Starting as a prodigy wanting milk? A world-destroying deception in the opposite direction.

Shen Zhen and Chen Xi gasped for breath when they entered.

Inside the wall was a spacious area.

In the center of the altar was a stepped altar, about ten feet high, built of animal bones and black stones. Several wooden poles stood on the top platform, with tattered cloth banners tied to their ends.

Around the altar, there were some braziers and several animal skeletons that had not yet been cleaned and were incomplete.

Near the north wall where Shen Zhen and his group infiltrated, several simple wooden cages were erected.

Inside the cage, several figures were huddled together indistinctly. Further away, near the back of the altar, there was a more sturdy-looking stone house, like a dedicated prison cell.

On the altar, something was burning in a brazier, making a slight crackling sound and emitting fragrant blue smoke.

Shen Zhen and Chen Xi crouched down and soon spotted several barbarian soldiers.

There were six people in total, scattered in different parts of the venue, making it difficult to solve the problem simultaneously without alerting others.

"Look over there." Chen Xi gently nudged Shen Zhen and pointed to the stone house.

At the innermost part of the stone house stood two barbarian soldiers whose auras were noticeably stronger, their eyes sharp, constantly scanning the entire area.

The person imprisoned in that stone house is probably very important. As for Hu Sandao and his peddlers, they are likely in those wooden cages.

"First, confirm where they are, then we'll figure out what to do." Shen Zhen gestured with his eyes, indicating that they were currently close to the wooden cage.

The two silently approached the nearest wooden cage.

There were seven or eight people in the cage, men and women, all of them pale and thin, huddled together and shivering.

Judging from his clothes and appearance, he doesn't look like a peddler, but rather an ordinary small merchant.

Instead of Hu Sandao and his group, Shen Zhen and Chen Xi turned to the next wooden cage.

The cage was a bit small, and it contained five people, all of them young and strong men. Although they were equally disheveled, a glimmer of defiance and fear still lingered in their eyes.

One of them was burly and appeared more imposing than the others, even when sitting down.

Shen Zhen's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in a low voice in the official language of the Fengyun Empire, "Hu Sandao?"

The five people in the cage shuddered and looked up at Shen Zhen and Chen Xi in the shadows, their faces showing disbelief.

The burly man rushed to the edge of the cage, his voice trembling with excitement as he lowered his voice:

"It's...it's Hu Sandao! You're...you've come to rescue us? The lords of the temple?"

It was indeed the missing peddler.

"Silence," Shen Zhen gestured for them to calm down.

Hu Sandao quickly glanced at the other wooden cages, his voice filled with grief and indignation:

"We've been captured for almost half a month. They... they want to use us as sacrifices!"

"Do you know when the sacrificial ceremony begins?" Chen Xi asked urgently.

"I heard it's sunset tomorrow," a young man next to Hu Sandao blurted out.

"We heard it. Those barbarians said that when the 'big day' comes, they'll drive us onto that platform and perform a blood sacrifice..."

Shen Zhen frowned slightly; tomorrow is sunset, and time is of the essence.

"We'll get you out of here. Don't make a sound, just wait." Shen Zhen said quickly, and he and Chen Xi made their way towards the stone house.

To rescue the peddler, they first need to deal with the patrolling soldiers and the guards of the stone house, while the people inside the stone house are likely to be a crucial asset in their rescue.

The lights in the nearest stone house flickered, clearly illuminating the figures of more than a dozen people.

These people were wearing heavy shackles on their hands and feet, and had obvious whip marks and bruises on their bodies.

Shen Zhen's gaze swept over quickly.

Their clothing was made of a blend of fine linen and cotton, with patterns of sunflowers and orchids embroidered on the lapels.

Shen Zhen had seen this pattern at the Qian family mansion in Dayue City.

Hogner, Elvie, and Razak, among other members of the Lie Ri Lan tribe, wore similar patterns on their clothing.

However, the patterns on these people's tattoos were simpler, like those of ordinary members of a tribe.

"Are you from the Lie Ri Lan tribe?" Shen Zhen asked in a low voice.

The people inside the stone house all looked up.

A middle-aged man sitting at the very back struggled to sit up straight. He stared at Shen Zhen for a few seconds, then spoke with difficulty in heavily accented Imperial Mandarin:

"How...how did you know?"

"I've seen people from your tribe in Dayue City," Shen Zhen said quickly.

"There's no time to explain now, we're here to rescue people."

"Save us?" A glimmer of hope flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes, but it quickly faded.

"It's no use... This is Wolf Batu's sacrificial site. There are at least thirty guards outside, and a shaman..."

Before he could finish speaking...

Suddenly, a sharp horn sounded outside the sacrificial site!

Then came a cacophony of shouts in a barbarian language that Shen Zhen couldn't understand, but he could hear the panic in their voices.

"Oh no! The dungeon has been raided!"

"Quickly! Inform the shaman immediately! Increase defenses at the sacrificial site!"

The sound pierced the night sky, and the Lie Ri Lan tribe members inside the stone house instantly fell silent, all looking up at the door.

Shen Zhen and Chen Xi exchanged a glance and instantly understood that the barbarians who had returned to patrol the dungeon must have discovered that Ye Zhi Qiu and the others were missing and returned to report the news.

There is not much time left for them.

Shen Zhen took a deep breath; plans can never keep up with changes.

He quickly assessed the situation and concluded that the guards outside the sacrificial site must have received the alarm and would soon strengthen their defenses, and might even move the offerings ahead of schedule.

If we wait for the shaman to return, it will be too late.

"Let's take action directly," Shen Zhen decided. "Release them first, then fight our way out."

"But..." Chen Xi wanted to say something more.

"No buts." Shen Zhen interrupted her. "If we don't fight now, none of us will be able to leave when the shaman and the high priest return."

He turned to look at the Lie Ri Lan tribesmen inside the stone house:

"If you want to live, listen to me. After you get out, stay behind me and don't wander off."

The middle-aged man nodded vigorously:

"My name is Morigen Wuge. Don't worry, our tribe isn't cowardly. As long as we can get out, we'll help you fight the enemy!"

Shen Zhen stopped talking nonsense, took out the green lamp, and injected a wisp of mental energy into it.

A blue light shone in the dim stone house, and the dark red runes engraved on the shackles and locks quickly dimmed under the light.

"This lamp..." Morigen's eyes widened.

"Don't ask," Shen Zhen said, slashing with his magic ruler. "The guards outside will come running at the sound. Be quick!"

Click.

The door lock broke.

The dozen or so people in the stone house staggered to their feet. Their shackles were still on their feet, but at least they could move. Shen Zhen cut off the shackles on their hands and feet one by one.

Sure enough, the commotion was too great and alerted the guards of the stone house.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from both sides of the stone house, and two figures appeared at the door.

"Outsiders? How dare you trespass on the sacrificial ground!" one of the barbarian soldiers roared, brandishing his weapon as he slashed.

Shen Zhen dodged to the side, and then thrust out the Nianjie Ruler, aiming at the opponent's wrist.

Another barbarian soldier charged at Chen Xi and the Lie Ri Lan tribesmen with a giant axe. Chen Xi immediately focused his mind to create a shield, using his mental energy to block the giant axe's impact, but was still forced back two steps by the shock.

"Split up and finish this quickly!" Shen Zhen unleashed his Shadow Strike in that instant, shouting to the Lie Ri Lan tribesmen at the same time.

"Go open those wooden cages and rescue the others!"

Before he finished speaking, Shen Zhen had already killed the two guards.

too fast!