"It's... really him!"
"That Wood Spirit Adeptus... the one who can kill gods!"
The villagers trembled and backed away as if they were facing the most terrifying demon on earth.
"Hey, hey, why are you all so afraid of me?"
Jiang Yan scratched his ear and scanned the crowd with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Im—Immortal Lord!"
The burly man at the front lowered his head; his tone sounded odd, half fear and half something like shame.
"You're the leader here?" Jiang Yan asked the man.
"Y—yes."
The man's voice wavered between fear and anger—an emotion that was difficult to parse.
"Then answer my questions."
Jiang Yan said calmly.
With his face expressionless, Jiang Yan's look was more terrifying than any angry scowl—Ganyu knew that well. Right now, Jiang Yan was very displeased.
"Yes..."
The burly man gritted his teeth, mustering courage as he glared at Jiang Yan.
"W—why did you ruin our peaceful life? Why did you go to war with Chi?!"
"Why did you leave our Chi badly wounded and stop protecting us?!"
"Hah... what a ridiculous reason..."
Jiang Yan couldn't help but snort in anger at such stupidity. What kind of fool would say that?
"Do you think I started the war?"
"Do you think I destroyed your homes?"
Jiang Yan stepped forward, firing questions one after another.
"You have the nerve to walk out and take a look for yourselves!"
"Who actually destroyed your homes?"
"If I hadn't fought Chi, do you really think your so-called Chi would have spared my home?"
"Why was he left badly wounded?"
"I'll be blunt."
"If he hadn't run fast, I would have killed him on the spot."
"Ask yourselves honestly—who provoked this war?"
"Who gathered those savage monsters to destroy your villages and slaughter your friends?"
Jiang Yan's barrage of questions left the people unable to raise their heads. He sneered as he looked at them.
"You don't want to think. You refuse to admit it!"
"You refuse to believe that this war was started by the god you worship."
"You refuse to believe those monsters were summoned by your own god."
"You blame the victors for the sins of the war."
"Let me ask you this—if I really wanted to do something to you, do you think your Chi would bother to defend you?"
Faces went ashen. Jiang Yan's words tore away their last fig leaf of comfort. Their faith was crumbling. In this era where gods fought over the land, powerless mortals were always fodder and cannon-fodder in the eyes of cold-blooded deities.
Perhaps that was why Morax had so many human supporters—Morax was a powerful god who still cared for his people, which was rare in the war of gods.
Jiang Yan's words brought many to their knees; those whose faith had collapsed wept uncontrollably. Not one person dared to contradict him. Any attempt to rebut him would have sounded hollow—to the point that even they no longer believed their own words.
When one person cannot win an argument, they usually try to resolve it with force. But it was obvious—these people together weren't enough to lift a finger against Jiang Yan.
"Stand up."
Having vented enough, Jiang Yan's mood eased; his tone softened considerably.
"Your Chi is defeated."
"This Guili Plains now belongs to Morax, theGeo Lord."
"Whether you submit and worship the Rock King Emperor or leave to follow your Chi—that choice is yours."
"I'll give you time."
The villagers exchanged glances. One of them trembled as he spoke, "You... you're not going to kill us?"
"Why would I kill you? Am I crazy?"
Jiang Yan rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"Whether you stay or go is up to you. If you leave, others will come take your place."
The villagers fell silent. Their futures were uncertain. In a land where war erupted at any moment, where could they possibly go? Perhaps joining theGeo Lord's camp was, in fact, the best option.
"Do we even deserve to worship Morax anymore?"
The woman clutching her child whispered through her tears.
"As long as you worship sincerely, the happy days you imagine... will not be far off."
Seeing that the villagers showed no sign of leaving, Jiang Yan continued, "Those who want to stay, don't just loiter around—join the Thousand Rock Army outside and help clean up Guili Plains properly."
"One more thing—remember this in your foolish heads." Jiang Yan looked them squarely in the face.
"I am not a man-eating Immortal Lord!"
To read 30+ future chapters, head over to patreon:
patreon.com/ToastWizard