The old priest struck the ceremonial staff three times on the altar with solemn authority, and the square fell silent as a grave.
Next, the old priest stood solemnly and spoke a few reverent words about fearing the Mountain God and the heavens, followed by another round of kowtows and prostrations.
The tribal chief also knelt and bowed beside him.
The beastmen in the square followed suit, all dropping to their knees.
Tang Hongluan was pulled down by Hai Jie and forced to kneel as well.
The Tiger Tribe had lived in the mountains for generations, worshipping the Mountain God with as much devotion as they did the Beast God. Now, faced with a volcanic eruption, they naturally believed it was the Mountain God’s wrath and were utterly terrified. This grand sacrificial ceremony was their way of taking the matter seriously.
“The Mountain God is angry and has chosen several outstanding beastmen from our tribe as sacrifices. But Xiao Shuo forcibly escaped, won’t that provoke the Mountain God even further?”
The speaker was Jiang Cheng, the tribal chief’s eldest son. He should have been the most outstanding among the young tiger beastmen, but unfortunately, Xiao Shuo and Yan Chen had awakened divine beast bloodlines, overshadowing him. This had always infuriated him.
Now, driven by jealousy, he saw this as an opportunity to eliminate Xiao Shuo.
“Jiang Cheng!” The tribal chief glared at his son. “Don’t spout nonsense!”
Yet, the beastmen of the tribe, young and old, had already turned their gazes toward Xiao Shuo.
Including Yan Chen.
Though Jiang Cheng’s words were harsh, they held some truth.
The Mountain God had erupted precisely as they passed by, clearly, it had wanted sacrifices. That was why it had targeted the beastmen at the front of the group. But Xiao Shuo had escaped as an exception…
Would the Mountain God let this go?
Would it rage again? Would its fury destroy their homeland?
Xiao Shuo had never imagined that his own excellence would make him the target of his tribe’s condemnation.
He heard whispers, some saying he was cursed…
He carefully touched the wound on his leg, the pain searing through him.
Gritting his teeth, he remained silent. He had escaped by his own strength, how had that become a crime? Provoking the Mountain God?
The atmosphere in the square grew inexplicably tense. Some beastmen had already bared their claws, as if preparing for battle.
“Let me ask the Mountain God’s will!” The old priest declared with solemn authority, striking his staff once more.
Tang Hongluan frowned. These superstitious, unenlightened fools, she wished she could knock some sense into them!
Next, the old priest performed a series of rituals and produced a tortoise shell.
His expression was grave, his eyes filled with worry as he looked at Xiao Shuo.
No words were needed, almost everyone understood what that look meant.
The Mountain God was still furious!
Tang Hongluan glanced sideways at Xiao Shuo. For some reason, she suddenly felt like laughing. So, Xiao Shuo had come to this, huh? Hahaha!
She wondered, would Xiao Shuo surrender and obediently become a sacrifice, or would he resist?
If he resisted, could he win?
She was suddenly curious to see the fate of this beastman husband of hers, the one who had flung her several meters away.
“Xiao Shuo, for the sake of the Tiger Tribe, willingly offer yourself to the Mountain God!” Jiang Cheng stared at Xiao Shuo, eyes brimming with triumph.
Though there was still Yan Chen, who also stole his spotlight, dealing with one rival at a time was good enough!
Tang Hongluan was displeased. This tribal chief’s son was just as shameless as his daughter!
Xiao Shuo said nothing. He turned and prepared to leave. Others might be superstitious, but he wasn’t.
With just a glance from Jiang Cheng, a group of trembling tiger beastmen cautiously closed in. Not surrounding him would mean offending Jiang Cheng, but surrounding him would be futile, they were no match for him. Truly a dilemma between a rock and a hard place…
Tang Hongluan’s eyes lit up, her gaze fixed intently.
As expected, Xiao Shuo wasn’t the type to willingly sacrifice himself.
She watched with keen interest, chin in hand, eager to see the strength of this fifth-tier beast husband.
“Xiao Shuo!” Yan Chen also stepped forward, though he didn’t side with Jiang Cheng. Instead, he glared coldly at Xiao Shuo. “For the sake of the Tiger Tribe…”
Yan Chen had always placed absolute faith in the High Priest’s words, so much so that it bordered on fanaticism.
Jiang Cheng smirked. If Yan Chen joined in, Xiao Shuo was as good as dead this time!
Tang Hongluan’s lips twitched. Was Yan Chen really siding with outsiders?
Then again, there was little camaraderie among the beast husbands. Their only real connection was sharing the same mate, a mate who might as well not exist…
If Yan Chen hadn’t gotten involved, she would’ve loved to see how things played out. But with him in the mix, there was no need for a fight. Xiao Shuo was already injured, and facing off against a beastman of equal strength plus a swarm of weaklings would leave him utterly crushed.
“Perhaps the Mountain God doesn’t mean it this way!” Tang Hongluan stood up and spoke, but before she could steady herself, Hai Jie yanked her back down onto the ground.
“Hongluan, have you lost your mind?!” Hai Jie’s eyes were wide with terror. “Those beastmen will tear you apart!”
The entire square heard her words, and all eyes turned toward them.
Tang Hongluan had no way to hide now.
“Useless Tang Hongluan?” Jiang Cheng scoffed, glancing at her disdainfully. “Trying to protect your beast husband now?”
He laughed mockingly. Everyone knew how much Tang Hongluan’s beast husbands despised her…
Xiao Shuo stared at Tang Hongluan, his expression darkening to the point of dripping gloom.
What was this stupid woman doing, embarrassing herself at a time like this?
Yan Chen also glared at Tang Hongluan. This was a matter for the Tiger Tribe. Though Tang Hongluan was his mate, she was still an outsider. And what was she trying to do? Protect Xiao Shuo? Was she insane? Who did she think she was?
Most of all… this was downright humiliating!
Tang Hongluan couldn’t care less what her two beast husbands thought. She was brimming with confidence.
With a light, almost teasing gait, she walked between Xiao Shuo and Yan Chen.
The two beast husbands felt even more embarrassed. Where would they hide their tiger faces after this? If word got out, people would gossip that they had to rely on Tang Hongluan to bail them out…
“Go back!” The two beast husbands were unusually united this time, speaking in near unison, their faces grim as they spat out the words.
“The Mountain God just sent me a message. I have to say it, or it’d be blasphemy!” Tang Hongluan’s declaration silenced the crowd.
The High Priest was stunned. The Mountain God spoke to Tang Hongluan?
“The Mountain God says that Xiao Shuo must return to the Land of Divine Wrath within three days and kowtow thirty times. If the Mountain God still refuses to forgive Xiao Shuo and the Tiger Tribe by then… he will personally claim Xiao Shuo on the spot!”
Tang Hongluan scanned the bewildered faces of the beastmen. “If the Mountain God wants a sacrifice, he’ll take it himself! If you just kill someone here, who knows which deity might snatch the offering away…”
With that, she sneakily glanced at Xiao Shuo. Oops! she had just improvised the part about thirty kowtows on the spot…
However, let’s just consider this a small lesson for Xiao Shuo… Who told him to be so fierce!
Hearing this, the priest suddenly understood!
He carefully examined the tortoise shell again, sure enough, there was the character for “three” on it!
He stared at Tang Hongluan in disbelief. Could it really be that the mountain god had spoken to this woman?
He was somewhat excited but also found it hard to believe. Eagerly, he asked, “How can you prove it?”
In the square, no one was blind. After seeing the old priest’s expression, the way they looked at Tang Hongluan underwent a qualitative change once more.
Could it be that this madwoman was actually telling the truth?
Tang Hongluan smiled faintly, feeling a bit petrified. How was she supposed to prove it?