21: Making a pact with an evil god

Shen Xiaochuan crouched by the pit, staring into the flames. The fire was steady, and the symbols in the ashes were still trembling slightly. He raised his hand, signaling Ling Feng to step back.

"Try again."

Someone asked in a low voice, "Lord God, do we still need to throw things in?"

Shen Xiaochuan did not turn around. "Not stones this time. It needs to be alive."

He stood up and looked into the distance. Dawn had just broken, and the sounds of footsteps and chains dragging on the mountain path drifted over—Chen Yan's men had arrived.

Five warriors approached, escorting a Black Rock Giant Bear. This bear was much larger than the previous ones, weighing nearly 2,500 kilograms.

Its limbs were bound by heavy iron chains, and its mouth was stuffed with cloth. Its eyes were bloodshot and its breathing was heavy, but due to being heavily poisoned, it could barely struggle.

"Lord God, this is the last living one," the lead warrior reported.

Shen Xiaochuan nodded. "Drag it to the edge of the pit."

Two warriors pulled hard on the chains, the metal grating harshly against the ground. The giant bear let out a low growl, its legs gave way, and it collapsed at the edge of the sacrificial pit.

Ling Feng gripped his battle spear tightly, standing behind Shen Xiaochuan to the right. He stared at the flames, his muscles tensed, like a bowstring drawn taut.

"Are you ready?" Shen Xiaochuan asked.

"At any time," Ling Feng replied.

Shen Xiaochuan kicked the bear in the abdomen. The giant bear tumbled into the flames with a boom, and the tongues of fire suddenly shot up thirty feet high. Their color shifted from blue to black, with edges glowing dark red. The air suddenly became heavy, and everyone found it difficult to breathe.

A tearing sound emanated from the fire, as if something were devouring flesh. A few seconds later, the sound ceased abruptly. The flames slowly subsided, returning to their original state.

There was a new layer of ash at the bottom of the pit, the symbols in the center were clearer, and the lines were still flickering slightly.

Just as Shen Xiaochuan was about to speak, the fire flashed.

A figure walked out from the flames. He was hunched over, with the head of a goat and draped in a tattered black robe. His eyes were glowing green, devoid of pupils, and his feet hovered half an inch off the ground as he walked.

"The offering is qualified." The voice was hoarse, like stones grinding together.

Someone in the group stepped back in fear. Ling Feng did not move, pushing his battle spear slightly forward.

Shen Xiaochuan stepped forward. "I am Shen Xiaochuan, the Lord God of this divine domain."

The goat-headed priest stopped and tilted his head to examine him. "You have offered a living beast; the ritual is established. Aminos acknowledges your sincerity."

A System prompt appeared: [Favorability with the Evil God Aminos +5] [Initial cooperative relationship established]

Shen Xiaochuan felt relieved. It worked.

"This is just the beginning," he said. "I want to continue the sacrifice."

The priest was silent for a moment. "You may. But you must follow the rules."

"What rules?"

"Within thirty days, offer fifteen excellent grade exotic beasts. Each must have a combat power of no less than eight hundred, and the time of death must not exceed one hour."

Shen Xiaochuan calculated quickly in his mind. Skydome City had over three hundred combatants, but fewer than fifty had a combat power over eight hundred. Thunderhorn Bulls and Black Rock Giant Bears could be used, but they were scarce.

"If the task is completed, you will receive an excellent grade forging blueprint," the priest added.

Shen Xiaochuan's eyes lit up. Advanced equipment was exactly what was most needed right now. Although Lolia could craft items, the Rank of her blueprints was limited, making it difficult to forge stronger gear.

"I accept."

"Very well," the priest pointed behind the altar.

Five guards walked out from the darkness and lined up in a row. They wore tattered armor and held rusted weapons, their presence calm and steady.

"You may choose one to take with you. He is a rare guard, willing to fight for you."

Shen Xiaochuan stepped forward to inspect them. The first one had a combat power of 912 and the talent "Endurance Enhancement." Acceptable, but not outstanding. The second one had a combat power of 876 and the talent "Night Vision." Suitable for reconnaissance, but the combat power was on the low side. The third one had a combat power of 943 and the talent "Counterattack Stance." Of some value. The fourth one had a combat power of 981 and the talent "Blood of Berserk." Strong attack power, but prone to losing control. The fifth one stood straight. combat power 1,028, talent "Heart of the Brave."

Shen Xiaochuan looked at him. He had a scar on his face extending from his left eyebrow to his chin. His eyes were calm, unlike the others who looked ferocious. But as soon as he stepped out, the Aura of the entire group changed.

"What is your name?" Shen Xiaochuan asked.

The man said in a low voice, "Yang Lie."

"Why are you willing to come with me?"

"Because I dared to come in." Yang Lie looked him straight in the eye. "Others only dare to kowtow and burn incense outside; they don't dare to truly step inside."

Shen Xiaochuan smiled. He said to the priest, "I want him."

The priest nodded. "Yang Lie, he is yours."

Yang Lie stepped forward and stood behind Shen Xiaochuan, right next to Ling Feng. The two exchanged a glance, neither speaking.

"Remember," the priest said in a deep voice, "if the task is not completed within thirty days, the god will be enraged. Not only will you be punished, but your Believers will also suffer."

Shen Xiaochuan looked at him. "And if I complete it?"

"There will naturally be new transactions."

The priest turned and walked into the flames; a flash of light, and his figure vanished without a trace. The surroundings returned to silence.

Shen Xiaochuan opened the Faith Mall. A new feature appeared: [Dark Blessing], consume ten points of incense value to increase one person's Dark-element resistance by one Rank.

He immediately used it on Yang Lie. [Yang Lie has gained Dark Blessing, Dark-element resistance +1]

Yang Lie's body trembled slightly, and a black light flashed between the gaps of his armor. He looked down at his hands, then looked up at Shen Xiaochuan. "This feeling... it's different."

"You will be more stable from now on," Shen Xiaochuan said.

He turned around and gave the order, "Pack up, we're returning to Skydome City."

The team began to move. Yang Lie walked at the back, remaining silent throughout. Ling Feng glanced back and noticed his right hand tightly gripping his sword hilt, his knuckles white.

After traveling for a while, Shen Xiaochuan suddenly stopped.

"Do you all feel like we are being followed?"

Ling Feng turned around immediately, raising his battle spear. Yang Lie also drew his waist sword, guarding the rear of the team.

There was no one there. On the wasteland, there was only the soft sound of wind blowing through the grass.

"Perhaps it was just an illusion," Ling Feng said.

Shen Xiaochuan shook his head. "No. I saw a shadow move just now."

He took out a Scout Spirit Talisman, activated it, and threw it out. The spirit flew thirty meters before the signal was suddenly cut off.

"There is something ahead," he said.

The team switched to a single-file formation. Yang Lie led the way, and Ling Feng brought up the rear. Shen Xiaochuan was in the middle, his hand on his backpack, ready to take out a teleportation scroll at any moment.

After traveling further, a large boulder appeared at a bend in the mountain road. Beneath the rock was a trail of wet footprints leading to the bushes by the roadside.

Shen Xiaochuan raised his hand, and the team stopped immediately.

"The footprints are fresh," Ling Feng said, crouching down to examine them. "At least three people, varying sizes, they went over there."

Yang Lie suddenly raised his hand, signaling for silence.

Everyone held their breath and focused.

A rustling sound came from the bushes, like clothing brushing against branches. Then, a whisper rang out: "They've passed... hurry, let's go."

Shen Xiaochuan narrowed his eyes. This was not a local accent.

He quietly took a short-range teleportation scroll from his backpack and clutched it in his palm.

"Ling Feng, take ten men and flank from the left. Yang Lie, you advance head-on with me."

Ling Feng nodded and led his men to circle around to the left. Yang Lie drew his waist sword, staying close to Shen Xiaochuan's side.

Shen Xiaochuan took a deep breath and walked toward the bushes.

When they were five meters away, the bushes suddenly shook. A person rushed out, a bone knife in hand, slashing directly at Shen Xiaochuan's face.

Yang Lie lunged forward, and a flash of steel flickered. The bone knife snapped and fell to the ground. The person stumbled back, revealing his face—a gaunt man with yellowing eyes and strange symbols painted on his face.

He opened his mouth to shout, but Yang Lie's second strike swept horizontally, slashing his shoulder. The man groaned and fell to his knees.

Two others rushed out but were quickly subdued by Ling Feng and his men.

Shen Xiaochuan walked over and crouched to look at him. "Who sent you?"

The man gritted his teeth and said nothing.

Shen Xiaochuan poured a potion from his backpack onto his wounds. The man screamed, his body convulsing.

"Asking again, who sent you?"

The man gasped. "You... you shouldn't have touched the altar... that is taboo..."

"So you came to monitor us?"

"Not just that... we came to stop the sacrifice... once it succeeds, the god's wrath will affect everyone..."

Shen Xiaochuan sneered. "Then you should have gone to tell the priest, not ambush me."

He stood up and said to Ling Feng, "Tie them up and bring them back to Skydome City for interrogation."

Ling Feng stepped forward to comply.

Shen Xiaochuan looked at Yang Lie. "The enemy has encroached upon the Lord God; at such times, one cannot hesitate." Yang Lie's expression was cold, his tone firm.

"Very well," Shen Xiaochuan nodded. "From now on, you are under my direct command."

The team set off again. The sun climbed to its zenith, casting sunlight over the wasteland. The distant horizon trembled slightly, as if heat waves were rising.

After traveling two hundred meters, Shen Xiaochuan suddenly stopped.

He noticed that the faith points in his backpack were continuously increasing, adding 3 points every second, without stopping.

He opened the panel, and a new prompt appeared: [Evil God Covenant has taken effect] [One exotic beast corpse can be submitted for registration daily] [Remaining task progress: 0/15]

He closed the panel and looked into the distance. There were still four hundred meters to the exit of the valley.

At this moment, Yang Lie suddenly raised his hand. "Lord God, there is movement five hundred meters ahead."