Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"How... how could this happen...!"

"Could the legend of the ancient god's curse be true...!"

Looking at the rotting, stinking corpses of the Beast Hunters on the ground with equal horror, Lu Xiaoxiang's pretty face turned slightly pale, and her throat moved slightly, as if she felt nauseous.

After all, the scene was so disgusting and grotesque that even a martial artist like him couldn't be completely immune to it.

"There are no ghosts or gods in this world, and there is no such thing as a curse..."

Lu Feng patted Lu Xiaoxiang's shoulder, secretly transmitting his voice to her while signaling her to calm down, "Miss Lu, don't be deceived by this person's sophistry. These beast-hunting guards didn't die from the curse of the ancient god, but were killed by a single palm strike..."

"What did you say?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaoxiang was taken aback.

"The reasoning is very simple."

Seeing that the other party had finally come to their senses, Lu Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, then said in a low voice, "Although the deaths of these Beast Hunter Guards are very similar to those of the barbarians in the central square, and their bodies are filled with unknown poisons, there is still one difference..."

"Is there something else different?"

Lu Xiaoxiang's pretty face changed slightly.

"good."

Stealing a glance at the Daoist Wuxin opposite him, Lu Feng noticed that the other man still wore an arrogant and smug expression, unaware that he was secretly examining the corpses. Lu Feng then secretly transmitted his voice again, "The heart meridians of these people were all shattered into a net-like pattern, and the toxins inside the corpses were extremely chaotic. They hadn't even spread throughout the body yet; only a portion of the toxins had seeped into vital organs, while most remained in the mouth, tongue, and throat..."

"From this, we can conclude that these people were killed with a single blow before their deaths, and their bodies were then deliberately poisoned to create the illusion that they died under the curse of an ancient god..."

Lu Feng continued to explain calmly, clearly having noticed something amiss.

"this...!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaoxiang seemed to understand something as well, and her lips parted slightly. "Lu Feng, do you mean that these Beast Hunters were killed by Tianmu and his apprentice, and not because they were cursed by an ancient god?"

"pretty close."

Lu Feng's face remained calm.

"Hmph! If you were to repent and obediently kneel down to kowtow to Celestial Master Tianmu and offer all your treasures as tribute, perhaps there would still be a glimmer of hope..."

Seeing Lu Feng standing there motionless, staring intently at the corpses of the Beast Hunters on the ground, Daoist Wuxin snorted coldly, his words full of threat.

In his view, although Lu Feng himself had some strength, he was just a young man who had just started out. No matter how powerful he was, he would never dare to question the legend of the ancient god's curse in public.

"Excuse me."

Faced with Master Wuxin's threats and warnings, Lu Feng merely grinned, his tone still playful, "I'm too stubborn to kneel down, but if the Immortal Master were to kneel down to me instead, I wouldn't have any objections."

"You audacious scoundrel, how dare you be so disrespectful to the Immortal Master!"

Seeing that Lu Feng was not only unfazed by the ancient god's curse, but also dared to spout nonsense in public, Daoist Wuxin's eyebrows furrowed, his face darkened, and he trembled with rage, as if he would completely lose it at any moment!

"Wu Xin, that's enough."

Just as Daoist Wuxin was about to teach Lu Feng a lesson, a hoarse, aged voice came from above the altar once again.

"Young Master Lu is a distinguished guest whom I have specially invited. You must not be rude."

The next moment, a figure in black robes descended from the sky. His entire face was covered by a yin-yang mask, revealing only a pair of deep eyes. It was none other than the Celestial Master Tianmu, who had just absorbed the power of faith.

"Has the soul power aura emanating from this old charlatan grown even stronger?"

Noticing that the soul power aura on the Celestial Master had more than doubled and was almost at the ninth level of soul power, Lu Feng narrowed his eyes and showed a hint of apprehension.

According to his original estimate, it would take at least half an hour for the other party to fully absorb the faith power of the barbarians present.

Less than an incense stick's time had passed, and the Celestial Master Tianmu had completely absorbed this power of faith, which naturally surprised Lu Feng greatly!

"Wuxin, take these people and leave. Also, carry all the offerings to the ancient Shiva temple on the banks of the Blackwater River. I will personally preside over the sacrificial ceremony later, so there must be no mistakes..."

With another flick of his sleeve, Celestial Master Tianmu gestured for his disciples Wuxin and Wuyunmi to leave. Then, he turned his gaze back to Lu Feng opposite him, "I wonder if Young Hero Lu is satisfied with this 'masterpiece' of mine?"

"masterpiece?"

"Whether it's the rumored curse of the ancient gods or this group of devout but ignorant barbarians, it's all the work of my men..."

A sinister glint flashed in his deep eyes. Celestial Master Tianmu spoke with amusement, "Besides, Young Hero Lu, didn't you already see through the secret of the ancient god's curse and the truth behind the brutal deaths of these beast-hunting guards? Are you about to expose my true colors now...?"

"You already knew why I came?"

Upon seeing that Celestial Master Tianmu had actually revealed his ambitions, Lu Feng frowned slightly and became wary.

Clearly, the other party not only knew his whereabouts perfectly, but also had already prepared a countermeasure!

"Young Master Lu, let me not say I look down on you, but right now, I'm afraid you can't break this deadlock on your own. As for that little girl beside you, who's only at the sixth level of the Opening Meridian Realm, she's a complete burden, utterly useless...!"

With another cold laugh, Celestial Master Tianmu stood with his hands behind his back, pointing to the kneeling crowd of Wuyun tribesmen around the altar. "After more than a year of my teachings, these barbarians now deeply believe in the curse of the ancient god. Even their chieftain worships me as a deity. May I ask, Young Hero Lu, how do you plan to break this deadlock?"

The Celestial Master Tianmu spoke calmly and casually, standing quietly on the high altar platform, as if he were a master manipulator of people's hearts, and even the power of life and death over the entire Wuyun tribe was in his hands!

"Tianmu, your little tricks may temporarily bewitch people, but they won't last. Once I kill you, the truth will come out, and these ignorant barbarians will naturally wake up to the truth...!"

Facing the smug Celestial Master, Lu Feng also twisted his neck and released a powerful burst of Yuan energy outwards.

"You evil Taoist, you will not leave this place alive today!"

Seeing this, Lu Xiaoxiang also drew her sword, pointing it directly at the Celestial Master Tianmu not far away, her whole being exuding murderous intent.

"What happened?"

"Where did these guys come from! How dare they disrespect Master Tianmu!"

"Where did you little brat come from! Get down from the altar right now! If you disrupt the Dharma propagation ceremony, even nine heads wouldn't be enough to save you!"

"Fellow clansmen, please join me in taking down these ignorant madmen!"

Around the altar, seeing that Lu Feng and his group intended to attack Immortal Master Tianmu, the barbarians who had been devoutly kneeling in worship completely lost their composure. They became enraged and began to hurl insults, resembling a group of fanatical believers possessed by a demon.

"Hehe, have you two young heroes witnessed the fanaticism of these barbarians?"

The Celestial Master Tianmu glanced at the agitated crowd of barbarians around him, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "I bet that if you two young heroes were to actually make a move, these barbarians would fight you to the death..."

"So what?"

Despite the Celestial Master Tianmu's sarcastic tone, Lu Feng remained unfazed. He simultaneously summoned his natal Hurricane Spirit Soul, saying, "Celestial Master, do you really think you can stop me with just a bunch of weak barbarians?"

"Today, you will surely die!"

"That's not necessarily true."

Master Tianmu remained silent with a cold laugh.

"Lu Feng, wait...! Look over there...!"

Just as Lu Feng was about to make a move, Lu Xiaoxiang suddenly stepped forward and stopped him, her gaze fixed on the northwest direction of the crowd at the altar.

"That's... Xiaoyu? And little sister Acui...!"

Following the other person's gaze, Lu Feng frowned slightly, a look of displeasure appearing on his face.

To the northwest of the crowd at the altar, several familiar faces were kneeling in worship. Among them were Xiao Yu from the past, Wu Yunran's younger sister Wu Yuncui, and his childhood friend Wu Yunhao. It seemed that they were also among the devout followers of the Celestial Master Tianmu.