Chapter 222: Will Be Back Soon

Under the protection of Guardian Tang Yue and Tier 3 Deity Ye Wen, no one dared to approach Yang Fan, let alone monitor him.

Returning to his room, Yang Fan casually changed into ordinary clothes and quietly left his residence.

Tier 3 Deity Ye Wen remained in place, while Guardian Tang Yue concealed her presence and followed silently behind.

…

Xiling Star was not very large; its total surface area was perhaps only one-hundredth of the planet where Yang Fan used to live.

However, the population density was shockingly high.

Yang Fan walked towards the city center.

The streets were densely packed with people.

To his surprise, he could barely see any demigods here.

Looking around, it was basically all Divine Beings, along with a large number of children who had not yet undergone Awakening of their Divine Kingdoms.

The streets appeared somewhat old, and the air was even filled with a sense of oppression.

Every so often, he could see enforcement teams wearing official uniforms.

They were checking house by house, their tone overbearing.

"It's time to pay this month's poll tax."

"One thousand Faith Points per person."

A woman, pale-faced, hurriedly pleaded in a low voice, "My lord, the child was just born."

"My Divine Kingdom resources have all been sold; I really cannot come up with it."

The man from the enforcement team sneered, "Sold out?"

"Then go become a Subordinate God for a demigod lord and let your believers do manual labor."

"The Federation doesn't support you just so you can eat for free."

At another household, an old man trembling transferred the funds.

"I'm still short three hundred Faith Points… Could you grant me a few days of grace?"

Smack!

The enforcement team member backhanded him, knocking the old man to the ground.

"Grace? What kind of place do you think this is?"

"If you can't pay the tax, go sell your Divine Kingdom resources."

"If that doesn't work, sell your believers!"

A child nearby shrank into a corner, too terrified to even cry.

The entire street was listless.

Yang Fan frowned slightly.

Logically speaking, Xiling Star was a major transportation hub.

The annual tax revenue must be an astronomical figure.

Yet why were the people here living so miserably?

Carrying his doubts, Yang Fan continued forward.

Soon, he arrived at a massive spaceship space jump port.

Countless spaceships were constantly taking off and landing, and the people coming and going were either rich or noble.

Those enforcement teams that were just flaunting their power on the street were now all fawning and obsequious.

"Boss Zhao, take care."

"The paperwork has already been processed for you."

"Tax? Haha, you are a VIP; why talk about taxes? I just hope you can put in a good word for us, the Rao Family, to those above."

"President Li, next time you pass through Xiling Star, be sure to come visit again."

Those people boarding the spaceships didn't even need to be inspected; they were let through directly.

And the enforcement team members were all smiles, nodding and bowing.

It was a completely different attitude compared to how they treated ordinary people earlier.

As more and more intelligent life was born in his Divine Kingdom, Yang Fan's Mental Energy was now extremely strong, and his perception was very keen.

Although Xiling Star had a large population, their strength was pitifully low.

What made Yang Fan frown even more was that the people here had numb eyes, as if they had been completely crushed by life and could not see a glimmer of hope.

"Damn it," he thought.

"Gods exploit believers."

"In the real world, the strong exploit the weak."

"Everyone plays this game, right?"

Yang Fan took a deep breath, feeling a sense of discomfort toward this planet in his heart.

He suddenly felt that if he had been born on this Xiling Star, he probably would have struggled just to survive.

…

Yang Fan turned and walked into a secluded, dark alley.

The moment he stepped inside, a dark shadow suddenly rushed out from the darkness.

An iron rod in its hand smashed fiercely toward his leg.

The opponent did not attack his vital points; clearly, they just wanted to make him lose his mobility.

But Yang Fan didn't even move.

Bang!!!

A muffled sound rang out.

The iron rod was sent flying by the impact.

Even the web of the teenager's hand was split open.

Yang Fan remained standing in place, completely unharmed.

With his current physique, let alone an iron rod, even if a high-speed sports car crashed into him, he could easily block it.

The teenager was completely dumbfounded at this moment.

He stood there blankly, as if he couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

Only then did Yang Fan examine the other person.

The teenager was about fifteen or sixteen years old, clearly not yet at the age for the Awakening of a Divine Kingdom.

He was thin and weak, with a sallow complexion—the picture of long-term malnutrition.

Just then, two petite figures suddenly rushed out from the side and stood directly in front of the teenager.

"Don't hurt my brother!"

Yang Fan was stunned; he saw that they were a pair of twin little girls.

They looked like porcelain dolls, very fair and clean, though their faces were covered in dust and their clothes were tattered.

And the older brother behind them was, conversely, so thin he was nothing but skin and bones.

Seeing this scene, Yang Fan was momentarily left speechless and amused.

He had been standing still and had inexplicably taken a hit from a rod.

And now, he had somehow become the bad guy?

"Um…" Yang Fan said with a wry smile, "It seems like your brother was the one hurting me, right?"

Upon hearing this, the teenager's face instantly flushed red.

He then immediately pulled his two sisters down to their knees.

"My lord, please forgive us!"

"We… we just wanted to get some food."

Yang Fan frowned slightly.

"Where are your adults?"

He really couldn't understand.

In this era where everyone could undergo the Awakening of a Divine Kingdom, how could there still be people lacking food?

Shouldn't food be the cheapest thing in this world?

Yang Fan's life back in Yang County hadn't been easy either, but that was because of the heavy pressure from rent and taxes.

Even so, there was never a shortage of food.

One could just casually raise some cattle and sheep in the Divine Kingdom, and they could be slaughtered the next day and manifested into the real world.

Therefore, Yang Fan couldn't understand how, in this day and age, there could still be people taking risks for food.

Especially a few children.

Thinking of the ambush just now, Yang Fan's gaze flickered slightly.

Although the attack was sudden, the boy had clearly avoided his vital points.

Even when ambushing, he had held back.

It was precisely because of this that Yang Fan was willing to ask a few more questions.

The little boy kept his head down and didn't speak.

Instead, the two twin sisters on the side were a bit anxious.

"A year ago, the war on the front lines against the alien races was extremely intense. Dad's Divine Kingdom had a Forging Talent, so he was conscripted."

"He said he would be back soon."

When the little girl said this, there was clear anticipation in her eyes.

The older brother kept his head down and said nothing.

But his clenched fists were trembling slightly.

In the depths of his eyes, a trace of long-suppressed hatred flashed.

How powerful was Yang Fan's Mental Energy? These subtle movements naturally could not escape his eyes.

After a moment of silence, Yang Fan casually manifested a few spiritual fruits from his Divine Kingdom and handed them over.

As soon as the spiritual fruits appeared, the two little girls' eyes instantly lit up, and their breathing became rapid.

"For… for us?"

After getting confirmation, the two little girls immediately began to wolf them down, as if afraid the food would disappear the next second.

By contrast, the boy remained standing in place, not moving.

He just stared at the spiritual fruits in silence.