Chương 573: Heavenly Willow Eternal Cathedral.

"Everyone is silently training to become Level 100, so I should focus on myself in the meantime." After waking up, Liu Shu initially wanted to spend time with her core family. To interact with her children and grandchildren, Liu Shu used her subconscious processes. It felt the easiest and the best. Also, while she didn't really want to, paying attention to her increasingly large family tree was slightly difficult. Overall, Liu Shu's number of alraune children was 123—a very nice number in Liu Shu's opinion.

Moreover, even the youngest among them was over 11 years old, with Dewna, the oldest, having her 46th birthday not too long ago. On average, her <Alraune> children had three or four partners, the <Farlune> had fewer, between two and three, while the <Sylphaiths> rarely managed to have one partner. Their monstrous exterior made it a bit of a challenge to gain affection from most of the population. Finally, the Sanguine Blazes were all monogamous, with a strong leading partner.

Looking at a few of the Sanguine Blazes gathering together with their partners, Liu Shu almost laughed. Every one of their partners was either female or male, but all shared one trait. They were tall, confident, and competitive.

'They are really picky, aren't they? Hahaha.' If someone heard her thoughts, they would deadpan and point at her four gorgeous Sylvan wives.

'In comparison, the <Alraune> and <Farlune> have a great variety of tastes. As for my <Sylphaith> babies… Strangely, their partners are quite good-looking. Do good-looking people search for exciting partners? The most beautiful among my daughters and sons-in-law is probably Sylvia's wife.' The woman looked truly perfect. She was slightly above average in height, with smooth midnight black hair, and enchanting light-grey phoenix eyes.

Her natural red lips, soft nose, willowy eyebrows, and long eyelashes felt like a work of art crafted by a higher existence. Then, her body was neither too curvy nor too slim, maintaining perfect proportions with long legs. Even Liu Shu had to admit defeat in terms of raw beauty in front of this girl.

'... So, who is this? Is it strange for me to think that someone like her doesn't really look like a woman who would love someone like my baby Sylvia?' Strangely, there was no sense of incongruity. The girl confidently hugged Sylvia's waist, making the poor <Sylphaith> shy all over and behave like an obedient little wife. Sylvia's purplish-grey-colored skin looked much darker than usual, clearly blushing, but her abnormally large eyes were full of smiles and love.

When the gorgeous girl moved her storm-colored eyes to Sylvia, they softened from their usual aloofness, showing a pampering look. Liu Shu swore that she could see Sylvia melt in real time under the woman's gaze.

'Oh dear, my baby Sylvia is about to explode from shyness. Are they newlyweds?' She searched the family registry and noticed that they've been formally married for over 6 years!

'Her name is Luniere Nocthaze, and she comes from a lineage with a recent World Tree ancestor. That World Tree died under the Abyssal Void Nexus around four hundred years ago… Luniere is a Sylvan, 72 years older than Sylvia…' An unbearable itch to stalk them around appeared in Liu Shu's mind, but she held it in.

'Alright, she is your daughter; you can't stalk her in her private time! The background doesn't seem to have any problem, so swallow your curiosity! …How did they get to know each other? ARGH! I AM TOO CURIOUS! Where did this perfect beauty even come from!?' After chanting mantras to hold back her urge, she moved away from the loving couple with endless reluctance. Instead, she searched for Elyne and quickly contacted her.

"Elyne, I have questions!" Noticing the slight urge in Liu Shu's tone, Elyne turned serious. She didn't know that the urging tone was because our dear World Tree was trying her best to divert her attention from her daughter's relationship.

"Tell me, Liu Shu; I will answer the best that I can."

"Alright…" Liu Shu was about to ask when she noticed the structure Elyne stood in. She was instantly shocked.

"... When did you build a building almost as large as the Colosseum!? This isn't a church! It's an ancient cathedral made of wood!" The structure was almost 400 meters in height, towering even above the <Town Hall> structures. Its shape was very different from the other buildings, showing highly decorated pillars on the exterior with massive arches and glass windows. The level of detail placed the building beyond the level of a structure, entering the level of an art piece.

"Huh?" Elyne blinked innocently.

"Didn't you help me build it? I even communicated with you during the construction, and you told me not to worry about the budget. So, I used 56 <Arbor> to build this with all A Rank materials from the World Tree materials you had stored and mixed it with yours. The result is quite good."

"Fifty-six…" Liu Shu was instantly stunned, and she quickly checked on their past conversations. Elyne: "Liu Shu, let's build a nice church building! Give me a location that's a bit isolated to give it a sense of sacredness!" The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Liu Shu: "Alright!" Elyne: "Liu Shu, can we use slightly nicer materials? I promise you won't regret it!" Liu Shu: "Go ahead!" Elyne: "Liu Shu, if we want to not bother with expansions, we should make it a bit bigger.

What do you think? I can also add some nice details. I promise it will look nice." Liu Shu: "I don't mind it. Use my roots as you please." The more Liu Shu recalled their conversations, the more she wanted to cry.

'I didn't expect that my reluctance in participating in the building's construction would lead to a megastructure that doesn't lose out even in front of my <Temples>!' Filled with trepidation, Liu Shu analyzed it. [Level 100 Heavenly Willow Eternal Cathedral (A+ Tier)] [Description: It is a religious structure built to worship and gather faith for their holy being, the Heavenly Willow Tree Tianlian Liu Shu. Built from the remains of corrupted and natural World Trees and then mixed with Tianlian Liu Shu's roots, the building encompasses both extremes of purity and sin. It has the ability to guard against those who want to harm the World Tree. Additionally, it can also cleanse or punish those whose faith becomes tainted or who have impure thoughts.] [Due to the quality, size, and quantity of materials, this structure developed two active <Rune Fields>: a natural one and one created by the <Otherworldly Rune and Nature Empire> talent.] [<World Faith Gathering Rune Field>.] [<Holy Hierarchy Rune Field>.] <World Faith Gathering Rune Field>: As the center of faith for the World Tree, it can use the Heavenly Willow's very roots to connect with nodes and suck the <Faith Essence> from all over the world, delivering it directly to the World Tree.

Additionally, it increases the <Faith Purity> output by 10% and makes it easier for believers to receive blessings according to the strength of their faith. <Holy Hierarchy Rune Field>: You can appoint different high-class followers with authority to manage your church and receive buffs accordingly. The current levels have not yet been decided. Liu Shu almost flipped a mountain.

"What is this!?" Elyne puffed her chest proudly.

"Your church!"

"What church!? You created a megastructure comparable to a <Temple>!" Liu Shu's mind was almost short-circuiting. How could this woman pop up with Temple-level structures just because she wanted to? Did she think that a <Temple> was something easy to create!? Elyne also looked emotional.

"I also didn't expect it to end up so well. I tried my best to interlock it with your energies, and it became quite a masterpiece. Who knew that adding the core of a Level 120 World Tree in the mix would make something this good? Moreover, it can grow, can't it?"

"... You added what?" Liu Shu didn't know how to react to this woman!

'Is this how my family feels each time I break the news of my advancement?' A sense of melancholy and sympathy appeared in Liu Shu's core. After that, Liu Shu sighed and accepted the new structure that appeared quite literally out of nowhere.

"Alright… Then I should appoint you as the highest authority, right?"

"No!" Elyne instantly rattled her head from side to side.

"The highest authority must be yourself. That way, you can always stomp down any rogue church person who dares to become blasphemous!" Liu Shu hummed.

"Alright… How do I do that?" Elyne smiled widely and answered.

"Who knows?" Thankfully, Liu Shu was anchored to the core of the planet, or her body would've fallen even while standing in place! Lamenting about the strange existence she attracted to become her religious leader, Liu Shu's gaze pierced into the complex <Runic Fields>. It wasn't until almost three weeks had passed that she deciphered how to use them. Usually, it would take much longer. Thankfully, the <Runic Fields> were made out of, well, herself. So, it was much easier.

"Hm… I can divide the ability to administer my own <Faith Essence> to people according to the levels. These people will then become something like priests who can harness part of my overall strength… I understand. The maximum authority can harness up to 20% of my total <Faith Essence>, while I can share with all church members a total of 49% <Faith Essence>..." After reading through the meaning of the runes, Liu Shu felt strange.

'Why such a specific number? Is it a problem if more than half of the essence is held by the people?' She wouldn't doubt something that was done by herself, so she made sure always to remember not to give over half of her <Essence> to the people, just in case.

"Then…" Liu Shu nodded, and suddenly, the space around Elyne congested. Energies all around the cathedral swirled, pouring into Elyne at an incredible pace. Elyne's eyes opened wide as she looked skyward. Her gaze suddenly flashed, detaching from her usual sight as she felt the very pulse of the World Tree and looked at the world through Liu Shu's eyes. She noticed Liu Shu not interlocking with the surface, but with the entire Ceperet Planet.

The sight of oceans, mountains, rivers, underwater magma, the heat of the core, and the motion of the planet. Everything fell into her gaze for a second, and then, she heard a word that felt as if it was coming out of Ceperet itself.

"Elyne Mossheart, you are now one of my <Eternal Avatars>, a being only below the <Eternal Apostles> and myself. Accept the blessing and lead the church well." Elyne's mind, even as a <Sixth Energy Cycle>, was almost fried as Liu Shu's existence poured into her body. Then, endless energy engulfed her, and the system went crazy. [Congratulations! You've gained <Title: Avatar Of The Eternal Cathedral>!] [Congratulations! You've gained <Title: Religious Leader>!] [Congratulations! You've gained the <Passive Skill: Eternal Avatar (S+ Tier Level MAX)>] <Avatar Of The Eternal Cathedral>: While residing inside the <Cathedral> or fighting for the being of your worship, you gain several bonuses. +10% Stats. +10% Comprehension Rate. +10% Learning Rate. +100% Recovery Rate. Cleansing and immunity to corruption, curses, and any death-inducing affliction. <Religious Leader>: Those following your same religion will listen attentively to your words.

Your influence over them is increased as long as your goals align with the being you worship. <Eternal Avatar>: Becoming the <Avatar> of the Heavenly Willow Tree, you are now able to use the unique <Eternal> attribute through your faith. Using it without the help of the <Faith Essence> will result in severe backlash, with death as the worst side effect.