Chapter 261: Sacrificial Ritual
Although the power of the Thunder Pearl could not kill the Fire Cloud Wolf, it slightly slowed the wolf's speed.
In that split second, Zhang Ruochen took out a battle diagram.
As he infused it with true qi, the inscriptions on the diagram lit up, and ten Purple-Horned Beasts charged out, pouncing at the Fire Cloud Wolf.
Each Purple-Horned Beast possessed combat power comparable to a martial artist at the Earth Extreme Great Perfection.
Seizing this opportunity, Zhang Ruochen immediately retreated, rushing into the formation and fleeing back to Yueji City.
The moment Zhang Ruochen entered the formation, a thunderous roar sounded behind him, and the entire city-protecting grand formation shook violently.
Just now, the Fire Cloud Wolf had crushed the ten Purple-Horned Beasts, caught up to Zhang Ruochen, and struck at him with a claw, missing his back by a hair's breadth. Fortunately, its claw was blocked by the city-protecting formation. Otherwise, Zhang Ruochen would have been severely injured.
"What a formidable Fire Cloud Wolf! Ten Purple-Horned Beasts only held it off for two breaths."
Exhausted, Zhang Ruochen climbed to his feet and looked at the battle diagram in his hand. The light on the diagram had dimmed slightly.
Each time the battle diagram's power was used, it diminished.
If Zhang Ruochen activated the Purple-Horned Beast Diagram now, he could only summon ten Purple-Horned Beasts at the Earth Extreme Minor Position. A third activation would likely yield only ten at the Earth Extreme Initial Stage.
After taking a healing pill, Zhang Ruochen immediately rushed to the altar at the city center. He took out all the savage beasts from two storage bracelets and one storage ring, placing them on the altar.
A total of twenty-seven savage beast corpses piled up into a small mountain of blood and flesh.
Then, Zhang Ruochen went into the city to collect all the savage birds that had been struck down by the formation.
One hundred and seventy-eight savage bird corpses were also placed on the altar by Zhang Ruochen.
"The number of savage beasts and birds is still too few. I need to hunt more."
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged below the altar, beginning to heal his injuries. After about half an hour, his injuries were fifty percent recovered.
Stopping his recuperation, Zhang Ruochen picked up the Abyssal Ancient Sword and charged out of the city-protecting formation again to continue hunting savage beasts.
Unlike before, Zhang Ruochen no longer deliberately clashed head-on with fourth-rank savage beasts. Instead, he avoided them, only hunting lower-rank beasts.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen launched a Thunder Pearl, releasing electric light that killed over a dozen first-rank savage beasts, their bodies charred and falling in a large heap.
Zhang Ruochen immediately rushed over, collecting the corpses into his storage ring.
Just as the fourth-rank savage beast, the "Lion-Headed Bull King," charged at him, Zhang Ruochen had already fled back into Yueji City.
After placing the beasts on the altar, Zhang Ruochen sneaked out of the city from another direction to continue hunting.
"What is that Zhang Ruochen kid plotting? Does he think he can hunt beasts faster than I can summon them?" Ling Xiansu watched from above, puzzled by Zhang Ruochen's actions.
Ling Xiansu could never have imagined that Zhang Ruochen intended to hunt beasts to prepare for a sacrificial ritual in Yueji City.
Every time Zhang Ruochen rushed out of the city, Ling Xiansu immediately ordered fourth-rank beasts to kill him.
But Zhang Ruochen was cunning, always staying near the city walls, using Thunder Pearls or battle diagrams to hunt batch after batch of beasts, collecting their storage bracelets.
By evening, the altar was piled with four hundred and seventy-seven savage beast corpses, forming a bloody mountain of flesh.
"The blood of these beasts, combined with the blood of tens of thousands of human martial artists in Yueji City, should be enough to open the Human-God Gate and complete the sacrificial ritual." Zhang Ruochen said excitedly.
In the Kunlun Realm, the Winter Solstice was generally considered the best time for sacrifices.
It was said that on the Winter Solstice, the God Realm and the Kunlun Realm were closest, making it easiest to open the Human-God Gate.
Even a small village sacrifice could open the gate.
But once the Winter Solstice passed, it became very difficult to open the gate, requiring a hundred times the blood energy to complete the ritual.
Outside the city, the beast attacks grew fiercer. Some sections of the city wall had been shattered, and the light of the city-protecting formation grew dimmer.
A hundred miles from Yueji City, there was a small hill.
On the hilltop stood two figures.
The leader appeared to be in his early twenties, with sword-like brows, eagle-like eyes, a straight nose, and a piercing gaze, giving an impression of handsomeness and authority.
This person was none other than Zhang Tiangui, the number one prodigy of the thirty-six commanderies of the Demon Ridge.
Lu Qiankun, ranked third among the inner disciples of the Yuntai Sect Mansion, stared at Yueji City with some anxiety. "Senior Brother, the city-protecting formation of Yueji City is about to break. Should we make our move now?"
Zhang Tiangui clasped his hands behind his back and gently shook his head. "Not yet. Wait a little longer."
"Why?" Lu Qiankun was very puzzled.
A faint smile curled at the corner of Zhang Tiangui's mouth. "Now is not the time."
Lu Qiankun was a straightforward man, so he naturally didn't understand Zhang Tiangui's scheme.
Rescuing people was certainly necessary, but the key was how to do it and when to strike.
Han Qiu wasn't in enough danger yet. If he saved her now, he wouldn't maximize the benefits.
Only when she was at her most desperate and helpless would Zhang Tiangui's sudden appearance make her more grateful and moved.
To deal with women, one had to use certain tactics; otherwise, how would they submit?
A fool like Lu Qiankun could never understand his careful planning.
This was a chance to win Han Qiu's heart, and Zhang Tiangui wouldn't let such a golden opportunity slip by.
"Zhang Ruochen seems to be in Yueji City too. Perfect, I can take care of him as well. Keeping him around is always a threat." Zhang Tiangui remained calm, gazing at the distant Yueji City, a confident light flashing in his eyes.
He would continue to wait until the perfect moment to strike.
The battle at Yueji City was brutal. Han Qiu activated one attack formation after another, killing countless savage beasts and birds.
Half an hour later, the energy of five attack formations was completely exhausted.
Now, only two defensive formations and one city-protecting grand formation remained in Yueji City. It was only a matter of time before they were breached.
Standing on the city wall, Han Qiu watched the endless tide of beasts and finally felt a sense of helplessness. She said urgently, "Zhang Ruochen, what do we do now? The reinforcements from the Martial Market Academy and the Yuntai Sect Mansion haven't arrived, and the defensive formations can last at most another incense stick's time."
"We have to take a gamble. If we can break through to a higher realm, we might be able to fight our way out."
Zhang Ruochen entered the stone gate below the altar, came to the edge of the divine pool, and recited a sacrificial text from memory. He pressed his hands against the stone wall, and the spiritual fire true qi within him surged from his palms, spreading outward to cover the entire altar.
"Let the sacrificial ritual begin!"
"Rumble!"
The massive altar began to rotate slowly.
A blood-red pillar of light shot up from the center of the altar, shattering the clouds in the sky as if piercing into the vast universe.
The sky turned blood-red.
In the center of that blood-red expanse, it seemed a gate had opened. Within the gate was chaos, and a rain of light particles descended, sprinkling over Yueji City.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged on the ground, beginning to communicate with his soul vein.
A beam of light shot out from the top of his head, condensing into a soul shadow that looked exactly like Zhang Ruochen.
That soul shadow flew out, hovering above the divine pool, and began to absorb the free sacrificial power in the air.
Han Qiu stood to the side, not knowing what Zhang Ruochen intended to do.
When the martial soul rushed out of Zhang Ruochen's body, she was finally shocked. Her expression froze completely, as if petrified, and her lips formed an "O" shape.
"He... he has cultivated a martial soul..."
Even the legendary martial artists of the Heavenly Extreme realm rarely cultivated a martial soul. Zhang Ruochen, at the Earth Extreme realm, had already done so.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen's martial soul was extremely sacred, like a phantom of a god, making Han Qiu feel an urge to kneel and worship.
The martial soul hovering above the divine pool glanced at Han Qiu and actually spoke: "What are you standing there for? Come over immediately and sit in front of me. I will transfer some of the sacrificial power into your body. With the help of this power, we might be able to ease the conflict between the two forces within you and resolve the crisis in your cultivation."
Feeling the oppressive power of Zhang Ruochen's martial soul, as if receiving a divine decree, Han Qiu devoutly walked over to Zhang Ruochen.
She sat cross-legged opposite him, slowly raising her snow-white jade arms to connect with Zhang Ruochen's hands.
"Boom!"
The moment her hands touched Zhang Ruochen's, Han Qiu felt an electric shock.
A surging wave of sacrificial power flowed from his right hand into her body, rushing through her meridians toward her qi sea.
Under the impact of that power, she felt like a leaf floating on the ocean, her body on the verge of being torn apart by the force.
"Don't panic. Calm your mind, circulate the 'Ultimate Sacred Qiankun Art,' and try to absorb the sacrificial power."
Just as Han Qiu was panicking, Zhang Ruochen's voice, like a divine sound, entered her mind.
Gradually, Han Qiu regained her composure, closed her eyes, and began to circulate the technique as instructed.
The sacrificial power, the most sacred and inclusive force, entered her meridians and began to circulate through her entire body, completing a major cycle before flowing back from her left hand into Zhang Ruochen's meridians.
Thus, the cycle repeated, with the sacrificial power completing one major cycle after another in her body.
Her meridians slowly absorbed that power, and her martial realm steadily advanced.
In her qi sea, the clash between the Dark True Qi and the Ultimate Sacred Qiankun True Qi grew weaker and weaker, as if about to merge. The two types of true qi formed a black-and-white stream, circulating through her meridians along with the sacrificial power.