We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 698: There are people in the shrine

The shrine is located in a corner of the city and is inconspicuous.

Along the way, the witch often saw Japanese soldiers being dragged out of houses by the Khitans, followed by the howling sounds of them being hacked to death.

The witch was trembling with fear, but His Royal Highness Prince Feng beside her not only looked the same, but even seemed to enjoy it vaguely.

This made the priestesses even more convinced that His Majesty the Prince was definitely a devil who killed people without blinking an eye.

Li Che's gaze swept across several pale-faced priestesses and finally fell on the tightly closed, mottled door of the shrine.

"Qiu Bai." Li Che's voice was low.

Qiu Bai immediately stepped forward: "I am here!"

"Take someone in to check first, and clear them out if there's anyone hiding."

Qiu Bai waved his hand, and a team of black-armored guards, as fierce as wolves and tigers, immediately stepped forward and violently broke open the heavy door of the shrine.

The light inside the door was dim, like the throat of a giant beast.

Li Che stopped his horse and waited patiently.

The witches were shaking like leaves in the wind, their eyes filled with fear.

Not long after, Qiu Bai's figure reappeared at the door.

His face was extremely ugly and his lips were tightly pursed.

He walked quickly to Li Che's horse and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness... this... you should go and see it yourself."

Li Che frowned, and the faces of the witches turned pale in an instant.

Without asking any questions, he dismounted, held the sword at his waist, and strode towards the shrine gate.

The guards stood vigilantly around with their swords half drawn.

The moment you step into the shrine, a strong smell of blood mixed with the scent of incense ash hits you in the face.

The interior of the shrine is much smaller and more cramped than it appears from the outside. In front of the shrine where the gods are enshrined, large patches of dark red stains have soaked into the curtains, making them appear black in color.

Several daggers stained with dark red blood were casually discarded around the shrine, the blades flashing ominously in the dim light.

"This blood...is it human blood?"

"That's right, Your Highness." Qiu Bai suppressed his anger and pointed to a darker corner deep inside the shrine. "Look over there."

Li Che looked in the direction Qiu Bai pointed.

In the shadows of the corner, small bodies are stacked.

They were wearing thin clothes, their small bodies twisted like abandoned, worn-out dolls.

Their skin was pale, some even beginning to show signs of cadaveric lesions. There were so many of them that they almost filled the entire corner.

Most of their eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the filthy ceiling, frozen in the terror of their last moments of life.

Li Che's face changed instantly, becoming so gloomy that water seemed to drip out of it.

He turned his head to look at the witches, and said through gritted teeth, "What is this?!"

The leading witch was already shaking like a sieve, her teeth chattering.

Hearing the question, he subconsciously prostrated himself on the ground, sobbing in defense: "Reply...reply Your Highness...this...this...is a sacrifice, a sacrifice to the gods."

"Sacrifice?" Li Che's voice calmed down. "Why use a little girl as a sacrifice?!"

"Because... because girls have pure hearts and the strongest spiritual energy... they are most able to... best communicate with the gods..."

"The spiritual energy is the heaviest?"

Li Che took a step forward, his boots making a slight squeaking sound as they stepped on the blood-stained wooden boards.

He did not continue to question the matter of the sacrifices, but changed the subject: "With these offerings with the strongest spiritual energy, can you pray for rain for me?"

The witch was taken aback by the sudden question. Without thinking, she answered stiffly, "Yes... yes, you can... just be sincere."

"Oh?"

Li Che chuckled, and the witch also forced a smile stiffly.

The next second, the sword in Li Che's hand disappeared.

By the time the leading witch reacted, the sword had already appeared in the mouth of one of her companions.

"Uh-"

The witch only had time to let out a short scream, her eyes widening in disbelief.

puff-

Li Che twisted his wrist and drew out his sword, bringing out a shower of warm blood.

The witch's body collapsed limply to the ground, twitched a few times, and then she became silent.

Li Che shook off the blood beads on the sword and looked at the leading witch calmly, as if he had just casually brushed away a speck of dust.

"Since girls have spiritual energy, then wouldn't you, the witches who have served the gods for many years, have even more spiritual energy? In my opinion, wouldn't it be more effective to use you to pray for rain?"

"Alright, now that we have the offerings, hurry up and pray for rain for me."

As Li Che finished speaking, a strong smell of blood filled the air.

After witnessing the tragic death of her companions and looking at Li Che's calm eyes, the leading witch's psychological defenses completely collapsed.

"Mercy! Your Highness, please spare me!"

She almost crawled and hugged Li Che's boots, tears streaming down her face, and screamed hoarsely:

"I'm telling you! I'm telling you the truth!"

"We...we can't communicate with spirits, let alone pray for rain. We predicted the rain by observing the celestial phenomena in advance, and it just happened to fall at that time."

"Really! Your Highness, please spare me! Please spare me!"

Li Che looked at the witch who was shaking at his feet, with only cold disgust in his eyes.

He signaled to his guards: "Take them away and keep them under strict watch. Don't let them die."

These witches are still somewhat useful, it would be a shame to just kill them like this.

Just now.

"what!"

At the innermost part of the shrine, near the back of the shrine, a sudden scream from a guard was heard.

Then there was a dull metallic collision sound, like a sword hitting something hard.

Qiu Bai reacted the fastest, shouting, "Something's happening! Protect His Highness!"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Almost at the same time, the personal guards surrounding Li Che drew their swords in unison.

The blades formed an impenetrable barrier, protecting Li Che at the core.

This sudden change frightened Wen Zaiyin so much that he trembled. Just as he was about to move closer to Li Che, he was subconsciously pushed hard by a personal guard outside.

"Ouch!"

puff-

The poor old minister was squeezed so hard that he staggered and lost his balance, falling face down in the mud. His gray beard was stained with blood from the ground.

He was so angry that his beard stood on end and he struggled to get up and curse.

But when he saw the looks of his guards and thought of their duties, he could only hold back his curse words, his old face turning red.

Li Che was also a little amused by this accident, but he didn't dare to laugh out loud.

He could only desperately recall the sad things, and then shouted: "Outrageous! Help Mr. Wen up!"

Then he looked in the direction of the sound: "What's going on?!"

A young guard ran out in a hurry: "Your Highness! There's someone inside... there's something inside!"