Chapter 46: Festival Ritual

It is clearly Moonlit Night, the time the Festival begins, yet inside the vast Underground City no trace of humans can be seen.

They have all been gathered to a single place.

The place that is called the central district of the Underground City.

Hidden Underground Arena.

On Moonlit Night, above the arena's main gate, the stones that concealed the sign gradually fell away, revealing an inverted‑triangle mark surrounded by a circle.

"With their blood, we sacrifice to our deity!"

In the spacious arena's center, a altar has been erected; the arena's uppermost level connects to the building above, allowing moonlight to fall and illuminate the entire altar.

At the same time, amid the surrounding eerie flames, the arena's interior looks like a sea of blood, with only the moonlit altar remaining blank.

Above the altar stands a man in a black‑and‑red robe, wearing a mask and gripping a blood‑red triple‑blade scythe, speaking to the crowd seated in the arena's stands with an extremely odd trembling voice.

The people sitting around the arena's center each wear robes similar to the man's on the altar.

Upon hearing the man's words, these fanatical religious zealots each shouted loudly.

Accompanying the shouts, the gates beneath the arena opened, and one by one the soulless‑eyed individuals, chains bound around their necks, were led out by members of the Evil God Cult.

"These guys do not believe in the existence of our deity; how should we deal with them?"

Watching the prisoners being led out, the masked Pope of the Evil God Cult, Yuan Long, let a hint of excited smile appear on his mask‑covered face.

This is the thrill of manipulating minds, wielding power, and freely eliminating those one dislikes—a thrill that becomes addictive and all‑consuming!

When his subordinate brings back the suitable Caiqian Family girl, he can complete the ritual, receive the Evil God Lord's empowerment, and become a consort of the Evil God Lord.

Once he possesses an Immortal Body, those forbidden arts can be wielded by him!

With an Immortal Body and those forbidden arts, he will not only unify Chuan Zhi Guo and River Country, but also expand further—to Rain Country, Soup Country, Iron Country—so that even the Five Great Nations must bow before his immortal body and forbidden power.

Thinking of this, Yuan Long could not help but tremble all over, so excited he was almost ready to raise a banner.

"Kill them all!"

"Send them to meet the Evil God Lord!"

"Let their blood display the Evil God Lord's power!"

Hearing Yuan Long's voice, the Evil God Cult followers each rose up indignant, roaring and venting; their thoughts were controlled by the cult's doctrine—or by Yuan Long himself.

These drug‑affected, brain‑washed individuals, who consider the Evil God supreme, are in fact being led by the nose by Yuan Long.

Although Yuan Long worships the Evil God, he more greatly covets the power and authority the Evil God grants; should an ultra‑extremist zealot arise who places the cult's doctrine above all and whose strength exceeds their control, the so‑called Evil God Cult would be utterly destroyed.

Absolutely.

At this moment Yuan Long, immersed in the thrill of manipulating minds, knows not what the future holds; he revels in the present, unable to stop raising the banner, and slowly steps down from the newly built altar to the people whose necks are bound with iron chains.

These are residents who have long lived in the Underground City, afflicted by Tiger's Blood Red; at this moment they are under illusion control, lacking any will of their own, moving only when guided by nearby Evil God Cult members who press on their heads, forcing them to kneel without any resistance.

"Lord Yuan Long, these lost scum have no need of salvation; just kill them all!"

"Offer the blood upon the divine throne!"

"Evil God Lord, accept our sacrifice!"

Seeing Yuan Long descend from the altar, the on‑looking cultists shouted even more vigorously, the atmosphere energizing the whole venue as everyone yelled.

They want to see blood flow like a river.

"Evil God Cult… a bunch of brainless fools… does that so‑called Evil God really exist?"

In a corner of the arena, Orochimaru stood with arms crossed, gazing toward the arena's center, listening to the surrounding shouts; a hint of disdain appeared on his face, which then turned into curiosity and inquiry.

He believes that not only himself, but many forces and people in the Ninja World are also probing the Evil God Cult, just as a few days ago he saw on the island a doctor calling himself Shen Nong; based on the root information he had seen, that fellow is also a deeply hidden figure.

Everyone has come here for one purpose: to investigate whether the Evil God Cult's talk of the Evil God's power and Immortal Body is true.

If it is true, can it be applied on a large scale?

If it can be applied broadly, and enable villages to form corresponding Immortal ninja squads…

This immortality—does it mean one cannot be killed, or that one can achieve eternal life?

Regardless of truth, he must investigate it thoroughly.

At the arena's center, Yuan Long, listening to the cultists' shouts, slowly raised his left hand to signal a halt, then without further words grasped the strange triple‑blade scythe and swung it straight down—

With a 'pfft' sound, the first victim's neck and head were pierced by the scythe's blade, blood gushed nonstop, and he died on the spot!

"Great, Pope!"

Seeing the blood spill, the cultists cheered, praising Yuan Long's action and the blood offered to the Evil God.

The headless corpse lay on the ground, its blood flowing toward the altar, then reversing upward, converging at the altar's center, into the circular‑encircled inverted‑triangle formation groove.

Watching that defying‑logic scene, Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips in excitement; a very strong chakra surge appeared on the altar.

The big one is coming.

As Yuan Long repeatedly raised and fell the blade, the illusion‑hypnotized people died one by one in his hands; massive amounts of blood were drawn by an invisible force away from their headless bodies, flowing upstream to the high platform.

When the slaying of a thousand people was complete, at the altar's exact center the gathered blood surged, forming a vortex like a storm; Yuan Long, who had been killing, was lifted into the depths of that blood‑formed vortex.

"Just one final step left."