NOVEL NEXT chapter 25
Chapter 25: Blood and Tears on the Sacrificial Altar
“Ahhh! Why is this happening!” Wan Rui Cai angrily overturned a bowl of blood on the table, roaring.
While his father was discussing the matter of Tianyan Sect with the white-bearded old man, he had returned to his secret basement to vent his anger.
Even his father, Wan Zhu, did not know that Wan Rui Cai had built a secret room under the house he bought in Baicheng.
The refining of blood pills and various cruel things were all done here—the blood needed for refining blood pills did not come from clean sources.
“I couldn’t kill them!” He no longer had the demeanor of a graceful young master, grabbing a chair and smashing it to the ground like a madman, “If they reveal my deeds, what should I do! What should I do!!!”
His father would kill him. He knew very well how much his father cherished his reputation.
Other disciples of Qingshan Sect who had also taken blood pills looked at each other, not knowing how to calm Wan Rui Cai’s anger.
It seemed that their senior brother Wan Rui Cai’s anger would not subside for a while. In the worst case, they would become his punching bags.
Any disciple who had taken blood pills had been caught by Wan Rui Cai. Betrayal was impossible.
Even if one wanted to backstab Wan Ruicai, they would have to see if others believed that Wan Ruicai took the Blood Pill.
Attempting to backstab might only result in being accused of “slandering others,” which would be more trouble than it’s worth.
Under normal circumstances, people would naturally be more inclined to believe the well-reputed Wan Ruicai rather than an obscure disciple.
“And why is that woman so strong!?” Wan Ruicai gritted his teeth as he thought of Zhishi.
Tianyuan Sect seemed to be a sect that did not use cultivation pills, so it was absolutely impossible for them to have such high-level cultivators.
Not using cultivation pills? That was even harsher than the conditions for the outer disciples of Qingshan Sect.
At least the outer disciples had some cultivation resources to use, and the lowest level of cultivation pills would still be distributed.
But Tianyuan Sect had virtually zero cultivation resources, so how could they possibly produce a cultivator at the Core Formation stage? Wan Ruicai, with all his talent, only barely reached the Core Formation stage after taking the Blood Pill.
“Sure enough, that sect has a cultivation method even more powerful than the Blood Pill.” His eyes were filled with both resentment and greed. “If I knew their secret, I could definitely climb even higher.”
“Senior Brother is wise!” The disciples of Qingshan Sect seemed to notice that Wan Ruicai’s anger was subsiding and quickly echoed his sentiments.
The sooner this fire was extinguished, the sooner their hearts could be at ease.
But just as they were thinking this, Wan Ruicai let out a terrified scream, “What’s happening to my body!?”
He looked at his hand, which had just knocked over a bowl, and his whole body was drenched in cold sweat.
His sleeve was stained with blood, and then blood-colored lumps appeared on the back of his hand, looking like crystals but with a keratinous texture.
This was just what could be seen at a glance; the same thing was happening under his robe.
“This must be the work of that demonic sect! It must be them!” Wan Ruicai tried to scrape off the lumps on the back of his hand, only to find that they had grown out of his skin and couldn’t be removed.
Even when he used spiritual energy, these things remained unmoved, becoming a part of his body.
The other disciples, seeing this, instinctively touched their own bodies.
“Ahhh! I have them too!” A disciple’s voice gradually filled with terror as he lifted his collar.
For a moment, the dark basement was filled with their screams.
Meanwhile, Lin Qingxue was still facing the wall in reflection.
In fact, she had long since completed her punishment and could leave the hall.
So why hadn’t she left? It wasn’t because she felt particularly guilty; she had simply forgotten.
Hungry, Lin Qingxue looked bitterly at the sacrificial altar. Without keeping track of time, she wondered why her punishment hadn’t ended yet.
She felt that no one had come to remind her how long it had been.
“Grumble, grumble—” Her stomach made a sound like a cooing pigeon.
Her face flushed red, and she couldn’t help but touch her stomach.
Cultivators only truly didn’t need to eat after reaching the Core Formation stage, but as someone in the Foundation Establishment stage, she still got hungry.
“So hungry,” she murmured.
Miss Lin could endure this kind of pain. If it was for the sake of upholding justice, she could suffer in silence.
But in this situation, she couldn’t help but complain.
“I need to become stronger, strong enough that no demon or witch can defeat me.” Lin Qingxue tried to forget her hunger and then said in the firmest tone.
Yes, in the world of cultivators, strength is paramount.
Demons have the strength to wreak havoc, and righteous people like her have the strength to punish such demons.
“Sister Lin, you should have finished your punishment time. Why are you still kneeling here?” A kind-hearted disciple of the Qingshan Sect came over and couldn’t help but ask.
The disciple saw Lin Qingxue kneeling here for a long time, even past the time limit, and felt puzzled.
“What? My punishment time is over?” Lin Qingxue looked blankly at the disciple who told her the time was up.
“Yes, I thought you were thinking about something.” The disciple looked at Lin Qingxue in surprise.
“I… I was indeed thinking about something.” Lin Qingxue quickly followed the disciple’s lead.
She was so careless, it was really embarrassing.
“Thank you for the reminder. If it weren’t for you, I might not have come back to my senses.” She blushed and cleared her throat.
“No problem, I’ll be going now.” The disciple who reminded Lin Qingxue nodded and left.
Seeing the disciple leave, she patted her clothes and stood up, looking at the statue outside the main hall.
Looking at the statue of the founder of the Qingshan Sect, she felt infinite emotion. When would she be as strong as the founder, able to save others from disaster?
“Practice, practice!” She secretly encouraged herself. Her goal now was to cultivate to the point where she could defeat that witch.
What Lin Qingxue didn’t know was that as she left, one of the statues on the altar quietly shed bloody tears.
It was a god whose hands and feet were bound by shackles, with a face covered in lion-like mane.
Clearly locked up like a prisoner, it still gave off an awe-inspiring feeling, like a general who eradicates evil.
The bloody tears followed the lines of the statue, staining the platform below it. The platform was inscribed with the name of this god.
This was one of the “Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends.”