Deep in the Living
Chapter 178 - 172: Worshiping the Gods

Chapter 178: Chapter 172: Worshiping the Gods

The island village was built against the mountain,

which is also the only mountain on the island, about two hundred meters tall, with lush vegetation.

Hundreds of villagers gathered on the open ground outside the temple’s entrance, from which one could step onto the mountain trail.

All sorts of offerings were also ready,

including three monkeys tied to a bamboo litter,

a jar filled with poisonous insects,

a spotted deer tied up by its limbs and hanging upside down from a bamboo pole,

and an apparently delicate metal box, though nobody knew what was inside.

The team responsible for carrying the offerings was at the forefront, led by an elder holding a lantern.

The remaining villagers followed behind, not carrying any illumination tools, and simply bowed their heads, moving forward by following the steps of the person ahead.

Ten tourists who had come to experience primitive life were arranged to follow at the back, required to remain quiet throughout, as any words would be disrespectful to the Mountain God and could even invite unseen punishment.

All the villagers were muttering an unknown lingo, Luo Di had heard many types of Huaxia dialects, but he couldn’t understand this language at all.

And the documentary crew, also at the back of the procession, was using hidden cameras to secretly record the entire ceremony, occasionally turning to film the area where Hua Yuan was located.

Walking up the winding mountain path for a hundred meters, they finally reached a section of the mountain waist with a gentle slope and even a platform-like structure; the trees here were completely cut down, leaving a large open space.

As everyone set foot here, their attention was immediately drawn to a special structure between the mountains.

A mysterious and dark cave was not far ahead,

with clear signs of human modification, cemented walls, and stone child figures placed on both sides of the entrance.

An open stone altar was constructed directly in front of the cave,

and the very ritual of honoring the god was being held here.

All sorts of bound living creatures were arranged in a certain order and placement on the altar, with the mysterious and refined box placed at the center.

The monkeys and spotted deer, weak from being tied up for too long, suddenly began to shriek loudly as if they feared something, something within the cave.

A few elder villagers started to dance around the altar.

The other villagers kneeled on the ground, forming seals with their hands and burying their heads deeply.

Luo Di and others kneeled on the outermost part, silently observing the ritual, their gazes involuntarily drawn to the cave as if something truly existed in that dark depth.

Suddenly,

the village’s oldest elder raised his arm and pointed towards Luo Di, speaking in an incomprehensible dialect,

and the guide accompanying the tour group began to translate:

"The village chief says they have established contact with the Mountain God and have explained to him that you have offered a significant amount of money to support the village’s development and have participated in the god-worshipping ceremony with great sincerity.

The Mountain God is pleased and wishes for you, the outsider, to represent and help complete the final offering.

It’s simple, you just need to open that sealed metal box.

Such a rare opportunity, if you could gain the favor of the Mountain God, you’ll be guaranteed health and peace for the rest of your life.

Of course~ if you’re unwilling, we won’t force you."

Although the guide spoke of no coercion, all the villagers kneeling on the ground turned their heads and stared at Luo Di who was chosen.

"Go..."

The voice of one of the sisters came through.

Clearly, they had already checked the metal box and found no issue. Moreover, this unexpected opportunity might yield more valuable clues.

Luo Di nodded his head, and as he stood up and walked towards the altar, the villagers along the way stepped aside.

Although he couldn’t understand what the village chief was saying, he could feel the pressing urgency for Luo Di to quickly open the metal box on the altar and complete the final Sacrifice.

Then, the ritual dance and various sounds at the site ceased altogether.

The scene with hundreds of people fell completely silent,

everyone waiting for the last step of the offering sacrifice.

The silent anticipation urged Luo Di to squat down and touch the edge of the metal box. The pituitary implanted in the back of his hand was ready to activate, prepared for any danger that might emerge from within the box.

Click!

He opened the box.

The light of the stars shone into the box,

revealing an eye,

an eye with a bright red nerve tail placed inside,

It seemed to have just been peeled off, even writhing amidst the box.

This eyeball was all too familiar to Luo Di.

Upon seeing the eyeball, half of Luo Di’s vision was stripped away, as if returning to the dream from last night, back to when his eye slipped from its socket.

In a hurry to retrieve it then, he accidentally dropped the eyeball into the drainage hole.

Unexpectedly, it appeared here... as an offering for a sacrifice.

No, that’s not right,

There is an obvious disconnect in the logic between the two events,

One is a dream, the current ceremony of worshipping the god is reality. Moreover, how could the eyeball lost in the pool of the dream appear in a distant island village as an offering?

However,

A heavy sense weighed upon Luo Di’s mind, interrupting his logical and rational thinking, forcibly linking the two events together.

Despite Luo Di’s deep aversion and disdain for fear, at this very moment, an inexplicable sense of fear sprouted anew; it seems this emotion couldn’t simply be erased by willpower alone.

As this sensation of fear emerged, it forced him to lift his head and look towards the cave directly in front of him.

Changes had occurred in the cave as viewed with his single-eye vision,

Within that dark depth, a few colors twinkled,

These colors weren’t luster, but seemed more like some kind of creatures, and they were surging towards the cave’s mouth.

Click! The sound of the tongue clicking.

This tongue-click was not as loud as before, but it still shattered the scene before his eyes.

The imagery cut off.

There was nothing in front of Luo Di, just a normal cave. As for the metal box, there was no eyeball in it either, only a piece of skin that had long since dried up, which, due to its creases and patterns, only resembled an eyeball.

The guide’s voice came from behind.

"The worshiping ceremony is over now, Mr. Di, we can leave."

"Hmm."

Luo Di shook his head and returned to his team, leaving the mountainous area with the villagers.

As he descended the mountain, Luo Di still looked back at the eerie cave and the offerings placed not far away; the monkey seemed to have completely despaired, its eyes wide open, no longer calling out.

Back to the village.

The village chief also arranged a banquet close to modernity, a night barbecue, to properly entertain these travelers who had come from afar.

After feasting and drinking, everyone returned to their own rooms.

The four sisters had already made plans for the late-night hours to come, not to mention Luo Di’s unusual reaction during the sacrifice ceremony.

After staying in the house for a while, once most of the villagers had gone back to their rooms to rest, they quietly headed to the mountainside worshipped earlier, using the cover of night and shadows.

Needless to say,

The cave had to be explored.

Shortly after the five-person squad left the room, a middle-aged man from the documentary crew couldn’t suppress his inner turmoil and took the initiative to seek them out.

He wanted to invite Hua Yuan over for drinks at their place and was even excessively persistent about it, determined not to give up until his aim was reached.

After knocking on the door for a long time without a response, the bald man actually went around to the window attempting to peep inside, but the inside had already been covered with newspapers and was not visible.

And a companion of his was actually able to pick locks, effortlessly opening the flimsy wooden door.

As they burst into the room with strong desires, hoping to pounce on Hua Yuan, it was empty.

"Where have they gone!?"

"No, we must find Miss Hua Yuan tonight!"

...

In the mountains behind, at the entrance of the cave.

The five individuals were standing in front of the altar,

The offerings that were there just two hours ago had all disappeared, leaving only bamboo poles, a pot, and a metal box.

It was as if something had accepted the offerings and finished its meal here.

The five were still disguised as young people who loved adventure and were curious about the unknown, and after some discussion, they decided to head deeper into the cave to investigate, just like the doomed crews in horror movies.

Because the cave was narrow, at most only two people could walk side by side.

Little Eye, with her arm around Shea’s, feigned a frightened look and walked at the forefront.

Hua Yuan and the class president huddled together in the middle, while Luo Di, the only male of the group, was responsible for bringing up the rear, also carrying a special and somewhat bulging hiking backpack.