Chapter 32 - 32 32 The Beginning of the Ritual Sacrifice

32: Chapter 32 The Beginning of the Ritual Sacrifice 32: Chapter 32 The Beginning of the Ritual Sacrifice “Hmm. I also think so; this time, there will definitely be a surprise.” Vice Envoy of Medicine, agreeing greatly with Instructor Li’s words, watched the competitions among the young boys and girls in the Martial Arts Field and nodded in satisfaction, “At the beginning, these young ones hesitated to strike each other seriously, not daring to lay a heavy hand. But after all the demon beast meat and potions they’ve taken, they’ve finally begun to show their true nature.” “Look, their methods are much crueler than before, aiming to injure or cripple. You indeed need to maintain a bit of malevolence to be effective. They must treat their opponent like an enemy to make quick progress!” Training in martial arts inevitably involves injuries, and only by seriously striking each other can they improve the fastest. Hanging Fate Manor wasn’t short on medicine, and the Vice Envoy of Medicine didn’t mind these children developing some fierceness. Even if the price was that those originally simple and kind-hearted children have now become fierce little beasts with malicious gleams in their eyes… No, how could this be considered a price? This was precisely what they wanted. The Divine Sect needed those who would burst with endless drive for their own desires, willing to destroy everything and remake it all for their ambitions—those who would rather destroy themselves for their goal, even if it meant the destruction of the Divine Sect itself. But what of it? In this world, only the Divine Sect would accept them, embracing all their venomous or beautiful dreams, supporting their desires to destroy or remake the world. Because… “This is ‘Heaven’s Will’.” The old man turned his head, looking toward An Jing who was calmly overseeing the entire field, coordinating the training sequence for all the children and promptly stopping anyone whose sparring became too intense. His gaze was intensely fiery, a dark green flame shimmering, “Hehe, some people transform only after taking the potion. But some, are naturally beyond the ordinary.” “An Jing, ah, An Jing… One of the best seedlings I’ve encountered over the years.” Vice Envoy of Medicine stroked his beard, his face revealing a highly anticipatory smile, “This time, we might really reap some comrades beyond our expectations.” “By then, I might also leave this deep forest and return to Da Chen.” “That day will come.” Instructor Li said, bowing. “By the way, Instructor Li, I heard that recently, the government’s Red Dogs have been biting hard, even involving people from Visible Empty Mountain? Our manor’s supplies are running low; we mustn’t starve our young fellows.” Satisfied, Vice Envoy of Medicine moved his gaze away from the Martial Arts Field and said to Instructor Li beside him, “How goes the investigation?” “It reached Northern Rain Marsh.” As the conversation became formal, the One-eyed Instructor immediately reported seriously, “We have had eight strongholds uprooted.” “Using Blood Pills as bait, several blessed lands for hunting demon beasts were also destroyed, wasting a lot of great medicine.” At this point, he somewhat regretted, “Though they were made by children of average aptitude, their efficacy wasn’t low… How can Da Chen’s henchmen be even more ignorant of the value of rare lives, wasting these excellent medicines made by the children!” “Then continue using it as bait,” the Vice Envoy of Medicine said calmly, “But this time, we aren’t fishing for ferocious beasts, but for these red-skinned dogs.” “Let the people from the surrounding Law Altars attack towns that are not close to us, then buy people from those gangs to continue as bait, dangling them and seeing whether we have more bait or they have more people.” “They aren’t Children of Calamity, just ordinary lives, we can afford it.” “Yes!” Having received his orders, Instructor Li then cautiously added, “However, from Visible Empty Mountain, it’s said that a True Master Mysterious Mirror has come…” Even while discussing the enemy, Instructor Li instinctively lowered his voice in respect, “The two squads that went to scout didn’t return; they must have been wiped out. He must have followed the Northern Patrol Envoy here, and we were just affected by it.” “True Master Mysterious Mirror… How could someone from the Bright Mirror Sect intervene?” Vice Envoy of Medicine revealed a troubled expression, pondered for a moment, then shook his head, “No. We can’t rely on luck; he might have already moved deep into the Western Desolation.” “How is the progress inside the manor? When can the trials begin?” he asked. Instructor Li confidently slapped his chest, “Nearly complete! With the help of that boy, An Jing, training these children has been much easier and quicker than before!” “If I must say, I believe we could start today!” “Good, good. Then we are just in time!” With a joy akin to a bountiful harvest, Vice Envoy of Medicine then viewed the disciples’ steps and formations in the Martial Arts Field, feeling that the timing was sufficient, “Let’s do it then. Tomorrow, at Fate-Starting Valley, commence the Ritual Sacrifice.” “The Divine Sect has nurtured life for days; it’s time for these youngsters to show their worth.” The next day. Without further explanation, everyone, led by the stewards and leaders of Hanging Fate Manor with weapons for martial arts, left Hanging Fate Mountain, followed the forest path, and arrived at a deep canyon behind the mountain. An Jing, who had prepared in advance, quietly took two pistols and hid them in his sleeves. This valley is “Hanging Fate Valley,” from which a clear Great River emerges, creating an alluvial fan made up of white sand. In the center of the alluvial land, on a fairly flat area of white sand, twelve ancient jade altars formed a circle. Each altar was surrounded by nine positions, three on the inside and six on the outside, constructing an ancient and long-standing ritual formation. When An Jing first arrived, the first thing he saw was the canyon. His overly sensitive perception, along with the influence of the Subdue Evil Sword Spirit, gave him a momentary ‘illusion;’ he felt the canyon did not appear to form naturally but was a… A sword mark! For a moment, An Jing even saw a divine being wielding a sword, plunging it from the sky, striking like the mighty Heavenly River, cleaving a straight canyon across these endless ridges, suppressing something beneath the earth. Years later, streams converged here, transforming it into a dragon-like mountain river. — Could it be the Subdue Evil Sword Spirit?! [“Indeed, it is I.”] The Subdue Evil Sword Spirit seemed to recall something, its tone solemn: [“Another fragment of mine lies in this ‘Hanging Fate Valley.'”] [“I’ve never found an opportunity to come over, but now, it seems like the last chance.”] Sёarᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. “I understand,” An Jing nodded slightly, calming his mind as he observed his surroundings. This observation only served to startle him more. Because, in this pristine white sand, he saw many equally white, yet terrifying things. Bones. Human bones! In the surrounding white sand, there were numerous white skeletal remains; some were skulls, some were arms and palms, others were thighs and ribs… all the bones were quite small, none from an adult, and while some were broken, others were still quite intact… — Indeed, Bai Qinghan was right… Is it coming? — Are these people from the Demon Sect finally ‘hungry’? In an instant, An Jing elevated his vigilance to the highest level. Sure enough, the Demon Sect was finally about to reveal its true colors! If he encountered danger, he still had some ability to resist; if unobstructed, he could even lead people into the mountains to escape. But the Demon Sect gave him no such chance. Using his peripheral vision, An Jing glanced around and discovered that the people escorting this group of children, though seemingly few, blocked every direction. It might have been possible alone, but with others, escape was definitely not an option. He at least had to protect the people in his group… “An…” At this moment, the other eight people following An Jing too noticed the bones around them; Gu Yeqi instinctively stepped back, then cautiously surveyed the surroundings and asked, “What’s going on…?” “Don’t be afraid.” An Jing spoke softly, comforting them: “Next, we’re probably facing the official trials for entering the manor… The inheritance of Hanging Fate Manor is difficult, surely fraught with immense dangers, these skeletons are likely left by disciples who failed to enter in the past.” “But don’t worry, we are strong. This time, we will all succeed.” “Yes!” Gu Yeqi believed in An Jing completely, so he responded without hesitation, and the rest of the group also felt relieved. Next, the Master of the Medicine Manor spoke. His speech was lengthy, but the gist was simple: After half a year of training and nurturing, these disciples of Hanging Fate Manor should prepare for the official initiation ceremony. The ceremony was dangerous, requiring Ritual Tracks and utilizing the power of Imperial Heaven to stimulate the Heart Demons in everyone’s heart. If they could eradicate their Heart Demons, they might awaken the ‘Heavenly Mandate Fate Pattern’ and become true disciples of Hanging Fate Manor; if they failed, there was a chance of death, but even if they didn’t die, failure could still earn them a place in Hanging Fate Manor. Like those riders and servants, Hanging Fate Manor would offer them a bowl of rice. Of course, they could choose whether or not to participate—it was all up to them.