"God's will must not be disobeyed!"
The village chief of Taiping Village looked grim, his forehead covered in beads of sweat. He forced a bitter smile as he listened to the messenger's words.
He turned to the person beside him and ordered, "Go and find Junshuo and the other two quickly!"
Then, he lowered his head and respectfully addressed the mysterious figure in black robes at the head of the square, saying, "My lord, why don't we begin the sacrificial ceremony first? We don't need to wait for those three!"
The person known as the messenger of God replied with a serious expression, "No, God personally selected 108 people. To be missing even one person would be against God's will!"
Upon hearing this, the village chief bowed deeply, lowered his head, and repeatedly said yes. Is this fate?
The villagers had barely survived the natural disaster, only to be controlled by this mysterious man in black robes.
In fact, the village chief had already believed Ji-soo's advice after hearing it last night.
Because he personally witnessed the man in black robes blow the head off the puppet behind him, and then eat something from the puppet's head.
Unfortunately, they were all just ordinary people and no match for the man in black robes.
Time ticked by, and the village chief, standing above the villagers, appeared extremely nervous. He kept wiping the sweat from his forehead, his expression anxious and uneasy.
After a while, a villager rushed over and whispered in the village chief's ear, "Village chief, we have searched the entire village, but we still haven't found those three people."
Upon hearing this, the village chief felt somewhat relieved. He quickly composed himself, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the platform, and said:
"My lord, those three children must have already left the village. Should we stop waiting for them?"
The village chief stammered as he finished speaking, silently praying that the man in black robes would agree to his suggestion, so that at least the lives of the three men could be saved.
Upon hearing this, the man in black remained silent for a moment before speaking, "God's guidance tells me they are still in the village."
His voice was cold and firm, as if it brooked no argument.
The village chief was inwardly groaning, but could only force a smile and agree. He knew he couldn't change the black-robed man's decision and could only silently pray that the three children would be safe.
"Fine, I'll go find it myself!" the man in black robes suddenly said, then turned and walked deeper into the village.
Just then, a gentle breeze blew by, swirling up a maple leaf. The leaf danced and swayed in the air before finally landing in front of the man in black.
"Follow me!" the man in black said in a low voice, then strode away in the direction the maple leaves were falling.
The village chief gritted his teeth and led a few villagers to follow. They followed the trail of maple leaves, passing through the village streets and alleys, and arrived at a bamboo grove.
In the bamboo grove, sunlight filters through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows. The ground is covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, and a gentle breeze occasionally rustles through the bamboo leaves.
This bamboo forest, which was severely damaged in the earthquake, has begun to flourish again in just a few days. The newly grown bamboo is tall and straight, and lush and green, as if it had never experienced the disaster.
The man in black robes suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on the lush bamboo forest ahead.
“They are right here…” The black-robed man’s voice was low and hoarse, as if squeezed out from the depths of his throat.
He slowly raised his hand, and a cloud of black mist gradually condensed in his palm. As he moved, the surrounding air began to tremble slightly, as if sensing this powerful force.
The man in black robes suddenly threw out the ball of black mist in his hand. The black mist sliced through the air like lightning and crashed into the bamboo forest.
With a loud "bang!", a large crater was blasted into the ground in the bamboo forest, dust flew up, and debris flew everywhere.
Meanwhile, the three people hiding in the cave were caught off guard by the sudden explosion and appeared before everyone in a disheveled and shabby state.
Ji-soo stared in horror at the scene before her, her fear intensifying when she saw the leader of the men in black.
"You are not a divine messenger at all; you are a fraudster who practices evil magic. You did not send us to the realm of gods; you are just a fraud!"
Ji-soo screamed hysterically, trying to warn the villagers.
Unfortunately, the village chief and the others standing to the side all lowered their heads and remained silent.
"God must not be defamed! You will become the people abandoned by God!" The voice of the man in black robes was cold and ruthless, as if it came from the underworld.
As the man in black robes waved his hand, a mysterious force instantly enveloped the three of them. This force was like an invisible rope, tightly binding their bodies and rendering them unable to move an inch.
"Take them to the square!" The man in black robes spoke with authority and determination, leaving no room for argument.
The three men stared in horror, trying to struggle but finding themselves powerless. The black-robed man's strength was beyond their comprehension; they could only be manipulated at his mercy.
Soon, the three were taken to the square.
"God's punishment will descend; your bodies will be scorched by fire, and your souls will be denied reincarnation."
After speaking, the man in black robes waved his hand lightly, and a huge pyre immediately appeared in the center of the square. Flames roared, radiating a scorching heat that inspired awe.
The surrounding villagers, witnessing this scene, felt their scalps tingle and immediately knelt down, kowtowing and daring not to look directly at it. The village chief, in particular, trembled violently, his head bowed, his eyes filled with despair and fear.
Soon, Jisoo, Junseok, and Boo were lifted up by a powerful force and slowly flew towards the pyre.
As they drew closer, the scorching flames rushed towards them, instantly singeing their hair and emitting a pungent odor. The youngest, Little Bu, could no longer bear the fear and burst into tears.
"I'm sorry, Jun-seok hyung! I'm sorry, Xiao-bu!" As she watched the flames engulf her, Ji-soo was filled with guilt and self-blame, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
However, at that moment, a whooshing sound suddenly came from the sky, and two figures descended from the sky.
"Imprisonment!"
Lin Weiguo shouted loudly, and space and time seemed to freeze, and everything became silent.
The villagers' expressions of fear were frozen in time; their eyes were wide open, as if they were still immersed in the terror they had just experienced.
The figure in black robes remained rooted to the spot, his cold, pale face devoid of any expression, resembling a chilling statue.
The raging fire seemed to have been paused; the flames stopped dancing, and the thick smoke ceased rising. The entire scene resembled a frozen photograph, creating an eerie and tense atmosphere.
"Wow! Elder Lin is incredibly awesome!"
Huang Sicong shouted excitedly, his face beaming with excitement and pride. The scene was truly breathtaking.
He first waved to the expressionless man in black, then ran over to Jisoo and the other two.
He rescued the three from the burning platform, and seeing one of the beautiful women crying, he couldn't help but reach out to wipe her tears.
"Who are you…"
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