Chapter 019: The Chosen Son

Although Bruce was filled with anger, he couldn’t express it at that moment. Du Fan casually threw aside what he was holding, sat down, and after thinking for a while, said, “Honorable Lord Bruce, there’s been a question bothering me all along—why have you been targeting me from the very beginning? Whether it was in the northern ice fields or now, it seems like you’ve tried to take my life every time. To be honest, Lord Bruce… I, Du Fan, may not be a good person, but I can’t recall doing anything so heinous that deserves such hatred from you… If it weren’t for my good luck, I wouldn’t know how many times I’ve died at your hands! So… you must answer this question!”
Bruce sneered and said, “Don’t you know the reason yourself?”
Du Fan stood up, walked over, and slapped him hard. Then, lowering his voice, he said, “Bruce, it’s my turn to ask you now, not you to ask me! Do you remember what I said just now? If you want to test my patience, don’t blame me for not being polite!”
“I admire your courage, but defying me at a time like this is foolish. So, you’ll have to pay for your stupidity!”
With that, Du Fan turned and gave Feri a cold look, saying, “Bring someone here in front of Lord Bruce and cut off their head! Remember, the slower you do it, the better. It’s better if they’re left alive but unable to go on—killing them like this is too merciful for them!”
Feri responded, untied a person from an iron pillar, dragged them in front of Bruce, and drew the Holy Cross Sword from his waist, slowly bringing it down!
It was called chopping, but Feri’s movements were more like sawing… He cut off the person’s head bit by bit, and the spraying blood covered Bruce’s face. Finally, with a piercing scream, the head rolled to Bruce’s feet.
“You!” Bruce, covered in blood, glared at Du Fan, almost ready to devour him.
Du Fan sneered, took out a handkerchief, wiped Bruce’s face clean, and then slapped him again…
“Slap—”

“I guess you must really want to scold me now, right?” Du Fan smiled. “But remember, other than answering my questions, I don’t want to hear any other words. Every word you speak will cost one life… I’ve already warned you before… I’m sure you believe now that what I said is true. Well then, I’ll ask you once more. I hope you’ll answer: why do you and Aldas keep trying to take my life, Du Fan’s?”
Bruce bit his lip and glared at Du Fan, but couldn’t utter a word.
Du Fan waited for a moment, then nodded and said, “Very good… Lord Bruce, you don’t think you can get away by saying nothing, do you? Very good! Very good!”
With that, Du Fan closed his eyes and said softly, “This time, cut off two heads for me!”
Feyre responded immediately, grabbing two people and bringing them before Bruce. With a swift swing of his holy cross sword, two more heads fell to the ground.
Bruce growled, “Du Fan! How dare you…”
Du Fan snorted. “What is there I, Du Fan, can’t dare to do? In this game, I’m the master, so naturally I set the rules. Say one wrong word, and I kill one person; if you don’t answer, I kill two. We can keep going like this. After all, you only have about a hundred people here, so it won’t take long to finish them all… Lord Bruce, please don’t overestimate your status. In front of others, you may be the strongest in the continent, but in front of me, Du Fan, you mean nothing. If you’re of no use to me… killing you is just a matter of minutes… But I suppose you don’t want to die yet, right? To die like this in this world of vanity is utterly meaningless! It’s just answering one of my questions—such a simple thing!”
A hint of hesitation flashed in Bruce’s eyes. Du Fan saw it but said nothing, merely watching him quietly.
After a while, Bruce gritted his teeth and said, “Will you release me as long as I answer your question?”
Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “Not only that. I’ll also invite the best healers to treat your wounds. Moreover, I’ll let you leave fully armed. Even the heresy trial a few days from now, I’ll invite you to attend… In other words, as long as you answer the question, I, Du Fan, will treat you as honored guests!”
Bruce hesitated for a moment before saying, “How can I trust you?”

Du Fan said coldly, “I, Du Fan, have always kept my word. But if you still don’t believe me, then I’ll swear by the name of the Supreme Divine Light God—will that satisfy you?”
Bruce finally gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, I’ll tell you. But if you, Du Fan, break your word, don’t blame me!”
A hint of amusement flashed in Du Fan’s eyes as he whispered, “If I had known it would end like this, I wouldn’t have done it in the first place. Well then, Lord Bruce, can you tell me… why do you all want to kill me so badly?”
Bruce remained silent for a moment before saying, “It’s all for the Divine Origin. According to our informants, the Divine Origin is in your hands, Du Fan. It’s something our Roland Academy has been pursuing for a long time. Once we obtain it, we’ll be able to surpass the Holy Church and gain control of the continent. So under any circumstances, no matter what we have to do, we must get the Divine Origin… even if it means going to war with the Holy Church!”
“So, you’d even kill me for it?” Du Fan said calmly. “Is that the only reason?”
“There’s another… because Aldas wants revenge!”
“Why revenge?”
“In the northern ice fields, you killed so many of us through schemes. For both public and personal reasons, we must take revenge… Otherwise, how can we go back and face our people?”
Du Fan nodded. “I see. What a utterly trivial reason… Never mind. I won’t ask anymore. Then let me ask you again—what exactly is the use of this Divine Origin that makes you all pursue it so desperately?”
Bruce’s expression changed. “I… I really don’t know!”
“Is that so?” Du Fan smiled faintly. “It’s a shame if you really don’t know.”
With that, he glanced behind him and said, “Ferei, cut off another head. Remember, choose someone stronger this time. If you just pick randomly, I doubt Lord Bruce will feel much pain!”
Ferei responded and quickly started looking for someone.
Bruce’s face twisted in panic. “I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything! Du Fan, stop! Tell him to stop!”
Du Fan gave a signal to Ferei, then turned back to Bruce and said, “Speak… After this, I don’t want to hear the word ‘I don’t know’ again. Do you understand?”

Bruce shook his head slightly, as if he hadn’t heard Du Fan’s threat. After a moment, he let out a low sigh and said, “Lord Du Fan, do you… believe in the existence of gods?”
Du Fan hesitated for a moment before responding indifferently, “What does it matter if I do or not?”
A hint of piety flashed in Bruce’s eyes as he spoke in a nearly sacred tone, “Lord Du Fan, I’ve heard that you are also a devout priest. But you must understand that gods truly exist… and the Origin of God is something left behind by the gods on earth… Of course, within our ranks, whether it’s Roland Academy or the Holy Church, we all believe that the Origin of God was deliberately left behind by the gods.”
“Deliberately?” Du Fan frowned. “What do you mean?”
Bruce wore a mysterious smile and said softly, “The Origin of God allows those who possess it to break through the ninth level and reach the Saintly rank… But Lord Du Fan, do you know what the Saintly rank is?”
Du Fan snorted. “I don’t!”
Bruce laughed heartily, as if he wasn’t a prisoner at all. Smiling, he said, “Of course you don’t! What is the Saintly rank? It is the gateway to the realm of gods. Only those who reach the Saintly rank are qualified to understand the true nature of gods… It is power, control, the establishment of rules… even everything!”
Du Fan said coldly, “You exaggerate so much. In my view, the Saintly rank is just a stronger person. No matter how powerful they are, they’re still human. Is there any need to exaggerate so?”
Bruce was momentarily stunned, speechless for a while, before saying, “Of course. Besides allowing one to reach the Saintly rank, the Origin of God also has another function. This power, deliberately left behind on earth, inherently has a selective nature… It’s not humans who pursue the Origin of God; rather, it is the Origin of God that chooses humans… In other words, those who have obtained the Origin of God throughout the ages are all chosen by the gods!”