Chapter 69: Human Blood Sacrifice

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Human Blood Sacrifice

Gu Yiqiu refused to believe it. He refused to believe someone could suddenly become this strong, unless everything before had been an act.

Chen Yue heard him and slowly shook his head. "I don’t have time for such leisurely pursuits. I merely used some power that I’m normally reluctant to use."

"Normally... reluctant to use?" Gu Yiqiu’s eyes filled with deep confusion and disbelief.

’Is it some kind of Secret Technique with a massive cost, one that would damage his foundation?’

But looking at Chen Yue now, his breathing was calm and deep, his complexion normal. Although the Gang Qi around him was withdrawn, it was merely hidden, not yet unleashed. How could he possibly look like someone weakened after using a Secret Technique?

Chen Yue ignored Gu Yiqiu’s confusion. He leaned over slightly. "Your questions are finished. Now, it’s my turn."

"The Divine Flame Cult, and you from Youquan Prefecture... why are you all crammed into this tiny Youlin County? You even went so far as to dispatch a Marrow Refining Realm expert like yourself to personally oversee operations. Is some incredible treasure about to appear here?"

This was the key point Chen Yue could never figure out.

Youlin County was remote, its resources weren’t abundant, and its Martial Dao heritage was barren.

Yet it had somehow managed to attract two major mysterious factions, the Divine Flame Cult and Youquan Prefecture, to invest so much power here.

Gu Yiqiu’s mouth twitched as he tried to force a mocking sneer, but the intense pain and weakness made the expression hideous and twisted. His voice was hoarse and broken.

"Heh... COUGH COUGH... Why should I tell you?"

Hearing this, Chen Yue’s face showed no surprise or anger.

"You can choose not to speak." Chen Yue’s voice was still calm, but it carried a chilling indifference. "But if you do, your passing will not be a peaceful one."

Before his voice had even faded, Chen Yue’s finger shot out like lightning, landing on an acupoint below Gu Yiqiu’s ribs—a point connected to several sensitive nerves and meridians.

This touch didn’t use much force, yet it contained a strength controlled with microscopic precision.

"UGH!"

Gu Yiqiu’s whole body shuddered violently, as if seared by a red-hot branding iron.

An extreme agony erupted from that single point. It was a mixture of sharp pain, aching numbness, and a bizarre itching, as if countless fine needles were churning within his very marrow. The sensation instantly spread through half his body.

This wasn’t the pain of a simple physical wound; it struck deep into the nerves, making him want to claw the flesh from his own body.

Even with the willpower and endurance of a Marrow Refining Realm expert, Gu Yiqiu couldn’t suppress a short, wretched grunt. His body began to convulse and spasm uncontrollably. Veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked his tattered clothes.

Chen Yue withdrew his finger and waited silently.

He cultivated a top-tier Body Refining Divine Skill like the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield, so his understanding of his own muscles, bones, Qi Blood, and acupoints was far beyond that of an ordinary Martial Artist.

Later, after studying the Heart Nourishing Technique, his Heart Spirit’s perception became microscopic, and his grasp of the human body’s Qi Blood circulation and nerve reactions grew even more precise.

Combined with the vast knowledge he had accumulated from reading numerous basic and esoteric Cultivation Techniques, his methods of interrogation, while not specialized, were more effective and unbearable than many conventional forms of torture.

A moment later, the violent trembling gradually subsided.

Gu Yiqiu gasped for breath, his eyes unfocused, as if he had just crawled back from the brink of Hell.

He glared at Chen Yue, his eyes a mixture of venomous hatred and fear, and rasped, "Is that... all you’ve got? You think this is enough to pry my mouth open? Hahaha... COUGH COUGH... Motherf—"

Before Gu Yiqiu could finish, Chen Yue’s hands shot out. His ten fingers moved with bewildering speed, striking a series of meridian nodes on Gu Yiqiu’s chest, abdomen, ribs, and even near his neck.

Seven strikes in succession. Each time a finger landed, the force, angle, and penetrating Qi were completely different.

Seven kinds of pain that bored into the marrow and struck the Divine Soul, like seven blades of different shapes, simultaneously chiseled deep into Gu Yiqiu’s body and consciousness.

"HRRGH!!!"

Gu Yiqiu’s wild laughter and curses stopped abruptly. His eyes bulged instantly, looking as if they would pop out of their sockets.

He trembled, convulsed, and curled up violently. The veins beneath his skin writhed madly like earthworms. His face first flushed a deep crimson, then turned ashen-white as paper.

He wanted to roar, to scream, to curse Chen Yue with the most venomous words imaginable, but the pain, which surpassed all limits, was like an invisible hand choking his throat, blocking all sound. He could only manage a hoarse, gurgling sound, like air leaking from deep within his throat.

Chen Yue slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Guo Xun, who lay in a crumpled heap on the other side.

Although Guo Xun was gravely injured and near death, he was still conscious. He had seen the full extent of Gu Yiqiu’s silent yet extreme agony.

This was one of the reasons Chen Yue had deliberately left him alive, holding back the killing blow.

"Now, it’s your turn."

Chen Yue’s voice wasn’t loud, but it reached Guo Xun’s ears clearly. "You can choose to answer my questions, or..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over to Gu Yiqiu, who was still trembling violently in silence. "...like him, you can walk the final stretch of your road, filled with secrets and unspeakable pain. Which do you choose?"

Guo Xun struggled to move his eyes. He knew that escape was impossible today. Given the ruthlessness and methods Chen Yue had displayed, there was no way he would let them go.

But he didn’t want to meet his end like Gu Yiqiu, in endless pain and torture.

That was more terrifying than death itself.

Guo Xun’s throat bobbed. He coughed up a few mouthfuls of bloody foam and spoke intermittently, "Youlin County... doesn’t have the treasure you mentioned. At least, we didn’t come for any treasure..."

"Then what are you doing in Youlin County!" Chen Yue pressed.

"Our Youquan Prefecture, and the Divine Flame Cult... our goal is the same."

Guo Xun gasped for breath. "To take this county seat, use a portion of the city’s population for a blood sacrifice... and recruit the rest as cult members to expand our forces..."

"Blood sacrifice?" Chen Yue’s eyes suddenly narrowed. He was beginning to understand.

In his previous life, the world had no ghosts and no true Martial Dao. Chen Yue’s understanding of cults was limited to them bewitching people, accumulating wealth, and instigating rebellion.

But in this world, a world with real power, the flesh, blood, and vital essence of living people had suddenly become another kind of resource.

Here, ordinary people and even low-level Martial Artists were, in the eyes of certain beings, truly just a type of material.

"Your Youquan Prefecture has Marrow Refining Realm experts, and I imagine the Divine Flame Cult doesn’t lack them either. With such strength, why not just sweep through the county’s major families with lightning speed and control the entire city? Why lurk in the shadows and act so secretively, as if you’re waiting for something?"

Chen Yue continued his questioning. This was the question that had been nagging him all evening.

The strength of the Marrow Refining Realm was already top-tier in Youlin County. If two or three factions teamed up, it would be enough to crush the local forces.

A look of bitterness and helplessness appeared on Guo Xun’s face. "Elder Gu and the others... were only secretly dispatched here in the last few days.

"Besides, the blood sacrifice... can’t be performed at will. It must be carried out under specific seasonal and astrological conditions. And..."

Guo Xun’s voice grew even lower. "The more powerful the offering, the greater its value. The Martial Artists from the county’s families, especially the talented young disciples... they are all prime materials. They can’t be wasted in pointless slaughter.

"It’s best to capture them all in one fell swoop with minimal cost, and then offer them up together at the optimal moment."