Chapter 546: Fleeing Suddenly on Flat Ground

Yet, things rarely go as planned in this world.

For a time, Han Yi's life in Zhu Village was indeed smooth sailing. He had no worries about food or clothing, and in his leisure time, he used the Black Bird feather in his dantian to absorb the free-floating celestial fortune from the world. When Zhu Village was attacked by monsters from other settlements, he secretly invoked his "celestial fortune authority," summoning wind and rain, and whipping up sandstorms to help them repel several waves of invaders. As a result, Han Yi's status in Zhu Village grew steadily.

The monsters of Zhu Village not only constructed a tall stone building specifically as his living quarters, but they also assigned him ten burly and powerful personal guards. They even offered him the "most sacred maiden" of Zhu Village. Han Yi felt a chill of disgust upon seeing their cat-headed, human-bodied forms and promptly declined.

Just as Han Yi believed he would maintain his role as "Divine Son" in Zhu Village for a considerable time, the unexpected occurred. One night, he was suddenly and inexplicably awoken. The surroundings were silent, yet Han Yi felt a jolt of dread. Quietly rising to investigate his surroundings, he was horrified to find that his ten personal guards, who were meant to protect him day and night, had all suddenly disappeared.

Han Yi immediately sensed danger. Without even time to gather his belongings, he made to flee his chambers. It was then he realized that while he had been asleep, nearly a hundred masked soldiers in black had already completely surrounded his chambers. By the faint, flickering firelight in his chambers, Han Yi could vaguely discern that these soldiers exhibited a significantly higher degree of beast transformation than the inhabitants of Zhu Village. Though still human in form, their limbs were thick and powerful, and their hands resembled those of monstrous beasts. This group was clearly here for him.

Han Yi immediately sensed impending doom. With grim resolve, he channeled all the celestial fortune he had absorbed in recent days. As the soldiers searched for Han Yi, a streak of light suddenly blazed across the sky, instantly illuminating the night. A gigantic fireball plummeted directly towards Zhu Village. The black-clad soldiers present were instantly stunned by the spectacle. The sleeping villagers of Zhu Village also awoke, gazing bewildered at the seemingly apocalyptic event unfolding above them.

Han Yi, upon sensing that the celestial fortune he had accumulated over the past days was fully expended, concealed himself in a corner formed by sturdy boulders. Han Yi had initially believed that the meteor he had summoned with all his might would surely obliterate all the black-clad soldiers. To his surprise, facing this deadly threat, one figure among the soldiers suddenly let out an earth-shattering roar. Its body swelled several times its size in an instant, and with a powerful leap, it soared into the air. It charged directly towards the meteor in the sky.

"Bang!"

Amidst a violent explosion, that figure crashed back to the ground even faster than it had ascended, bloody and mangled beyond recognition. However, the meteor Han Yi had summoned had its trajectory altered, if only slightly. It instead plummeted towards the center of Zhu Village, impacting the most densely populated area.

"Boom!"

The earth trembled. In the blink of an eye, Zhu Village was reduced almost entirely to rubble. Cries and wails filled the air. The hundred black-clad soldiers, though they had dodged the meteor's direct impact, could not escape the aftermath of the collision and suffered heavy casualties. Han Yi, having prepared beforehand and with some residual celestial fortune protecting him, remained largely unharmed. Sensing he could not remain, he quietly fled Zhu Village alone under the cover of night and chaos.

After fleeing over ten li, just as he believed he was safe, he suddenly felt a rush of wind from behind and hastily dodged. However, he was a beat too slow and couldn't avoid it. An invisible, blade-like force sliced a large wound across his back. Enduring intense pain, Han Yi turned to find his attacker. To his surprise, his attacker was an acquaintance!

Si, the Grand Priest of Zhu Village!

Han Yi feigned a furious expression, demanding to know the reason for the assault. In truth, he was secretly and rapidly absorbing celestial fortune, desperate to find a way out. Perhaps believing Han Yi was at his wit's end and had no escape, Si was in no hurry to strike. Instead, with a face full of resentment, he revealed his reasons for orchestrating the attack.

It turned out that ever since Han Yi repeatedly displayed "divine miracles," Grand Priest Si, who had once held a position of honor and reverence in the village, had gradually become "unemployed." This was easily understood. The primary duty of a priest is to represent the villagers and communicate with their deities. They convey the villagers' prayers to the deities and, in turn, announce any divine pronouncements received. However, with Han Yi—a being capable of repeatedly manifesting divine miracles, almost an incarnation of a deity himself—why would the villagers bother seeking out his services as a "spokesperson"?

Having lost the authority to interpret the will of the deities, all the honor Si once held was usurped by Han Yi. Watching Han Yi move into the grand chambers, observing the villagers fearfully prostrate themselves whenever he ventured out, jealousy, like a venomous snake, steadily festered in Si's heart. Even with Han Yi displaying god-like powers, Si entertained the notion of "god-slaying." However, it was clear that no one else in Zhu Village would support such an act.

Thus, he turned his attention to Kang Village, located a dozen or so li away. Kang Village was significantly more powerful than Zhu Village. Its inhabitants displayed a distinctly higher degree of beast transformation. Despite this, there had historically been no major conflicts between the two villages. The wilderness was vast and boundless, and resources seemed inexhaustible. Even when minor disputes arose between Kang and Zhu, they were typically resolved amicably after negotiation.

However, Si's discreet visit changed everything. Si informed the Kang Village leader of the "divine descent" in Zhu Village. Furthermore, he warned that with the deity's assistance, Zhu Village's chief had grown increasingly ambitious. He intended to use the deity's power to conquer all directions and become the "Emperor" who would unify the wilderness. This process, he claimed, would inevitably be filled with bloody slaughter. Si, claiming he wished to prevent such widespread demise, secretly sought the aid of Kang Village to eliminate Han Yi, the charlatan who was deceiving others in the name of a deity.

After some persuasion, the Kang Village leader also concluded that allowing Zhu Village to wield influence over a "descended deity" was too perilous. Thus, after over ten days of planning, with Si acting as an inside informant, Kang seized the opportune moment. He led approximately one hundred of the village's elites and quietly surrounded Han Yi's chambers. Although Si had also informed him of the descended deity's potent ability to summon wind and rain, Kang remained highly confident. His elite force had carved their path through a sea of blood and corpses. They feared neither blade nor spear, much less mere wind and rain. That was, until the meteor fell from the sky, utterly shattering Kang's worldview.