Chapter 42

After the lottery ended, three native hunters stood up from the crowd.

They walked up to the steps with their chests out, handing the bamboo sticks with red marks to the high shaman Inoyatira.

The high shaman raised her head and looked at the three native hunters seriously. She reached into the box that the young girl Moli handed her, dipped her fingers in some white powder, and drew strange symbols on the foreheads of the three native hunters. She then said something in their native language that no one could understand.

"The words the high shaman said probably mean 'blessing.'"

Suldaque, sitting beside He Boqiang, whispered to him.

The three native hunters clasped their hands together and knelt before the high shaman, pressing their foreheads against her feet.

The other native hunters behind them also knelt down, worshipping as if the high shaman were a deity.

At this moment, the swordsman Bajiale, sitting in the large wooden house, said to the warriors:

"Later, we will participate in one of their rituals. Make sure you do not do anything disrespectful during the ritual."

His gaze was stern, especially when he looked at Augustus. Just a moment ago, while talking to the high shaman, Augustus had been looking around restlessly, which was very impolite.

Hearing Bajiale's words, Augustus appeared respectful but still had a carefree expression.

He muttered, "Sir Swordsman, I think we don't really need the help of the natives..."

Bajiale did not explain much, only saying, "You haven't seen the Gate of Demons. You probably don't know how terrifying it is. You'll understand soon enough!"

Augustus shrugged, but under the pressure from Bajiale, he finally became quiet.

...

The only building in the native village made of stone was the circular altar in front of them.

The altar was a ten-meter square platform, about three meters high, with stone steps leading to the platform from all four directions. The entire altar was built with pebbles and, from a distance, was the most impressive structure in the village.

"Uuuu..."

Ten young natives stood below the altar, blowing horns. The deep horn sounds echoed through the village, and the natives, regardless of age or gender, came out of their wooden houses and gathered around the altar.

However, more than 70% of the crowd were women, and there were many native children. Soon, everyone was surrounding the altar.

The members of the second squad also stood by the altar. He Boqiang turned back and estimated that the native village had a few hundred people, but only a few dozen adult native hunters. In his eyes, it seemed that most of the native men were already dead.

The high shaman Inoyatira, supported by the young girl Moli, climbed the altar, resting twice on the dozen or so steps.

Following the high shaman were the three selected native hunters. They wore only loincloths, revealing their bronze-colored muscles, and followed the high shaman up to the altar.

Standing on the altar, the high shaman's aura changed instantly, as if she had become a different person. Her hunched body straightened, and she exuded a sacred glow. The wrinkles on her face seemed to have reduced, and her eyes became piercing.

She raised her staff and looked up at the sky, muttering a series of native words.

The three native hunters knelt side by side on the altar, clasping their hands together in front of their chests, appearing devout and focused.

After the high shaman finished reciting the incantation, something unbelievable happened. It was a sunny afternoon, and a beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping the high shaman. Behind her, a huge shadow gradually appeared, a god-like figure with two faces, four arms, and two legs, about seven to eight meters tall.

Seeing this god-like shadow, all the natives, regardless of age or gender, knelt down in unison, worshipping their deity.

Only Bajiale and the warriors of the second squad stood awkwardly on the platform, looking around in confusion.

Four large clay pots, about the size of face basins, were placed at the four corners of the altar. They began to burn silently, emitting half-meter-high blue flames. He Boqiang had a strong feeling that the flames in the pots were cold.

Given Bajiale's previous warning, the warriors of the second squad refrained from speaking.

He Boqiang stood on the platform, as if watching an absurd magic show.

But he was deeply moved inside. The moment the beam of light descended on the altar, he felt an invisible force in his mind, pulling him into a void.

In this void, which was formed by his mental consciousness, there was not only his body's shadow and the countless stars under it, but also a new figure—a god-like being with two faces and four arms. One face was filled with fear, destruction, and hatred, while the other face was filled with courage, justice, and hope. These were feelings that He Boqiang found hard to express.

The huge god-like figure stayed in He Boqiang's mental consciousness for only a second. Just as his mental consciousness was about to collapse, the god-like shadow disappeared, as if it had never been there.

He Boqiang regained his senses and saw the high shaman on the altar sway. Inoyatira looked at him with a surprised expression.

Fortunately, the ritual was not interrupted; otherwise, He Boqiang would have had no idea how to explain it. Would he really have to use a stick and find a sandy spot to draw what had just happened?

The young girl Moli, standing beside the high shaman, also looked at He Boqiang with a strange expression.

There was no time to think about these things, as a commotion arose below the altar. He Boqiang looked in the direction of the noise and saw four native hunters carrying a large stretcher slowly emerging from the forest. On the stretcher lay the corpse of a demon. The native hunters carried the demon's corpse step by step up to the altar. The demon's head had already been cut off and was placed on its chest.

Soon, four more native hunters carried another demon's corpse, and a total of three demon corpses were brought to the altar.

The high shaman took out a black bone dagger covered in symbols from her body. It looked like an ancient bone dagger. She bent down, grabbed the long horn on the demon's forehead with one hand, and inserted the dagger into the demon's head with the other. She then placed the demon's head on a tray and set it in front of the god-like shadow in the middle of the altar.

From the memories of his original body, He Boqiang knew this was a rare 'sacrifice' ritual.

Currently, such rituals are only passed down among some native high shamans. In the Green Empire, rituals with black magic elements are explicitly forbidden.

As the high shaman chanted, the demon's head in the tray at the feet of the god-like shadow turned to ashes in a blue flame.