Chapter 85: The End of Darkness

Yunzhou, Moon Lake!

As one of the nine states on the Tianlong Continent where humans are densely populated, Yunzhou is located in the southern region of the Tianlong Continent, with vast territories and numerous rivers and mountains crisscrossing.

In the nine-thousand-mile territory of Yunzhou, there are seven major cities and dozens to hundreds of medium and small cities. Various forces govern independently, coexist, yet also fear and suppress each other, just like the other eight states, all in a state of fierce competition.

Moon Lake is located on the southeastern border of Yunzhou, with a vast water area. The residents along the shore have traditionally made a living by fishing and crabbing, and it belongs to the territory of Yecheng. Like Luoyun City, Yecheng is a relatively ordinary medium-sized city within the eight-thousand-mile radius of Yunzhou, with a territory of over eight hundred miles, and it is adjacent to Luoyun City...

...

It was now the end of winter and the beginning of spring, and the temperature had gradually warmed up. In the quiet night, a village at the northern end of Moon Lake was brightly lit with bonfires. On the wide sandy beach, there was constant noise, and faint cries of a woman could be heard.

This village is called He Kou Village, located by Moon Lake, and it is one of the largest villages. At this moment, the entire village had gathered, stepping out into the night, setting up incense burners, ox heads, and various vessels, as if performing an ancient ritual.

On the sandy beach, a temporary altar about ten feet wide and three feet high was built with bamboo and wood. In the center of the altar, a large table was placed, and on the table, something seemed to be wriggling.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a person, and more specifically, a beautiful young girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with willowy eyebrows, large eyes, and rosy lips. Her long hair was slightly tied back, and she exuded a graceful aura, like a pearl in the dust amidst the rough village, completely out of place with her surroundings.

At this moment, the girl was lying on the table, her hands and feet bound with ropes, and even her small cherry mouth was stuffed with a cloth.

"Ugh... ugh..." The girl mumbled, her body trembling, her face streaked with tears, and her complexion pale, clearly in a state of extreme fright.

"Old Meng, you can't sacrifice my daughter Hanyan to the Fish God. She is a friend of Princess Wannong, the only daughter of the Duke of Beifeng. If anything happens to Hanyan, the entire He Kou Village will suffer..."

In the crowd, a middle-aged man dressed as a merchant, with tears in his eyes, loudly cried out, trying to rush towards the altar, but was repeatedly stopped by a group of burly villagers!

"Liu Gu, I advise you to save your breath. This is the will of the entire village and the people of dozens of villages around Moon Lake. It's not up to you to decide!" At this moment, an old man with white hair and an iron staff stepped forward, giving the middle-aged man a cold glance, completely ignoring his pleas.

The old man's name is Meng An, who is highly respected in He Kou Village and the dozens of villages around Moon Lake, and is revered by the villagers as "Old Meng."

Meng An enjoys such high status partly because he has some abilities, with a cultivation level of the eighth rank of the Blood Fusion Realm. In the entire Moon Lake area, no one can match him. Since he returned from his studies decades ago, he has naturally become the ruler of the area along the lake.

Moreover, during his travels in the past, Meng An learned some ghostly and divine theories from somewhere. Upon his return, the shortsighted villagers in the area were naturally susceptible to his influence, treating him like a deity.

The current live sacrifice ritual, with the young girl as the main character, was undoubtedly initiated by Meng An.

"That's right, as long as you sacrifice your beautiful daughter, I believe the Fish God will calm down and no longer bring disaster to our fishing village!"

Many of the villagers around Meng An also joined in, making the scene even more lively.

Soon, even the villagers from nearby He Kou Village came to witness the ritual.

In recent months, for some unknown reason, a huge black "monster" has been leaping out of the water at night, attacking the livestock along the shore. Initially, the villagers thought it was a wild beast, so they respectfully invited Old Meng to subdue the monster.

However, one night, the old man went out, and it is unknown whether he actually fought the "monster." Upon his return, he claimed that it was not a monster but a "Fish God" that must not be provoked!

Not only that, the day after his night excursion, he gathered the main figures from the nearby villages at the He Kou Village temple and announced that a ritual would be held to sacrifice the Fish God, to bring peace and prosperity to the nearby fishing villages!

Given Meng An's prestige and status around Moon Lake, this plan was naturally met with widespread support. The main figures from the nearby villages, including He Kou Village, all agreed wholeheartedly.

However, soon, some of the old man's demands began to trouble the villagers. In front of everyone, Meng An demanded that a young girl be used for the ritual.

As a result, any family with a young girl in the nearby villages was in a state of fear, afraid of being chosen as the sacrificial victim.

Unfortunately, at this time, Liu Gu and his daughter Liu Hanyan, who were originally from He Kou Village, had just returned from Beifeng City to pay respects to their ancestors.

Subsequently, for some unknown reason, Meng An immediately chose Liu Hanyan as the sacrificial victim. This decision was met with no opposition, and many people secretly rejoiced that the misfortune had not fallen on their own daughters...

Tonight, it was clearly the agreed time for the ritual to begin. As night fell, the beach was already crowded with people, many of whom had come to witness the event.

In contrast, the victims, Liu Gu and Liu Hanyan, were largely ignored.

"Alright, the time has come. Let the ritual begin. Everyone pray for a while, and then submerge the girl in the water to sacrifice her to the Fish God!"

Meng An's old eyes were dark, clearly enjoying the atmosphere of reverence and worship. He continuously made bizarre gestures around the altar, as if drawing strange symbols.

To the nearby villagers, these mysterious actions seemed profound and mysterious, and they all watched with awe and respect.

Soon, the sky grew darker, and the noisy beach gradually quieted down as people began to step back, knowing that the main event was about to begin.

Although the fishermen were somewhat ignorant, their nature was not evil. Many felt a pang of conscience seeing a beautiful young girl being submerged in the lake and dared not get too close to watch.

"Alright, you three, go and throw the girl into the lake!" Meng An, regardless of their feelings, pointed out three burly men from the crowd and ordered them.

The three men, upon being chosen, all showed a hint of fear. This was no different from murder, but they dared not say anything more due to Old Meng's authority, and they gritted their teeth and walked towards the altar.

A few moments later, the young girl Liu Hanyan was lifted over the heads of the three men and carried towards the dock.

During this process, Liu Hanyan rolled her eyes and fainted, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl who had never seen such a terrifying scene.

"Don't... don't..." Seeing this, Liu Gu almost fainted. He wept bitterly, falling at Meng An's feet and pleading desperately, "Old Meng, I beg you. I can give you any amount of wealth. You are a cultivator, and I have a large business in Beifeng City with vast wealth. I can buy many elixirs and cultivation techniques for you, just to save my daughter Hanyan..."

"Hmph!" Meng An kicked him away, turning to face the lake, a hint of disdain in his old eyes.

Meng An had lived by Moon Lake for several decades. At his age, it was almost impossible to improve his cultivation. Even if he obtained a pile of magical elixirs, it would not extend his life much longer.

For Meng An, the only thing that mattered now was the reverence and service of the nearby villagers. That night, he had intended to kill the evil fish, but just a glance from a distance had frightened him. After crawling back, he feared that failing to achieve his goal would damage his prestige, so he came up with this evil plan!

In his eyes, the young girl was already a dead person. He chose Liu Hanyan not only because of her beauty, which would make the sacrifice more convincing, but also because the recently returned father and daughter had no influence in the area, and their deaths would not attract much attention.

As for the threats from Liu Gu, a stubborn person like Meng An would never listen...

"Plunk!"

A moment later, at the end of the dock, a loud splash was heard as the lake surface splashed. After throwing the girl into the lake, the three men, feeling guilty, ran back like they had seen a ghost, trembling and hiding in the crowd.

"Old scoundrel, may you die a miserable death, you—puh!"

On the side of the crowd, Liu Gu watched helplessly as his beloved daughter was tied and submerged in the lake. His chest tightened, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, glaring at Meng An before fainting.

"Hmph! Stubborn to the end!" Meng An, hearing Liu Gu's curse before he fainted, a hint of murderous intent flashed in his old eyes. However, seeing the fear in the villagers' eyes, he knew that killing more people would create a shadow over his image. He waved his sleeve and turned to leave.

"Quick... quick... quick, look, the girl... she... she... is... is... floating... up..."

At this moment, among the hundreds of fishermen present, someone's eyes widened in shock, pointing towards the lake, stammering and trembling.

"Ghost! She's risen from the dead!!"

Soon, many of the fishermen who saw the scene in the distance screamed in terror, scattering and hiding far away.

At this moment, not far from the dock, the young girl who had just been submerged in the lake was slowly floating to the surface. Because of the distance, many of the fishermen only saw her rise unexpectedly, but they did not notice that a hand was gently supporting her slender waist in the water...

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