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Twenty years into the founding of the Great Jin, this was perhaps the harshest winter humanity had ever faced!

The Northern Territory...

It was the cold season of the twelfth lunar month.

Although spring had not yet arrived, it was still a major festival in the Central Plains once a year, however, there was not the slightest festive atmosphere in the Northern Territory.

In fact, before the opening of the Celestial Serpent Palace, the Earth Serpents awakened from beneath the ground, unable to suppress their bestial nature, and nearly drove the people of the Northern Territory to extinction.

Who would be there to celebrate a festival in this place?

By now, everyone knew that the north had become the land occupied by serpent demons, and even the most daring of traders dared not approach this area easily at this time...

Yet during this festival of the cold season, there was still a large group of ragged people who, braving the winter snows, entered the Serpent Mouth Demon Cave!

Leading them were a group of priests clad in Snow Wolf Skin, as well as a group of strong and powerful Martial Artists, and those being whipped and ushered in were a group of men and women, old and young, with numb expressions, yet their bodies seemed anything but frail.

"We’ve arrived..."

At the gate of the city, the leading elder took a long breath, and his breath formed a conspicuous white mist among the snowflakes falling from the sky. It was clear that the elder seemed aged, but his vitality was by no means weak; he was unmistakably a Bloodline Warrior.

But, neither the elder nor the robust soldiers behind him dared to activate their bloodlines to resist the winter cold, fearing they might provoke the savage and terrifying beings opposite them.

The elder picked up a horn, took a deep breath, and blew into it. The profound sound stirred the snow and fog within the city walls, and the next second, an enormous figure appeared, making everyone involuntarily shudder.

A Giant Serpent, immeasurably large, its body was many times larger than the majestic city itself, almost covering the sky and blotting out the sun.

Moreover, the serpent had arrived soaring through the air, coiling in the sky with its massive body fully exposed, exerting an immense sense of pressure that was simply overwhelming!

"Kneel!" the elder barked tremulously, bowing his head first. All the soldiers hastily knelt down, and the ragged slaves were whipped into kneeling quickly too.

"This time... not bad..." The Giant Serpent coiled in the high sky, its voice as deep as a muffled drum, looking at the slaves who, despite their tattered clothes, still appeared strong and healthy. The giant serpent’s head nodded ever so slightly!

The elder lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to look directly at the other figure, trembling as he said, "If the Venerable One is satisfied, that is good!"

Half a year ago, the Northern Territory had completely fallen to these terrifying Giant Serpents. The people of the Northern Wasteland, upon seeing the fate of the Northern Territory, were so frightened that they prepared to relocate en masse, crossing the Arctic.

But the despair sent by the heavens was far from over!

For some unknown reason, the surrounding demons and wild beasts suddenly grew much stronger in power!

Now, five-meter-tall Giant Wolves could appear in the wilderness at any time—creatures that were once at the Wolf King level among demons, but now were seemingly everywhere, making the wild lands of the Northern Wasteland extremely dangerous.

The armed forces of several countries had attempted to break through several times, only to become bloody prey!

Most demons even brazenly tore up their former pacts, preparing for a massive invasion of the Northern Wasteland countries, when the Giant Serpents from the Northern Territory suddenly visited.

However, to everyone’s surprise, what these massive serpents brought was not destruction, but stability!

They killed the demons that had wanted to annihilate them, and furthermore, they even handed over the flesh and blood of the demons to the people to help them endure the foodless winter...

This situation was completely unexpected by the ten countries of the Northern Wasteland.

The Giant Serpents did not extinguish them as they had the Northern Territory but instead bestowed upon them demon flesh and fur, providing them with enough food and warm fur to last the winter, an existence akin to that of a savior.

Of course... it was not without conditions.

What the Giant Serpents demanded was that a certain number of humans be offered as a sacrifice every so often!

Thus, the current scene unfolded where people from the Northern Wasteland Country were eagerly bringing captives to this place that no one dared to approach before.

In the next instant, countless objects, heavy with the stench of blood, fell from the sky. The leading elder watched those falling items with excitement, not the slightest bit put off by the thick scent of blood, and the robust soldiers also showed a greedy look!

It was the flesh of demons, highly nourishing for one’s blood and vital energy, especially that of the blood bones, which, when stewed into a thick soup, could replenish one’s essence and energize the body, equivalent to half a month’s cultivation, even more effective than top-grade elixirs!

To be honest, when these monsters first demanded human sacrifices, many of the noble families of the Northern Wasteland were opposed to it. But now, who would object?

A few mere commoners in exchange for such precious treasures was simply too good a deal. Many noble families even regretted that these Giant Serpents hadn’t come earlier!

"Remember, the next time you bring people, they must be stronger, don’t be greedy....."

The Giant Serpent’s voice carried a warning...

The old Priest nodded repeatedly. A noble family from a neighboring country had been too greedy before, unwilling to feed the sacrifices with demon flesh and blood, using only some coarse grains to keep them alive.

As a result, each one of them was as thin as a bag of bones; when they were brought over, the Giant Serpent was extremely angry.

It devoured the soldiers and the Priest who delivered them, and with several of its terrifying kin, it consumed half the people of that country.

It was then that every noble family realized that these horrifying creatures were the monsters that had devoured billions of citizens from the Northern Territory!

"Venerable One, rest assured, we will certainly satisfy you."

"Go....."

This smooth process made every soldier of the bloodline descendants smile, each one of them working hard when transporting the demon flesh. Yet, they completely ignored the compatriots taken away by the Giant Serpent.

Women and children finally started to wail in terror at the last moment before being taken by the Giant Serpent.

But it was of no use. The eyes of the Giant Serpent were cold as ice, and so were the countless huge serpent eyes in the city, and even colder were those soldiers who delivered the demon flesh and didn’t look back.....

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Murong Family in the Northern Wolf Country.....

The Great Elder of the Murong Family, Murong Yunbo, was sitting in the main hall, looking at the young Magicians rushing back, he stood up excitedly!

The other Elders were also somewhat excited as they looked over. Clearly, the junior capable of crossing the Northern Sea was of utmost importance to the Murong Family at this time.....

Jiangnan..... Is there really a way to send people safely over?

"Elders, ancestors!" The young Magician removed her snow cap, revealing her pretty face, and after shaking off the snow from her body, she immediately performed a respectful greeting.

"Good, good, good, it’s good that you’ve come back safely, come back safely!" The Elder went forward, took his granddaughter back to the seat smiling, and said happily, "Tell us, what are the people from Jiangnan saying?"

All the Elders perked up their ears, listening for the answer.

Half a year ago, the Murong Family had wanted to follow the example of the Northern Territory’s people and cross the Northern Sea to establish themselves in Jiangnan.

But they had not been able to make contact with the other side until three months ago when the girl finally sent a message; they had almost given up by then.

"Not the eldest brother, do we really have to relocate?"

Suddenly, a man from the Murong Family who looked robust and not at all like a Magician spoke up.

Now under the protection of the Giant Serpent, all the noble families willing to sacrifice humans were getting high-grade demon flesh periodically. With such an opportunity to empower their clans, and not as uninformed as they were three months ago, why would they move to Jiangnan?

"Do you really want to stay under the clutches of the serpent forever?

" The Great Elder glared at him, "Do you think those demons are being kind-hearted? The human sacrifices can’t stop.

Right now, the supply of slaves from various countries is still sufficient, but what happens once the slaves are all used up?

Where will people for the sacrifices come from?

Will you use those who follow you, your people? "

"Uh... Once they are gone, we’ll just capture more!" The man said nonchalantly, "Slaves, aren’t they something you can have anywhere you want?"

"Capture?" The Great Elder scoffed, "All the major families want to please those Giant Serpents now.

Slave prices are skyrocketing. They are selling for ten gold a person in the market, and these are just the weak, women, and children.

Young and strong ones are even more expensive.

Do you think we can keep up like this? What do you think will happen when the prices become unsustainable? "

"What could happen?" The big man asked naively.

Several Elders couldn’t be bothered to look at his foolishness, only the Great Elder patiently sighed and said, "Let me ask you, when do you think slaves are acquired the fastest?"

"During war!" The big man blurted out, quickly realizing the implication.

"Exactly, in war!" The Great Elder inhaled deeply, "No country, not even the cruelest Northern Demon Country, would openly use their own citizens for human sacrifices to demons. It would shake their foundations. The only possibility is through war!"

"Once war breaks out... who ends up as slaves could become very uncertain.

...." The Great Elder said ominously, "Do you think you’re just trading some lowly slaves for ample demon flesh?

But have you ever thought about it? One day, could the Murong Family fall so low that even our weak, women, and children will be forced to be sacrificed to the Serpent? "