A group of villagers was returning to the settlement, passing by the dilapidated shrine.
Suddenly, a burly man spoke up. "Since the Foxtail Grass God is already gone, why don't we… sell his divine statue? We might even trade it for some grain."
The others all looked toward the fractured statue, eyes glinting.
"The Foxtail Grass God's statue should fetch a few hundred wowotou, right?" The fat man's eyes shone with greed.
Shentu grew anxious on the spot. "The god sheltered our Qingshui Village for so long—how could we smash his statue!"
If the statue was smashed, he, the shrine official, would lose every shred of standing.
"The Foxtail Grass God protected us when he was alive, and now that he has fallen, he certainly wouldn't want to watch us starve. He would gladly sacrifice himself for us," the fat man argued.
The other villagers also stared at the statue with gleaming eyes.
Truth be told, ever since the Foxtail Grass God had emerged from the statue, he had not offered much protection to Qingshui Village.
After all, Qingshui Village had possessed virtually no food or offerings back then.
The Foxtail Grass God might well have run off long ago, or simply starved to death.
"Smashing the statue will bring divine wrath upon Qingshui Village! From then on, no god will ever protect us again!" Shentu said anxiously.
As long as the statue remained, the legacy endured.
Provided they prayed and kowtowed devoutly and presented offerings, a new god might very well step out from the statue.
"This statue is of too low a grade. We can't even feed ourselves, so how can we offer worship and worry about the future?
"In my opinion, it's better to sell it for money and indulge ourselves before dying!"
"Right! Most of the surrounding villages worship New Gods.
"People like us who refuse to worship the New Gods will be wiped out sooner or later.
"We might as well trade the statue for some coin.
"I heard that in the Fairy Temple on Mount Laoxian, there are gorgeous female demons who look like heavenly maidens descended to earth.
"With just a few copper coins, you can spend a spring night with them and live as merry as immortals." The fat man's eyes sparkled.
In the temple atop Mount Laoxian, there were many gorgeous female demons who specialized in absorbing mortal essence and ran a euthanasia business.
Before death, however, those demons would attend to clients with all their might, allowing those who wished to die to experience the world's consummate tenderness in their final moments.
From the surrounding villages, folks who could no longer survive often saved money to buy their way into euthanasia.
In any case, business was brisk at the Fairy Temple on Mount Laoxian.
For decades, they had never raised their prices, earning a reputation as a veritable paradise of an immortal manor.
The villagers of Qingshui Village were trapped in their settlement, lacking food and water, their lives utterly hopeless.
If they could die in the Fairy Temple, it would actually be a blessing for them.
"You cannot!" Shentu blocked the shrine entrance. "A while ago, I heard the statue manifest a miracle! It seemed like a new god was being born inside!"
"Shentu, stop making things up! No one here has presented any offerings, so how could a new god emerge?"
"Could someone have secretly paid homage?"
"What if Shentu is telling the truth? It's a newborn god after all, a living life. If we sell the statue, it will die in infancy!"
The villagers broke into a flurry of debate.
Some wanted to sell the statue, while others grew hesitant.
"I say Shentu is just fabricating tales because he doesn't want to lose his position as shrine official," an old man muttered weakly, wishing only for a quick euthanasia.
Nearly a hundred villagers stood gathered, essentially the prime labor force of Qingshui Village.
Whenever the village competed for water or went hunting, they were the ones dispatched.
At this moment, however, most of them were starved to skin and bone.
Village Chief Yulei watched the scene unfold. The slight old man's gaze was turbid, and he said nothing.
That the proud Qingshui Village would perish by his hands was truly… a disgrace.
He would become a sinner in history.
Right then, a wild gust of wind abruptly swept through.
The villagers present were taken aback.
Before their eyes, the battered divine statue suddenly burst apart.
"What happened?"
"The statue exploded?"
"It's over, the money's gone!"
The villagers were filled with regret.
That statue was worth money!
Yet at that moment, an airy voice rang out: "A new game? My subjects?"
Everyone could not help looking over. Standing within the dilapidated shrine was an exceptionally handsome young man.
A sword was strapped across his back, and his entire demeanor was extraordinary.
"A deity?"
"A god!"
The gathered villagers froze.
They could clearly sense that this person was indeed their god.
His sudden emergence left them baffled.
After all, since the Foxtail Grass God had ceased appearing, how could a god possibly be born in Qingshui Village?
They had offered no sacrifices, nor had they prayed devoutly.
The god that came out… would probably be among the weakest sort, wouldn't he?
And with the statue shattered, it meant this was the final god Qingshui Village would ever have.
Their minds turned actively, and seeing the shattered statue, grief washed over them.
No euthanasia for them now.
"Let's go."
"Back to our own homes."
These villagers held none of the fabled reverence toward the god.
Still, most stayed behind, staring at the newborn deity.
An old man even asked boldly, "Lord Deity, are you hungry? I have half a wowotou at home. Would you like to eat it?"
This deity was naturally Qi Yuan, who had just entered the game.
Hearing these words, he felt rather odd.
"I am a god and a player. How could I possibly be hungry?" Qi Yuan replied as if it were obvious.
Just then, a rumbling growl sounded.
The villagers all looked at Qi Yuan with amused interest.
Qi Yuan froze as well.
That rumbling noise had actually come from his own stomach.
He was… growling with hunger!
This defied comprehension. Any cultivator could practice inedia upon reaching Foundation Establishment.
He was now an Origin Core True Person, so how could he be hungry?
"Lord Deity, you had better get some rest. Don't starve to death," the villagers remarked.
Seeing this, Shentu gritted his teeth, dashed to the back of the shrine, and produced half a flatbread, offering it to Qi Yuan.
Glancing at the flatbread, which still had bite marks on it, Qi Yuan turned his head away. "You expect your god to eat this?"
The villagers instantly erupted in laughter.
"Lord Deity, having anything to eat is already good enough!"
"Don't turn your nose up at it! If you don't eat it soon, there won't even be that!"
The villagers seemed quite accustomed to such a sight.
Looking back at them, Qi Yuan felt a tinge of astonishment.
He noticed three Divine Infant cultivators, while the rest were Origin Core cultivators.
Such strength, if placed in Great Shang, would be sufficient to establish a major cultivation sect and rule supreme.
Yet in this world… they had fallen to such a wretched state?
It was simply bizarre.
Moreover, why did cultivators here—including himself—feel hunger?
"As my subjects, you have truly disappointed me!" Qi Yuan said.
Upon arriving in this world, the first quest he had received was to become the god of Qingshui Village and protect it.
"Lord Deity, how about bestowing a blessing on us so we can go wipe out those bastards from Shijia Village?" the fat man from earlier suggested.
He did not believe this newborn god possessed any excess divine power to bestow upon them.
Starved to such a degree, this deity was likely nothing more than a second Foxtail Grass God.
At this moment, Qi Yuan looked up at the firmament.
The heavens were densely studded with countless stars.
The brightest among them was a blood-red celestial body.
The Canglan Realm's sun and moon, however, were nowhere to be found.
Gazing across the myriad stars, Qi Yuan spotted at a glance the Golden Core that belonged to him.
"Why bestow a blessing when I can slaughter my way over myself?" While accepting the quest, Qi Yuan had also absorbed many lingering memories from the statue.
This world was called the Mortal Heart Realm.
Mortals worshiped gods and received their blessings or protection.
In return, these mortals had to revere the gods and provide offerings.
Gods and mortals complemented each other.
When a god grew powerful, the mortals under their shelter grew stronger as well.
They could then supply the god with more offerings and sustenance to foster the god's growth.
Several millennia ago, however, New Gods had suddenly descended, completely upending the realm's balance.
More and more villages, cities, and even empires chose to worship the New Gods.
The New Gods were stronger, but also far more sinister.
Those who worshiped the New Gods inevitably found their wills and spirits corrupted, becoming prone to slaughter and constantly invading other settlements.
Qingshui Village had originally bordered Shijia Village, each controlling a river and living in peace.
Yet when Shijia Village abruptly turned to worshiping a New God, everything changed.
Shijia Village began launching attacks against Qingshui Village, aiming to seize Qingshui Village's stream as well.
In several village skirmishes, Qingshui Village had suffered defeat every time.
After all, Qingshui Village possessed no divine blessing, leaving their combat prowess without any amplification.
"A few of you lead the way. I'm going to kill Shijia Village's New God!" Qi Yuan announced.
The villagers exchanged stunned looks.
In all their years, this was the first time they had ever heard of a god personally marching off to thrash another god in a neighboring village.
In such situations, weren't gods supposed to bless their villagers and let the mortals fight it out?
"Lord Deity, are you serious?" The fat man was flabbergasted as well.
Once a god left their shrine, they ceased to be a true god.
Thus, no matter how terrifying a battle broke out between other villages, no god would ever personally enter the fray.
At most, they bestowed blessings.
Yet this god before them declared right off the bat that he would go kill in person.
It sounded… exceedingly bizarre.
What kind of god did something so beneath their dignity?
"Hurry up and lead the way. My stomach is empty, and I'm waiting to attend a feast!" Qi Yuan grumbled impatiently.
These tattered villagers looked nothing like cultivators.
They probably had to empty their own chamber pots every morning when they woke up.
"Attend a feast?" The fat man gulped, not quite understanding.
"Once we kill their god, won't they have to hold a funeral feast? I can freeload a meal while we're at it." Qi Yuan mentally patted himself on the back for his cleverness.
What better way to score a free meal than this?
"That… actually makes some sense," Shrine Official Shentu muttered thoughtfully.
The village chief, however, spoke up: "Lord Deity, you are newly born and your strength is weak. Venturing rashly into Shijia Village poses grave danger."
The fat man chimed in as well. "Once you leave the shrine, divine radiance dwindles. You will become even weaker, Lord Deity, and far easier to be devoured."
Though Qi Yuan's idea of slaying a god to attend a feast sounded intriguing, it simply lacked practical feasibility.
"What danger? My left eyelid has been twitching nonstop, which means a fortune is coming my way!" The more Qi Yuan spoke, the hungrier he felt. "You're the shrine official—come on, hurry up and take me there. Don't waste time!"
Shentu's expression shifted repeatedly. "Lord Deity, will you truly not reconsider?"
Others could refuse a god, but as the shrine official, he could not.
"Let's go!" Qi Yuan was waiting for the feast.
With a helpless look, Shentu finally relented. "I shall escort Lord Deity!"
With that, he pushed through the crowd.
Qi Yuan followed behind Shentu, heading out of the village.
The remaining villagers found the spectacle completely absurd.
"Does this new god have something wrong with his head?"
"Sigh, it's our fault for not presenting decent offerings. The god is malnourished, so his brain didn't develop properly!"
"Village Chief, the deity going like this is just throwing his life away. What should we do?" the fat man asked Village Chief Yulei.
"He was just born. How could he possibly match Shijia Village's evil god?" another villager lamented.
He was even heading into the enemy's home ground!
It was sheer suicide.
Village Chief Yulei's face darkened and cleared before he finally said, "Come, we follow them!"
Roughly two-thirds of the gathered villagers decided to follow the village chief.
As for the rest, they couldn't be bothered to watch the commotion.
After all, the god's fate was sealed; they might as well head home to eat some wowotou.
"Lord Deity, are you the Origin Celestial Venerable?" On the road, Shentu could not help asking.
In his sleep last time, he seemed to have heard the title Origin Celestial Venerable.
"Yes." Qi Yuan looked at Shentu. "You're a dignified Divine Infant cultivator. How did you end up in such a miserable state?"
Qi Yuan found it baffling.
"No reliable backer, no money, no food," Shentu said meekly.
Having no reliable backer naturally referred to the god worshiped by Qingshui Village.
"Generally speaking, don't cultivators stop needing food once they reach Foundation Establishment?" Qi Yuan asked.
Right now, he too was hungry, which struck him as very odd.
"Not eat? Wouldn't you die if you didn't eat?" Shentu looked back at Qi Yuan with equal bewilderment.
"Fine." Qi Yuan could only chalk it up to differing worlds and differing customs.
"Lord Deity…"
"Hmm?"
"Are you sure you don't want the flatbread from earlier?" Shentu clutched the bite-marked bread tightly, stealing glances at Qi Yuan as though terrified that Qi Yuan might snatch it.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan was speechless. "I won't eat it!"
Hearing that, Shentu beamed. "That's great! At least I can fill my belly before dying. Even if I die, I won't be a starving ghost."
"Having a follower like you is truly my… good fortune," Qi Yuan said helplessly.
This Qingshui Village was dirt poor, probably without even a single suona.
Otherwise, he would have had Shentu help him assemble a musical troupe.
Turning a deaf ear to Qi Yuan's words, Shentu wolfed down the flatbread as if terrified Qi Yuan would fight him for it.
Right then, Qi Yuan halted his steps.
From the village ahead came the clamor of gongs and drums.
"Quite lively over there," Qi Yuan remarked.
Shentu gazed at the settlement of around a hundred households.
"Today is a sacrificial day. They are offering three young boys for the New God to devour." Shentu's expression turned grim. "These damned New Gods are all evil deities! What kind of god eats people?!"
According to the records of the Primordial Race, gods were originally mighty humans—valiant spirits who had fallen fighting for mankind.
Those spirits guarded humanity in mutual benefit.
The New Gods, or evil deities, fed upon humans instead.
Peering through the village, Qi Yuan saw a woman weeping bitterly and a man pinned to the ground.
"Waaah… Xiao Qian, Xiao Qian…" The woman wailed and struggled.
Among the sacrifices offered this time was her young child.
"Sister Li, offering sacrifices to the god is our honor!" a burly man declared, a bloody gleam flickering in one of his eyes.
This indicated he had already been corrupted by the New God and was gradually assimilating; before long, he would become the deity's most loyal guardian.
Another man sighed. "A dozen or so youngsters a year in exchange for timely wind and rain for our Shijia Village—it's a worthwhile trade."
"Sister Li, look at neighboring Qingshui Village. They refuse to worship the New God, and look at their plight now. In another month, everyone there… will probably be dead," a man with fleshy cheeks and large ears said, his hand even caressing the woman's chin.
"Ptui! Evil god!" The woman spat squarely onto the fat-eared man.
The man's face instantly darkened. "Sister Li, I spoke nicely to you and you refused to listen. It seems you are disloyal to the god. Send her to the Red Pen!"
Hearing this, the woman struggled even more desperately.
Tears streamed from the eyes of the man pinned to the ground.
Ever since the New Gods appeared, a new term had arisen in this world.
The Red Pen.
The New Gods loved devouring young children.
What to do when there weren't enough children?
They would pen up women and lock them in the Red Pen, using them exclusively for… breeding.
Such conduct treated humans like pigs.
It was utterly devoid of conscience.
"This Shijia Village belongs to us of the Shi clan! You Wang folks had better behave. Provoke me, and I'll send all of you into the Red Pen!" the fat-eared man barked.
Shijia Village was not inhabited solely by the Shi clan; other surnames lived there too.
However, ushering down the New God had been orchestrated by the village's dominant Shi family.
Because of this, that family truly held complete control over Shijia Village.
As for the other households, they harbored fury but dared not speak out.
If you offended Shi Dalang's household, they might very well offer your child to the New God!
"Heaven is blind to let you evil deities descend…" the woman wailed.
The fat-eared man roared with laughter. "What evil deity? This is the True God, the future ruler of the Mortal Heart Realm!"
Who didn't know that the New Gods were gradually encroaching upon the territory of the Ancient Gods?
Presently, two-thirds of the Mortal Heart Realm already worshiped the New Gods.
The Ancient Gods were struggling bitterly to hold on, and before long, they would be completely wiped out.
"Evil deity, come out and meet your death!"
"I'm hungry, and I'm waiting for you to die so I can attend the feast!"
Just then, a clear, crisp shout rang out from midair as two figures materialized in the sky.
One was Shentu, and the other was Qi Yuan.
Seeing the pair above, the crowd of Shijia Village wore astonished expressions.
"Qingshui Village's deity?"
"A new Ancient God?"
"Coming to our Shijia Village to throw away his life?"
Red light flashed in the eyes of many Shi villagers.
Had this been in Qingshui Village or within his shrine, they might still have felt some fear.
Yet this was Shijia Village, their home ground.
They felt both bewildered and surprised.
Was this Ancient God touched in the head? Why would he dare leave his shrine and come here?
Generally, deities rarely left their shrines or fiefdoms.
Meanwhile, the woman on the ground looked up at Qi Yuan in the sky with eyes full of devout hope. She kowtowed repeatedly, blood smearing her forehead. "Lord God, please save my son!"
At that moment, a seductive voice drifted over.
"Oh my, a newborn little darling has actually come to my place. Do you want to merge with your big sister?"
A figure in a blood-red dress with the features of a wolf-dog appeared, looking exceptionally grotesque.
Upon seeing their deity manifest, the villagers of Shijia Village dropped to their knees one after another.
"We pay homage to the Lord Deity!"
The New God was their true master, their heaven.
The fat-eared man stared at the wolf-dog woman with utter fanaticism.
As for the newly born Ancient God from Qingshui Village, what did he count for?
Standing beside Qi Yuan, Shentu's body trembled violently. But remembering that he had eaten some flatbread and thus had nothing to lose, his courage surged.
"Audacious evil deity, bringing calamity upon the mortal realm! The god of our Qingshui Village shall strike you down!"
Chapter 171