"This senior brother doesn't seem to welcome us very much." Li Chen muttered softly.
Chen Si didn't care, "As long as the temple owner is willing to see us, what if he doesn't welcome us?"
Li Chen scratched his head, it seemed to make sense.
"Instead of looking at other people's faces, it's better to worry more about yourself. This so-called tribute ceremony doesn't seem to be as simple as it seems."
When Li Chen heard this, he was confused and immediately looked around.
It was five o'clock in the morning, the sun had not yet risen, and everything was pitch black.
He could only feel that there were people in front of him and behind him, and he couldn't see clearly what they looked like.
Everyone was walking in silence, and the team was quiet, which was very different from the lively atmosphere when they first left the village.
There was a man at the front wearing a loose robe, holding a red lantern, and leading the way with his rickety body.
This person's walking posture is weird. Ordinary people will always move up and down when walking, but this person actually seems to be gliding without making any sound.
Taking a closer look, Li Chen suddenly trembled with fright.
Who is this person? What a monster!
Although its fingers looked like human hands, they were made up of five smooth tentacles. The robe was so bulging that it was almost torn. It was completely unlike a human body, and there was no telling what was inside.
The most terrifying thing is that its face has no organs at all except for a pair of bright red lips. The eyes and nose were clearly painted with a brush!
He almost screamed, but he instantly felt several stares from behind, as if the surrounding villagers were staring at him.
Li Chen swallowed and asked in a low voice: "Brother Chen, this village is very strange. How about we escape..."
Chen Si was also murmuring in his heart, but now that they were hidden among the villagers and not exposed, they might be able to fish in troubled waters. If they really wanted to run away immediately, they would have something to do with themselves.
I have just started cultivating, and now I am only a little better than ordinary people. Not to mention the temple masters in the mountains, even senior brother Xu can drink a pot of it myself.
He would never dare to run away openly now.
"If you can't run away, just keep walking."
The group of people circled along the mountain path for a long time, and the surrounding fog became bigger and bigger. There seemed to be some small particles in it, which penetrated into the body through the pores of the skin, causing a faint itching.
When he reached out to scratch, he found that a small red rash began to appear on his body.
In the distance, the figure of the robed monster could no longer be seen, only a little red light flickering in the fog.
I don’t know how long they walked, but when it was just dawn, the team came to a big mountain.
This mountain appeared extremely suddenly. It was clear that there was no shadow at all just now, but as soon as the fog cleared, it appeared in front of you out of thin air.
Moreover, this mountain is extremely large, several times higher than other mountains. It has no peaks at the top and is extremely gentle. This form is really rare.
After a while, they came to a huge waterfall. There was a path beside the water curtain of the waterfall. They could see a dark cave behind the waterfall, with a damp and moldy wooden plaque hanging on the hole.
"Three Immortals Temple."
There was nothing strange about the villagers nearby, and they silently followed the monster into the waterfall.
Chen Si paused slightly, wondering whether he should go in or not.
This cave felt very familiar to him, as if he was standing in front of a ghost cave again, which made him feel scared.
"Go in quickly, don't delay at the intersection."
Senior Brother Xu suddenly appeared behind him at some point, looking very unhappy.
Chen Si had no choice but to bite the bullet and go in.
As soon as he entered the cave, a cold breath seemed to emerge from the underworld of Quanyou, making his bones go cold.
At this time, there was some noise outside the cave. Chen Si turned around and saw that a child was blocking the entrance of the cave, unwilling to come in.
There were some elderly people in their seventies or eighties nearby who came over to persuade her, but the girl kept crying and refused to move forward.
"Why did you bring the elderly and children with you?"
Chen Si asked Peng Qian.
"Them?" Peng Qian was a little confused about this question, "They are human sacrifices, and they must be sacrificed to the master together."
She said this as if stating the facts, as if it were a matter of course.
Human animals... What does this Taoist temple do with living people?
Chen Si's heart trembled.
He suddenly remembered the abnormality he had always felt in his heart——
Since they entered the village, they have not seen a single grave.
In this village, every household worships their ancestors through tablets, and there is not even a tablet in sight!
For an old village that has existed for thousands of years, this is almost impossible.
Unless the tradition of burying the dead is forcibly erased.
Seeing that Chen Si's face was a little pale, Peng Qian's face showed a hint of surprise, "You are from outside and don't know much about the customs of our village. It's my fault that I didn't explain it clearly.
We will never drag villagers to be used as human sacrifices for no reason. Only villagers who are close to their longevity will be invited to the temple and die here after being divined by the master.
If you fall in love with Master, you can also get Master's magic to extend your life, which is what everyone wants.
This is a custom that has been followed in the village for thousands of years, and all the old people in the industry know it. "
"But what's going on with that little baby? I see her face is rosy, and it doesn't look like she's suffering from any serious illness."
"She is the child of our neighbor Hao's family. She is also very pitiful. Not long ago, Master calculated that she only had a few days to live at such a young age. She didn't know what misfortune would happen next, so she took her into the temple together. So that she can enjoy two days of happiness before she dies."
Chen Si was stunned.
Using divination to determine life and death is simply unheard of!
What shocked him even more was that these villagers showed no dissatisfaction at all. Instead, they persuaded the children to get into the hole quickly, as if everything was as it should be.
Li Chen cast a fearful look.
Chen Si understood what he meant.
How can anyone in this world predict someone else's life or death through prediction? It’s just a trick used by the master of Sanxian Temple to deceive people!
Those old people and children are probably in danger, and they will be used to practice some evil skills. If they can live and die in peace, that is the best outcome.
Fortunately, there is no precedent of outsiders dying in the village so far, and the two of them should be safe.
According to the villagers, the temple owner likes to ask about new things from the outside world. When outsiders come to visit the village, the temple owner is willing to communicate with outsiders every time. After the discussion, he usually puts it back.
Moreover, if the temple owner is really happy, the temple owner will also help eliminate disasters, which is a great opportunity for ordinary people.
Chen Si didn't expect much from this. He was satisfied if he could learn about the ghost cave from Sanxian Temple.
The cave continues to extend downward, and some water from the waterfall outside seeps in, and the sound of dripping water can always be heard in the cave.
A big red candle hangs at regular intervals on both sides of the cave, and the flames illuminate the cave dimly.
At the front, the strange shadow of the monster was stretched extremely long, looking eerie and terrifying.
