High-level martial arts: Contract cashback, invincible starting from the Zerg.

The moment I pushed open the door, a smell of mustiness mixed with the salty tang of the sea hit me.

The wooden house was even more dilapidated than Chen Feng had imagined.

Not only were there several deep, bone-revealing cracks in the door panel cleaved by the axe, but the sea breeze could also carry fine sand in directly, accumulating a thin layer on the ground.

Where there used to be oak wooden tables and chairs, now only a pile of broken wood remains. The most striking feature is the several charred burn marks that stretch from the ceiling to the floor, looking like an ugly scar.

Hessing stood at the door, motionless.

Although his wounds had been completely healed by Chen Feng's luck.

Her skin, which had been as dry as tree bark, became smooth and flawless again, and her long golden hair cascaded down her shoulders.

However, deep within his eyes flowed a pale golden halo belonging to the Augustan gods, a kind of coldness that penetrated to the bone, like the ice in the deep sea that had never melted for millennia.

"I've lived here for two years." Hessing's voice was soft.

"After my divine status was shattered by the god, I lost all my divine power and became a cripple who couldn't even beat an ordinary fisherman. Then I was exiled here..."

He raised his hand and ran his fingertips over the several charred scratches.

"Twelve days ago, the Haitian garrison found this place. The leader was named Caron, a captain notorious for torturing prisoners. He wanted to see me, this 'high and mighty god,' beg for mercy like a dog at their feet, and completely destroy my faith."

A faint, cold smile appeared on Hessing's lips.

"They broke two of my ribs, branded my back with a red-hot iron with nine marks that signified 'blasphemers,' and forced my head into the sea until I lost consciousness several times. They also forced me to eat the carcasses of rotting sea monsters. There was a boy named Xiao An, who was only twelve years old, who was hanged alive in the town square for simply handing me a coconut."

"Finally, they got tired of it. So they broke my legs and chained me to a huge rock on a cliff by the sea. They said they wanted seabirds to eat my eyes, so that everyone who had ever looked up to me could see for themselves what would become of their god."

Chen Feng looked at Haising in silence.

He could feel the almost explosive hatred emanating from Haising's chest.

This god, who had just crawled back from purgatory, forcefully suppressed all the unbearable pain in his heart.

This might even be more terrifying than the hysterical roar of the God of War.

"So what are you planning to do now?" Chen Feng slowly asked. "With your current restored divine power, even if it's only 30% of your peak strength, wiping out that Haitian garrison shouldn't be difficult."

Hessing walked to the corner, squatted down, and pried open a loose floorboard with his bare hands.

"Killing them outright would be too easy on them," Hessing said menacingly. "What I need is not a one-sided massacre, but to reignite the flames of rebellion."

"In the town of Luoxia, more than ten kilometers away from us, there are 572 residents who were once the people who helped the resistance. If I help them now as Augustus and liberate them by force, they will fight for their freedom and dignity again."

Hessing took a rusty iron box from under the floor and gently opened it.

There was no gold or silver jewelry inside.

There was only a faded indigo flag, with a broken but still dazzling blue sun embroidered in the center, and a golden dagger with an ancient Augustan inscription on the hilt: "Freedom Never Dies".

"This is the flag of the Haitian resistance." Hessing's fingertips gently brushed the sun on the flag, a gesture as tender as stroking a lover's cheek. "Ironically, I took it from their leader."

Hessing's eyes darkened, as if he deeply regretted what he had done.

"The town of Luoxia is now deathly still. Everyone walks with their heads down, not daring to speak. It's not that they don't have anger, but that fire has been completely extinguished by fear and despair."

Hessing looked at Chen Feng, and the pale golden light in his eyes suddenly turned fiery.

Like two burning stars.

"Master, what do you think of my plan?"

Chen Feng did not answer immediately.

He walked up to the sun and gently touched the waning blue sun.

The rough texture of the fabric seeped through my fingertips, yet it seemed to carry the lingering warmth of blood.

You're wrong.

Chen Feng's voice was calm.

"If you were to descend now as the god Augustus, the people there would only revere you, depend on you, and regard you as their sole savior. But once you leave again, or encounter a stronger enemy, they would still walk with their heads down, dare not speak, and be at the mercy of others."

Chen Feng's eyes sharpened.

"True fighting spirit is never a gift from the gods; it is forged bit by bit by people with their own blood and bones."

Hessing was suddenly jolted.

He stared blankly at Chen Feng, and for the first time, his golden eyes showed an emotion other than hatred.

Shock, followed by deep shame.

"Master, did you serve in the military?"

"I was once a commander, but unfortunately, all my men died," Chen Feng confessed.

Hessing lowered his head, looking somewhat sad.

"I'm sorry, Master, I... I still haven't changed my old habits. I always thought that God could decide everything. It wasn't until I became a mortal myself that I realized how cruel that idea was."

Chen Feng nodded.

He could sense Haising's sincerity at that moment.

The once high and mighty demigod Augustus seems to have finally learned to look at mortals as equals.

"Tell me about the strategic resources that Luoxia Town currently possesses. We can't afford to make a mistake in our first step, otherwise, since you can't leave this plane, you'll probably be annihilated by the god." Chen Feng asked.

A slight smile appeared on Hessing's lips, as if he didn't care much.

"What? Isn't that right?" Chen Feng asked, puzzled.

"Master, you may not know this, but the war between Augustus and the Haitian resistance has been going on for two years. The three Augustus warships have already left the sea plane. Even if they have received the notification, it will take them at least half a year to return to this plane," Hessing explained.

"So that's how it is." Chen Feng murmured. "Then how many people in this plane can still rival you?"

"No more than five; the rest of Augustus are no match for me."

"Alright, I'll help you with this," Chen Feng said calmly.