"Ah… this…"
The crowd below the altar exchanged bewildered glances.
What had just occurred on the altar far exceeded their imagination.
Whether it was the black-red whirlpools, the ominous-looking egg, or the terrifying aura that had appeared earlier, everything left them so stunned that they forgot the reason they had come.
"What's the matter? Aren't these blessings from the Mother of the World exactly what you wanted?"
Mufeng looked at the group of stunned fools and curled his lips into a smile.
He walked to one of the floating black-red whirlpools and lightly touched it.
Inside this black-red whirlpool was the powerful life force derived from the abyss.
"This is the life force you desired."
After speaking, Mufeng pushed the whirlpool toward the general.
The general took the black-red whirlpool in pale hands, trembling.
Compared to his previous longing for life force, now he felt more fear than desire facing this whirlpool.
As a powerful man, he had already realized that the entity they had just sacrificed to was definitely not the Mother of the World, and certainly not the true Mother of the World as Mufeng had claimed.
That damned Mufeng had deceived them!
The higher one stood in this world, the clearer the truth: the Mother of the World was the collective consciousness of the world itself.
She was one and yet many.
She was the beginning of this world's birth and would end with its destruction.
She was the nameless but real God of this world.
She grew by using these members of other races, constantly drawing strength from the sacrifice.
But sacrifices to the Mother of the World had rules.
For example, one could not sacrifice living beings.
One could not sacrifice stolen items, dark-aligned creatures, or other forbidden things…
But this sacrifice exposed everything.
The general could now confirm that the entity they had sacrificed to was not the Mother of the World as Mufeng claimed.
He stared at the black-red whirlpool in his hands, trembling uncontrollably.
This was not just a desecration of the Mother of the World, but a desecration of the world itself.
"Don't want it anymore?"
Mufeng stood on the high platform, his face completely shrouded in shadows under the oil lamps, expression unreadable.
The general could only see the thick darkness covering his face.
"I…"
While the general hesitated, a figure dressed as a priest devoted to the Mother of the World suddenly crushed the black-red whirlpool in his hands. It was clear he could wait no longer.
In an instant, his agonized scream echoed throughout the chamber.
Seeing this, everyone snapped out of their shock.
They watched the priest and Mufeng warily.
Just as everyone thought Mufeng was deceiving them with the black-red whirlpools…
"Th-this knowledge… it's incredible!"
The priest knelt, throwing down the necklace representing the Mother of the World.
"Oh heavens, I never imagined that the knowledge I had longed for but never received would finally be fulfilled!"
"Stars, the universe, life, rules, gods, and the truth of the world… so it's like this!"
Panting on his knees, the priest's eyes were dazed.
Everyone immediately understood: this man had craved knowledge.
Knowledge the Mother of the World would never give.
Once the first person took the "crab," others followed.
"Wow, I… I can't believe it, is this power real?"
The plump wealthy merchant, having crushed the black-red whirlpool, immediately felt the surge of power flow through his body.
Then the third, fourth, fifth…
Every person's desire, whether for strength, knowledge, mysteries, abilities, or even curing disabilities, was fulfilled through the "sacrifice."
The gifts from the demon satisfied every wish.
"And you, General?"
Mufeng smiled at the sweating, bewildered general.
With his words, the general sensed danger.
But this danger did not come from the black-red whirlpool in his hands, nor the terrifying being Mufeng had worshiped.
The danger came from those around him.
From the high-ranking figures who had been joking and chatting with him moments ago!
Now, these people who had received their desires looked at the general with an indescribable gaze.
The general understood.
If he did not use the black-red whirlpool like the others, he would never see the sun again.
Among this group, he who had not yet used the "blessing" was already an outlier.
"Heh…"
Forcing a smile, the general crushed the black-red whirlpool in his hands.
His snow-white hair turned black, his wrinkled face tightened, his withering arms became strong again.
The surging life force filled his body.
He became young once more.
"This is a miracle!"
The general watched his transformation with amazement.
All previous hesitation vanished.
His loyalty to the Mother of the World no longer existed.
Now, he was no longer her follower, and he would no longer offer sacrifices to her.
The general was the first to kneel, facing the altar, facing the cocoon marked with the symbol of the Demon Prince.
With his lead, the other high-ranking figures followed, performing the same ritual and worshiping the demonic cocoon on the high platform.
At this moment, they were no longer supporters of the Mother of the World.
They had all become followers of the demon.
After this sacrifice, a symbol, a legend, spread through the dark corners of the sacrificial world.
All members of other races dissatisfied with the results of sacrifices to the Mother of the World began to hear a terrifying but irresistibly tempting rumor.
That the true Mother of the World was about to "awaken"!
Unlike the former Mother of the World, the true Mother of the World would care for and treat every follower equally, fulfilling every wish made during sacrifices.
This legend and rumor swept through every corner of the world unnoticed by the Mother of the World's followers.
More sacrifices, more indescribable events, more strange creatures…
As these tales spread, truly terrifying events began to emerge.
The "demon worship" forbidden by any force in Chu Hao's memories was resurrected in this world.
Everything was heading toward the worst possible outcome.