Chinese netizens are up in arms over a man’s brutal killing of a dog in an alleged form of “blood sacrifice” for a new car.

An unnamed man from the province of Hunan reportedly bought a new Volkswagen SUV and decided to kill a dog to “ward off evil spirits” and “ensure safety” in his future driving. The incident was captured in disturbing footage posted on video sharing site Pear Video, reports Shanghaiist.

The clip has since spread to local social media sites where the man was heavily criticized by netizens. Angered Chinese social media users expressed that instead of being blessed with safety, the man deserved to meet his end in a fiery car crash.

Crammed inside a small cage, a black dog can be seen in the video innocently awaiting its death at the hands of its captors on a sidewalk in Changsha. The poor dog was then held up by its neck by one man, before another man smashed its head with a metal pipe multiple times. The pup can be heard letting out a painful cry during the beating.

The men are then shown dragging the dog’s lifeless body around, scattering its blood around  the new car. The unnerving footage can be viewed on here (viewer discretion is advised).

Animal sacrifice, which involves the ritual killing and offering of an animal to maintain favor with a deity, was common throughout Europe and the Middle East during ancient times. While no longer commonly practiced, few cultures or religions today have continued the tradition. In China, while killing of animals is prohibited in Buddhism and Taoism, there are some Taoism sects and Chinese folk religion which allow animal offerings.

Earlier this month, there was a similar furor online over the killing of a dog after a video of a man beating a greyhound to death went viral.

Feature Image via Pear Video