Chapter 2: The Love-Brained God 2 - Slaying the Gods
All around was silent.
The numb expressions of the people gradually shifted their gaze to the head of the dragon god.
After three years of severe drought, they struggled on the brink of life and death, and had long since run out of money to commission the construction of a golden statue for the Dragon God.
They simply covered the outside of the clay statue with a thin layer of gold paper; the inside of the glittering golden statue was a clay model made of yellow clay.
Now, the statue of the Dragon God is broken.
The idol is broken?
The people belatedly realized this; their pupils constricted rapidly, and their minds went blank.
If the gods punish them, how will they survive?
The previously apathetic people became agitated. They staggered to their feet, their faces a mixture of anger and fear. They looked at Qi Wang as if he were a monster and roared in hoarse voices.
"He damaged the dragon god statue; he disrespected the dragon god!"
"The Dragon God will blame us..."
"We must appease the Dragon God's anger..."
Their suppressed and distorted emotions seemed to have found an outlet, and they approached Qi Wang step by step like walking corpses.
"Kill him, kill him..."
Their shouts converged into a torrent, and countless negative emotions erupted from their bodies. Their devout faith in the Dragon God was tainted with a kind of ominous, decaying aura at this moment.
Qi Wang did not flee. He stepped out of the Dragon God Temple, and the moment he emerged, the magnificent Dragon God Temple collapsed with a crash.
The Dragon God Temple, which had been supported by the people's incense offerings, was reduced to ruins.
Qi Wang stepped on the head of the dragon god statue, and without even much force, the dragon god statue shattered into dust.
"The gods have abandoned us; they have forgotten their duties, allowing the world to become a hell on earth. Why should we still believe in them?"
Qi Wang's voice wasn't loud, but it struck straight to the soul.
The people who had been approaching him stopped in their tracks. Their empty eyes stared at Qi Wang, and they, driven to the brink of collapse by hunger, uttered a soul-searching question.
"If we don't believe in the Dragon God, who else can we believe in?"
Even when they had the protection of the Dragon God, they still couldn't get enough to eat and wear. If they didn't believe in the Dragon God and completely lost his protection, how would they survive?
Trust me.
"I can make the heavens send down rain, I can make crops grow back in the fields. As long as you believe in me, I can restore the earth to life."
"The Dragon God is a man-made god. If a god loses his or her dignity, we will create a new god."
"The land of China does not nurture idle spirits."
The power of gods comes from human faith; it is not that humans need gods, but that gods need humans.
The Dragon God no longer protects humankind. The high and mighty gods regard humans as ants, so they strip them of their divine status and drag them down from the ninth heaven.
Were the gods created by them?
Three years may be nothing more than a blink of an eye for gods, but for humans it is an incredibly long time.
They lost so much in those three years; their once unwavering faith was nothing but a castle in the air, crumbling at the slightest push.
Previously, they had no choice but to pray for the Dragon God's mercy.
But now, Qi Wang has given them another way.
Trust him.
He said.
The people's eyes fell on Qi Wang.
He was just like them, wearing tattered clothes and his hair was a mess, like straw.
But they knew perfectly well that he was completely different from them.
He had smashed the Dragon God Temple and trampled the Dragon God statue into dust, but divine punishment had not descended, and he was still standing there unharmed.
Perhaps, he really can give them a glimmer of hope.
Qi Wang clearly saw golden faith power surging out of their bodies. The faith power that was originally heading towards the sky changed direction and rushed towards Qi Wang.
"We believe in you, please save us..."
The first step to becoming a god is gaining the faith of believers.
Qi Wang opened his hands.
"The wind rises."
A sudden gust of wind rose, whipping up the yellow dust from the ground, and a vast expanse of yellow mist filled the world.
"Rain is coming."
A blinding white light flashed across the horizon, followed by rolling thunder. In no time, dark clouds shrouded Peach Blossom Village.
In just a moment, rain began to fall from the sky.
At first, it was just a fine drizzle, so fine that you couldn't even tell it was raining when it fell on your face.
The people, their hair as thick as straw, looked up and saw dark clouds they hadn't seen in three years.
A raindrop hit his face, followed by large raindrops falling from the sky. They gave people no chance to react, pelting the people head-on.
"Is it... raining?"
Incredulous voices rang out, starting with just one or two people, but soon countless voices converged together.
"It's raining!"
"It's raining! Thank God, it's finally raining!"
The faces of the people were blank, like living dead who were still breathing.
But this sudden downpour has brought them back to reality. Countless people are running around in the rain, their mouths agape as they catch the rainwater falling from the sky.
Some of the smarter ones, after the initial excitement, hurriedly ran home to find any usable containers to collect the rainwater.
No one knows when the rain will end, but the more rainwater they collect, the better their chances of survival.
"The Dragon God has appeared! The Dragon God has appeared!"
"Thank you, Lord Dragon God!"
This time, however, they knelt before Qi Wang.
The Dragon God once reigned high in the nine heavens, but he abandoned his followers, and now they no longer need him.
An existence that fails to fulfill its duties is unworthy to be called a god.
Qin Hao looked at Qi Wang with excitement. He trembled all over and knelt down devoutly, worshipping the new Dragon God.
It turns out that rainfall is such a simple thing.
It turns out that gods don't just want to be high above and enjoy the worship of believers.
It turns out that gods also respond to the prayers of believers.
He actually witnessed the birth of a new god!
A heavy rain brought new life to this village that was on the verge of death.
The villagers of Peach Blossom Village also underwent a dramatic change in their attitude towards Qi Wang.
"Lord Dragon God, please enlighten us!"
"Lord Dragon God, please bless us."
"Lord Dragon God..."
The news of the rain in Peach Blossom Village spread quickly, and more and more people learned about the appearance of a new god in the village.
It is said that the new Dragon God was once just an ordinary human. He gained the faith of the villagers of Peach Blossom Village and immediately brought them a spring rain.
"I heard it's raining in Peach Blossom Village."
"I heard that the land in Peach Blossom Village, which had been abandoned for three years, has been started to be cultivated again."
"I heard that the wells in Peach Blossom Village are working again..."
The Kingdom of Nan'an suffered a severe drought for three years. From the king and officials to the common people, everyone tried every possible solution.
But the Dragon God was stingy with sending down even a single drop of rain.
The severe drought destroyed the vegetation, leaving people homeless and suffering immensely.
The lives of the princes and nobles who lived on this land were not much better.
Now, news of a miracle occurring in Peach Blossom Village has suddenly spread, and people from all walks of life are gathering together and heading towards the village.
It has only been a little over half a month since the last rainfall, and Peach Blossom Village has already undergone tremendous changes.
The one who changed the most was the original owner's father, Qi You.
The man who once contemplated eating his own son has been revitalized.
His son became the new Dragon God, bringing rain to Peach Blossom Village, but Qi You did not become arrogant because of this.
He worked from dawn till dusk every day, gradually restoring the abandoned land.
Qi You only visited Qi Wang once after the rain, and only asked him one question.
Will everything go back to normal?
"Won't."
Qi Wang gave him an answer.
With him here, things will never be the same as before.
After that, Qi You moved out of the Qi family and into another abandoned house in the village.
Some people who were familiar with Qi You asked him why he didn't stay with Qi Wang, who was now the Dragon God, and instead chose to live alone outside.
"Gods always have to ascend to heaven. When their merits are complete, they will go to the Ninth Heaven. You are his father, how could he abandon you?"
After that heavy rain, everyone had accepted Qi Wang's identity as the new Dragon God, and their faith in Qi Wang was at its purest at that time.
They were eager to get involved with Qi Wang, so that if Qi Wang ascended to godhood, they could also rise to heaven with him, right?
Qi Youming is clearly the person closest to Qi Wang. He should just stay with Qi Wang. Why should he stay far away from him?
When asked by others, Qi You simply said that Qi Wang's divine power was too great and he dared not approach him.
"From the moment he chose to become a god, he was no longer my son."
Qi You didn't want to say more, he just shook his head, picked up his hoe and went to the field.
The villagers shook their heads helplessly when they saw him like that.
But then he thought that if it were him, he might not dare to approach Qi Wang.
That was a living, breathing god...
More than half a month is enough time for Qi Wang to gain more faith power.
In a world that has been arid for a long time, nothing is more precious than the existence of rain.
No matter what it is, as long as it can bring them rain and life, they are willing to give up their faith.
Even those who do not meet Qi Wang will offer their faith.
"Lord Dragon God... The people from Fei Family Village have arrived. They are waiting outside the village. Would you like to see them?"
Qin Hao was Qi Wang's most loyal follower, and the power of faith he gave was the purest.
Since he was a deity, he naturally couldn't do everything himself, so Qi Wang directly chose Qin Hao as his representative.
Qi Wang was right about Qin Hao. He was very capable. In just half a month, he had grown into a mature representative of the gods.
"Can."
The village chief of Feijia Village was brought before Qi Wang.
The people living under drought conditions look pretty much the same, and the village chief of Feijia Village is no exception.
The moment he saw Qi Wang, he knelt down and humbly prayed that Qi Wang would bring rain to Feijia Village.
"Lord Dragon God, we can't survive anymore, please save us..."
A note from the author:
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