Chapter 135: Lord Envoy!

The little girl pursed her lips, turning her head away in stubborn silence.

Seeing Song Qi, the man and woman behind her began to curse vehemently. The woman spat on the ground.

"You lackeys of the Witch Master, acting as accomplices! You’ve sacrificed countless children already!"

"And now you’re here playing the good guy?"

"I spit on you!"

"If you have the guts, just kill us! The warriors of the Long River Tribe will surely avenge us!"

Witch Master? Sacrifices? The Long River Tribe?

Hearing these terms, Song Qi did not get angry. Instead, a look of realization dawned on him. It seemed the humans of the Third Continent possessed a civilization entirely different from that of the Thirteen Districts.

It was a tribal civilization.

However, the level of development appeared quite primitive. From the looks of it, they were still using living human beings as sacrificial offerings, primarily children. Based on their words, there was also this so-called "Witch Master" who had been hunting them down.

"Are you from the Long River Tribe?"

"And who is this Witch Master?"

"Rest assured, we don't know anything about this so-called Witch Master."

Song Qi held a lollipop out toward the little girl, signaling for her to try it. She hesitated for a moment, but perhaps overcome by hunger, she took a bite.

Then...

"Mmm~"

A sound of indescribable bliss escaped her lips.

It was, after all, sugar—a resource that could even be classified as a strategic commodity in the modern era, one of the few things capable of boosting serotonin and stimulating the brain to release dopamine. As soon as the sweetness hit her tongue, the look the girl gave Song Qi softened significantly.

"Heh... still putting on an act?"

The man showed no sign of believing them and spat a glob of thick phlegm. Song Qi tilted his head, dodging it with ease.

Chu Shaojiang narrowed his eyes, a short blade appearing in his hand as he barked, "I think you're looking to die!"

With that, two cold glints flashed through the air!

The two captives felt a chill at their throats, followed by a sharp sting! Bright red blood began to trickle out...

Chu Shaojiang’s precision was impeccable. The blades had nearly pierced their carotid arteries, but stopped just short. It was enough for them to feel the kiss of death without actually dying. Their expressions shifted instantly from fury to terror.

Chu Shaojiang didn't seem finished; he stepped closer, his face dark and wielding the dagger, acting as if he were about to deliver the final blow.

Good cop, bad cop? Song Qi understood Chu Shaojiang’s intention immediately and stepped forward.

"Enough!"

*Slap!*

Song Qi held back Chu Shaojiang, frowning as he scolded him. "We are all of the human race; we should be helping each other, not resorting to violence at the slightest disagreement! Untie them, now!"

"Boss, why bother with them? In my opinion, we should just finish them off!"

"Shut it! Who’s the boss here, you or me?"

Hearing this, Chu Shaojiang appeared unwilling but cupped his hands in a gesture of submission and sliced through the ropes.

The three captives were finally restored to freedom. However, when they looked up, they found Chu Shaojiang’s expression still menacing, as if he might strike them down at any moment.

Song Qi, conversely, wore a warm smile and produced two snacks.

"My apologies, truly. My brother has a rather volatile temper, and sometimes I can't keep him in check. Consider this a token of apology for his earlier offense."

With that, he pressed the snacks into their hands. These were high-end treats he had intended to bring back for his own family.

The two adults, draped in animal skins, exchanged glances. Their resolve began to waver. Even if they didn't recognize the packaging, they could sense the value of such an item. More importantly, they had never seen anything like this before—it was certainly not something the Witch Master could provide.

The man touched the blood on his neck, lingering fear still in his eyes. The three huddled in a corner and conferred for a long while. Finally, the man stepped forward.

"If you truly aren't with the Witch Master, then please, let my wife and child leave first. I, Zhao Po, will stay behind to answer your questions."

"No problem." Song Qi nodded and cleared a path.

The woman and child rushed out, as if fearing the two men would change their minds. The man breathed a sigh of relief as he watched them exit the cave, preparing to speak. But when he turned his head, he saw his wife and child returning!

Before he could even ask, he heard two thuds as they dropped to their knees.

"He Ying, daughter of the Long River Tribe chieftain, did not know it was a Divine Blood Angel before us. Please, Divine Messenger, forgive our sins!!!"

"Forgive us! Forgive us!"

The little girl followed suit, kneeling down.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

They began kowtowing to Song Qi, each impact echoing loudly.

"What is going on?"

Song Qi was stunned and quickly moved to help them up. He was not accustomed to being worshiped. The man behind him froze, then suddenly seemed to realize something and bolted out of the cave.

The moment he emerged, he stood rooted to the spot, petrified like a wooden statue! His mouth hung open, and his breath came in ragged, trembling gasps—the involuntary reaction of someone struck by absolute shock.

Before him... the forest had completely vanished!

In its place was a scene of utter desolation. Several massive craters lay before his eyes. Distant mountain peaks had been toppled by some immense force, snapped clean in half. The clouds in the sky were swirled into an unnatural ring, and faint black fissures still lingered in the air.

Every detail proved that a battle of "god-like" proportions had just taken place right in front of them!

"So... that wasn't an earthquake?"

"It was that lord clearing out the wild beasts?!"

The man in animal skins stood in a trance, then turned and scrambled back inside.

As soon as he entered the cave...

*Thud!*

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

He kowtowed three times so hard that blood began to seep from his forehead. His movements were even more violent than those of his wife and child, as if he bore a grudge against his own skull. Even Song Qi felt a sympathetic pang of pain watching him.

"Zhao Po did not know it was the Divine Messenger himself who had arrived. My words were highly offensive; I pray the Divine Messenger will not hold it against us!"

"If you must punish someone, please, punish only me! Zhao Po will have no complaints!"

With that, his wife and child, who had just been helped up, quickly knelt and began kowtowing again.

"If the Divine Messenger must punish, please punish the two of us. Little Lan is still young and cannot endure torture!"

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

For a moment, Song Qi was caught in a crossfire of kowtowing. He sighed helplessly. He didn't deny it, deciding instead to lean into the identity.

"Alright, alright, get up now."

"Now that you know who I am, can you answer my questions? I won't punish you, but you must not hide anything from me!"

Though he didn't know what they meant by "Divine Messenger," it didn't stop him from utilizing the status.

"The Divine Messenger is merciful!"

The man in animal skins kowtowed once more with deep reverence before rising. His forehead was completely stained with blood, yet he didn't seem to care; instead, his face held a glimmer of relief, as if grateful to have encountered a benevolent deity.

"Since the Divine Messenger has been able to reach this place, you must have heard of the Witch Master's cruelty. We have waited for a Divine Messenger for so long!"

"You may not know, Divine Messenger, but it is not just our Long River Tribe—the five surrounding tribes have all been ravaged beyond recognition by the Witch Master!"

"The reason we were forced to wander here is primarily because..."