Chapter 394: Chapter 359: After Some Back and Forth, We Don’t Owe Each Other Anything
It was the look one gives a pack of sheltered cowards,
clearly filled with disdain and scorn for the young people’s timidity.
Their laughter echoed in the silent night sky, adding another layer of eeriness to the atmosphere.
The road seemed to stretch on forever. The group advanced slowly along the straight main thoroughfare,
but its end was nowhere in sight.
The main road was like a mysterious passage to an unknown world,
stretching straight onward as if to the very ends of the earth.
Some of the youths wore watches.
As they walked along the village’s main road, they kept glancing down at the time,
attempting to measure the distance they had traveled.
However, to their astonishment, they had already been walking for over half an hour.
By a rough estimate, they should have covered several kilometers at least,
yet the main road still stretched on without end, like a line extending infinitely forward.
Furthermore, as they walked on,
they gradually left the bounds of Xia Shui Village. It seemed they had left the village proper and were now heading up a mountain road.
It was a clean, well-paved asphalt road, which seemed completely out of place in such a remote mountain village.
A growing number of the youths sensed that something was amiss, and suspicion began to cloud their minds.
’Why would such a remote mountain village
build such a smooth, well-paved asphalt road leading up the mountain?’
’That couldn’t have been cheap!’
’The road doesn’t even lead to a city, so for this village,
it seems to offer little practical benefit.’
’From any angle, it seems like a pointless endeavor.’
’Didn’t anyone in the village object?’
’There has to be some unknown secret behind it all.’
"There’s something strange about this village."
Lai Yu Yao quietly moved to Chu He’s side
and said in a low voice, her brow furrowed with a hint of wariness.
"Mm."
Chu He merely grunted in agreement, his gaze deep as he looked into the distance. "Let’s just watch and see for now."
After nearly twenty more minutes of walking, they finally saw the site of the ritual.
Deep within the ancient, secluded mountain forest,
a meticulously prepared circular clearing appeared before them.
It was surrounded by towering ancient trees that stood like a circle of ancient guardians, tightly enclosing the clearing.
The branches and leaves of the old trees swayed gently in the night wind, rustling softly,
as if whispering tales of ages past.
In the center of the clearing, a tall object stood imposingly, like a mysterious giant.
The object was completely covered by a thick, heavy black cloth,
which concealed its shape and material entirely,
leaving only a hazy silhouette, faintly visible in the night,
inspiring a strange sense of both awe and boundless speculation.
The black cloth swayed gently in the wind, occasionally revealing a small part of the object’s form,
only to be quickly concealed once more,
like a mischievous Elf playing hide-and-seek, further stoking their curiosity.
The night descended like a vast black curtain, hanging low in the sky.
The last glimmer of twilight on the horizon was swiftly devoured by the encroaching darkness,
and the circular clearing was instantly enveloped in a darkness so thick it felt tangible.
Within this interwoven atmosphere of silence and darkness,
rings of bright torches were arranged neatly around the perimeter of the clearing,
like a shining necklace of fire, draping this mysterious land in a soft glow.
The orange flames danced in the night wind, leaping and swaying.
The light flickered across the faces of the young men and women,
reflecting pinpricks of light in their pupils, as if tiny flames had been kindled within their eyes.
Beyond the circular clearing, however, the forest seemed like another world entirely.
Under the dark sky, the woods appeared even deeper and more inscrutable,
like a dark abyss hiding endless secrets.
The tall, blurry silhouettes of the trees loomed in the night, like lurking behemoths.
They silently watched every movement within the clearing,
poised like hunters ready to pounce on their prey.
The hazy shadows swayed gently in the breeze,
making a low, eerie sound—a sound like mysterious whispers from within the darkness,
recounting ancient, terrifying legends, or perhaps warning people not to draw near.
With every gust of wind, the tree shadows danced,
making it seem as if something terrible was about to leap from the profound darkness to devour them.
It made one’s hair stand on end, their hearts pounding so hard they felt like they would leap from their throats.
Within the circular clearing, firelight and darkness intertwined, as if locked in a silent struggle.
The young men and women huddled close, seeking comfort in each other’s presence.
However, the fear and unease in their eyes were impossible to conceal,
casting a pall over the entire group.
Deep down, they all knew.
Tonight, an extraordinary ritual was about to begin.
And the mysterious object concealed beneath the black cloth in the center of the clearing
was perhaps the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, the very key to their fate.
"I have a feeling these villagers from Xia Shui Village have changed somehow.
They’re not the same as when we met them last night."
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