Chapter 367: Sacrifice to Khaine

After Sinuoli defeated that band of Dark Elf pirates in Tilea, his name was sent to Malekith's desk. As he gradually made a name for himself in the Southlands, a very attractive bounty was placed on his head in Naggaroth.

Malekith had always been keeping an eye on the changes in the Mountain Kingdom—if you betrayed your own deceased good brother, caused the deaths of tens of thousands of his kin, and prompted him to literally rise from the dead, you too would worry every day about them growing stronger and coming for revenge.

Especially in the eyes of the high-ranking Dwarfs who knew the inside story, Kaleduo Ershi, the instigator of the War of the Beard, had already paid the heaviest price with his life, but Malekith remained at large; this debt was not left unpaid, it was simply that the time had not yet come.

"It seems conventional methods won't work. Sacrifice to Khaine! Borrow her power to destroy those ships."

Kanowar's hand gripped his sword hilt and then relaxed, repeating this several times before he finally accepted that he was no match for the Dwarf who had banished the Great Unclean One. Charging up with his sword in hand would likely only add another soul to the Storm Hammer's tally.

"As you wish, then how many slaves may I use?"

A Death Hag stepped out in response; she was similarly scantily clad, her exposed skin covered in eerie patterns, though she differed in subtle ways from the sorceress who had been whipped earlier.

In principle, the Dark Elves forbade the existence of male spellcasters. Among the sorceresses, there were two most influential factions: the Cult of Pleasure founded by the Witch Queen Molasi, and the Brides of Khaine led by the Crone Heli-ben.

"If you're going to use them, use enough of them for me!"

Kanowar brandished his whip again. The Death Hag snorted coldly; she did not care for this sort of thing. But this follower of Khaine also understood that the situation had reached a critical moment, and more importantly, sacrificing to Khaine was what made her feel most satisfied in the first place.

"Where are you going?"

"My father holds a high rank in the imperial court; there is plenty of gold and silver to ransom people!"

"Death is but a trifle; I only regret not having killed enough of the thieves!"

The Cathayans were led out of the prison in lines. Although they had been imprisoned, their physical condition did not seem too bad; after all, poor-quality slaves could not be sold for a high price.

As they were driven toward the upper decks of the Black Ark and saw the destruction left by the shelling along the way and the guards standing with swords drawn, many realized what awaited them, and their reactions to death varied.

On the altar of Khaine at the top of the *God-Blessed Scoundrel's Tower*, the Death Hag directed a squad of Har Ganeth Executioners to neatly and uniformly behead the captives in batches. Soon, blood filled the altar, which had already been stained dark red by victims over the previous thousands of years.

"Lambs, I urge you by the mercy of the god, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to the god; this is your spiritual act of worship!"

With the Death Hag's ritual and the accumulation of sacrifices, a giant phantom with four arms gradually emerged on the Black Ark. It was entirely blood-colored, and its aura was constantly strengthening.

"Damn black bean sprouts, it's the Four-Armed Khaine!"

Sinuoli saw at a glance what was happening on the Black Ark. He couldn't help but curse, swung his hammer and axe in a rotation to knock away the surrounding enemies, and turned to head toward the bridge.

"How did Her Highness Yin Yin handle this situation in the past?"

Looking at the Human officers, Sinuoli deactivated his skill and asked urgently. The Ming Dragon's intention before leaving was that rescuing the captured civilians was the goal, and intercepting them on the river was the means. Now that the enemy had begun sacrificing captives, he couldn't easily make a decision on how to respond.

"This, this."

"."

"Should we launch a counterattack and go save them?"

"But what if the defensive line is left empty and broken through?"

The Cathayan officers began to argue on the spot. Even those who didn't recognize Xueshoukai'en knew that the terrifying phantom wasn't there to be background scenery. If the troops rushed over to stop the ritual and the enemy took the opportunity to destroy the iron chains and break through, not only would the previously captured people not be saved, but another batch would be lost.

They occasionally stole glances at Sinuoli. The combat power he had just displayed was no less than the rumors suggested. If they were really to counterattack, he would have to lead the charge, but these officers didn't have the guts to ask a guest to take risks before they had even entered the house.

"Snap!"

Before a solution could be found, a bolt of blood-red lightning streaked across the sky. The clouds generated by magic were dispersed, and the people on the river were able to see the situation of the aerial battlefield.

They saw a blue Eastern Dragon entangled with two pitch-black Western Dragons. Not far away, a Manticore hovered in mid-air, and a sorceress on its back was waving her staff to cast spells to restrict and interfere.

The ones fighting Yin Yin were known as Black Dragons, and their origin had to be traced back to that war of division. Before Malekith retreated in defeat, he stole a batch of Dragon Eggs, and the dragons that hatched in the Chaos-corrupted environment of the northern continent underwent mutations.

The tough hide of a Black Dragon was enough to block the most intense arrow volleys; among the dragons of Caledor, only the most ancient Star Dragons could rival them. They did not spew fire from their stomachs, but a corrosive breath capable of destroying the victim's lungs and corroding their skin.

Judging by the situation, many of the Ming Dragon's scales had been knocked off, and there were many deep and shallow wounds on her body; she seemed to be at a disadvantage.

Considering that she had previously maintained a gale to propel the fleet at full speed, and subsequently released a powerful Great Incantation to drag down the progress of the Black Ark fleet, it was understandable that both her physical strength and magic power were severely depleted.

Of course, those two Black Dragons were not having an easy time either; there were wounds on their ugly bodies deep enough to see bone, and one of them had a large hole in its wing, making it difficult to even flap in the air.

"Roar!"

With a dragon roar from Yin Yin, she had felt the fullness of the Winds of Magic the moment the Jade Dragon pointed the Five Elements Compass toward the Jade River. The Dragon Emperor's offspring could utilize the power channeled by the compass, which had helped her fight until now.

The people below looked up at the sky, and both sides in the sky also stopped for a few moments, coincidentally, to judge what was happening below. The Heart of Corruption knew that his deputy would not sacrifice to Khaine unless it was truly difficult to break through.

The power of the Infernal God-King was as deep as an abyss and as heavy as a mountain, but the cost was equally high. For the *God-Blessed Scoundrel*, the purpose of this job was to return to Naggaroth laden with slaves; as for sacrificing to Khaine, that should have been done by the master of Har Ganeth after exchanging various resources for the captives.

"Hey, is there anything to talk about?"

On the back of the slightly larger Black Dragon, the Kraken Lord, wearing a monster helmet, twirled the twin swords forged from Ind Blood Steel in his hands, sheathed them, and shouted at the True Dragon.

"Those who offend the Celestial Empire, no matter how far away, shall be punished!"

Thinking of the tragic sights she had seen while flying here, Yin Yin stated her determination, word by word.