When the tribespeople found Jiang Nuo and the others safely returned from the haystack, their expressions were a mixture of surprise and bewilderment. However, with the sacrificial ceremony about to begin, no one dared to be distracted. After a few seconds of surprise, they quickly regained their composure and got back to their tasks.
Sacrificial rituals are a very important event for the Bone Witch Tribe.
Everyone formed several circles around the area, and even the seriously injured were carried over by their families on wooden planks.
Jiang Nuo found a good spot where she could clearly see the altar.
He held Si Yan close to avoid being bumped, and occasionally peeked at the other people's attire. The tribespeople's faces were covered with special pigments that formed incantations, making them look out of place.
In the center of the altar, the tourist had no strength left to struggle. His hysteria was becoming more pronounced; his pupils were constricting, and he was nervously shaking his head, no longer resembling a human being.
This state makes them the easiest to kill. If a human sacrifice were to be performed, the tourists could simply be turned into one of the hanging corpses right now.
As Jiang Nuo thought this, her gaze drifted to the corpses being tossed about in the wind, then she looked back at the eyes of her people.
"They seem very sad," he muttered, whispering to Si Yan, "The ones who truly killed these people weren't the tribespeople."
The tribe and the murderer who wanted to sacrifice humans might be adversaries.
However, they were not entirely innocent; this sacrificial ritual used to prolong their lives also came at a price.
[ Bone Witch Tribe Mystery Side Quest Progress: 30%]
You guessed right!
Jiang Nuo cheered for herself.
"The ceremony begins—kneel and worship!"
The high priest, standing in the center, shouted, his voice deep and resonant, like an ancient call.
All the surrounding tribespeople knelt down and kowtowed three times to the high-hanging deer head skull.
Jiang Nuo pulled them down to squat down so they wouldn't stand out so much.
Incense smoke rose and swirled, while animal bone flutes played eerie melodies. Nuo goddesses, holding rattles adorned with colorful ribbons, danced a grand, sweeping prayer dance.
A bright red ribbon covered the head of the wooden deity, which was carried onto the stage by five strong young men.
Compared to their earlier reverence for the deer head, the tribespeople now seemed more afraid of the deity.
Jiang Nuo tilted her head and looked at it, confirming that this deity was different from the one in the attic before.
Is there more than one god?
"The gods have arrived! Bow your heads! Offer the sacrifices!"
The high priest shouted again.
As soon as the words were spoken, the kneeling Nuo goddesses stood up again, dancing and crying, and the tribespeople also began to wail, even though they didn't shed tears.
The unconscious tribesmen were carried up on wooden planks. Only then did Jiang Nuo and the others realize that the sacrificial ceremony was partly to worship the gods and partly to awaken the tribesmen.
Those lying there are all young and middle-aged men and women; they are the foundation upon which a tribe can continue.
" The Soul-Returning Array cannot be activated."
Si Yan suddenly spoke softly, explaining to them in a low voice, "Master Nangong, it's the abdomen. These people's abdomens have already turned black. The Seven-Star Spirit-Suppressing Flags's yin and yang have reversed. If we want to forcibly activate the formation, we'll have to use living souls to take their place."
After Si Yan finished speaking, the old witch doctor kneeling in front of them suddenly turned her head, her face without eyes displaying a strange expression. Then she frowned and shook her head, signaling them to stop talking.
So, did the old woman actually know that this ritual was useless...? It's chilling to think about.
She's a witch doctor, so it's normal for her to know a lot, but why doesn't she tell the other members of her tribe??
"Didn't A Man say before that they had lived outside before? Perhaps only those who have been exposed to outside civilization can have their own thoughts on these ignorant rituals..."
I agree! Sometimes speaking out can actually lead to being targeted; extreme ignorance is terrifying.
"Get out of here!!"
As the large curved blade drew near, the bound tourist became agitated again, his black pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints, and his pale skin covered in black lines.
Jiang Nuo had seen this pattern before.
" Da Qiang and A Man both had it on them," Jiang Nuo said. "They're the ones who harmed the tourists."
"I'm going to rescue them."
Zhou Ling couldn't bear to watch someone die before her eyes.
That tourist was just an ordinary woman with no ability to protect herself; she shouldn't have lost her life there.
She rushed forward with the star chart in hand, and with magical power, a demonic phantom wielding a scythe appeared behind Zhou Ling, her black gothic dress appearing even more eerie at that moment.
To the tribespeople, the demonic phantom was no less than a calamity.
Moreover, they could clearly see the white of Zhou Ling's pupils.
"Disaster!!"
Some members of the tribe shouted.
[Wow, wow, this pretty lady is so cool!!]
It feels like watching a magical girl movie! Wow, that's amazing!
Zhou Ling's attempt to rescue the tourists inevitably led to a conflict with the tribespeople, and Jiang Nuo and the others were also passively drawn into the conflict.
Jiang Nuo protected Si Yan and took advantage of the chaos, not focusing on fighting with the tribespeople, but instead tearing down and throwing away the flags used for the resurrection.
They even stomped on Jiang Nuo several times, which angered the tribespeople so much that they were both afraid and wanted to grab Jiang Nuo and beat him up.
Wait a minute!
Jiang Nuo shielded Si Yan behind her, then suddenly stretched out her arm toward the tribespeople, paused, tilted her head toward the edge of the woods and haystacks, and frowned as she listened intently.
A few seconds later, his eyes widened. "Your tribe has earthquakes?!"
What's that noise?! A loud rumble!
Because he was wearing headphones, the tribespeople automatically translated it into their tribal language. Upon hearing this, they looked at each other in confusion, their bright eyes filled with doubt.
Until a man slapped his thigh, seemingly understanding something, and raised his arms high in celebration.
"Divine punishment!!"
These words acted like a fuse, instantly plunging the people who were trying to stop Zhou Ling into panic. Even the high priest was thrown into a frenzy, rushing off the stage in a flurry of activity.
Jiang Nuo stared in disbelief.
"Goodness, this looks even scarier than an earthquake."
Zhou Ling rescued the tourist. Perhaps sensing the presence of another of their kind, the tourist stopped struggling and allowed Chu Xiu to support them. Their body remained limp and powerless, their eyes vacant, like a lifeless puppet.
The tribespeople were unable to escape.
Their running stopped as they encountered the zombies and skeletal beasts ahead.
There were many more behind the trees, their slow movements and dense, eerie aura resembling a demonic mass from hell.
The goal is clear: there are also living, breathing humans.
Jiang Nuo exclaimed, "Wow! This has turned into a battle royale game!"
Even more exciting than a dungeon!
"Run!"
Someone else shouted.
The scene immediately descended into chaos.
The once empty sacrificial square became crowded with people. The Nuo goddesses held their last line of defense, and every step could result in being bitten to death by skeletal beasts or grabbed by zombies. The zombies were filthy and covered in mud, as if they had crawled directly out of the ground. Their festering skin shed maggots, and they would bite anyone they grabbed, sucking the souls of the living.
Dark clouds loomed, a thick stench of blood permeated the air, and an atmosphere of death enveloped the tribe.
[Aaaaaaah, God Nuo, hurry up!! I'm so scared!]
I can't believe this actually exists in the real world!!