I walked slowly into the grand hall, and compared to my last visit, there was much more life in it.
How afraid the old High Priest was of the Shepherd God's blessing ceremony going awry, filling the hall to the brim with Shepherd God's proxies. Essentially, two-thirds of all the Shepherd God's proxies I could see were gathered in this hall.
Upon the high seat, the High Priest and Hu Tu were already seated, waiting for me. I particularly noticed that Saintess Pan Lili, who should have been observing the ceremony with them, was nowhere to be found. Instead, a masked figure stood behind the High Priest.
Where was Pan Lili? Was she imprisoned by the High Priest?
My heart couldn't help but speculate. As for the person standing behind the High Priest, who cared what kind of character they were.
As I appeared, all eyes turned to me, even those of the masked Shepherd God's proxies. Although I couldn't see, I could sense it.
Damn it, I could say I was the most dazzling presence here, but this kind of attention was clearly not what I wanted.
The distance from the hall entrance to where the High Priest and Hu Tu sat was not long, only a few dozen meters, but it felt like an eternity as I walked. Fortunately, after so much tempering, my mental fortitude was strong; otherwise, the cunning High Priest would have already seen through my facade.
Hmm?
As I walked, I suppressed my curiosity and forced myself not to look down.
The sensation under my feet was strange, like there were shallow grooves. I deliberately scuffed my heel, and indeed, they were there. The patterns were clear and clearly man-made.
Did the High Priest also develop a hobby for interior decoration? When I came to the temple last time, there were none of these flashy things.
I was a little puzzled. This old man was becoming increasingly flamboyant.
When I reached the front of the High Priest and Hu Tu, Hu Tu pointed to the last empty chair beside him.
"Batu, have a seat first!"
Was this an official endorsement from the Duan tribe, granting me equal standing with the High Priest? I grumbled inwardly, but my body obediently walked towards the chair and sat down.
To be honest, I wasn't nervous at all at the moment. After all, the blessing ceremony hadn't even begun. Whatever happened now would only be an appetizer; the main course was yet to come.
As I sat down, all the principal and supporting actors of this grand play, the blessing ceremony, were present.
Rumble—!
The heavy stone doors and the polished grooves made a grating sound.
The doors were slowly closing!
"High Priest, what is the meaning of this?!"
I immediately sat up from my seat, my gaze fixed on the High Priest.
Good heavens, a trap! No, a trap for a handsome man!
With these tens of tons of doors closing, even if I had TNT, it would take a while to blow them open. On the scene, if I can't say I'm without allies, I can at least say everyone here is an enemy. If looks could kill, I probably wouldn't have survived a second after entering the hall, having been dismembered a thousand times.
"Commander Batu, don't panic! This is just standard procedure. After all, the Shepherd God's blessing ceremony is a very important matter, and no one wants any disruptions, right?"
The High Priest smiled, appearing as calm as ever.
Damn this old bastard!
I cursed inwardly, and suddenly heard the masked figure standing behind the High Priest speak!
"Time's up! The ceremony begins!"
Wow, was this a eunuch from ancient China who had time-traveled?
His voice was so high-pitched, it would be a waste if he didn't become a head eunuch!
I placed one hand on the back of the chair, observing the changes in the hall, ready to make a quick escape if the situation turned unfavorable.
Following the sharp voice of the apparent eunuch, the Shepherd God's proxies in the hall all moved in unison towards the edges of the hall. Then, holding something in their hands, they took their positions at specific points within the hall.
It was then that I realized those shallow grooves I had noticed earlier formed a peculiar pattern from all directions.
This pattern would eventually converge before us, forming a giant tree!
"Move!"
Once all the Shepherd God's proxies had taken their positions, the sharp voice suddenly commanded. All the Shepherd God's proxies lifted the wooden buckets, covered with black cloth, and began pouring the liquid inside into the grooves on the ground!
A few Shepherd God's proxies were very close to me. I glanced into their buckets, and my gaze sharpened. The liquid inside was somewhat viscous and emitted a fishy smell. It was clearly blood, prepared in advance!
High Priest, this is a blood sacrifice!
At this moment, streams of dark red "blood rivers" began to converge in the center of the hall. The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became eerie.
Crazy!
I turned my head, about to observe the High Priest's reaction, only to find Hu Tu's expression extremely contorted.
He was actually laughing silently!