A scorpion crawled out of Huang Zhongxin's eye socket, poked behind his eyeball—snap!
His left eye burst, the eyeball dropped, splashing a pool of bloody fluid onto the stone slab.
"Not bad... give me more." The Old Man in Hemp Clothes continued to chop flesh as if felling wood, tossing it into the Jade Bottle. The scorpions, smelling the fresh meat, grew even more frantic.
"Wuwu..." Huang Zhongxin's body shook like a sieve, life draining from his eyes bit by bit.
Finally, the Old Man in Hemp Clothes softly recited an ancient Incantation, his knife tip vibrated, and a beam of light, black as ink, leaped out from the blade, piercing accurately into Huang Zhongxin's brow.
At that moment, black energy churned within Huang Zhongxin's skull, and the last breath in his body dissipated along with it.
"Grievance Soul formed," the Old Man in Hemp Clothes sheathed his blade and nodded with satisfaction.
The Yin Wind howled like a ghost's cry, echoing off the four walls of the Mountain Valley, like the whispers of the undead rising from the depths of the earth.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes looked down at the group of children on the ground, a near-pathological smile appearing on his face. That smile spread like a Plague, chilling people to the bone.
He paced slowly, his steps unhurried, as if selecting prey.
"Giggle..." A strange laugh rumbled in his throat, his eyes finally settling on a small, thin figure huddled into a ball, whose face was etched with sheer terror.
"Come here..." The old man reached out and snatched him up, tossing him violently toward the Demon Banner behind him, as if handling a piece of rotten meat!
"Boom—!"
The small body landed heavily in the Blood Array before the banner, kicking up dust; his bones seemed on the verge of shattering.
A whimper escaped his throat, his eyes completely broken.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes showed no pity. He stood before the Demon Banner, his lips moving slightly, the Incantation sounding as if it came from the Nine Hells below—ancient and heavy.
As the sound of the Incantation echoed, the red Runes emerging from the surrounding ground seemed to come alive; Blood Light flowed and coiled upward.
He slashed his right hand fiercely—"Sssshhh!" Blood spurted from his palm, dripping onto the ground.
He did not stop, his expression growing more solemn as he walked step by step toward the Demon Banner.
That Demon Banner stood like a black pillar piercing the sky; the banner cloth moved without wind, shining with a deep blackness, as if it devoured all light.
The surrounding heaven and earth lost their color because of it.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes stood before the banner and violently splashed the blood from his palm onto it.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—"
The blood touched the banner cloth but did not fall; instead, it was absorbed strangely. The banner surface writhed like skin as the blood merged into it, fine lines emerging, resembling blood vessels.
"Demonic Soul crosses tribulation, Blood Sacrifice as guide!"
The old man gritted his teeth, changing his hand seals. Suddenly, he reached out and lifted the small body that had cried itself unconscious, strode forward a few steps, and brought it close to the banner surface.
The person had already wet himself, soaked all over, unable to even cry out, only emitting whimpering gasps and the smell of overflowing despair.
The next moment, the Old Man in Hemp Clothes raised his blade—
"Crack—!"
The head flew off, blood splashing everywhere!
With a thud, it struck the Demon Banner. The expression still held lingering fear, but it had solidified into Deathly Silence.
"Roar—!"
The banner surface suddenly churned, and a twisted Demonic Head fiercely manifested, biting down on the head with a "crunch" before swallowing it.
Instantly, Blood Light boiled on the surface of the Demon Banner. An Illusionary Shadow of a face appeared, screaming mournfully, struggling wildly on the cloth. The face gradually blurred, finally merging into the banner.
The Blood Talisman pulsed in unison, as if it had devoured a Soul, growing stronger!
In the Mountain Valley, sounds of horror rose one after another—
More and more faces appeared on the banner surface. Some were weeping in pain, some opened their mouths to scream, some stared blankly, emitting shrieks that pierced the eardrums!
All of this caused Li Jun and the others to collapse; some fainted from fright, others were scared mad, only emitting strange, low murmurs from their throats.
But the Old Man in Hemp Clothes was immersed in this bloody Incantation, his expression fanatical as he continuously chanted the Incantation.
An hour later, the Demon Banner finally quieted down, ceasing its churning.
The old man turned around, resembling a Demon from Hell, and surveyed the people on the ground.
His gaze stopped on Shan Hetian.
It wasn't because he was the strongest, but because he—his face covered in blood, missing an ear, his eyes mixed with extreme terror and a resentment bordering on the will to die.
"Hmm..." The Old Man in Hemp Clothes licked his dry, cracked lips. "A good Soul, good resentment... You, too, are a supplement for the Demon Banner."
He lifted Shan Hetian up as if grabbing a dead dog. Shan Hetian let out a beast-like whimper, trembling violently, his limbs twitching uncontrollably.
"Don't be afraid, you will remain in this banner forever, becoming an eternal Soul," the old man whispered.
The blade fell, and Shan Hetian was severed!
Blood gushed like a spring; the headless torso twitched on the ground for several breaths before finally going limp.
Shan Hetian's line of sight uncontrollably slid toward the Demon Banner. The banner lunged forward like a living thing again, a gaping bloody maw extending from within, biting down on the head and swallowing it!
"Roar—!!"
An even more intense Soul roar erupted. Dozens of Illusionary Shadows surged on the banner surface, biting and crashing, as if trying to break free.
In this chaos, Shan Hetian's face clearly appeared on the banner surface, his blood-red eyes wide open, staring directly at Li Jun!
That glance seemed to pierce Li Jun's Soul!
"Hiss—!" A chill ran through Li Jun's entire body; sweat poured out like water being splashed. His teeth chattered, and his hands trembled. Whether it was a hallucination or a mental transmission from a Grievance Soul, that emotion stabbed into the deepest Abyss of his Soul like an ice blade through his heart!
Li Jun was completely stunned, dumbfounded, and terrified.
What was happening before his eyes was real. Just a few days ago, he was a scholar from the countryside; now, he was a Sacrificial offering for someone else.
The ghost heads on the Demon Banner were still roaring and biting at each other.
This scene completely shocked Li Jun. Recalling the giant Vulture Demonic Beast, the red-glowing whetstone, the eerie and terrifying Demon Banner, and the murderous Masked Old Man before him—all of it overturned his understanding as a child.
What was happening now was something some people in Song Village might never encounter in their entire lives.
His entire worldview collapsed today.
The Immortals and demons he heard the Storyteller talk about in the teahouse were real after all.
Li Jun's mind suffered a massive shock; he realized how ignorant he had been.
Previously, Li Jun had scoffed when he heard his mother went to Xiping City to worship deities. Now, he truly wished his past self had kowtowed a few more times to the Deities, praying they would come save him.
Li Jun's expression was vacant, but his mind was a mess, flashing through his past experiences, only to be broken by the Old Man in Hemp Clothes' sinister laughter as he looked upon the human Purgatory before him.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes looked at Shan Hetian's resentful gaze on the Demon Banner, a flicker of joy crossing his eyes. "Heh heh, it's this resentment, this is the cruelty of the world—either you eat others, or you are eaten. Heheheh..."
The others could not comprehend the old man's words, only feeling endless fear and pain, their faces streaming with tears.
Many people struggled and crawled, but they lacked strength. The Old Man in Hemp Clothes stood still, and after chanting for half an hour, the farthest one had only managed to crawl about ten meters on the ground.
To the Old Man in Hemp Clothes, this dying resentment was a supplement for the Demon Banner. He particularly enjoyed the despair of the dying watching how they died yet being unable to struggle; the torment before death was something he especially savored.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes licked the dried blood on his hands and continued offering Sacrificial offerings.
The Fishy smell and Corpse Qi in the Mountain Valley grew heavier. The surrounding trees rustled in the wind, as if trembling from fear. The Old Man in Hemp Clothes began chanting, his voice low and sinister, as if capable of awakening the Demons of Hell.
He successively offered five Offerings to the Demon Banner. At this point, he walked toward the sixth offering; these lives were like pigs and dogs in his eyes, their lives worthless.
He walked toward Sun Xiuer, who was tied up and lying on the ground, her eyes filled with terror and despair.
Li Jun stared fixedly at the Old Man in Hemp Clothes, tears streaming down his face, blurring his vision. He had vomited, and his bowels had long since lost control. He truly wanted to live, struggling constantly within his bonds.
Every second spent here made him lose the illusion that someone would come to save him, until later when he gradually calmed down, with only one thought in his heart: escape!
Even if there was only a sliver of hope, he had to escape! Fortunately, the Old Man in Hemp Clothes was heading toward Sun Xiuer this time; it wasn't his turn yet.