The sacrificial altar was situated in the very heart of Tianyang City, the tallest and most magnificent structure there.
Anyone who arrived in Tianyang City could spot this towering, iron-tower-like edifice reaching into the clouds at a glance.
This was the favored place for members of the E'er tribe, their usual spot for sacrifice and prayer.
Whenever an E'er tribe member came of age, or when significant events occurred, their special rituals would be held in the grand sacrificial altar.
At this moment, terrifying wails echoed from the grand sacrificial altar of Tianyang City. It was impossible to describe their pronunciation, but any ordinary person could feel a dark and terrifying aura.
Those with even a slight trace of timidity, upon nearing the grand altar, would likely find their legs turning to jelly and their minds buzzing.
"Who are you? Why have you captured me?"
Amidst the wails, a Hu ethnic accent sounded jarringly out of place.
The voice was somewhat humble, weak, and lost, adding a touch of horror to the grim atmosphere of the place.
A cold wind blew through the void. Even though hundreds of people knelt before the grand altar, no one spoke.
It was as if the voice had nothing to do with them.
Or perhaps, the voice was simply the result of them being frightened.
"Wuwuwuwu..."
As the terrifying wails continued, the people before the grand altar raised their hands to the sky and then prostrated themselves towards the altar, as if performing some ritual.
"Who exactly are you? Wh-why did you drag me here..."
The humble voice continued to sound.
Following the sound, one could see that beneath the altar was a person, blindfolded and tied to a cross. No one knew what was to be done.
Even though her face could not be seen clearly, her graceful figure revealed her to be a young woman.
The woman seemed to have fallen into endless darkness, thus feeling helpless and terrified. As the cold wind blew, her body involuntarily trembled.
The woman's two calls seemed to have touched this mysterious minority.
A man in black robes, kneeling at the very front, stood up and walked to the side of the cross, then lifted the black bag that had been covering the woman's head.
It was a face as pale as paper, covered in tear stains. Her eyes had fine red blood vessels, and her hair was disheveled, making her look like a beggar.
Despite her appearance, the woman's underlying features were still good, making her more attractive than most of the E'er women present.
If Chen Fan were here, he would recognize her at a glance.
This woman was his ex-wife, Su Yingxia!
As Su Yingxia emerged from the darkness, she momentarily felt disoriented and instinctively turned her head, trying to avoid the ubiquitous light from the sky.
After a moment, she looked around.
However, the more she looked, the wider her pupils became. The scene before her completely surpassed her comprehension.
Or rather, the place she was in was somewhere she had never imagined, nor ever heard of.
In her eyes, it was an infinitely terrifying building.
In front of the building's entrance stood two terrifying stone beasts, one on the left and one on the right. They were neither one of the ancient divine beasts such as Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, or Black Tortoise, nor ferocious beasts like Taotie or Taowu...
It had robust limbs and tiger-like stripes on its body. Terrifyingly, it also had large scales covering its body, making it resemble a war machine.
Not only that, but the stone beast had three heads, and its body was entwined with a terrifying giant snake, whose pupils were as large as human soccer balls.
Humans fear the unknown.
Regardless of their identity or experience, when they cannot control life and death, or lack effective information, anyone will be afraid and despair.
Su Yingxia was in such a state at this moment.
If her legs were not bound to the cross, she would have probably already fallen to her knees.
The fear and despair in her eyes were almost all her emotions at this time.
"Respected divine lord, our Blood Witch tribe, after exhausting immense effort, has finally found the best sacrifice in the mortal world."
"As long as we obtain one more item, our tribe can awaken the divine lord and let you return to the world, ruling the entire human realm."
"At that time, any human who dares to defy the divine lord's will or offend the dignity of our E'er tribe will be mercilessly annihilated!"
"&6*…………"
The man who removed Su Yingxia's hood muttered to himself.
Initially, Su Yingxia could understand what he said. Although it wasn't pure Great Hu language, it was generally fine.
But later, he spoke a passage of language that Su Yingxia couldn't understand at all.
However, the first half of his speech was enough to make Su Yingxia terrified.
She understood that she was the so-called "best sacrifice," meant to be offered to this Blood Witch tribe.
This meant that if no one came to save her, only death awaited her.
"No, you can't do this! This is superstition, a decadent custom that is not tolerated by the world! No, no..."
Su Yingxia was frightened. Tears streamed down her face. The seed of fear in her heart had taken root and sprouted, growing into a towering tree in an instant.
If she hadn't had someone to care about, she would likely have lost all consciousness by now.
Thinking of this, Su Yingxia felt pathetic.
Even though she always hurt that person, that person always saved her without hesitation.
The person who was good to her seemed to always be that one person.
And the happiness, the concern, the reliance she once thought she had, all collapsed under powerful forces or terrifying dangers.
Only that person, forever standing before her, shielding her from the collapsing sky.