162: Yang Lie Reborn

He swiped his finger in the air, and the Faith Mall opened.

He took a glance; the balance was still rising, adding one faith point per second.

This number of people was nothing to him.

Shen Xiaochuan didn't speak; he nodded.

After saying that, he walked toward the open space in the middle.

The summoning Formation had been drawn there last night, with golden lines carved into the ground.

He took a still-beating heart out of his Godhood space.

The heart was dark red, wrapped in pale purple mist, looking as if it had been bitten, with uneven edges.

But it was definitely beating, one beat after another, very steadily.

Ling Feng frowned and asked, "Is this his Origin?"

"Yes." Shen Xiaochuan held the heart in his palm and opened the tattered book in his hand.

The paper was very old, the handwriting blurred, and only one page was still legible.

He began to chant.

His voice was not loud, reading word by word.

Each time he recited a sentence, the purple mist faded a little.

By the third repetition, the mist suddenly stirred, as if trying to escape.

Shen Xiaochuan clenched his left hand abruptly, golden light bursting from between his fingers, suppressing the purple mist firmly.

"Don't move," he said. "You know who you belong to."

The entire area went quiet.

The new Believers dared not make a sound.

The wind stopped, and the sunlight shone on the Formation, flashing with a layer of golden light.

After the fifth repetition was finished, the last trace of purple mist vanished.

The heart's color returned to normal, beating strongly.

Shen Xiaochuan took a deep breath and walked to the stretcher.

He lifted Yang Lie's shoulder with one hand and pressed the heart into his chest with the other.

As soon as it touched, with a boom, golden light exploded.

A ring of light waves swept across; some people couldn't stand steady and backed away, Shen Yan raised his hand to shield his face, and Ling Feng dropped to the ground.

The light lasted for a few seconds before disappearing.

Yang Lie's body stiffened, his chest heaving violently.

He coughed, then gasped for air, and finally opened his eyes.

His gaze was unfocused at first, slowly gathering, and finally landing on Shen Xiaochuan's face.

"...My Lord?" His voice was very hoarse.

No one responded.

After two seconds, Yang Lie tried to stand up, but his hands went limp and he collapsed again.

But he still braced himself, kneeling on both knees, and knocked his forehead heavily against the ground.

"Your subordinate... has returned."

With a thud.

After a few seconds of silence, the crowd suddenly erupted into cheers.

The new Believers joined in, the old subordinates slapped their thighs, and some were crying.

Shen Yan lowered his head to wipe his face, and Ling Feng kicked over an empty box nearby with a laugh.

Shen Xiaochuan reached out to pull him up: "Get up. You are not a slave now; you are yourself."

Yang Lie let him pull him up; his legs were still shaking, but he stood firm.

"I remember... in the end, you were the one who rushed into the village, wielding a blade to cut down three black-armored monsters. Before I fell, I heard you say, 'This village cannot be lost'." He paused, "I didn't die, and I didn't lose face for you."

"You didn't." Shen Xiaochuan patted his shoulder, "And you won't in the future either."

He turned to face everyone.

"I called everyone here today not just to save a life." His voice raised, "Our Skydome City cannot continue to rely on one person to risk their life to survive. Now that we have resources and people, we need to change the rules."

No one below spoke.

"I announce the establishment of the position of General." He pointed to the three of them, "Shen Yan, Ling Feng, Yang Lie, from now on you are Generals. Each of you will lead ten thousand elite soldiers, and you may decide whether to fight or retreat on the battlefield without waiting for orders."

The crowd suddenly became noisy.

This was against the rules.

The military power of the God Kingdom had always been held solely by the Dominator, and splitting it carried risks.

But no one objected to these three names.

"The three of you are not subordinates to one another," Shen Xiaochuan continued. "I will divide the war zones, and responsibility will fall on each individual. Major matters must be reported, but you decide on daily operations."

Shen Yan stepped forward: "Understood. I will guard the western defense line and not let a single monster approach the city wall."

Ling Feng also spoke up: "The intelligence System will be reorganized tonight. I will make sure every outgoing squad brings back a rune stone to pass on information."

Yang Lie had just woken up and found it difficult even to stand, but he still spoke: "Give me three days to recover. After that... I want to take some people back to Liuhe Village to see. That is my home."

"Granted." Shen Xiaochuan nodded, "But there is still something to do now."

He waved his hand to bring up the sand table, and a map appeared with a Level 5 field marked with a red circle.

"The target is here. The location is remote, and no one occupies it. We are going to take it, build a stronghold, grow crops, and produce resources."

"Why not go to war directly?" someone asked.

"Because we are not strong enough yet," Shen Xiaochuan answered crisply. "Money can buy equipment, but it cannot buy experience. This time is to test the waters; three thousand people will be enough. If we win, we have a foothold; if we lose, we can still retreat fully."

"Who will lead the team?" Ling Feng asked.

"I will go. You three pick the people, select three thousand elites, prioritizing those with good physical condition and strong willpower. The others will be assigned to logistics; building roads, transporting goods, and constructing houses are equally important."

Once the order was given, everyone moved immediately.

Shen Yan took out the roster and started selecting people, Ling Feng gathered messengers to arrange the screening, and although Yang Lie was weak, he walked to the front of the new Believers' ranks to personally check everyone's condition.

Two hours later, the roster was finalized.

Three thousand people put on armor and lined up, uniformly issued with spears and short axes, and dry food bags hung on their backs.

Each person had a lighting rune stone tucked into their waist, which was part of the first batch of supplies sent by Qiao Yao.

Shen Xiaochuan walked past the ranks one by one, looking at their faces, their eyes, and their posture.

Halfway through, he stopped and pointed at a young soldier in the back row: "You, why did you come?"

The man was stunned: "My home is in the north of the mountains. Last year, our fields were destroyed by strange beasts, and my parents starved to death. I heard that Skydome City was accepting refugees, providing food, and offering a chance to turn things around by fighting... so I came."

"Are you afraid of dying?"

"I am. But I am more afraid of living on my knees for the rest of my life."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded and continued walking forward.

After the inspection, he returned to the East Gate.

The team was ready, the carriages were fully loaded with supplies, and the scouts for pathfinding had already set off.

Shen Yan stayed behind to guard the city, while Ling Feng accompanied the expedition, standing on the left side of the Vanguard Battalion.

Yang Lie should have rested, but he insisted on walking to the gate, leaning on a wooden stick to watch.

"You are not leaving?" Shen Xiaochuan asked him.

"I can still stand." Yang Lie smiled bitterly, "At least... I can see you all off."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't say much, just patted his shoulder.

Then he swung onto his horse and raised his right hand.

"Set off!"

The sound of hooves rang out, and dust flew up.

Three thousand elite soldiers marched out of the East Gate, heading west along the main road.

On the city wall, the statue of Glory stood silently.

The sunlight shone on its face, as if it were smiling.

Several refugees who had just entered the city knelt and kowtowed, shouting "Savior" and "Living Bodhisattva."

From the newly built school in the city came the sound of reading, nurses at the Hospital were distributing water purification equipment, and children gathered around the fountain, catching water with their hands to drink.

Shen Xiaochuan rode on his horse and looked back.

Skydome City grew smaller and smaller, finally becoming a dot on the horizon.

He withdrew his gaze and tightened his grip on the reins.

The mountain road ahead was winding, and the woods obscured the path.

The wind blew over, carrying the scent of soil.

The standard-bearer at the head of the column held the battle flag high, the fabric flapping loudly.

Embroidered on the flag were four large characters: Protect the Land, Pacify the People.