novelraw Chapter 18 : Heretic
Chapter 18 : Heretic
Chapter 18: Heretic
“You…!”
Priest Arou’s face instantly turned deathly pale, then flushed with a surge of anger at being blasphemed.
The existence their tribe had revered and feared for generations—
was actually belittled by the other party as “unworthy of being called a god”?!
This was a denial of their entire tribal history and the foundation of their faith!
However, when he looked at Lei’s cold golden eyes,
and thought of his ability to control fire,
Priest Arou forcibly swallowed the reprimand that had nearly burst from his lips.
He was afraid—afraid of death.
He did not dare to provoke this unknown existence before him.
In the end, this meeting ended in an unpleasant atmosphere.
Lei left Arou’s dwelling with a trace of displeasure at being offended.
Behind him, Priest Arou watched his departing figure, his gaze turning incomparably cold and gloomy.
He trembled as he stood up, immediately calling for Da Zhuang who stood guard outside, and issued urgent instructions.
“Go inform the chieftain at once…”
“A ‘heretic’ who blasphemes the Heavenly God has appeared!”
……
Lei returned to his small hut.
The unpleasant conversation with Priest Arou
left his heart filled with irritation and a sense of disgust at being profaned.
He could not tolerate these ignorant people comparing some unknown being to the boundless ruler of the stars he worshiped.
“Out of sight, out of mind.”
Very quickly, Lei packed his belongings.
He only wanted to leave this place that irritated him, and had no intention of using slaughter to correct their beliefs.
That was not his original intention, nor did it align with his purpose of traveling the world to explore.
However, just as he slung his pack over his shoulder and stepped out of the Great River Tribe, dense and chaotic footsteps accompanied by hostile shouts sounded from behind him.
He turned around.
He saw Priest Arou and the chieftain of the Great River Tribe leading over a hundred warriors.
Holding stone spears, they quickly spread out and surrounded Lei.
The way they looked at him was no longer filled with reverence and fear, but with anger and a nearly frenzied hostility.
“Heretic!”
“A heretic who blasphemes the Heavenly God!”
“Kill him! Burn him to death!”
Thunderous shouts rang out.
Lei’s face instantly darkened.
He had never expected that his choice to leave
would not be met with relief—but instead provoke them to gather forces to kill him!
“Priest Arou!”
Lei’s voice carried suppressed anger.
He looked toward Priest Arou, who was surrounded by the crowd.
“Have you gone mad? I spared your lives, yet you come seeking death yourselves?”
At this moment, Priest Arou no longer had the previous humility or fear on his face. Instead, it was replaced by a twisted expression blending fanaticism and coldness.
He raised the bone staff in his hand and pointed it at Lei.
“One who blasphemes the glory of the Heavenly God, a heretic who falsely claims the name of a divine envoy, deserves death!”
“Your very existence is the greatest disrespect to the Heavenly God!”
“Today, I will use your blood to cleanse the defilement you have brought!”
The development of the Great River Tribe was completely different from that of the Star Tribe.
They had no divine favor, no stable agriculture or animal husbandry.
To reach their current scale of over three thousand people, they relied entirely on generations of warfare and the annexation of surrounding small and medium tribes.
The “Sun” Tribe that had once been subdued by Apollo—
its ancestors were a branch that had fled from the conquests of the Great River Tribe.
And during the long process of annexation, how could they make conquered tribes truly submit?
Destroying their original beliefs was one of the most effective methods.
Anyone who insisted on their original faith and refused to convert to their “Heavenly God”
would be branded as “heretics” and subjected to the cruelest fire punishment—burned alive!
Over time, the notion that “heretics must die”
had been branded into the very blood of every member of the Great River Tribe.
“I would like to see what kind of power that so-called Heavenly God of yours can grant you today to judge me, this ‘heretic’!”
Lei was completely enraged.
He had originally only wanted to leave quietly, but at this moment, he changed his mind.
Killing intent rose within his heart!
He would let these ignorant, stubborn blasphemers of the true god be completely purified in sacred flames!
“Heretic.”
Lei felt that the word spoken by Priest Arou
fit these people who did not believe in the ruler of the stars perfectly.
Those who did not believe in the true god were all heretics!
And heretics deserved death!
“Boom—!”
Blazing flames instantly surged from Lei’s hands, making him appear like a god of fire.
He spoke no more. His body moved—
charging directly toward the densest part of the crowd. With a wave of his hands, two fire serpents roared forth!
“Ah!”
“Fire! It’s evil fire!”
Screams instantly erupted.
The warriors at the front were immediately licked by the flames. Their animal-hide garments ignited as they screamed and rolled on the ground, trying to extinguish the fire.
Seeing this, the chieftain of the Great River Tribe flashed a ruthless look in his eyes and shouted loudly:
“Loose arrows!”
At his command,
dozens of warriors took out a kind of weapon from their backs that Lei had never seen before.
They drew their bowstrings to the fullest, and with a chorus of whistling sounds, dozens of wooden arrows shot toward Lei in a dense barrage!
“What is this?!”
Lei was startled.
Having traveled many places, this was his first time seeing a weapon capable of attacking from a distance!
Caught off guard, although he tried his best to dodge, two arrows still pierced his body.
“Pfft!”
One arrow sank deeply into his left shoulder, while another grazed along his ribs, tearing open a wound!
The intense pain made Lei grunt.
His movements stalled for a moment.
“He’s injured! He can be injured!”
Seeing this, the warriors of the Great River Tribe were instantly invigorated.
Lei clenched his teeth, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
He reached out with his right hand and violently pulled the arrow out of his left shoulder, bringing out a spray of blood.
But he did not fall. Instead, he suddenly withdrew the flames in his hand.
The flames instantly transformed into gentle starlight, covering the wounds on his shoulder and ribs.
Then, under the stunned gazes of everyone—
the deep, bone-exposing wounds rapidly healed at a speed visible to the naked eye!
In just a few breaths, aside from the torn clothing and traces of blood, there was no longer any sign of injury on Lei’s body!
“This… how is this possible?!”
“He’s not human! He’s a monster!”
“Even arrow wounds can heal instantly?!”
Shock and fear spread through the crowd!
Even Priest Arou widened his eyes, his face filled with disbelief.
This ability to instantly heal wounds was simply… simply a miracle!
But Priest Arou’s faith was already deeply rooted.
After the brief shock, it was replaced by even deeper wariness and killing intent.
He shouted hoarsely, waving his bone staff, trying to steady morale:
“Do not be afraid!”
“What he uses is the power of an evil god!”
“It is an evil technique that bewitches the mind!”
“The great Heavenly God is watching us from above!”
“For the Heavenly God! Kill this monster!”
“Warriors, your souls will ascend to the divine kingdom of the Heavenly God after death!”
“There, you will have endless food to enjoy, free from hunger and sickness forever!”