A weak and evil woman was exiled? The beastly husbands risked their lives to protect her

Chapter 650: A Gift for Her—Nine Stone Clan Warriors?!
"The Scaled Clan?" Jiang Xinli frowned and exchanged a glance with Yu Hanche.

"Yes," the Scorpion City Lord said solemnly. "This place was not originally a desert, but a land with lush forests and abundant water and grass."

The people living here aren't just the Winged Clan and the Stone Clan; there's also the Scaled Clan.

"At that time, there was no poisonous fog yet, and we were not called the Stone Clan."

Later, in order to resist the poisonous fog, our bodies evolved, and to unite the various tribes, we came to be collectively known as the Stone Clan.

"But after some changes, the Scaled Clan disappeared, leaving only the Winged Clan and the Stone Clan."

This is the only city left on the entire planet; it's the last surviving place.

"After some of the beastmen who could not withstand high temperatures and drought died one after another, our giant scorpion clan gradually became the most numerous and the strongest in this desert."

"Later, the poisonous fog appeared and took away another group of survivors."

"Now, this last refuge is about to be swallowed up by the desert."

After the Scorpion City Lord finished speaking, he stood up and knelt down deeply before Jiang Xinli, "I beg the Holy Mother to save the lives of my Stone Clan."

Jiang Xinli raised an eyebrow, "How do we save him?"

Is the key to leaving this place, like leaving ancient Earth back then, conditional on "salvation"?

Yu Hanche glanced coldly at the Scorpion City Lord, his aura exuding pressure.

"I heard that nine warriors will be selected as the next city lords during the sacrificial ceremony."

His gaze was sharp. "I see that the city lord is in his prime. Why is he choosing a successor so early?"

The Scorpion City Lord felt a slight chill run down his spine, but his expression remained unchanged.
"Reporting to the warrior, the position of Lord of the City of Sacred Beasts is not hereditary; it has always been held by the most capable."

"Usually, it's the patriarch of the Giant Scorpion clan who holds this position. But now..." He paused, looking at Jiang Xinli,
"When the Holy Mother entered the palace last night, she must have seen the barrier above the underground city, right?"

"I've seen it before." Jiang Xinli recalled the dark light flowing on the barrier. "That energy came from a sacred beast?"

“Exactly.” The Scorpion City Lord nodded. “The energy of that barrier comes from the sacred beast. And the sacred beast needs the faith of the Stone Clan, especially the Stone Clan chief, to sustain it.”

"The stronger the faith power that the sacred beast receives, the stronger the power it bestows upon us."

His tone grew somber, “But now my energy is waning, and my faith is naturally no match for those young warriors.”

"That's why we're selecting the next city lord ahead of schedule."

Jiang Xinli seemed to be lost in thought.

The Scorpion City Lord's words seem logically reasonable.

But upon closer examination, there are many doubts.

Seeing that he and the owl high priest were still kneeling, she said, "Lord, why don't you sit down and talk?"

“This—” The Scorpion City Lord hesitated for a moment, but ultimately continued to kneel.

He was a little helpless.

He originally wanted to ask Jiang Xinli for help, but Yu Hanche changed the subject.

He could only kneel down again and plead, "Holy Mother, I beg you... to save the Stone Clan."

Yu Hanche asked, "How can we save them?"

The Scorpion Lord replied, "Please grant the nine warriors your blessing, Holy Maiden."

Jiang Xinli frowned. "Isn't it just a matter of choosing a successor?"

“All nine of them need your blessing,” the Scorpion City Lord said, looking slightly embarrassed. “But one of them needs your special grace.”

"As for the method of blessing—" he turned to the High Priest of Owls, "you explain it to the Holy Mother."

The high priest took two steps forward and explained,
"The specific ritual and method for the Holy Mother will only be known after we enter the Sacred Beast Ruins in the Sacred Domain tonight."

Seeing that Jiang Xinli and Yu Hanche both looked wary, he looked at the Scorpion City Lord.

After the other party nodded, he continued, "To be honest, the Holy Beast City has been destroyed and relocated many times over the past thousand years." "In addition, since we have no written language, many things can only be passed down orally. Therefore, regarding some matters of the sacrificial ceremony, apart from the oral instructions given by successive city lords, we can only deduce them from the records in the murals."

"Therefore, specifically, we still need the Holy Mother to experience it together with us." Before the High Priest could finish speaking, the Scorpion City Lord interrupted, looking at Jiang Xinli with reverence:

"I swear on the entire clan to the sacred beast that no matter what form the blessing takes, the sacred female will never be harmed in the slightest."

Yu Hanche suddenly asked, "How big are the Sacred Beast Ruins?"

"At least three times the size of this underground city."

"where?"

The Scorpion City Lord paused for a moment, then said, "To be honest, it's right beneath this palace."

He paused, then said, "Presumably the Holy Mother has already heard the Winged Clan's roar."

"The Sacred Beast Ruins are guarded by them."

Jiang Xinli was secretly startled, and her doubts grew.

Then Yu Hanche sneered, "Since the City of Sacred Beasts has been moved many times, then the Sacred Beast Ruins must have been moved many times as well?"

“Exactly.” The Scorpion City Lord looked at him. “I know the warrior wants to ask how we managed to relocate when poisonous fog invades our area every night?”

He said slowly, "The underground palace before you, and the sacred beast ruins you have not yet seen, are all movable. We are merely following the migration of these ruins."

"Otherwise, with quicksand all around, how could we possibly build such a sturdy city on our own?"

After saying that, he looked at Jiang Xinli and said, "Holy Mother, everything I said is true, and there is absolutely no falsehood in it."

Jiang Xinli looked up and glanced at Yu Hanche.

Although there were no words, she could still see wariness and doubt in the other person's eyes.

She withdrew her gaze and looked directly at the Scorpion City Lord. "The City Lord seems...very anxious?"

"Yes," the Scorpion City Lord readily admitted, "because tonight is the sacrificial ceremony to the gods."

"Tonight?" Jiang Xinli was secretly startled. "Nighttime? A sacrificial ceremony?"

"Yes. The sacrificial ceremony lasts for three days and three nights, but tonight is the most crucial night." Having said this, the Scorpion City Lord seemed relieved, his expression relaxing slightly.
“At night, poisonous fog permeates this place, and we Stone Clan members go out to hunt and forage during the day.”

Therefore, many important celebrations and events are held at night.

He paused, his voice low, "Moreover, sacred beasts love the night and are fond of darkness, so the practice of offering sacrifices to the gods at night has been passed down."

Jiang Xinli was silent for a moment, then looked up and said, "I want to go see the Sacred Beast Ruins first."

“Of course.” The Scorpion City Lord stood up. “However, the Holy Domain is heavily guarded. To ensure the Holy Mother’s safety, please allow me to send nine Stone Clan warriors with her to accompany you inside.”

The Scorpion City Lord clapped his hands lightly.

A line of tall, handsome male orcs filed in from the side hall.

Five half-human, half-scorpion, imposing golden giant scorpion orcs;

A viper-like beastman covered in red scales with a cold, sinister gaze;
A muscular giant lizard-like orc;

A spider-like beastman with eight tentacles extending from his waist down, and a naked upper body;
There was also a hyena-like beastman who exuded a primal, wild aura.

"These nine warriors," a dark glint flashed in the Scorpion City Lord's eyes, his tone growing increasingly respectful:

"If the time permits, may we ask the Holy Mother to bestow her blessing as well?"

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