Chapter 2209 - 1191: Martyr_4

At this moment, it was as if all his vital spirit had been drained away; the shock of his faith collapsing had almost hollowed out the oldest veteran of this Esoteric Sect.

He stood there in utter dejection, his expression no longer merely dark but lost, as if he had no idea where the road ahead lay; his whole person seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.

Yang Xiao had really gone all in—his forehead was smashed so hard that fresh blood was streaming down.

The Cannibal Buddha immediately rose to his feet, hurried down from the platform, grabbed Yang Xiao’s hand, led him to his own seat, and shouted loudly, "Grant my son a seat, let him sit at my side!"

So Yang Xiao, sobbing uncontrollably, sat down beside the Cannibal Buddha’s place. A guard brought over a cushion shaped like a meditation mat, and Yang Xiao sat on it, sharing the same table as the Cannibal Buddha.

The Cannibal Buddha even personally washed his hands in the copper basin, then used a clean towel to wipe the wound on Yang Xiao’s forehead; the concern in his eyes was obvious without words.

Among those beneath the platform were many old subordinates who had followed the Cannibal Buddha for years, yet none had ever enjoyed this kind of treatment. Within the entire Esoteric Sect, probably only his treasured daughter Princess Sutana had ever been treated like this; Yang Xiao was the second.

Just then, the Martyr, who had kept silent all this time, turned around, slowly knelt facing the Cannibal Buddha, and spoke in an unusually heavy tone, saying things in Myanmar-Tai that Yang Xiao couldn’t understand.

He couldn’t understand the words, but the despair woven within them was something Yang Xiao could clearly feel. After learning he’d been abandoned by the Holy Temple Spirit, it seemed the Martyr no longer wished to live either.

The High Priest Cannibal Buddha did not indulge him. He barked a Fierce order, and two armored guards immediately walked in from outside, ready to take the Martyr away—apparently to execute this false believer cast off by the Holy Temple Spirit.

But at the critical moment, Yang Xiao suddenly stood up and stopped the two guards, then, following Elder Kunpa’s instructions from last night, spoke up in the Martyr’s defense.

He explained that in that foreknowledge dream he had not only seen the High Priest, but also the Martyr; and when the Holy Temple Spirit was enlightening the High Priest, the Martyr was standing behind him. After the enlightenment ended, the Martyr presented the High Priest with a book bound in yellow, with several dried plants pressed upon it.

At these words, the hall erupted. Elder Kunpa, playing his supporting role, immediately sprang to his feet and rattled off something in rapid Myanmar-Tai to the High Priest, his emotions extremely agitated.

"Hah, your acting isn’t much worse than mine," Yang Xiao thought to himself, though his face remained blank.

Yang Xiao could more or less guess that the "book and dried herbs" Elder Kunpa had coached him to mention must refer to a ritual—very likely a kind of investiture ceremony sufficient to prove the High Priest as the orthodox leader of the Esoteric Sect. That was the true purpose of tonight.

Hearing Elder Kunpa’s "plea," the Cannibal Buddha reluctantly waved his hand, dismissing the two guards. At this moment, the Esoteric Sect upper echelon present, including Elder Kunpa, all began talking at once; some were so worked up they stood straight up, seemingly trying to persuade the Martyr.

Yang Xiao didn’t even need to guess; it was definitely the usual spiel telling him to follow the will of Heaven, submit to the High Priest Cannibal Buddha, and that the Cannibal Buddha was the true orthodoxy of the Esoteric Sect—blah, blah, blah.

Seeing that all that was missing was the final push, Yang Xiao knew it was time for him to perform. He let the drama mask slip back on, stood up, walked to the Martyr, and bowed to him with respectful solemnity.

Yang Xiao took out the pitch-black human skin from his breast and placed it into the Martyr’s hands. Seeing this item, the Martyr finally let go of his last bit of resentment; he took a deep breath, slowly parted his robes, and drew out a tattered Ancient Book.

The next second, as an ability was unleashed, Yang Xiao’s heart suddenly jolted—because...because in that instant, dozens of powerful presences appeared in the room. The strongest among them were no weaker than Dean Sheng and Nalin Commander.