Chapter 74: You Leveled Up
The beast's flesh rose and turned to ash in the flames, and the shining mist drifted up with the smoke, gathering into clouds in the dim room.
On the burning altar, ripples converged, like lightning in the clouds, causing waves in the sea of mist.
This act, in the distant past two thousand years ago, the Walder people called 'Sacrifice.'
Within all things, there is power originating from the primordial. Living beings can rely on 'devouring' each other to obtain the traits and abilities of others. Creatures slaughter each other, climbing the ladder of evolution. The ancient Walder people, through 'hunting' and 'feeding,' earned the right to knock on the door of the future. As for other competing lifeforms, they all became food for the Walder people.
However, this efficiency was too low.
Ten pounds of beast meat could only increase strength by one pound, and this progress had its limits. The Walder people, who resembled upright goats in appearance, were bound by carbon-based flesh and blood. Relying solely on 'feeding and digestion,' their physical strength could not exceed five tons.
Five tons—this number was already quite massive. Five tons of power concentrated within a small body of flesh and blood was enough for a Walder person to effortlessly cut through steel and kick through stone walls. It was enough for any Walder person to traverse every corner of the planet's continent with ease, entering and exiting without hindrance.
But such power was far from enough—the Walder people set their sights on birds and fish: after conquering the land, they wanted to conquer the sky and the sea, and after conquering the sky and the sea, they wanted to conquer the unknown distances beyond.
So, the primitive and crude method of 'feeding' was abandoned. Gradually, a method called 'Sacrifice' was explored and developed, becoming the mainstream of this world.
"In the name of 'God,' O beast, release all the power you once held!"
Within the altar, the blazing flames danced, burning the slain beast to ash. In the name of the virtual 'God of Sacrifice,' the Walder people blessed their food, using fire to extract the essence of the ingredients, condensing it into light within the mist, and then absorbing that essence to gain power several times stronger than mere 'feeding.'
A mighty beast, capable of splitting mountains and cracking rocks, could, after being sacrificed, grant a Walder person the strength of half a beast. And this power was not limited by the fragile flesh and blood body, allowing the Walder people to easily surpass their previous limits—although each beast could only be sacrificed once, and the number of sacrifices each Walder person could perform was fixed based on their talent, this progress was enough for the Walder people to grow and develop rapidly, building great temples, altars, and cities in the wild mountains and wilderness, establishing a unique civilization centered around 'sacrifice.'
This continued even after they entered the void.
"Sacrifice is the beginning of civilization, a derivative of the truth of equivalent exchange."
"Hunting other valiant lives, liberating one's own future possibilities, challenging one strong opponent after another, and elevating oneself step by step—this is the life of the Walder people."
The beliefs of the Walder people were 'hunting' and 'feeding,' with their core being 'combat' and 'sacrifice.' They treated all alien life equally, but also equally regarded all life as prey—killing was glory, hunting was virtue. Overcoming a strong opponent, the dying cry of the strong was the best praise, while killing a defenseless weakling or a pregnant individual was the greatest shame.
The art of the sword, the strength of the body, the surge of life energy, the brilliance of magic—over two thousand years, as the Walder people sacrificed more and more things, they gained more and more power. All kinds of new transcendent powers entered their bloodlines. This naturally led to the fragmentation of the ancient Walder Empire, but it also made the Walder people stronger.
The strongest Walder people could hunt beasts comparable to worlds in the void. They could skillfully manipulate all kinds of transcendent powers, using countless methods to defeat their opponents. They burned the corpses of giant beasts, ignited and sacrificed massive void suns, and then swallowed the radiance of those suns into their bellies, gaining unparalleled might.
These powerful beings roaming the void were called 'Star-Hunting Warriors,' and the 'Hunting Alliance,' composed of four major transcendent organizations and over a dozen Star-Hunting Warriors, was quite famous even in the outer star rivers.
But that was all.
The limit of the path of 'Sacrifice' lay here—there was no longer any life in this world more powerful than a Void Behemoth. Even if such a being existed, it would not be naturally born, something whose power could be stripped and used to strengthen oneself through 'Sacrifice.'
Just as two thousand years ago, the Walder people knew the limits of 'feeding,' they now knew that their civilization might stop here.
However...
This was merely the limit of the 'Walder people' race alone.
"Sir, please throw the 'Primordial Life Energy Crystal' obtained after the 'Sacrifice' into the silver light pillar in front of you."
In the dim priestly hall, before the blazing purple sacrificial flames, within the black iron altar, the corpse of a giant lizard was turning to ash. Large amounts of milky-white Primordial Life Energy weapons were condensing into crystals within the gray-black smoke. Twelve tall beings, resembling upright goats, were surrounding this altar, somewhat at a loss, following the instructions of a human woman standing beside a silver light pillar next to the altar.
This human woman had a beautiful face and long, platinum-blonde hair. She was currently smiling as she guided a leading Walder person to collect the Life Energy crystals from the smoke and then throw them next to the silver light pillar beside her—the woman named Amira Makarov showed no nervousness facing this group of fierce-looking alien warriors. The reason was naturally her own confidence as a Gold-rank being, as well as the deterrent power brought by her identity as the 'Mycroft Exchange Ambassador.'
The unruly Walder people, as one of the rare 'Level Four Civilizations,' naturally had their own confidence and pride. But after rounds of exchanges with Joshua, the Old Pope, the Seven Gods, and Barbarossa, Faina, and others, the status of the Mycroft Civilization Ambassador instantly rose from 'prey by the roadside' to a level equivalent to 'high-ranking leaders of the Alliance'—it must be said, this straightforward culture was very convenient, especially suiting the taste of the Mycroft people, who were also a transcendent civilization.
And now, as a disciple of a certain Legendary expert, Amira, under the silent watch of several 'Star-Hunting Warriors,' was conducting a brand new 'Sacrificial Ceremony' for twelve young Walder people.
"Is... is that so?"
Among the twelve young Walder people participating in the exchange, the first goat-headed man to undergo this novel 'Sacrificial Ceremony' touched the large horns on his head, looking somewhat unsure of what to do. But after all, the Walder people were also a race with a high-level civilization. Even if, due to cultural and customary reasons, they looked like they were dressed as medieval knights and warriors, this was merely the artistic style of their clothing and didn't represent anything.
So, he quickly collected the crystals that condensed from the mist after the beast was burned, and without hesitation, threw the fist-sized Primordial Life Crystal—which, if absorbed into the body on a normal day, would be enough to turn an ordinary human into a warrior capable of hunting tigers and leopards with brute force—into the 'silver light pillar' beside Amira.
"'Primordial Life Energy Crystal' detected... Redemption price: 212 Exchange Points. Restorative Pillar No. 951125 is at your service. What would you like to exchange?"
On the surface of the silver light pillar, ripples spread as the Life Energy crystal was thrown in. But soon, the crystal was completely absorbed by the light pillar, vanishing into nothing. The ripples on the light screen condensed into a line of Walder language, clearly marking the number.
"I want to spend 200 Exchange Points to exchange for 'Basic Battle Qi Enhancement'!"
Having been informed by Amira before the sacrifice began of the purpose of this experimental sacrifice, the offeror stated his goal without hesitation—and under the silent watch of the Walder Star-Hunting Warriors on both sides of the hall, the silver light pillar flickered for a moment, accepting this 'exchange.'
"'Exchange' confirmed. Deducting 200 Exchange Points... Beginning enhancement."
An inorganic voice came from the silver light pillar, followed by a nearly translucent milky-white light beam shooting out—this light beam precisely enveloped only the offeror who had spoken. The shining light lasted for nearly two seconds, then slowly contracted, condensing in the center of the Walder warrior's chest, and disappeared.
"Exchange complete—Basic Battle Qi Cycle Seed constructed. Please verify."
"Th-this power! I understand!"
How powerful, the path lies beneath my feet!
Without waiting for the silver light pillar to finish its rigid lines, the goat-headed man enveloped by the light beam couldn't contain his excitement and leaped high—even without being enhanced by sacrifice, the Walder people's jumping ability was extremely developed, enough to jump five meters high. So this Walder person, due to his suddenly enhanced explosive power, ended up with both horns stuck in the ceiling, hanging from the top of the hall.
"Heh."
But this rather awkward scene didn't last long. Soon, the first offeror managed to get himself down from the ceiling. Even though he had embarrassed himself in front of his seniors and companions, he couldn't suppress his excitement, because the power that hadn't increased through 'Sacrifice' for a long time had just shown a fluctuation that was definitely not an illusion! It was this fluctuation that strengthened his power, allowing him to leap and pierce the sturdy ceiling of the hall!
He could sense that the source of this fluctuation was the small 'Battle Qi Cycle Seed' in the center of his chest. The Walder people, who also had deep research into Life Energy, could clearly distinguish that this was a power system completely different from 'Sacrifice,' yet one that led to the same goal!
Without hesitation, under the smiling gaze of the platinum-haired female mage and the slightly surprised watch of the two Star-Hunting Warriors, this young Walder person activated the Battle Qi Cycle Seed in his chest. Instantly, a thin but real Battle Qi cycle appeared within his body. This young Walder person could clearly feel that he could quickly amplify his power at any time by 'activating' and 'running' the Battle Qi cycle!
"The Walder people's path of 'Sacrifice' is a powerful means of enhancing the 'life essence' of the sacrificer. But Battle Qi is different. Although it can also strengthen the practitioner's physique through nurturing, its essence is to 'amplify' the practitioner's original power."
Watching the young goat-headed man excitedly use Battle Qi, creating a series of explosive sounds in the air, and showing a surprised expression because the Battle Qi neutralized the recoil, causing him no pain, Amira continued to smile and explained softly: "Therefore, the 'Life Energy' cultivation methods of our two races can complement each other. Your strong can become stronger, and we can also let our cultivators build the best foundation."
Seeing the powerful Star-Hunting Warriors on both sides of the hall nod slightly, seemingly agreeing with her statement, Amira smiled even more happily—the reward for completing a diplomatic mission was Exchange Points counted in the tens of thousands; how could she not be happy? Then, the female mage turned her head to look at the Walder person who had fully adapted to the 'Basic Battle Qi,' his face filled with boundless joy.
In Amira's eyes, endless data was flowing. The 'Joshua System v2.7 Deluxe Pre-Order Edition' had already begun to instinctively calculate the energy level and traits of the being before her. Her heart was filled with myriad emotions, and she couldn't help but whisper softly to this lucky one, who was probably the first cultivator of Battle Qi in the entire Walder civilization: "Congratulations... Saphiron."
"You leveled up."
The experience of the Walder people was not an isolated case.
In fact, similar scenes were not happening in just one place, but in thousands upon thousands of places, everywhere across the entire Multiverse Star River.