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The Two Hundred and Eighty Pound Fat Girl and Her Five Husbands-Chapter 306: Illusion
Chapter 306
As Gu Shan held Lin Zaozao in his arms and walked onto the Praying Platform with Han Ye and the others, the sky had already darkened.
Everyone looked at the torches surrounding the Praying Platform and the people gathered outside. Their eyes flickered with a hint of darkness.
Especially Ruo Qiu, Ji Fantian, and Xiao Taohua, when they saw the men holding golden masks standing beside Uncle Zhang and Dashan, their eyes widened in shock.
These people were clearly the twenty-six Dark Priests from the Sacrificial Hall of Han Country.
When those twenty-six Dark Priests met the astonished gazes of Ruo Qiu and the others, they merely smiled faintly, offering no explanation.
Ji Fantian, Ruo Qiu, and Xiao Taohua exchanged glances, their hearts filled not just with shock, but utter disbelief.
They never imagined that those highly skilled Dark Priests guarding the Sacrificial Hall were the very suitors Uncle Zhang had cultivated for Lin Zaozao.
Ruo Qiu, Ji Fantian, and Xiao Taohua remembered those noblemen who often flirted shamelessly with Lin Zaozao. They never expected their other identities to be those elusive Dark Priests.
No wonder Lord Han Ye had such a peculiar expression when Uncle Zhang introduced those young masters to Lin Zaozao upon her return to Han Country!
They were already acquainted.
Yet it was understandable for those well-groomed Dark Priests. To conceal their identities, they had to put on different facades in public and in private.
Those people dressed in snow-white robes, sitting properly at the outermost edge of the Praying Platform, were the Tianshan Baichi Clan, Ye Yi's paternal clan. They had been summoned from the Tianshan Mountains by Ye Xi Princess specifically for this sacrificial rite.
At this moment, everyone except Han Ye, who wore black, had changed into white garments. 𝔣𝖗𝔢𝔢𝔴𝖊𝖇𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖊𝔩.𝔠𝔬𝖒
However, their white robes appeared splattered with fresh blood, though visually striking, the sight could be oppressive and breathtaking at first glance.
After the crowd settled in concentric circles around the Praying Platform, Gu Shan placed Lin Zaozao on the central sacrificial altar.
Unlike Ye Yi, Xiao Liuli, Xiao Taohua, and the others, he sat closest to Lin Zaozao's sleeping face, his gaze fixed intently upon her.
No one dared to object to Gu Shan's actions.
After all, the success of this sacrificial rite hinged greatly on his crucial role.
In his previous life, Gu Shan had been a Nightmare.
Only a Nightmare's abilities could allow one to travel back in time.
"The sacrificial rite has begun, but why are two people still missing? Where are Ye Xi and the Wizard?" asked Han Ye, Han Xibei, Lin Wuwu, and Lin Wanwan with furrowed brows as they sat around Lin Zaozao on the sacrificial platform.
"Don't worry, we're here! This isn't just a simple rain-summoning ritual; it's a true sacrificial rite. To ensure its smooth progress, we must be fully prepared."
Dressed in white, Ye Xi led a man by the hand, walking through the crowd on the Praying Platform toward Lin Zaozao.
When everyone saw the man Ye Xi was leading, their mouths twitched involuntarily.
Tsk!
Another shameless character.
"What are you all staring at? Haven't you seen my exquisite beauty before? It's just a shaved beard! You're all gawking like you've never seen the world before.
Yokels! Bumpkins! Ogres! Midgets!"
"Enough with the insults, Wizard. It's time to begin."
Gu Shan, holding Lin Zaozao's hand, gave the Wizard a disdainful glance.
"Tsk! Demon Lord, Nightmare, you're just envious of my otherworldly beauty. After all, few men can match my stunning looks and sturdy physique."
As the Wizard reached to stroke his beard, his hand grasped at empty air. His hand froze for a moment before he sighed and withdrew it.
If not for this sacrificial rite, he would never have shaved off his beard!
His magnificent facial hair!
It had taken him so much effort to grow that majestic beard!
If not for Lin Zaozao, that little runt, he would never have shaved it off!
Standing beside the Wizard, Ye Xi looked up at his feminine, almost jade-like face with disdain in her eyes.
A grown man with a body as large and robust as a black bear, yet a face as delicate and alluring as a bewitching little demon.
Such a mismatched combination of physique and features in one person was indeed peculiar. No wonder the Wizard usually kept a long beard.
Without it, his striking appearance would undoubtedly draw excessive attention.
Yet the Wizard's long beard had also attracted its fair share of admiring glances, for it was a rarity in this world.
"Ye Xi, Wizard, it's time. Stop dallying and take your positions. The sacrificial rite is about to commence," Han Ye said as the clouds obscured the moonlight.
Those encircling the Praying Platform, layer after layer, gazed upward before slashing their wrists with sharp blades, allowing fresh blood to drip into the grooves around the platform.
The blood trickled together, flowing toward the sacrificial altar where Lin Zaozao lay.
Once all the blood had pooled beneath Lin Zaozao's altar, her suitors also cut their wrists, dripping blood into the grooves.
As the blood flowed beneath Lin Zaozao's altar, Ye Xi and the Wizard, both dressed in white, took positions at her head and feet, beginning the ritual dance.
Their dance was both eerie and sacred.
Amid their silent, ritualistic movements, waves of ringing bells echoed from all directions around the sacrificial platform.
Within those undulating peals, the blood pooled beneath Lin Zaozao's altar began to rise, slowly converging upon her body.
When all that fresh blood flowed over Lin Zaozao's body, the crimson blood did not stain her white robe. Instead, it turned into streams of red light, tightly enveloping Lin Zaozao's body.
At that moment, Gu Shan stood up from the ground. His body was surrounded by black energy, and his black eyes had turned blood-red.
His blood-red eyes stared fixedly at Lin Zaozao, who was enveloped in the red light. To everyone's shock, he charged straight at her.
In the next second, the red light surrounding Lin Zaozao disappeared without a trace.
Along with the disappearance of the red light, Lin Zaozao, who was lying on it, and Gu Shan, who had charged over, also vanished.
Han Ye and Han Xibei gazed at the empty sacrificial altar and let out a long sigh. Zaozao had returned to the past, and their sacrificial abilities had also returned to her.
With the sacrificial abilities suddenly gone, their bodies were now extremely weak. Fortunately, Xi Luo had given them a 'pregnancy protection' medicine under the guise of protecting the fetus, which saved their lives.
They turned around and saw that Lin Wuwu and Lin Wanwan, who had been guarding the edge of the sacrificial altar, had also disappeared along with Lin Zaozao's departure. Even the wave-like ringing sound from the prayer altar had vanished.
They had all left...
Returning to their previous lives, returning to the illusion created by Ye Xi, to search for their own memories.
The motionless Ye Xi and the Wizard raised their heads, gazing at the bright moon that had emerged from behind the dark clouds, a myriad of emotions welling up within them.
The true test had only just begun.
They hoped that when Zaozao encountered difficulties in that realm, she would still be able to persevere and quickly recall the events from her previous life.
"Han Ye, Han Xibei, are you both alright?"
"We're fine."
Han Ye and Han Xibei supported each other as they slowly rose from the ground. Suddenly losing their sacrificial abilities had made their bodies truly too weak.
"Princess Ye Xi, Wizard, did you follow my instructions and make any adjustments during the sacrificial process?"
"Yes, yes, we did. The place where Zaozao has gone is an illusion we created together. I was able to make some minor adjustments.
Lord Han Ye, after Zaozao returns to the illusion of her previous life, I certainly won't let her suffer too much.
After all, I'm letting her go back to find her memories, not to relive all the suffering she endured in her previous life."
Ye Xi rolled her eyes and said bluntly.
"That's good. Aside from Gu Shan being able to return to the past and interfere with Zaozao's previous life memories, did you arrange for anyone else?"
Han Xibei stepped forward anxiously and asked Ye Xi.
"Xi Luo goes without saying, he can enter the illusion we created on his own.
As for the others' memories in the illusion, I altered all those that I could change. For those I couldn't change, well, I had no choice. After all, I'm just one person, not a god.
However..."
"However, what?"
Han Ye asked urgently.
"However, I may have altered a bit too much, and I'm afraid the wretched creature inside Zaozao might notice the discrepancies.
If that wretched creature inside Zaozao discovers the clues, I'm afraid something terrible might happen."
Ye Xi sighed.
"It's all up to us now. We've done everything we can, and the rest is left to fate.
Nevertheless, I believe in Zaozao. She will surely find a way to deal with that accursed creature."
Han Ye couldn't help but sigh.
"Han Ye, don't just stand there. You and Han Xibei are both carrying Zaozao's children. Now that you've lost your sacrificial abilities, you should rest quickly!
Otherwise, I'm afraid your bodies won't last until Zaozao returns from the illusion. If anything happens to you two, how could Zaozao accept it?"
Ye Xi approached Han Ye and Han Xibei and said with a sigh.
"Ye Xi, how can we rest peacefully when Zaozao hasn't returned from the illusion?
After all, her past has always been what we've been trying to escape. If it weren't necessary, how could we possibly make her recall those memories?"
Han Ye stroked his slightly protruding belly, his eyes filled not only with fatigue but also with uncontrollable fear.
If his dear Zaozao regained her memories in the illusion they created, would she still be willing to return and be with him?
Now, he only hoped that Zaozao would return from the painful memories of her previous life for the sake of the child in his womb.
"Lord Han Ye, Han Xibei, for your safety, I think you should come with me to Tianshan."
Your bodies have already weakened to the extreme. If we delay any further, I'm afraid you won't even last until Zaozao returns."
"Then we'll have to trouble Princess Ye Xi."