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Chapter 128 - 127: Sacrificial Ritual

Certainly, here’s the translated passage:

"If that thing falls... it might be very bad, right?" Xu Xuanling didn’t understand these matters, but her intuition told her it was definitely not something good.

"Look, the meat columns are transforming too!" Fu Jiaolu said as he smeared Blood Orange on himself.

More muscular tissues grew from its middle, these meats overlapped each other, resembling dense cables. They gradually spread apart, eventually forming a structure similar to a mushroom cap. Except, it’s reversed, the flat side facing upwards, and the raised side facing downwards.

The center of the cap remained the tower’s peak, resembling a fine needle aimed at the membrane bubble above.

This change... somehow seemed familiar.

"Who exactly is the enemy?" Jiu asked somewhat bewildered, "How can we destroy this thing?"

Up until now, Chang’an City was already in ruins, with every street showing hundreds of intestines hanging down from the sky, they absorbed the residents’ flesh like nooses, becoming glossy and lubricated themselves. Ultimately, all "nutrients" gathered into the membrane bubble, nurturing a monster ready to descend.

He wanted to stop it but didn’t know where to start.

The cultivators in Chang’an City probably thought the same... The things in the sky were too far away, they couldn’t reach them, and the ground was full of fleshy lumps, slicing them more wouldn’t have any effect. The only thing considered an enemy would likely be the intestines continuously falling from the sky.

The membrane bubble overhead continued to descend.

Its surface had changed from slight bulging to gradually transitioning into a hemispherical shape.

Now everyone could see what the shadow inside was...

It seemed to be a huge heart, pulsating unceasingly.

An umbrella-shaped tray, heart, forbidden fusion, Gildre’s black magic book... A series of thoughts surged into Chen Xuan’s mind, and he finally realized why the Flesh and Blood Tower looked so familiar.

The flesh altar seen in another world was constructed just like this, wasn’t it?

Back then, the Demon Fiend, resembling a human centipede, filled the copper basin with its blood, issuing a curse upon him. Thinking back now, it might not have been cursed by the Demon Fiend, but by something else... The sacrifice was a means to trigger this response.

Curse might not be its only effect.

Black Magic similarly relied on sacrificial hearts to gain extra longevity.

If a metropolis with a million people were to be used for such a sacrifice, what kind of response would be received?

Chen Xuan dared not imagine.

But these thoughts provided him a clue, "This might be a sacrificial ritual in itself. Liu Shuyue, don’t you think this tower resembles something?"

Liu Shuyue couldn’t remember for a moment.

"Wasn’t the altar you once set up just like this?"

She was taken aback, "You mean... Black Magic?"

At that time, she was in the Wanshan Wilderness, the conditions were quite hurried, so the altar she set up temporarily was quite simple, using villagers’ bowls for basins, securing tree branches with stones for stands, replacing four candelabras with torches... Despite this, the conditions required by Black Magic were mostly met.

A scene flashed through Liu Shuyue’s mind: the bizarre heart emerging from the amniotic fluid, falling into the umbrella cap, pierced by the tower’s peak, akin to when she pierced the dragon’s heart with a dagger, offering it to the altar.

"What about the candelabra?"

Just as she asked, a sudden explosion rang out!

Everyone looked towards the sound and found that several high towers’ tops in the city center had just exploded! Flames were fiercely burning at the tower tops, resembling gigantic torches!

Chen Xuan quickly identified them, five towers were ablaze, one more than the altar’s required candles. Although the direction was slightly off and couldn’t encircle the altar, Black Magic always emphasized intent over form.

The Moon Gazing Tower hadn’t shown any abnormalities, indicating that invading the Immortal Alliance’s main base wasn’t easy. But other high towers’ structures were similar to the Moon Gazing Tower, with semi-open areas at the top. Once deliberately ignited, the through winds could easily spread the fire.

Probably someone had planted explosives on them in advance.

"Could there be more than these four possessed cultivators?" Liu Shuyue was astonished.

"In fact, there are no living beings in Qingge Sect now," Chen Xuan said solemnly. As for those few Qingge Sect cultivators still mixing in the city, no one could tell for sure.

But this act of arson confirmed his guess.

Attacking the heart is pointless; if they prematurely disrupt the meat membrane, causing the heart to fall, the conditions for the ritual are still present.

Their current task should be destroying the altar.

Which is that Flesh and Blood Tower!

Liu Shuyue obviously thought along the same lines, "Extinguishing the fire seems unlikely, how about destroying that tower?"

"It’s worth a try." Chen Xuan glanced up at the blood-red sky, "Regardless, we need to seize the time."

Even if others didn’t fully grasp the reasoning, since both the Immortal Master and Immortal Master Lord agreed, they naturally complied.

"Brother, can you still walk?" Jiu asked, pulling Fu Jiaolu.

"Don’t worry! I guarantee I can!" He patted his chest and said, "These minor injuries have healed long ago."

Chen Xuan quickly divided the team into three groups: one group remained at the rear, occupying high ground, assisting with firearms, primarily consisting of villagers from Hot Pepper Village. The second group positioned near the pit margin for support, consisting of Xu Xuanling and Hua. The final group attempted to approach the Flesh and Blood Tower, namely Liu Shuyue and Jiu.

This wasn’t because he was unwilling to lead the charge.

To cross this pitfall, they must utilize the Wind Riding Talisman. Currently, Liu Shuyue was the only one skilled in its use. Liu Shuyue taking Jiu flying would be more flexible than taking him.

Unexpectedly, they faced trouble with the first step.

Just as Liu Shuyue took flight, a mass of roots suddenly erupted from the pit bottom—this time it wasn’t intestines, but tendrils formed by twisted muscle tissues weren’t much better. They were far more agile than the former, relentlessly pursuing Liu Shuyue. Meanwhile, large quantities of intestines fell from the sky, almost forming a curtain around the Flesh and Blood Tower.

Dodging the roots’ entanglements was challenging, let alone constantly watching for the swinging intestines. Liu Shuyue had no choice but to retreat with Jiu.

"Impossible, can’t get close at all!" She shook her head after landing, "I’ll try working from the outside!"

Working from the outside?

Chen Xuan was slightly startled, "Wait... are you going to use that move?"

By now, Liu Shuyue had soared upwards, tossing the sword with her right hand, causing multicolored light to burst from the sword, resembling the posture when slaying the dragon that day—

Demon-Slaying True Sword!

The sword’s light materialized from the void, stirring the surrounding Spiritual Qi into a frenzy, as if unleashing a storm.

Liu Shuyue pointed forward, the floating sword led countless rays of light, slashing towards the giant altar, while the latter seemed aware of danger, converging a mass of roots into a blood flesh wall. On this meat wall, numerous hands stretched forth, blocking the incoming radiant slashes!

In an instant, the ground shook violently, as if the altar itself was moved by the momentum of this blow. Countless roots were severed, but even more roots filled the gaps. It was indeed a giant Demon Fiend, its impenetrable roots rendered fragile as deadwood against the Demon-Slaying True Sword. Yet, despite its endless supply, the sword’s light gradually dimmed, finally disappearing dozens of meters from the tower’s body.

Returning to the pit edge, Liu Shuyue’s expression showed traces of fatigue.

"How many years did you just use?" Chen Xuan frowned and asked.

"Just a hundred years," she laughed, indicating no need for concern, "No problem, the dragon yielded even more."

However, these lives were obtained through Black Magic, even the Holy Maiden’s ability suppressed the curse’s effect, leaving unknown potential sequelae.

Honestly, Chen Xuan was deeply shocked, though not showing it. He hadn’t anticipated that the Demon-Slaying True Sword, capable of cleaving the Great Demon Cyan Dragon, couldn’t even reach the altar! The disparity between the two was evident.

"What should we do now?" Jiu urgently asked, "Even the Immortal Master Lord can’t harm it; it’s even less possible for us."

"We must find a way to deal with these tendrils first," Chen Xuan said calmly, knowing panic wouldn’t help, "Otherwise, they’ll always shield the altar from every attack."

But how to proceed? One option might be to pull over Hot Pepper Village’s hunting force to help spread the fire, but the shop wasn’t in Chang’an City. Mobilizing reinforcements might be too late.

"Sect Leader Chen! What are you doing here?" Suddenly, a familiar voice called from afar.

Chen Xuan turned to see the speaker was the Immortal Alliance Governor Xu Yuanqing. Although he looked a bit disheveled with hair scattered, he appeared unhurt. He was not alone; a group of cultivators accompanied him, numbering at least thirty or forty.

That’s right... This was the Immortal Alliance’s main base; cultivators were never lacking!