The Mid-July Sacrifice

The July Half-Month Sacrifice

The Shimao tribe in the Yellow River basin has long been plagued by evil spirits. A Yue, daughter of a shaman, has carried out her mother’s dying wish since childhood. Armed with the forbidden bone fragments and the Three Soul Stones, she sets out to protect her tribe. Alongside Shifu, the tribe’s leader, and Heiya, an orphan of Liangzhu, she first defeats the Black Wind Master among the ruins downstream, then ventures into the Bone City stone tower to uncover the mystery of the evil spirits’ lair. With help from her uncle’s spirit, she also temporarily destroys the Black Wind Master’s true form.

Yet beneath the calm, a new calamity lies in wait. The traces of the southern Blood Wraiths gradually emerge, along with a prophecy that they will arrive with the blood moon. A Yue leads the others on an initial expedition to the Bloodbone Ravine, where they find the Golden Soul Stone, capable of defeating the wraiths. She joins forces with the Heyang, Xigu, Shiwa, and other tribes to form the “Guardians’ Alliance.” They spread the art of exorcism, forge iron weapons inlaid with Golden Soul Stones, and train in a defensive formation shared across the tribes. As the years pass, young people like Xiaoshi grow into the backbone of the guardians, while A Yue remains steadfast in passing down their legacy.

On the night the blood moon appears, three thousand people from six tribes form ranks at Bloodbone Ravine. With the resonance of the three stones, the might of a rain of iron arrows, and the strength of the soul-blood formation, they fight the Blood Wraith leader and the remaining evil spirits in a final battle. At the critical moment, A Yue transforms into a spirit and merges with the three stones, completely sealing the blood core and eradicating the Blood Wraiths. From then on, the blood moon becomes a sign of remembrance, and the faith of the guardians is passed down from generation to generation through the glow of the three stones on the altar. Through the steadfast devotion of successive generations, peace finally lasts for Shimao and the surrounding tribes.