Chapter 225 - 172: Blood Well High Priest

Chapter 225: Chapter 172: Blood Well High PriestWhen Zhou Xuan was telling the story of "Daoist absorbing Buddha energy," Li Chengfeng was still smelling the scent of the Divine Silk. Suddenly, his expression changed, as though he had caught a whiff of a scent that haunted his soul... To be honest, the story Zhou Xuan made up had quite a bit of credibility, there was evidence—the broken strands of Divine Silk on the ground. There were conditions—only someone with immense divine skills could set fire to the mighty Qiye Temple, devouring all its Buddha energy. A Daoist fit those conditions. As for the motive? The Bone Elder Association’s research on Daoists was thin, who knew what kind of freakish aberrations those Daoists were? What motive would lead them to absorb the Buddha energy from Qiye Temple? That depended on how the Bone Elder Association’s senior members chose to imagine it, but it was precisely that "haunting scent" Li Chengfeng picked up, which made him distrust Zhou Xuan’s story. In fact, that long-suppressed feeling buried deep in his heart was stirring uncontrollably, like a flood about to break through a dam, on the verge of erupting. "Young Master, in the report to the Bone Elder Scholar Association, I will write—Daoists stole the Buddha energy from Qiye Temple." Li Chengfeng’s words were nuanced, deliberately emphasizing that the report would state this. This suggested he doubted Zhou Xuan’s tale... but since Zhou Xuan had said it, he would write it down as the report. "You don’t believe me?" Zhou Xuan asked. "The Divine Silk does belong to Daoists, but... there’s another deeper aura on it. If I’m not mistaken, it should be the scent of the Blood Well." Zhou Xuan suddenly recalled that when he severed the Divine Silk, the tendrils of the Blood Well had wrapped around the Bone Teeth... If that was the case, then the broken strands would indeed carry the aura of the "Blood Well." But how could Li Chengfeng distinguish that aura? Still, Zhou Xuan didn’t panic. This overlooked point was irrelevant—he just needed to slightly modify his "setting" to say, "The Daoist absorbed Buddha energy, the Blood Well appeared and fought over it." As long as Zhou Xuan distanced himself from the blame, all would be fine. Remaining calm, Zhou Xuan swiftly organized his words, preparing to patch up the "fabricated setting" and continue spinning the tale. However, he noticed Li Chengfeng’s gaze had changed. In Zhou Xuan’s few encounters with Li Chengfeng, his impression of the man was—someone dignified as a scholar, proud as a scholar, and deeply in awe and reverence of Heavenly God-level power. Clearly, Li Chengfeng’s faith lay with the God of Suffering and Calamity. Yet after witnessing the stunning slash the Nuo God carved with the Bone Teeth, the fanaticism in his eyes couldn’t be hidden. Amid these impressions, Zhou Xuan had never seen such immense sorrow in Li Chengfeng’s gaze! But at this moment, Li Chengfeng’s weathered eyes brimmed with tears. "Young Master, please touch my forehead!" Zhou Xuan: "..." For one man to touch another man’s forehead—it felt a bit odd. "I beg you, touch my forehead, and then release just a sliver of your Perception—just a tiny bit, and you’ll know who I am..." Li Chengfeng’s tears were already spilling over, carving trails down his face. Infected by this sorrow, Zhou Xuan hesitated but felt moved; he no longer resisted and lightly placed his hand on Li Chengfeng’s forehead, releasing a minimal amount of Perception. But that slight Perception seemed to be drawn uncontrollably toward something within Li Chengfeng, rushing toward it recklessly. The Perception dove into whatever it was and transmitted its appearance back to Zhou Xuan. It was an "empty cavity." Within Li Chengfeng’s flesh-and-blood body, there were parts that were "hollow," six cavities in total, each the size of a thumb. Inside these hollow spaces, Zhou Xuan’s Perception detected an inexplicable presence—each cavity held the scent of the Blood Well. "Why does your body have the scent of the Blood Well?" Zhou Xuan frowned as he asked. "Because the Blood Well gave me a second life, but I betrayed it!" Li Chengfeng lowered his head like a child who had done wrong, his voice trembling and fragile. "When I was ten, I fell gravely ill. My body grew weaker and weaker, and doctors were powerless to help. I was on the verge of death. My father sought gods in every corner, joining many strange or resplendent sects, begging Alien Ghosts and Gods to heal me... But none of them answered. Even so, my father didn’t give up his devoutness. He continued seeking help from Gods and Alien Ghosts, until one fateful Laba Night within the dream of Jing Country—the Blood Well appeared to my father in his sleep. In the dream, my father knelt before the Blood Well, pleading for a cure to my ailment. The Blood Well blessed him with six droplets of blood! When my father woke, he found six crimson drops of blood in the palm of his hand. These drops rolled but wouldn’t merge, as if alive. He called me over and made me consume the six blood drops." "And your illness was cured?" Zhou Xuan asked. "Yes. Though I wasn’t a Blood Well Spirit Communicator, I was someone who undeniably survived because of the Blood Well’s blessing. I bear the Blood Well’s mark—the scent of the Blood Well lingers on me... It was the Blood Well that gave me another chance at life! However, as I grew older, Jing Country suddenly began a campaign to hunt Blood Well Spirit Communicators. The operation was massive, terrifying scholars captured Blood Well Spirit Communicators for research, treating them as ’patients.’ I was terrified, utterly consumed by the fear of being caught. Especially after witnessing a Blood Well Spirit Communicator’s heart being dug out on a public street... Back home, fearing association, paralyzed by terror, I lost all rationality. With the knife used for slaughtering chickens, I carved out the ’six blood drops’ within my own body! I placed them in a crude, narrow coffin I crafted myself and buried it in the mountain behind my home! Years have passed, and I still have nightmares—visions of being seized as a ’patient.’ Sometimes, I am filled with regret and guilt—for the sake of survival, I abandoned the Blood Well’s blessing. To forsake the blessing is to betray it." "So what now?" Zhou Xuan asked. "Reviving the God of Suffering and Calamity is my duty, my life’s work, and a faith I’ve entrenched deeply within my consciousness. But submitting to the Blood Well... that has been the deep desire of my twilight years, a wish dwelling in the most hidden corners of my heart. Let me follow you, future Blood Well High Priest!" Zhou Xuan: "..." He struggled to comprehend this title. "The Blood Well is the first Alien Ghost of this world, and the strongest one. The forebears of humanity performed countless rituals for it, begging for its descent..." "Hold on, spare me the lecture. I’m asking you—among so many Blood Well Spirit Communicators, why am I the future Blood Well High Priest?" "Because it appeared to help you sever the Divine Silk! If I’m not mistaken, it has merged with your Divine Revelation Secret Realm... It did so because it has chosen you as the vessel to carry its will!" Zhou Xuan suddenly realized, internally scolding the Blood Well, "Oh you greedy little well, so it turns out we’ve been on the same side all along, yet you kept insisting I give you sacrifices." The Blood Well within the Divine Revelation Secret Realm reacted angrily, raising the well within the Fei Yue region. Blood splashed out, landing on Zhou Xuan’s face—it was spitting "saliva" at him. "Let me follow you, future Blood Well High Priest." Li Chengfeng implored once more. "I need to ask first." Zhou Xuan also had to consider the Blood Well’s opinion. Thinking carefully, the Blood Well had indeed helped him quite a bit without asking for anything in return... For instance, when it crushed the Bright Moon from the High Monk Moon Gaze’s tattoo, or when it demonstrated the twelve Dharma Images of the Ancestor Witch through the Lantern Bride in Fei Yue. The Blood Well had truly assisted Zhou Xuan. Now, whether to accept a "Blood Well traitor" into the fold required deliberation and the Blood Well’s consent. Zhou Xuan entered the Secret Realm, asking Fei Yue, "Your traitor seeks to return to the fold. Should I allow it? I think he’s had a tough time. Just look at your followers—they are so pitiful, constantly hounded, with their hearts and lives at risk all the time!" The shifting hues of Fei Yue’s crimson glow darkened, and within the eerily beautiful red emerged a black silhouette—Li Chengfeng! "So this means it agrees?" Cutting the connection to the Secret Realm, Zhou Xuan saw that Li Chengfeng’s face was already lit with relief and joy. He bowed deeply to Zhou Xuan and said, "I can feel my connection to the Blood Well again. I feel it now! From now on, every word and action of mine will be seen by the Blood Well. High Priest, if you enter the Secret Realm, you too will see everything I do!" Following this link, Zhou Xuan recalled the mysterious connection the Ancient Tattoo Clan had placed on him. The Ancient Clan, whose location was unknown, still managed to forge that link to him. Thinking more carefully, it must originate from a Divine Level power! The Ancestor Tree and the Blood Well were Divine Level entities. So, who was the Ancient Clan’s God? The answer would have to be sought in the Netherworld Stone, Blood Tree, and Library records. But now that Li Chengfeng was undoubtedly "one of his own," he could also ask him directly. "Alright, you’ve got your link, the Blood Well has granted your return, but I still have my matters to attend to." Zhou Xuan pulled out the Netherworld Stone and showed it to Li Chengfeng. "Take a look at this stone. What is it?" Li Chengfeng studied the stone carefully for a while before shaking his head. "I can’t tell." "Then I’ll have to investigate on my own." Zhou Xuan continued, "The 1907 room in the Li Yuan Building is a library. It has different sections, and I need to search through the second, fourth, and ninth sections. Can you arrange access for me?" "That will take time!" Li Chengfeng replied. "That library is owned by our Bone Elder Association. Senior members of the Bone Elder Association can enter, but outsiders—like you—must formally apply for qualification first... High Priest, what kind of books are you looking for? I could help you with the records." What kind of books? Without bringing the Wash Away Injustice Talisman inside, how would I know? "You expedite the process for my application. I’ll search myself." Zhou Xuan instructed again, "Make sure to write the Qiye Temple report carefully. I want this matter to end with the story I fabricated and not delve any deeper. Let’s avoid unnecessary trouble." "Understood." "Also, just call me Young Master from now on. The title of High Priest might attract unwelcome attention." ... Zhang Yifeng and the three other City Gods were waiting outside. "Holding Armor Incense" Lu Yusheng arrived late. Upon seeing Zhang Yifeng, he asked sharply, "Where’s the young man you mentioned?" "He’s inside investigating with Lord Shu." "Why didn’t you stop him?" "Can WE stop Lord Shu?" Zhang Yifeng wasn’t pleased with Lu Yusheng’s tone. Zhang was ranked as an Order, while Lu was a Holding Armor Incense. There was a whole level of difference in their ranks. In terms of incense energy, Zhang clearly surpassed Lu. Zhang was approaching six incense sticks, while Lu was just slightly over five. But Lu was highly favored by the Bone Elder Association’s senior ranks and had multiple Magic Artifacts at his disposal. A real conflict between them would leave Zhang with little chance of winning. "You couldn’t stop Lord Shu, but you couldn’t stop the young man either?" Lu pressed further. "Why are you taking your frustrations out on us night watchmen? If you’re so capable, why don’t you go in and find Lord Shu yourself?" Zhang already had a poor relationship with Lu. The man’s haughtiness only irked him further. "Hmph, useless four-person trash squad!" After a disdainful glance, Lu Yusheng entered the tower. At this moment, Zhou Xuan was about to leave and happened to run into Lu Yusheng. "Stop! Are you the one who consumed the Buddha energy?!" Standing with his hands behind his back, Lu asked coldly. "Who the hell are you to hurl baseless accusations?" Zhou Xuan returned his gaze, icy yet fierce. "Young Master, he’s Holding Armor Incense," Li Chengfeng started explaining to Zhou Xuan. The City God had twelve Incense Masters. They were divided into three banners: Wind, Zhi, and Tang. The Wind Banner Incense Masters mainly communicated with the Gods. The four masters were—Dian Feng, Jing Feng, Gang Feng, and Yu Feng. The Zhi Banner Incense Masters oversaw external affairs. Their four masters were—Holding Armor, Holding Flag, Holding Seal, and Holding Sword. The Tang Banner Incense Masters handled internal affairs. Their four masters were—Press Tang, Protect Tang, Oversee Tang, and Oversee Seat. Lu Yusheng, as the Holding Armor Incense Master, was the most authoritative under the three primary heads of external matters. "Oh, even Holding Armor Incense can’t just spout bullshit. Who consumed Buddha energy? I explained it to Mr. Li—you can ask him yourself." Having said his piece, Zhou Xuan strode out confidently. Lu Yusheng reached out to grab Zhou Xuan by the back, but before he could, Li Chengfeng’s hand cupped a flame and squeezed. In an instant, a fiery imprint exploded on Lu Yusheng’s face, burning him painfully and forcing him to withdraw, clutching at his charred face. Meanwhile, Zhou Xuan had already swaggered out of the tower. Just as Lu was about to give chase, Li Chengfeng called after him, "Xiao Lu, scared of a little fire yet?"