Quinn Shepherd, his eyes covered by a white silk scarf, paused for a moment. After a while, a bright, sunny smile spread across his face, and he quickly caught up with Granny Sue.
The third eye at his brow gazed at Granny Sue, allowing him to see her Primordial Spirit. Yet this time, he felt no urge to devour it.
His heart was utterly calm. Perhaps there were faces as beautiful as Granny Sue’s in the world, but not every beautiful face hid a soul as kind and lovely as hers.
In truth, Quinn was deeply grateful that Granny Sue had picked him up and brought him back to the village, raising him with endless hardship.
His kindness was inherited directly from Granny Sue.
Although she bore the title of Heavenly Demon Saintess and the infamous reputation of a husband-slayer, Granny Sue was in fact the kindest soul in Oldridge Village.
Everyone in Oldridge Village harbored their own darkness and had their reasons for retreating from the world and hiding in the Great Ruins. Only Granny Sue believed her beauty would bring disaster, forcing herself into exile. She’d rather disguise herself as an old crone than let her looks drive people to kill each other.
Others sharpened their beauty into a weapon; she worked tirelessly to make herself uglier.
“I can control the desires this eye brings now.”
Quinn was pleased as he looked around. Though he could see countless demon remnant souls drifting about, he could now face what he saw calmly, without any urge to devour them.
Granny Sue glanced back at him, earrings swaying gently beneath her earlobes, and smiled sweetly. "Quinn, your aura seems different. Did something happen?"
"Something truly wonderful!"
Quinn was in high spirits and grinned. "Something that makes me genuinely happy."
Granny Sue was curious. "What wonderful thing? Tell me."
Quinn declared loudly, "I think Granny is the most beautiful woman in the world—the kindest, too!"
Granny Sue shook her head, her earrings gently swaying. "How could a demon cult witch be the kindest person? That's not me, Quinn. You’re the truly kind one."
Quinn laughed, "Even the Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon isn’t the kindest person, you know."
Granny Sue’s mood lifted as well. The two of them chatted and laughed, heading toward the nearest altar.
Suddenly, Quinn and Granny Sue stopped in their tracks, gazing ahead. In the distance, an altar towered like a mountain, ringed on all sides by layer after layer of steps.
Each flight of stairs stretched upward like a road to the heavens, leading straight into the clouds.
The altar was so massive, it rose like a majestic mountain. On every tiered step, countless runes flickered in and out of existence—these were the scripts used for the Blood-Sacrificing Luofu Heaven ritual.
The Woodcutter Sage built this altar using demonic blood-sacrifice methods. But since he intended to offer up an entire world, one altar alone wouldn’t suffice—he needed many, enough to tear Luofu Heaven into fragments and convert it into pure energy!
Such a ritual surely carries hidden backlash, so even the Woodcutter Sage wouldn’t dare use it lightly. It’s only because High-Emperor Heaven truly has no chance of victory that he resorts to this.
High-Emperor Heaven’s defeat isn’t because the demons are too strong, but because its destruction has been ordained—only then can the demon race blood-sacrifice High-Emperor Heaven and invade Everpeace!
It’s not the demon race that’s strong—the true power lies in the force destined to destroy High-Emperor Heaven.
Atop the altar, a divine warrior stood, war halberd in hand, his blood and qi surging into the sky.
Below the altar, tens of thousands of demon soldiers swarmed upward like a tide of insects, charging for the summit!
The divine warrior swung his war halberd atop the altar, sending dazzling arcs of light slashing down. Limbs flew through the air in every direction.
Alone, with just his halberd, he held back tens of thousands of demon soldiers. Blood flowed like rivers, staining the altar red, and the gore streamed down the steps.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
The halberd’s roar echoed wave after wave, corpses piled high on every step, yet the other demons pressed on fearlessly, surging upward like a tide, desperate to reach the altar’s summit and slay the divine warrior.
"Granny, these demons are just ordinary divine arts users—they’re no match for that divine warrior."
Quinn watched, puzzled. "Why are they throwing their lives away like this?"
Granny Sue was just as baffled. These demons truly were just cannon fodder—even those at the Divine Bridge Realm stood no chance against the divine warrior.
That divine warrior was one of the Twenty-Four Exalted Gods invited by the Woodcutter Sage—immensely powerful. Though not on the level of the Woodcutter Sage or Furylo, he was still a formidable deity.
Even if more demon divine arts users flooded in, they couldn’t bring him down!
"Furylo can’t be this foolish."
Granny Sue pondered, "So why are these demons throwing their lives away? They can’t possibly wear down that divine warrior… Unless there’s a demon god hidden among them?"
Quinn focused his third eye, examining the divine treasures of every demon charging forward. He found no demon god hiding among them.
"This is... a blood sacrifice!"