The Oppressed Villagers

Night fell, and Chen Tian sat on the level ground in the center of the village.

The Inner Earth World was completely different from the outside world. Although the sun could not be seen, the horizon always radiated fresh, soothing sunlight during the day.

Not only that, even their habits and way of life were different. Chen Tian had never fully understood how humans had lived before the Great Cataclysm of Ten Thousand Stars, but he knew his own former way of life very well.

That was right—the villagers gave Chen Tian the illusion that they were humans from Earth!

At one point, he had almost thought that he had traveled back to some rural village on Earth—if he had not seen the statues of the Three Beast Gods. "Friend! Come over and eat!"

The High Priest came over to call him. Several burly villagers behind her carried out a few large pots and placed them in the center.

"Food's ready!!!"

The villagers' rough voices spread throughout the entire village. They came over in twos and threes, chatting and laughing, while the boys and girls giggled and chased one another around.

Chen Tian walked straight over to the High Priest and sat beside her.

"High Priest, I'd like to learn a little about this place." Chen Tian smiled lightly.

The High Priest smiled kindly, making Chen Tian feel the goodness that came from the bottom of her heart. "I still don't know your name."

"Ah, sorry!"

Chen Tian patted his head, having forgotten that he had not introduced himself yet. "My name is Chen Tian. I'm from another place."

He had not introduced himself in a long time and had nearly forgotten how to do so. He even hesitated over where he came from.

The High Priest nodded. "I know that you came from another place, and that it is a distant place—the land you call home."

"How do you know?" Chen Tian was astonished inside and looked at the High Priest suspiciously.

Because of his identity as someone from Earth, two people in Ten Thousand Stars already knew about it! Xiao Ren, the Three Beast Gods, the mysterious person they had mentioned, and this old woman! Oh, and there was also the person named Cheng Tian who had appeared inside his mind! "Something's not right. Why do so many people know that I'm not a human from Ten Thousand Stars?" Chen Tian muttered.

The High Priest glanced at Chen Tian and smiled. "There's no need to be confused. We High Priests are born with the ability to divine the future. That is how I knew of your arrival."

"Ha, so that's how it is!" Chen Tian gave a foolish laugh and continued asking, "High Priest, what's the story behind those three statues? Why do you worship them and even offer those children as sacrifices?"

At that, the High Priest sighed before explaining, "We have lived here for generations and have never had anything that needed worshiping. The Summoning Altar was only used to commemorate our ancestors."

Chen Tian caught the hidden meaning in her words. The Three Beast Gods were not friendly toward the villagers! The High Priest continued, "More than a decade ago, the Summoning Altar suddenly let out a furious roar. When we rushed over, we saw those three stone statues standing there, claiming to be gods."

"After that, they subjected our village to endless oppression, demanding that the boys and girls in the village be offered up as sacrifices! Back then, several young people in the village learned the spells left behind by our ancestors and stood up to resist them, but in the end..."

Chen Tian's brows drew tightly together. There was no need to say the rest. Those who resisted had inevitably died at the hands of the Three Beast Gods. As three beast gods standing at the pinnacle of Ten Thousand Stars, they were beings these villagers had no power to resist.

"So, my appearance today and the fact that I drove them away were also within your divination?" Chen Tian asked.

The High Priest did not lie and admitted it. She had sensed Chen Tian's arrival, which was why she had been so fearless.

Chen Tian smiled faintly. "No wonder the villagers looked so expressionless today. So it turns out I was used as a tool again. Ha."

"A tool? What does that mean?" The High Priest stared at Chen Tian as she asked.

Chen Tian hurriedly waved his hands and laughed it off.

"High Priest, could you tell me about this place? I'm very curious." Chen Tian looked toward the villagers singing and dancing as he asked.

The High Priest did not answer Chen Tian. Instead, she urged him to eat with the villagers.

Then the High Priest turned and went back into the house, seemingly to do something. Chen Tian glanced over without saying anything. A trace of imperceptible oddness flashed through the depths of his eyes before vanishing.

"Big Brother, come eat!"

A little boy came over, grabbed Chen Tian's hand, and pulled him toward the crowd. Chen Tian recognized him as the boy who had been treated as a sacrifice that day.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" Chen Tian asked with a smile.

The little boy turned around and grinned. "No! With my papa and mama here, and all the villagers here too, I'm not afraid at all! Besides, the High Priest said that Big Brother is a good person!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Chen Tian smiled. That old woman known as the High Priest also carried a mystery akin to his own.

The villagers were extremely warm, treating Chen Tian like family. Everyone wanted to squeeze over and chat with him for a few words.

It was as if they had not taken what happened that day to heart at all.

The villagers brought out specially brewed wine to entertain Chen Tian. However, he did not like drinking. Not wanting to reject their goodwill, he raised his iron bowl and used soup in place of wine, clinking bowls with them one by one.

The families of the three children who had been offered as sacrifices came together to toast Chen Tian, thanking him for saving them. Otherwise, they truly would have lost one of their children.

Chen Tian raised his bowl and returned each toast. "There's no need to be so polite! It was only a small effort!"

The villagers' bold warmth was almost too much for Chen Tian to bear at first. However, after several rounds of conversation, he also learned a few things about the village.

For example, the village's history. They had lived here for nearly a thousand years, fighting many fierce beasts along the way before finally claiming this territory. As for their knowledge, they had learned it entirely from what their ancestors had passed down, somewhat like an inheritance.

Although the village as a whole leaned somewhat toward the primitive, it lacked none of the necessities!

From the villagers, he learned that when someone in the village was injured, the High Priest was responsible for treating them. Some people produced ironware, some manufactured tools, and some even made paper! This truly astonished Chen Tian. He could not imagine that they had figured out how to produce paper entirely on their own, without any outside help!

Chen Tian asked question after question. The villagers could not understand some of them and were not entirely clear on the answers, so they could only seek out the High Priest for an explanation.

However, Chen Tian made a discovery. Whenever he asked about the three statues, the villagers' attitudes became exceptionally flat—so flat that it made the darkness lurking behind them seem eerie and terrifying! He did not ask any further. Instead, Chen Tian continued chatting happily with the villagers. The lively banquet lasted until deep into the night, when the villagers, all drowsy beyond endurance, finally returned to their rooms.

Chen Tian rubbed his belly. The food in the village had been cooked quite well. Although it could not compare to the top luxury hotels in Hua Xia City District, it had the taste of home.

"A communal meal... I kind of miss this." Chen Tian sighed contentedly.

He then planned to leave the village, find an open area, and sleep beneath a tree.

At that moment, a figure emerged from the shadows beside a house.

Chen Tian guessed who it was and asked, "High Priest, is there something else?" He turned around and stared at the High Priest behind him. The moonlight could not reach her face, but Chen Tian could see it clearly.