69novels Chapter 386 Revealing Traces
Chapter 386 Revealing Traces
Chapter 386 Revealing Traces
In the land of hot springs, in a small village.
Taiyi returned the processed paper scraps to the old man, feigning curiosity, and asked, "Do you know where these propaganda materials came from? Or, is there anyone in town who particularly worships this 'evil god'?"
The old man shook his head: "I don't know where they came from; they just drift everywhere in the wind. As for who believes them—I don't think I've heard of anyone publishing them publicly, but—"
He looked around, then lowered his voice, "That lazy, bald-headed Momotaro from the east end of town has been acting all mysterious lately, muttering crazy things like 'eternal life' and 'sacrifice'—"
Taiyi understood. He thanked the old man and turned to walk towards the east of the town.
Deep in a dilapidated alley filled with clutter, Taiyi found his target. It was a middle-aged man, dressed in rags and with scabies on his head, muttering incantations to a demonic symbol he had drawn himself in the corner of the wall, his expression fanatical and dazed.
"Immortal life—My Lord—Offer your soul—and you will never die—Hehehehe—"
Taiichi appeared silently behind him, his finger flashing as he touched the back of Momotaro's neck. Momotaro's body stiffened, then his eyes glazed over.
Illusion Magic: Mind Reading!
Taiyi's spiritual power instantly invaded the opponent's chaotic consciousness.
Countless fragmented and frenzied images flooded his mind: flickering blood-red candlelight, twisted statues, frenzied chanting, immortal bodies, and—a cultist in a grey robe, and the imminent arrival of an evil god.
An evil god has descended? He wondered if it was true or not. His interest grew even stronger.
Immortality was merely an illusion. What truly stirred his soul was that so-called evil god!
A god who survived from the ancient times of the ninja world! One of the true extraordinary rulers of this land before Kaguya Otsutsuki descended!
What is their essence?
Where does power come from?
Why did it degenerate into such a bloody and twisted state?
The thirst for knowledge, the exploration of the source of power, and the vigilance against potential threats made Taiyi's blood boil.
But first and foremost, he needed to seize control of this cult of evil gods, and even the evil god that might descend.
In the northeastern part of the Land of Hot Springs, deep in the mountains, lies the lair of the evil god cult.
The cave was filled with an overwhelming stench of blood and evil, and the candlelight flickered in the damp, cold air, illuminating the twisted, grotesque reliefs of evil gods on the walls, making them appear as if demons were dancing wildly in hell.
The layers of congealed dark red blood on the altar told the story of countless lives lost.
The crematorium's opening was dark and the fire had gone out, but the lingering smell of burnt flesh still stubbornly wafted into my nostrils.
The cult leader, "Blood Raven," sat on his throne, his face, covered by a wooden mask with raven patterns, revealing no expression. Only his scarlet eyes gleamed with a violent intensity and a hint of barely perceptible anxiety in the darkness.
He had just ended another futile attempt at communication. The few remaining "sacrifices" on the altar lay limp on the ground like rag dolls, their eyes vacant, their breaths weak, and they had exhausted even the strength to let out a terrified howl.
"Useless! All of you are useless!" Blood Raven's voice, filled with barely suppressed rage, echoed through the silent cave.
"This fear, this remnant of the soul, is not even enough to warrant a glance from our Lord!"
The gray-robed cultists standing below were terrified, their bodies trembling like leaves, fearing the cult leader's wrath would fall upon them.
Just then, a cultist responsible for guarding the sacrificial offering storehouse rushed in, stumbling and falling beneath the altar, his voice trembling: "Cult...Cult Leader! The offering storehouse...is empty! The last few...were just...used up too!"
"What!" Blood Raven suddenly stood up from the throne, his scarlet robes fluttering without wind, and a suffocatingly violent aura instantly filled the entire cave.
The believer was so pressured by an invisible force that he almost lay on the ground, not daring to lift his head.
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" The Blood Raven's roar shook the cave ceiling, causing rubble to fall down. "I'll tell you to use it sparingly!"
Use them sparingly! Are you eating the offerings as food?!
"Master, please calm your anger!" Another slightly older follower mustered his courage and said in a trembling voice, "It's...it's because the previous large-scale communication ceremonies were too exhausting, and given the time constraints, we didn't have much in reserve to begin with, so..."
The face beneath the Blood Raven mask was contorted, and his chest heaved violently.
It was all Matsushita Taichi who completely disrupted his rhythm, forcing him to halt all capture operations.
Glancing at the few remaining offerings on the altar, these "dregs" of residue were completely worthless.
With a flick of his sleeve, he immediately sent cultists forward to drag away the sacrificial offerings, only to be met with the rekindling of the crematorium.
"Without new sacrifices, our lord will not respond! Without our lord's grace, how can we establish an undead legion?" Blood Raven's voice was filled with madness and resentment.
After a long silence, the frenzied red light in Blood Raven's eyes subsided slightly, replaced by a resolute expression. He slowly sat back on his throne, his voice as cold as the ice of the deepest hell: "Pass down the order—"
All the believers pricked up their ears.
"Select the most elite and cleanest team." Blood Raven spoke slowly and deliberately, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.
"Go northwest, to Shimotsuki Village, the furthest from the capital of hot springs and closest to the border." It's a remote place, where information is scarce, so even if you disappear for a day or two, it won't immediately attract attention.
Remember, be quick, be clean, be discreet. Capture fifty people and withdraw immediately! Absolutely no complications are allowed! Anyone who exposes their whereabouts and ruins my grand plan—”
He paused for a moment, his scarlet eyes sweeping over each believer below, his gaze like a sharp blade, sending chills down everyone's spine.
"—I will sacrifice him, along with his entire family, to our Lord! Let their souls wail in eternal torment!"
"Yes, Master!" The followers felt as if they had been granted a pardon, yet were also terrified, and scrambled out to carry out the order.
Meanwhile, in the depths of Daimyo Prefecture, in the capital of Yu, lies the eldest son's secret study.
The lights were deliberately dimmed, and the heavy curtains blocked out all outside prying eyes.
An unremarkable middle-aged man dressed in ordinary servant's clothes was reporting the top-secret information he had obtained.
"My lord, an urgent message has just arrived from Frostmoon Village on the northwestern border, through secret channels." The middle-aged man's voice was extremely low, yet every word was clear.
"The village's informants, who were responsible for relaying messages, discovered suspicious individuals of unknown identity in the mountains outside the village before nightfall. They were acting furtively, and their numbers were unknown, but they were definitely not ordinary bandits or travelers."
After issuing the warning according to the emergency plan, he completely lost contact, and we haven't had any updates on the village since.
The eldest son's heart skipped a beat, and his fingers instinctively gripped the edge of the table: "Frostmoon Village—a remote location—it must be them, they couldn't hold back any longer!"
His eyes flashed with a sharp light. "When was the message sent? How long have we been out of contact?"
"The warning signal from the hidden mob was issued yesterday evening. We left to report as soon as we received the message," the middle-aged man replied quickly. "Judging from the timeline, if it really was that group that made their move, it's probably already—it's already begun."
"Damn it!" the eldest son cursed under his breath, abruptly standing up and pacing in the cramped space. "Over there, Lord Taiyi—"
"Your Highness, rest assured, the message has been sent through the pre-established emergency contact method, using the special chakra mark left by Lord Taiyi," the middle-aged man said confidently. "However, we cannot be certain whether Lord Taiyi will be able to make it in time."
The eldest son took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "Alright! Just get the message out. Now it's up to Lord Taiyi's abilities. The 'White Reaper' will surely not disappoint us."
"Yes!" The mole's figure disappeared into the shadows like a ghost.
Inside the study, the eldest son stood alone in the darkness, gazing out the window at the hazy night of Tangzhidu. His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Finally, the fish could no longer resist and took the bait!
On the northwestern border of the Land of Hot Springs, the night was as black as ink, so thick it seemed impossible to dissolve.
The small village of Frostmoon is currently immersed in a deep sleep. The few scattered lights have long been extinguished, and only the occasional cry of an owl breaks the silence of the mountain forest.
Unbeknownst to the villagers, a deadly shadow was creeping out from the dark forest outside the village.
A group of about twenty shadowy figures, like phantoms blending into the night, silently approached the outskirts of the village.
They were dressed in uniform dark gray outfits, their faces covered with masks adorned with twisted triangular symbols, their eyes gleaming with a fanatical mix of cruelty and numbness. They were the elite hunting party dispatched by the cult of evil.
The leader made a gesture, and the group immediately split into several groups, slithering into the narrow alleys of the village like venomous snakes.
The operation began.
There were no shouts of killing, no warnings.
The well-trained cultists, like the most skilled catchers, used blowguns soaked in paralyzing poison and potent sedatives, in conjunction with...
With lightning speed, he accurately broke open the doors and windows of the villagers' homes.
The men, women, and children, fast asleep, didn't even have time to scream before being sacked and roughly dragged out while still unconscious.
Occasionally, some alert villagers would try to resist, but they would be met with short blades and merciless blows from the cultists, instantly losing their voices and being discarded in a corner like tattered sacks.
The faint smell of blood began to permeate the cool night air.
Panic spread silently like a plague in the stillness. The villagers who were awakened only had time to utter a short, sharp cry before their mouths were gagged and they were dragged into the darkness.
The entire Frostmoon Village is being rapidly enveloped and devoured by a giant, malicious net.
The followers moved swiftly and efficiently, clearly having mastered the process.
There was no pity in their eyes, only the completion of the task and the calculation of the number of "sacrifices".
High in the sky, dozens of miles away from Frostmoon Village.
A fierce gale swept past, ruffling the wisps of hair on Taiichi's forehead. His chakra senses spread outwards like flowing water.
In the pitch-black night, even he could only rely on his senses to determine whether he had flown over any particular place.
suddenly!
A faint yet strangely familiar evil chakra fluctuation, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, was clearly reflected on his sensory "radar"!
Taiyi's eyes narrowed sharply, instantly locking onto the source of the fluctuation—Shimotsuki Village!
"Found it! Luckily, we're not too late!"
The chilling voice dissipated in the howling wind. Without the slightest hesitation, the chakra wings on his back flapped violently, tearing the air apart with a piercing shriek!
Taiyi's figure transformed into a blue lightning bolt that tore through the night sky, hurtling headlong towards Frostmoon Village! The clouds rushed past beneath his feet, and the earth rapidly drew closer in his field of vision.
In Shuangyue Village.
The hunting operation was nearing its end. Most of the villagers had been gathered in the threshing ground in the center of the village, bound with rough ropes, their mouths gagged, their eyes filled with desperate tears and helpless fear.
The suppressed sobs of children, the desperate trembling of women, and the angry yet powerless struggles of men create a scene of hell on earth.
Dozens of sacks were piled up to one side, containing villagers who were either unconscious or dead. Blood seeped from the sacks, a stark contrast even at night.
The cult leader in charge of the headcount gestured to the team leader: "Boss, sixty-two alive, three dead, that's too many, let's move out?"
The cult leader surveyed the group, nodded in satisfaction, a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes. He was about to order a retreat—
"call out!"
A piercing sound of something cutting through the air grew louder as it approached, moving at an extremely fast speed.
Before the words had even faded, an indescribable, terrifying pressure, like a tangible mountain, crashed down. All sound in the threshing ground fell silent instantly; the air seemed to freeze!
All the cultists, including the leader, felt as if their hearts were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, their breaths stopped abruptly, and a fear from the depths of their souls instantly seized them! They looked up in utter horror.
A figure radiating a deep blue light appeared, hovering above the threshing ground like a god descending to earth.
The cold moonlight outlined his young yet incredibly majestic features, and the wings on his back appeared so holy under the moonlight. The person who came was none other than Matsushita Taichi!
"An evil god cult?" Taiyi's icy voice, like ice striking the ground, clearly reached the ears of every follower, making them feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave. "This ends here."
"It's him—it's the White Reaper! He didn't leave!" The leader of the cult members roared in terror, his voice distorted, instantly shattering the silence. "Kill him! Quickly! We can't let him disrupt the ritual!"
The instinct for survival and the fanaticism for the doctrine instantly overwhelmed the fear.
More than twenty elite followers let out beast-like roars, unleashing their chakra without reservation!
Fearless, they attacked Taiyi from all directions, unleashing a barrage of poisoned kunai, shuriken, and chains. Several others formed hand seals and released fireballs and water arrows!
Faced with this overwhelming attack, Taiyi's eyes remained unwavering.
"Overestimating one's abilities."
He didn't even make the hand seal gesture.
With a slight flap of the wings on his back, a violent gust of wind formed around him, with countless wind blades swirling within, tracing deadly arcs as they hurtled downwards.
Wind Release: Thousand Faces Wind Slayer!
Puff puff puff puff.
The dense cutting sound was like the whisper of death. The ninja tools and hidden weapons that shot towards them were sliced into a shower of iron filings the moment they made contact with the wind blade field!
The fireball was blown away and extinguished! The water arrow was cut and shattered!
Those believers who rushed forward were subjected to the most brutal baptism!
Armor and clothing were easily torn apart like paper, and flesh was as fragile as tofu in the face of the absolutely sharp wind blades.
Severed limbs mixed with scalding blood were scattered like harvested wheat! A piercing scream, so shrill it was inhuman, instantly echoed through the night sky!
Just one breath!
Of the more than twenty elite members of the Evil God Cult, only a few who were positioned at the back and reacted a little faster managed to take a defensive stance against the wind blades and their bodies; they were either chopped off or seriously injured and fell to the ground.
More than two-thirds of the remaining people were dismembered and cut into a shower of blood and flesh in the raging wind and blade storm.
The overwhelming, nauseating smell of blood instantly overwhelmed the previous sense of fear.
The few surviving cultists, including the leader, collapsed like terrified quails amidst pools of blood and mangled flesh, staring at the demon-like figure in the air with nothing but boundless fear and despair in their eyes.
Their pride in their strength is utterly laughable in the face of such an absolute disparity in power!
The brutality that had just been inflicted on civilians was now being subjected to the same act.