At this moment, Stirling's back broke out in a cold sweat. He realized right away that the man in black seemed to preach, but he was casting a proper spell on everyone!

  How can this be?

  Stirling's heart was in a panic. He couldn't help but look at the other villagers, only to find that they showed no signs of abnormality. They looked dazed and entranced. They kneeled and bowed before the statue even more often.

  These villagers are in a daze. Could it be that this so-called preaching is the culprit?

  A crazy but likely guess hit Stirling, making his heart sink.

  I can't sit back and wait for death. I have to figure out a way.

  Stirling thought pain might help with the confusing sounds in his head. He immediately bit his tongue.

  In the next moment, sharp pain raced from Stirling's tongue to his mind. His entire face twisted in response. But this pain brought Stirling a bit of clarity, weakening the confusing noises in his mind.

  At this moment, everyone in the courtyard kneeled and bowed with piety. Stirling had a fierce and strange look, but the two monks did not notice him.

  Time passed second by second. As Stirling sensed his tongue go numb and sweat dripped from his forehead, he struggled to hold on. A wave of heat shot from his lower abdomen. It raced through his meridians and filled his mind.

  This time, Stirling felt his mind clear up. His eyes regained their clarity after a moment.

  What is this? The Aether?

  Stirling had an abrupt understanding of where his energy came from, and he felt happy. He glanced around out of the corner of his eye and saw that the two monks were not looking in his direction. He then adjusted his posture to kneel for the Aether practice.

  Next, Stirling regulated his breathing. In no time, the warm current surging from his lower abdomen grew stronger. The chaotic noises in his mind dissipated by more than half, and he felt an immediate sense of relief.

  I never thought the Aether would have such an effect. It's worth the gamble I took!

  As he continued to practice, Stirling monitored the monk in front of him. He lost track of time as he did so. It was only when Priest White halted his preaching that he realized how dark it had become. The sky had turned completely dark, and night had fallen.

  The walls were silent. Until the dull thuds of villagers' foreheads hitting the ground broke the quiet as they kneeled. An eerie and sinister atmosphere filled the temple.

  Priest White scanned the kneeling crowd before him and gave a satisfied smile. With his arms outstretched, he said, "God takes mercy on you and wants to give you a miraculous elixir."

  "But you must offer a sacrifice. As per the rule, let it be your flesh and blood!"

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  After saying this, Priest White opened his palms and raised them and his eyes to the sky. He muttered something as if chanting a prayer, then pointed his index finger. A streak of red light shot out and hit the statue in the courtyard. In an instant, lightning and thunder flashed in the courtyard, and strong winds blew.

  "Blood God is with us! Blood God bless us!!!"

  "Father, we will provide offerings for God's protection. Please help us!"

  The villagers stopped bowing. They held their hands together and stared at the statue opening its eyes. Madness and excitement filled their faces.

  In the corner, Stirling stared in disbelief at all this. His heart pounded hard, almost bursting from his chest!

  No words could describe Stirling's feelings at that moment. The strange scene before him shattered his worldview. His limbs shook out of control.

  Before the time travel, he was a PhD at a university who hadn't graduated yet! The most brutal scenario he could imagine was transforming into Optimus Prime and fighting Megatron. How could he have ever seen such a bloody and bizarre scene!

  He saw shadow hornets last night, but the oil lamp kept him safe. The hornets turned to dust before they got close. So, he didn't feel the absurdity of this world very much.

  But now he has seen it in its entirety.

  The stone statue of the monk's eyes devoid of any emotion, swept over the people kneeling below. Then, many fleshy tentacles shot out from its body and rushed towards everyone.

  However, the villagers below seemed ready, showing neither surprise nor fear. Instead, they grinned with excitement and opened the packages they carried. Then, they placed the contents in front of them.

  It was only then that Stirling gained a clear view of the packages inside. It was all bloody flesh. Some pieces looked like the hind legs of wild beasts. Others resembled the internal organs of these creatures. But some, no matter how Stirling looked, appeared to be human heads. The flesh was very fresh, with blood still oozing from it. This filled the courtyard with a strong, aromatic scent of blood.

  Fuck!

  A powerful urge to vomit hit Stirling's stomach. He knew that if he reacted, he might end up like one of those pieces of meat on the ground. Stirling gritted his teeth and stayed quiet. He glanced at the villagers, who had brought nothing.

  He observed the villagers reaching their arms out to the tentacles, raising them high. The tentacles, like mosquito mouths, pierced their arms and drew blood.

  Why did he say they were sucking? After the tentacles pierced the human arms, they contracted with a steady rhythm. It was like someone was using them as straws to sip drinks.

  The others who took out the bloody flesh noticed that the tentacles could slide in and suck it up. This scene filled the courtyard with an unsettling atmosphere straightaway.

  Stirling was stunned by the scene before him, but at that point, there was nothing he could do. He could only grit his teeth and stretch out his arm towards the approaching tentacles.

  Next, Stirling felt a sharp pain in his arm. Then, a strong suction from the tentacle gripped him.

  Damn it, won't it suck me dry?! While lost in panic, Stirling glanced at the wooden board in the package. But when he saw the two monks in the courtyard, he abandoned any thought of fighting back in a hurry.

  What a joke! This was all marked with red crosses on the Quick Sand Map. Stirling didn't think a few crossbows could take them down.

  Luckily, these tentacles grasped; they shouldn't drain the pond to catch the fish. They sucked for a while, then pulled out. The tentacles wriggled and sprayed sticky substances from their mouths.

  Is this a lamp? Stirling looked at the lamp on the ground. He had a sudden realization that the odd lamp from Old Larry's house was from this place.

  Stirling scanned around. Each villager had an item in front of them. Most held lamps, while those who carried bloody flesh had small bottles at their feet.

  Should they be medicine bottles, right? I've seen them at Old Larry's house. They must also be from here.

  Stirling looked at those bottles, astonished at heart.

  "Praise the Almighty Blood God! Children, the preaching for today is over. You all follow Mr. Green to the guest rooms to rest for the night!"

  Monk White stood in the courtyard, seeing the statue retract its tentacles. Then, he clapped his hands and spoke without emotion.