14: Chapter 14 I am a god

"Next, I ask and you answer."

Qin Ling said indifferently.

Hu Gu's life was in Qin Ling's hands, so naturally she told him everything she knew.

Qin Ling quickly learned that these three traveling merchants, whom he had taken for cultivators, were actually martial artists.

The path these martial artists practiced was Qi and Blood Martial Arts, which was why the three traveling merchants possessed such intensely vigorous qi and blood under Qin Ling's investigation.

With the perceptive ability of Qin Ling's current cultivation base, he could easily sense the vigorous blood qi of martial artists.

In addition, Qin Ling also inquired about the realms of martial arts in this world.

He had always wanted to know what level his current cultivation was at.

Although, judging from the current situation, his Incense Realm cultivation and the martial arts of qi and blood martial artists were entirely different extraordinary systems,

since both were cultivation nonetheless, their cultivation levels could still be compared.

Facing Qin Ling's inquiry about martial arts cultivation, Hu Gu felt somewhat strange, but still slowly recounted it.

The martial arts in this world were divided into a total of Nine-Turns.

Furthermore, not everyone could become a martial artist; wanting to become one required being born with vigorous qi and blood.

Innate qi and blood were equivalent to a martial artist's talent. The more vigorous one's innate qi and blood, the stronger the talent they possessed.

As for those with insufficient innate qi and blood, the chance of becoming a martial artist later in life was negligible.

This was also the reason why martial artists were so rare.

Among the three traveling merchants, Hu Gu and Hu Ba were both First-Turn martial artists.

Qin Ling was not surprised by this. After all, he had already deduced it when Qin Yin previously used a Primary Golden Light Talisman to kill Hu Ba.

As for Hu Fu, he was indeed a martial artist one grade higher than the two of them, but he was only at the mid-stage of the Second-Turn.

The martial arts cultivation of each turn was divided into the early stage, mid-stage, late stage, and peak.

Listening to Hu Gu's narration, Qin Ling felt that his current cultivation at [Incense Realm 30%] was roughly equivalent to the peak of the Second-Turn in martial arts.

After learning about the martial artists and Qi and Blood Martial Arts of this world, he looked at Hu Gu and asked,

"Since you are human martial artists, why did you abduct young boys and girls?"

Hu Gu lowered her head and clenched her teeth.

"It is for sacrifice."

"Sacrificed to whom?"

"Lord Huang Zu."

Hu Gu's voice grew lower.

"That is the great demon behind you."

Qin Ling raised an eyebrow and continued to ask,

"Yes."

Hu Gu nodded.

"So that aura on your bodies is demonic qi?"

Qin Ling waved his hand in front of his nose to fan the air.

He had sensed a strange aura on the bodies of these three traveling merchants early on.

It was just that he couldn't confirm it at the time; after all, since coming to this world, he had seen evil spirits, but he had yet to see a true demon.

"Yes, what is on my body is the aura of Lord Huang Zu."

Hu Gu nodded desperately.

"You are human martial artists, why must you attach yourselves to a demon?"

Qin Ling questioned.

"If we don't attach ourselves to a great demon, what else can we attach ourselves to?"

Hu Gu asked in return.

This time, fear was no longer on her face, but rather a kind of confusion.

"In this world, the strong prey on the weak. With our meager cultivation, if we don't attach ourselves to a great demon, who else can we depend on?"

"In front of evil spirits, weak martial artists like us have no resistance at all. Only by attaching ourselves to a great demon can we live longer."

Qin Ling was silent for a moment before asking in return,

"Why not attach yourselves to a deity?"

Hu Gu was stunned.

She suddenly gave a small chuckle, feeling from the bottom of her heart that the other party was joking.

"How could there be any deities in this world?"

Hu Gu put away that trace of a smile and lowered her head.

"I have lived for all these years and have never seen any deities. Temples do exist, but among those clay and wooden statues enshrined inside, which one has ever protected humanity? Most of them are just frauds playing at being gods and ghosts."

She paused, as if thinking of something, and looked up at the figure in front of her.

She could not go on.

In her view, the Qin Ling before her was also just one of those frauds playing at being gods and ghosts.

Hu Gu felt that the other party was simply a great demon, and staying in this fishing village was merely treating the young boys and girls as his own rations.

And the act of the three of them abducting the young boys and girls had triggered his territorial protectiveness over food.

That was why the other party killed Hu Ba and Hu Fu with just a huff of breath!

Poor Hu Ba and Hu Fu had been huffed to death just like that!

Qin Ling did not rush to speak; Hu Gu's words echoed in his mind.

"How could there be any deities in this world?"

"Most are just frauds playing at being gods and ghosts?"

At this moment, Qin Ling suddenly realized that a wild deity like him might not be very common in this world!

At least not common nowadays!

Qin Ling looked at Hu Gu and spoke again to ask,

"Hu Gu, you said before that you are attached to Huang Zu. Then what is this Huang Zu's strength?"

"He is at the peak of the Third-Turn, and Lord Huang Zu devouring the young boys and girls this time is precisely to advance to the Fourth-Turn!"

"With Lord Huang Zu's talent, this advancement to the Fourth-Turn is guaranteed to succeed!"

Hu Gu's eyes lit up.

She knew that the stronger Huang Zu's strength was, the more wary the fellow in front of her would be.

Then, the probability of her surviving would be even greater!

If she weren't afraid that speaking too ridiculously would anger the other party, she would have even wanted to say that Huang Zu was at the peak of the Nine-Turns!

"Peak of the Third-Turn?"

"Guaranteed to succeed at the Fourth-Turn?"

"That sounds pretty arrogant..."

Qin Ling smacked his lips, and immediately threw a punch downward, slamming his divine power-filled fist into Hu Gu's chest.

"Bang!"

Hu Gu's body flew out like a tattered sack, rolling seven or eight times before stopping, practically recreating Hu Fu's end.

She lay flat on the ground, a large mouthful of fresh blood gushing from her mouth and staining the soil beneath her red.

Struggling to crawl up, she found that she could no longer move.

Hu Gu raised her head, looking at the figure standing under the moonlight.

"Why... why?"

Qin Ling walked up to her and looked down at her.

The moonlight fell on his face, devoid of any expression.

"Because those sins have already been committed by you."

"Furthermore, I am not a monster."

Qin Ling said indifferently.

Hu Gu opened her mouth.

Foamy blood gushed out, blocking her throat.

Using her very last ounce of strength, she squeezed out a few words:

"What on earth are you..."

Qin Ling looked down at her.

Under the moonlight, his voice said calmly,

"I am a deity, a deity that protects humanity."

Hu Gu's eyes widened slightly.

She stared at that emotionless face, staring at the gradually fading silhouette under the moonlight.

Her expression suddenly turned extremely complicated.

Could there really be deities in this world?

The corners of her mouth twitched, as if she wanted to smile, yet also as if she wanted to cry.

Finally, that breath was cut off at last.

Hu Gu's eyes were still open, gazing at that patch of night sky under the moonlight.

The expression on her face froze forever at this very instant.

After killing Hu Gu, Qin Ling turned around and looked at that stack of firewood.

He naturally had sensed the two children hidden within it by Hu Gu.

He gently pushed aside the firewood on the outside and saw two children curled up in the innermost depths.

At this moment, these two children were still unconscious.

He reached out, gathered the two children inside into his arms, and then turned to dash towards the direction of the temple.

In this way, all the children of Qin Family Village had been found.

Under his protection, not a single child was abducted.