"Oh my god, have Chu He and those thugs completely lost their minds? Is there anyone who can control them? The Great Xia Empire is finished, it’s really finished!"

"I’m buying my ticket right now! Wait for me, sis! We have to go protect Si Haowen’s dream together.

Si Haowen worked so hard to protect that house, and he endured the insults of countless haters.

There must be something incredibly important to him hidden there.

Even though that bastard Chu He injured my leg last time, I’ll go even if I have to use crutches."

"Sisters, I was hesitating at first because I’m still a student and don’t have any money.

But hearing what you said filled me with motivation. I remembered the strength and warmth Si Haowen always gave us.

I stole the two hundred from under my parents’ pillow. I’m going too.

To me, Si Haowen is more important than life itself."

Beneath this post, the number of comments exceeded one hundred thousand in a short time.

Si Haowen’s fans called on their friends, hoping to gather more support

and show the higher-ups of the Great Xia Empire their determination.

Similarly, other posts were constantly popping up elsewhere.

The authors of these posts were all ordinary netizens from the Great Xia Empire.

Seeing the commotion, they were all utterly dumbfounded.

"Have these people been brainwashed by Si Haowen? How can they be so fanatical? It’s like a joke."

"Let the idiots go. Do they really think the Great Xia Empire is afraid of a bunch of so-called fans?"

"The fan who was screaming that if Si Haowen isn’t released, they’ll run off to the Lighthouse Empire and pledge their life to it... that just made me burst out laughing."

The people posting these comments were mostly gloating and enjoying the drama. As for Si Haowen’s fans,

they had been unhappy with them for a long time.

They were always online, posting nonsense day in and day out.

Under the pages for normal shows, the comments were completely dominated by Si Haowen’s fans.

They would copy and paste a mix of emojis and text, making it impossible to see any other reviews.

You could say the resentment had been building for a long time.

"So this is the unifying power of an internet celebrity? It’s more than I expected."

Lu Tianxiao, escorted by security personnel, arrived at a specially prepared house in the suburbs.

Inside, a dozen or so staff members were furiously tapping away at more than ten computers.

Seeing the results they were producing, Lu Tianxiao’s face filled with satisfaction.

Simply by having this dozen or so members of his Navy stir up drama, start flame wars, and control public opinion,

they had already kicked up such a massive storm.

Of course, for all of this to succeed,

it was predicated on the fact that Si Haowen truly did have a massive fanbase. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult to achieve.

"You’ve all worked hard during this time."

Lu Tianxiao’s gaze shifted from the computer screens to the pale faces of the dozen or so members of the Navy,

their messy hair, the sour stench filling the room, and the mountain of food waste piled in the corner.

He offered some encouragement, "Keep up the good work. Just get through this next period, and I’ll arrange for women and enough money for you to really enjoy yourselves."

"Thank you, Mr. Lu."

The members of the Navy were instantly motivated.

Lu Tianxiao had never been stingy in this regard.

In just this short period of work, the Navy’s performance bonuses and income had already multiplied by several hundred times compared to before.

Compared to their past earnings, they were now absolutely raking it in.

...

In the heartland of the Great Jing Empire, a majestic and spectacular palace rose from the ground.

Its immense scale and exorbitant cost were enough to leave the world dumbfounded.

This palace was built exclusively for the worship of the Great Celestial Dog deity.

Ji Shengyue, with her supreme power and wealth, had mobilized the entire empire’s resources, all for the sake of her endless reverence and prayers to the deity.

Inside the Divine Hall, the light was dim and mysterious. A breathtaking, colossal mural unfolded across the central wall.

It soared over a hundred feet high, as if it could touch the sky.

This mural was the collective masterpiece of the hundred most brilliant painters in the Empire,

a work they had poured their blood, sweat, and tears into for months, toiling day and night.

With extraordinary skill, the painters had vividly depicted the majesty and mystery of the Great Celestial Dog:

The Great Celestial Dog had a long, prominent red nose, a crimson face, and deep-set eyes that seemed to pierce through all things in the world.

He held a round fan and a feather fan, or sometimes a Treasure Hammer that glinted with a cold light. His posture was upright and unshakeable, like a mountain.

He was dressed in magnificent, colorful Mountain Ascetic robes that radiated nobility.

Most astonishing of all was the pair of broad, powerful wings extending from his back, their fine feathers iridescent, as if ready to beat at any moment and soar through the nine heavens.

An ancient Samurai Sword with a chilling glint hung at his waist, contrasting with the High-Heeled Wooden Clogs on his feet, while a Sedge Coat draped casually nearby added a touch of wild freedom.

The entire mural perfectly captured the Great Celestial Dog’s arrogance and majesty, making him both awesome and fearsome to behold.

Surrounding the mural were tens of thousands of meticulously arranged candles, packed together so densely,

that they resembled stars fallen to earth. They cast a dim, yellow, yet warm glow,

while also unintentionally creating an atmosphere that was both eerie and solemn.

The walls themselves were inlaid with all manner of rare gems, which glittered with multicolored light in the candle glow,

their radiance complementing the colors of the mural and adorning the entire Divine Hall like a celestial paradise.

And directly in front of this magnificent mural stood an enormous stone statue, a perfect replica of the Great Celestial Dog from the painting.

Although carved from cold, hard stone, the statue held a kind of indescribable Life Force,

and emitted waves of a heart-pounding aura.

Every detail of the statue was lifelike, from its sharp gaze to the fingers gripping its weapon.

The candlelight flickered, shadows and light interweaving,

illuminating the entire Divine Hall as bright as day, yet with an unnamable, sinister eeriness.

The air was filled with the faint scent of incense and pine resin, causing one to involuntarily become immersed in reverence and worship for the deity.

Here, time seemed to stand still as the candles CRACKLED.

"In this quiet and solemn moment, I humbly bow before Your brilliance.

My soul, like a desert thirsting for sweet rain, reaches out to You with trembling hands, praying for Your supreme grace and mercy.

Great Great Celestial Dog deity, You are the source of all things, the giver of life,

the gentlest yet most powerful force in the universe.

I know well that through the endless ages, You have countless times, with infinite love and wisdom, guided the lost back to their path and sheltered the weak from the storm..."

With a series of soft yet distinct footsteps,

an elegant woman in a magnificent robe slowly entered the solemn and eerie hall.

Her robe was a deep violet, embroidered with complex and mysterious gold patterns.

Each step seemed to land on the very veins of time, adding an indescribable gravity and mystique to her presence.

Her gaze never wavered as she walked straight toward the stone statue of the Great Celestial Dog, which radiated a heart-pounding aura.

A few steps from the statue, she stopped, slowly bent her knees, and knelt in an almost ceremonial posture.

The moment her knees touched the ground, the entire hall seemed to fall silent, the very air seeming to congeal.

She gently pressed her palms together, fingertips touching, her face filled with an inexpressible piety and awe.

Her lips trembled slightly as she began to pray in a low voice, a sound both soft and clear,

each syllable seeming to contain some ancient, mystical power that echoed in every corner of the hall.

Just then, an invisible wind quietly began to spread throughout the hall.

It was silent and formless, yet everywhere at once, weaving like a ghost between the pillars and beams, brushing past the mural and sweeping over the candles.

The candle flames, those guardians that had been burning so quietly,

were suddenly imbued with life. They began to flicker wildly, the flames leaping and shadows dancing, enveloping the entire hall in an unsettling and eerie aura.

The dancing candle flames were like a host of phantoms controlled by an unseen hand.

They traced distorted and bizarre paths through the air, as if performing a dance with no audience.

However, despite their violent, even frenzied movements,

the flames showed no sign of extinguishing. It was as if they were bound by some powerful force,

unable to escape, yet impossible to snuff out.

As the woman’s prayers grew deeper and more powerful, the invisible wind seemed to grow fiercer, and the dance of the candle flames became even more intense and strange.

But within this chaos and unease, there was a faint hint of an ineffable harmony and balance,

as if this was all an indispensable part of some ancient ritual.

’Is the Great Celestial Dog about to awaken?’

This figure was, of course, Ji Shengyue.

She had naturally noticed the strange phenomena around her, and couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement in her heart.

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