not enough,” he thought. He plunged his awareness deeper.

Within the space of his divine soul, a godstone hovered, emanating soft light—the purest and most beautiful thing in existence.

Gazing upon it, Chen Ming was briefly entranced, but soon he regained his composure.

“The power to unlock the first seal is sufficient. Now, what remains is to solidify my divine domain and name,” he thought, and withdrew from the soul-space.

In the hush, he stood tall and began to recite the sacrificial prayers.

Ancient and eternal deity,
You are the sky, you are the earth, you are all beings, you are the World Tree.
Merciful divinity, lord of nature,
For the stability of the world, you spread your divine power among all living things...

Strange and solemn words filled the air, sacred and dignified.

The people below were stunned. Linked by their faith, the voice on the platform grew ever clearer, striking deep into their souls.

From the depths of the unseen, a vision emerged: a vast and ancient world, where a primeval tree stood, towering to the heavens, immeasurable, as if it were the oldest of gods.

Deep within his spirit, Chen Ming felt his godstone tremble. Suddenly, the lines of faith expanded, thickening in an instant, and many became fanatical believers.

He gritted his teeth. “Almost... almost there.”

The solemn prayers repeated, stirring the crowd. One after another, people’s faces lit with fervor; they began to shout, calling out a single name, their voices joining in a powerful will.

That will was at first chaotic, but gradually, through the resonance of faith, it coalesced into a single voice:

Our god! You are the deity of nature, and Adis is your name.

In that moment, Chen Ming’s eyes flew open. He gazed skyward.

Above, the power of faith surged in torrents, charged with a mighty will that battered his godstone. At the same time, an immense force descended onto the world, gathering upon the ancient tree.

As the chanting rose, a vision appeared in the unseen realm: A seed sprouted quietly in darkness, growing into a sapling. At first, it was frail, but over time, it grew ever taller, surpassing all other life around it.

During this time, the surrounding trees perished—some from age, some from fire—yet this one seemed limitless. It grew slowly, but with unwavering determination. Even after a great fire consumed all else, it remained, undaunted.

Wanderers, passing by, discovered the tree and began to worship it as a god. Generation after generation, people were born and died in its shade.

Scene after scene unfolded, each merging into a tremendous force that shattered the unseen seal.

Sensing the transformation within his godstone, Chen Ming felt a surge of joy. With a single thought, radiant light burst from the ancient tree, enveloping everyone present.