Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 332 Sacrifice

A little earlier.

Sect Leader He felt like a grasshopper being swallowed by a swarm of ants. Occasionally, he could hop around a couple of times, but most of the time he was destined to be riddled with ants and die.

There are just too many enemies!
The shouts of his own disciples had gradually faded, and he didn't know whether they were alive or dead. Even Headmaster He himself felt nearly exhausted.

—Damn it, although I can use the Spirit-Slaying Sword because of my good relationship with Qiongqi, I am ultimately just a ritual practitioner and am not good at dealing with this kind of human wave tactics!
If I had known this would happen, I would have brought more people. Our Maoshan sect, aside from anything else, still has two or three true masters, plus a thousand disciples. At least we could handle it, right?
wrong.

—Wait a minute, hasn't someone said this to me before?

Remembering his disciple's advice, Headmaster He wanted to slap himself twice on the spot.

But unfortunately, he couldn't free his hands—limbs were reaching out towards him from all sides; as soon as one foot chopped down a piece, more would follow.

But just as he was about to be submerged, a muffled thunderclap sounded in the sky, and lightning flashed. In the blink of an eye, the surrounding zombies were electrocuted into charcoal.

Turning his head, Tao Le'an's face was deathly pale, looking like a dead man at first glance. But he still managed to squeeze out the last bit of magic power from his body and summon a blood-red talisman.

I'm telling you, Zhou, if you don't come out soon, we're all going to die here!

However, no matter how unwilling he was, human strength has its limits. When Master He was distracted, his foot was grabbed by a half-broken corpse. Although he still tried his best to crush the corpse, his eyes were scratched by sharp fingernails.

In the blink of an eye, all that remained before my eyes was blood.

However, this only fueled the ferocity of Sect Leader He. He gripped his sword in reverse and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Qiongqi, I hereby lift the seal and grant amnesty."

—Damn it, you guys can kill me, but I'll give you a big one even if I die!

however.

Just as this ancient ferocious beast was about to appear in the world.

Suddenly, a cloud of dust rose up beside Headmaster He.

Of course, it's normal for some dust to appear during such a fierce battle.

But here's the thing.

It's raining right now.

Deep red, filled with foul-smelling rain.

However, amidst the blood, the smoke and dust persisted, seemingly obstructing Master He's path.

Then, a hand reached out from it.

The palm was covered in sores, as if it had been worn down to bare bones over countless years—but in this skeletal hand, a gleaming spear was held.

Without any hesitation, the spear shot out and pierced right through the living corpse.

Of course, this alone is not enough.

At this moment, a sandstorm swept through the ruins.

Amidst the rising dust, hundreds and thousands of weapons emerged.

Numerous corpses emerged from the formation, their empty mouths gaping open as they roared at the void.

Although there was no sound, at that moment, everyone seemed to hear a thunderous roar echoing across the sky.

In the blink of an eye.

The army of skeletons then clashed with the living dead.

In the silent battle, Sect Leader He, who had narrowly escaped death, was still somewhat dazed.

"What the hell happened?"

However, not far from him, Tao Le'an, who had also narrowly escaped death, raised his head and stared at the tattered military uniforms on the skeletons, his eyes bright yet somewhat dazzling.

"As expected, you are from the Exterminator Army."

But before he could finish speaking, someone's loud voice rang out in his ear.

"Hey, are you guys alright?"

The shouts of battle subsided.

Sect Leader He walked slowly across the battlefield, looking at the few disciples who had survived, their bodies covered in blood, and then at the corpses lying on the ground, letting out a soft sigh.

He knelt down and closed the eyes of those he knew one by one, then gently covered them with white sheets.

A sigh came from the side.

"I'm sorry, I apologize for this."

"—Does your Evil Suppression Division even know the word 'sorry'?"

Headmaster He turned his head, looked at that face as white as gold paper, and finally just sighed and waved his hand.

"However, there is no need to apologize. Although we have indeed come here for revenge, our Maoshan sect has always taken it upon ourselves to slay demons and eliminate evil. How could we not save the world from such a great calamity? For us, this is a worthy death. Things have only slowed down now, and it is not truly over yet. Let us see how our chosen one will save the world."

Zhou You had been waiting for them for a long time.

When they met again, the fat Xun was hugging his leg, sobbing and recounting his near-death experience, while Zhou You tried to stretch his round body to avoid getting snot and tears on himself.

Everything was the same as before, but for some reason, the two of them always felt that something was wrong.

They couldn't quite put their finger on what was wrong, but in their eyes, the person seemed like a completely different person.

Before, he was just a Taoist priest who always had a smile on his face, but now, for some reason, he seems to have a feeling of 'destiny' about him.

Without any formalities or greetings, Sect Leader He stepped forward directly—but then suddenly didn't know what to say, and finally just bowed and asked.

"Mr. Zhou, what should we do next?"

After the brief introductions, everyone fell silent.

It's not just the shock of discovering the true identities of the three saints that's striking, but also the indescribable difficulty of this desperate situation.

—Indeed, the resurrected skeletons still guard the outside, but although they are quite powerful, there are only a few hundred or a thousand of them. They may be able to protect them for a while, but they are still no match for the living corpses that are enough to engulf the entire city.

And the main thing is.

"How do we deal with that 'stillborn baby'?"

He, the disciple of the sect leader—who was previously Wen Chengen—stood up with difficulty, his body covered in bandages, and spoke frankly.

“That thing is already a god in the mortal world. If we judge it by the standards of those Taoist priests from Longhu Mountain, it's already at the ‘hopeless’ level. Daoist Master, you do have something that can kill with one blow, but the problem is—”

At this moment, another person spoke.

"How to approach them, and who will draw the bow."

Seeing that no one spoke, the man sighed again.

"According to what you said, Master, although this arrow can kill with one shot, the price is too high. Here... no one can guarantee that they will still have 120 years of life left."

The words didn't sound very polite, but the voice was very serious—even resolute.

Clearly, this disciple was not afraid of him drawing the bow.

He was afraid that if he didn't live long enough, all his efforts would be in vain.

Of course, this is indeed a point that Zhou You doesn't know how to handle.

This dead infant was not Doruo Shiqi after all—the previous shot that killed the Dragon King Cai Yuankui did indeed only charge up for about three seconds, but that one was not a god, and the other had suffered thousands of years of torment, so its strength had long been lost by more than half, which is why it could be killed in one blow.

But this dead infant
Based on the intimidating presence they had shown at first glance, Zhou You even felt that fifteen seconds wouldn't be enough.

So, who can draw the bow, and who can pull the arrow?

—Does this mean we have to pull that hidden king out of the ground? But just when things reached a stalemate, Tao Le'an spoke up amidst a series of coughs.

"I can handle this."

With your appearance, as if you could die at any moment? Where are you going to find a lifespan of 120 years?

Faced with the questioning looks from the crowd, Tao Le'an laboriously opened his fanny pack and pulled out a crystal-clear object.

The thing didn't look special at all, just like a low-quality gemstone, but after examining it closely for a while, Fatty Xun's expression changed drastically.

They were even somewhat terrified.

"This is... a Buddha relic from Liansheng Temple??? Isn't this their most prized treasure? Where did you get it from?!"

Tao Le'an's answer was quite straightforward.

"I stole it."

Fatty Xun nearly choked on his words; it took him a long time to finally manage to utter a single sentence.

"And what about what they are worshipping now?"

"Of course it's fake."

Ignoring the chubby Xun who was almost unconscious, Tao Le'an continued.

"The Lian Sheng Temple has amassed a fortune from the people over the years, but whenever we ask them to do something, they always make excuses and refuse. They look down on everyone because they are the temple where emperors of past dynasties became monks. So, in order to get them to do something, our Zhen Xie Division secretly replaced this thing. We originally planned to set a trap for the Hidden King, but now it can also be used as a substitute for lifespan. We just need a Buddhist treasure as a catalyst—but I think you should have one, Daoist Master?"

Zhou You, who hadn't spoken until now, nodded and accepted it.

When it fell into his hands, the bead revealed its true nature.

"Nameless Relic".

Grade: Unknown

(Cannot be taken out of the script)

"Effect 1: This item can be pseudo-represented as any consumable item you have ever used. It can be used a maximum of two times per scenario, and cannot be pseudo-represented as the same item in the same scenario."

"Effect 2: One-time effect. By offering a Buddhist treasure, this item can extend anyone's life by 135 years. It has no effect on people who have already exceeded their predetermined lifespan."

There are only two effects, but each one is terrifying. Overall, they are comparable to the value of the Heaven-Shaking Arrow. However, Zhou You simply put it into the Diancang Ring and then said.

"Now we can certainly start shooting, but a problem arises: how do I get close to that dead baby?"

This is the second difficulty.

The three saints did lend them their armies, but these skeletons were barely enough to keep them safe; trying to break through with them was practically a pipe dream.

And
They didn't just want to break in; they needed to distract the dead infant, giving Zhou You a chance to sneak in.

Everyone fell silent again.

After a long pause, it was Sect Leader He who finally spoke.

"I'll figure something out."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the disciples, who had never cared much about their own lives, became anxious.

"Sect Leader, do you intend to use it?"

However, Sect Leader He waved his hand, directly silencing all further conversation.

"No need for further words. This great calamity is imminent. What does it matter if we Maoshan members suffer some sacrifices?"

After saying that, he turned his head and looked at Zhou You.

"Young friend, I wonder if you could speak to those skeletons outside and ask them to help me build a platform?"

Now that the agreement has been reached, there's no need for further discussion.

Everyone split into two groups. Zhou You led Tao Le'an to bypass the ruins from a remote location, while Sect Leader He led the vast majority of people to guard the ruins in order to attract the attention of the ancestors.

Just over an hour later, a high platform was erected from the ground, and Sect Leader He, unusually, tidied his appearance, burned incense and took a bath, and even put on a brand new Taoist robe.

The remaining disciples followed behind him, all dressed formally—the only difference being that each of them wore a very peculiar mask.

In the very center, there was a man named Xun, his face streaked with tears.

"My lord, my lord, I'm innocent! I've served the Exorcism Bureau, I've offered incense at Maoshan Temple, I... I want to see the Taoist priest, I want to see the Taoist priest!"

Seeing that Sect Leader He ignored him, Fatty Xun changed his method of crying.

"My lord, you can't just turn your back on us like this! Yes, I know our three families didn't do anything quite right in the past, and we stole a lot of business from your Maoshan sect, but those things have nothing to do with me. Besides, I just saved your lives. You can't do this to me!"

Sect Leader He finally lost his patience.

"What nonsense are you spouting? It's not like I'm trying to kill you!"

"I can't stop sobbing," said Fatty Xun.

"You weren't planning to send me up as a sacrifice?"

Sect Leader He rolled his eyes.

"Do I look like someone from the demonic path?"

"Not like."

"Do I look like an uncivilized barbarian from a desolate land?"

"...It doesn't seem like it either."

"Then why do you think I should sacrifice you?"

Fatty Xun shuddered.

"But I was perfectly fine just now, and you arrested me without even asking what happened, and then set up this kind of platform for me."

The words were unfinished, but the meaning was already clear.

Headmaster He sighed softly.

"You're just overthinking things. Do you think I'm the kind of person who holds grudges? It's just that too many of my disciples died or were injured, so I couldn't make an offering. That's why I dragged you along to make up the numbers."

After saying that, Sect Leader He ignored Fatty Xun's struggles and put the mask on his head as well.

Then, he bowed to a skeleton standing beside him.

"Thank you for your help, sir. Please protect me."

The skeleton did not answer, but simply nodded.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Sect Leader He ascended the stage, burned incense, and gave the order. All preparations for the ritual were completed in an orderly manner. Finally, he took out a bright yellow pardon and lit it in the wind.

Finally, he raised the magic sword he carried with him, offered it on the altar, and bowed his head several times.

When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with blood.

Headmaster He is still Headmaster He.

Headmaster He is no longer Headmaster He.

A hoarse, rusty voice, filled with boundless rage, rang out from his throat.

“I use Qiongqi as a guide to invite the ancient spirits, and offer my own soul as a sacrifice to respectfully inform the heavens of their will.”

"The Twelve Great Nuo Ritual Begins Here!"

(End of this chapter)