125: Immortal Heart
"We survived!"
The villagers were stunned for a moment, then suddenly erupted in a torrent of cheers.
Li Fu was the first to fall to his knees with a thud, murky tears streaming down his deeply lined face. He cried out in a trembling voice,
"Lord Chuping! You are our divine savior!"
In the blink of an eye, old and young alike in the entire village prostrated themselves on the ground, their foreheads pressed against the damp earth, kowtowing heavily.
Mud seeped into their collars, crawling down their necks, but no one cared.
A few children curiously lifted their heads, only to have their adults press down on the backs of their heads, making them thud into the muddy water.
"If not for Lord Chuping, our entire village would have turned into mummies!"
"I've lived for so many years, and I've never seen anything so terrifying. It even managed to dig up bodies that had been buried for so long."
"Yes, I certainly don't want to die for so many years and then be dragged out to work like an ox or a horse."
"Temple Official Liu, Temple Official Shen, a grand sacrifice, this time we must have a grand sacrifice!"
"Yes, yes, we must let Lord Chuping see our sincerity."
"..."
Everyone was filled with the joy of surviving a catastrophe, as if worshipping Lord Chuping was the happiest thing in the world.
Faith is such a strange thing.
It can make individuals suppress their physiological instincts, make people forget their difficult circumstances, unleash unprecedented power, make people crush their lives, and mix them into mud to sculpt a divine image.
Lin Chuping was their faith, the God who endowed their Souls with power.
Everyone knelt in pious worship, prostrating themselves, offering themselves.
* * *
Lin Chuping stood in mid-air, looking at the figures prostrate on the ground, his emotions complex.
Although he, Lin Chuping, was now the deity they worshipped, Lin Chuping himself didn't quite understand this relationship.
It was like he could never pin his hopes for survival on others.
Even if the other party was a thousand times more powerful than him.
What Lin Chuping felt more was the incense value after the System's concretization, a tangible number that was his source of power and his motivation to strive.
However, he felt the villagers' enthusiasm and was willing to respond.
Lin Chuping didn't linger. He raised his hand, and a gentle golden light spilled from his palm, enveloping the entire area. This was him casting the divine art of Blessing.
Everyone felt a warmth spread through their bodies, and they felt lighter. But when they looked up again, Lord Chuping was already gone.
* * *
"System, what's the use of this Undying Heart?"
Lin Chuping returned to the temple, holding the dark crystal in his palm, toying with it.
The blood-red patterns inside the crystal slowly writhed in the dim candlelight, as if alive.
The System's electronic voice sounded, carrying the cold hardness unique to metal.
"[Detecting special energy body 'Undying Heart', analyzing...]"
"[...Analysis complete. This item is the core energy source of a Corpse Demon. Its essence is a solidified aggregate of Law fragments and death energy.]"
"Law fragments?"
In Lin Chuping's understanding, Law was a very Advanced thing; only Saints and Great Emperors were worthy of possessing it.
Those who mastered Law were all individuals who had reached the pinnacle in a certain aspect. How could Law fragments appear on such an ugly Corpse Demon?
And how did he obtain it so easily?
Is this reasonable? Is it appropriate?
"[Host, Law has strengths and weaknesses, and this is just a small Law fragment.]"
Perhaps the Corpse Demon was just lucky.
"What kind of Law fragment is this?"
"[Devouring Law: Can devour the life force of living beings for its own use. Although the Devouring Law is a fragment, it already contains the essence of devouring, capable of plundering the life force of all things to nourish itself. However, the Host must be careful, this Law is extremely dangerous; a slight carelessness will lead to a backlash, turning you into a monster that only knows how to devour.]"
"A monster that only knows how to devour, like a Corpse Demon?"
Lin Chuping frowned slightly, looking at the dark Undying Heart in his hand, feeling some hesitation.
This thing sounded impressive, but the risk was too great.
"System, if I absorb this Law fragment, what will be the success rate?"
Lin Chuping asked.
"[Evaluating. With the Host's current strength, the success rate of direct absorption is less than 30%, and there is a high probability of losing yourself. It is recommended that the Host first nourish it with incense value and reconsider after your strength improves.]"
Lin Chuping nodded and put the Undying Heart into his spatial storage.
30% was still too low; he would have to wait until there was a 99% chance for it to be perfect.
"System, now that the Corpse Demon is gone, is Yan Province safe? Can this be classified as our jurisdiction?"
Lin Chuping stroked his chin, looking at the gradually rising cooking smoke outside the temple.
After the villagers received the Blessing, this heavy rain would not only prevent them from getting sick but also bring unexpected benefits. Now, the women and children were fetching water to cook rice porridge, and the bolder ones had already started organizing people to clean up the battlefield.
Although the previous incident with the rat plague made him somewhat resistant to Yan Province, he wouldn't condemn everyone with one stroke.
"[Host, the System has not detected any value in Yan Province for inclusion in the jurisdiction.]"
"What does that mean? How can such a large area have no value?"
Could everyone be dead?!