As darkness fully enveloped the surroundings, John felt the temperature around him begin to change subtly.
The air seemed to be filled with something indescribable, yet distinctly elusive.
If it weren't for his already high mind power, he might not have noticed this faint alteration in the atmosphere.
The High Priest spoke incomprehensible words from the platform above, and due to the environment, many echoes resonated around.
It was as if countless voices were continuously arising, endlessly chanting.
John suddenly felt an intense headache; it was as if he was hearing countless whispers again, which had been incessantly echoing in his ears for days, almost driving him to the brink of collapse.
These sounds were like chants whispering in his ears, which he greatly resisted, yet he had no choice but to endure forcibly.
This world belongs to the great deity.
Everything you have now is because of the deity's mercy towards you.
Only those who worship the great deity will possess the most unique power in this world.
Come, join me in worshipping the great deity.
When the deity comes to this world, we will all be his most loyal servants.
We will receive the best of everything this world has to offer.
We are the servants of the creator.
The murmurs were disorganized, yet they carried a seductive undertone.
John bit down on his tongue hard, and the next second, he felt the Heart of Dwarf in his chest grow warm.
In that instant, his mind cleared somewhat.
When he looked at the High Priest on the platform again, the terrifying sensation he had felt before was gone.
It seemed these mental attacks could only take effect once.
Once he had seen through this mental attack, the path forward seemed much smoother.
The divine artifacts on the faces of the villagers kneeling below had begun to look confused and then slowly turned fervent.
Even though some managed a brief struggle, their expressions were quickly altered.
These people were like clean sheets of paper not yet tainted, but in this sea of ink, they rapidly became muddied again.
In this place, no one could keep themselves from being contaminated, just like before; the emotion was terrifying, silently assimilating them.
Even though John had mentally prepared himself, witnessing all this was still profoundly disturbing.
This type of mental control, if leaked, could be a lethal blow to others.
As the High Priest's chanting ceased, a rumbling sound emanated from around the platform.
John keenly sensed the black mist from the villagers becoming more pronounced.
In an instant, a thick black mist emanated from the statue, swiftly enveloping the entire platform.
The fog was so dense that it was impossible to see what was happening inside, and no one knew exactly what had occurred.
"Ah!!"
A terrified scream from the High Priest came from within the mist, seemingly concealing some extreme pain.
The dense fog roiled and surged as if brewing boundless sin.
The villagers and devotees below were stunned, never having anticipated such an event.
The villagers cried out, instinctively wanting to flee, but were immediately blocked by the devotees.
"Why are you running? Hurry and save the High Priest!"
"If anything happens to the High Priest and the brides, all of you will pay with your lives."
"Oh, my deity, my great deity!"
The devotees were thrown into chaos; some wanted to rescue those on the platform, while others tried to rebuild the collapsed structure.
But the dark mist instilled fear in everyone.
The captains of the devotees knelt in terror, continuously bowing toward the direction of the platform.
"The deity is wrathful, we are doomed, we're all going to die here!"
A few captains regained some sense and attempted to rescue the High Priest, but at that moment, several other priests appeared.
While a priest was still ranked below the High Priest, in his absence, everyone had to obey the priests' commands.
"Everyone, step back! The great deity is about to arrive, and we must welcome him with reverence!"
One of the priests said this and then took a few steps back, leading by example.
Although a few of the squad leaders felt puzzled, with the priests declaring thus, they had no choice but to follow and retreat as well.
Years of habituation had conditioned them to submit reflexively.
They dared not raise any objections!
Although the thick black fog enveloped the entire sacrificial platform, obscuring visibility and making it impossible to see exactly what was happening inside, John knew it couldn't be anything good.
Yet, these priests still chose to conceal the truth! This meant that at night, these priests could indeed be utilized.
Roar!
A chilling roar suddenly emanated from within the black fog.
The sound was laden with boundless despair and anger, and seemed to also carry the moans of someone enduring immense pain.
Just hearing this sound made one's heart shudder!