Altar

After Mason finished his attempt, the two hobgoblins came to their senses and their expressions became friendly and enthusiastic.

Under the influence of Heaven, they didn't even notice the pickup truck coming. The high-purity positive energy dispels the other party's distracting thoughts, so pure that they no longer pay attention to external things.

This trick was also used in the farewell confrontation between Canaan and Oreius. Under the reverent gaze of the hobgoblins, the "elven coat" was once again covered on the body of the silver-haired young man. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all emotions had been removed, leaving only a piece of pure blue.

The priest from the mysterious land suppressed all the turmoil and turned his gaze to the hobgoblins: "Where are my things stored?"

One of them answered: "In the warehouse."

"Go get it back. Also, if other goblins come, let me know in advance. I am your captive, don't show any flaws."

The two hobgoblins did as they were told without hesitation. One walked out the door, while the other stood guard at the door. Before long, all the contaminants that had been taken away reappeared in front of Canaan.

He put away the brooch and mask and put the wooden box away. Everything was ready. The priest looked at the two goblins and suddenly asked, "My actions will destroy your tribe. Even if this place should be destroyed, it is still your homeland. Even so, are you still determined to help me?"

The two hobgoblins fell to their knees. "No matter where you go, we will follow you! Even if we die, it doesn't matter!"

Canaan looked at them quietly for a while, but shook his head slightly: "This is not what you really mean, but forget it. Remember your promise. In return, I will solve the existence that caused all this."

If faith is a poison, drinking it will lead to death.

Then he is the best poisoner in the world, distorting minds, controlling souls, and wherever he goes, everyone sees him as a savior.

God saw him and favored him, and he was born to be a "saint" walking in the world, and mortals are just puppets in his hands. For his own goals, Canaan uses this ability without any burden.

So, what can he give in return for this faith?

The two hobgoblins stood up and heard footsteps approaching outside. The door was pushed open and the hobgoblin shouted that the time was up. The three greenskins talked for a while, and the hobgoblin who had just arrived smiled at Canaan who was leaning against the wall. Looking at the other's pale face, it was obvious that he believed that his fellow tribe had "tortured" the elf.

It kicked Canaan in a domineering manner, and the latter frowned and looked at it with a cold look.

"What are you looking at? Sacrifice, get up quickly!"

The other party tried to drag him up, but Canaan slapped his hands away. He stood up and walked forward slowly but firmly. The furious hobgoblin wanted to say something, but was pulled away by his own kind seemingly unintentionally. He spat on the ground in dissatisfaction, not noticing the yearning hidden in the expressions of the other hobgoblins.

They trust this guide from the bottom of their hearts, even if there are dead ends and cliffs ahead.

......

The fire was burning fiercely, lighting up almost half of the sky. Hundreds of torches were surrounding the clearing.

The goblins of the entire tribe gathered in the square, and when they saw the team carrying the sacrifice, they tacitly separated and headed for the totem pillar. Each goblin's face was painted with red lines in blood, and under the light of the fire, their pupils were also drenched in the red of excitement and enthusiasm.

"Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!"

The devilish screams were deafening, and greedy glances were directed at the elf walking in the middle of the road. The latter looked up at the pillar engraved with intricate patterns without any fear.

Pictures were painted on the rough surface with dried blood, recording the great achievements of the Beast God after he became a god. After being repeatedly painted countless times, these pictures had settled into an indelible dark red. From a distance, they looked like a lurking ferocious beast, coldly overlooking the incoming sacrifices.

Canaan went up the mountain and came to the totem pillar. The three-meter-long heavy sacrificial table was covered with scarlet old animal skins. It was unknown how many living creatures had died in despair on this cushion.

Pika, wearing a priest's robe, stood trembling in front of the table, holding a black dagger in his hand. The goblin's eyes slid over the young man nervously, and then fled away. The leader stood beside it, looking at Canaan coldly.

"Tie him up and put him on the altar,"

The two hobgoblins who were guarding him immediately did as they were told, and together they placed the elf on the altar. The strong, almost tangible smell of blood washed over him, and the remaining dirt dyed the elf's shimmering hair red.

He did not speak. His eyes were like a mirror, reflecting the outside scene coldly and purely, without any ripples on the lake itself. This disappointed the leader who wanted to see him beg for mercy. But the time was up, so he could only glare at the other side fiercely, take a step forward and shout loudly: "Compatriots!"

All eyes were immediately focused on it. The goblins were completely silent, not even the sound of their breathing could be heard. The unusual silence made Pica feel uneasy.

Goblins are a chaotic race by nature, and they would not be so orderly unless they were trained. It had only seen such discipline in the noble soldiers... Its wandering thoughts were interrupted by the powerful voice of the leader, who grinned, revealing his sharp teeth.

"Shout out for the will of the beast god! He sent a messenger to redeem us!"

"Believe! Pray! Revenge! It was the despicable twelve gods who killed my god and harmed the goblins! We were supposed to be a race that conquered the world, but now we can only huddle here. Kill humans, kill dragons, kill elves, kill everything we can kill!"

It roared loudly, and its passionate speech was like surging molten lava, igniting the emotions of all the goblins. In the crazy shouting, only Pica was almost scared silly.

What are you talking about? Are you still awake? Not only do you want to kill people, but you also want to kill the dragon? Is it having another nightmare and hasn't woken up yet?

Amid the confusion, the goblins heard their leader continue.

"For the sake of the beast god, we dealt with heresy. For the sake of the beast god, we offered prayers."

"——The time for change is now! After tonight, we will restore the glory of the goblins!"

"Sacrifice to the great beast god!!"

"Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!"

All the goblins raised their hands, no matter they were old or young, male or female, big goblin or greenskin, they were all shouting at the top of their lungs. The leader showed a twisted smile on his face and suddenly pulled out the axe behind him. The axe blade reflected the cold light and pierced Pika's eyeball.

“——!!”

Pica's mind went blank, and he rolled to the ground subconsciously. The axe passed by him and chopped off the flower that the old goblin had carefully pinned on his shoulder today.

The leader slowly put away his axe, still smiling. He stared at Pica with vicious eyes and murmured, "What a pity. If the priests could not join us, I would definitely keep you. But it doesn't matter. You are also a good sacrifice."

This sentence exploded in Pika's mind, and he stared at the hobgoblin in front of him with his eyes wide open. Only the bravest and wisest hobgoblins can become leaders. Although the other party did not like him, even Pika, who was driven out of the tribe, had to admit that he was an excellent leader.

This hobgoblin has lived for the tribe since birth. When food is scarce, he goes into the Dark Forest to find food for the tribe from under the eyes of monsters. When snow falls, he will lead everyone to migrate. No goblin loves the tribe more than him. But why, why, why——

Pika's voice was trembling: "Did you kill the Great Elder?!"

"I didn't kill it. The Great Elder only made contributions to the tribe, including all the priests. They were too stubborn. The emissary came with a way to make us stronger, but they rejected this gift."

The leader sneered: "You say it's ominous, but we have so many hobgoblins now! On the other side of the mountain, there are more hobgoblins waiting for us to dispatch. I will restore the glory of the goblins, so that our people will no longer be forced to live in this barren mountain range. We will occupy the entire world and make all creatures who look down on the goblins regret it. I will let the high priests know, let all the goblins know - only I am right!"

"What about the other goblin tribes..."

"How can you please the beast god without offerings?"

The leader showed a look of pleasure on his face and raised the heavy and sharp axe again.

"I am the leader. I have to protect our tribe. The others are dead. They will become our strength. As for you... you are special, Pica. The angel said that as long as we sacrifice a goblin to you, the beast god will be resurrected immediately."

Pika wanted to run, but his feet suddenly felt very heavy. He looked down in surprise and saw wisps of black mist entangled his feet.

The black mist was as thin as a thread, and it was almost impossible to see anything. It looked for the source of the black mist, but saw that the goblins of the entire tribe were staring at it, and Pika found many familiar faces among them.

The old goblin who altered its clothes, the two green-skinned ones who brought it meals, the female goblin who gave it fruit, and the little goblins from whom it learned magic... they all stared at it with stiff eyes.

The black mist spread out from the goblins' bodies at an extremely slow speed, flowing along the ground and binding Pika's feet. Pika made a sound that sounded like crying and laughing from his throat, and his eyeballs suddenly turned red.

The black mist shared its thoughts. It heard every goblin in the tribe talking to it. Their voices were as cordial and warm as usual when they greeted each other, but what they said was:

"For everyone's sake, please die, Pica!"

Go to hell! Go to hell! For the tribe, for everyone, for the future of the goblins, for us, for the dead elders, for the goblins who sacrificed themselves, please die, die, die, die, die!!!

It turns out that strong expectations can also turn into poison. Pica's pupils slowly dilated, and he vaguely saw a goblin hanging on an iron pillar.

Its head drooped low, and the white hat of the executioner was reflected in its hollow eyes. Its body swayed in the air, was chopped into pieces, and was slammed into the sack by the complaining cleaners. Pika couldn't breathe, and could only watch helplessly as the axe above his head swung towards him, as if the horrible fantasy was becoming a reality.

The invisible pages of the book turned quickly, and the words on it were fading at an extremely fast speed, reappearing the life of the goblin Pika who was killed. The goblin's eyes became redder and redder, wrinkles of aging appeared on his face, his back gradually became hunched, and endless malice surged in his mind.

Just as the axe was about to fall and the shadow of the sack was about to appear behind it, a very crisp collision sound suddenly rang out on the altar. The two goblins turned their heads subconsciously and saw an expensive ruby ​​that had fallen to the ground. The cutting arc was extremely perfect. Even a king would be moved the moment he saw it. Indescribable greed instantly occupied their minds, and without even thinking, they rushed towards the gem at the same time!

Pica completely forgot that he was still tied up and fell heavily to the ground. Without the pressure of death, the half-transformed progress was forced to stop. Its wailing did not make the hobgoblin look back even once. The latter rushed to the gemstone and hid it in his arms. Only then did he realize what he had done with satisfaction.

Class C pollutants, "gems"!

One of the pollutants collected by the church, it looks like a valuable gem and can trigger greed in everyone within ten meters. Anyone who sees it will rush to grab it involuntarily, even at the cost of their life.

The temptation of the "gem" does not distinguish between enemies and friends. It has no offensive power and the defense is very simple. Therefore, it is useless in actual combat. If the opponent does not fall into the trap when you close your eyes, isn't it just waiting for death? When Santo saw the Son take away this pollutant, he was very puzzled.

But at that time, the young man realized that he could not only face the bloodline people. There were more ordinary people in this world. Greed and malice would create chaos, and at some point, this chaos might come in handy.

For example, now.

The goblin leader turned around with a gloomy face, and the silver-haired young man on the altar had already stood up. He opened his tightly closed eyes, quickly took the dagger from Pika's hand, pushed Pika aside, and took the heavy blow from the axe with his backhand!

Canaan's arm went numb. It was impossible to fight head-on with a weapon that was not of the same weight. As an elite among elite hobgoblins, the leader easily judged the difference in strength between the enemy and us. A sly smile appeared on its face. Although it was somewhat surprised by the opponent's means, it did not prevent it from continuing to chop at the young man's seemingly defenseless neck.

The elf swiftly retracted the blade, and the last glimmer of light in his eyes slanted upwards from below. His smooth skin suddenly turned into a thin layer of light mist, which briefly eased the impact of the axe in mid-air before vanishing without a trace.

But this short moment was enough for the young man to smoothly take off his "outer garment" and retreat backwards. The silver-white hair curled up in the air. The tiny energy dispersed, and the sudden turn made all the goblins standing under the altar unable to react. But the two big goblins closest to him looked up at the young man's figure and suddenly grinned.

This smile came suddenly, and before the other hobgoblins around could react, the two hobgoblins shouted, "Master Priest! We are willing to follow you forever!!"

The priest's gaze seemed to fall on them for a moment. The next second, the skin of the two hobgoblins suddenly exploded when they came into contact with the energy.

The outflowing black mist was directly swallowed and transformed, becoming more energy that spread out, soaking the bodies of the surrounding hobgoblins, piercing their bones and blood, and swallowing the black mist. Over and over again, the waves of light spread and stretched, and in an instant, they enveloped the goblins in the entire village!

[Heaven], which had been short of energy since arriving here, finally found a supply, just like a hungry beast suddenly discovered a wild buffet and plunged in without hesitation.

The leader was shocked and angry, but he knew that action is faster than words, so he took a step forward and chased the cunning deceiver and chopped him down fiercely. But the young man did not dodge. Facing the attack, he let out a long breath, and there was a faint glow in the depths of his pupils.

"Wherever He goes, there is heaven. There are rivers of milk and honey flowing, and everyone is pious and good."

The saints walking in the wilderness are not afraid of the sword, and all the filth is driven out.

Layers of translucent flower vines grew in the wind from under his feet, and in the blink of an eye, they blossomed into crystal buds, each with thirty-two full and plump petals. Butterflies born from the stamens danced gracefully, accompanied by finely scattered powdery light, conveying a light fragrance that soothed the soul.

His long silver hair was sparkling, and he was wearing tattered clothes brought from the monster cave, but at this moment, what all the goblins saw was a pure white robe. Their bodies were melting in the dazzling light, but their faces were already covered with tears without them noticing.

The guilty, the lost, the hopeless, the irrecoverable, the powerless, please listen to this prophecy.

Wherever you step on is the kingdom of heaven. Those who bow down here can find peace and rest; those who follow this person can hear the gospel.

This is the prelude to destruction, and this is the future of rebirth. Destruction, reshaping, purification, absorption. Pika stared blankly at this destructive scene, and even felt a sense of fear in his heart.

It seemed to hear the rustling sound of turning pages, and the erased words reappeared on the pages, madly writing page after page of the story.

In the explosively growing [Heaven], the saint was like a statue without joy or sorrow, silently watching the fanatical believers fall to the ground with tears in their eyes. When the black mist was dispelled, all that was left here were frail skins.

All the shouts seemed like a dream. This was not an altar, but a burial ground for the goblins. The goblin leader's eyes were bloodshot, and he cried out inhumanly from his chest: "What have you done? You killed my people. I want you to pay for your lives. I want all of you to die!"

Under the strong hatred, it actually resisted the transformation of [Heaven], turned around and slammed into the totem column! With a crisp sound, the body of the hobgoblin fell softly.

The scarlet-dyed totem pillars emitted a dazzling light. Strange waves spread out, penetrating the hills and forests, and echoed with another place in the mountains.

The ground was shaking, the forest was engulfed, and the sky was covered by dark clouds, not even a ray of light could be seen. A furious howl came from the wind, like a roar spanning ancient times and the primeval world, shaking the hearts and minds of those who heard it.

The ground was becoming soft, like human skin. In the distance, a black fog was spreading like a tide, withering everything it touched, and birds and animals fled in panic, not daring to stay in the low places; those who stopped to move turned into pale corpses in the groaning. The winding flower vines were attached to the ground, and in the perception of the vines and leaves, something was slowly awakening deep underground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

This was a voice that Canaan was very familiar with. An indescribable heartbeat surged deep in the earth. Pica stared at this scene blankly, muttering in his mind: "The blood of the beast god sprayed on the land and evolved into this grassland; His bones turned into gold and iron, and His body turned into mountains..."

No wonder these craftsmen are willing to lurk here.

The goblin legend is true. This mountain is really the corpse of the beast god. If it is true as Pica said, that creatures who speak his name in the mountain will go crazy, then it means that this body already has the "logic" that pollutants follow. For craftsmen, this is nothing short of a God-given material.

The reason why they colluded with the goblins, held rituals, and hid here for so long is that these crazy believers must want to revive the corpses and forge them into the living pollutants they dream of!

As for what will happen to this world? Please, is there really anyone who can reason with a madman? If pollution had come a few years earlier or a few years later, would the future be different? Of course it is impossible, so there is no need to worry about it. How many people died in this world has nothing to do with them in the future!

The priest stared expressionlessly at the sacrificial pillar covered with red and white objects. In the surging black mist, [Heaven] was emitting a lonely light. Many panicked beasts discovered this place and rushed in directly.

Soon, the goblin tribe was filled with creatures of different species. Even the mortal enemies who usually killed each other would lie on the ground obediently and not dare to offend.

After a while, an unpleasant "Ga!" sounded in the sky, and a group of black and gray birds and beasts flapped their wings and unceremoniously occupied the roofs of all the mud houses with them.

It quacked twice at Canaan, as if urging him to do something. But the silver-haired young man just glanced at it, and the bird stopped humming obediently, looking as if it knew what was best for it.

Pica looked at the goblin skins on the ground, looking confused and at a loss, not even knowing what to say or do. Overnight, his tribe was gone, or in other words, when the goblin accepted the temptation of the so-called messenger of God, his home was gone.

But it didn't stay in this mood for long, as it was interrupted by the young man's cold voice: "We have to go and solve this matter."

The goblin raised his head and saw the other person raising his hand and wiping the blood off the totem with his fingertips, revealing the interlaced and mottled patterns underneath. It was a burly god with a bull's head, a human body, a tiger's tail and lion's claws, and his eyes were narrow snake pupils looking at the worshippers. He sat between all the pictures, like a king high above, with a series of patterns drawn below him with complex and gorgeous lines.

The Beast God was born from all the beasts. He was born without any written language. So the tribe that worshipped him carved his name on totem pillars with pictures. Believers with talent would get the permission of the Beast God and be able to identify his name through these pictures, thus becoming his priests. But after the death of the Beast God, the priests lost this ability and could only pass on the name orally from generation to generation.

Therefore, priests are an indispensable part of the tribe. They are not only guides of wisdom, but also witnesses of the great history of the goblins. Especially for the goblin tribes living in the mountains, even if they see priests from other tribes, they will show great respect.

For Canaan, when he saw this string of lines, the name of God that no one else knew was already flowing on his lips. The believer lowered his eyes, twirled the blood on his fingertips, took out the mask and threw it to the goblin, then turned and walked towards the altar.

Pika followed subconsciously, so fast that it was a little surprised. It seemed that it had not thought about whether it would die or whether it could be of any use. When it realized that the other party was going to look for the culprit, the goblin's body followed subconsciously.

Behind them was a vast flock of birds and beasts. Although Canaan did not speak, all the animals realized that leaving here would only lead to death. Within the scope of the [Kingdom of Heaven], all the animals were in perfect order, like a ceremonial procession following a bishop.

This small army crossed the darkness and headed straight for its distant destination. The black fog dissipated wherever it passed, and was continuously replenished by new fog. Canaan didn't mind these, or he only had one goal.

The young man at the front of the team cast his gaze into the darkness in the distance and moved his lips slightly.

He didn't hear the expected response.