I Only Began to Become a God After I Died

I sat up on the table in the funeral home.

I was naked and couldn't remember my name, but I could see light floating above the heads of the dead. The day the statue of Guan Yu opened its eyes, I shouted at it, and it fell to its knees. The King of Hell then crawled out of the ground and knelt even more fervently. "You are the Heavenly Dao. Three thousand years ago, you shattered yourself to seal the Evil God. Now the seal is about to collapse. Please die one more time."

I refused.

The Evil God was the dark half of me. It whispered in the shadows, and the faith of the whole city collapsed overnight. But I had no intention of sacrificing myself or saving anyone. I broke divine authority into fragments and gave one to every ordinary person. The delivery guy stayed dry in the rain, a high school senior aced her exams as if heaven itself were helping, and an elderly street cleaner swept a clear escape route.

When the sky split open, every mortal shone together.

The Evil God asked, "Why are you glowing?"

I said, "Because they believe in themselves."

The Evil God vanished. The human world returned to its everyday bustle.

Three years later, there was a noodle shop at the end of an alley. The owner cooked noodles, fed cats, and argued with the neighbors. He seemed like just...

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Please do not imitate.