Nan Shiying looked up at the bizarre stone statue, several meters high, and felt a chill in her heart.
“Are these people crazy!”
Xiaoman could hardly imagine what kind of person would believe in such a monster.
Nan Shiying withdrew her gaze and looked around, taking a rough survey. It seemed this was the hideout of those masked men!
Nan Shiying took out the powder wrapped in cowhide paper from her embrace—you like blood sacrifices, don’t you? Then I’ll give you a grand funeral!
…
As evening approached, the masked men returned.
Seven went out, three returned!
At first, the people who returned to the dilapidated temple didn’t find it strange. It wasn’t until deep into the night that the four of them had still not returned.
“Where are they?”
The Spider-masked man’s brow furrowed, a sense of unease rising in his heart.
The other two shook their heads.
They had searched the mountain today and hadn’t seen any living people in the woods. The ones they had encountered during their sacrifice ceremony were estimated to be a little over ten people. Seven or eight had already died at their hands in the past, and the remaining two or three were likely driven to suicide by the poisonous gas. Therefore, they had returned to the divine temple one after another in the evening.
As for where the others had gone and why they hadn’t returned yet, they had no idea.
“Huch, huch~”
Just then, hurried breathing and running sounds suddenly came from outside the door. The newcomer burst open the temple door and looked at the people inside, his voice filled with panic and fear: “Priest, they… they had their tendons in their hands and feet severed and were hanged on the treetops, dying from blood loss!”
“What?”
The Spider-masked man’s pupils contracted.
If the rats from Lin Yuan had such capabilities, why would they have been slaughtered so easily by them?
“What happened?” he asked.
“Don’t know!”
“Your subordinate doesn’t know!”
“It’s just that…”
The Spider-masked man’s eyes turned red, and the uncontainable rage surged. Rustling sounds echoed in his ears. He raised his hand, stopping the other person’s words, and turned his head to listen to the source of the sound, slowly turning his head.
A colossal leg descended from the sky, piercing the ground at his feet. The floor tiles cracked, and gravel flew. He looked up along the giant leg, his gaze falling upon a cold, scrutinizing stare.
It was the gaze of the Heavenly Maiden.
The Heavenly Maiden statue… had it awakened?
“Bang~ Bang~”
It stepped down from the stone platform, its eight giant legs piercing the ground. Its enormous figure tore through the roof, majestic, mysterious, and bizarre, exuding divine radiance all over, intoxicating him, making him submit!
“My Lord, you have finally awakened from chaos. Your most devout believers offer you the most loyal praise.” The man knelt, his face filled with fervor. He crossed his arms over his collarbones, then stretched forward, prostrating himself on the ground. Then he stood up, repeating this process until the third time. Only then did he straighten up, gazing up at the awakened faith above.
Beside him, someone was screaming.
“Ah… no… Lord, I am your most loyal believer, not blood food, Lord…” From the perspective of the screaming person, the awakened Heavenly Maiden statue lowered its head and opened its mandibles towards him.
In fear and despair, he was swallowed by the Heavenly Maiden’s massive mandibles in one bite!
Another person trembled, a mixture of crying and laughing. Sometimes he praised the Heavenly Maiden’s grandeur, and sometimes he showed a fearful expression.
And the appearance of the three of them, in the eyes of the man who had rushed into the temple last, had changed. The three of them faced the air, some worshipping, some fearful, some letting out terrified roars before stiffening and falling to the ground, their minds broken by something, scared to death.
“You, you…”
The man suddenly thought of something. A flicker of fear flashed in his eyes. Without any hesitation, he turned and fled towards the outside of the temple.
“Brother Mask, where do you think you’re going?”
Nan Shiying appeared before the man, her smile bright and her tone friendly as she inquired.
Seeing the person who appeared before him, the masked man felt a chill down his spine. He had no intention of fighting her and turned to flee in another direction.
Ying Shi and Twelve, along with Situ Kong, appeared and blocked all the man’s escape routes.
“Who are you people, and why are you blocking my path?”
The man shouted.
Nan Shiying smiled at him, her soft voice carrying the deepest malice: “Your companions are waiting for you in hell. Why would you abandon them?”
The man’s heart chilled. He even felt that he had no way to retreat now. The only way to survive was to break through!
A cold light suddenly surged in his eyes, and his aura became ethereal. For a moment, Nan Shiying couldn’t even capture the man’s figure with her naked eye.
Ying Shi and Ying Twelve did not give the man time to gather his strength and attacked without any warning.
Situ Kong was a step late but also charged at the man.
These masked men, with their insidious methods and bizarre movements, if they were given the chance to pray to their Heavenly Maiden, it would surely be a fierce battle. Therefore, they had to defeat the opponent as soon as possible, giving them no chance to breathe.
However, the man’s movement technique seemed to deceive the senses. He was clearly right in front of them, but when they attacked, the man appeared to his right.
Situ Kong and the other two found it difficult to capture him.
“Ten o’clock direction, front left.”
“Four o’clock, lower right.”
“Behind left.”
Golden light flowed in Nan Shiying’s eyes, and the man’s figure had nowhere to hide from her.
The masked man took three punches, retreating steadily. Situ Kong seized the opportunity and delivered a whip kick directly to the man’s chest. The man’s body plummeted rapidly towards Nan Shiying’s location like a falling meteorite.
Just as the man was about to crash to the ground, his body abruptly bent in mid-air, instantly dissipating most of the impact. Then he struck the ground with his palm, and he shot towards Nan Shiying like a speeding arrow.
“Young Master!”
“Master!”
Ying Shi and the others’ expressions changed drastically. They attacked the man with all their might.
Nan Shiying tapped the ground with her foot and retreated. She picked up a long needle from her waist and flicked her finger, the long needle cutting through the air.
The man sneered and rolled up his sleeve to block the silver needle.
Nan Shiying’s eyes showed a sun. She didn’t focus on the man but stared at the shot silver needle.
The surface of the silver needle visibly became scorching hot and emitted a red glow. The silver needle penetrated the man’s sleeve, which was covered in gale-force winds, and easily shot into the man’s body.
The man felt almost no pain, but the next moment, a ball of fire erupted from within his body.
The man’s rapid running abruptly stopped, and he fell to the ground from mid-air, letting out a piercing scream.
The scream tore through the night sky and instantly subsided. The man’s wide-open eyes seemed to hold endless hatred and unwillingness, as well as extreme shock and fear. His blood-red eyes refused to close, and he opened them wide, descending into hell.