Chapter 43: Living Human Sacrifice

Guifang Kingdom, Cliff City.

This is the capital of the Guifang Kingdom, and also the only city in the Guifang Kingdom with a structured and large-scale layout.

It is different from the feudal era in Li Boyang’s impression.

This world is still in a relatively early slave-based primitive society, or even an earlier tribal clan stage.

Mountain villages like Li Family Village are the mainstream of this era.

Only those powerful tribes would abandon primitive fishing, agriculture, and forestry to expend great effort in building large cities capable of defending against attacks from other tribes.

This Cliff City is the capital that the original Guifang tribe spent over ten years building, consuming countless slaves and captives.

Cliff City covers a total area of about seventy square kilometers, using the Wuding River as a natural barrier, surrounded by water on three sides.

Because the entire city relies on cliffs dozens of zhang high to the north and south as a screen.

Coupled with the natural barrier of the Wuding River, it forms a terrain that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

At the same time, through the long years of life of the Guifang residents.

Cliff City has naturally formed divisions of an inner city, outer city, residential area, commercial area, and sacrificial area.

Among these, the outer city is the outermost contour, allowing other tribes and mountain folk to enter and trade basic supplies.

As for the inner city, which is separated by the eastern and western city walls?

That is the core area that only true Guifang residents can enter.

In fact, this inner city not only has magnificent buildings and paved roads far beyond this era, but even has specialized granaries for storing food.

Walking to the end of the road in the inner city, one reaches the most important area of Cliff City, and indeed the entire Guifang Kingdom—the Priest Temple.

Towering buildings stand in the center, with hundreds or thousands of slaves laboring arduously within them.

And under the protection of those towering buildings, a high platform dedicated to sacrifice is holding a ceremony to worship the Five Direction Gods.

Starting from the most basic chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep, to those slaves or prisoners selected as human sacrifices...

Every time a priest raises and lowers their blade, a living life is ended.

When the rolling heads are thrown into the sacrificial pit, the onlookers let out excited howls one after another.

Perhaps it is because gods exist in this world...

Or perhaps it is due to the influence of some other unknown factors...

This barbaric kingdom, which is still in the stage of "human sacrifice," has already developed relatively perfect bronze and ironware.

The most primitive stone tools have long been eliminated, and all kinds of bronze utensils can be seen everywhere...

As for those priests performing the sacrificial rituals?

They each hold sharp iron tools, their faces filled with longing and worship for this sacrificial ceremony.

If Li Boyang were on the scene right now, he would be surprised to find that the iron tools in the priests' hands are far sharper and sturdier than he imagined.

Let alone comparing them to iron weapons of the feudal period.

Even compared to the high-carbon steel of the twenty-first century, these iron tools are not inferior at all.

Especially when the priests cut off the heads of those human sacrifices, a faint glow appears on the corresponding sacrificial iron tools.

That is the blessing bestowed by the pleased Five Direction Gods—and the fundamental reason why these sacrificial iron tools transcend their own material.

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"What a crazy tribe..."

Overlooking the magnificent sacrificial platform below, the E-Rabbit, having transformed into human form, could not help but mutter in a low voice.

Throughout the entire natural world, the E-Rabbit had never seen such crazy slaughter.

It was not for satiety, nor for survival...

It was purely killing for the sake of killing, and most of the targets were members of their own kind.

The E-Rabbit felt that even those fierce gods and evil gods destined to bring disaster would not carry out such large-scale, wanton slaughter.

"This is not called madness; this is called faith."

A calm voice came from inside the main hall, and a youth walked out slowly.

This youth was draped in exquisite black silk and held a skull scepter full of the Guifang Kingdom's style.

"The Five Direction Gods need our offerings, especially now that the Prison Soul Cauldron has been lost..."

"We must obtain more human sacrifices and blood food to regain the favor of the Five Direction Gods!"

The youth is named Xuan Hui, the current candidate for High Priest of the Guifang Kingdom.

He is a genius who fought his way out from nearly a thousand candidates, a god-chosen person who could communicate with the Five Direction Gods before becoming High Priest.

"More human sacrifices and blood food?"

Turning back to look at Xuan Hui with surprise, and even some horror, the E-Rabbit asked in disbelief.

"You have already killed so many people; aren't you afraid of starting another war?"

Although the E-Rabbit is a spirit creature, he has been mingling among human groups for so many years.

So the E-Rabbit knows better than anyone what it means for the Guifang Kingdom to initiate such large-scale "human sacrifice."

"People?"

"Are you talking about those mountain folk?"

With a slight, disdainful smile at the corner of his mouth, Xuan Hui's words made the E-Rabbit feel fear.

"They are just a group of two-legged sheep; they cannot be considered people!"

"Those ignorant mountain folk are like weeds that cannot be cleared; they pop out of the mountains and forests if you are not careful."

"If their blood can please the Five Direction Gods, that will be their honor."

These words of Xuan Hui also represent the mainstream thought of the Guifang Kingdom, and even this era.

In the eyes of the rulers of this era, those mountain folk are worthless.

Only during wars or sacrifices would they capture those mountain folk in large numbers to serve as cannon fodder and human sacrifices.

At other times, being able to send some tribal members to the mountain villages to collect tribute was already considered a relatively enlightened ruler.

Yes, this era does not even have the concept of "taxation."

Collecting tribute and letting the mountain folk believe in their own gods is seen as a kind of grace by the rulers of this era.

After all, this is a world where gods truly exist.

Perhaps to outsiders, the faith of the Five Direction Gods is bloody and cruel.

But compared to those wild, desolate gods who cannot even respond, they are already considered quite reliable righteous gods.

Primitive, yet not so primitive...

This is the characteristic of the civilization of this era, and it is also the fundamental reason why Li Boyang has never been able to determine what era this is.

It can only be said that the existence of "Primordial Qi" has raised the upper limit of this world, but it has also lowered the lower limit of this era.

"Forget it, these are all your human affairs."

Sighing softly, the E-Rabbit did not continue to dwell on this issue, but instead stated the purpose of his visit this time.

"I need some books, preferably related to medicine and herbal classics."

"And ore; if possible, it would be even better to give me some bronze and iron ingots..."

Silently staring at the E-Rabbit for a long time, Xuan Hui finally nodded.

"No problem, if this is your request..."

Monthly Ticket/Recommendation Ticket

(End of this chapter)