Chapter 201: Taking the Sacrifice

Chapter 201: Taking the Sacrifice

I told you. Im a god, she said, raising her eyebrows at the old man.

As she finished speaking, she could feel her eyes heat up slightly, but not in an uncomfortable manner.

It was warm and soft, like a hot compress on her head, which made her feel very comfortable.

At the same time, she could feel something sparking in her heart, like a fire that gradually became bigger over time.

Dont joke about that, the old man chuckled. How could you be a god?

The old man immediately swallowed his chuckles upon seeing a flash of light reflected against her kitchen knife.

His chuckles, however, were like water, dousing the fire brewing within her, and she was freed from that warm feeling that seemed to envelop her.

If that doesnt prove Im a god, then I dont know what will. Even Jumeng did less to convince me!

Who cares if you dont believe me? She pouted, slashing her kitchen knife in the air. Now, more questions.

Do you know what happens when you hear the whispers, like becoming a priest of this temple? Are there others like you?

If it really is that easy to become one, then I live in an eternal nightmare, he said cryptically. As he spoke, his voice started to shake, and his body began to shake violently as cold sweat dripped out of his forehead. His eyes darted left and right, and a few syllables of the forbidden language leaked out of his tongue from time to time.

Under his skin, the flickers of a scarlet lantern flashed intermittently.

It was as if he were hiding among the shadows, grabbing at him and squeezing every last drop of blood left in him.

His senseless babbles soon became coherent, and even though Yibei didnt recognise the language, she understood every single word.

Priests occasionally hallucinate even during the day after listening to the whispers.

Some hallucinate twisted shadows that crawl in dark corners; some deserted villages; some strange figures walking with bloodied lanterns; some a giant figure that looms beyond the endless mountains.

They knew something would bear itself in their bodies, and that thing would be born and devour their bodies from the inside as they clawed their way out.

They lost weight day by day, and one day, their bodies would be torn open by the scarlet lanterns as they wither away silently.

Only a few people managed to maintain their sanity and not succumb to the lanterns light, and they were lucky enough to become priests who lived in the ancestral hall.

Their job? Simple. Remain in a half-awake state, commune with the gods, and grasp forbidden knowledge that is too complex for the human brain.

He was silent as his gaze landed on the door. However, his eyes seemed to look through the door and at the water tanks in the courtyard.

The water tanks?

Children. Too deformed to bother saving.

Jesus Christ, do the people here eat anything? She thought, once again feeling a nauseous chill run down her back. Both the gods and the villagers are crazy!

Your customs are interesting. Had I known this, I wouldve brought some enoki mushrooms and taught you how to cultivate them. Its so small, but even a handful of enoki mushrooms feeds me for an entire week!

The old man immediately broke out of his daze and asked, Enoki mushrooms? What is that?

Forget it. Its disgusting. It tastes bad. You dont want to know.

Better not give them false hope. I dont know if Im coming back here.

Last question, you said you learnt a lot of knowledge in your dreams mind sharing?

The old mans body violently trembled as he backed away from her, screaming towards the ceiling.

No! No! I didnt tell her anything. I didnt!

His screams were human, but they seemed to distort with an unconcealable malice in his tongue.

He shrunk himself into a ball as he started to laugh and cry to himself, babbling to himself.

And her eyes began to burn intensely.

Her vision blurred, and through the blur, she saw figures towering over them, like an endless, black waterfall that surged violently beyond the limitless mountains. Countless soldiers held scarlet lanterns, crawling all over its body like ants, stabbing at it.

Clack clack clack

Yibei snapped herself out of her daze, and the old man lay limply on the ground. Large bruises covered his body as if a python had just squeezed him dry.

Somebodys coming, she whispered to the old man.

Its the Old Ladies. Theyre here for the sacrifice.