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Qin Fang had been in these mountains for some time now and had gradually adapted to some of the customs of the mountain people, also coming to understand what kind of taboos they have.

Such sacrificial ceremonies are the mountain's most solemn events, requiring lengthy preparations. Every offering had to be selected again and again, only to be finally confirmed.

Especially since this tribe's sacrificial ceremony is for the future of the tribe, it is given utmost importance. Everything must ensure the smooth completion of the sacrificial activities; nothing else should interfere.

In other words, anyone who dares to disrupt the sacrificial activities will become the enemy of the entire tribe and will undoubtedly be attacked by all.

"Rest assured, Auntie Song, I understand..."

Qin Fang nodded. Although this kind of thing was very bloody, it's the hope of the entire tribe, and as an outsider, he couldn't stop it.

He could only be a bystander and witness the process of the sacrificial activities...

Qin Fang and his group were merely passing through this tribe, planning to stay overnight and then leave the mountains, stepping into the outside world in the morning. So when they arrived, it was already getting late, and the entire sacrificial activity was coming to an end, with only the final blood sacrifice remaining.

In the center of the tribe, a tall platform was built, covered with fresh flowers and green grass, which looked quite beautifully decorated.

A very young girl sat there, without a thread on her body, under the setting sun's assistance, a gentle breeze fluttered, immediately bringing a boundless chill, making her very uncomfortable. She couldn't help but tightly cover her body with her hands, shielding a few important parts.

However, her face was very calm, even with a certain joy, as if she was very happy and looking forward to what was going to happen next.

"Qin Fang, why does she seem so happy?"

Qin Fang and others all came over to watch the sacrificial ceremony. Wen Yan and Tang Xin were also beside them, but when they learned what the blood sacrifice entailed, Wen Yan still didn't understand and asked.

The blood sacrifice meant offering up one's young life, and this girl was especially beautiful and only sixteen years old. While in the mountains, that was already the age of marriage and childbearing, outside the mountains, she was just a middle school student.

Yet now, this young life had to be sacrificed for so-called offerings, which was really a pity...

"Is there something wrong with that?"

Qin Fang was really at a loss for words, but Tang Xin muttered curiously, "For a thousand years in the Tang Sect, many ancestors sacrificed their lives forging stronger Hidden Weapons..."

This is well documented in the history of the Tang Sect, and as a disciple of the Tang Sect, Tang Xin certainly knew a lot about these things.

Of course, only if the Hidden Weapons were successfully forged would the sacrificer... generally speaking, the forger himself, have his name entered into the history of Tang Sect.

As for those who failed, since they have already failed, the Hidden Weapons naturally weren't successfully forged, and they naturally do not qualify, only to be slowly submerged in the long river of history.

Perhaps only when later generations prepare to forge a similar or the same Hidden Weapon, their names might be brought up again...

This is like the legend of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye; almost every forging of the Ten Great Hidden Weapons of Tang Sect involved the blood of the forgers...

"But it's just feudal superstition..."

Wen Yan got along quite well with Tang Xin, and at this moment, she looked at Tang Xin with some perplexity and indignation, saying.

The thought of feudal superstition harming people was one thing, but now it is harming lives. As a civilized person who came into the mountains from a civilized society, Wen Yan couldn't accept the scene before her.

"Just watch quietly, don't say more..."

Qin Fang also felt pity for the girl on the high platform who was just in the bloom of youth. She had just arrived in this world for a little over a decade and was now about to lose her life in such a way; it was truly too regrettable.

But she herself felt it was extremely worthwhile, as if it were the sole reason for her existence, causing Qin Fang and the others to sigh in frustration.

This was a custom of the mountain people, deeply rooted in the hearts of everyone there. Even Auntie Song, who had left the mountains and lived outside for decades, showed considerable awe and fear when she returned.

It wasn't that she revered ghosts or gods, but rather she held a fearful respect for the mountain people's ignorance. Ignorant people are the most terrifying; there is nothing they wouldn't dare to do. Angering these people would spell disaster for anyone who came, regardless of who they were.

Qin Fang was no exception. Although he felt sorry for the girl about to be sacrificed, there was nothing he could do... If he really tried to save her, they wouldn't even need to wait for the Tang Sect's men to come after them. The onlooking mountain people alone would be enough to doom them all.

Wuu wuu wuu wuu~~~

The sun began to set behind the mountains, leaving only the fading light of the sunset to adorn the village in a dim yellow hue.

Loud and deep horn sounds arose from outside the village, and soon enough, it appeared as though a group of people were approaching surrounded by a crowd.

First came two rows, each with a dozen or so people dressed in strangely bizarre outfits that looked somewhat like lamas but not quite. Carrying huge horns made from bull's horns, they blew them with a deep wuuu wuuu sound... Behind them, others beat drums and gongs, creating quite the lively scene.

In the midst of these dozens of people was a palanquin that seemed extremely luxurious, carried by sixteen people and looking particularly solemn.

The palanquin was mostly covered by curtains, and one could only vaguely make out a person seated cross-legged inside, seemingly of high status.

"It's High Priest Darren! High Priest Darren himself has come..."

People inside the village quickly recognized the identity of the visitor. It was indeed the ride of the highest-status High Priest in the vast mountain region, the acclaimed messenger of the gods, High Priest Darren, whose prestige even surpassed that of revered elders like Witch Doctor Geda.

As the most powerful man in the mountains, even the chiefs of the various tribes treated him with the utmost respect, daring not to show the slightest disobedience because he represented the supreme deity.

It was precisely because of this supreme authority that High Priest Darren virtually had whatever he desired in the mountains. It was considered an honor for any tribe to have him preside over their ceremonies.

Qin Fang had assumed that such an illustrious figure would be as old as Witch Doctor Geda, but when High Priest Darren stepped down from the palanquin, he appeared to be only in his forties, lean and wearing a pair of slender mustaches. Dressed in white ceremonial robes, he certainly had an air of an otherworldly sage...

However, Qin Fang felt that this High Priest Darren was probably not as selfless, sacred, and upright as his reputation suggested...

Especially those slightly narrow eyes that flickered, giving off an evil aura that made one feel extremely uncomfortable.

Yet, the people in the mountains seemed to notice nothing amiss, or perhaps they were all bowing their heads, not even daring to look up.

A thought struck Qin Fang, and he promptly cast his Scouting Skill on High Priest Darren, eager to size up the man's background.

The recon results quickly came back, surprising Qin Fang.

"Darren, LV1, half-baked charlatan, Evil Camp, Specialty: Deception LV3..."

Such a result, while Qin Fang always suspected High Priest Darren of being a charlatan, he never thought him to be worse than he imagined—a complete fraud.

Many charlatans are frauds, and this did not surprise Qin Fang, but while ordinary frauds trick people out of money or seduction, they rarely lead to death. However, the High Priest Darren in front of him was outrightly from the Evil Camp. Qin Fang paid particular attention to his Sin Points and couldn't help but take a sharp breath—"Sin Points: 3240."

Over three thousand Sin Points made him the second most evil person Qin Fang had seen, only next to the Black Witch Doctor Mulun who had murdered many mountain people for Gu practices.

So many Sin Points meant at least thirty people had died at his hands, making him akin to a brutal executioner.

However, while Qin Fang was shocked, he was also puzzled. He looked at the girl on the high platform, thought of the upcoming blood sacrifice, and somehow understood where High Priest Darren's excessive Sin Points originated from.

These girls were pure and naive, and even if they didn't belong to the Good Camp, they were at least Neutral Camp. Killing such a girl would inevitably increase one's Sin Points by a hundred.

Having operated in the mountains for so many years, High Priest Darren had personally overseen many blood sacrifices. That he had blood on his hands and such high Sin Points were thus understandable.

Although this explanation seemed reasonable, it gave Qin Fang a plausible explanation, but for some reason, Qin Fang still felt there were significant issues with this High Priest Darren...

At least this High Priest was actually a half-baked charlatan and a fraudster with a Deception specialization of LV3. There must be some trickery involved. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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