After all, as followers of the old gods, there was never a cooperative relationship in those days. The gods might have cooperated, but there was more competition over followers, resources, and other aspects.

In that era, humans were just blood food and resources in the eyes of the gods. Each sect was more like the gods'… shepherds.

They called followers "lambs," and naturally, the clergy of the sect were the shepherds; they shepherded faith for the gods and drove the herds, ultimately sharing some leftovers when the gods consumed their blood food.

As for the church? As the new god replacing the old faith, the church never claimed to be shepherds nor called their followers lambs.

All followers are the people of the All-Father, entities protected by the All-Father, while the clergy of the church are merely executors of the All-Father's will, guardians protecting his people.

This is the key to the intense conflict between the church and the sects of the old gods because the church is fundamentally conflicting with the old god sects in terms of faith model.

The sacrifices and offerings of the church are almost entirely followers offering what they possess to the All-Father, such as earned money, raised livestock, and cultivated grains, or other things, but never requiring followers to offer themselves to the All-Father.

They can sacrifice their lives for the faith of the All-Father, and risk themselves for faith, but all of this is merely a sacrifice for faith, not literally offering themselves as sacrifices on the altar.

But for the old gods, using the flesh and blood of followers to feast the gods is a very normal thing.

Despite the era of the old gods, followers also sacrificed livestock and grains, yet the best sacrifice for the gods was always the followers themselves.

Precisely because of this, when the era of the old gods' extinction and the rise of the new gods came, the faith promoted by the church was quickly accepted by the public; after all, nobody wanted to be placed on an altar one day as a snack for the deities.

As for the sects of the old gods, they hoped to offer more sacrifices to the gods in exchange for the gods returning to this world and shepherding followers for the gods once again.

The sacrifices of the Death Sect are the most direct embodiment of this idea, collecting souls and resentment, as well as some voluntarily devoted followers, offered as sacrifices to the God of Death they worship, to call the Death God to descend again.

In fact, it's not just the Death God Sect; other sects of the gods have roughly similar practices.

Beelzebub, Lady Babalon, and Hannibal, these three come from the three major sects of revelry, joy, and authority. They each have the offering of followers to their respective gods in exchange for divine blessings and the final ceremony of descending into this world.

And their previously mentioned plan is actually about offering followers to the gods.

Only, unlike the methods of the Death Sect, their actions are more secretive and cautious.

Precisely because of this, the sacrifices of these three major sects have lasted for nearly a thousand years, and the accumulation of achievements over such a long time is staggering, so much so that they have truly awakened the so-called "gods."

To the extent that, in a sense, this disaster that sweeps the world is largely related to the gods.

"To divert that little pepper's attention, we still need to use other things to occupy her energy. I've already released the expedition she sent to the Desert Kingdom. They should reach Langton in two days, and I believe the messages they bring back will be enough to focus her attention elsewhere." Beelzebub glanced at Lady Babalon, eyes squeezed almost shut by the fat on his face, but still shining with cunning and ferocity.

Upon hearing him, Lady Babalon toyed with a metal thin chain piercing through her flesh, pulling it to rub against the flesh, acquiring intense pain to stimulate her senses.

The Joy Sect pursues such ultimate sensory stimulation. Followers believe their bodies are the ears and senses of the God of Joy, and the pleasure and stimulation their bodies feel can be transmitted to the God of Joy they worship.

And indeed, for the Joy Sect, no matter how much they torture or stimulate their flesh, as long as they can achieve ultimate pleasure and transmit it to the God of Joy for her satisfaction, they can receive blessings from the God of Joy, instantly healing the injuries produced in this process.

So even though Lady Babalon pierced her skin with metal chains and continuously pulled the chain to rub against her flesh, the irreversible damage caused to her body was, conversely, continuously healing.

However, as Lady Babalon pulled the chain, the flesh that had started to heal was torn open again, an experience of pain and stimulation bringing pretty good pleasure, though not the ultimate. Still, it was enough to fully stimulate her brain as an appetizer before the main course.

"The White Star from beyond descends, the breath of Safura will freeze the whole world, turning the world into a white purgatory. The ancient prophets of the Desert Kingdom predicted quite accurately." Lady Babalon wrapped the metal chain around her finger, pulling it hard enough to deform her body, yet her face showed enjoyment. "Now the White Star from beyond has already descended, the white wind exhaled by Safura has already blown across the land, only these ancient prophets did not know all this was arranged by the gods a number of years ago.

Everything is merely the arrangement made by the gods to return to this earth, ice and snow will bury those defying the gods, and all creatures that die in the white wind exhaled by Safura will be offered to the gods, becoming the blood food for their return.

I'm most curious about when that brightest jewel in Langton knows all this, whether she will still want to save humanity or hopelessly throw herself to the gods? If she truly falls into despair, then it would be the purest of emotions, enough for my god to grant the grandest divine favor and make her become a god's favored or even a chosen one."

For the followers of the God of Joy, extreme emotions far surpass the physical stimulation in pleasing the divine, especially when the faith of someone like Perfikot collapses. That kind of ultimate change can cause the God of Joy to experience beautiful and sublime enjoyment.

Therefore, compared to Beelzebub, Lady Babalon does not actually pay much attention to whether their plan will be disturbed or affected because the scale is set, and everything Perfikot does is meaningless in their view; it cannot stop the gods' return.

"Whether she becomes a chosen one is secondary; once our plan succeeds and the gods return, whatever you wish to do is fine, but now ensuring the normal progress of the plan is what we should most focus on, lest small losses lead to big ones." Beelzebub warned Lady Babalon, as he saw Lady Babalon often going overboard to the detriment of serious matters.

However, for the Joy Sect, pursuing ultimate pleasure is their real matter, so even though Beelzebub warned Lady Babalon, it actually had little effect.

But aside from this instance, Lady Babalon had not caused any issues previously, and Beelzebub, after issuing a warning, said nothing further.

At this point, Hannibal had finally prepared today's main dish, serving it on the dining table, two headless bodies snuggling against each other, complemented by a variety of vegetables and fruits, emanating a roasted aroma.

"Indeed, worthy of being her pet! After Mr. Hannibal's cooking, it truly looks delicious!" Lady Babalon's face displayed a delightfully playful smile.

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