Chapter 233: Lion Dance

He was utterly shocked when he realized that these dead sheep could very well be transformed humans. However, a new set of questions quickly surfaced in Li Huowang's mind after the initial shock. "What exactly are they worshipping? Who are these people?" These two questions incessantly circled in Li Huowang's thoughts.

It was crucial for him to clarify these two questions. If this cult operated deep within the cave, he needed to re-evaluate whether continuing further was a worthwhile risk. The Black Grand Sui was worth risking danger for, but not worth dying for.

After hearing this, Sun Baolu interjected, "Brother Li, something's off. Look at how the heads of the sheep, cattle, and pigs are arranged on the platters—they're upside down. These offerings are meant for the dead sheep themselves."

"They're not worshipping... deities? Instead, they're worshipping these sheep?"

Li Huowang stood beside them, his brows furrowed, his gaze shifting back and forth between the offerings and the dead sheep.

"Is it... an offering to a sheep deity? Old Sun, do you have any sheep immortals in Qingqiu?" Gouwa asked from the side.

"Sheep are mere animals. Why would we worship animals as deities? Qingqiu has no such custom."

Upon hearing this, Li Huowang's mind quickly brought forth memories of the various factions he had encountered: the depraved Buddha of Zhengde Temple, the suffering Bakhuy of the Aojing Sect, and the decaying Bodhisattva of Anzi Nunnery. Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him, and the words in his mind involuntarily escaped his lips.

"I understand! They aren't worshipping these sheep; the sheep are merely tools to manifest what they truly worship. They are sacrificing death itself; they are worshipping death!"

"What?" The others clearly didn't grasp what Li Huowang was trying to say. While they remained confused, Li Huowang understood.

Standing atop the massive cauldron, he once again looked down upon the sheep carcasses below. Some entities had driven hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people here, and then transformed them into sheep. Those who failed the transformation were discarded, while the successful ones were gathered and killed simultaneously. The moment these sheep died marked the commencement of their ritual. They weren't worshipping the sheep, but rather the very act of their death.

As each detail fell into place, he felt he finally understood the reasoning behind these entities' actions. Beneath Qingqiu, there weren't just chaotic evil spirits, but also a religion that worshipped death! Even more unsettling, Li Huowang didn't know whether the followers of this religion were human or something else entirely. Given his past experiences, it was clear that if they worshipped death, they would possess some power related to it. Even a simple deduction led Li Huowang to realize just how dangerous they were.

Upon fully comprehending the implications, Li Huowang grew tense, turning his gaze to the others beside him. "Go, get out of here first! This is far more serious than just evil spirits!"

Having said that, Li Huowang began leading the others out. They had only taken a few steps when a sudden 'thump-thump-thump' of wood knocking echoed through the air. Startled, Li Huowang instantly gripped his sword hilt and scanned the surrounding darkness. The 'thump-thump-thump' of the wood knocking had a strange rhythm, echoing from all directions. The overlapping sounds made it impossible for Li Huowang to pinpoint its origin. Unable to locate the enemy, Li Huowang didn't dare to charge blindly, fearing a direct collision.

Li Huowang gritted his teeth, his ears twitching as he strained with all his might to pinpoint the sound's direction. As the sound grew closer, Li Huowang's acute hearing finally proved useful; he identified the source. "I found it! It's... above!"

Li Huowang swiftly craned his neck, peering into the pitch-black space above. He quickly raised the glowing stone in his hand and flung it directly towards the source of the sound. The glowing stone lodged itself firmly between the rock crevices at the top. In that instant, a human face, larger than a round table, abruptly materialized before them, bathed in the eerie green luminescence.

It was a man's face with eerily flattened features. His complexion was deathly pale, his mouth agape, and two lamp-hole-sized red-and-white pupils stared intently at Li Huowang below. Behind the man's neck, there were no limbs or torso, only a long, caterpillar-like tubular body. Numerous hands of varying sizes propped up this white tubular form. Li Huowang also located the source of the incessant wood knocking; it was emanating from within its tubular body. Its peculiar sound immediately brought to Li Huowang's mind something he had witnessed at Woman Mountain.

"Is this a lion dance from the Lion Dance Palace? No, it's not! No lion dance has a flattened, dead human face instead of a lion's head?!"

"Are they responsible? Did they orchestrate that elaborate sacrificial ritual just now? Could they be the 'Dance of Death Palace' rather than the 'Lion Dance Palace'?"

Regardless of what it was, Li Huowang couldn't ignore the massive entity clinging to the cavern ceiling. He decided to attempt communication first. After a moment's consideration, Li Huowang spoke slowly, "Masters of the Lion Dance Palace, I, Xuanyang, offer my respects. My presence in this esteemed place is not an offense; there is a genuine reason for my visit."

In a flash, Li Huowang quickly formulated a new excuse. "I require a Black Grand Sui as a medicinal ingredient for my alchemy. I heard one can be found in your esteemed location, which is why I've come. Should the masters assist me in finding one, I will be most grateful!"

Regardless of how he would express his gratitude later, Li Huowang had stated his purpose. Now, it was time to see how the entity would respond. To his surprise, the 'lion dance' remained suspended upside down from the ceiling, uttering no words and showing no reaction, much like a stone statue.

"What does this mean? Is it because the 'lion dancers' are all from Qingqiu and can't understand my words?" With that thought, Li Huowang turned and instructed Sun Baolu to repeat the message in the Qingqiu dialect.

As Sun Baolu began speaking, Li Huowang suddenly tensed. Sensing imminent danger, he instinctively lunged to the left. But it was already too late to react. He barely registered a sharp pain in his back before a powerful force violently knocked him flying. "I was ambushed! The 'lion' on the ceiling was a decoy!"

Li Huowang, realizing what had happened, crashed heavily into the darkness. When he scrambled to his feet again and felt his body, he was surprised to find he hadn't sustained any injuries. "What... what happened?" Li Huowang instinctively reached for his back. Only when his fingers brushed against the 'Records of the Great Thousand' beneath his skin did he realize that it had just absorbed the impact for him. Although embedding the 'Records of the Great Thousand' beneath his skin had been an excruciating process, his back now effectively had an extra layer of thick armor.

A brief flash of relief surged through Li Huowang, but it quickly faded; there was no time to dwell on it now. Leaning on his cane, he immediately charged in that direction. He saw what had ambushed him: it was another 'lion dance,' identical to the one on the ceiling, except its flattened face was that of a black-eyed woman with a blood-red mouth!