645 The Sacrificial Altar! (1/2)

The sight affirmed what Wang Baole had guessed previously, but seeing it with his own eyes still shook him to the core. He couldn't help but gulp.

The millstone was enormous. It was comprised of two plates, the lower piece unmoving while the upper piece was connected to nine handles and continuously rotated and ground against the lower plate. The grinding made a loud rumbling. It seemed as if nothing could escape being crushed if it fell between the two plates. Wang Baole recalled both towering beasts he had seen while on this world. He concluded, without much difficulty, that there must be some sort of power in this world that was compelling nine towering dead beasts into pulling the millstone's nine enormous handles. The beasts were forced into running around in circles in order to keep the millstone turning!

Each beast was undoubtedly chained. Even the slightest decrease in speed would trigger the runes on the chains, transforming said runes into invisible whips that would whip the beasts into movement. It was an endless cycle of slavery and pain.

Such scale was truly shocking!

Wang Baole narrowed his eyes instinctively. He knelt on the log as he stared at the millstone in the distance. He could see countless bones piled up into numerous mountains under the millstone, and shriveled up puppets moved swiftly as they dragged and flung skeletons into the millstone.

The millstone continued its grinding, and the skeletons thrown in were instantly crushed and ground to fine dust. Blackened blood and minced flesh dripped down the walls of the millstone, but most ended up lost in the millstone, as if devoured.

Wang Baole's distaste towards the Never-Ending Clan grew at the sight, and it took him some time before he was able to calm himself down. Once he had, he inched forward carefully, and the rumbling grew louder as he approached the millstone. It was then that Wang Baole saw a sunken depression in the middle of the millstone.

Within it sat a figure!

It appeared insignificant compared to the enormous millstone. That was why Wang Baole hadn't noticed it until he had drawn nearer and gotten a closer look. It was a figure of an Never-Ending Clan cultivator!

He couldn't tell if he was dead or alive. The eyes on all three of the cultivator's heads were shut, his six arms limp by his side. He might be meditating, or he might have died in that position. There was an absence of vitality on the person. Dark, postmortem bruises could be seen all over the cultivator's body.

Wang Baole studied the Never-Ending Clan cultivator before him instead of acting rashly. He was worried about Zhao Yameng and the rest, as well as the danger involved in the current mission. He had no idea how he was going to escape. Regardless, he knew that there was no point in panicking now that he was already here.

He clenched his teeth and forced himself to shove his anxieties aside, an icy calm settling in his eyes. He knelt there and continued to observe the millstone as it continued its grinding. He wanted to observe the situation for a while longer so that he might discover any loopholes or faults.

Time passed slowly as Wang Baole continued watching patiently. Seven days went by.

In those seven days, he noticed that it took the log exactly seven days to go one full circle around the millstone. He even noted the rate at which the millstone ground the skeletons, though the information proved to be of little use. The millstone was like an extremely fine-tuned and powerful machine that continued turning without pause during those seven days.

The puppets shifting the skeletons and the Never-Ending Clan cultivator sitting on the millstone were identical in that regard. It was as if they had become immortalized in time.

There's no way I can get closer if nothing changes. I have no way of destroying the sacrificial altar… Wang Baole frowned. He shoved down his feelings of anxiety and unease and continued to wait. He didn't have to wait as long this time. After three days, something changed.

It wasn't the millstone or the puppets but the entire world that changed. Wang Baole was perched on an elevated position, which gave him a greater field of vision. He could see the distant skies turning crimson red. It was as if a red mist was rapidly racing towards him!

Loud rumbling came from all directions, growing louder by the moment. Wang Baole could see a black mass in the distance, charging towards him!