169: Chapter 169 A Gift from the Gods? No, It's a Tribute!

The Black-robed People leader's body was shaking uncontrollably. Beneath his sturdy frame, the hard frozen earth had cracked at the edges of the pits created by his knees.

He was the person closest to Su Changge, and also the first offender to throw a bone spear and initiate an attack.

Therefore, the fear that exploded from the depths of his Divine Soul was far more vivid and profound than that of any of his tribesmen.

One finger.

With just a single point of a finger, the Blood Rock Holy Mountain, which carried the faith and Foundation of their entire clan, was reduced to dust filling the sky.

This scene had shattered the sky of his cognition and crushed the worldview he had built his entire life.

In his understanding, this could no longer be described by the word "powerful."

That was the creation of the world; that was the reshaping of the cosmos.

That was a Domain only reachable by the ancient gods of legend, who held the authority of creation and destruction.

And he himself, how ignorant and arrogant he had been just moments ago, to dare throw that bone spear tainted with Mortal aura at a god walking in the Mortal world.

This thought turned into billions of sharp needles, repeatedly piercing his Divine Soul. Every breath was a slow torture; the pain and regret were almost enough to completely overwhelm his consciousness and make him pass out.

He prostrated, that head which had once been so warlike and arrogant now pressed hard against the cold ground, lacking even the courage to lift his eyelids to gaze up at that figure in white.

He merely trembled, mobilizing every remaining bit of strength, and with a gesture bordering on pilgrimage, carefully brought out an object from the inner lining of his chest.

It was a crystal, about the size of an adult man's fist.

The crystal's shape was irregular, yet its edges were smooth and rounded, not like it had been polished by human hands, but more like it had been eroded by endless water over billions of years in the river of time.

Its entire body glowed with a magnificent and eerie blood color, not a dead, dark red. Inside, visible streams of light slowly swirled; every circulation pulled at the Void Realm, emitting waves of profound and majestic energy.

The essence of this energy originated from the same source as the violent Qi pervasive in this world.

However, if the aura in the air could be likened to turbid mud, then the energy contained within this crystal was a ten-thousand-year jade marrow, a hundred times purer and a thousand times denser.

Just by holding it in his palm, streams of warm and powerful energy flowed through his arm Meridians, pouring into his body and silently nourishing his flesh and Divine Soul, which were nearly dried up from fear.

This object was the supreme holy relic of their tribe.

It was the "Blood Rock Heart," formed in the deepest part of the Blood Rock Holy Mountain that had already been reduced to powder, within the core of the earth's veins, gathering the essence of heaven and earth, with only one being born every hundred years.

Only the strongest in the clan, those who stood out with absolute strength, were qualified to hold it as a token of the leader and a source of power.

But at this moment, this newly appointed leader had no hesitation or reluctance in his heart.

With hands trembling violently from fear and piety, he raised this blood-colored crystal high above his head.

In his humility, he offered this, which in his understanding was the most precious and only offering that could represent his entire tribe, in the direction of Su Changge.

He dared not beg for forgiveness; he only prayed that this god, angered by his despicable actions, would see fit to grant him and his tribesmen a quick death rather than eternal divine punishment in exchange for this meager gift.

In the distance, Su Changge's eyes were calm as an ancient well, quietly watching this ant prostrate on the ground and the offering held high.

His heart, which had been beating violently from forcibly activating the "One Finger Extinction," had completely calmed down as the torrent of faith continued to pour in. The feeling of weakness from his exhausted body was also slowly fading.

Only now did he truly confirm that he had won.

In this cruel world that followed the most primitive Laws of the jungle, where might makes right, a peak-level "performance" was better than ten thousand troops, better than ten thousand words. It was the best amulet and the strongest pass.

He did not choose conquest, nor did he choose slaughter.

He simply used a spectacle so gorgeous and extravagant that he successfully molded himself into a "divine existence" they couldn't even look at without burning their eyes, one they could only worship.

His gaze fell on the leader of the Black-robed People, who was holding the crystal high and shaking so hard he was almost falling apart.

On Su Changge's face, there was still no trace of the emotional fluctuations a human should have.

He finally took a step.

One step, another step, walking slowly towards the group of prostrating Black-robed People.

His pace was not fast; one could even say it was slow. Each step landed silently, as if treading on the Void Realm. Yet, these silent footsteps turned into the heaviest celestial drums, beating precisely on the hearts of all the Black-robed People, one beat at a time.

"Thump..."

"Thump..."

As he approached, the trembling of the kneeling figures became more violent. A few Black-robed People with weaker wills were even foaming at the mouth, their Divine Souls on the verge of collapse under the extreme pressure.

Su Changge's footsteps finally stopped in front of the leader.

He did not look at the lowly prostrating tribe leader, nor did he even lower his gaze.

His eyes remained fixed on the ruins of the holy mountain in the distance, his expression distant and indifferent. The tribe leader before him, who controlled the life and death of thousands, seemed no different from a pebble under his feet.

He simply reached out his hand.

It was a slender, bony hand, so fair it didn't look Mortal.

His movements were calm and unhurried, ignoring the leader of the Black-robed People who was kneeling on the ground with his head almost buried in the frozen earth, and took the blood-colored crystal directly from his upraised hands.

As he took the crystal, a feeling of warmth came from his palm. Immediately after, a vast, ocean-like pure energy surged through his Meridians, wanting to rush into his body. The magnitude of this energy made even Su Changge, who had seen all kinds of Heaven And Earth Treasures, tremble in his heart.

And the moment he grasped the crystal, the silent System panel timely displayed cold text in his mind.

【Ding! Detected high-purity unknown source energy crystal.】

【This crystal can be directly absorbed and is expected to be converted into a large amount of emotion points.】

【Absorb immediately?】

"Absorb!"

These two words were almost about to break through his throat and escape his lips.

However, the intent about to be spoken was forcibly strangled in the depths of his Divine Soul by his strong self-control.

No.

Absolutely must not absorb it.

At least, not right now, not in front of this group of "believers."

His thoughts raced, instantly analyzing the pros and cons.

Would a true god care about a mere glowing stone offered by Mortal creatures?

No.

A god would only think this is the duty of ants, a matter-of-course offering, and wouldn't even have the interest to take a second look.

If he showed even the slightest desire for this crystal, even if his gaze lingered on it for a moment longer, it would instantly shatter the "indifference" and "transcendence" he had spent such a huge price to painstakingly build.

Gods do not have the emotion of "need."

Once there is a need, there is a flaw.

In this unknown place filled with crises, any tiny flaw could lead to complete destruction.

Su Changge instantly made a decision.

He did not execute the absorption command, and even his fingers holding the crystal did not change in the slightest.

He just held the blood-colored crystal casually and loosely in his palm, a posture no different from holding a pebble picked up from the side of the road.

Then, with eyes that were cold and without a trace of Impurities, as calm as if reflecting the eternal Void Realm, he slowly swept over all the Black-robed People prostrate on the ground.

His gaze did not linger on anyone.

That look was like an invisible celestial wind, scraping inch by inch over their trembling bodies.

He was waiting.

Waiting to see their next move after offering the most precious tribute.

That would determine whether he should bestow "divine grace" or inflict "divine punishment."

And this group of "believers," who had been completely terrified and had his supreme majesty branded into their Divine Souls.