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Chapter 211: The Jashin Cultists and the Evil God's Lair
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"Is this the place...?"
High in the sky, Konan activated her Byakugan, gazing down at a desolate, uninhabited mountain range outside the village of Yugakure.
In her hand, the skull inside the purple glass orb was pointing directly at a cave below. It trembled incessantly, desperate to break free from its confinement and fly down.
Under the penetrating vision of the Byakugan, the situation inside the cave was laid bare.
In the center of the cavern, a horrifying skull was enshrined. It looked exactly like the one trapped in the glass orb held in her hand. This had to be the so-called statue of Jashin.
Before the statue stood a blood-colored stone altar. A group of Jashin cultists, dressed in crimson robes, circled the platform, performing a bizarre and grotesque ritual on a person lying atop it. Their eyes were filled with fanaticism, bordering on madness; they hardly looked human. The scent of blood in the cave was so thick it was almost tangible. The atmosphere was eerie and grim.
The leader spoke coldly, "The 'Child' hasn't appeared for months. Something unexpected must have happened to him. We cannot let his absence disrupt the sacrificial ceremony for Lord Jashin. We must birth a new successor immediately."
"High Priest," another cultist whispered, glancing at the figure on the altar. "Lord Jashin's power is overwhelming. Only those with a special constitution can withstand it. Finding someone with a constitution like Hidan's in such a short time... it's not easy."
Recently, they had attempted the inheritance ceremony twenty times. However, none of the subjects could withstand Lord Jashin's 'favor.' They all exploded and died, returning to the embrace of their god.
"Ignore that," the High Priest said with a look of holy reverence. "Even if they fail, it counts as a sacrifice to Lord Jashin. These people are not failures; they are eager to return to the Lord's embrace." He commanded, "Begin the ritual!"
As soon as his voice fell, black and white markings—identical to those Hidan used during his rituals—appeared on the stone platform. The markings spread nimbly like living things, wrapping around the young man lying there. They pulsed with light, seemingly transmitting power.
The surrounding priests watched the young man with feverish gazes. If not for their old age and failing physical conditions, they would have wished to be the ones lying there. To succeed meant becoming Lord Jashin's most favored child. To fail meant returning to Lord Jashin's embrace. Both were supreme honors.
Bang!
The young man on the altar had just revealed a sliver of pain when his entire body detonated instantly.
He exploded into a shower of flesh and blood, splattering the High Priest and the others, covering their faces in gore.
"It seems he couldn't withstand Lord Jashin's favor either," the High Priest remarked indifferently. He extended his tongue to lick the blood and flesh stuck to his face, swallowing it with a look of pure enjoyment.
The other cultists did the same. The silent cave was filled with the sickening sound of chewing. It was terrifying.
Although the ritual had failed, the young man had at least received a portion of Lord Jashin's favor. His flesh carried the god's aroma; it was the most delicious food, a gift from the deity. They consumed it with endless gratitude and joy, their faces flushed with intoxication.
Behind the group, Konan stood silently. She had watched the entire "Child of Jashin" ritual from start to finish. The cultists hadn't noticed when an extra person had appeared in their cave.
Alex, nestled in the paper form on Konan's chest, frowned deeply.
The scene before him challenged every moral boundary. It was the height of bloody cruelty, enough to make one's scalp numb. Whether in his past life or this current one, cults like this should not exist. Normal people couldn't understand this, nor could they accept it.
Wipe them all out!
Konan waved her hand. A biting cold mist permeated the air, instantly freezing all the feasting cultists.
Then, with a crisp snap, the ice sculptures shattered into piles of ice particles, scattering across the ground. It ended the disgusting lives of these monsters in human skin. Even the gore-filled stone altar in the center was obliterated.
Konan looked up slightly, staring at the giant skull statue embedded in the mountain wall. It looked incredibly lifelike. Its hollow sockets were like two black holes, staring down at her.
The eerie atmosphere inside the cave grew heavier.
Her active Byakugan pierced through the statue, revealing a massive hidden space behind it. The main body of Jashin likely hid within.
"Hmph," Alex snorted coldly. "Konan, let's go meet this so-called Evil God..."
Whether it was a mule or a horse, they would know once they took it for a ride.
Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!
Whoosh!
A beam of white light shot out from Alex's paper body, rushing straight forward.
The skull statue vanished instantly within the white light. Even the mountain wall behind it was pierced, leaving a large opening sufficient for entry.
The cave began to tremble slightly.
"Heh..." Alex chuckled lightly. "It seems Jashin is angry..."
Through the breach, a desaturated, black-and-white world was visible. This was likely another dimension. Unlike other dimensions that were far removed from the ninja world, this one was connected directly to it. It was unclear if Jashin had created it or simply occupied it and then opened a passage to the ninja world.
It was a direct connection, requiring no teleportation. Jashin likely did this to better collect the souls and spiritual energy sacrificed by the cultists.
"Hmm?" Alex stared at the breach. "Not coming out?"
He observed for a while. Aside from the trembling cave, there were no other anomalies.
Konan narrowed her eyes. "It seems this Evil God is either not very powerful, or is heavily injured and can't exert much strength. That's why... it doesn't dare to come out."
"Since it won't come out," Alex sneered, "then we'll go in... like catching a turtle in a jar!"
Konan nodded. With a flap of her wings, she carried Alex through the breach and into the alternate dimension.
Floating in mid-air, they frowned as they observed the space.
The area wasn't large, roughly the size of a small town. There were no buildings. The sky was like a faded monochrome painting. As for the ground...
It wasn't soil, nor was it rock.
It was liquid...
A turbulent river composed entirely of blood!
The blood was so red it looked black and smelled putrid. Corpses dressed in clothing from various eras bobbed up and down in the river. They seemed completely saturated by the blood; their skin had turned crimson, and even their eyes were a glowing red.
Suddenly, the river of blood stopped flowing, as if time had frozen.
One by one, the corpses floated to the surface. Then... simultaneously, they turned their bodies. Face up. Their mouths gaped open like black holes.
Cold, eerie...
Countless pairs of crimson eyes stared fixedly at Konan in the sky.
The malice was thick enough to choke on.
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