novelraw Chapter 26 : Divine Grace
Chapter 26 : Divine Grace
Chapter 26: Divine Grace
The young man shook his head, his attitude respectful.
“Reporting to the Divine Envoy, Envoy Ya only instructed me to deliver these two stone tablets to you.”
Just now, when he gazed at Ze, in a fleeting daze, it felt as if he had seen a star—just like the Divine Envoy.
So his tone became even more respectful, because the person before him was also a Divine Envoy.
“Very good.”
Ze nodded.
“What do the five of you plan to do next?”
The young man respectfully requested leave.
“Divine Envoy.”
“We came under Envoy Ya’s orders. Now that our mission is complete, we plan to return to our tribe.”
“Very well.” Ze did not try to keep them.
After the five left.
The gentleness on Ze’s face vanished instantly. He turned to look at Xing·Ya, whose expression was still unpleasant, and gave a low command.
“Send a few clever people to quietly follow them and locate their tribe.”
“Yes, King!”
Xing·Ya immediately accepted the order.
A trace of cold sharpness flashed through his eyes.
Carrying the two stone tablets, Ze returned to the royal city.
At this moment, he had already made his decision.
He would never allow the “Divine Grace Technique” created by Ya to fall into other tribes and be mastered by outsiders!
In his eyes, only the descendants of Apollo—
were qualified to pray to the Leo constellation for blessings!
This was originally a power bestowed by the gods upon his father, belonging to their family!
He could not tolerate his father’s glory being tainted by those of lowly bloodlines!
……
One month later, the young man and his group safely returned to the tribe at the foot of the mountain range.
After twenty years of development, this small tribe that once had only a little over a hundred people had grown to nearly a thousand under Ya’s protection and guidance.
The power of ability users was clearly evident in accelerating the development of primitive tribes.
“Shan, you’re back!” A little girl named Mo ran happily to the young man.
Shan crouched halfway and patted her head.
“Mm, Mo, I’m back.”
“Shan, are you hungry? Mother made flatbread.”
“Not yet, I’ll eat later.”
Shan did not return home immediately. Instead, he led the other four to the waterfall outside the tribe.
Then…
The five of them knelt toward the river beneath the waterfall.
“Divine Envoy.”
Shan spoke loudly.
His voice carried devotion and solemnity.
“I have followed your instructions and delivered the stone tablets to another Divine Envoy.”
“May you rest in peace within the sea of stars.”
After Ya’s death, she had not chosen burial in the earth, but instead had her body sunk into the river beneath this waterfall.
She had hoped that after death, she could follow the current to different places, to see the sights she had never witnessed in life.
Just as Shan and the others knelt in worship.
Not far away, faint rustling sounds came from the grass, then quickly returned to silence.
The soldiers who had been ordered to follow them quietly withdrew after confirming the tribe’s location, setting off back to the royal city to report.
“Let’s go back.”
Shan stood and said to his companions.
Completely unaware that they had brought danger upon their tribe.
……
After returning to the royal city, Ze immediately summoned all the descendants of the three lineages—Wa, Ya, and his own.
A hundred years had passed.
Their children’s generation had long since died.
Those now standing before him were mostly grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, many already showing signs of age.
The three lineages together had grown to a thousand people, forming a vast family.
Ze did not immediately make the “Divine Grace Technique” public.
He understood deeply the temptation and danger of power.
Thus, he implemented strict control measures.
First, he selected only the most senior grandchildren from each lineage to be taught.
This ensured that the first group to learn the Divine Grace Technique were relatively mature and steady.
Second, he established strict rules.
In the future, the teaching of the Divine Grace Technique would be determined based on one’s contributions to the dynasty.
Only those with outstanding merit, approved by him or a designated member, could be granted it.
Most importantly.
To prevent anyone from selfishly passing the technique to their own descendants without authorization—
Ze required every person who learned the Divine Grace Technique to swear an oath before the divine statue!
“I swear in the name of the Lord of the Stars that I will never privately pass the Divine Grace Technique to any unapproved individual.”
“Those who violate this oath shall have their souls fall into eternal darkness, never to bask in starlight for all eternity!”
In this era, where faith was ingrained into the bones—
An oath made before the gods held binding force beyond worldly law.
No one dared to touch this taboo!
It would be regarded as an unforgivable sin!
Thus, Ze firmly held the “Divine Grace Technique” in his own hands and bound it to his family.
Through this, he constructed a controllable system of power to maintain the rule of Apollo’s descendants over the Solar Dynasty.
……
When the soldiers who had followed Shan’s group returned—
Ze also learned the location of Shan’s tribe.
He assembled three thousand well-equipped soldiers.
These soldiers had grown up listening to the legends of Apollo and were filled with reverence and awe toward Ze, a descendant of Apollo.
Though they did not know the purpose of the campaign, they knew to obey the king’s orders unconditionally.
The army set out, silent and murderous.
Toward the eastern frontier…
Toward the tribe at the foot of the mountains.
……
Shan’s tribe lived a peaceful life.
The roar of the waterfall was their daily accompaniment.
Smoke curled gently from cooking fires as children played in the open ground.
Women processed animal hides and grains, while the men prepared for the next hunt.
They were grateful to and remembered the late Envoy Ya.
They also felt pride and reassurance that five “Recipients of Divine Grace” had appeared in their tribe.
They were full of hope for the tribe’s future.
But…
Disaster was approaching from the west.
By the time they saw the army of the Solar Dynasty, it was already too late.
The vast, dark mass of troops swiftly surrounded the entire tribe without leaving a single gap.
Ze rode atop a tall warhorse.
Positioned at the very front of the army.
He wore magnificent armor symbolizing the Solar King.
His cold gaze swept across this place where Ya had stayed for twenty years and poured her efforts.
Looking at the panicked, fearful, and bewildered tribespeople, not a ripple stirred in his heart.
“King, the encirclement has been completed as ordered.”
A general reported respectfully.
Ze gave a slight nod.
His voice was not loud, yet it carried unquestionable authority, clearly spreading across the battlefield.
“This tribe has desecrated divine grace and harbored forbidden power. Their crime warrants execution.”
“By the ‘Solar Law’ and the will of the gods, they are to be eradicated—leave none alive.”
“Eradicate!”
“Leave none alive!”
Three thousand soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens!
“Why?!”
“What have we done wrong?!”
The old tribal chief staggered forward.
He cried out in grief and fury.
“Envoy Ya protected us!”
“We too believe in the great Lord of the Stars!”
But the answer he received…
Was the charge of the soldiers!
“For the Solar King!”
“Kill!”