Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

The two henchmen abandoned Wang Laizi and ran wildly down the street until they reached the funeral street, where they leaned against a brick wall, bent over, and gasped for breath.

"No...no...they didn't come after us, did they?"

The dog leaned against the cold brick wall, its chest heaving violently as if it were about to explode.

The two listened intently for a long time, but apart from their own heavy breathing, the alley was deathly silent, with only the occasional bark of a stray dog ​​in the distance.

Erlv, standing nearby, collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, his crotch soaked. "...A ghost...there really is a ghost...Brother Laizi, he..."

"Shut up!"

The dog hissed in a low voice, but couldn't help shivering.

The bone-chilling cold I just felt, and Lai Zi Ge's abruptly stopped scream...

He struggled to sit up and peered back the way he had come. The alley was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything in the corners where the moonlight couldn't reach.

"We can't stay here...we have to leave, we need to leave now!"

Gouzi pulled up Erlv, whose legs were weak, and the two of them, supporting each other, staggered toward the direction of voices.

They didn't dare go back to their usual place to spend the night; they just wanted to find a safe corner to hide in until dawn.

In their panic, the two turned into a relatively spacious old street.

The former shops can still be vaguely seen here, but most of them are now dilapidated and closed, with only a few windows letting out faint oil lamp light.

There were piles of junk and garbage on the street corner, giving off a musty smell.

The two breathed a slight sigh of relief and found a sheltered corner to sit down. Suddenly, four people silently emerged from the shadows at the alley entrance ahead.

The four of them moved in unison, their movements swift and efficient, forming a loose semi-circle that perfectly blocked Gouzi and Erlv's path.

Their faces were covered with masks, and their eyes appeared somewhat cold in the dim light. When they glanced at the two, they showed no intention of asking any questions, only an appraising look as if they were assessing objects.

Gouzi and Erlv's hair stood on end.

This isn't a night patrol officer; police aren't usually this stern, but it's definitely not some street thug either.

"Gentlemen... gentlemen..." Gouzi's throat was dry, and he forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "We were just passing by... we don't know anything..."

The leading man in tight-fitting clothes completely ignored his words, his gaze lingering on the two men's still-shaken faces for a second before he nodded slightly to one of his subordinates beside him.

The subordinate moved with ghostly speed. Dogzi only felt a blur before his eyes, and a tremendous force slammed into his stomach.

"vomit--!"

He groaned, the excruciating pain instantly causing him to curl up like a shrimp, his stomach churning, and his body uncontrollably collapsing forward.

At the same time, Erlv was also struck in the ribs by another person using almost the same method. He didn't even have time to scream before he fell straight to the ground.

After the two men fell to the ground, the man in the tight-fitting clothes stepped forward, squatted down, reached out to check their pulse and body temperature on the side of their necks, and then opened their eyelids to take a look.

"Its vitality is still quite strong, which is just right."

The other person deftly untied two rolls of coarse linen that had been prepared beforehand from his waist, and skillfully wrapped the unconscious Gouzi and Erlv in them, leaving only a gap for ventilation at their mouths and noses, and then quickly tied them up with hemp rope.

"Boss, with these two, the traps in the southeast corner are complete," the subordinate in charge of tying them up whispered.

The leading man nodded and glanced at the sky.

The blood moon had risen to its zenith, its color growing increasingly dark and viscous, with what appeared to be blood slowly creeping around the edge of the moon.

"The timing is perfect."

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the two tightly wrapped packages on the ground. "Take them to the meeting point. The ingredients must be prepared precisely at midnight. No one can afford to miss the important event of the Willow Sacrifice."

Without another word, the four of them split into two groups, easily hoisted Gou Sheng and Er Lv onto their shoulders as if they were carrying two bundles of ordinary goods, and swiftly headed towards the outskirts of the city.

Not far behind them, a group of paper figures, each the size of a palm, were gliding silently along the ground, always maintaining a distance from the four people in front.

Once you exit the west gate of Linhe County, you'll find yourself in a mass grave.

Here lie countless desolate graves and crooked, broken tombstones.

The group did not linger, but bypassed several collapsed graves and arrived at a relatively flat open space.

Seven or eight figures dressed in similar tight-fitting clothes and masked stood silently. Among them, five human-shaped bundles, also bound with coarse linen, lay neatly in the middle.

The four men carrying the dog and the donkey quickly stepped forward and placed the package with the others.

The leading man bowed to a black-clad man standing with his hands behind his back in the center: "Master Liu, the prelude in the southeast corner is ready."

The man in black, known as Master Liu, also had a mask covering his face, revealing only a pair of long, narrow, and sinister eyes.

He glanced at the two newly arrived packages. "Have you checked them?"

"It has been tested; the plant is thriving and of excellent quality," the leading man replied respectfully.

Master Liu nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the strange array pattern in the center of the open space, then looking up at the increasingly ominous blood moon in the sky. "What about the others?"

"Reporting to Master Liu, the chief officiants for the three ceremonies in the east, north, and west have all arrived, totaling twelve. The firewood for the assistant officiants is also being transported in one after another. We will definitely be able to gather three hundred and sixty-five people before midnight."

Another person nearby reported in a low voice.

"Firewood..." Master Liu repeated softly, his eyes completely expressionless, as if he were talking about real firewood, not a living person.

"In the three counties of Linhe, Qingshi, and Baisha, famine is rampant. The government is currently overwhelmed with its own problems, and even the so-called righteous officials are in a state of chaos. This is a golden opportunity."

He paused, his tone revealing an almost fanatical anticipation: "At the quarter-hour of midnight, when the blood moon is at its peak, we will first use the life force of these 365 pieces of firewood as a catalyst to ignite the great formation and nurture it for three days. Once the formation is fully connected with the earth's ley lines and the malevolent energy, it will cover the three counties..."

One of his subordinates couldn't help but whisper, "Master Liu, in three days... will you truly be able to completely drain the lifeblood of the three counties?"

Master Liu sneered: "It's not just the living creatures that exist in the three counties. Once the great formation is fully activated, the vitality flowing through the earth's veins, the hidden blood and qi of all things, and even the last bit of life force that the refugees unleashed when they were struggling to survive, will all be mercilessly absorbed by this Transformation and Essence-Seizing Great Formation."

"After three days of agonizing torment, with all living beings as fuel, what is ultimately condensed is the Life-Creating Pill, capable of reviving the dead, restoring flesh to bones, and helping our Holy Sect members break through obstacles!"

He glanced at his men standing solemnly around him: "You have all worked diligently this time. After the mission is accomplished, you will all be granted a sliver of good fortune, which will extend your lifespan and increase your merits, needless to say."

Upon hearing this, a fervent light flashed in everyone's eyes, and they whispered in unison, "We are willing to die for the Holy Sect! May Master Liu master his divine skills soon!"

Master Liu waved his hand with satisfaction: "Everyone to your positions, prepare for the midnight ritual. The core of the formation must be guarded at all times, and there must be no mistakes."

"Three days from now, the time of destiny will arrive!"

The paper figure lay quietly behind a toppled stone beast, transmitting back all the conversations and scenes.

Chen Mo's spirit peered through the paper figure at the enormous evil formation, and a chill ran through him.

Using the land of three counties and countless lives as fuel, just to refine that so-called Life Creation Pill?

How utterly inhumane!

The paper figure dared not linger and was about to quietly retreat when it saw that Master Liu suddenly seemed to sense something, his sinister gaze sweeping sharply towards the darkness surrounding the mass grave, his brows furrowing slightly.

"There seems to be... a small bug?"