"What are you?"
"Humans?"
"No, you're nothing but a swarm of insects!"
"Without gods, you wouldn't even be able to make fire!"
"Without gods, a single rainstorm could drown you all!"
"Without me, you would have long since become demon food!"
At that moment, Stream Earl stopped pretending—or rather, he had never pretended in the first place.
If not for Faith Power, he would never have spared these people a glance.
Now that they dared smash his statue, they were simply courting death.
Xu Changqing was just about to go save them when a hand pressed down on him.
He turned and found Zhang Daoxuan.
Xu Changqing asked in confusion, "Why are you stopping me?"
"Let me ask you."
Zhang Daoxuan said in a deep voice, "If you rush out now, save these people, and drive Stream Earl away, how do you think they'll react?"
Xu Changqing frowned. "Gratitude?"
"Exactly. Gratitude."
Zhang Daoxuan nodded. "They'll be grateful to you and see you as their savior.
But what happens afterward?
Once we leave, will Stream Earl come back?
Will other gods come?
Will they be afraid?
And once they're afraid, what will they do?
In the end, they'll still erect statues to the gods, kowtow even more, and offer even more sacrifices!"
Xu Changqing's expression shifted slightly after hearing this. "You mean..."
Zhang Daoxuan drew a deep breath. "We can save them for a moment, but not for a lifetime.
There are so many humans. We can't save them all just by rescuing them."
Xu Changqing looked ahead anxiously. "But that man is about to die!"
"Die... so what."
Zhang Daoxuan waved a hand. "If you save them now, they'll only remember it for a while!
Only despair, even death, can make them remember for a lifetime!"
Xu Changqing opened his