Chapter 127: A Petty Constable Dares to Arrest Me?

Du Feng suppressed the urge to vomit and whispered, "I thought the 'Divine Feast' was something marvelous, but it's just chunks of rotting meat? How can these people even stomach it?"

"They have had their perception warped by the Blood Age God. In their eyes, this putrid flesh is a delicacy, as rare as dragon liver or phoenix marrow—the finest feast under heaven," Shang Lu replied in a low voice.

He did not look at the golden divine statue in the night sky, but kept his eyes fixed firmly on the small shrine atop the earthen mound. Although the distance was significant, the enhancement from his Five Viscera Temple and Liver God allowed Shang Lu to discern quite a lot. Furthermore, the mound was illuminated by firelight, making it as bright as day.

When the Blood Age God bestowed the rotting meat, Shang Lu noticed it flying out from within the small shrine. He even caught a glimpse of a small, writhing lump of putrid flesh inside. Due to the angle, he couldn't see more, but judging by that small lump, it was alive. It was a portion of the Blood Age God's own body! As for the golden statue in the sky, it was merely an illusion—a deceitful parlor trick.

Shang Lu quickly weighed his options and decided against using a paper doll to spy on the deity just yet. It was not the right time. Even without seeing the full interior of the shrine, he had deduced: "Judging by the demonic aura, the Blood Age God is stronger than the family of rat demons, but it shouldn't have reached the Qi Refining stage... though, one cannot rule out the possibility that it is concealing its true strength."

At this moment, the villagers who had consumed the meat wore expressions of intoxicated satisfaction, as if they were eating a gourmet meal rather than flesh crawling with maggots. Their spirits became increasingly morbid and manic. In the blink of an eye, the meat scattered by the Blood Age God was snatched up by the villagers.

Then, the Blood Age God delivered its "divine decree."

"Luoshui County is currently recruiting yamen runners and local militia. All you able-bodied men must go and enlist. Distribute the divine food I have bestowed among the people in the yamen, and spread my benevolence to them..."

"It really is targeting the secret realm!"

Shang Lu’s hearing was exceptionally sharp; even from afar, he heard the deity’s words and made an instant judgment. The recruitment for the three divisions and the militia was intended to assist the Witch Academy in guarding Mount Yunhua. By planting its own people and using the "divine food" to control others in the yamen, the deity’s intentions were clear. It was likely planning to use the same method to control one or two witch officials next. However, the fact that the Blood Age God chose such tactics instead of directly assaulting the secret realm confirmed Shang Lu’s suspicion: its strength was not overwhelming.

Although the villagers around the mound were behaving grotesquely, their mental activity was heightened. Someone immediately prostrated themselves, kowtowing repeatedly as they raised a concern:

"Divine One, we shall obey your decree. However, the county office has requirements regarding cultivation levels. Even if we apply, we may not be selected..."

"Once you have consumed my divine food, you are no longer mere mortals. Even if you have never practiced cultivation, you will be no worse than those yamen runners or militia. If you do not believe me, test your own strength."

Hearing this, the villagers eagerly tested their strength, followed by bursts of shocked exclamations.

"Is... is this my own strength?"

"Did you see that? I shattered the stone with my bare hands!"

"I never imagined that at my age, I could possess such power."

The power erupted by the villagers was indeed significant, at least at the entry level of Bone Forging. With such strength, there would be no problem at all in joining the yamen or the militia. The villagers lost all hesitation, kowtowing endlessly to thank the Blood Age God for its grace. They believed that if they had reached this level after only a few days of feasting, they might even ascend to godhood if they continued.

"Delusional." Shang Lu shook his head with a cold sneer. These villagers were trapped in the scheme and knew nothing. They hadn't truly achieved the strength of Bone Forging; the power they displayed was obtained at the cost of draining their own life force. As they tested and used this power, their vitality was rapidly slipping away.

The younger ones showed little change, but the elderly appeared noticeably more withered, with deeper wrinkles and more pronounced age spots. Some even began to emit a faint, foul odor—the stench of decaying internal organs, the scent of death itself. Yet, the villagers remained in a state of morbid excitement, feeling only an abundance of energy and strength, oblivious to the deterioration of their bodies. By the time they realized, it would be too late.

"Did some people not come tonight?"

At this moment, the Blood Age God sensed that a group was missing from the feast. Simultaneously, Shang Lu saw several slender, fleshy sprouts emerge from the small shrine. Each sprout bore a bloodshot eyeball, looking eerie and grotesque. The villagers, however, remained focused on the golden statue in the sky, oblivious to the abnormality of the shrine.

A villager who knew the situation reported while kowtowing: "Returning to the Divine One, the people from the Luo Family Village did not come. It is said that officials have moved into the village, and perhaps because of this, they dared not attend."

"Impossible! For the sake of the Divine Feast, even if it were raining knives from the sky, the people of Luo Family Village would not be absent!"

The Blood Age God knew well the potency of the food it provided. Once addicted, these people would kill their own parents or children to attend. If the Luo Family Village people hadn't come, something must have gone wrong. It couldn't stay here any longer; it had to flee immediately and never return.

The Blood Age God was extremely cautious. Sensing danger, it prepared to escape. The golden statue in the night sky vanished instantly, leaving the surrounding villagers in a state of shocked confusion.

Hidden in the woods, Shang Lu realized the deity was about to run. Its vigilance exceeded his expectations. Having already startled the snake, if he let it get away, catching it later would be nearly impossible. He could not let it escape!

Shang Lu made an immediate decision and shouted, "Follow me and take this demon down!"

The government horse, already impatient, charged forward at the sound of his command. Shang Lu cursed internally: "I haven't even mounted yet!" Fortunately, he reacted with lightning speed, utilizing his Tiger Step technique to vault onto the horse. Riding it out of the woods, he charged toward the small shrine like a bolt of lightning.

Simultaneously, Shang Lu activated the paper doll hidden beneath the incense burner. The paper doll darted forward at incredible speed, launching an assault on the Blood Age God inside the shrine.

Through the paper doll's vision, Shang Lu finally saw the deity's true form. It was no god, but a grotesque, rotting ball of flesh covered in bumps and pus, embedded with bloodshot eyes. These eyes now projected shock, which instantly turned to rage as the deity saw the three of them.

"I thought a witch official had come. A few small yamen runners dare to speak of taking me? You court death!"

The Blood Age God changed its mind. It would no longer flee; it would capture the three of them and refine them into flesh puppets to help it plunder the secret realm.