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High Priest Darren had on his hand a very strange-looking ring which Qin Fang had not initially noticed. In these mountains, the people had various kinds of decorative items – rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and so on – nothing too special...

But now, Darren was completely bare, with everything removed except for the conspicuous ring on his hand, which became impossible for Qin Fang to ignore.

The design of the ring was bizarre, or rather, it should be said to be exquisitely crafted, clearly not something that these mountain folk could produce – definitely the work of a very skilled and talented craftsman.

The pattern on the ring seemed quite unique and peculiar, yet it held a kind of special beauty, certainly not comparable to ordinary objects.

Qin Fang immediately cast a Scouting Skill on this ring.

"Thousand Mechanism, a rare and special item, Qian Technique+1, one of the Thousand Gate treasures, possessing extremely powerful functions."

Looking at the result of the reconnaissance on this ring, Qin Fang's expression involuntarily changed, as its effects were too powerful and overbearing.

Previously, Qin Fang felt that High Priest Darren's Qianmen Illusion Technique was somewhat flawed, very authentic yet only superficial.

It might work against ordinary people, but confronted with a real connoisseur or someone serious, it would be easy to expose him – like today, with Wen Yan's careful observation after Qin Fang's reminder, she could spot the flaws in his Qianmen Illusion Technique...

Qin Fang now understood that High Priest Darren himself didn't know Qian Technique at all. The only reason he could perform the Qianmen Illusion Technique was mainly due to the meddling of this 'Thousand Mechanism' ring.

Cheating Skills+1 effectively turned High Priest Darren from an absolute novice into a beginner with Elementary Qian Technique.

However, he hadn't learned any Qian Skills and could only fumble around to acquire superficial knowledge. In the outside world, the chances of being exposed were high, but in these remote mountains, it wasn't so easy to be found out. He had specially designed the environment, the timing, and so on to keep up his charade until today.

This time, Qin Fang also came to understand that when he was scouting High Priest Darren, the skill of Qian Technique didn't appear among his specialties. That's because it wasn't something he had learned himself but was an addition from the ring, and naturally, it wasn't considered one of his innate skills...

Such a fine item would be a waste left in the hands of a half-baked charlatan like High Priest Darren, a case of 'casting pearls before swine', squandering such a treasure's effects.

Moreover, since High Priest Darren had done nothing but despicable deeds with this treasure, Qin Fang was even less likely to let him continue...

Walking up to High Priest Darren, Qin Fang couldn't be bothered with pleasantries, snatching the ring right off his hand and immediately wearing it on his own finger.

Thousand Mechanism, a rare and special item, had an entirely different appearance on Qin Fang's hand than on High Priest Darren's. With barely a thought from Qin Fang, the ring immediately dissolved into nothingness, disappearing without a trace... Just like the Ring of Justice on Qin Fang's hand and the Psychic Jade around his neck, which could directly conceal their presence.

High Priest Darren watched as the ring he treasured was blatantly snatched away by Qin Fang, unsure if Qin Fang was aware of the ring's magical properties. Even just from the design of the ring, it was clear it wasn't ordinary, and his heart was bleeding...

However, it wasn't just his heart that was bleeding now; blood was also continuously flowing from his wrist, his body growing weaker, and his head dizzy, as if he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.

He was scared, truly scared!

He wanted to beg Qin Fang for mercy, but other than the whimpering noise, he couldn't utter a single coherent word, unable to even plead for mercy...

As for Qin Fang, he couldn't care less about the life or death of High Priest Darren. Having understood the full truth, he had not intended to let such an evil person continue to live.

With over three thousand Sin Points, killing such a person would net Qin Fang at least several hundred Justice Points, and right now, he was in dire need of Justice Points...

"Miss, what are your plans for the future?"

High Priest Darren was undoubtedly doomed, but there remained the question of what to do with the young girl who had been deceived—it wasn't easy to find a place for her.

"I... I... I don't know!"

The girl's face was still very pale. Although Qin Fang had come to help her, watching High Priest Darren's wrists bleed out, her emotions were a mixture of agitation, excitement, and satisfaction, yet at the same time, she was utterly clueless and at a loss...

The sacrificial ceremony had ended, and she was deceived by High Priest Darren to come here, nearly losing her innocence. The beautiful dream that once was shattered, and all that remained was the realization that everything had been an elaborate ruse. Right now, she longed to return home, to have a good cry...

But she understood she couldn't go home...

From the moment she started the blood sacrifice, her life was no longer connected to her original home. Her family and tribe had witnessed her body being thrown off a cliff.

If she were to return to the tribe alive, the people there would undoubtedly have negative thoughts, viewing her as a sinner abandoned by the gods. Not only would they kill her, but her family would also be implicated...

The mountain folk were not big on ideas; their thinking was quite backward, and their customs were extremely barbaric. Despite her young age, the girl was well aware of all this...

Without a home to return to and no place to go, at this moment, she was utterly lost, almost completely devoid of any thoughts about the future...

"You rest here for a bit, take some time to think. I'll go out and have a look..."

Seeing the girl's reaction, Qin Fang couldn't help but heave a sigh. She had always lived in the mountains, and just like the other girls in the tribe, she was expected to marry at sixteen, bear children, and then quietly live out the rest of her life...

But now everything had completely changed. She had cheerfully become the sacrificial Holy Woman, only to discover it was a huge deception. She barely managed to preserve herself, only to find she had become a person who should not exist...

At sixteen, a girl is in the prime of her youth, with a long life ahead. At that age, no one wants to just die...especially after the realization that her dreams had been shattered left her even more helpless and lost.

Qin Fang did not stay any longer. Although he had saved this girl, her future path still needed to be chosen by herself, and he could not make decisions for her.

"But... but..."

Seeing Qin Fang about to leave, the girl became anxious and nervously looked at High Priest Darren who was still bleeding, the shadow in her heart still lingering.

It was Qin Fang who saved her in that critical moment, and now he was like a hero in her eyes, the only person she could rely on. It seemed that only with Qin Fang by her side could she feel somewhat safe; without him, she would be very worried, scared, even terrified...

"Don't worry, he can't move. He'll probably be dead very soon..."

Knowing what the girl was afraid of, Qin Fang smiled and then with a light flick of his finger, High Priest Darren's body immediately stiffened and fell forward, crashing onto the rocky ground with a heavy thud.

Gurgle~~

Such an impact, for High Priest Darren who had lost a lot of blood and was severely injured, was just adding insult to injury. Though his body couldn't move, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood; his face became even paler and more withered, looking incredibly ghastly and horrifying...

Indeed, seeing this, the girl's expression softened considerably.

The people of the mountains are all quite fierce, both the men and women. When trouble arises, the women are also daring enough to pick up a Miao Knife or a bow and arrow. Killing is not common, but seeing blood and death is not a rare sight...

Hunters from the tribes often encounter large wild beasts like tigers, leopards, blind bears, and wild boars while hunting, which easily leads to injuries. Those who are lucky enough to be rescued come back covered in blood and mangled, or even missing limbs with additional holes in their bodies - these sights are not uncommon.

Although the girl was young, she had seen plenty of such scenes. Moreover, the reason she was extremely fearful of High Priest Darren was because of what had just happened.

But now that High Priest Darren was on the brink of death, what more was there to fear?

"Here, take this. If you are scared, go ahead and use it on him..."

Qin Fang tossed the blood-dripping dagger to the girl, pointing at the dying High Priest Darren on the ground.

Although the girl tentatively took the dagger, struggling with the idea of finishing Darren off, in the end, she couldn't bring herself to do it, still shadowed by fear.

Qin Fang didn't insist on anything and simply stepped lightly on Darren's body, using True Qi to shatter his heart meridian. This evil charlatan was now thoroughly dead.

He didn't linger any longer. Outside, there were many more of High Priest Darren's accomplices — none of them good people — and inside the settlement, who knows how many other women were victims. Saving one, killing one, he could gain a good amount of Justice Points...

As for Experience Points, those were trivial; Qin Fang didn't care about that small amount, since his Experience Points had soared after taking down Grandmaster-level Expert Tang Nan, and he was now just a step away from Level 6 Grandmaster! (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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