Your God Does Not Answer Your Prayers, But... I Will (2)

"Wolves! A huge pack of Two-Headed Demon Wolves! They charged into the tribe! They're biting people everywhere! People... so many people are dead..."

The man's face twisted in pain. He suddenly bent over and vomited blood without stopping. To deliver this message, he had raced here at full speed, almost risking his life.

The hunters around him were all shocked and hurriedly gathered around.

Only then did they see the bloody claw mark across his back, a clear sign of just how tragic the tribe's situation was.

For a moment, every face was filled with shock and worry.

"Two-Headed Demon Wolves!?"

"Those are thousand-year soul beasts! Why would they suddenly attack the tribe!?"

"Don't panic... tell us slowly. What exactly happened!?"

"Were you the only one who escaped? Where are the others? Where is everyone else!?"

"..."

To safely escort this target, the tribe's few Soul Masters had all come along. Those left behind in the tribe were merely the old, the young, the sick, and the disabled. They had no ability to resist at all.

Although... even if they had been in the tribe right now, they would not have been able to change the outcome. Still, it was heartbreaking.

Those people were all their family!

"What did you say..."

Long Ling froze completely, her mind buzzing.

A wolf pack?

Two-Headed Demon Wolves!?

That wolf pack!?

She suddenly remembered the crimson Wolf King that had been left with only one head.

She remembered how, in Star Dou Forest that day, it seemed the Azure Hunt Goddess had heard her prayer and sent down divine power, blasting apart one of its wolf heads and making it flee with its tail between its legs.

But why had they come here...

Could they have come to take revenge on her!?

Most soul beasts above five thousand years had developed intelligence.

If it held a grudge and chose to retaliate, it was not impossible.

But it could have come after her. Why... why had it specifically waited until she was gone before launching a surprise attack on the tribe...

"Where's my father?" Long Ling asked, her voice trembling.

"The old... old chief, he... he's holding them off alone at the mountain pass..."

The man wiped away his tears and cried bitterly. "He told us to run first. He said he would hold them back..."

"He can't hold off those demon wolves by himself!"

Long Ling's eyes instantly reddened.

The weakest wolves in that pack were all thousand-year soul beasts, and their Wolf King was a seven-thousand-year soul beast! Even though it had lost one head and its strength had fallen greatly...

Her father was merely a Soul Elder whose foundation had been damaged. What difference was there between facing them alone and seeking death!?

"Father!!!"

Long Ling abruptly turned and leaped onto the big red horse, about to charge toward the tribe.

"Long Ling!"

Several female hunters beside her hurriedly grabbed the reins. "Long Ling, calm down! Calm down!!"

"You absolutely can't go back right now!!"

"Let go of me! My father is still there!"

"What good would it do for you to go back alone!? That's a pack of Thousand-Year Demon Wolves! If you go back, you'll only be throwing your life away!!"

"That's right, Long Ling. The old chief... he definitely wouldn't want you to go back either!"

The others were not heartless. They were just as anguished and worried.

But after weighing the situation, they knew that no matter what, they absolutely could not return to the tribe right now.

Going back now would not change anything. It would only add to the casualties...

But as long as they were alive, the tribe had not vanished. There would still be a day when they could rebuild it...

Long Ling was not ignorant of that.

But... her eyes were bloodshot, and two streams of hot tears ran down her cheeks as she cried in unbearable grief.

"Then I still have to go back!! That's my father!!!"

"..."

Chu Zisheng stood behind the crowd, watching her cry as though her heart were breaking apart.

Even as several people held her tightly, she continued struggling desperately toward the tribe.

That was her tribe, her family... and the place where she had grown up.

Over the past three days, it had been obvious how deep Long Ling's bond with her clanspeople was. They were almost like one great family, every one of them her closest kin.

It was also the tribe she had once sworn to protect.

But now it had suffered such a disaster, and even the cause of that disaster was because of her...

One could only imagine the pain in Long Ling's heart.

Chu Zisheng walked over and held the hand gripping the reins. At almost that very moment, Long Ling, whom several Soul Masters had been unable to restrain, seemed to be forcibly calmed by a powerful force and suddenly went still.

"Sister Long..."

Chu Zisheng said softly, "Even if you go back now, it'll already be too late."

"What... what did you say?"

Long Ling suddenly turned her head, tears streaming down her red eyes.

"If you rush back now, it'll take at least half a day."

Chu Zisheng spoke gently. "By the time you arrive, everything will be over."

Long Ling clenched the reins tightly, her chest heaving violently as she panted. Her mouth hung open, but she could not make a sound.

She knew Chu Zisheng was telling the truth.

She knew.

But... she just could not accept it!

"Then what am I supposed to do... what am I supposed to do... I can't even save my own father..."

She gritted her teeth as tears continuously ran down her cheeks, her entire body weak as she clenched her fists.

Once again, she hated her own weakness. Hated her own helplessness.

Since childhood, Long Ling had known that when danger came, no one would save her. She could only rely on herself.

So she cultivated desperately. With Innate Soul Power of only Rank 6, she had finally reached Rank 40 Soul Elder at the age of twenty. All she needed was to obtain her fourth soul ring, and she could advance to Battle Soul Ancestor!

She had thought she was strong enough. Strong enough not only to protect herself, but also the people she cherished.

But at this moment, she realized that she could not save anyone at all.

She could not save her father.

She could not save the tribe.

She could not save a single person she wanted to protect.

"What am I supposed to do..."

She muttered in despair, "What am I supposed to do..."

The people around her clenched their teeth, their eyes red as they silently lowered their heads. The entire convoy was immersed in an atmosphere of despair and pain.

No one had any solution.

They were only insignificant Soul Masters. If they were in the tribe right now, let alone saving others, they would not even be able to protect themselves.

Even though Long Ling was a Soul Elder, in the face of an entire tribe's tragedy, she was not much different from an ordinary person.

Suddenly.

As though she had remembered something, Long Ling leaped down from the big red horse. After several jumps, she reached the top of a nearby hill. Facing the direction of the tribe in the distance, she dropped to her knees with a thud.

She closed her eyes, clasped her hands tightly before her chest, her lips trembling slightly as she repeatedly murmured a prayer...

"Azure Hunt Goddess above..."

"Please cast down Your gaze. May You see Your believer's sincerity..."

"Please... please keep my father safe... keep the tribe safe..."

"I am willing to trade the rest of my life for their safety..."

Her voice was soft, yet devout.

At that moment.

Chu Zisheng suddenly saw that faint golden thread, so pale it was nearly invisible, emerge from the depths of her soul once again.

It was brighter than before.

A purer... Faith Power than before!

Whenever people fell into despair, they placed their hopes in illusory gods.

Long Ling had also remembered that day in the forest. When she had nearly died before the Two-Headed Demon Wolves, it seemed the Azure Hunt Goddess had heard her devout prayer and acted to save her.

So now, she prayed devoutly once more, hoping the Azure Hunt Goddess would hear her call again, act again, and save her clanspeople.

Seeing this, the others from the tribe hurriedly knelt down as well, copying her movements. They pressed their clasped hands against their foreheads and prayed devoutly.

Chu Zisheng's eyes shifted slightly.

He seemed to see specks of golden light appearing on each of those dozens of people. Though they were not as condensed as Long Ling's golden thread, they were the same kind of Faith Power!

In their despair, these people had placed their final hopes in that illusory god.

But...

Chu Zisheng sighed.

The god you believe in has never answered you, and never will...

In the wilderness, he could hear only the low roars of wild beasts. No divine miracle descended.

"..."

Chu Zisheng took a deep breath, his gaze narrowing slightly as he slowly extended his hand.

Suddenly.

The Belief Power that should have vanished seemed to find a place to return to. It transformed into tiny streams of light and flowed into his palm.

As though he had made some decision.

His figure flashed.

The next moment.

He appeared beside Long Ling atop the hill, looking down at her as she knelt in prayer.

Chu Zisheng had no intention of taking advantage of her.

He simply felt that...

If the god you believe in will not answer you...

Then...

I will.

Chu Zisheng raised his hand and lightly tapped the air with his fingertip.

"Snap."

A snap of his fingers.

It was soft.

So soft that it was almost inaudible.

But at the instant that snap rang out—

More than ten miles away, in the direction of the tribe's valley.

BOOM—!!!

A dazzling beam of golden light suddenly shot into the sky!

The pillar of light pierced the clouds, instantly illuminating the entire sky.

Making the earth tremble!

Making the air burn!!

Making the heavens fall!!!

"Buzz—!"

That blinding golden light shone clearly upon every devout face, even across dozens of miles of mountain roads.

The messenger froze.

The hunters in the convoy froze.

Everyone from the tribe froze.

Their mouths hung open as they stared at that beam of light. Tears still covered their faces, yet their expressions had shifted from despair to complete stupor.

"Th-this is... what is this...!?"

"It's a divine miracle... it's a divine miracle!!"

"The Azure Hunt Goddess has revealed herself! The Azure Hunt Goddess has truly revealed herself!!!"

"Heavens, heavens, heavens, heavens..."

Someone dropped to their knees with a thud, kowtowing until their forehead bled.

Someone cried as they crawled toward that direction, only to be held back tightly by others.

For a moment, the entire convoy descended into chaos.

Countless people knelt on the ground, crying and worshipping in the direction of that light of hope.

In their eyes, that was a divine miracle.

It was the lofty god finally lowering her gaze, answering their devout prayers, and acting to save their tribe!!!

At once, everyone fell into immense excitement and fervor.

Only Long Ling remained foolishly kneeling where she was...

She stared at that beam of light from afar, then slowly turned her head and blankly looked at the quiet young man standing beside her.

He was bathed in brilliant golden light, filled with a sacred aura, like a god walking among mortals.

"You..."

Long Ling opened her mouth, yet not a single word came out.

Because... that blinding light, that pillar of hope, had lit up from his fingertips.

Her eyes were filled with disbelief.

Chu Zisheng lowered his head to look at her and smiled.

"Your god has answered you."

Worried sick, Long Ling did not even have time to mount a horse. Instead, she mobilized all her soul power and ran back to the outskirts of the tribe in one breath, gasping for air, her face pale from the sprint.

Chu Zisheng followed behind her at an unhurried pace, looking utterly calm, as though he had come to... take a walk.

More than a dozen mounted Soul Masters were still hurrying over...

As they drew closer.

Long Ling could see that the tribe, peaceful, harmonious, and warm just yesterday, was now a field of ruins.

The watchtowers had collapsed. Black smoke rose everywhere, along with the claw marks left by the Two-Headed Demon Wolves...

Most importantly... she did not see a single living person.

Long Ling's heart leaped into her throat.

All the way there.

She had already imagined what she would have to face upon returning, her mind filled with the worst possible scenes.

Perhaps corpses strewn everywhere, perhaps cries of grief, perhaps...

But when she rushed into the valley, she froze.

Long Ling's father leaned against the entrance, covered in blood. His sole remaining arm still held an old smoking pipe as he puffed away.

"Dad!!"

Long Ling lunged forward and threw her arms around her father, weeping with joy.

Her father staggered slightly from the impact. With his pipe clenched between his teeth, he reached out and patted her back, his voice hoarse.

"What are you bawling for? Your old man isn't dead yet."

"You scared me to death... You scared me to death..."

"Enough, enough. Ram into me a few more times, and even if I wasn't dead, I soon would be."

Her father patted her back, but his gaze passed over her shoulder and settled on the quiet young man behind her.

His cloudy eyes held an indescribable expression.

When he recalled what had just happened.

Even now, he still felt dazed, as though it had not truly happened.

At that time, he had held a long blade and stood guard at the mountain pass, buying the elderly and children of the tribe time to escape.

The wolf pack had already rushed before him. Every single one was at least a Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

He was not even certain he could defeat one Two-Headed Demon Wolf alone, much less with a crimson Wolf King among them...

The pack had surrounded him completely. He had already prepared to fight for his life.

If he died, then so be it.

He had hunted Soul Beasts his entire life, only to die beneath a Soul Beast's fangs in the end.

It was a cycle of karma. He had no one to blame.

The only consolation was that his daughter had happened to be away from the tribe and would not suffer this undeserved calamity.

But just as Long Ling's father was preparing to die valiantly.

A blinding pillar of light suddenly descended!

He had felt nothing at all, as though he were merely basking in the sun.

Yet those Thousand-Year Soul Beasts seemed frightened out of their wits. They howled miserably and turned to flee...

He had lived for most of his life, yet he had never seen anything like this.

At first, he had secretly wondered whether a miracle had descended.

But when he saw Long Ling return alongside Chu Zisheng.

He seemed to understand something.

Long Ling cried for quite a while before finally calming down. She raised her head to look at her father. "Dad, are you all right? Where are you hurt?"

"It's all those beasts' blood. They didn't bite me."

Long Ling's father shook his head. After hesitating, he could not help lowering his voice to ask.

"That light just now... was it..."

Long Ling's body stiffened.

She did not answer.

She did not know how to explain it.

She only buried her face in her father's chest and said in a muffled voice, "Dad, don't ask."

Her father glanced at her, then at Chu Zisheng, who was looking at the scenery. After a moment of silence, he ultimately did not ask again.

Not long after.

"Dad, where are those beasts?"

Long Ling raised her head, wiped her face, and asked through gritted teeth, "Where did they run off to? I'm going to settle the score with them!!"

"No need to look for them."

Her father shook his head and pointed toward the woods outside the tribe.

"They're all dead."

Long Ling froze. "Dead?"

"After that light came down, those wolves went mad and ran out one after another." Long Ling's father exclaimed, still shaken. "As they ran, they dropped one by one and never got back up. Only that Wolf King may have managed to run..."

Standing several steps away, Chu Zisheng suddenly spoke. "It still has one breath left. If you go now, you can still make it."

"!!!"

Long Ling's heart lurched. She turned her head and stared blankly at Chu Zisheng.