Chapter 336: The ritual ended forever

The orange-red flame flickered and rose in the mist trailing behind, and the slightly warm air carried a hint of burnt scent.

Xia Nan walked alone in the canyon, his backpack behind him already stuffed with the Mist Lamp Grass needed to complete the collection mission.

The deaths of the Mist Lamp Monster and the Druid had caused the mist permeating the canyon to thin out significantly; perhaps it was psychological, but he even felt that the oppressive feeling brought by this "forbidden ground," which never saw the sun year-round, had lessened quite a bit.

He did not deliberately hide his figure, but instead actively let his footsteps be heard.

When that canyon gate made of dark oak gradually came into view as the distance closed, Winter Tree and Lilina, who had been waiting quietly and carefully near the entrance following his previous instructions, also cast their gazes over.

Seeing that the person coming was Xia Nan, both of them were visibly relieved.

"How is it? Is there any danger nearby?"

Sweeping his gaze over the two, Xia Nan asked casually.

"No, no, it's very safe here." Winter Tree shook his head repeatedly, his attitude grateful and respectful, "It's just that I don't know why, but the surrounding mist has thinned out a lot, though you should have already discovered that."

Nodding slightly, Xia Nan turned his gaze to Lilina, who was looking at him from the side.

"What about you? Do you have any adverse reactions in your body?"

Xia Nan had used the "Lesser Restoration" of the 【Tears of Spring Breath】 pendant very few times and was not clear about the specific healing effect of this 1st-level spell.

Just now, time had been tight, and there hadn't been time to check carefully; now that there was an opportunity, it needed to be confirmed.

"No reaction, Mr. Xia Nan." Hearing this, the young girl raised her hand and rotated the arm that had been injured earlier, signaling that it had fully recovered, "There isn't even a scar left. Thank you very much for your treatment!"

Perhaps seeing the light green plant fluid on Xia Nan's body that was more than when they had parted just now, Winter Tree hesitated slightly, then lowered his voice and, in an exceptionally cautious manner, asked stammeringly:

"Mr. Xia Nan, you..."

Sensing the other's gaze, he almost knew what the other was thinking.

This simple-minded youth before him was likely still struggling with the contradiction between his beloved and the sacrificial ritual.

Not deliberately hiding it, Xia Nan told him directly about the records he had seen in the experimental log and his subsequent encounter in the dark garden.

The sacrificial ritual might have been of some use at the very beginning, when that Druid had not yet entered a long-term dormant state.

After all, for the sake of the smooth progress of the experiment, the other party really would help the villagers drive away monsters and make the crops harvest well.

But later, as the intervals of the Druid's wakefulness became longer and longer, those so-called "sacrifices" became tools for the village chief to maintain his own rule and authority.

"Village Chief... but Brother Aspen..."

Winter Tree's eyes widened, his face filled with an expression of disbelief.

"No... this is impossible, how could it be..."

The cognition instilled in him since childhood was subverted, making him subconsciously refute it as if talking to himself.

And when Xia Nan recounted his findings in the log and even took out the diary left by the Druid from his backpack.

The youth's body began to tremble.

It was not because of fear, but from the surging anger in his heart.

"So this sacrificial ritual... there was no need to hold it?"

"So back then, Brother Aspen's daughter actually didn't have to..."

"So he chose Lilina as a sacrifice, and it wasn't for the continuation of the village at all, but purely for himself?"

"Right, Mr. Xia Nan?"

His tightly clenched fists made the skin on his knuckles turn faintly white; trembling and using too much force, one could even see the muscles and veins twitching and bulging under the skin of his forearms.

Winter Tree bit his molars tightly, the anger in his eyes seeming to condense into substance.

Xia Nan had no doubt that if that old village chief were standing here right now, the youth before him would pour out his anger on the other party without any reservation.

And at the same time, standing on the other side, Lilina's reaction was completely different from Winter Tree's.

As the "sacrifice" for this sacrificial ritual, if Xia Nan had not appeared, the other party would likely have died at the hands of that Mist Lamp Monster along with her beloved by now.

She should have felt angry and resentful.

But for now, compared to the emotionally intense Dongshu, the young girl appeared exceptionally silent.

It was hard to describe the expression on her face.

She had shouldered the heavy burden of letting the village continue and had prepared herself to sacrifice her own life.

In the end, she discovered that this was just a complete lie.

Including herself, the countless young lives that had died for this before were all meaningless.

The young girl did not say a word; in her solidified, lifeless, and hollow eyes was unspeakable sadness and desolation.

Xia Nan stood quietly to the side, carefully observing the performance of the two.

He could, of course, understand Winter Tree's intense reaction, and he could also see the violently fluctuating inner heart beneath Lilina's seemingly silent performance.

He even felt that the two were already very restrained.

If he were really put in the other party's current situation... he feared the village chief's head would have already bought a ticket and be ready to take flight.

But regardless, now that he could stand here, it meant that the lie that had blinded the villagers had been punctured, and the possible threats within the canyon had been cleared away by him.

From now on, the sacrificial ritual filled with blood and tears would cease to exist.

He did not say anything more, leaving enough time for the two to digest the truth, thinking that after the cleanup work was completely finished, he would then inform the two of the detailed causes and consequences of the sacrificial ritual.

Xia Nan looked at the towering wooden gate in front, pondering in his heart how he could send these two to the other side later.

And just as the scene fell into silence, suddenly, an unusual movement came from the other side of the heavy wooden gate.

"Click..."

It was the crisp sound of metal chains rubbing and colliding on the door bolt.

Xia Nan's heart stirred, and in the next second, he had already let Winter Tree and Lilina stand behind him.

Sure enough, just as he had expected.

The gate, which should have only been opened the day after the ritual ended, slowly pulled open a crack amidst a sluggish sound.

The not-so-dazzling sunlight seeped into the canyon along with the gradually widening crack, also allowing Xia Nan to see the scene behind the gate clearly.

The villagers who had already left here just now were now standing quietly at the entrance of the canyon under the leadership of the village chief and Aspen.

They might be ignorant, but they were not stupid.

Winter Tree, who had a close relationship with Lilina and could be said to have grown up together, but had suddenly disappeared on the day of the ritual;

The adventurer Xia Nan, who had refused the invitation to the banquet, aimed for the Mist Lamp Grass in the canyon, and should have entered the canyon under the guidance of the villagers the next day, but had lost his whereabouts after the ritual ended.

With various factors added together, the whereabouts of the two were imaginable.

It was just unexpected that it would be such a coincidence; before they had even had time to search and confirm, the figures of the few had appeared before everyone's eyes just as the wooden gate was opened.

And when those gazes from outside the gate swept past Xia Nan and Winter Tree in silence and fell on Lilina...

Panic and fear erupted in the crowd in an instant.

"Lilina, she, how is she still alive!?"

"That adventurer... shouldn't have been allowed to enter the village!"

"Damn it, it must be that bold Winter Tree who hindered the progress of the ritual. Punishment! Must punish him in the most severe way!"

"Oh, great and merciful Spirit of the Canyon... please forgive the disrespect of your humble servants..."

"There's still time, hurry and tie Lilina up and send her in, while the sun hasn't set yet!"

The villagers' reactions were all taken in, and before Xia Nan had time to speak, Winter Tree, who had been suppressing his emotions after learning the truth behind him, jumped out fiercely. ===== CHAPTER 337 =====