4: It's God, we are saved.

Nan Shu Village is to the northwest of Chang Sheng Village, with only about two kilometers separating them. Continuing north for another kilometer would lead to Da Li Village.

The surrounding villages are all within the territory designated by the Mountain God. That Mountain God is tyrannical and overbearing, treating the villagers as his private property, manipulating them at will.

Precisely because of this, no other demons or monsters would come to harass this area. Liu Chunsheng and his companions' trip, theoretically speaking, would not encounter any danger.

Without further ado, Liu Chunsheng chose Xu Tian and Qian Shi, and they set off.

There was a reason for bringing them along: Xu Tian's maternal uncle's family was in Nan Shu Village, while Qian Shi's paternal aunt's family was in Da Li Village. As the saying goes, "it's easier to get things done when you have connections in high places." In these remote and secluded small villages, having acquaintances to bridge connections and inquire about news would undoubtedly be much more convenient.

No sooner had Liu Chunsheng and the two others left than the village chief and his group silently gathered in the ancestral hall, anxiously waiting.

Everyone gazed expectantly towards the village entrance, longing to know the situation in the neighboring villages immediately.

"It would be great if the Mountain God were gone!" someone whispered in a low voice, their words full of yearning.

"Don't talk nonsense, do you want to die?!" The person next to him, upon hearing this, immediately changed expression and quickly reprimanded, his eyes filled with fear.

"What's there to be afraid of? Our village is now protected by an immortal. I'll say it!" Another person, emboldened, raised his voice.

"If you have the guts, kill me!"

"You... you are unreasonable!" Both sides argued, on the verge of a quarrel.

Village Chief Li Fu, seeing this, waved his hand helplessly, and the scene immediately quieted down, leaving only the sound of everyone's breathing.

In a corner invisible to everyone's naked eyes, Lin Chuping also waited quietly.

He was new here; apart from mechanically issuing missions and exchanging Divine Power, the System had not yet shown any other practical functions. He was also clueless about the basic situation of this world.

Lin Chuping had clearly heard the villagers' conversation just now.

There really are evil things!

Moreover, it wasn't just Chang Sheng Village sacrificing living people to the Mountain God; the surrounding villages were doing the same. This world was truly terrifying.

Fortunately, he had Transmigrated into a wild god. If he had directly possessed an ordinary person, in this dark and hopeless world, that would truly be a "Hell mode" start.

However, what kind of Prodigy dared to brazenly call himself a Mountain God? This was utterly arrogant and courting Death!

Lin Chuping wondered why the righteous gods in this world did not step forward to manage things, allowing these evil spirits to run rampant.

The black mist he had killed yesterday, according to the System's notification, was a Spirit Rank ghost, weak in strength. It was certainly not the Mountain God himself, but at most one of his underlings.

Killing the small one would attract the big one.

Lin Chuping knew in his heart that he had probably stirred up trouble this time.

Although it was a bit tricky, he was not afraid at all; instead, he was eager to try.

He held a Heaven-Defying System and harbored grand ambitions, determined to become the supreme god. In his eyes, all these monsters were just experience packs delivered to his doorstep. What was a small Mountain God to fear?

As noon approached, Liu Chunsheng, along with Xu Tian and Qian Shi, hurried back.

The three had solemn expressions and hurried footsteps, indicating that the situation was not optimistic.

Sure enough, as soon as he stepped through the ancestral hall door, Liu Chunsheng spoke breathlessly: "Village Chief, yesterday... the offerings from both villages all disappeared."

With that, he quickly walked to the table, picked up the water on it, and took a big gulp. After catching his breath, he continued.

"After we arrived at Nan Shu Village, we went straight to Xu Tian's maternal uncle's house. Yesterday, the chosen offering from Nan Shu Village happened to be Xu Tian's maternal uncle's nephew. When we arrived, everyone in the house was crying."

Liu Chunsheng paused here, secretly glancing at Xu Tian, seeing that he was emotionally stable.

Then he continued: "And the offering from Da Li Village, a young girl, is also gone... That's the situation."

The three spoke one after another, and in a short while, they recounted all the information they had gathered.

After hearing their account, everyone's hanging hearts completely sank.

The Mountain God had not died. The reason why Chang Sheng Village's offering was not taken this time was entirely due to the immortal's protection, but what about next time?

No one could say for sure; perhaps the Mountain God would retaliate even more fiercely.

Village Chief Li Fu remained silent for a long time, then slowly spoke: "Did you mention our village's situation to anyone?"

Xu Tian, hearing this, lowered his head in shame and stammered: "Village... Village Chief, I'm sorry."

Today, at his maternal uncle's house, Xu Tian looked at his uncle's numb and desperate face, feeling truly unbearable. In a moment of weakness, he told his uncle about his village's offering not disappearing yesterday.

His uncle's family already had a tragic fate; they had three sons and one daughter in total. His eldest male cousin, second male cousin, and eldest female cousin had all been sacrificed to the Mountain God, leaving only his youngest male cousin, who was not yet ten years old.

His aunt, unable to bear the successive blows, had already become mentally unstable a few years ago. His uncle, not yet fifty, now had a full head of white hair and a withered appearance.

All these tragedies were thanks to that hateful Mountain God!

Xu Tian recalled his childhood, when his uncle had been very caring towards him, always tirelessly digging bird eggs for him to satisfy his cravings, and occasionally managing to get precious candies from who knows where.

In this era of extreme scarcity, candy was undoubtedly an extremely rare treasure.

"Why did you tell them? Are you trying to kill everyone?"

Liu Cuihua, being straightforward, immediately shouted loudly upon hearing this.

The village chief also sighed, lamenting: "Alas, telling this, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse."

Many villagers were also worried.

"If those two exposed this matter, will the immortal no longer protect us?"

Xu Tian and Qian Shi, hearing this, turned pale with fright, their legs weak.

If the immortal were to become angry because of this and no longer protect the village, then they would become the sinners of the entire village, deserving of ten thousand deaths.

Xu Tian and Qian Shi's legs went weak, and with a "thump," they knelt directly on the ground, pleading with trembling voices: "Village Chief, what... what should we do?"

"Village Chief, if this matter offends the deity, we are willing to die to atone for our sins."

Liu Chunsheng, usually quick-witted, also didn't expect things to be so serious. He quickly knelt down, blaming himself: "Village Chief, it's my fault. I didn't think so much."

"Enough. If you two wish to apologize, go and sincerely apologize before the divine statue. If the deity forgives you, then so be it. If..."

The village chief didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood the deeper meaning.

Chang Sheng Village had been under the control of the Mountain God for a full ten years. The once prosperous large village-town with over 200 households gradually declined under the Mountain God's rampage, now reduced to this small village of only twenty-six households.

Every year, as many as 24 young adults were sacrificed on the first and fifteenth of each month alone, plus additional sacrifices during festivals, meaning at least 30 people became offerings to the Mountain God each year.

For ten whole years, over 300 young adults were devoured by the Mountain God. The remaining villagers were all old, weak, sick, and disabled, with fewer and fewer children. The entire village was filled with Death Qi.

If they lost the immortal's protection this time, San Wazi, Liu Chunsheng, Xu Tian, and Qian Shi, these young men, would likely follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and become sacrifices to the Mountain God within three months.

The village chief sighed helplessly, instructed the others to burn incense at San Wazi's house every day, and then sent everyone home.

Whether Chang Sheng Village could break free from the Mountain God's control in the future would depend on the changes that occurred after half a month.

No one wanted to die if they could live.

Lin Chuping stood by, anxious but helpless, stamping his feet in frustration.

He wasn't angry!

Unfortunately, the people around him couldn't see him at all.

The more Lin Chuping looked at Xu Tian and Qian Shi, the more he felt they were his "lucky stars."

More people knowing of his existence meant more people would come to burn incense, and the day he became powerful would be just around the corner.

If he only relied on the mere dozens of people in Chang Sheng Village, how long would it take!

An hour later, Lin Chuping, hidden within the divine statue, looked at Xu Tian and Qian Shi kneeling before him—oh no, and Liu Chunsheng, who followed closely behind, also kneeling—and irritably scratched his hair.

These three immediately recounted the morning's events from beginning to end. When they got to emotional parts, they cried profusely, shedding tears and snot, making it somewhat unbearable to watch.

However, these three were too stubborn. They had been kneeling for a full hour and still refused to leave, as if they would not give up unless he forgave them.

This stumped Lin Chuping. The problem was: how could he let these three know that he wasn't angry?

He couldn't possibly hit them, could he? After all, these were all his "little darlings" who contributed incense value.

Lin Chuping glanced at his meager 520 points of incense value and gritted his teeth.

Fine, take from the people, use for the people. He exchanged one point of Divine Power value, and then, the Divine Power moved with his will, directly emanating outwards.

"Whether it works or not depends on this one time. I hope you three are smart enough."

Lin Chuping muttered to himself.

In an instant, a brilliant golden light burst forth from thin air, instantly enveloping the three figures.

"Brother Chunsheng, do you feel anything strange?"

Xu Tian's face was full of astonishment. It wasn't an illusion; he clearly saw the divine statue emit a dazzling golden light, and then he was enveloped by this golden light. His whole body felt as if a warm current had been injected into it, filling him with strength. Even his legs, numb from kneeling for an hour, now regained sensation, as if the legendary Ren and Du meridians had been unblocked.

"The immortal has just manifested!"

The three exchanged glances, then kowtowed repeatedly, "Immortal bless! | Immortal bless!!!"

Chang Sheng Village was saved!