See the Law of Deception

Chapter 28 Out of Control (9)

"Let's go. It should be fine to just look around from the outside. Besides, the sacrificial ceremony is about to begin."

Lu Jinzhao suppressed her complicated emotions and told herself not to let them cloud her judgment. In any case, she needed to survive first before seeking the truth.

Over the next few days, the village gradually became lively.

The villagers who had previously kept their doors closed to visitors all came out of their homes, but they were all dressed very simply, and most of them were holding white soul-guiding banners, which made Wei Ling frown.

"This is so unlucky."

Lu Jinzhao wasn't surprised: "Since a living person is used for sacrifice, the sacrificer should naturally be allowed to rest in peace."

The appearance of this object further confirms that the two missing people did indeed disappear as sacrifices.

"The customs in this village are really something... But since there really are ghosts, there's nothing we can do." Wei Ling wanted to say something, but then she remembered this and could only sigh helplessly.

When everyone else appeared outside the altar during the sacrificial ceremony, Lu Jinzhao confirmed that only two people were indeed missing.

Zhang Junjie and his companions, by some unknown means, had infiltrated the sacrificial procession and were about to enter the altar together.

After confirming that there were only two missing passengers, Lu Jinzhao's expression became even more serious.

This is definitely not a good thing for her.

This brought the situation even closer to what she had imagined.

By this time, it was getting dark.

Unlike cities, where there is plenty of lighting even after sunset, in mountain villages, if the moon is not bright enough, it is truly pitch black.

Fortunately, it's far from that point yet, and there's electricity here, albeit old, yellowish bulbs, but there are torches for additional lighting.

Outside the altar, on a small earthen square, the village chief in charge of the sacrifice was giving instructions. Apart from that, no one else uttered a sound. The entire village was eerily quiet, and all the villagers looked solemnly at the altar.

The village chief and two middle-aged men carrying sacrificial items were performing some kind of ritual before entering the altar. The process was rather lengthy, but nothing unexpected happened.

The sun had completely set, and the village deep in the mountains was plunged into a tranquil darkness.

Lu Jin borrowed a torch from a villager next to him and held it in his hand. Seeing this, Wei Ling didn't say anything and borrowed one as well.

Soon, the ceremony reached its most crucial moment. The village chief and two members had to place the prepared offerings into the altar, then leave, closing the altar door tightly. No one was allowed to open the door during this time, and the ceremony was considered successfully completed when the sun shone in the next day.

Of course, they all knew in their hearts that the real offerings were already inside.

The door leading to the altar was opened, and Zhang Junjie followed the village chief, carrying offerings in his hands as he entered.

"here we go."

The area outside fell completely silent. Several passengers exchanged glances and became serious.

They all knew that from this moment on, the true danger of this platform would begin to emerge.

"May everything go smoothly and may the ritual be successful," someone murmured to themselves.

But no matter how much they hoped the ritual would go smoothly, in the end only Zhang Junjie and his companions were able to enter.

Logically, this process should have been over in about ten minutes, and almost everyone waiting outside was silently counting down the time.

For the first five minutes, everyone was quite calm, since less than ten minutes had passed since they went inside.

In the first eight minutes, some people began to feel anxious, glancing at their watches every now and then to check the time.

By the tenth minute, Lu Jinzhao could clearly sense that his companions were starting to get restless.

"Why haven't you come out yet?"

"Did something happen?"

"Don't worry, it doesn't mean something has happened yet. It hasn't exceeded the expected time, has it?"

“The villagers aren’t in a hurry; they must know how long the ritual will take.” Indeed, someone glanced at the villagers after hearing this and felt a little more at ease.

The villagers stood still, holding up the soul-guiding banners, waiting quietly.

As long as the villagers don't cause any disturbances, the timing should be fine.

With this in mind, everyone continued to wait.

As time passed, there was still no movement from inside the altar.

No one came out, and there was no sound.

It was as if the altar had swallowed everything, and those who entered could no longer even utter a wail to warn the outside world.

"Really, there are no problems?"

In the quiet square, someone asked in a low voice, "But... almost twenty minutes have passed already!"

It had already been well past the expected time, but the altar doors remained open, with no one coming out and no sound coming from them.

Inside the door, it was pitch black.

"I'm afraid something's wrong," Lu Jinzhao thought to himself.

However, the altar was pitch black, making it impossible to see what the problem was.

Zhang Junjie is not entirely without the ability to protect himself. According to Wei Ling, Zhang Junjie possesses a supernatural item, which, although not very good, can help him survive a ghost attack in the first instance.

But he still couldn't get out.

They might be dead, or they might be alive but trapped inside.

Whichever it is, it confirms that the altar is indeed extremely dangerous, and even possessing a supernatural item does not guarantee an easy escape.

The worst-case scenario has occurred.

If we were to ask who among the surviving passengers most hopes that Zhang Junjie and the others can come out, it would definitely be Lu Jinzhao.

If they come out alive, it proves her guess was wrong!
But 25 minutes have passed and there is still no movement at the door!

"But why aren't these villagers in a hurry?"

someone asked.

It seemed that only the six passengers present were anxious about the ritual.

Even though the time limit had already exceeded the time that a normal sacrificial ceremony should have, not a single villager present made a sound of disturbance.

The passengers quieted down.

Because they realized that this was wrong.

Even if the ritual is important, these people are just ordinary villagers, not well-trained soldiers. How could they possibly stand here so neatly and without saying a word at this point?

Through the burning torches, Lu Jinzhao saw the faces of the villagers to the side.

With a blank expression and a stiff demeanor, he was clearly very old, yet he could hold up the soul-guiding banner for a long time without moving. Under the torchlight, his aged face appeared an unnatural bluish hue.

It's like the color of a dead person.

"No breathing." The old man's chest had stopped rising and falling at all, no matter when it started.

Unbeknownst to her, she was standing next to a dead man!
Lu Jinzhao felt a chill run down her spine. In an instant, all sorts of strange things that had happened since she entered the platform flooded her mind. At this moment, she finally realized that the truth was just as she had guessed!

Her face changed drastically. Before she could offer any advice, she could only shout, "Run!"

Without looking back, he grabbed the torch and ran towards the ancestral hall!
Do you have a monthly pass? (Holds out hand)
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(End of this chapter)