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However, High Priest Darren doesn't have any direct relationship with Qin Fang. Even if Qin Fang felt something was wrong with this person, he had no evidence to prove it at all.

Moreover, even if Qin Fang had evidence to show problems with High Priest Darren, considering Darren's absolute authority among the mountain tribes, it would still require others willing to believe it!

A single misstep and High Priest Darren, pointing at Qin Fang, could shout, "This man is a blasphemer..." - it would be enough trouble for Qin Fang to deal with, unless he chose to escape in disgrace. There would be no other way.

Even though Qin Fang possesses group attack skills and fears not even a group of a hundred and eighty, facing thousands in a huge assembly, where a single spit from each could drown him, let alone considering that the mountain-dwellers number at least eighty-thousand...

Seeing those around him bowing low to welcome his arrival, High Priest Darren appeared quite pleased as he stepped towards the platform.

His gaze did, however, fall upon Qin Fang and his few companions; while everyone else bowed their heads, only these few remained upright, seemingly unmoved.

Normally, Darren would erupt in rage at such disobedience, but seeing the attire of Qin Fang and his companions, he had to suppress that impulse.

Qin Fang and Wen Yan were dressed as outsiders from beyond the mountains, clearly indicating they were not locals, while Tang Xin was clad in ancient attire, as if she had traversed time from an ancient era. Having mingled in the mountains for so long, Darren was naturally aware of the… Tang Sect deep within the mountains. He even had one or two encounters with members of the Tang Sect.

Someone like him, a half-baked charlatan, feared no one in the mountains, but was wary of these two types of people: outsiders might expose his tricks, while those from the Tang Sect could effortlessly exterminate his entire lineage.

Since neither of these individuals was someone he could afford to offend, and since they hadn't troubled him, he naturally dared not provoke them actively, as there would be no benefit to him in doing so.

High Priest Darren ascended the constructed platform, eyes straight ahead, walking directly to the prop that looked like an altar, with his assistants immediately bringing over a pile of things, quickly filling up the altar.

There were talisman papers, incense candles, wooden swords, bowls, and many other items, making the altar look quite packed and authentic.

"The blood sacrifice begins..."

Once everything was ready, someone from the mountains let out a loud call, and immediately the sound of horns wailed.

High Priest Darren arrived in front of the altar, picked up a piece of talisman paper, bit hard into his finger after placing it in his mouth, and blood began flowing profusely from his fingertip.

Now, Darren used the blood to swiftly draw indecipherable patterns on that yellow talisman paper, with an appearance of seriousness.

In just a few seconds, this blood-written talisman was formed, but before it could even dry, Darren suddenly opened his mouth, and an intense flame burst forth, directly onto the paper.

Boom! The talisman paper couldn't withstand such a fiery bake and immediately burned up, reducing to a pile of ashes, all falling into the bowl on the altar…

Darren didn't pause, raising the peach wood sword in one hand, brandishing it with a few gestures that looked authentic, but were actually just random chopping and slashing.

Meanwhile, the other hand quickly picked up the bowl with the talisman ash, tilted his head back, and gulped it all down.

Then—

Puff~~~

Darren's mouth became like a high-pressure water nozzle, fiercely spraying the liquid onto the peach wood sword in his hand, thoroughly dousing the not-so-long sword with the talisman water.

"Look! Blood... that's blood... the demon is slain, the demon is slain..."

In the crowd, someone suddenly cried out, immediately catching the attention of many shocked villagers, who were too astonished to speak.

Everyone's eyes focused on the peach wood sword in Darren's hand, and they could see faint traces of scarlet blood upon it…

And this ritual was actually an act of demon-slaying, and now Darren's performance had undoubtedly achieved this.

"Truly there's blood, it really is blood!"

The bloodstains on the Peach Wood Sword were so glaring, especially under the slightly dimming light of the setting sun, adding an extra layer of mystery and unpredictability.

"Supreme deity! Supreme deity..."

Suddenly, someone shouted loudly, and immediately, masses of mountain villagers dropped to their knees, worshipping High Priest Darren on the high platform.

The High Priest represents the deity, the spokesperson for the deity on Earth, the messenger of the deity. The villagers' thoughts were simple: they couldn't see the so-called deity, so they worshipped its messenger on Earth—High Priest Darren.

Darren naturally relished this, feeling an intense sense of satisfaction each time such a scene unfolded.

Although everyone had kneeled, the three individuals on the side remained still, causing him a trace of dissatisfaction, but he could only helplessly accept this reality.

Everyone around had fallen to their knees, yet Qin Fang, Wen Yan, and Tang Xin stood upright and motionless, seemingly oblivious to what was happening.

Watching this series of dizzying performances, Qin Fang almost wanted to applaud, recognizing how familiar these routines were.

It seemed that in the rural areas outside the mountains, such charlatans and witches performed similar acts. Qin Fang dared not say all of it was nonsense, but at least the vast majority was mere babble.

But why did the performance of High Priest Darren before him resemble those? Although not identical, they were quite similar.

"There's something off about this guy..."

Although Qin Fang didn't comment, it didn't mean others wouldn't, like Tang Xin who murmured softly beside him.

She was raised in the Tang Sect, and aside from Hidden Weapons and poisons, their Martial Arts were formidable, and their Mechanical Techniques were also impressive.

Charlatanism is, frankly, a branch of Thousand Skills, and Mechanical Techniques are also a branch of Thousand Gate. There are many similarities and connections between them, and as Tang Xin practiced her Martial Arts, she had also briefly skimmed relevant literature, so she had a superficial knowledge of these arts.

However, this High Priest Darren was merely a half-baked charlatan, probably having learned just a smattering or not even the basics, enough to fool these simple-minded villagers.

But fooling Qin Fang and the others wouldn't be so easy. At least, Qin Fang wasn't impressed by Darren's series of fancy performances at all.

"There's indeed a problem, let's keep watching..."

Qin Fang nodded, acknowledging that Darren certainly had issues, being nothing more than a half-baked charlatan.

Though Qin Fang had never conjured spirits himself, a simple analysis was enough to know how each seemingly incredible performance was executed.

Fire breathing is a trick many street performers know, and it's not uncommon in acrobatics, requiring some skill.

Darren must have had some kerosene or another flammable substance in his mouth, which he then ignited with the flames from the nearby Incense Candles.

The main reason Qin Fang and the others hadn't detected it was their distance; if they were closer, they might have even smelled the kerosene. Since he entered, no outsider had approached Darren except his own people, so naturally, no one discovered the trick.

Moreover, the villagers' daily lives were primitive; they probably had never even used coal oil... Even if they smelt it, they wouldn't know what it was.

Explaining the fire-breathing clears up a lot; other tricks become much easier. Paper is susceptible to flames, and if smeared with a little kerosene, it ignites even more readily.

The final act of vanquishing demons was utter nonsense. Any child who has studied chemistry could explain the principles behind it...

Phenolphthalein was smeared on the Peach Wood Sword, and the so-called Talisman Water that Darren drank was actually a solution with an alkaline substance. When mixed together, it immediately turned red.

Due to the naturally darker hue of the moist Peach Wood Sword combined with the red color, it could easily be mistaken for blood, especially in this failing light, and some people intentionally acted as shills. It would be hard for these simple-minded villagers not to be taken in...

Darren had obviously prepared these arrangements for a long time and performed them quite skillfully, implying that the art of deceiving isn't new to him; he has made a habit of it.

Qin Fang could see through these performances, but the villagers didn't know, and for now, he had no way to prove Darren's deception to them.

Besides, it's unlikely that the villagers would listen to any criticism of their revered messenger, High Priest Darren, from him. So, Qin Fang just pretended to be ignorant and kept watching.

This was merely the beginning of the Blood Sacrifice; Darren probably had more dazzling performances in store. Tang Xin also nodded slightly; she wasn't particularly interested in these performances—if not for Qin Fang's presence, she probably wouldn't have bothered coming. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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