Cult Leader In America

In the town of Derry, Maine, USA, at the Randy family residence.

Randy looked at his weak reflection in the mirror and renewed his resolve.

"The power of mortals is still too weak. Aging, illness, and death are unavoidable. Now I have a chance to start over. I can't possibly live a peaceful life in this lifetime."

Randy leaned closer to the mirror, examining the remaining tear wounds on his face. These were the aftereffects of forcibly merging his soul into this body, which had been too frail to bear the pressure.

Randy's gaze became resolute.

"I, the Supreme Benevolent Lord, will spread my teachings in America this time!"

In his previous life, Randy had learned heretical methods, slipping into South Korea to promote his religion, growing his followers to over ten thousand. Even the president at the time had been one of his believers.

All of this was to collect the power of faith and ascend to immortality.

Unfortunately, his congregation was a mixed bag, and most of them were only interested in the free Korean-style pickles offered by the church. Their impure faith led to his failure to ascend, resulting in his death and the dissolution of his soul.

That experience taught Randy one crucial lesson: it's not about the number of followers; it's about their devotion.

One or two core believers can provide enough faith to surpass hundreds or even thousands of ordinary followers.

This time, he would take a new approach—a more refined one!

Randy had arrived in this world a week ago. At the time, his soul had been scattered and lost. He was nothing but a remnant of consciousness.

Amid his confusion, he heard someone repeatedly muttering, "Randy, Randy."

He thought they were calling for him and immediately responded.

To his surprise, he found a young man who looked remarkably similar to himself, talking to his reflection in the mirror, seemingly contemplating suicide. All the muttering had been an attempt to encourage himself.

What a waste of life.

Randy, being compassionate in his past life, decided to help him and made sure to leave the young man's body intact.

He also took the opportunity to assume his identity, seizing his memories.

It turned out this young Chinese-American was also named Randy. He was still in high school, and two weeks ago, his parents had died in a car accident. He had been suffering from bullying at school and had decided to end his life.

Randy simply smiled at this and didn't comment much.

"America, what a wonderful place. Even the air is filled with the sweet scent of freedom. Plus, the population is several times that of South Korea, which will be much more beneficial for my development..."

But soon after, Randy realized that this world wasn't quite the same as before.

Although the year was the same, the world's structure was similar, and technology was at the same level, he couldn't find any information about his past life. Even the current president of South Korea was a different person.

So, was this an alternate version of the world that seemed both familiar and strange?

Still, Randy wasn't panicking because his heretical methods could still be used in this world, and the "energy" here was even more abundant than before.

This was both a good and a bad thing.

The good news was that his potential ceiling could be greatly increased, and he could achieve immortality and eternal youth even faster.

The bad news was that with such abundant energy, this world might have other supernatural beings, and there could also be various evil cultivators or monsters.

So he had to act low-key, especially since his current body was exceptionally weak.

Randy spread his hands, and faint lightning flickered in one palm while a small amount of water gathered in the other. However, these phenomena quickly dissipated.

"Too weak, far too weak."

Randy was not satisfied with his current state.

Metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning.

This body only had a faint affinity for lightning and water, and he couldn't even release a proper spell. This would be very detrimental to his development.

Of course, Randy had already found a solution.

That was to reshape his body using an ancient divine technique—by cultivating the Lotus Body.

"The Lotus True Body possesses an exceptional affinity for wood and water, along with extraordinary vitality. It can even awaken other elemental roots through special methods."

"If I calculate correctly, the lotus seeds I bought six days ago should arrive today, right?"

Randy felt annoyed as he pondered further.

"Damn America, everything here moves so slowly."

As soon as his complaint left his lips, he heard the sound of a car engine shutting off outside. A knock on the door followed.

"Delivery, you've got a package."

"Just leave it at the door."

Randy didn't get up immediately. He waited until he heard the engine start up again, then slowly opened the door.

There was a cardboard box tossed casually in front of the door.

This was the package he'd ordered from Washington state—authentic Chinese lotus seeds.

He opened the package, revealing a pile of damp soil, with a single black seed wrapped in the center.

Though these appeared to be ordinary seeds, with his divine powers, they could be transformed into something world-changing.

It hadn't been in vain that he had taken time off from school for this.

"Finally, I can begin the plan… Mwahaha…"

Just as a smile started to spread across Randy's face, it quickly faded.

A timid girl was pushing a bicycle past his house.

The girl had messy blonde hair that covered half of her face, making it difficult to see her features clearly. She wore shabby, faded clothes, the edges frayed from wear.

Sensing Randy's gaze, the girl nervously glanced in his direction before quickly lowering her head and hurrying away, as if she were a thief, anxiously pushing her bike past his house.

Randy didn't greet her.

He vaguely remembered her.

Carrie.

She was the daughter of his neighbor, Margaret White—Carrie White—and she was also a classmate of his at school.

However, the original owner of this body had never spoken to Carrie, despite being neighbors and classmates.

Carrie was severely socially anxious, and when she did speak, her words were always halting and incomplete, making it difficult for her to communicate clearly.

The original Randy was also a minority at school, frequently bullied, and his self-confidence had been completely eroded. He certainly wasn't the type to initiate conversations with girls.

Moreover, Carrie's mother, Margaret, was a strict and severe woman. She was the most famous seamstress in town but had a strange and intense personality. A devout zealot, she never interacted with other families. There were even rumors about her being unmarried when she gave birth to Carrie…

Their family was the subject of many rumors in town.

As Randy watched Carrie pass cautiously, he observed her closely, feeling that there was something unusual about the girl.

Unfortunately, his current mortal eyes were too limited to discern what it was exactly.

But one thing was for sure—Carrie was no ordinary girl.

Randy didn't engage, returning inside and gently closing the door.

Soon, the lights in the White household next door flickered on, and faint scolding could be heard.

It was Carrie's mother, Margaret.

"Damn it! Why are you back so late?"

Randy checked the time on his watch.

It was just past seven. Many families hadn't even started dinner yet.

"You worthless brat! How dare you talk back!"

Living in the outskirts of the small town, with only two households nearby, Margaret's harsh scolding echoed loudly in the quiet night.

Randy even heard the sharp sound of a slap, piquing his interest. He opened his window just slightly to listen more clearly.

Now, Margaret's voice was even more distinct.

"From now on, you come straight home after school! If you're not back before dark, you won't get dinner, just like tonight…"