Damn you, you old bastard! If you won't let me live, I won't let you have an easy time either!
I swung my blade at the High Priest, but something unexpected happened mid-swing!
As I raised the hunting knife in my hand, Hu Tu, standing beside me, grabbed my arm.
"King Hu Tu, what are you doing?!"
The war paint on Hu Tu's face seemed even thicker now, reflecting the blood mist like a rigid mask.
"The ritual must continue. I will not allow you to attack the High Priest at this moment."
Hu Tu's voice had lost its usual warmth, replaced by an ironclad resolve and a hint of threat.
Damn it! It seemed that Hu Tu had either become a puppet of the High Priest or had struck some deal with him, completely siding with him.
Whichever it was, it was a outcome I absolutely did not want.
I met the gaze of the seemingly controlled Hu Tu for three seconds, then wrenched my arm free.
The ritual had reached this point, and I still hadn't seen the promised item with the special pattern. Therefore, we decided against a complete confrontation with the High Priest here and now.
Frankly, the risk factor for this endeavor was incredibly high. Not only did I have to ensure I could kill the High Priest in the end, but I also had to rescue the Shepherd God so that he could help me remove the mark of the Mother of All Creation from my body.
My cards were few, so I could only devise more ways to gather information.
Whether it was the taunting, the anger, or even drawing my knife to attack the High Priest just now, it was all just a test on my part.
And the result of this test left my heart cold. If the High Priest's attitude had shifted, whether in anger or fear, I could have accepted it. What I feared most was his confident demeanor, as if he held all the cards.
I could guarantee 100% that this cunning old fox still had hidden trump cards!
The temporary stalemate between us ended as the blood mist in the hall continued to churn.
As time wore on, the blood mist grew denser, giving me the sensation of it boiling.
The screams that had occasionally echoed from within had now completely vanished, replaced by a deathly silence.
Gradually, like a sluice gate opening, I could clearly feel the blood mist slowly settling towards the ground, then converging towards the center of the hall.
If one were high enough, they would see the entire hall as a slowly rotating vortex, with something ominous brewing at its core.
Damn it, where did the High Priest learn this blood sacrifice method?
Judging by the style, it didn't seem to have been passed down from the Shepherd God. Could it be that the High Priest was also a traitor, with other masterminds behind him?
The blood mist was slowly dissipating, and I could now vaguely see a massive vessel in the center of the hall, though its appearance was unclear.
And the Shepherd God's proxies, who had stood in strategic positions within the hall, had all vanished.
"Hahahaha…"
This was the first time the High Priest had risen from his seat since I arrived in the hall.
The smile on his face was now completely unrestrained, and chillingly, Hu Tu beside him wore the exact same expression, even mirroring the exact same curve of his smile.
The two of them looked as if they had been carved from the same mold. Despite their vastly different appearances, their demeanor at this moment was eerily identical.
It was over, it was over. Looking at the state of the High Priest and Hu Tu, it was clear that Hu Tu had long been under the High Priest's control. In fact, if one thought about it, Hu Tu might have been in this state ever since I arrived at the Du'an tribe, with the High Priest pulling the strings from behind the scenes even during our previous conversations.
I pondered this possibility. It wasn't entirely out of the question. However, if that were true, why would Gui Du Si have died? https:/
"Batu, you must remember this day. This is the most honorable and memorable day of your life. From now on, you will be the most powerful Temple Guard Commander in the history of the Du'an tribe, perhaps even more!"
The High Priest produced a cane from somewhere and leaned on it, turning his head to the side. It was unclear whether he was speaking to me or to the air.
"That's very kind of you. Don't worry, when you're old and dead, I'll make sure to find a good spot to bury you."
Despite my undisguised hostility, the High Priest seemed not to notice, merely laughing uncontrollably. By the end, his voice had grown hoarse, sounding like the croak of a scavenging crow.
The blood mist had almost completely dispersed. In the center of the arena, the large cauldron that had been empty when I entered was now filled with a thick, scarlet liquid.
The blood sacrifice had reached its climax!