Su Heng slowly withdrew from the Template Fusion State, and a wave of weakness arrived right on cue.
However, perhaps because he had just eaten his fill, it felt much easier than last time.
He merely stood there and took two breaths before feeling his condition recover considerably.
Looking at the two corpses on the ground, Su Heng realized that he was unexpectedly calm.
Killing someone for the first time felt no different from controlling Little Snake in the Dreamscape to strangle those evil ghosts.
Not only did he feel no discomfort whatsoever, he even felt a faint... indescribable sense of exhilaration.
Was this the template's influence, or was this simply my nature...? Su Heng's gaze darkened. His heart was racing, but not from fear or worry after killing someone.
"I need to deal with these two bodies first..."
Su Heng moved to carry the corpses, but the moment he touched the buzz-cut man's clothes, the system sent him a notification.
Congratulations, Host. You have discovered a True Relic.
"Hmm?"
Su Heng's heart stirred. He searched the buzz-cut man's pocket and pulled out a small box.
He opened it and found a broken wooden comb inside.
You have obtained 50 True Points. To unlock the next template, you still need: 150 True Points.
The unexpected gain was a pleasant surprise, but the relationship between these three men was rather thought-provoking.
Unwilling to give up, Su Heng searched the blond man again. Unfortunately, he found nothing this time.
"Could it be that these guys were specifically collecting True Relics?"
Su Heng thought it was possible, and the odds were not low. If his guess was correct, he might be able to find a way to obtain True Relics in large quantities.
Rumble...
A muffled peal of thunder suddenly rolled across the sky.
The air around him grew stuffy and hot. It looked like rain was coming.
"This is perfect. Saves me the trouble of cleaning up all this blood."
Although he had restrained his strength, the two young thugs had still died horribly.
The blond man's entire face had been smashed to pulp. No one would have been able to identify him from his face alone. The buzz-cut man had it even worse—his head had exploded outright, scattering red and white matter everywhere.
Su Heng stood up, grabbed one leg from each body, and threw the two corpses into the river.
He had originally planned to find large rocks and tie them to the bodies, but he had neither rope nor sufficiently heavy stones nearby, so he could only leave it at that.
With summer's arrival, the Dragon River had become swift and violent, surging all the way into the uninhabited Forbidden Zone.
By then, no matter how capable anyone was, they would never find any trace of these two men.
After tossing the two into the river and briefly dealing with the bloodstains on the ground, large raindrops began striking the earth.
Summer weather was unpredictable. The sky had been clear moments ago, but now a torrential downpour had begun.
Still, that worked out perfectly. It saved Su Heng from having to remain here and clean up the scene.
He looked around once more, and after making sure no one else was nearby, he calmly headed back through the rain.
After returning home, he tossed his clothes into the washing machine, ate a little more, and lay down on the bed to rest.
This time, he gave himself a break. Rather than entering the game, he slept comfortably until dawn.
He had thought he would have nightmares that night, but he did not. He slept soundly. When he opened his eyes in the morning and drew back the curtains, a curved rainbow hung over the city.
In a small mountain village deep within the primeval jungle.
The village chief, the old physician, the blacksmith, and the militia captain responsible for the village's safety had gathered together.
Inside the room, candlelight flickered weakly.
Cast across their faces, it made everyone look somewhat nervous.
"Sir, have you determined the origin of that giant snake?"
After coughing twice to draw everyone's attention, the elderly village chief trembled as he asked Monk Renguang.
"Yes, yes."
The blacksmith, dressed in a short jacket with his chest exposed and dark skin, quickly echoed him. "Is that giant snake good or evil? Can we still stay here?"
Although they had suffered an attack from evil ghosts.
Compared to other places, this was already an exceptionally good location.
The surrounding land was flat, beside a clear lake, with resource-rich forests behind it. Precious seeds had already been planted, and barring any accidents, they would likely have a harvest by next year.
To these simple villagers, this place was not merely the home they depended on for survival. It was also their hope for the future.
"Yesterday, I went to pay my respects to that great snake."
Monk Renguang did not beat around the bush. His eyes were clear, and his voice carried a calming power as he slowly spoke. "That great snake is absolutely not one of the Monsters I initially imagined it to be."
His voice was so certain that people could not help but believe him.
"However..."
Before the village elders could sigh in relief, Monk Renguang changed tack, and his tone became solemn.
"Although that great snake is not a Monster, you must not let down your guard."
"Why is that?"
The crowd was confused and could not help asking.
"Because that great snake is a being even more powerful than a Monster."
"More powerful than a Monster? Could it be a deity from the legends?"
"Hiss..."
The village elders looked at one another, seeing fear and helplessness in each other's eyes.
"I suspect that great snake is a legendary Divine Beast, born of heaven and earth. Even without Red Moon radiation, it can possess unimaginable strength and wisdom beyond human comprehension."
"Then what should we do?"
Compared to Renguang's shock when he had first encountered the great snake.
These villagers found the truth easier to accept. They had witnessed Anaconda's terrifying slaughter and Devouring of those mountain ghosts.
And as ordinary people, they found it difficult to understand the difference between the Monsters and Divine Beasts Renguang spoke of.
In truth.
They did not need to understand. They only needed to know what they should do.
"Hmm..."
Renguang thought briefly before offering his advice. "Having the Snake God active around your village is actually a good thing for you. If you can gain Its favor, you may be able to escape the Monsters' attacks."
Delight appeared on the villagers' faces.
Living in the wilderness, their greatest fear was being harassed by Monsters.
If that problem could be solved, their lives would be almost as good as those of the important people in the city. It would be a tremendous blessing.
"But..." The village chief soon frowned bitterly. "We are only a small mountain village of a few hundred people. We are not wealthy, and we have no treasures. How could we possibly gain Lord Snake God's favor?"
Renguang smiled instead. "Foolish thought!"
"No matter how precious mortal treasures may be, how could they ever enter a deity's eyes?"
"A shrine, three sticks of incense, offerings without end, and sincere prayers reaching It—that is enough."
Before you continue