Chapter 276

What is a cultist?

"Roughly speaking, they're twisted beings who don't regard other lives as their own kind."

Looking at the hellish scene before him, the "slave" Wu Gu unexpectedly recalled everything he had heard before.

"This isn't right. This is terribly wrong."

Wu Gu is sixteen years old; as a Bull Clan member, he stands over two meters tall and has already awakened three racial talents, his bloodline having evolved once—he's Kancheng a combat prodigy.

But this brought him no luck.

As a "gladiator slave," he had grown accustomed to killing his own kind to survive, but this scene before him was something else entirely.

"He's Lamor, of the Kun family's branch line! A great noble! They often come to watch our gladiatorial fights."

"Those bastards, those filthy nobles. They took my sister! My twelve-year-old sister—those beasts!"

"These trash love nothing more than watching our brothers and kin slaughter each other."

At first, when that noble was thrown into the slaves' cage, even though the slaves remained angry and resentful, they only cursed and glared with hostility.

As always, as ever, the slaves were merely monkeys bound by iron chains.

Wu Gu said nothing; he knew it was meaningless. The hatred between both sides had its reasons.

He, well-known among the slaves, watched the unfortunate young noble, who gazed around in bewilderment and shock.

This noble youth, who looked no older than a child, had probably never set foot in the filthy dock districts.

"Snap!"

The old order ended when a dagger was thrown into the cage.

"Whoever kills him gains freedom, feasts on fine food, and may choose a woman to enjoy."

The gladiator outside said cheerfully.

The same thing happened repeatedly across the entire area—not just the slaves were chosen.

Even commoners received the same treatment, and among the minor nobles, another noble from a rival faction was thrown in.

To make lambs and sheep who've never seen blood shed it—of course they'll evolve into lions and tigers. In breeding beasts, the cult is professional.

The cultists were patient; they watched with delight as the hostages struggled in torment, bringing food to the outside of the cages while they themselves enjoyed it merrily.

This, in fact, was also part of the "Blood Baptism."

When appetite, the lust to kill, and the lust to mate overpowered reason, and they began slaughtering their own kind.

In religious terms, it was bestiality overcoming humanity.

"Die, filthy noble!"

The first to act was the slaves' cage.

They already hated the nobles here intensely; they never thought beyond survival—gladiator slaves were lucky to live another day, let alone consider such distant consequences.

For them, killing a noble before death, perhaps even eating well, was already worth it!

The noble thrown into the cage died horribly, torn apart piece by piece, no one able to determine who struck the first blow.

And outside, the cultists did not break their word—they tossed in a pile of "blood food," letting the slaves feast happily.

Wu Gu did not eat. He had learned some secrets of the cultists from a comrade—he trusted none of their words, and he would never touch the food they offered.

Soon, his "experience" was proven right.

"Aaoooh!"

Unconsciously, those slaves who had eaten the food, killed their kin, and enjoyed women began to change.

Horns grew on their heads; their bones shattered and regrew; their limbs twisted and expanded in agony.

Eventually, they became half-human, half-beast monsters, staring blankly at everything around them.

"So hungry. So hungry." The monster hesitated, then reached for the shredded meat on the ground.

And outside, the cultists laughed with delight.

Indeed, choosing the slaves' cage was correct—other areas hadn't yet crossed the line, but here, the first "Beast Child" had already emerged.

The food contained "Beast Blood," and within this "sacred place," fulfilling the cult's rites meant gradually embracing bestiality.

"Aaaah!"

When the first beast attacked the others in the cage, fear began to spread.

But the first "Beast Child" did not prevail—the unmutated slaves, outnumbering him, surged forward and killed him.

When they finally gasped to a stop and stared at the half-human, half-beast corpse, their faces showed confusion—they too began to feel pain.

"I—I what? I didn't even eat!"