Chapter 516: Sacrifice

Zuan swung his Tai'a sword, hacking and slashing, but the evil spirits were incorporeal, and the blade passed directly through their bodies. The evil spirits let out eerie cackles and lunged at him without hesitation. Fortunately, Zuan used his "Sunflower Phantom" movement technique, narrowly dodging the attack and avoiding the horrific fate of the taotie below, which was being overwhelmed and devoured by the spirits.

Despite his efforts, some evil spirits still managed to claw his arms and thighs, immediately sending burning pain through him. Unable to see his thigh, he pulled up his sleeve and found numerous greenish-black handprints on his arm.

"This is cheating!" Zuan grumbled in frustration. He couldn't hit them, yet their ethereal bodies could injure him. How was he supposed to fight like this?

At that moment, the evil spirits, having missed their target, let out howls and charged at him again. Zuan's heart tightened. As he pondered how to react, a wisp of black flame shot out from beside him. The evil spirits shrieked in agony and quickly retreated several meters, clearly apprehensive of the black flame.

At this point, Pei Mianman had come over and taken Zuan's hand. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Zuan replied in surprise. "I didn't realize your black flames also had an exorcising effect."

"These evil spirits are inherently yin and evil, while black flames are extremely yang and potent. They naturally counteract each other," Pei Mianman explained.

Just then, a pained roar echoed from below the platform. Both of them instinctively turned to see the giant taotie being devoured by the evil spirits, its flesh gradually consumed until only bones remained. Zuan couldn't help but swallow. The creatures in this eerie palace were increasingly powerful. The skeleton warriors had easily dispatched five ordinary taotie, only to be instantly killed by this giant taotie. He had thought this giant taotie was the boss, but it had met such a miserable end.

As the taotie's flesh below was completely devoured, many evil spirits began to fly back, approaching the two of them. Pei Mianman quickly channeled her elemental energy to make the surrounding black flames burn more intensely, preventing the ravenous evil spirits from coming any closer.

"Should we leave here first?" Pei Mianman suggested. The giant taotie that had threatened them was dead, and there was no longer any danger if they retreated.

Zuan frowned. "But we've been in this secret realm for some time now. We need to find a way out eventually, or we'll be trapped here until we die. Besides, we've already climbed these steps; it might not be easy to leave now."

Pei Mianman's face clouded with worry. "But I can't maintain these black flames indefinitely. Once they extinguish, we might end up like that taotie, gnawed down to bones."

"Then let's get off these steps first and strategize," Zuan said.

The two slowly began to descend the steps, but the countless evil spirits continued to swarm around them, refusing to disperse. As they approached the first step, all the evil spirits blocked their path, howling. Every time Pei Mianman used her black flames to dispel some spirits, another group immediately filled their place, making it impossible for them to break through the spirits' dense blockade.

What's more, the evil spirits seemed to communicate, quickly changing their strategy. A large, dense swarm of them began to rapidly circle around the two. As they spun, eerie winds whipped up, causing Pei Mianman's black flames to flicker unsteadily.

Pei Mianman's expression changed. "I can't keep this up for long like this!" Blown by these chilling winds, the energy required to maintain her black flames increased exponentially.

Zuan said gravely, "Let's go up to the high platform first."

"Won't it be even more dangerous on the high platform?" Pei Mianman asked, her voice filled with worry.

Zuan shook his head. "Often, life and death are separated by a thin line. Perhaps the method to leave this secret realm is hidden up there." There had been virtually no branching paths on their way here, and none of the places they had passed earlier contained any exit mechanisms. Thus, their only option was to explore forward, and these steps represented the sole path.

Having no other options, Pei Mianman followed him, ascending the steps to the high platform above. The high platform was circular, with nothing on it except a large bronze cauldron in the center. Zuan went to examine the area for any hidden mechanisms or secret doors, but found nothing.

Meanwhile, the wailing sounds around them grew sharper. The evil spirits, as if sensing the pair's desperation, let out eerie, chilling laughs.

"Ah Zu, what do we do now? I can't hold on much longer," Pei Mianman said anxiously. Chilling winds swept around them, and she had already narrowed the scope of her flames as much as possible to conserve energy.

Zuan's brows furrowed. Just as he was about to reply, Mi Li's voice echoed in his ear: "Why are there so many resentful souls here?"

Zuan was overjoyed. "Empress Sister, you're finally out!"

Mi Li scoffed. "Who knew you were such a troublemaker? You've managed to attract so many vengeful spirits. If I had come out any later, your flesh would probably have been completely gnawed away."

"Empress Sister truly cares about me after all," Zuan chuckled. "By the way, you're also a soul. Can't you just say hello to them and tell them not to bother their own kind?"

Mi Li: "..."Rage points from Mi Li +233!

"What do you take me for?"

"Uh, I just thought since you're all in similar states, you'd have a lot in common."

"Hmph, these creatures are nothing but pure instinct; they possess no sentience whatsoever. Don't compare me to them."

Sensing her indignation, Zuan realized his mistake and quickly changed the subject. "Uh, Empress Sister, do you have any solution for our current predicament?"

Mi Li replied haughtily, "Of course. This should be an altar from the Yin-Shang dynasty."

"An altar?" Zuan instinctively looked around. It didn't look like the altars he imagined, but that wasn't the point. "What does an altar have to do with our current predicament?"

Mi Li explained, "The Yin-Shang people placed great importance on rituals. For birth, aging, sickness, death, military expeditions, farming... they would hold sacrifices for any significant event, seeking guidance from the heavens and the gods. The most crucial element of every sacrifice was the offering. Since this is an altar, presenting an offering should resolve this calamity."

"Offerings?" Sacrifice was a concept quite distant for modern people, who at most burned incense, candles, and paper money; they wouldn't prepare actual offerings.

Mi Li continued, "Generally, animals were used. However, for the Yin-Shang, the highest form of offering was human sacrifice, meaning using people as offerings. The Yin-Shang people believed that sacrificing the flesh and blood of offerings to the heavens would bring a corresponding response."

Zuan recalled content from documentaries he'd seen in his previous life, realizing that this was likely why he had encountered so many bones earlier—they were probably all offerings.

"Then why couldn't that taotie down there be an offering? It died here, and its flesh was also devoured," Zuan asked curiously.

Mi Li replied, "Yin-Shang offerings had to be cooked in a bronze cauldron. For them, a bronze cauldron was specifically for cooking. Since that taotie didn't die inside this cauldron, it naturally doesn't count as an offering."

"If I had known that, I should have salvaged its corpse earlier," Zuan lamented regretfully. "Now, where am I supposed to find an offering?"

"What's so difficult about that?" Mi Li's voice turned cold. "Isn't that big-breasted girl the perfect offering? She's the highest-grade human sacrifice, beautiful, and well-endowed. Surely the gods would be extremely pleased with such an offering."

"Given your relationship with her, she wouldn't be on guard at all. You could easily succeed with one strike."

Zuan: "..."What animosity could she possibly hold to want to use Big Manman as an offering, and even devise such a detailed plan? Was she jealous that her chest was larger than hers?

Mi Li snorted. "Don't get emotional, or you'll just die with her. You can die if you want, but don't drag me into it. If you can't bring yourself to do it, then let me."

"No!" Zuan flatly refused. Perhaps fearing she would actually make a move, his mind raced, and then a sudden thought sparked. "I have an offering!"