As the chief Apostle under God Bo, and the most trusted right-hand man of the deity, Sote had always remained at the rear.

To him, the title of Emperor was not an honor, but a heavy responsibility and burden.

As the Emperor of the Empire, he had to maintain the nation’s confidence and faith.

With strong confidence, the army could be invincible; with firm faith, the followers could continuously offer the fire of belief to God Bo.

The Empire was full of confidence in this war. The weak and feeble enemy was retreating step by step, and the final victory was bound to belong to the Empire.

The barbaric and backward Wuzi Wang’s kingdom had only one path to destruction, and the Wuzi Wang who ruled that dark realm would also face the judgment of God Bo.

Everyone believed this without a doubt.

However, the appearance of the locust plague made Sote somewhat uneasy.

These insects had actually mutated into Transcendent species.

The timing was a bit too coincidental.

Now, on the eve of the Empire’s conquest of the Wuzi people, not only the rear farmlands and pastures but also the logistics lines connecting the front and back were harassed by another kind of black monstrous insect.

Perhaps it was because the other Apostles had been out of contact for too long, giving Sote a sense of unease that things were not going according to plan.

It could also be due to concerns about hidden dangers within the Empire.

As the Emperor who had ruled the Empire for many years, Sote knew very well that the Empire’s iron-blooded, invincible legions relied on the sacrifices and endurance of the civilians at the rear.

The number of soldiers in the Empire was increasing, but the number of farmers was decreasing, which had always been a huge problem.

The civilians were eager to become battlefield heroes, to kill enemies and quickly gain rewards. People greatly revered war, causing the Empire to always exceed its recruitment quotas. Many boasted that this was a sign of the Empire’s martial prowess and prosperity.

Sote had been trying to reverse this situation for many years.

The Empire needed more population, more farmers, more craftsmen, and fishermen. The current number of soldiers was already too many for the country.

He had repeatedly cut down the legions, but in the end, the number of soldiers only increased.

These soldiers had various titles: militia, auxiliary troops, engineers, reserve soldiers, construction corps… They were not part of the legion’s establishment, but they were real soldiers.

Sote had executed batch after batch of ministers and generals for this.

But the large number of redundant soldiers still existed.

He never showed a good face to the bureaucrats.

The enemy was like some kind of undead thing, constantly resurrecting in different ministers and generals. Kill one, and another would appear. Unless all were eradicated, it would never disappear.

Sote was tired.

He no longer wanted to expend his energy managing mundane affairs. These people were all resources of God Bo, and he could not easily kill them.

His fellow Apostle, Yanihu, advised him, “Why bother?”

“They’re just a bunch of mortals, their lives are short. As long as they can reproduce and offer faith, nothing else matters.”

“Sote, we are servants of the gods, mortals are just livestock. Why bother understanding what livestock think? The food, gold, mates, and land they fight over are laughable to us.”

“As long as they are alive and remain devout, our mission is complete.”

Although Sote had different views, he did not argue.

Because this was the will of God Bo.

As the sole ruler of this world, God Bo’s command to the Empire was to provide population and faith, nothing else mattered…

Having fewer personal thoughts as an Apostle would reduce many troubles.

Sote interrupted his thoughts and spread his hands.

Countless black smoke rose from him, engulfing the locusts in the surrounding fields. Soon, the locusts became stiff and could no longer move.

As long as it was a living thing, even a Transcendent creature, Sote could easily deal with it. His smoke covered a wide range, and the poison could easily kill any life trapped within it.

The locusts across the hills and fields were smoked black, turning into a land of stiff insect corpses.

But there was no joy on Sote’s face.

Because a new swarm of locusts had already flown in.

They landed on the ground, devouring the corpses of their kind without wasting anything. Then they quickly laid eggs in the soil, continuing to search for edible food around them.

Disgusting!

Sote cursed in his heart.

Then he released more black smoke, poisoning batch after batch of locusts. This brought about a huge consumption, making him feel extremely tired, and his magic power was somewhat stretched thin.

Suddenly, a Divine Oracle descended.

A cold voice echoed in his ears, “What’s with the insects?”

Sote knelt on the ground, trembling as he said, “My Lord, these insects have evolved Transcendent bodies, I am clearing them.”

“Why.”

Facing the deity’s question, Sote was momentarily speechless.

There were many reasons.

If other wild Transcendent creatures were allowed to exist, these insects would find it difficult to develop to such a scale, as they would be curbed and hunted by other Transcendent groups.

If Transcendent groups born among mortals were not executed, they could also spontaneously deal with these insects, preventing their further expansion.

If there were more professions and encouragement for agriculture, farmers skilled in pest control could also solve the problem…

Unfortunately, these were all impossible.

The Empire was just a huge pasture, providing faith and population for God Bo, not needing Transcendent beings different from the group, only needing them to breed and offer the fire of faith obediently and submissively.

“If other Apostles had thoughts like yours, they would have been turned into altars by now.”

God Bo’s cold voice entered his mind, making Sote break out in a cold sweat.

“Because of your loyalty, I give you one last warning, I only need you to execute and answer.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

Sote pressed his head to the ground, showing absolute submission.

“Handle the insects well. I have already found Wuzi Wang, his divinity is weak, I will deal with him soon. During this period, there must be no mistakes.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

Until the voice in his mind disappeared, Sote slowly got up after a long time.

As long as they could swallow Wuzi Wang’s kingdom, all problems could be solved.

As long as the Empire won, as long as it kept winning, no matter how many problems this war chariot had, they were not problems.

Sote continued to exterminate the locust swarms, both sides falling into a battle of attrition between magic power and numbers.

…

The destructive power of the locusts exceeded Lu Yao’s expectations.

They encountered almost no resistance, advancing straight into God Bo’s realm, quickly settling and reproducing in the world of the Fearless Empire, wreaking havoc on the farmlands and various foods, turning the rear of the Empire upside down.

From a bird’s-eye view, Lu Yao noticed that the area around Crystal City was completely occupied by locusts. The imperial capital was protected by a totem, preventing the locusts from crossing the city walls.

…

[Flame Totem]

Health: 700/700

Damage: 20

Defense: 8

Speed: 8

[Totem]

Select an area for permanent placement, automatically attacking all non-believers within range.

…

Six Flame Totems formed an invisible moat, burning the approaching locust swarms into charcoal.

After heavy casualties, the locusts found a way.

They laid eggs deep underground. Once hatched, some of these larvae could bypass the Flame Totem’s attack range by tunneling into the city.

As time passed, scattered locusts had already burrowed into the city, scavenging for food everywhere. The soldiers of Crystal City also took action, frantically hunting the insects.

But the breach in the defense line had already been torn open. Without other means, it would be difficult for Crystal City to stop the underground invasion of the locust swarm.

The only surviving Apostle, Sote, as the Emperor of the Empire, even had to personally deal with the locust swarm.

Lu Yao watched with a sense of irony.

God Bo’s realm was a typical example of unbalanced and insufficient development.

A militaristic empire that had to extract resources from wars to maintain its operation. Apart from the army, other professions and outputs were extremely scarce, relying entirely on the power of gods and Apostles to forcibly sustain, unable to withstand any blows or disasters.

God Bo had almost exterminated all Transcendent creatures in this world, leaving only the tamable Sand Lizard, clearly demanding absolute obedience.

Watching the Emperor and the locust swarm go back and forth, Lu Yao found it absurd and magical.

This chief Apostle had reached level 40, the strongest among God Bo’s four subordinates. Yet he was struggling against the weakly-statted locusts, because the latter had already spread everywhere, their continuous numbers being their strongest weapon.

The Emperor’s opponent was not just the locusts, but also most of the natural world supporting the swarm’s logistics.

Meanwhile, Isabella sent a reminder from the rear.

“Sir, Wuzi Wang has already taken the initiative as you requested, successfully luring God Bo to take action.”

Lu Yao put down his teacup.

The main event was finally here.

He opened the Golden Plains, using [Create Connection] to completely link the northern new continent with Wuzi Wang’s kingdom. The fledgling dragon controlled the Dark Sun and the Dark Sun Legion, heading to the front lines, ready to support at any time.

On the other side, the Tyrant Sarina locked onto the Emperor, ready to decapitate him at any moment.

The snowman had dug a long and deep tunnel, and only after God Bo confirmed the battlefield did it sneak into the city. Under [Advanced Camouflage], it reached the luxurious palace, ready to perform its traditional craft at any time.

Jimmy raised his arm and shouted, “For God Yao! Punish the belligerent evil god!”