Chapter 147 - 115: I’m Not a Dowry

Chapter 147: Chapter 115: I’m Not a Dowry

Lan Xi continued to chant the sacrificial incantation. He even picked up the Sacrificial Knife and let a drop of his blood fall onto the very center of the altar.

This was a very common practice in sacrificial rituals. Blood and flesh served as a connection, a way to confirm his identity as a member of the Spirit Race so that the entity receiving the offering could recognize its own descendant.

The runes that had been glowing with blue light suddenly turned a startling crimson, a terrifying sight to behold.

If the vision she just saw was real, then Qiu Yuehan was almost certain this ritual wasn’t for some so-called Spirit Race ancestor at all. ’Who is this ritual truly for?’

Without dwelling on it.

Qiu Yuehan turned to Xia Lianxue. "Stop the ritual, Junior Sister. I have a bad feeling."

Though Xia Lianxue was confused, she didn’t question it. With a light flick of her finger, Lan Xi, halfway through the ritual, was lifted into the air, completely unable to move.

The two of them quickly landed on the altar.

Lan Xi struggled. "Honored guests, what is the meaning of this?"

Xia Lianxue looked to Qiu Yuehan, only to find her face was unnaturally cold.

Qiu Yuehan asked, "This ritual of yours... are you certain it’s for your ancestors?"

Lan Xi replied immediately, "Of course."

The Moon Fairy asked again, "When did this ritual begin?"

They hadn’t thought to ask that question. In theory, the origin of such a ritual should be nearly impossible to trace.

"It has existed since ancient times."

Qiu Yuehan shook her head. "Junior Sister, he’s lying."

Xia Lianxue’s eyes narrowed. The grip of her power tightened, and the power of time flooded the space around Lan Xi, causing him to age with frightening speed.

Lan Xi, who was already elderly, aged shockingly in an instant. He went from a sturdy old tree to a worm-eaten, dying piece of deadwood.

Lan Xi had no choice but to speak. "Three thousand years ago! It only began three thousand years ago!"

The Little Fairy let out a cold snort, forcing Lan Xi to confess everything.

The Spirit Race’s ritual was not, in fact, an ancient tradition. Nor had the Spirit Race always inhabited Long Mountain Peak.

But on a night three thousand years ago, a torrential rain fell. A massive bolt of lightning struck Long Mountain Peak, setting the mountain ablaze. The fire burned for an entire night, and only then was the altar revealed.

That very night, a black-robed figure knocked on the door of the Spirit Race’s Clan Leader.

It said, "The Spirit Race has been suppressed by the Human Race for far too long, so long that you have forgotten your innate abilities. If you stay on this peak day and night and use your blood to commune with your ancestors, they will grant you their blessings."

The Spirit Race’s Clan Leader at the time was skeptical, but figured there was no harm in worshipping his ancestors. So, the very next day, he began the rituals. He even constructed a massive Jade Cauldron according to the black-robed figure’s instructions and performed the ritual using the incantation it had passed down.

And just as promised, a strange phenomenon occurred. The Holy Bead materialized from thin air, helping many members of the Spirit Race break through to the Fifth Realm in a short period.

Qiu Yuehan asked coldly, "And the black-robed figure?"

Lan Xi cried out in pain. "I don’t know! I really don’t know!"

The Moon Fairy turned to her junior sister. "Junior Sister, did anything significant happen three thousand years ago?"

"Three thousand years ago, besides the first appearance of the Netherworld..." The Little Fairy frowned, thinking hard. "Then there was the founding of Shifo Temple four hundred years ago. They claimed their origin traced back to a True Buddha from two thousand six hundred years ago."

These were the only two events Xia Lianxue could recall. After all, the Little Fairy hadn’t been around three thousand years ago. Over a thousand years was more than enough time to bury many secrets. If they really wanted to know, they’d probably have to ask the disappeared Feng Xianlong.

RUMBLE!

All three turned their heads at the sound.

The blood on the altar began to emit a demonic glow, and an unsettling chewing sound arose.

"The moon!"

Tonight’s moon should have been full, bright, and cold. But now, it had become a crescent, its color turned to a deep crimson, as if it were about to drip blood.

Lan Xi watched this scene unfold, and a savage grin suddenly spread across his face. "Just as I thought! My clan’s ancestor was suppressed beneath Long Mountain by you humans!"

Xia Lianxue demanded, "What ancestor?"

"You humans won the favor of destiny, so you suppressed my clan’s ancestor beneath Long Mountain! If that black-robed figure hadn’t told the former Clan Leader, our Spirit Race would have been deceived by you until the day of our extinction!"

Qiu Yuehan’s face was devoid of expression. "So, even after the Spirit Race obtained the Holy Bead, and even after it was later stolen, you continued this ritual on this mountain. You were using your clan’s connection to feed a suppressed ancestor, preparing for the day you could release it?"

Lan Xi laughed maniacally. "Precisely! You humans refuse to allow any other race to produce a Yao Guang. Now you will face retribution! My clan’s ancestor achieved the Dao long ago. Once released, it will become a Yao Guang that your Human Race could never have foreseen!"

Xia Lianxue said calmly, "Oh? Do go on."

Lan Xi froze for a second.

He then remembered: the Miao Yu Palace Master had already become a Yao Guang. ’As for this ancestor of his... it’s been suppressed for so many years. Even if it were released, could it really defeat the Little Fairy in a White Skirt?’

But he showed no sign of panic, sneering, "The black-robed figure said they would return when my clan’s ancestor emerges."

’If that black-robed figure is also a Yao Guang, it will be two against one.’

’The Little Fairy is only in the Sixth Realm. There’s no way she can win.’

Qiu Yuehan asked coldly, "Do you really believe the one imprisoned down there is your ancestor?"

The Blue Venerable said, "Who else would it be? My Spirit Race has been stationed here for ten thousand years!"

"You’ve been played for fools for so many years, and you’re actually gloating?!" The Moon Fairy leveled her sword and said in a cold voice, "Junior Sister, this is a bigger problem than I thought."

Xia Lianxue didn’t need Qiu Yuehan to tell her; she could see it for herself. Blood was now gurgling up from the altar, thick and viscous. Like maggots, the bloody tendrils quickly began to spread and crawl outwards.