Twenty years into the Great Jin, this was perhaps the most difficult winter ever experienced by humankind!
The Northern Frontier
It was the Cold Festival in the twelfth lunar month, and although spring had not yet arrived, it was still a major festival held once a year in the Central Plains. However, the Northern Frontier was devoid of any festive atmosphere. In fact, before the Heavenly Python Palace opened, the Earth Serpent had awakened from the ground and, unable to suppress its bestial nature, had nearly wiped out the people of the Northern Frontier. Where would anyone be willing to celebrate the festival here?
Everyone now knows that the north is now the domain of the Serpent Demon, and even the most daring merchants dare not approach it lightly.
Yet, even in this cold season, a large group of ragged people braved the freezing snow to enter this Snake Mouth Demon Grotto!
Leading the group was a group of priests dressed in snow wolf skins, followed by a group of strong and powerful warriors, while those who were whipped in were a group of men, women, and children with numb faces, but whose bodies did not appear weak.
"Arrive."
At the city gate, the elderly man at the head of the group let out a long breath. The steam formed a distinct white mist amidst the swirling snowflakes. Although the old man looked frail, his physical strength was by no means weak, clearly indicating that he was a bloodline martial artist.
But neither the old man nor the burly soldiers behind him dared to use their blood to resist the cold winter, for fear of provoking those savage and terrifying beings on the other side.
The old man picked up a horn, took a deep breath, and blew it. The heavy sound caused snow and mist to rise from the opposite city. The next second, a huge figure appeared, making everyone tremble.
The serpent was enormous, far larger than the magnificent city, its body almost blotting out the sky.
Moreover, the snake came soaring through the air, coiling in mid-air, its enormous size on full display, creating an overwhelming sense of oppression!
"Kneel!" the old man roared, trembling, and led the way by bowing down. All the soldiers quickly knelt down, and the ragged slaves were also whipped until they knelt down as well.
"Not bad this time." The giant serpent coiled high in the sky, its voice deep and muffled like a drum. Looking at the slave, whose clothes were tattered but who still appeared strong and ruddy, the huge serpent head nodded slightly!
The old man lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to look the other person in the eye, and trembled as he said, "I'm glad Your Venerable is satisfied!"
Six months ago, the Northern Lands were completely turned into the territory of these terrifying giant snakes. The people of the Northern Wasteland were so frightened by the fate of the Northern Lands that they prepared to relocate en masse and cross the Arctic.
But the despair that fate bestowed upon us was not limited to this!
For some unknown reason, the demons and beasts around them suddenly became much stronger!
Now, giant wolves five meters tall can be found in the wild at any time. These were once King Level and monsters, but now they are almost everywhere. This makes the Northern Wasteland extremely dangerous. Several armies have tried to break through, but have all become food for the enemy!
Just when most of the demons were openly breaking their previous contracts and preparing to launch a large-scale invasion of the Northern Wasteland kingdoms, the giant serpent from the Northern Lands suddenly arrived.
But what no one expected was that the enormous serpent brought not destruction, but peace!
They killed the demons that wanted to exterminate them, and not only that, they gave the demons their flesh and blood to help them survive the cold winter without food.
This situation was completely unexpected by the ten kingdoms of the Northern Wasteland.
The giant serpent not only did not exterminate them as it had exterminated the Northern Lands, but also provided them with demon flesh and fur, giving them enough food and warm fur to survive the winter. It was practically a savior.
Of course, this is not without conditions.
These giant serpents demanded a certain number of human sacrifices every so often!
That's how we ended up with this scene: the Demon Cave, which no one dared to approach, was now being eagerly visited by people from the Northern Desolation Kingdom.
The next instant, countless bloody objects rained down from the sky. The old man at the head of the group looked excitedly at the falling objects, showing no disgust despite the heavy stench of blood. Even the burly soldiers revealed greedy expressions!
That's the flesh and blood of demons, extremely nourishing for the blood and qi, especially the bones and blood. When boiled into a thick soup, it replenishes essence and qi, enough to sustain half a month of cultivation, even better than top-grade secret medicine!
To be honest, when these monsters first demanded human sacrifices, many aristocratic families in the Northern Wasteland were against it, but now, who would object?
For a bunch of lowly commoners to exchange for such precious things is an incredibly good deal. Many noble families are even wondering why these giant snakes have taken so long to arrive.
"Remember, next time bring stronger men, and don't be greedy."
The giant snake's voice carried a warning.
The old priest nodded repeatedly. Previously, a noble family from a neighboring country had been too greedy, unwilling to feed human sacrifices with the flesh and blood of demons, only feeding them coarse grains to keep them alive. As a result, they were all thin as skin and bones. When they were sent over, the giant serpent was furious and ate the soldiers and priests who were being transported in one gulp. It also led several terrifying members of its kind to eat half of the people from that country.
It was only then that all the noble families realized that these terrifying creatures were monsters that had devoured billions of people in the Northern Lands!
"Rest assured, Your Venerable, we will certainly satisfy you."
"Go."
The smooth progress brought smiles to the faces of all the soldiers of the bloodline. They worked tirelessly to transport the bodies of the demons, but paid no attention to their comrades who were being taken away by the giant snake.
The women and children, at this final moment, were finally terrified by the giant snake and burst into tears.
But it had no effect whatsoever. The giant serpent's eyes were cold, the countless enormous serpent eyes within the city were cold, and the soldiers who carried away the demon's flesh and blood without looking back were even colder.
The Murong Family of the Northern Wolf Kingdom
The eldest elder of the Murong Family, Murong Yunbo, was sitting in the main hall when he excitedly stood up as he watched the young sorcerers rushing back one by one!
The other elders also looked over with some excitement, clearly indicating that the junior who could actually cross the North Sea was extremely important to the Murong Family at this time.
Does Jiangnan really have a way to safely send people over?
"Elder, Ancestor!" The young sorcerer removed his snow-covered hood, revealing a beautiful woman. After shaking off the snow, she immediately bowed respectfully.
"Good, good, good! It's good that you're back safe and sound!" The elder stepped forward, pulled his granddaughter back to her seat with a smile, and said happily, "Tell me, what did the people in Jiangnan say?"
All the elders listened intently to the answer.
Six months ago, the Murong Family began to think about crossing the North Sea to develop in Jiangnan, just like the people of the Northern Lands had done before.
They couldn't get in touch with them until three months ago when the girl finally replied. They were almost ready to give up.
"Brother, are we really going to move?"
Suddenly, a burly man from the Murong Family, who looked nothing like a sorcerer, spoke up.
Now that the giant serpent is protecting them, the various aristocratic families willing to offer human sacrifices can receive high-grade demon flesh and blood from time to time. This is a great opportunity to enhance their family's strength. It's not like three months ago when they were unaware of the situation. Why would they still go to Jiangnan?
"You really want to stay under the snake's jaws forever?" The Grand Elder glared at the other man. "Do you think those demons have any good intentions? Human sacrifice cannot stop. Right now, the various countries have a sufficient supply of slaves. But what will happen after the slaves are used up? Where will the people continue to be sacrificed? Will they follow your subjects?"
"If we run out, we'll just go get more!" the other person said nonchalantly. "Slaves are something you can find anywhere."
"Capture them?" The First Elder sneered. "Right now, all the major families are trying to curry favor with those giant snakes, and the price of slaves is skyrocketing. They're already selling for ten gold coins each on the market, and that's for the elderly, weak, women, and children. The young and strong are even more expensive. Do you think what will happen when prices can't hold up if this continues?"
"What could happen?" the big man asked naively.
The elders were too lazy to even look at the other person's foolish expression, only the Grand Elder sighed patiently and asked, "Tell me, under what circumstances will slaves arrive the fastest?"
"A war!" the big man blurted out, then immediately realized what was going on.
"It's war!" the Grand Elder exclaimed. "No country, not even the most brutal Northern Demon Kingdom, would openly sacrifice its own people to demons. Otherwise, it would shake their very foundations. The only possibility is war!"
"Once the war breaks out, it's hard to say who will be the slave," the Grand Elder said quietly. "You think you can just use some lowly slaves to exchange for enough demon flesh and blood, but have you ever thought about it? One day, the Murong Family might be reduced to the point where the old, weak, women, and children are all forced to sacrifice themselves to the snake's mouth?"