The massive Minotaur seated on the ground lifted his head, his gaze falling upon the three humans brought forth by his kin.

One was nearly ten zhang tall, towering among humans, yet he was the shortest among the Minotaurs. Another was slender, with exceptionally long arms, clearly destined for the longbow. And then there was a woman...

These three were none other than Chi Yixiu, Hu Yanqi, and Hu Yanmeng, who had successfully navigated the Heaven’s End Forest...

"Take them all down with the others. If that person is still not found by the night of the full moon, we shall use them all for the blood sacrifice!" the Minotaur stated casually, his great bovine head drooping listlessly once more.

The other Minotaurs dared not utter a word of protest and quickly escorted Chi Yixiu and the others away. Tens of thousands of Minotaurs stood rooted to the spot, awaiting the arrival of the moonlit night.

In a short while, several more parties returned, but like Tagumu and Tagri before them, they had failed to locate Liang Xiaoke. This weighed heavily on the hearts of all the Minotaurs. They had prepared for so many years, intending tonight to use the power of the curse to tear open the space where the Demon God resided, hoping to usher the Demon God back, or at least receive a blessing of the Demon God's power. Yet now, only one seal remained missing. His tribesmen had scoured the entirety of the Heaven’s End Forest and most of the Panbulas Great Grassland; the target could not possibly have escaped.

Could this be the Demon God’s punishment upon their tribe? Were their people not devout enough?

The Minotaur named Jiuli Ta sighed heavily in his heart, watching the rare purple full moon—visible only once a year—as his massive frame slowly began to rise.

His body, reaching nine zhang in height, was colossal. Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke, who had been lurking in the shadows, immediately felt as if what was rising was not a living being, but a mountain springing up from the earth. His towering silhouette dragged along the ground, leaving an immense shadow in its wake.

"Blood sacrifice... commence. Bring out the altar..." Jiuli Ta uttered softly, but his voice was so overwhelmingly loud, like the crash of thunder, that it caused the surrounding peaks to tremble, shaking loose rocks that tumbled down.

Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke felt a wave of discomfort, but the Minotaurs stood with flushed faces, their excitement surging, yet not a single one howled. They remained silent as four Minotaurs, each exceeding seven zhang in height, carried forth an enormous altar—yes, an altar the size of a basketball court—and brought it forward.

With every step they took, the earth shuddered. Perhaps due to the altar's immense weight, each footfall left a deep impression in the ground.

Excluding the Minotaurs around one zhang tall, the strength of the others was directly proportional to their height. These four Minotaurs, surpassing seven zhang, meant their strength had reached the Seventh Grade Demon Lord realm. For an altar to require four Seventh Grade Demon Lords—and the strongest of that grade in terms of sheer power—how heavy could it be? Millions of pounds at the very least?

The altar was indeed gargantuan, but surely not that large, no matter its dimensions. What material could it possibly be made from?

Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke stared intently at the colossal altar. Liang Xiaoke, who had been ready to reveal himself earlier when Chi Yixiu and the others were captured, had frozen his movement.

They had to wait for the perfect opportunity.

The four Seventh Grade Minotaurs carried the altar to the front of Jiuli Ta. Under the imposing gaze of Jiuli Ta, they slowly lowered it. Despite their extreme caution, the moment the altar hit the ground, it unleashed a thunderous boom. The sheer oppressive pressure forced the thousand-plus Minotaurs to involuntarily step back simultaneously, and an unimaginable power radiated from the structure.

As all the Minotaurs felt this force, reverence filled their eyes, akin to the most pious believers encountering their deity.

At this moment, seemingly sensing the altar’s aura, the Chiyou Banner within Ye Jingyu's Sea of Consciousness began to tremble. The black banner fluttered without wind, emitting a constant, whispering sound, as if struggling to break free from Ye Jingyu's spiritual domain and rush out.

Ye Jingyu was startled. He locked his spiritual intent onto the Chiyou Banner, holding it firmly within his Sea of Consciousness, thus preventing it from flying out.

Looking again at the massive, flat altar, Ye Jingyu’s brow furrowed deeply. Why would the power emanating from this altar provoke such a reaction from the Chiyou Banner?

Did this altar perhaps have some connection to Chiyou?

Jiuli Ta also seemed to sense something, sweeping his commanding gaze toward their location. Seeing the danger, Ye Jingyu delivered a harsh kick to Liang Xiaoke’s backside, sending him flying, while he himself transformed into a streak of light and flashed rapidly to the side.

Seeing Liang Xiaoke suddenly launched forward, a faint smile touched Jiuli Ta’s lips, and the eyes of Tagumu, Tagri, Tagyun, and Tagxue lit up simultaneously.

"He carries the aura of the curse, it's him, it's him, it's him..." The four brothers cried out almost in unison. Tagumu, the strongest among them, whose massive seven-zhang frame was already moving, lunged out, his hand reaching to snatch Liang Xiaoke.

However, another figure moved faster than him: Jiuli Ta, who had not moved until this moment. His mountain-like body moved like a phantom, appearing instantly before Liang Xiaoke, his gigantic palm descending like a massive canopy over the fleeing figure.

Liang Xiaoke had intended to curse Ye Jingyu for his treachery, but the overwhelming power immediately forced the words back down his throat. The energy within his body churned, his muscles swelling rapidly, but he had only managed half of his transformation—which normally took less than a blink—before Jiuli Ta's hand clamped down on him.

His entire strength was instantly suppressed. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not break free from Jiuli Ta’s immense grip; in fact, he lacked the strength to even resist within that colossal hand...

Is this the realm of a Ninth Grade Demon Lord? Liang Xiaoke felt a surge of horror, and his faith in Ye Jingyu’s plan wavered once more.

"Blood sacrifice begins!" Gripping Liang Xiaoke tightly, Jiuli Ta showed no inclination to exchange words, speaking the command directly.

Liang Xiaoke was aghast. What was happening? Didn’t he even intend to ask why he had suddenly appeared here?

Upon seeing Jiuli Ta personally take action, the other Minotaurs retreated to the side. As Jiuli Ta spoke this command, the masters among the Minotaur clans brought forth eleven individuals whose powers had been completely sealed.