144: Chapter 144 The Altar Opens

This terrifying scene made everyone present feel their scalps tingle instantly!

"Wh-what on earth is this?"

Murong Yun was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, his voice shaking uncontrollably.

Ouyang Wanqing's face also paled; she fiercely swung her long sword, sending out a sharp, water-blue Sword Qi in an attempt to sever that invisible suction force.

But the Sword Qi sank into the ground like a clay ox entering the sea, without causing a single ripple.

Chen Shanzhi suddenly raised his head and looked around.

Before they knew it, the surrounding air had become extremely cold.

A layer of pitch-black fog, as if it had a life of its own, spread silently from all directions.

It had already trapped their group, along with the refugees who had just escaped the dungeon, tightly within a narrow space!

"It's a Formation!"

Ouyang Wanqing's pretty face was grave to the extreme, and shock flashed in her autumn-water-like beautiful eyes:

"This black fog not only blocks vision but is even devouring the Qi and blood of those who have died! This is an evil Formation!"

A Formation?

Chen Shanzhi's brows knitted together into a knot, and his heart sank abruptly.

In the game guide, this Shi Village was clearly just a normal Demon Sect stronghold.

Aside from those elite monsters capable of going berserk, there wasn't a single word about any Formation!

"Damn it, I was careless!"

Chen Shanzhi cursed inwardly.

He had relied too much on the "God's eye view" from his past life!

Relying on his knowledge of the game plot, he had rushed to crash the place.

But he had completely ignored that now that the game had become reality, there would definitely be many changes.

Since this world had changed because of his appearance, even the plot of the Secret Realm at the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion had altered.

Then how could this Shi Village still be exactly the same as in the game?

But now was clearly not the time for regret.

But what kind of monster was hiding in this black fog?

It could even kill a Body Refining Martial Artist at the Xuanguan Peak instantly?

Just as Chen Shanzhi's thoughts were racing, Yaya seemed to sense the oppressive and terrifying atmosphere around them and gripped Chen Shanzhi's lapel in fear.

Chen Shanzhi took a deep breath and forced his expression to soften.

He gently ruffled Yaya's messy little head.

"Yaya, be good, listen to me."

Chen Shanzhi coaxed softly: "There are some disobedient bad guys outside. You go back to the dungeon with the uncles and aunties and play hide-and-seek first. When Big Brother and Big Sister finish beating these bad guys away, we will take you home to eat candied haws, okay?"

Yaya looked at Chen Shanzhi; although her eyes were filled with fear, she nodded very sensibly.

She earnestly extended her dirty little fist and waved it in the air: "Big Brother, Big Sister, you must do your best! You must beat the bad guys away!"

"Alright, Brother promises." Chen Shanzhi smiled.

Afterward, Chen Shanzhi decisively turned his head and shouted in a low voice to Jiang Feiyu and Shen Lingfu: "Quick! Have all the refugees retreat back to the dungeon! Shut the iron gate tight!"

Under everyone's cover, those refugees who had just been rescued and hadn't had time to be happy yet, retreated in terror back into the depths of the foul-smelling dungeon.

"Clang!"

The heavy iron gate was shut again.

Chen Shanzhi and the others tacitly spread out their Formation, standing back-to-back outside the dungeon entrance, watching the swirling black fog around them with vigilant expressions.

However, an incense stick of time passed, and while the black fog continued to swirl, no other terrifying attacks descended.

That mysterious entity that had instantly killed the Xuanguan Peak guard seemed to have vanished in an extremely eerie way, not taking any further action.

At this moment, in the center of Shi Village, beside that extremely eerie black altar.

That monster with a snake skull head was currently opening its pitch-black snake mouth with satisfaction.

The massive amount of Martial Artist Qi and blood extracted from the Prime Ministers Mansion female guard earlier was being frantically swallowed and refined by it.

With the infusion of this pure Qi and blood, the disgusting flesh that had originally been only a sliver on the snake-man skeleton began to grow wildly and rapidly.

And the snake tongue in its mouth, which had originally been condensed from black fog, had now turned into a scarlet, forked, fleshy long tongue!

"Hiss—hiss—"

The snake-man flicked its scarlet tongue, and its now completely solidified scarlet eye stared greedily through the layers of black fog at Chen Shanzhi and the others in the direction of the dungeon.

In its eyes, these Martial Artists full of Qi and blood were simply the most exquisite and nourishing living treasures in the world!

But deep within the snake-man's eyes, there was still a trace of cunning wariness.

Having just awakened, its Divine Soul and power were still very weak.

The reason it had been able to kill that female guard instantly earlier was entirely because it had keenly perceived that among this group, the Body Refining Martial Artist who specialized in the Physical Body posed the greatest threat to it.

That was why it had taken advantage of their lack of preparation and, sparing no cost of its limited Divine Soul Origin, directly activated its innate Divine Ability.

If it were to rashly rush up now, and those few Martial Artists with vigorous Qi and blood were to fight back to the death, this Dharma body of its that had just condensed flesh would very likely shatter again.

"No rush... take it slow..."

The snake-man grinned its snake mouth in a highly anthropomorphic manner, letting out an extremely hoarse sneer.

Its single scarlet eye swept over the black barrier covering the entire Shi Village, its eyes filled with cruel mockery.

"Turtles in a jar; sooner or later, you will all be my meal."

"Since you care so much about the lives of those ants in the dungeon, I will first enjoy this feast of blood and flesh all over the ground, and after I recover my strength, I will play with you slowly."

The snake-man withdrew its greedy gaze, slowly slithered its body, and returned to the center of the altar.

It sat cross-legged, and its bone claws, which had already grown joints, began to form one obscure and eerie Dharma seal after another with extreme speed.

Trails of Dharma seal runes shot into the black altar continuously like meteors.

In an instant! The dry, hard ground of the entire Shi Village seemed to have countless tiny blood vessels wriggling frantically!

The blood that had seeped into the ground from the dozens of God-Invoking Cult Disciples that Chen Shanzhi and the others had killed earlier was now, under the guidance of the Dharma seals, transforming into streams of scarlet blood Qi, rushing frantically toward the altar like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!

The snake-man pressed its hands together abruptly, striking the final, obscure concluding Dharma seal.

That extremely hideous snake mouth opened wide, spitting out one word: "Condense!"

"Hum—"

The altar shook violently.

Most of the gathered Qi and blood were absorbed into the interior of the altar.

And the remaining small portion floated slowly above the altar, rapidly condensing under the snake-man's extremely exquisite manipulation of the Dharma seals!

Eventually, it turned into a blood bead the size of a longan, entirely scarlet, and emitting a trace of eerie medicinal fragrance!

The snake-man slightly beckoned with its right bone claw, and the blood bead obediently fell into its palm.

It closed its scarlet eyes in intoxication, feeling the power of Qi and blood inside the blood bead, which was so dense it was almost about to liquefy into paste.

On that originally hideous snake face, a trace of a highly human-like satisfied expression actually emerged.

"Hiss, hiss..."

The snake-man greedily flicked its scarlet fleshy tongue, whispering hoarsely: "I don't know how many years have passed... I didn't expect that the Qi and blood in these Human Race blood-food today would be so vigorous."

"They are clearly not even at the Foundation Establishment realm, yet the purity of this Qi and blood can actually rival the Foundation Establishment blood-food that my Five Poisons Sect used to raise back then!"

The snake-man toyed with the blood bead, a glimmer of confusion flashing in the depths of its eyes: "I wonder, who raised this group of high-quality blood-food, and which powerful Sect they belong to today."

The snake-man shook its head, no longer thinking about it.

"Gulp."

It abruptly opened its blood-thirsty maw full of fangs, and with a "gulp," swallowed the entire blood bead into its belly!

Afterward, it closed its eyes contentedly, black Qi swirling around its body, and began to rapidly refine this massive power of Qi and blood.

Meanwhile, several dozen miles away from Shi Village, there were four remote villages located separately.

These four villages were exactly the other four secret strongholds secretly controlled by the God-Invoking Cult.

And at this very moment, in these four quiet villages, a terrifying scene, extremely similar yet different from Shi Village, was playing out.

The skies above the four villages were likewise tightly shrouded by black fog so thick it couldn't be dispersed!

"What's going on? Why did the barrier suddenly activate?!"

"Which idiot from which branch is it? Without the Holy Cult's permission, who the hell dared to activate the sacrificial Formation privately?"

Inside one of the villages, a person in charge from the God-Invoking Cult looked at the black barrier that had suddenly descended from overhead and screamed in terror.

However, the answer he received was a piercing sound of breaking air!

"Splurt!"

A black spider leg covered in barbs, like an extremely sharp battle spear, pierced directly through his chest!

Lifting his entire body roughly into mid-air!

"Ah—help!"

This person screamed miserably, but his blood was flowing along that spider leg, frantically pouring into the body of that massive monster.

"Evil Spirit... the Evil Spirit has escaped from the altar's God-Locking Chain!"

"Run! This is not a monster we can deal with at all!"

"The Formation is sealed, we can't get out, ah!!!"

Accompanied by a short, sharp scream, the sound then stopped abruptly.

In the other three villages, there was a toad skeleton, a scorpion skeleton, and a centipede skeleton, respectively!

In the thick black fog, like death gods, they were wantonly harvesting the lives of those God-Invoking Cult Disciples and captured refugees!

Under the isolation of the black barrier, these monsters were frantically slaughtering all living things within their sight!

But outside these four villages, because of the shielding effect of the great Formation, not a single sound could be heard, and not a single trace of blood-light could be seen.

In the eyes of outsiders, the villages remained as quiet as before, extremely peaceful.