A world polluted by evil gods (14): Drop vest x2

Chu Feng turned his head to look at Si Qi’s parents. His tone no longer carried the cold professionalism from when they were discussing serious matters earlier. Instead, his expression was gentle as he tried his best to reassure them. “Please don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything…”

The marquis and his wife had uncertain expressions, as if they were weighing the meaning behind Chu Feng’s words, trying to figure out whether this person—who had hidden his identity the entire time—was being sincere. More importantly, they were worried whether their son might be deceived by this man. If he ended up hurting their son, would they, as parents, be capable of protecting Si Qi from someone whose identity had suddenly changed so drastically?

Even at a time like this, their first thought was still for their beloved son. There was not a hint of feeling like they’d struck it rich or any eager desire to climb the social ladder.

The young congressman, escorted by nearby enforcers, finally rushed over from the other end of the banquet hall. He frantically checked on each of his family members, and only after confirming they were unharmed did he shoot a sharp look at Chu Feng, his expression resembling that of a lion protecting its cub.

However, he didn’t threaten Chu Feng like he usually did. Instead, he held his younger brother in his arms and gently comforted him. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you…”

Si Qi didn’t let the adults worry. He kept his head buried in their embrace the entire time, refusing to look at the terrifying chaos outside. He nodded and said obediently, “Okay, I’m not afraid.”

“Good boy.” The congressman, sweating and tense as he watched the surroundings, turned to Chu Feng and said, “Can you have your… subordinates? Escort Xiao Qi out safely?”

Chu Feng shook his head slightly. “It’s not safe outside.”

“Then where is the safest place?” the congressman asked anxiously.

“The safest place is by my side.” Chu Feng spoke with certainty and said to the congressman, “Trust me. I can protect Xiao Qi.”

The congressman looked at Chu Feng with a complicated expression, staring at him for a few seconds. He confirmed that Chu Feng’s attitude remained the same as always, showing no signs of gloating or using his now-revealed identity to mock the noble family that had once looked down on him. He softly said, “If Xiao Qi gets hurt, I’ll never forgive you for the rest of my life.”

“Of course.” Chu Feng nodded without the slightest hint of irritation. “Please believe me. I truly love him and see him as my life.”

That sentence was more convincing than any promise. The worry on the marquis couple’s faces slowly eased.

The congressman asked, “Who the hell are these people? Why are they attacking us? We couldn’t have offended so many transcendents at once!”

Chu Feng replied with an embarrassed apology. “It’s all my fault. They came because of me. I had already prepared in advance, but I didn’t expect them to act so recklessly and send so many people…”

The marquis family recalled the out-of-place ‘servers’ and how they had previously complained about how incompetent Chu Feng seemed. Now they finally understood why he had arranged things the way he did. Some of their resentment faded as they said, “Since this trouble was caused by you, you have to deal with it! Do you even know what day it is today? You’ll leave Xiao Qi with trauma for the rest of his life!”

“It’s my fault. I’m sorry.” Chu Feng admitted his mistake with genuine remorse, and this attitude made it hard for the marquis couple to continue scolding him—after all, the real culprits were the attackers, not Chu Feng. It would be unreasonable to blame their own ally while letting the villains off the hook.

So, the normally soft-spoken couple fell silent after one sentence. Instead, their son, who had always been resolute in action, continued, “What good is just admitting fault? You’re the strongest among us, right? Then go fix this already. Don’t just stand here!”

Chu Feng nodded, glanced at a few enforcers beside him, and was just about to give instructions when Igor rushed over in a hurry. “Leave them to me!” he said quickly.

The marquis couple immediately recognized their son’s good friend. They had seen Igor several times before at the orphanage and were surprised. “Igor? It’s you! I was just wondering why you didn’t come to Xiao Qi’s engagement banquet… So, you’re a transcendent too?”

Igor glanced at the commander, who was cautiously peeking out from his brother’s embrace, and explained, “I was outside trying to stop the enemy. I’m sorry I couldn’t hold them off…”

“No, that’s not your fault.” The marquise, overwhelmed by the many surprising revelations about familiar faces today, said, “Thank you, Igor. I know you did your best.”

Thanks to Igor’s consistent efforts to make a good impression with the (future?) in-laws, the marquis family already had a very favorable view of him. They didn’t question his explanation at all and said with reassurance, “With you here to protect Xiao Qi, we feel much more at ease.”

Chu Feng: “…”

He felt a bit jealous of Igor.

But he didn’t say anything. He just nodded at Igor and turned to leave.

He had barely taken three steps when he raised his hand, grabbed the neck of a cultist trying to attack him, and with a slight twist, broke his neck and threw the body aside.

The in-laws, who witnessed this brutal side of Chu Feng with their own eyes: “…”

The congressman looked down at his brother, who was cautiously peeking out and talking to Igor. His expression was conflicted. He wanted his brother to see Chu Feng’s “true side” but was also afraid the scene would scare him—it was troubling, to say the least.

Igor said to Si Qi, “Don’t worry. Stay here with peace of mind. We’ll take care of everything.”

It was a clear signal telling Si Qi not to intervene and to leave it all to them.

Si Qi silently observed the state of the omniscient cult’s followers and lowered his voice to speak to Igor. “Their numbers…”

Igor’s first thought was that Si Qi meant the attackers were too numerous and the enforcers might not be able to handle them. But then he realized—Si Qi wasn’t someone who would act impulsively and risk exposing his identity if the situation was still under control.

So, what he actually meant was… there were too few of them! Igor suddenly understood. “The bishops!”

It was said that the Omniscient Church had mobilized all its members for this operation. Even ordinary followers without access to forbidden artifacts had come with weapons, ready to die in suicide attacks. There was no way that the stronger and more devout bishops would just hide in the shadows. If they hadn’t shown up yet, it must mean they were preparing for something much more dangerous.

Alerted by this, Igor quickly scanned the battlefield and locked eyes on one hooded follower.

This person had been hiding in a corner of the banquet hall, not attacking the terrified guests nearby. If he lacked courage or strength, he wouldn’t have been able to eliminate an enforcer and remain hidden so quickly. He was far too discreet.

Something was definitely wrong. Igor immediately called out to the deputy commander nearby. “That person’s suspicious!”

The deputy commander looked toward where Igor was pointing, didn’t say a word, and charged with his axe raised high. With a single downward swing, he split the target from head to toe.

A noblewoman standing nearby witnessed the bloody scene and let out a piercing scream, then fainted on the spot. But the deputy commander’s expression changed—when the axe hit, it didn’t feel like striking human flesh and bone. It felt more like hitting a pile of sludge.

Having long dealt with eerie forbidden artifacts, the deputy commander had an exceptional instinct for bizarre occurrences. A chill ran down his spine. He quickly scooped the unconscious woman off the ground and retreated.

Then he saw the two halves of the “corpse” melt rapidly upon touching the ground. As if it were alive, the red sludge began spreading, devouring nearby corpses. The spilled blood formed strange, intricate patterns that quickly spread across the floor.

These symbols radiated an overwhelming sense of danger—like how wild animals instinctively fear fire. The deputy commander’s pupils contracted as something clicked in his mind. He shouted, “It’s a sacrificial formation!”

Almost the instant he spoke, all the cultists suddenly stopped their actions and looked up in unison, revealing chilling, eerie smiles that made the hair on one’s neck stand. Instead of continuing the slaughter, they raised their weapons—not at others, but at themselves—and drove them into their own necks or hearts.

Blood gushed madly into the air. In every visible direction, fresh blood painted the scene bright red.

The ordinary guests were so terrified they couldn’t even scream. They stared blankly at the hellish scene before them, collapsing to their knees as uncontrollable tremors overtook their bodies.

With so many lives lost in an instant, the formation on the ground expanded to more than ten times its original size. The fervent faith of the deceased ignited the core of the formation. An invisible signal surged outward, and an overwhelming force descended upon the area—an entity invisible to the eye, but so oppressive that every living being could feel it. The unseen pressure made it impossible for anyone to raise their head or look upon the presence above.

Except Chu Feng.

His expression darkened. It was clear he could see something that no one else could. His gaze became fierce and violent, like a wild beast defending its territory from an intruder.

This was the instinctive hatred of a native god toward a foreign, evil deity—an unshakable repulsion born from the world itself.

Si Qi scanned the battlefield again. He noticed that while most cultists had died to fuel the formation, several remained alive. They quickly gathered and positioned themselves at key points around the sacrificial formation, acting like human pillars or rivets, chanting loudly.

Si Qi recognized most of them—they were bishops he had fought before. These people had hidden among the ordinary cultists, only emerging at this crucial moment. His heart sank. Clearly, this wasn’t going to end easily.

If their goal was only to retaliate against Chu Feng or protect the Omniscient Scroll, they wouldn’t have gone this far.

This desperate, suicidal attack could only mean one thing: they believed the outcome was worth dying for—this was their long-cherished wish.

And what was that wish? To bring the evil god into this world, to let death embrace every living thing.

The evil god fed on death, fear, and chaos. The recent loss of control over holy power had filled the hearts of the people with dread. In just two days, more had died worldwide than in an entire year. This overwhelming unease became perfect nourishment for the evil god, allowing its power to grow explosively in a very short time.

Now was the best chance to kill Chu Feng, seize divine power, and take over the world. If they waited for Chu Feng to fully grasp the divine power, gradually contain the forbidden artifacts, and restore order, the evil god and its followers would eventually be driven out completely.

So… these people were summoning the evil god?

That unfathomable, unseeable presence above—was that the evil god?

Si Qi locked his gaze onto Chu Feng. He remembered that Xiu Xiu had once said only Chu Feng could kill the evil god—because he was the child of the world and had already gathered most of the divine power.

Just then, the bishops’ faces lit up with fanatical devotion. They spread their arms like lambs ready for slaughter, welcoming the descent of their god.

No one knew what was happening. They only saw the bishops’ bodies begin to twist and deform one after another, becoming monstrous beings so grotesque they would haunt anyone’s nightmares. Their heads, as if unable to bear the corruption within, turned dark purple, then black—before exploding completely.

Ordinary people trembled in fear, but not a single one of the bishops flinched. They waited one after another for the evil god’s favor, until one bishop, before dying—his head crushed within a mountain of flesh, his immense weight overwhelming his brain—shed tears and regretfully said, “My soul is not filthy enough to withstand the power of the Lord God.”

Only then did everyone understand what these people were trying to do—they were turning themselves into vessels for the evil god, to summon that being into the human world!

An enforcer tried to approach and interrupt the ritual but was immediately affected—his body twisted and transformed into a centipede-like skeletal monster, collapsing to the ground and losing consciousness. The other enforcers realized this wasn’t a forbidden object they could resolve just by sacrificing lives. They quickly backed away, asking the deputy commander what to do, and some instinctively asked about the commander’s whereabouts.

Chu Feng took a deep breath, stepped forward, and decapitated one of the bishops with a single stroke. An indescribable malice surged from the formation, causing his body to momentarily freeze—but no real harm came to him.

Everyone’s eyes lit up as they watched Chu Feng fight the bishops within the ritual formation. One after another, heads were cleanly severed without mercy. They thought this would stop the ritual and drive the evil god back.

However, the formation showed no sign of disappearing. On the contrary, it began to spread without restraint, selecting nearby humans and extending its corruption to stimulate the souls of each potential vessel.

Once the pollution reached a critical level, the energy field of the entire area changed dramatically. Everyone could now clearly see the souls of the people around them—some white, some black, some large, some small.

At first, they didn’t understand what these floating things were. They only knew they were hovering nearby and couldn’t be shaken off.

That’s how they quickly distinguished between ordinary people, enforcers, and external intelligence personnel from the legion.

Those who had long been in contact with forbidden objects had pitch-black souls floating near them, while those who had never been exposed to corruption had pure white ones.

The bishop who had died moments ago had said, “My soul is not filthy enough to withstand the evil god’s descent,” meaning the filthier and darker the soul, the more favored it was by the evil god—and the more likely it would become its vessel.

In an instant, everyone’s eyes locked onto a particular creature at the scene. It was black, terrifying, covered head to toe in sharp bone spurs, and its scales reflected a cold metallic sheen like a demon.

“What is that thing?!” someone cried out in horror. All eyes turned toward the creature—and the marquis couple standing nearby, their faces filled with fear.

The marquis and his wife had originally tried to run, but then they remembered their youngest son—and the spot where he had been standing just moments ago… was now exactly where the monster stood!

The congressman reacted the fastest. He shouted furiously and rushed over to pull his brother out from within the creature. “Xiao Qi!!”

Si Qi looked around in confusion as the scene suddenly turned black. He heard his brother’s voice, then felt a pair of cold, strong hands grab him and pull him forcefully away.

He allowed himself to be pulled, but the black fog in front of his eyes didn’t dissipate at all.

From the outside, it looked as if the congressman had yanked the monster toward him with sheer strength. Everyone backed away in fear, stumbling to the ground, letting out cries of terror.

Though he appeared the bravest, the congressman was actually the most anxious. He kept calling Si Qi’s name, feeling his temperature, trying to make sure his brother was unharmed. Together with their mother and father, he waved his arms, trying to drive the creature away—accidentally hitting Si Qi again and again in the process.

Si Qi said, “Dad, Mom, Brother… what’s happening outside? Why can’t I see anything?”

“Xiao Qi, don’t be scared, it’s okay, don’t be afraid,” the marquis family trembled as they tried to comfort him. But outside, people were shouting with fear, showing no restraint at all. “Monster!! It’s a monster!!”

“Why is that thing still alive?!”

The enforcers in the legion quickly noticed something was wrong and asked urgently, “Who is that?!”

“He’s Chu Feng’s fiancé…”

“If the black and white souls represent the degree of pollution, then that guy…”

“No! We have to kill him before the evil god chooses him!!”

“He’s no longer human. His level of corruption is even worse than a forbidden object—he’s a walking source of contamination!!”

“Kill him!!”

More and more enforcers realized the threat and, without hesitation, drew their sealed weapons and launched attacks at Si Qi.

The marquis couple, being ordinary people, didn’t even have time to react before they saw countless attacks flying toward their youngest son. Just as despair and disbelief took over their faces—Chu Feng arrived in time. With a cold expression, he blocked all the attacks. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

Unlike everyone else, Chu Feng had no floating black or white soul near him. At that moment, he looked like a glowing white figure, bathed in pure, divine light—a stark contrast to the monster behind him.

The enforcers didn’t feel even a hint of guilt. They shouted at Chu Feng with anxious fury. “You’re insane!! You’re protecting a follower of the evil god?!”

“Kill him, or once the evil god descends into his body, we’ll all die!!”

“Chu Feng!! What are you doing? If you keep protecting your fiancé, we’ll kill you both!!”

Time was running out. The fact that the enforcers were giving Chu Feng even a few seconds to respond instead of attacking immediately already showed how much respect they had for him. The scene was complete chaos. The marquis family finally realized what was going on and couldn’t believe their beloved child could be some kind of evil source. This had to be a mistake!

They carefully shielded the grotesque, terrifying-looking Si Qi in the middle, hiding behind Chu Feng with fierce, protective eyes.

Whether enforcers or civilians—everyone wanted to kill what they considered their most precious treasure. They would never allow it!

If anyone wanted to kill Si Qi, they would have to step over their dead bodies first!

They clutched at Si Qi’s sleeves and arms with unwavering determination, their expressions filled with resolve like never before.

Finally, the duke’s daughter seized the moment and shouted, “Chu Feng, don’t let that guy fool you! He pretends to be pure and harmless, but in reality, he’s filthy and ugly. Someone like that isn’t worth protecting!”

The others immediately realized—if they didn’t convince Chu Feng to cooperate and help kill Si Qi now, once the evil god actually descended, wouldn’t they all be doomed?!

Everyone in the legion—the princess, the pancake vendor—turned hateful eyes toward the marquis family. “You filthy degenerates, worse than pus-filled sores on plague victims!”

“Because of people like you hiding in the shadows, so many tragedies happen in this world!”

“Hand over Si Qi, and we’ll leave your bodies intact!”

“Chu Feng, I’m giving you three seconds. Stand down immediately!”

“The commander would never forgive you. You don’t deserve his love!”

“Step aside!!”

“…Enough.” Igor finally stepped forward, seeing that the crowd’s emotions were spiraling out of control and that they’d likely attack Chu Feng and Si Qi any second. He said firmly, “Si Qi is the commander.”

The angry shouting stopped instantly.