Chapter 304: Sacrifice
Chapter 304: Sacrifice
Wan Fang focused on different details. He observed the distribution of forces within the cave, calculating seven major groups.
First was the man in splendid attire with Shui Yingyue, Ye Anlan, and Yunxiu – the most peculiar group.
Second came Yang Yan, Hua Yuehong, and Bai Ruomei as a newly formed faction.
Next were Qiu Yu, Wan Fang, Feixue, Cheng Lingyu, and Hu Yuer – the largest group in number.
Jiu Yang Sacred Palace had four members: two Spirit Masters and two disciples led by Daoist of the Three Suns.
Tianlei Sacred Church also had four: two Spirit Masters, two disciples, plus their heavenly thunder treasure seal, led by Thunder Rider Spirit Master.
Heavenly Fire Sect originally had four, but with Bai Ruomei now beside Yang Yan, only Silver Feather Spirit Master, Azure Sky Dragon, another Spirit Master, and a Flame Blood Lion remained.
Shanhua Alliance consisted of four: Charming Pen Spirit Master, Chang Yun the Carefree Fairy, Xiang San Shao, Bloodwing King, and their White Bone God Chain artifact.
The cave thus held seven factions totaling twenty-seven experts.
All eyes stayed fixed on the man in splendid attire whose seals were gradually breaking.
The holy artifacts above Shui Yingyue, Ye Anlan, and Yunxiu blazed brightly, showing ethereal figures of three female saints who kept pouring strength into the man to break his bonds.
The ordered divine chain binding him stretched upward to a red orb – an unbreakable shackle.
Daoist of the Three Suns observed, “Brute force won’t work.”
Thunder Rider Spirit Master noted, “Their method feels flawed.”
Yang Yan declared, “They’re completely misguided.”
Charming Pen Spirit Master warned, “We tested that red orb before – it’s deadly dangerous.”
Silver Feather Spirit Master suggested, “Maybe the time isn’t right yet.”
Not all factions wanted the man freed. Many feared his emergence as a threat.
Cheng Lingyu sensed something elusive in the blood-colored world – fleeting impressions vanishing before he could grasp them.
Chang Yun the Carefree Fairy reasoned, “With all conditions met, shouldn’t Xuan Star Saint’s legacy manifest? Otherwise his efforts were wasted.”
Three Saints Palace’s heir had appeared with their three sacred artifacts. Only methodology seemed lacking.
Hu Yuer noticed Cheng Lingyu’s scroll glowing more intensely here. Those present knew of its connection to Xuan Star Saint. Could the missing piece lie with him?
“Cheng Lingyu, won’t you speak?” Shui Yingyue suddenly turned, complex emotions in her eyes.
Cheng Lingyu met her gaze calmly. “Our paths cross and tangle. Who can say if this bond brings fortune or doom?”
“Without trying, how would you know?”
“Few here truly want him awakened.”
The crowd stayed silent, faces conflicted.
The sealed man possessed Xuan Star Saint’s Supreme Bone. His awakening might let him overpower the Three Saints and Four Peerless for millennia, crushing all rivals – an outcome none desired.
Ye Anlan countered, “If he stays sealed, the cave’s legacy remains hidden. Doesn’t that waste everyone’s efforts?”
Yunxiu said, “The seal on him is connected to that red orb; they are one. Don’t you want to uncover the ancient secrets of the Blood Moon’s rise?”
Her words held allure, and Cheng Lingyu indeed wished to see.
Shui Yingyue gazed at Cheng Lingyu and spoke gravely, “Consider this—the world teems with talent. If he doesn’t emerge, another will. What matters is what you gain. This encounter is fate. Why not act instead of waiting?”
Cheng Lingyu pondered, then asked, “Do you regret this path?”
“No regrets!”
The three women answered as one, unwavering.
Cheng Lingyu’s eyes narrowed as he studied the man in splendid attire, an odd intuition stirring within.
Hu Yuer tugged his sleeve, whispering, “With so many experts here, this burden isn’t yours.”
Cheng Lingyu laughed. “They’re helpless spectators.”
Dongfang Hong snorted. “Arrogance.”
Hu Yuer challenged, “Prove your worth by breaking the seal yourself.”
Dongfang Hong bristled, but Ning Zhengyang restrained him.
Wan Fang inquired, “Junior apprentice, can you succeed?”
Cheng Lingyu frowned. “Uncertain. This place… defies reason.”
Feixue declared, “We must investigate.”
Qiu Yu remained silent, her thoughts inscrutable.
Others wavered—dreading the man’s awakening yet craving the cave’s secrets.
Cheng Lingyu advanced toward the red orb, the scroll above him capturing every gaze.
Blood threads coalesced into jade hooks above the orb, radiating peril.
Halting wisely, Cheng Lingyu recalled Hu Yuer’s warnings.
“Brute force failed. Let’s sacrifice.”
With a sly smile, he summoned a Blood Martial expert’s corpse—originally kept for trials, now test material.
The body flew toward the orb, only to shatter under crimson hooks. Blood rain drenched the orb.
Swirling patterns emerged. The red glow faded, revealing transparent depths.
“A dragon-shaped jade hook!” Azure Sky Dragon gasped. All stared, stunned.
Within the orb lay the artifact—crimson, etched with spiritual patterns, pulsing mysteriously.
Cheng Lingyu felt strange resonance as his scroll quivered.
Yang Yan breathed, “It’s real!”
Hua Yuehong pressed, “You know it?”
Yang Yan nodded curtly, offering no explanation.
Daoist of the Three Suns, Thunder Rider Spirit Master, Silver Feather Spirit Master, Charming Pen Spirit Master—all gazed hungrily.
Wan Fang, Feixue, and Qiu Yu stayed relatively calm, their attention fixed on Cheng Lingyu’s safety.
Hu Yuer stared at the dragon-shaped jade hook and murmured, “I swear I’ve seen this thing somewhere before, but I just can’t recall where.”
Shui Yingyue, Ye Anlan, and Yunxiu gasped simultaneously when they saw the jade hook. “It’s that one!”
As inheritors of the Three Saints’ legacy, the three women clearly recognized this artifact.
Cheng Lingyu kept watching the dragon-shaped jade hook while gradually offering the second corpse. The sacrificial ritual confused everyone present—how could such an ordinary act cause any reaction?
The idea that sacrificing corpses could break seals seemed utterly ridiculous.
What baffled them more was how mundane Cheng Lingyu’s actions appeared. There was nothing extraordinary about the ritual, making it impossible to understand.
Only Cheng Lingyu knew the hidden profundity behind this seemingly simple sacrifice.
The second corpse shattered just like the first. Its blood and flesh merged with the crimson orb, stripping away the red hue until only a transparent protective barrier remained.
The dragon-shaped jade inside trembled faintly, spiritual patterns glowing across its surface as cracks began spreading through the ordered divine chains binding it.
“How’s this possible?”
Xiang San Shao, Dongfang Hong, and Azure Sky Dragon stared wide-eyed, struggling to believe what they witnessed.
Shui Yingyue, Ye Anlan, and Yunxiu brightened with excitement. Their Holy Artifacts blazed brighter, pouring out increasing power that hastened the unsealing of the man in splendid attire.
Cheng Lingyu’s face darkened with sudden gravity. He delayed offering the third corpse, slowly spinning it between his hands while golden light from the scroll enveloped him, cloaking him in a golden glow.
Bai Ruomei frowned. “Does this sacrifice relate to that scroll?”
Yang Yan shrugged. “It’s more complicated than it looks, but details don’t matter.”
To everyone else, only the result held significance—the process meant nothing.
“Cheng Lingyu! Quit dawdling!” Yunxiu snapped impatiently.
Hu Yuer clicked her tongue. “Rushing leads to regrets. Let him work.”
All eyes shifted between Cheng Lingyu, the dragon-shaped jade hook, and the man in splendid attire—three elements bound by invisible threads.
Cheng Lingyu calculated silently, weighing the consequences of offering the third corpse. Sensing impending changes, some observers began discreet preparations.
After prolonged hesitation, Cheng Lingyu finally raised the third corpse with deliberate slowness, the tension thickening like fog.
A sharp crack echoed as the blood-colored jade hook shattered the corpse. Glimmering golden specks rained down during its disintegration, piercing through the orb like molten raindrops.
When some golden light touched the dragon-shaped jade hook, it acted like a spark. The dormant artifact awoke instantly, erupting with horrifying disturbances that shattered its ordered divine chains—severing all ties to the man in splendid attire.