CHAPTER 152 - RETURNING TO THE EMBRACE OF GOD

“Surrender or die. Your choice.” Han Wu’s voice cut through the air, giving the Tigerman King a clear ultimatum. The Tigerman King let out a frustrated snarl, its ambition to become an entity stronger than Hu Hai clashing painfully with the undeniable reality of its weakness. Resistance was simply not an option.

In a choice between life and death, the Tigerman King grimly decided its fate. With a pained effort, it slowly extricated itself from the city wall before finally dropping to its knees before Han Wu, the loud, grinding sound of cracking stones echoing sharply as it knelt.

Baring its teeth, the Tigerman King declared in a loud voice, “Oh, most glorious God, please forgive your foolish child!”

The resounding voice reverberated throughout the entire city, reaching every resident within its walls. As a result, a collective realization dawned upon them all: Hu Hai was indeed their true god.

The Tigerman King had deliberately raised its voice—it knew that their god was benevolent to His followers. This was a tactical maneuver designed to prevent Hu Hai from killing it, as the enraged god would be forced to restrain Himself to preserve its public image. Though a blatantly obvious ploy, it was remarkably effective and foolproof.

What the Tigerman King remained blissfully unaware of, however, was that the god it faced was not Hu Hai, as it believed, but rather Han Wen, Han Wu’s new clone. Han Wen’s presence here had but one purpose: to amass as many resources as he possibly could.

Although he harbored no desire to let the treacherous Tigerman King survive, it would be a waste to execute it straight away. His plan was to completely extract every last resource from the Tigerman King before finally putting an end to its life.

Han Wu asked, “I recall hearing whispers about a group of mutated Tigermen that emerged a few years back. Where are they currently located?”

The Tigerman King felt a surge of happiness; for as long as Hu Hai required its aid, its survival was guaranteed.

“Most glorious God,” the Tigerman King, adopting a facade of meekness and feigned piety, declared, “those heretics have been imprisoned in the dungeon. I have given orders for them to be subjected to the most brutal torture, to serve as an undeniable lesson on the fate of those who betray you!”

Han Wu, however, was not fooled by the Tigerman King’s pretense; he detected not a single strand of Faith connecting the king to himself. With a chilling tone, he simply commanded, “Lead me to them.”

Assuming Han Wu wished to observe the gruesome state of the tortured heretics, the Tigerman King stoically endured its wounds and began to lead the way, occasionally faltering and staggering. It entirely disregarded the odd looks cast its way by the regular Tigermen in the city; its survival was paramount, and abandoning its honor was a small price to pay in exchange for its life.

Guided by the Tigerman King, Han Wu descended into the city’s dungeon, where he was confronted with the sight of every single Tigerman loyal to him being subjected to brutal torture. Despite the agonizing pain inflicted upon them, their faithfulness to Han Wu remained unbroken. Remarkably, some of them had even ascended in their Faith Rank during the brutal process. Many of them became Zealots, continuously shouting out chants and praises of Han Wu’s benevolence amidst their torture, believing it would alleviate their suffering.

Hu Chi and Hu Yong had undeniably borne the brunt of the suffering. They were now reduced to mere skin and bone, while the numerous raw and exposed flesh wounds that covered their bodies exuded a putrid odor of rot and decay.

However, despite being subjected to the most excruciating torture imaginable, their faith in Han Wu remained the purest. Both Tigermen, by this point, had been elevated to Saints. Han Wu was touched upon witnessing his believers’ unwavering devotion, even as they endured such brutal torment. He decided in his heart to bring them into his own divine realm no matter what.

“To let them die so quickly is such a waste,” he stated.

The Tigerman King waddled over and meekly asked, “Most glorious one, what do you have in mind?”

With a cunning lie intended to fool the Tigerman King, Han Wu coldly commanded, “Heal them, and then subject them to torture a few more times.”

A wave of shock washed over the Tigerman King as it realized Hu Hai was far more vicious than it had thought—He was a demon, not a god! It reluctantly conceded that perhaps only Hu Hai could ever devise such a profoundly cruel method. Compared to Hu Hai, it was still incredibly naive and inexperienced.

Even as skepticism gnawed at it, the Tigerman King nevertheless continued to lavish praise upon Han Wu. “Most glorious one, your plans shall be executed without fail. I will immediately summon our doctor to tend to their wounds. Let someone come forth and release them from their shackles at once!”

“No need,” Han Wu interjected, halting the Tigerman King’s actions. He then approached the brutally tortured Tigermen, cut the tip of his own finger, and carefully dropped his blood into each of their mouths.

The Tigerman King began to salivate uncontrollably as its gaze fixed on the dripping blood. Given that Han Wen was a God, his very body contained highly concentrated Life Energy and Divine Essence. As a result, those who ingested his blood not only recovered swiftly, but a number of them also grew significantly more powerful.

“Release them from the dungeon,” Han Wu ordered.

The Tigerman King immediately protested, its voice filled with alarm, “No, most glorious God! We can’t do that! They are incredibly ruthless—releasing them would be exceedingly dangerous!”

With a frown, Han Wu retorted, “What can they possibly do while I’m here? If they dare to become restless, I can still eliminate them with a single blow.”

The Tigerman King vividly recalled the sheer force with which Han Wu had struck it using the Martial God Flash. That strike had been delivered at twice its own reaction speed, and the memory of that blow caused it to shudder involuntarily each time it came to mind.

It was true, however, that no one imprisoned in the dungeon could possibly withstand such a blow. Furthermore, any misfortune that might befall Hu Hai would be a welcome development for the Tigerman King.

The Tigerman King swiftly commanded its men to untie the prisoners, all while praising Han Wu’s supposed benevolence. Han Wu, however, was far from foolish; he was keenly aware of the Tigerman King’s true intentions. Nevertheless, he deliberately chose not to execute it immediately—he still wanted to completely squeeze out every last resource from the Tigerman King.

Taking command of the palace, Han Wu immediately ordered the guards to stand down. At the same time, he directed the recently freed prisoners into a large dining hall filled with food. The Tigerman King was bewildered by Han Wu’s behavior, secretly harboring the hope that a violent riot would erupt, leading to Hu Hai’s demise in the chaos.

The mutated Tigermen trembled visibly as they stepped into the grand palace. They had braced themselves for their immediate execution, but to their utter astonishment, the god before them was, instead, gesturing for them to sit and eat.

Having been imprisoned and starved for what felt like an eternity, they showed no regard for etiquette. They frantically grabbed the food laid before them and shoved it unceremoniously into their mouths. The Tigermen felt genuine relief only after they had begun to eat their fill.

Han Wu then discreetly spent a few of his Divine Points to create a portal leading directly into his divine realm. He planned to send the Tigermen through this portal once the meal was concluded.

The Tigermen suddenly caught the unmistakable scent of their god emanating from beyond the newly opened gate. They went utterly berserk, desperately attempting to push and shove their way through the portal. Their sole desire was to lay eyes on their god one last time before facing their end. Hu Yong and Hu Chi, in their utter confusion, started to wonder if Hu Hai might actually be a benevolent god, rather than the cruel one believed to execute heretics like themselves.

Still completely bewildered by the unfolding events, they felt Han Wen’s hand pat their shoulders. “It’s your turn now,” he said. “Go meet your god. We will see each other again next time.”

Han Wen firmly pushed the two through the gate. As they emerged from the other side, they were astonished to see their god, Han Wu, awaiting them.

Han Wu welcomed them and uttered, “Welcome back to my embrace.”

That single, simple sentence broke Hu Yong and Hu Chi. They were proud warriors, individuals who had endured daily, excruciating torture without shedding so much as a single tear, yet Han Wu’s words alone were enough to make them weep. They were finally home.