Chapter 315 - 290: Worshiping the Immortals_1

Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo did not immediately enter the city.

Instead, they waited until dark and silently slipped into the city from the side of a mountain.

The city was vast, full of countless buildings, mostly simple stone houses—not luxurious at all.

Nonetheless, their sheer number suggested a population of at least hundreds of thousands of mountain people living in the city.

This was an astonishing figure.

According to historical records, mountain people typically lived in scattered tribes, ranging from a few hundred to a few tens of thousands at most.

A tribe consisting of hundreds of thousands was extremely rare in the Shiwan Mountain.

At least, there was no record of such an enormous tribe in the vicinity of Yunzhou.

Without a doubt, this city was formed by the convergence of numerous tribes.

What kind of power, or entity, could have amalgamated these tribes? And more importantly, to what end?

"That area over there is brightly lit, let’s go check it out."

Shen Yinuo pointed towards the center of the city.

Ding, ding, ding...

Suddenly, a bell rang from deep within the city.

Then, countless mountain people emerged from their houses, all flocking towards the brightly lit center of the city.

The dense crowd, myriad in number, resembled a colony of ants returning to their nest.

The two waited until the surroundings were quiet and devoid of human shadows before they concealed their presence and moved towards the brightly lit area.

They soon arrived at their destination.

The two leapt onto a three-story building, lying on the roof to observe from a distance.

All they could see were human figures—it seemed the entire city’s population had arrived.

The mountain people were kneeling around a circular square, showing respect and reverence.

In the center of the square stood a massive altar more than ten meters high, with a statue placed atop it.

The statue was about two meters tall with a peculiar appearance.

The statue had a humanoid upper body, complete with wings on its back and horns atop its head, while its lower body was that of a snake, covered in scales.

The statue stretched out its arms; its face was full of benevolence as if embracing all beings.

At that moment, two young girls ascended the altar, standing on either side of the statue.

These two girls, prim in their appearance and dressed in colorful long gowns, were markedly distinct from the mountain people.

"Begin the ceremony and bring forth the offerings."

One of the girls called out in a crisp voice that echoed far and wide.

Immediately, a group of robust mountain men, escorting several figures, ascended the altar and threw those figures on it.

These figures were clearly Martial Cultivators; their limbs had been broken and they were futilely struggling on the ground.

"Among them, several are dressed as soldiers from the Mansion of King Ming. The others are from different powers." Lu Yan muttered to himself.

Those who came to Shiwan Mountain of Nanjiang to exploit resources were not only from the Mansion of the King Ming, but also from other feudal lords, even those afar.

It seemed that the mountain people had attacked more than one party.

After the Martial Cultivators were brought onto the altar, more strong men brought forth a number of Alien Beasts.

These beasts, too, had their limbs broken but were not killed; they were left to struggle on the altar.

Subsequently, eight elderly mountain men with myriad will power patterns all over their bare torsos ascended the altar, holding peculiar clubs and circling around the altar while chanting incomprehensible languages.

The hundreds of thousands of mountain people present at the scene, with a look of piety, prostrated on the ground and began to utter the same gibberish.

As the incomprehensible chanting continued, Lu Yan felt an indescribable heaviness pervading the air—an oppressive feeling that made him immensely uncomfortable.

Hum!

Suddenly, the statue on the altar slightly vibrated and began to radiate a soft glow. The glow became increasingly stronger, illuminating the darkness like a bright sun.

Endless rays of light seemed to form ethereal threads, connecting the statue with hundreds of thousands of mountain people.

As the mountain people continued their odd chanting, a peculiar power seemed to emerge from their bodies and converge towards the statue.

On the statue, a certain force was rapidly expanding.

Simultaneously, those Martial Cultivators and Alien Beasts on the altar were enveloped by a layer of light, and they began to wail. Their bodies aged and decayed at a rate visible to the naked eye until they became dry corpses.

A gust of wind blew, and these dry corpses crumbled into dust, scattering in the wind.

Then, the surging power amassed by the statue reached its peak, transforming into a unique form of energy that returned part of it to each mountain person.

The intensity varied among recipients.

After receiving this power, every mountain person manifested various will power patterns on their body, varying in quantity and intensity.

Yet, they all shared a common trait—they all revealed an expression of deep satisfaction and intoxication after gaining this power.

"Thank the Immortal Lord, for his boundless mana and immortality."

Hundreds of thousands of mountain people chanted in unison.

"Could this be the legendary Immortal Worship?" Shen Yinuo murmured incredulously.

"What is Immortal Worship?" Lu Yan asked via a psychic transmission.

"Do you remember the relics left behind by the Dagu Dynasty? There were altars and statues, and based on these artifacts, the period before Dagu is referred to as the ancient times."

"Many speculate that during ancient times, the Immortals were the masters of heaven and earth. The Human Clan worshipped these Immortals, and periodically held rituals in their name, generating will power known as ’Worship of Immortals’."

"Earlier, when these villagers were holding their ritual, a certain special power emerged. Judging from the Will Power Pattern on their bodies, this power is will power."

"However, since the establishment of the Dagu Dynasty, there have been no more rituals to worship the Immortals. The remaining immortals have hidden in the Fairy Ruins, seemingly unable to leave, and have also lost the power to initiate rituals."

"But now, how is it possible again?"

Shen Yinuo explained in a telepathic message, her eyebrows furrowed.

Lu Yan was intrigued and asked, "You said the Immortals are hidden in the Fairy Ruins, unable to leave or initiate rituals, why is this?"

"Do you really think I know everything?"

Shen Yinuo shot a glance at Lu Yan and said, "I only read fragments of it from an ancient book. The author of that book was simply speculating that after the establishment of the Dagu Dynasty, the power of the immortals declined significantly, forcing them to hide in the Fairy Ruins to eke out an existence. As for why, I’m not clear."

"Over so many years, no one has heard about any rituals to worship the Immortals. Now, it’s reappeared. I have a bad feeling about this, as if something dreadful is about to happen."

The frown on Shen Yinuo’s face deepened.

"Danger, be careful."

Suddenly, Lu Yan’s alarm bells started ringing.

The statue shot out two beams of light from its eyes, seeming like two supreme divine swords slashing through the sky.

One beam was aimed at Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo.

Both of them sprang backward, retreating several hundred meters instantly.

Boom!

The trio of buildings just before them were shattered instantly.

The other beam of light was headed in another direction.

With a loud bang, a figure soared into the sky amidst the dust and smoke.

Not only Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo, but others were also hiding in the shadows.

"It’s the foreigners, they intend to sabotage our ritual, kill them! The Immortal Lord will surely reward us," a young woman screamed next to the statue.

"Kill."

"Kill them!"

Countless villagers yelled wildly, their eyes filled with blood-lust, as if looking at a delicious meal, they rushed towards Lu Yan, Shen Yinuo and yet another person.

"Leave."

Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo moved back rapidly, not wanting to be overly engaged with these villagers.

But the statue, glowing brightly as if it were a master martial artist, marshalled the energy of heaven and earth. The energy was surging, and it converged above the heads of Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo.

Crackle!

Suddenly, several flashes of lightning descended from above, aiming for Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo.

The bright lightning cleaved through the dark night sky, and before Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo could react, they were hit. Their bodies slammed into the ground, creating two huge craters. Luckily, their True Bodies and True Vigor were extremely powerful, enabling them to withstand the attack. Still, they looked extremely disheveled, with smoke pluming from their bodies.

The energy overhead continued to churn.

Both of them knew not to take this lightly, and hence they unleashed their full power.

Shen Yinuo activated the Great Sun Melting Furnace, which hung over her head.

As for Lu Yan, he unleashed the Supreme Physical Martial Arts through the seven gates at the same time.

Boom! Boom!

Two more flashes of lightning, as thick as arms, descended upon them again.

This time, Lu Yan was prepared and managed to deflect some of the lightning with his mighty palm force. But the remaining lightning still hit him, causing his whole body to tingle and prickle with an uncomfortable electric sensation.

But that was it.

And Shen Yinuo, aided by the Great Sun Melting Furnace, was able to fend off the lightning.

However, by the time they managed to deflect the lightning, hordes of villagers had already rushed towards them.

"Kill."

"Kill those who blaspheme against the Immortal Lord."

"Kill them, and we will be rewarded by the Immortal Lord with eternal life."

The villagers roared, their eyes bloodshot, their demeanor crazed.

Some wielded weapons, while others raised their fists.

"A bunch of heretics, die!"

Lu Yan let out a cold snort, with a murderous look in his eyes, he showed no mercy. Using the Cold Magic Palm, he pushed out both palms, creating two waves of cold currents. Shortly after, dozens of villagers were frozen into ice sculptures.

Shen Yinuo, on the other hand, used the Great Sun God Fist. The fiery fists struck the villagers, causing their bodies to catch fire. But even in pain, the villagers seemed oblivious and continued to charge fearlessly at them.

"These people are no longer ordinary villagers. They are monsters, don’t hold back."

Said Shen Yinuo.

She noticed that although Lu Yan was ruthless in his attack, there was still mercy. The villagers frozen by him were still alive.

Boom!

The Great Sun Melting Furnace became as huge as a small mountain, pressing downwards and turning a large number of villagers into dust.

Lu Yan’s eyes also grew colder. With a shake of his palms, waves of cold current flowed out, freezing many villagers. Their bodies flew backward and smashed onto the ground, breaking into pieces.

The two of them took action again and again, killing their way through. In just a moment, hundreds of villagers were slain.

However, there were just too many villagers, and they were fearlessly and crazily charging at them, making them hard to kill.