165: Chapter 165 Gods?

The wind stopped, and the dust stood still in the air, as if a giant invisible hand had pressed the pause button.

Su Changge looked at the tip of the bone spear that was inches away, almost touching the tip of his nose. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, each beat feeling as if it were about to jump out of his throat.

A drop of cold sweat slowly slid down his temple and dripped onto the red soil beneath his feet, making a faint, nearly inaudible "patter."

At this moment, in this imprisoned space, it was the only sound.

He had succeeded.

He had survived.

One million emotion points had bought this brief moment of absolute control, enough to reverse life and death.

The immense sense of relief from surviving a disaster made his legs feel weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground. But he didn't dare; he forced himself to stand firm, his gaze moving past the bone spear in front of him to look at the Leader of the Black-robed People frozen in mid-air.

Then, he discovered something that made his scalp tingle.

Although these Black-robed People couldn't move their bodies, their eyes—those crimson eyes—could still move.

Su Changge's heart tightened again.

Damn it, this special effect isn't thorough enough!

At this moment, all the ferocity, cruelty, and murderous intent that had filled those eyes had vanished without a trace. In its place was an extreme, bone-deep shock.

And... an irrepressible fear, like a Mortal looking up at a natural disaster.

The Leader of the Black-robed People's eyeballs turned with difficulty, staring intently at Su Changge. That look was no longer that of someone looking at prey, but of someone looking at an indescribable, incomprehensible... God walking among men.

Su Changge's gaze then swept toward the other frozen Black-robed People in the distance.

Their expressions were exactly the same.

Shock, fear, and... awe.

Su Changge felt a slight sense of relief.

It seemed those million emotion points hadn't been spent in vain; at least he had intimidated these monsters.

But immediately after, he became nervous again.

He took a deep breath, forcing his pounding heart to calm down. He knew that special effects had a time limit. He didn't know how long this "Words Become Law: Freeze" would last. Maybe a minute, maybe only a few dozen seconds.

Once the special effect vanished, if he failed to completely cow these terrifying creatures, what awaited him would be an even more frenzied, relentless attack.

He couldn't run.

In front of these monsters whose speed far exceeded his own, turning and running was the most foolish thing he could do.

The only way to survive was to play this misunderstanding to the very end!

Su Changge frantically encouraged himself in his mind.

Act! I must act!

Act until they doubt their very lives, act until they kneel and beg for mercy!

He slowly stepped out from the narrow crevice in the rocks and stood under the blood-colored moonlight.

He straightened his somewhat weak back, reached out, and slowly tidied his robes, which had become a bit disheveled during the space traversal, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles.

The movements had to be slow, elegant, and full of style.

Su Changge silently recited the three elements of acting cool that he had summarized.

On his face, he once again wore that calm, profound, and unfathomable expression he had practiced countless times in front of the Eastern Wasteland Cultivators. It was as if the person who had just been scared to the point of his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering wasn't him at all. It was as if the bone spear before him, capable of tearing through gold and stone, was nothing more than an insignificant straw in his eyes.

He even raised his hand and, using two fingers, gently pushed aside the bone spear that had stopped right in front of the center of his forehead.

The movement was casual, like brushing aside a stray branch in his path.

The Leader of the Black-robed People's eyeballs moved even more violently, the fear in his eyes almost overflowing.

Su Changge felt a secret surge of satisfaction.

It's working!

He knew that from the moment he stepped out of the rock crevice, the performance had begun. Every subsequent movement, every look, and every word was a matter of life and death.

He had to perfectly play the role of this "God" until... he fooled the whole world.

He stepped forward and walked slowly through the imprisoned space.

He walked very slowly, each step as if he were measuring the land.

He walked up to a member of the Black-robed People who was frozen in a running posture, stopped, tilted his head slightly, and examined the other with a scrutinizing gaze.

That person's eyeballs moved frantically, his eyes filled with terror.

Su Changge reached out and lightly patted the other's shoulder.

Like he was patting a work of art.

Then, he continued walking forward.

He walked up to another member of the Black-robed People, who was frozen with his mouth wide open in a roar.

Su Changge stopped, tilted his head, and looked at the sharp fangs in the other's mouth.

"Good teeth."

He spoke softly, his tone flat, as if he were evaluating livestock.

Then, he continued walking forward.

He walked past one frozen member of the Black-robed People after another; with every one he passed, the fear in their eyes deepened.

Finally, he walked back to the Leader of the Black-robed People.

He looked up, meeting the other's crimson eyes.

Their gazes met under the blood-colored moonlight.

One was a feigned indifference, the other a heartfelt terror.

The corners of Su Changge's mouth curled up slightly into a meaningful smile.