35: The act can't go on! Perfect my ass!

After three rounds of wine and five courses of dishes, Shi Tai's voice rang out again.

"Everyone, before this evening's feast concludes, I have a question I'd like to ask you all."

He held his wine cup and scanned the entire hall, his gaze slowly sweeping over Lin Yuan and the faces of the other three past "Heroes."

"Is the world you live in truly as it appears to be?"

The three "Heroes" looked bewildered, and Lin Yuan also feigned a confused expression.

Shi Tai did not answer directly but instead showed a profound smile: "The science, common sense, and laws of physics you are familiar with... are merely a thin layer of ice floating on the surface of the sea."

"And beneath that thin ice lies the truly vast, turbulent, and infinitely possible and dangerous... real world."

His voice grew louder, carrying a contagious quality.

"And today, I am honored to open the door to the real world for all of you! Welcome to—the Inner World!"

"The Inner World?"

"What does that mean?"

The three "Heroes" exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock and incomprehension.

"It means that myths are no longer legends, and power is real!" Shi Tai's voice was full of allure. "In this era of transcendence, we are fortunate to have received guidance from true gods!"

"Lord Mountain God is the great being who protects us and ensures we stand firm in this cruel Inner World!"

"As long as you faithfully believe in Him, He will bestow power upon us, and even... eternal life!"

He pointed to himself, then to the elders beside him.

"We are living proof!"

Immortality!

Power!

The three "Heroes" began to breathe heavily.

Lin Yuan sneered inwardly.

Eternal life, my foot. Relying on draining others' life force to prolong one's miserable existence, do they even deserve to be called gods?

However, the expression on his face was even more fanatical than that of the other three.

He looked like a greedy person stunned by a windfall, his mouth half-open, his eyes gleaming with the light of "getting rich."

Shi Tai looked at their vastly different expressions, contentedly put down his wine cup, and his smile was meaningful.

"To celebrate our new friends entering the true world, and to show our greatest sincerity..."

"Close the door."

"Clang—!"

The wooden door of the courtyard slammed shut with a loud bang.

The Black Stone Sect disciples serving nearby silently retreated into the shadows, forming a circle.

The three "Heroes," still immersed in their dream of "reaching heaven in one step," finally realized something was wrong, and the smiles on their faces froze.

"Town... Town Chief, what does this mean?" one of the bolder strong men stammered.

The gentle smile on Shi Tai's face peeled away, inch by inch.

"Fools."

He softly uttered two words.

"Do you really think power and eternal life are so easily obtained?"

He looked at their now pale faces and smiled cruelly.

"However, you truly have been 'chosen.'"

"Chosen to be the highest-grade tribute... offered to the 'Great Being'!"

"Tribute?!"

The strong man's face changed drastically. "You... what do you want to do?!"

"What do we want to do?"

Shi Tai seemed to have heard the biggest joke. He spread his arms, his expression frenzied.

"This town, this so-called paradise, is nothing but a ranch!"

"The residents of the town, the tourists coming and going, are all livestock being raised!"

"And the Mountain God Festival is our harvest day!"

He pointed to the ground, his voice like a devil's whisper.

"We harvest the weak, using their impure life energy to feed the foundation of the 'Mountain God.'"

"Then, from you 'strong ones' who think so highly of yourselves, we select the purest souls and energy as a... gluttonous feast for the Great Being!"

Shi Tai's gaze turned to Lin Yuan, full of mockery.

"Oh, right, speaking of which, an agent from the Dragon Shield Bureau, named The Explorer, was dealt with by us in advance because he discovered an anomaly in the earth's spiritual energy."

"I have to say, the life energy of a D-rank expert is indeed much... tastier than that of ordinary people."

As his words fell.

Shi Tai's eyes locked onto Lin Yuan, the feigned benevolence replaced by derision.

"And you... friend of the Dragon Shield Bureau."

Inside the courtyard, there was dead silence.

The three "Heroes" were already slumped on the ground, terrified.

"Your arrogance has ruined you. Did you really think your amateurish acting could fool me?"

As Shi Tai's voice faded.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Innumerable figures surged from all directions of the courtyard.

There were the "Puppets" with hollow eyes and stiff movements.

And there were the Black Stone Sect disciples, holding sharp blades and exuding a chilling aura.

They surrounded the entire banquet hall, making it impenetrable!

"Ah!"

Screams erupted.

Several Black Stone Sect disciples pounced on the three "Heroes," black energy coiling around them.

In the blink of an eye, the three were subdued, their faces turning ashen, their life force rapidly being drained.

Shi Tai walked step by step towards Lin Yuan, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Now, it's your turn."

"A D-rank ability user, yet possessing such a unique physique... You will be the most perfect... for the sacrificial ritual."

His words were not yet finished.

Lin Yuan, who had been acting panicked, suddenly lashed out.

"Perfect your mother."

"Boom!"

Blinding electric light exploded in Lin Yuan's palm!

Palm Thunder!

A violent bolt of lightning struck towards Shi Tai's face!

At the same time, Lin Yuan's roar echoed throughout the entire courtyard!

"Attack!"

"Crash—!"

A piercing sound of shattering glass!

The window on one side of the banquet hall exploded!

A dark figure, enveloped in a flurry of frost, burst in violently!

It was Su Wanqing!

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Extreme cold spread outwards as she landed.

Dozens of Black Stone Sect disciples, who were directly in her path, were frozen into ice sculptures before their sinister smiles could even fade!

Su Wanqing's figure did not pause for a moment. With a few flashes, she arrived behind Lin Yuan.

The two stood back to back, forming the most stable defensive formation.

"Bang!"

Shi Tai was blasted back seven or eight steps by the sudden Palm Thunder, his Taoist robe scorched on the chest, looking utterly disheveled.

"Fools."

He looked at the two standing back to back, his face showing no panic, but rather a smile of complete control.

"Do you think I didn't know about her presence?"

He stared intensely at Su Wanqing, his greed almost overflowing, his smile becoming even more twisted and insane.

"Good! Very good!"

"I was wondering how to lure you out too, but I didn't expect you to deliver yourself to my doorstep!"

He raised his hands and chanted obscure incantations.

"Do you think you can escape like this?"

"You are merely the opening act for the final ritual!"

"Rumble—!"

The entire Black Stone Town, no, the entire back mountain, began to tremble!

It was as if something was awakening from deep underground!

In the depths of the valley, that black strange stone shot out a gray beam of light!

The light beam shot into the sky, then spread rapidly like a giant opened umbrella!

A huge, translucent gray energy shield enveloped the entire Black Stone Town, sealing it tightly!

All outward signals in Lin Yuan's Electromagnetic Induction were cut off!

Between heaven and earth, only the low hum of the gray shield remained.

Shi Tai lowered his hands, looking at Lin Yuan and Su Wanqing, trapped in the center of the formation, like two beasts that had walked into a net.

"Welcome to the abyssal nursery."

"Now, you can't go anywhere."