Chapter 346 - 337: An Auspicious Grand Sacrifice, Human-faced Gu Diao

Chapter 346: Chapter 337: An Auspicious Grand Sacrifice, Human-faced Gu Diao

"How, exactly, do we dig them up?"

Someone asked.

The Blue Banner Lord raised his eyes slightly and glanced at the speaker. "What is the root of your Cyan Banner’s Gu Family?"

"Naturally, it’s..."

The Cyan Banner Lord stopped mid-sentence. Realization dawned on him, and he whispered, "You intend to make a move on the Demon Lords supported by the Nine Families?"

The Blue Banner Lord just smiled without a word.

"Elder Shu, stop keeping everyone in suspense."

The Gray Banner Lord said flatly, "Speak plainly."

"...Everyone is clear on the proceedings of the Grand Sacrifice. Outsiders cannot enter. Only the Demon Lords from the various Banners and Families are allowed inside."

As the Blue Banner Lord spoke, he clapped his hands. A person walked up from behind him, carrying a tray.

The tray was placed in the center of the round table. The Blue Banner Lord personally lifted the red cloth covering it, revealing rows of neatly arranged Profound Iron Tokens. Carved onto each token was an official title of varying rank.

"Once the Grand Sacrifice begins and the Demon Officials have entered the court, no one will be able to interfere..."

A slight smile played on the Blue Banner Lord’s lips, but his eyes were filled with a sinister chill. "And if a Demon Official from one of the families were to... *accidentally* die during the sacrificial rites, well, no one could be blamed."

At these words, the various Banner Lords and Patriarchs in the room were visibly shaken.

The plan was audacious. They were actually plotting to tamper with the Grand Sacrifice.

For a moment, everyone fell into a brief silence. No one spoke.

Meanwhile, a burly man with the surname Tu, who had been watching coldly from the side, crossed his arms. A mocking sneer spread across his face as he looked at the room’s occupants, and he let out a continuous, cold laugh.

After a long silence, someone finally spoke in a low voice. "If we ruin the Grand Sacrifice, how could we possibly bear the consequences?"

"It won’t be ruined."

The Blue Banner Lord said coldly, "For years, the contributions to the Grand Sacrifice from our twenty-eight families of the Lower Five Banners have far exceeded the Royal Banner’s standards.

That’s why the Grand Sacrifice grows more potent with each passing year.

Our annual Salary seems to be increasing, but have any of your families found life any easier?

No! It’s all been thrown into this bottomless pit!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his tone softening. "And even if it is ruined, the blame can’t be pinned on any specific Banner or family.

There’s safety in numbers. I don’t need to teach you that principle, do I?

Furthermore—"

He drew out the word, his voice a low, tempting whisper. "Don’t just think about the disadvantages. You should also consider the benefits."

"If this succeeds, not only can we eliminate those disobedient weaklings, but the power of each family’s Demon Lord will also surge.

Then there’s the extra share of Human Pills, the territories, the businesses...

Tsk, tsk."

The Blue Banner Lord reached out and leisurely picked up one of the Profound Iron Tokens from the tray, twirling it between his fingers.

Clearly inscribed on the token were the words: "Mu Shulu Clan, Junior Fifth Grade, Admiral Yin Crow."

"You want a big, tasty bite without shedding any blood.

How can you do that without taking a little risk?"

Clutching the token, the Blue Banner Lord’s gaze swept over those seated. "Perhaps," he said slowly, "you’ve all forgotten how you came to occupy your positions as Banner Lords."

In the room, the Banner Lords either lowered their heads to sip tea or slowly sniffed at incense paste. A glint flickered in every eye as they secretly calculated and weighed their options.

Finally, someone broke the silence. "...It’s a fine speech. But once the Grand Sacrifice begins, no one can enter the Array. Who will guide the Demon Lords to strike?

There are more Demon Officials inside the Array than just those from the Nine Families. What if we target the wrong one?

And what about the isolation Array inside? You should know that with the Array in place, the Demon Lords from different Banners and families can’t even encounter one another—otherwise, the Grand Sacrifice would have descended into chaos long ago!"

"Take this token back with you. The scent of the corresponding Demon Official has been left on it."

The Blue Banner Lord pinched the Admiral Token and smiled. "Let your Demon Lord have a sniff. It will know which one to devour when the time comes.

As for the internal Array..."

The Blue Banner Lord paused, then lowered his voice meaningfully. "You needn’t worry about that. Someone will take care of it for us."

No one had anything more to say.

The Blue Banner Lord took a step back. Without a word, one man rose, walked to the table, picked a token from the tray, and departed.

One by one, others came forward. Even a couple of the ordinary Patriarchs who were only there to accompany their lords gritted their teeth, stood up, and each took a token before leaving.

Soon, only one person in the room remained seated. All eyes fell upon him.

"Elder Mo."

The Blue Banner Lord smiled at the Zhe Banner Lord, who had not spoken a single word the entire time.

The man was plump and bearded. As all eyes turned to him, he seemed to snap out of a daze. "Oh, dear... Am I the only one left?"

He ambled forward, his gaze drifting over the last three tokens on the table. Then... with a wide grin, he picked up the entire tray.

"My family’s Demon Lord is a Senior Third Grade Supervisor of the Heavenly Stud. Its Official Rank is the highest and its power the greatest, so it is only right that it shares your burdens.

The more able one is, the more one should do. Yes, the more one should do.

Haha..."

The others watched him take all three tokens, forcing smiles to their faces while inwardly cursing him. ’That old bastard has such a big appetite. Isn’t he afraid he’ll choke to death!’

With the plotting and discussion concluded, everyone once again sat around the round table as servants began bringing in the food.

The Gray Banner Lord raised his cup. "The Grand Sacrifice is in three days," he said slowly. "May this Grand Sacrifice... be an auspicious one, and may all go smoothly."

"To an auspicious Grand Sacrifice, and to all going smoothly."

Beaming, everyone raised their cups in a toast.

...

Night fell. The estate was deep and silent.

Fu Juemin strolled alone through the wild grass of the deserted rear courtyard. He wore a long, profound-colored poplin robe, an Exorcism Saber hanging from his waist.

In the moonlight, his form was like mist, his steps silent.

He slowly walked into a grove of poplars that stood several times a man’s height.

The trees were sparse, and a thin, green-tinged mist filled the air. As the night wind blew, the leaves rustled, and the faint sound of a woman’s coquettish laughter drifted on the breeze.

"KEKEKE..."

The desolate moonlight, the cold mist, the withered trees, and that inexplicable female laughter... The atmosphere was indescribably sinister and eerie.

Fu Juemin, however, remained perfectly calm, simply walking step by step deeper into the woods.

Before long, he reached the edge of the grove.

Perched on the branch of a thick white poplar was a massive, dark silhouette.

Its silhouette resembled that of an enormous owl.

"CRACK CRACK CRACK—"

Accompanied by the unsettling sound of grinding bones, the owl’s head swiveled one hundred and eighty degrees.

In the moonlight, he could see that atop the owl’s body sat the head of a woman, her hair disheveled and her face ghastly pale.

Fu Juemin stood his ground, meeting the woman’s eyes. The eerie, coquettish laughter in the woods ceased abruptly.

Upon seeing him, the owl-bodied woman’s expression changed drastically. She began to let out panicked cries that sounded like a wailing infant.

"RUSTLE—"

With a rustle of leaves, the giant owl flew down from the treetop and landed steadily before Fu Juemin.

The woman’s face twisted into a fawning, obsequious expression. She shuffled forward and lowered her body, as if inviting Fu Juemin to mount her back.

Fu Juemin took a step forward and was hit by a foul, rotting stench. He couldn’t help but frown.

"Did you take a bath like I told you?"

He lightly tapped the woman’s head with the back of his Exorcism Saber. Her expression was terrified. She shook her head, then nodded frantically, a strange "HEH HEH HEH..." gurgling from her mouth full of rotten teeth.

"If I smell this stench on you again, I’ll slaughter you."

Fu Juemin warned her in a flat tone, then stepped onto the owl’s back.

Seeing him mount, the woman let out a long sigh of relief. Her broad wings unfurled and began to beat powerfully, carrying Fu Juemin unsteadily into the air.

Fu Juemin had forgotten which family was the Tributor for this Demon.

This Human-faced Gu Carving was only at the Junior Fifth Grade and didn’t seem to possess any particularly powerful Talent.

Fu Juemin kept it purely because it was obedient and, more importantly, it could fly.

Its only faults were that it was unclean and fond of carrion, leaving it with a permanent stench that he could never teach it to get rid of.

’Still—’

’it’s fine once we’re in the air.’

’The wind up here is strong. I’ll soon be unable to smell the stench.’

...