Ch 69: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

Jiang Lin: “…”

The others: “…”

It was truly unimaginable. The position of a god, something that others would cling to desperately, was actually being dismissed with such disdain.

Emperor Yan continued to muse, “In the past, when you were still young and unable to bear the burden of such a large tribe, I held on. But now, everything has changed. Lang has matured, become steady and strong. Yun, Ji, and Huan, you are all exceptional warriors who can undoubtedly assist your elder sister in guarding the Shen Nong tribe. As for Jiang…”

When Emperor Yan saw Jiang Lin, he couldn’t help himself. He reached out with his large hands and pulled him into a tight embrace.

“The son I used to worry about the most has now become the son I am most proud of.”

Emperor Yan looked at him with satisfaction, “I used to fear that you wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibilities of the God of Agriculture, but now you’ve exceeded my expectations. You’ve done even better than I imagined—better than I, the God of Agriculture, ever did.”

“With that, I have no more worries.”

Naturally, the others were reluctant and unwilling, but Emperor Yan was apparently so eager to rid himself of this divine role that his attitude was almost impatient.

He closed his eyes, and two radiant orbs of light emerged from within him.

One fell upon Lang, and the other upon Jiang Lin.

In that instant, Jiang Lin suddenly felt a deeper connection with the land beneath his feet, with the plants growing on it, and with the people living on the land.

Emperor Yan revealed a relieved smile.

Though he was no longer the Sun God or the God of Agriculture, he remained a top-tier warrior.

Before leaving, he solemnly instructed his eldest daughter and youngest son, “The golden threads you see, I call them the faith of our people. Unless absolutely necessary, do not touch them.”

“Father, why?” Lang asked, puzzled.

She had just become the Sun God, and the first thing she heard was a little girl’s prayer. The girl wished that the bright sunlight would pass through the roof and fall on her bed so that her blanket would be warm and cozy.

Lang granted her wish, and the little girl widened her eyes in delight. At the same time, small golden specks appeared on the girl’s body and traveled along an invisible thread, eventually reaching Lang.

The golden thread brought great comfort to Lang as a deity.

Emperor Yan spoke with a stern tone, “I once touched and absorbed these golden specks. They made me incredibly powerful in a short amount of time. I didn’t even need to fight or undergo additional training; my strength grew exponentially each day.”

Lang didn’t understand, “Isn’t that a good thing?”

Emperor Yan sighed, “At first, I thought so too. But later, one of my followers made an unreasonable request, and I refused him.”

Jiang Lin began to grasp what Emperor Yan was getting at.

“Because of that, he resented me and lost faith in me,” Emperor Yan said. “I could feel the golden specks within me, those that belonged to him, disappear. What surprised me most was that the amount of golden specks that vanished was double what I had originally received from him.”

“I lost twice the power I had gained from him.”

Lang’s eyes widened, “So, if the people of the tribe lose faith in the Sun God, the faith I gain from them will disappear twice as fast.”

Emperor Yan nodded.

But Lang still didn’t think it was a big deal, “But who in the Shen Nong tribe would ever turn away from their gods?”

Jiang Lin gently tugged on her sleeve, “Sister, what Father says always makes sense.”

He knew that Lang might not fully understand right now, but with Emperor Yan’s long-standing authority and Lang’s deep admiration for him, invoking Emperor Yan’s words was more effective than anything else.

Sure enough, when Jiang Lin said this, Lang, though still unconvinced of the importance of the matter, nodded, “You’re right. If Father says not to touch it, then I won’t.”

Emperor Yan, feeling reassured, thought for a moment and realized there was nothing else left to explain. The family then enjoyed a sumptuous dinner together, after which he took his wife’s hand, and the two of them disappeared without a trace.

Jiang Lin was still a bit dazed: Had he really just so effortlessly and nonchalantly become a god?

At the moment he became the God of Agriculture, both Huaiyin and Qingluo in the Jade Space sensed it, and their powers saw a direct leap.

The newly appointed Sun God, Lang, and the God of Agriculture, Jiang, both found this new role fascinating.

They could almost constantly hear the prayers of their people—some important, some trivial, some detailed, some mundane.

However, within two days, Jiang Lin discovered that he could choose whether or not to listen to these prayers. If he wanted peace and quiet, he could simply block them out.

So the worries that Emperor Yan mentioned? They were completely avoidable!

It was clear he just wanted to abandon his duties!

The people of the Shen Nong tribe quickly learned that their deities had changed. The leader of the Shen Nong tribe was now the Sun God, Lang. As for the little prince, Jiang, he had become the new God of Agriculture.

Not long after, Lang privately sought out Jiang to complain: “I thought the people of the Shen Nong tribe would struggle with Father’s departure. But in reality, they’ve already fully accepted that you and I are the new protectors of the tribe.”

Lang was even a little upset, feeling that it was unfair to their father: “Father protected the Shen Nong tribe for ten thousand years, and these people don’t seem to remember him at all.”

“But, Sister,” Jiang Lin said calmly, “humans have a lifespan of only a few hundred years. Father protected one generation after another of different people. Besides, how many of these citizens have actually seen the gods? For them, whether it’s the Sun God or the God of Agriculture, it’s just a title. What they need is protection, and the identity of the person behind the title doesn’t really matter.”

Lang fell silent.

After a long time, she seemed to understand: “Is this why Father told us not to absorb those golden threads of faith?”

She was a clever person and quickly grasped the point: “If a stronger god appears in the future, they might choose to worship another god. If I absorb too much faith and then lose it, I might even lose the power I originally had.”

Jiang Lin looked at her with approval, “That’s exactly right.”

This conversation clearly shook Lang’s understanding. The new Sun God left somewhat disheartened.

Jiang Lin, on the other hand, adapted quite well to the situation.

He not only considered the possibility Lang mentioned but also thought further ahead—if, as living standards improved, humans gradually realized that they didn’t need divine blessings, that they could create a good life on their own, then the role of the gods would become less and less significant.

Throughout countless worlds, as civilizations progressed, the traces of “gods” became increasingly scarce.

Because people would come to know how to create for themselves, how to protect themselves.

Eventually, they would no longer need gods.

Of course, this would be a long process. Given the current development level of the Shen Nong tribe, it might still take thousands of years.

After that day, Lang remained downcast for several days before finally recovering.

But in a way, it was a blessing in disguise—she lost all curiosity about the faith of the people.

Jiang Lin fully embraced his role as the God of Agriculture, and once the exchanges between the Shen Nong tribe and the sea clan were on the right track, he began gradually bringing out the various seeds he possessed in the Jade Space, one by one.

During this process, he encountered a pleasant surprise.

It was a small dandelion that he discovered in the Jade Space, not knowing when it had been thrown in.

This world seemed to lack this species, and when the small dandelion sprouted, Jiang Lin immediately sensed a surge of spiritual energy from the heavens and earth—a gift from the world for the first appearance of a new species.

A small boy with short silver hair and big, adorable eyes looked up at Jiang Lin.

The previously dormant Nine Spirits Technique stirred, and this boy became Jiang Lin’s third contract spirit plant.

Jiang Lin, lacking a talent for naming, simply called him Xiao Pu.

Though Xiao Pu was small and cute, his abilities were anything but minor. His most powerful skill was the ability to create clones—he could produce hundreds of replicas of himself, each with considerable strength.

Perfect for working… or, well, chaotic battles.

This world was the one where Jiang Lin stayed the longest.

He walked every inch of this world with his own two feet.

He watched as the Shen Nong tribe slowly developed from an ancient, simple tribe into a prosperous community.

As life improved, more people began to have different thoughts.

Lang gradually became a bit troubled.

Later, under Jiang Lin’s subtle guidance, she selected a successor among the humans and stepped down from her role as the “tribal leader.”

Humans and “gods” were completely separated, yet the Shen Nong tribe continued to worship the two gods.

Eventually, a dynasty replaced the tribe, and humans had monarchs whose power was far more centralized than that of the previous leaders.

Human civilization suddenly entered a phase of rapid development.

Jiang Lin clearly felt that the golden specks of faith that had always surrounded him were now much fewer.

Lang noticed this too and came to Jiang, feeling a bit regretful but also relieved: “You were right, Jiang. For humans, nothing is truly irreplaceable, not even the gods.”

Jiang Lin comforted her, “Isn’t this better now? You don’t have to handle so many prayers every day.”

Lang burst out laughing, “When you put it that way, I guess I’m actually benefiting from this.”

Suddenly, she reached out and hugged Jiang Lin, whispering, “You’ve always been the smartest among us, Jiang.”

“Being smart doesn’t stop you from getting hurt,” Jiang Lin replied with a smile. “I still need you, big sister, to protect me.”

He was referring to an incident not long ago when the Tu Su God suddenly went mad and attacked him. After all, Jiang Lin wasn’t a god known for combat; his power was gentle, and fortunately, he managed to hold off the Tu Su God long enough for Lang to arrive in time.

Lang remembered the incident too.

She furrowed her brows but then quickly relaxed, reassuring Jiang Lin, “Don’t worry. If that Tu Su guy dares to come back, I’ll smash his head!”

Jiang Lin had a hunch about why the Tu Su God went mad—unlike Emperor Yan, this one was arrogant and self-assured, likely having absorbed too much faith.

Now, he must be experiencing the backlash, right?

The Tu Su God didn’t return to trouble the Shen Nong tribe.

From a god’s perspective, Jiang Lin witnessed the entire process of human civilization’s development.

Many years later, the Shen Nong tribe no longer existed, and in its place was an empire called “Yan.”

Humans hadn’t forgotten the gods who had protected them for so long, but they no longer needed them.

The Tu Su tribe had become a thing of the past. The once ambitious Frost God, Tu Su, lost his faith, suffered double the backlash, and eventually fell into a deep slumber, disappearing quietly from the world.

Later, Lang came to find Jiang.

“I can feel that my people no longer need me,” Lang said with a touch of melancholy and a sense of relief. “I’m going to the West to find Father and Mother.”

The West was an endless expanse of desert that humans could not cross, a sea of sand that stretched beyond the horizon. But there were legends that beyond the sand lay an eternal divine realm, a place of immortality belonging to the gods.

Jiang smiled and said, “As it happens, I want to go there too.”

“Shall we travel together?”

Jiang Lin shook his head, “You go on ahead. I still want to walk this land a little longer.”

Lang wasn’t surprised. She bid him farewell, “Then I’ll wait for you with our parents in the divine realm.”

Jiang Lin watched her leave, feeling a twinge of guilt as he thought, You probably won’t see me there.

He didn’t know where he would end up or what he would encounter, so he deliberately avoided traveling with Lang.

On a bright, sunny day, Jiang Lin set out on his journey to the West.

As he stepped into the vast desert, Jiang Lin turned back for one last look.

In the eyes of a god, all he saw was the bustling, vibrant world of mortals.

The last god of the human world turned his gaze back and walked into the boundless desert.