The villagers of the Twelve Villages hid in the protective barrier of Sun Village, trembling.
When Xiao Man said the Pseudo-God tribe had arrived, they thought she was exaggerating. They had barely gathered everyone in Sun Village when the enemy appeared.
Several powerful figures stood in mid-air, looking down at the village below. In their eyes, the people in this village were no different from ants, not worth mentioning. The only thing that angered them was Xiao Man, who had released the Demon Lord and killed a divine envoy, directly challenging the majesty of the gods.
"Hand over Xiao Man, and we'll grant you a swift end!"
Elder Shi stood at the front, his gaze cold as he looked at the divine envoys high above. His arrogant gaze treated them as if they were mere ants, easily crushed.
"How dare mere Pseudo-Gods be so arrogant!" Elder Shi struck the ground forcefully with his staff. The high priests of the Twelve Villages stepped forward, joining Elder Shi to summon the guardian beasts of the Twelve Villages and confront the enemies outside.
"Uncle Huo Lei, where did Sister Xiao Man go?" Little Stone asked, confused. Xiao Man had disappeared after the protective formation was set up. Now that the enemies were outside, Xiao Man was nowhere to be seen.
Huo Lei remained silent for a moment, then said bitterly, "She's probably scared and has already left."
"She is our god; she would never abandon us," Little Stone said with certainty. "She must be delayed by something."
"Delayed by something?" Huo Lei sneered. Ever since he learned Xiao Man was Xuan Xin, his attitude towards her had changed. In his eyes, no matter what Xiao Man did, it couldn't make up for the harm she had caused them in the past. "She set up this protective formation just to buy herself some time with our help. She's probably already escaped in the chaos."
"Sister Xiao Man would never escape!"
"If she wouldn't escape, why hasn't she come to save us?" Huo Lei retorted. "She's just like tens of thousands of years ago, abandoning us without hesitation."
"Sister Xiao Man would not abandon us!" Little Stone exclaimed. "If she wanted to abandon us, she could have just fled. Why would she gather everyone together and spend so much effort setting up a protective formation, all to save us?"
"Little Stone, you're too young. You don't understand. The reason we have what we have today is because of her!"
"We've had tens of thousands of years of peace because of her. Without her, there would be no Fallen God tribe; we would merely be ordinary folk," Little Stone said clearly and precisely. "Grandpa said that the Goddess wasn't harmed by outsiders back then, but by her own people!"
"Nonsense!" Huo Lei argued. "She dragged us down!"
"I originally thought you were an adult, more knowledgeable than me, and would understand reason. I didn't expect you to be so unreasonable!" Little Stone's face turned red with anger. "Even if Sister Xiao Man left us, it would be understandable, as we have no connection to her!"
"How can there be no connection? We are her kin. She harmed us ten thousand years ago, and she wants to harm us again ten thousand years later!"
"Ten thousand years ago, she didn't harm us. Being our kin was something she couldn't choose. Ten thousand years later, she's still not harming us; rather, someone has been persecuting her all along!" Little Stone argued. "Huo Lei, think carefully. Has everything Xiao Man has done since coming here been to harm you?"
Huo Lei was speechless for a moment. Xiao Man's actions were not intended to harm anyone, but to protect herself. She was decisive, calm, and always made the most beneficial decisions. If it weren't for Xiao Man, White Wolf Village might have ceased to exist.
"I..."
"Can't say anything, can you?" Little Stone crossed his arms. "What happened ten thousand years ago has nothing to do with us, and nothing to do with her. I know the Xiao Man I know now has done nothing wrong to us. Even if the people outside are coming for her, we can't erase everything she's done for us just because of the danger she brings. Otherwise, we'd be ungrateful."
"I am not!"
"Uncle Huo Lei, I know you are not an ungrateful person, and neither is Sister Xiao Man. When we were in danger, Sister Xiao Man unhesitatingly stood in front of us. When Sister Xiao Man is in danger, would you unhesitatingly push her away?"
"Of course not!"
"That's right!" Little Stone said joyfully. "Then we will stand with Sister Xiao Man and fight these villains who have oppressed us for tens of thousands of years. They stole our royal city, stole our status, stole our honor, and now they want to exterminate us. We must resist!"
"Little fellow, you're more cunning than your grandfather!" Huo Lei flicked Little Stone's forehead. "Don't worry, I won't hurt your Sister Xiao Man. She's not just your Sister Xiao Man; she's also the woman who carried me back to the village!"
"What? You were carried back to the village by Sister Xiao Man?" Little Stone covered his mouth and chuckled. "Uncle Huo Lei... oh, I should call you Brother Huo Lei. Then you'll have to marry into Sister Xiao Man's family!"
"What does a child know? Go hide inside. This is a battlefield for adults!"
"I am the next high priest of Sun Village. I will have to protect the people of Sun Village. How can I be a coward and hide behind others for protection at a time like this?"
"I'm not asking you to be a coward, but to go and comfort the women and children in the rear, so that the warriors in the front don't have to worry about their families."
Little Stone paused. "Okay, I understand."
"Go on then."
Huo Lei watched Little Stone go inside and couldn't help but smile. "Little fellow, no matter how smart you are, you're still just a child. But you're right. What happened ten thousand years ago has nothing to do with us, but what's happening now does. The Pseudo-God tribe has oppressed us for so long. If we keep backing down, there will be no place for us in this world."
The attackers outside continued to assault the protective formation, even resorting to using their magical artifacts. Elder Shi and the others resisted with all their might, but they were no match for the enemy. The formation was on the verge of collapse. Once it shattered, they would suffer heavy casualties!
"Oh, what a grand spectacle!" A voice echoed from the sky. Before the attackers could react, they were scattered, buying the people of Sun Village some time.
"It's Young Master Jun Ruo and Young Master Taotie."
"Has Xiao Man returned?" Huo Lei clenched his weapon, his gaze anxiously scanning the surroundings, but Xiao Man was nowhere to be seen. "Without her, could something have happened to her?"
"Young Master Jun Ruo and Young Master Taotie are both here, which means she's not in trouble, but delayed. Hold on, she will definitely return to save us!"