Chapter 180.1: A True God Falls: A Sword Slays the Petty

The rain poured endlessly, drenching the land for days. Sarwolf stepped out of the divine temple, his gaze cold and devoid of emotion.

The commander of the temple guards hurried forward and bowed respectfully. "My lord!"

"How are the villages below?" Sarwolf asked. He had been preoccupied with the plague these days.

The guard commander's expression darkened. "As of today, all of the villages have fallen under Clearwater Village's control."

Sarwolf paused, clearly surprised. "That Qiyuann Sovereign is bold!"

Although he had turned a blind eye to the new god's expansion, most ancient gods would never dare act so openly! Even Ruo Yu, the ancient god of Sandstone Town, did all he could to keep a low profile. He was as timid as a quail and never once provoked the new gods.

"My lord, should I take some guards and bring him here?" the commander offered.

He didn’t take Qiyuann Sovereign seriously at all. In Gale Wind Town alone, the temple guards consisted of over thirty Violet Palace cultivators. If they wanted to, they could undoubtedly wipe out the tiny Clearwater Village.

Sarwolf's eyes narrowed as he recalled the terrifying aura from before. "Do not engage for now."

He had a feeling that a True God could be lurking nearby. It was better to lie low. Once the new god descended, he could deal with Qiyuann Sovereign instead.

The commander nodded. "The people of Goldstone Town have been growing restless lately. Since you haven't taken action against Clearwater Village, many are planning to head over there."

Not long ago, Nangong Wujin had struck down the god of Goldstone Town, plunging it into chaos and causing several new village-level gods to fight for power. Hence, many villagers were preparing to flee to Clearwater Village and seek refuge under the increasingly prominent Qiyuann Sovereign.

Sarwolf sneered. "Foolish, narrow-minded mortals."

To him, they were nothing more than frogs who saw a patch of the sky from the bottom of a well. Other new and ancient gods basically saw Qiyuann Sovereign as a dead man walking.

"Perfect." Sarwolf's eyes flickered. "Since they're so eager to go to Clearwater Village, we might as well quietly distribute what's in this bottle to those heading there."

The commander accepted the bottle, grinning contemptuously. "As you command."

The bottles contained the very source of the plague. Not long ago, members of the Five Great Families had visited the gods of various towns for precisely this reason.

Sarwolf said cruelly, "Let them live a little longer, but make sure they don't get too comfortable."

He returned to the temple. Soon after, the guard commander left for Goldstone Town.

***

The rain only grew heavier. It eased briefly at noon, then turned back into a torrential downpour by evening. For Qi Yuan and the others, who were in the middle of a feast, nothing had changed. The food was just as hearty as ever. Yet for the people of Goldstone Town, the relentless rain only deepened the gloom in their hearts.

Opinions were divided over their next course of action. Some chose to flee Feihuang City altogether, others decided to stay put, and many more began preparing to defect to Clearwater Village.

The next day, a blood-red light once again bathed the land.

***

Wei Ting, a man of few words who was nearly two meters tall, returned from the physician's clinic with his younger sister in his arms. With their parents long dead, the siblings had relied on each other to survive.

Back home, he silently watched over his sleeping sister. His heart sank when he gently lifted the fabric on her back. Dense black spots covered her skin, festering with swollen pustules. It was a revolting sight.

The petite girl stirred awake. Weakly, she asked, "Brother, am I going to die?"

In a rough and unpolished tone, Wei Ting stiffly replied, "No."

He quietly tugged his sleeve down, hiding the black marks spreading along his arm.

The girl forced a smile. "Brother, don't lie to me. The physician already said it's the plague. There's no cure."

Wei Ting first noticed her illness the night before and simply brewed some medicine. However, in the middle of the night, he sensed something gnawing at her spiritual energy. By then, black spots had spread across her skin, and her aura had grown dangerously weak. He rushed her to the town clinic, where he was met with a brutal reality.

Outside the clinic lay many patients suffering from the same condition as his sister. There were even several corpses. He recognized one at once: his neighbor.

Just yesterday, Wei Ting and his sister had decided to leave for Clearwater Village. The neighbor’s family chose to stay, but he had still given Wei Ting some cultivation materials to take along. Now, that same uncle lay dead outside the clinic.

Eventually, the physician told him that his sister had contracted the plague and that there was no hope. They advised him to take her home and prepare a place for burial. Wei Ting also had to remember to seal her with spells beforehand.

"It's nothing, it's just a minor illness. You'll be fine," Wei Ting said.

Words had never been his strength, nor was expressing emotion. When their parents died, he had buried them in silence, never shedding a single tear.

"Brother, let's go to Clearwater Village," the girl whispered, clutching his hand. "I don't want to die in a place ruled by evil gods."

A thin layer of protective spell enveloped her hand, meant to keep the disease from spreading to him.

Pulling her clothes tight around her, Wei Ting lifted Wei He into his arms. "Alright."

He stepped out into the rain. To reach Clearwater Village, he’d have to go past several other villages ruled by evil gods first. Wei Ting moved with extreme caution, not daring to fly openly through the sky.

Within the downpour, he saw many townspeople sneaking toward Clearwater Village just like him. Many of them were frighteningly weak, showing the same signs of plague.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

At some point, Wei Ting's leg went numb. A loud ringing filled his head, and he felt the flesh along his spine violently rupture.

Sensing the change in him, Wei He asked anxiously, "Brother, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Wei Ting replied.

Channelling his spiritual energy was becoming harder by the moment, and his consciousness started to blur. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to move faster.

The rain was relentless, and blankets of water folded together. His vision grew increasingly hazy. Still, he pressed his broad chest tightly around Wei He, shielding her as he pushed forward through the storm.

After who knew how long, he finally saw a crowd ahead. Only then did his heart finally ease. As the tension around him snapped, he went limp, collapsing into the raging wind and rain. Mud splattered all over him as he slipped into unconsciousness. In his fading awareness, he saw a group of people hurrying toward him.

He didn't know how much time passed until he slowly regained consciousness. His eyes remained shut, but gentle voices drifted into his ears.

"How is it?"

"Godfather, everyone who fled here from Goldstone Town is carrying the plague. Their condition is extremely critical."

"Lord God, this plague is terrifying! It corrodes spiritual energy itself. Perhaps we should drive them away..."

Wei Ting's heart tightened. He tried to wake up, but he didn’t even have the strength to open his eyes.

***

"Since they've come to Clearwater Village, they are naturally my people. If they are sick, we should treat them," Qi Yuan said calmly.

To him, population meant manpower. Moreover, there were many capable individuals among the refugees from Goldstone Town. He intended to visualize many gods in the future, and Clearwater Village alone would never suffice.

A physician from Stone Village frowned deeply. "My lord, this plague is far too severe; there is no cure."

Doctors from nearby villages had gathered, yet they were all helpless before this disease.

Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Call Little Xue and the other Earth Gods over."

Every villager who had visualized the Earth God was formally granted said title.

Qi Qi blinked in confusion.

Why Little Xue?

Still, she quickly followed Qi Yuan's instructions and went to fetch her.

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan glanced oddly at Wei Ting. "Solid build, you are a real big fellow."

When Wei Ting arrived, he was clutching his sister tightly. Others tried to force his arms open and take the little girl, but without success.