Chapter 171.1: Kill the New God, Hold a Feast

The group returned to the village, passing by the dilapidated temple along the way.

Suddenly, a burly man said, "Since the Dogtail Grass God is gone, why don't we sell his statue? Maybe we can trade it for some grain."

The others looked at the shattered statue, their eyes gleaming.

With sparkling eyes, a fat man asked, "Do you think it could fetch a few hundred steamed buns?"

Shen Tu immediately panicked. "The god protected Clearwater Village for so long, how can you smash and sell the statue?!"

If the statue was destroyed, his status as a priest would vanish completely.

The fat man responded, "The Dogtail Grass God protected us while he lived. After his fall, he surely wouldn't want us to starve? If anything, he would sacrifice himself for us."

In fact, ever since the Dogtail Grass God came to be, he had barely protected the village. Well, not like the village had had much food or offerings to begin with. The Dogtail Grass God had probably fled long ago, or starved to death.

Shen Tu said anxiously, "If the statue is smashed, Clearwater Village will suffer divine wrath. No god will protect us ever again!"

As long as the statue remained, the lineage remained. If they prayed sincerely, knelt in worship, and offered sacrifices, perhaps a new god would emerge from it one day.

"This statue's level is too low. We can't even feed ourselves, let alone think about the future. How are we even supposed to offer sacrifices? I say we sell it, get some money, and enjoy ourselves before we die!"

The fat man's eyes blazed. "Exactly! Most nearby villages have converted to the new gods. People like us, who refuse to believe in the new gods, will be wiped out sooner or later. Better to trade the statue for money! I heard that on Old Immortal Mountain, there's a Fairy Temple. Inside are beautiful demonesses as beautiful as celestial fairies! With just a few big coins, you can spend the night with them. You will enjoy bliss like a god!"

The temples in Old Immortal Mountain housed many alluring demonesses who specialized in draining essence. It was, in fact, a business of euthanasia. Before death, they would serve their clients with utmost devotion, allowing them to experience the greatest tenderness in the world.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Villages nearby often had people who no longer wished to live. They would save money just to go there for a peaceful death.

In any case, the Fairy Temple on Old Immortal Mountain was always busy. For decades, prices never rose, and it could be considered a blessed land.

The villagers of Clearwater were trapped, lacked food and water, and had no hope of life ahead. To die in the Fairy Temple was, to them, not such a bad ending.

"No!" Shen Tu blocked the temple entrance. "Not long ago, I heard the statue manifest, there seemed to be a new god being born inside!"

"Shen Tu, stop making things up. No one here offers sacrifices, how could a new god be born?"

"Unless someone's been secretly worshipping?"

"But what if Shen Tu is telling the truth? Even if it's a newborn god, it's still a life. If we sell the statue, it'll die prematurely!"

The villagers argued among themselves. Some wanted to sell the statue, while others hesitated.

"I think Shen Tu is just lying because he doesn't want to lose his position as priest," an old man said weakly, eager for blissful euthanasia.

Nearly a hundred villagers were present. They were essentially the backbone of Clearwater Village, who fought for water and went hunting. Yet now, most of them were little more than skin and bones.

Yulei watched silently. The small old man's eyes were clouded, and he said nothing. Clearwater Village was going to be destroyed under his watch. It was a disgrace. He would become a sinner.

Just then, a fierce wind swept through.

The villagers froze.

The ruined statue suddenly exploded.

"What's going on?!"

"The statue exploded?!"

"We're done for! We have no money now!"

They were filled with regret.

That statue could've been sold for some money!

Just then, a light, drifting voice sounded. "A new game? My people?"

Everyone turned to look.

Before they realized it, a man had stood in the ruined temple. He was incomparably handsome, with an extraordinary bearing. A sword was strapped to his back.

"A god?"

"A god!"

The villagers were stunned. They could clearly sense it: this man was their god!

His sudden appearance left them baffled. After the Dogtail Grass God disappeared, another god had actually been born in Clearwater Village.

They hadn't offered sacrifices, nor prayed devoutly. In that case, the god that emerged was probably extremely weak, right? And with the statue shattered, this meant he was the last god Clearwater Village would ever have.

Their thoughts churned, sorrow filling their hearts.

No more blissful euthanasia!

"Let's go."

"Everyone, let's go home."

These villagers showed none of the legendary reverence toward gods. Still, most of them stayed behind, watching the newborn god.

One old man even dared to ask, "God, are you hungry? I've got half a steamed bun at home. Do you want some?"

Naturally, this god was Qi Yuan, newly entered into the game. Hearing this, he felt something was off.

Qi Yuan said matter-of-factly, "I'm a god. No, a player. How could I be hungry?"

Gurgle.

The sound echoed.

The villagers all looked at Qi Yuan with interest.

Qi Yuan froze. The gurgling sound had come from his own stomach. He was actually hungry!

This made no sense. Once one reached Foundation Establishment, one could fast indefinitely, and he was already at Core Formation realm.

A villager said, "God, you should rest. Don't starve to death."

Seeing this, Shen Tu gritted his teeth. He ran behind the temple, and brought out half a flatbread, handing it to Qi Yuan.

Seeing the bread, still bearing tooth marks, Qi Yuan turned his head away. "You expect your god to eat

this

?"

The villagers burst into laughter. "God, having food at all is already good!"

"Stop being picky. If you don't eat now, there won't be any later!"

They seemed oddly familiar with scenes like this.

Qi Yuan looked at them, surprise flickering in his eyes. He saw three Nascent Souls, while the rest were all Core Formation cultivators. In the Great Shang capital, such strength could form a major cultivation sect, ruling arrogantly. Yet in this world, they lived this miserably?

This was absurd. Also, why did cultivators here—including him—get hungry?

Qi Yuan said, "You, as my people, truly disappoint me."

Upon arriving in this world, his first task was to become the god of Clearwater Village and protect it.

The fat man said, "God, want to bestow some blessings on us so we can wipe out those brats from Stone Village?"

Truthfully, the man didn't believe this newborn god had much divine power to spare. Starving like this, the newcomer was probably just another Dogtail Grass God.

Qi Yuan looked up at the sky. The heavens were filled with stars, with the brightest being a blood-red one. The sun and moon of the Canglan World were nowhere to be seen.

With one glance, Qi Yuan spotted his own core among the stars.

"Why bestow blessings? I'll just go kill them myself."

While accepting the task, Qi Yuan had also absorbed remnants of memory from the shattered statue.