Chapter 106: Sacrifice

Chen Mo looked at the scene before him; countless soldiers were on guard, and the prisoner transport carts were heavily protected.

Not far away, eleven or twelve corpses were scattered about; they were likely all Qi Refiners.

It seemed he had arrived a step late; the slaughter here had already ended.

"Uncle Zhou." Chen Mo bowed as he saw Zhou Dong walking over.

"What happened to your armor? You didn't sustain any injuries, did you?" Zhou Dong's gaze swept back and forth over Chen Mo's body.

Although he still appeared ruddy-faced and uninjured, his armor and the clothes he had been wearing earlier were gone. There was no need to guess; he had surely experienced a rather perilous slaughter.

"Not at all. I ran into a few stronger Qi Refiners; my armor and clothes were ruined, but I didn't suffer any injuries.

After killing them, I stripped a clean set of clothes from their bodies to wear." Chen Mo's tone was indifferent, his expression unchanged.

Because he was telling the truth; he truly hadn't encountered any experts, at least not any who could injure him.

"As long as you're fine. I think the Qi Refiners who wanted to hijack our prisoner carts have all been killed off.

Still, this group was bold; there was only one Foundation Establishment Initial Stage cultivator, yet they dared to come and pick a fight with me."

Zhou Dong's tone was quite confident; clearly, a Foundation Establishment Initial Stage cultivator was no match for him.

"Then, Uncle Zhou, did you kill that Foundation Establishment cultivator?" Chen Mo asked with a smile.

He had heard from his foster father that although Uncle Zhou's cultivation was not yet at Acquired Perfection, he had already pushed open the Heaven and Earth Gates and was definitely considered an Acquired Mid Stage cultivator.

A Foundation Establishment Initial Stage cultivator was indeed no match for him.

It was just that he didn't know which level of Foundation Establishment the cultivator he had just killed belonged to.

"That goes without saying. Once that Foundation Establishment cultivator died, we are basically safe this time," Zhou Dong said with a slight nod.

With one Foundation Establishment cultivator dead, even if other Qi Refiners existed, they would never dare to come and intercept them easily.

As for Golden Core experts?

Every one of them was accounted for; they would not be moved easily.

Seeing Chen Mo return, Mo Hu also hurried over with a concerned expression.

"Fifth Brother." Seeing that he was safe, Chen Mo felt a weight lift from his heart.

"It's good that you're fine, otherwise I wouldn't know how to answer to our foster father when I return." Mo Hu walked over with a smile and patted his shoulder.

"Rotate and rest, do not slack off," Zhou Dong also ordered loudly at this moment.

Many soldiers went to collect the corpses and clean up the battlefield.

These Qi Refiners' corpses would certainly not be left behind; they were all burned to prevent anyone from not being dead enough or accidentally reanimating.

In reality, the corpses of these Qi Refiners were quite valuable, but the prerequisite was that they had to be relatively intact.

And the corpses before them clearly did not fall into the category of being intact.

After dealing with the corpses, the group continued their journey, walking for several days in succession, and finally arrived before a vacant city.

The vacant city was dilapidated and silent; the city gates were wide open, and one could see many skeletons with the naked eye.

Those were people who had starved to death, starved until they had no strength left, not even having the chance to beg for a path to survival.

The army did not enter the city; Zhou Dong ordered people to camp outside, while he summoned Chen Mo and the Yangyang Prefecture Garrison to enter the city with him.

"There are too many people who starved to death in this city; it might form a Ruins Realm. Although experts from the Imperial Observatory are already stationed here, we must still be cautious."

Zhou Dong walked at the very front, instructing the two in a low voice.

There were many things he could only tell Chen Mo and the Yangyang Prefecture Garrison, because only the two of them had sufficient strength and understood these things.

For those who were unaware, it was better to keep it from them; knowing too much was not a good thing.

The three passed through the city gate; the interior of the city was still quite silent, though a Dharma Altar was clearly visible at the highest point.

"Where are the officials of the Imperial Observatory?" Zhou Dong shouted in a deep voice. With this shout, he clearly used his Inner Qi; the voice was not loud but had immense penetrating power.

As his voice fell, not long after, over a dozen figures appeared in the city, the leader being an old Daoist with the bearing of an immortal.

He had crane-white hair and a youthful face, wore a bright red Daoist robe, held a Whisk, and had a rather kind appearance.

Although it was a Daoist robe, one could tell from the emblem embroidered on it that this Daoist was a Right Fifth Rank official.

"I was busy leading people to build the Dharma Altar and was negligent for a moment, failing to notice the General's arrival."

The old Daoist walked over in a few quick steps and explained.

"No matter, building the Dharma Altar is a major task; as long as it can be completed on time, that is all that matters," Zhou Dong said with a smile.

Everything they were busy with was for the sake of completing the sacrifice on time; as long as this could be achieved, everything else was unimportant.

"The sacrificial offerings have been brought; we can enter the city at any time," Zhou Dong said again.

"There is no danger in this city; the army can safely enter," the old Daoist from the Imperial Observatory said.

Zhou Dong immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then ordered the Yangyang Prefecture Garrison to lead the army into the city.

"Besides the prisoners, we have also brought some dry rations and fresh water to provide supplies for you all. I just don't know how many more days it will take to finish building this Dharma Altar," Zhou Dong asked in a deep voice.

"In three more days, this Dharma Altar will be completed, and in six more days, the sacrificial ceremony will begin.

By then, all twelve altars across Qingzhou will perform the sacrifice simultaneously, and we will certainly be able to seal that Drought Demon."

The red-robed old Daoist spoke slowly, explaining the plan already set by the Imperial Court.

This plan had not only been set by the Imperial Court long ago but had also been made known to most of the powers in the world.

The Imperial Court acted with the way of kings; what they wanted was to be upright and honorable, and they were absolutely not afraid of anyone coming to interfere.

"Is there any water source in the city?" Zhou Dong pondered for a moment and asked.

Qingzhou was desolate; besides lacking food, the most important thing was the lack of water.

If there were an abundant water source, they could camp here and wait until the sacrificial ceremony ended before leaving.

If not, they would have to leave at most once the Dharma Altar was built, otherwise, they might die of thirst here.

"I observed the movement of the mountain and river water veins and found a new water well in the city. I used a Secret Technique to open it up. Although it is currently affected by the Drought Demon, it can still last for over a month," the red-robed old Daoist said.

The Drought Demon would bring drought, but the area they were currently in was not the core zone, so the impact was far from being that severe.

Moreover, even if it brings drought, it does not mean all water disappears at once, but rather disappears slowly.

A newly found water well is certainly safe for drinking in the short term, but it cannot be used for farming.

Furthermore, if the Drought Demon is not sealed, wells like this will be opened one by one until they are eventually exhausted.

"Then I shall lead the army to camp here for six days, and we will leave once everything is finished," Zhou Dong said with a nod.

The Imperial Court does not look at the process, only the results; even if he safely delivered the prisoners here, if the sacrifice here was not completed successfully, then he failed to do his job.

Conversely, even if he had done nothing at all, or had not even come in person.

As long as the task entrusted to him was completed, he would be credited with the merit.

Numerous soldiers entered the city and began sweeping the streets and clearing the houses to provide shelter.

Many houses within the city were no longer habitable; only those bluestone residences remained sturdy, and they could be lived in after a little cleaning.

Zhou Dong ordered the prisoners to be well-guarded to ensure they all remained alive.

These prisoners' vitality was far superior to that of ordinary people; although they were currently restrained, they still had breath and would not die in the short term.

The amount of food brought was quite plentiful, and even if it were truly insufficient, they could kill horses to serve as a supplement.

During this time, Chen Mo did not let go of his appetite, eating only a small amount of food every day.

Firstly, the dry rations were truly unpalatable, and secondly, food had to be conserved now, so it was inappropriate for him to eat too much.

However, taking advantage of this time, he first consumed the Mirage Spirits one by one; the Qi and Blood contained within the fifteen Mirage Spirits was quite substantial.

It increased the Transformation Pearl within his body by a full half-percent of Qi and Blood, reaching a level of over forty percent.

Once he digested the gains from this time, he could prepare for his next rebirth.

Three days later, the altar was repaired, and after another six days, armored soldiers escorted the condemned prisoners onto the altar.

Officials from the Heaven Monitoring Bureau waited for the auspicious time to begin the sacrifice.

A thousand miles from here, on a vast altar in the center of Qingzhou.

Bai Bubai had a tall stature and a firm, solemn face; he wore a black python robe and looked toward the many relatives, friends, and experts from various sides before him.

"I hope you all will keep your promise and look after my descendants and kin for me."

He actually knew why he had suddenly awakened from his slumber; someone must have tampered with things to make him wake up and let him know about the affairs in Qingzhou.

Without a doubt, he had been schemed against.

But he no longer cared about this; no matter what, he did not want to see the power of the Drought Demon continue to expand.

Who knows how many people would starve to death if that happened!

…………

"The auspicious time has arrived," a loud shout rang out.

Chen Mo watched the condemned prisoners detained on the altar; in just an instant, all of their auras withered continuously, and even their figures gradually shrank.

Their life essence poured into the altar, and the Array inscribed on the altar integrated these powers and poured them into the world, echoing with the other altars in Qingzhou.

Immediately following, a brilliant light erupted from the center of Qingzhou, sounding like thunder, and the earth trembled.

In just a few breaths, Chen Mo instantly felt a difference; as the rumbling thunder exploded, the air he breathed became moist.

The mountains and ley lines of the entire Qingzhou were changing at a speed visible to the naked eye at every moment.

The Ruins Realm receded, and the Mirage Sea returned once again.

As for those Qi Refiners, they had long since activated their Secret Techniques or secret treasures in advance to ensure that even if they were exposed, they would not be dragged into the Mirage Sea.

A heavy rain fell as a matter of course, moistening the earth that had been parched for so long.

Fortunately, there were not many people in the city, so even though those loess huts collapsed one after another, no one was injured.

The heavy rain fell for nearly a day, and only stopped slowly after all things in heaven and earth had become damp.

The army camped here for two more days before setting off to withdraw.

As for those Qi Refiners, they left first, trying to find ways to rush to various Dongtian Fudi.

Several days later, the many armored soldiers, exhausted and covered in mud, finally left the borders of Qingzhou and caught sight of rare signs of human habitation.

"All Patrol Heaven Guards are to be dismissed on the spot for leave; just return to the provincial capital in one month."

Zhou Dong ordered loudly to all the Patrol Heaven Guards.

After this busy and exhausting round trip, now that the matter here was finished, it was naturally time to let people have a good rest for a period.

Furthermore, since the sacrifice was completed safely, everyone had merit; even if it wasn't a great merit, it was a small one, and the Imperial Court would give some rewards later.

"You two also contributed a lot this time; later I will submit a report to the Imperial Court to request merit for you both as well."

After arranging for the many Patrol Heaven Guards, Zhou Dong looked at Mo Hu and Chen Mo.

If this matter had been managed by other officials, they would at most have had a bit of hard work.

But since it was managed by Zhou Dong, it was different; as long as he mentioned it in the official report, the two of them would have merit.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhou," Chen Mo and the other said in unison.

"Alright, you two should also find a place to have a good rest," Zhou Dong waved his hand with a smile, his figure flickering and disappearing in an instant.

"I plan to go see my foster father," Chen Mo said, looking at Mo Hu.

Since he had returned safely this time, it was natural to go see his foster father and report that he was safe.

Besides, he still had many things on hand and had to make a trip to Xiaqi Valley to sell them off.

"I have the same intention," Mo Hu nodded in agreement.

The two immediately confirmed the direction and headed toward Xiaopao Town.

One day later, the two arrived in front of the military camp in Xiaopao Town.

The situation inside the camp was the same as usual; his foster father had not participated in this sealing of the Drought Demon, mainly because there were no prisoners in Xingyuan Prefecture for him to escort.

The camp was not under martial law now, and the Personal Soldier in charge of guarding the camp saw it was them and naturally let them into the camp directly.

The two walked into the camp, first went to pay respects to his foster father, and informed him of the general course of events.

Sun Shouren told them to wait for their rewards with peace of mind, then ordered someone to prepare a banquet, and the three of them drank until they were dead drunk before finishing.

The next day, Chen Mo left the military camp with the spoils from this trip and headed straight for Xiaqi Mountain.

(End of chapter)