Global Deities: My Talent Comes from the Stars

Chapter 16 Dog-Headed Buddha Statue

As noon approached, the group stopped beside an abandoned dirt road half-buried by sand and dust.

Ahead lay the ruins of a collapsed, makeshift building. In this desolate desert, where nothing but sand and withered trees stood, they had finally found traces of civilization.

Chang strode forward, lifted a few rotten logs, and pulled out several tattered and faded pieces of cloth from under the sand and gravel.

The fabric was rather peculiar, loose and wide, like some kind of uniform robe, but the material was much better than what they were wearing.

Then, he dug out a palm-sized wooden carving from deep within the ruins.

The wood carving is quite exquisite. It depicts a creature sitting cross-legged with its hands clasped together, but... what's perched on the neck of the creature wearing a long robe is a lifelike dog head.

Liang Jiu, high above in the sky, watched this scene with a sense of speechlessness.

A kasaya? A Buddha statue? A dog-headed man?

What bizarre faith branch did the original owner of this god-less realm cultivate here?

Despite his complaints, Liang Jiu knew that the presence of religious worship and standardized clothing meant that this native ethnic group had extremely high social cohesion and fervent faith.

It will be a tough nut to crack.

The local people naturally don't recognize what "Buddha" and "robe" are. But in their simple understanding, these sculptures that are worshipped only mean one thing.

Chang threw the tattered robe on the ground, took the torch and burned it, the flames purifying the impurity and blasphemy on it.

"This land is inhabited by a foreign race that worships a different god."

He raised his bronze spear high, his voice echoing across the abandoned dirt road.

"Everyone, put away your playful thoughts. What we're about to face may be a whole army of heretics."

The flames engulfed the tattered robe, and the group, led by Chang, continued to advance.

However, after several hours of tedious trekking, they not only failed to cross the desert's borders, but also failed to see even a single native.

However, more and more wooden Buddha statues were half-buried in the sand along the way, and a large number of overlapping footprints and tire tracks began to appear on the dry ground.

But we just can't find the person who left these traces.

It was as if the civilization on this land had evaporated overnight.

Only ruins and some faint traces remain.

As evening approached, out of caution, Chang ordered a halt to the reckless advance. The expeditionary force chose to set up camp in a small oasis, holding out and waiting for reinforcements from the main force.

Inside the camp, the tribespeople are distributing dry rations and water.

Xin Zang stood at the edge of the oasis, holding a bronze spear, his brow furrowed.

A strong sense of unease was churning deep within him.

The [Heartfire] bestowed upon him not only the flames that scorched reality, but as he gradually gained control of this idealistic power, he discovered that he could faintly sense the fluctuations in the thoughts of the lives around him.

It was strange; from the moment he stepped into this oasis, his mind was filled with a cacophony of sounds.

They were densely packed, everywhere.

Xin Cang closed his eyes and focused his mind, following the invisible spiritual fluctuations.

Gradually, the faint noises became clearer, turning into eerie whispers.

It came from underground.

"Those outsiders above seem to be taking a rest, Elder. When should we make our move?"

"Be quiet, endure, and remember what the Buddha said."

Is the enemy hiding underground?

Xin Zang dared not make a sound, fearing that he might alert the enemy and cause unnecessary casualties.

He casually walked over to Chang, who was distributing water, and told him what he had vaguely overheard.

But after hearing this, Chang stroked his chin and did not respond for a moment, looking at the ground thoughtfully.

Xin was ready to accept Chang's questioning; he would attribute everything to divine revelation and tell him it was a divine revelation.

He believed that the gods high above would forgive his overstepping and recklessness.

"I see."

Chang said.

"I thought you wouldn't believe me." Xin Zang paused for a moment.

"You possess your father's best qualities, why wouldn't I believe it?" Chang began scanning the sand beneath his feet.

"But you usually..."

"Because you possess his best qualities," Chang interrupted him. "Step back. Watch closely."

Chang casually walked to the center of the camp and exchanged a subtle glance with several other warriors who had awakened their extraordinary abilities.

The next second, he suddenly let out a loud shout:

"Contact the enemy!"

Before he finished speaking, the veins on his thick arms bulged as he held the bronze spear upside down and plunged it into the sand beneath his feet.

"Pfft."

With a scream, the spear was pulled out, drawing a long trail of blood.

The once peaceful camp erupted into chaos. The flat sand collapsed one after another, and a dozen kobolds draped in rags and wielding short knives burst from the ground. But they were met with the sharp spears of the prepared warriors.

Whether by accident or sheer intuition, he found himself standing right in the heart of the kobold ambush.

Sand swirled around him as a continuous stream of kobolds emerged from his surroundings, cursing and shouting.

But Chang was like a god of death. The bronze spear in his hand became a blur, and each swing was accompanied by the sound of flesh and bone shattering. Not a single kobold could get within three feet of him.

Pure killing skills and absolute power.

He is the top hunter among the salarymen.

In terms of the depth of his mastery of battle aura and his close-combat skills, he had long surpassed the former king, Xin. It was only because the brilliance of that fire-bringer was too dazzling that the people subconsciously overlooked the strength of this current leader.

Chang grabbed a kobold by the neck with one hand and slammed it into the group of kobolds like a rag doll, instantly knocking down a whole bunch of them.

He then hurled a spear, piercing through two in succession.

Just as he was about to retrieve his spear, an elderly kobold wearing a wide robe leaped out of the sandpit and blocked his way.

The old kobold clasped his hands together, and a blinding dark golden light suddenly shone from his body as he muttered something strange:

"Since you are so ungrateful, don't blame this old monk..."

Several golden beams flew out from the kobold and slammed into Chang.

He was so dizzy from the blows that he couldn't tell which way was which.

But true hunters never rely solely on sight to find prey; they also use hearing, smell, and even instinct...

Relying on the beastly instincts honed through battle, Chang Qiang, despite the throbbing pain in his mind, strode forward and grabbed the old kobold's face with a large, rough, calloused hand.

"Bang!"

Chang roughly slammed the dog-headed head onto the ground, smashing it down hard.

Blinding golden light flashed violently under the raging, pure physical power.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"The High Priest will not let...you go," said the kobold monk.

He smashed it seven or eight times in a row until the protective golden light completely shattered, until the skull under his hand was completely broken, and blood and brain matter mixed with sand and dirt splattered everywhere, before the muttering finally disappeared.