Chapter 976: Below the Altar
Selecting a Divine Son is one of the most significant events for any ancient sect, requiring utmost caution. In a sense, it will determine the sect's rise or fall for the next several hundred years.
Before the selection of the Divine Son, a sacrifice to the Blood God must first be performed.
The Blood God Altar is located in the heartland of the Blood God Sect, only a few hundred miles from Qianyuan Mountain. The altar has nine levels, built from billions of white bones.
After every disciple of the Blood God Sect dies, their body is refined into bone, becoming part of the Blood God Altar, like bricks and tiles, making the altar increasingly tall and majestic.
Zhang Ruochen stood below the Blood God Altar, looking up, feeling a profound sense of shock.
The Blood God Altar didn't even look like an altar, because it was more magnificent and towering than Qianyuan Mountain. Even standing more than ten miles away, one could feel its overwhelming aura.
Above the altar, blood mist gathered densely, and occasionally sacred shadows appeared, resembling the souls of ancient saints. Those sacred shadows varied in size, some only a few meters tall, others hundreds of meters high.
"The bones of all past sect leaders and saints of the Blood God Sect become part of the altar. Every disciple who comes here should carry a sense of reverence."
Ji Shui knelt on the ground, placing her hands flat, and respectfully kowtowed to the Blood God Altar.
Zhang Ruochen looked around and saw that other Blood God Sect disciples who came here also knelt and kowtowed as their first act.
To them, the Blood God Altar was the most sacred place.
Below the Blood God Altar, a dense crowd of cultivators had gathered, at least several hundred thousand. The noise was immense, and the sea of heads swayed.
Not only Blood God Sect disciples were present, but also representatives from families and sects that were vassals to the Blood God Sect, all wanting to witness the birth of the new Divine Son.
Some Blood God Sect disciples had forged battle flags, printing the surnames of Divine Son candidates on them to show their support.
"Senior Brother Wei's talent is no less than that of the previous Divine Son, Mei Lanzhu. He is a leading figure of the Blood God Sect and will surely become the new Divine Son."
A Half-Saint realm Blood God Sect disciple planted a black battle flag into the ground.
On the flag was printed a golden "Wei" character, representing Wei Longxing.
Those cultivators who favored Wei Longxing becoming the new Divine Son gathered toward the black battle flag, forming a unified camp.
"Hai Lingyin gained a great opportunity in the desolate secret realm. Now that his injuries are healed and he has returned as a king, he will surely lead the younger generation of the Blood God Sect to sweep across the world."
"Seventy years ago, Uncle Hai was the number one prodigy of the Blood God Sect. Even now, he remains the number one figure."
A junior disciple of Hai Lingyin planted an ink-blue battle flag printed with the "Hai" character on top of a small hill, representing Hai Lingyin.
Immediately, the crowd surged like a tide toward the ink-black battle flag.
Although Hai Lingyin had once been defeated by Dong Wutian and suffered hidden injuries, slowing his cultivation progress for decades, he still held great influence in the Blood God Sect.
Many people favored him, believing that after experiencing life's ups and downs, Hai Lingyin's will would be even more steadfast, and he might surpass his former self to become a truly undefeated king.
Wei Longxing and Hai Lingyin were undoubtedly the two main protagonists of the day. Their supporters were extremely numerous, constantly waving battle flags and shouting their names.
The two of them had not yet appeared, but their supporters were already clashing, nearly breaking into conflict. Fortunately, a Saint realm elder appeared in time to stop it.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "Is it really necessary to make such a big spectacle just for selecting a Divine Son?"
Ji Shui said, "The Blood God Sect has a very strict hierarchy. The strong are honored, power is king, and the weak can only be slaves and servants. Those who can become Divine Son candidates are all outstanding talents, naturally worthy of admiration."
The supporters of the Divine Son candidates were mainly young female disciples. The male cultivators were relatively more rational.
Of course, if it were the selection of a Divine Maiden, the situation would certainly be reversed.
Sun Dadi appeared from who knows where, emerging to Zhang Ruochen's left, and sighed deeply: "Wei Longxing and Hai Lingyin have way too many supporters. And some of the goddess-level beauties in the Blood God Sect are also standing in their camps. It's so unfair."
Sun Dadi looked a bit shifty-eyed, occasionally glancing at the camps of Wei Longxing and Hai Lingyin, eyeing the few goddess-level young beauties with a very covetous expression.
He used his crimson tail to nudge Zhang Ruochen, pointing at a green-clad young woman in Wei Longxing's camp, and said, "This woman is named Beihai Ying. She once competed for the position of Divine Maiden. Don't let her veil fool you—they say her beauty rivals that of the Divine Maiden herself."
Then, he pointed to a seductive beauty in Hai Lingyin's camp and said, "Her name is Ning Xi. She's known as the number one seductress of the Blood God Sect. I've been watching her for a long time. Who would have thought the man she fancies is Hai Lingyin?"
Zhang Ruochen was very calm, already accustomed to Sun Dadi's talkative nature, and said, "Don't you have many supporters too?"
Sun Dadi grimaced and gave an awkward smile: "Those are all disciples from the Kun Character Heavenly Palace, and most of them are male cultivators. Not even one slightly pretty female disciple."
Suddenly, Sun Dadi let out a soft exclamation, as if he had discovered something remarkable, and exclaimed, "Boss Gu, there's actually a goddess-level beauty in your supporter camp, enough to rival Beihai Ying and Ning Xi."
Zhang Ruochen naturally had supporters too. They came from the Immortal Nether Sea, all followers and subordinates of Haiming Dharma King, but not many in number.
Zhang Ruochen didn't care at all about supporters and had never paid attention to them.
Hearing Sun Dadi's words, he turned around and looked toward the direction where the "Gu" character battle flag stood.
Sure enough, a tall, stunning beauty stood below the flag.
She wore a loose blood-red robe, her skin quite fair, with full chest and hips, delicate features, and a crystalline appearance. Wisps of faint blood mist swirled around her, creating a hazy beauty.
However, her gaze was extremely cold. When she saw Zhang Ruochen looking at her, a warning flashed in her eyes.
Zhang Ruochen just smiled slightly, not intimidated by her warning, and withdrew his gaze.
"Huh? Where did that big sister go?"
Sun Dadi looked toward where Ji Shui had been standing, but she had already left, disappearing without a trace.
"She has no manners at all. She didn't even say goodbye when she left. Boss Gu, if you become the Divine Son, you need to discipline her properly," Sun Dadi said.
In the camp supporting Zhang Ruochen, the stunning beauty in the blood robe heard Sun Dadi's words, and a cold gleam flashed in her eyes.
Zhang Ruochen, however, remained silent with a smile.
Just then, a commotion arose.
"Senior Brother Wei has arrived! Everyone, go welcome him!"
"It really is Wei Longxing. Truly a peerless hero. The aura emanating from him is already comparable to the saints."
...
Wei Longxing, wearing a set of five-colored sacred armor, rode a patch of auspicious clouds down from the sky, causing a huge sensation.
The female disciples who regarded Wei Longxing as their dream lover were all extremely excited, loudly shouting the name "Wei Longxing."
Following that, Bai Yu, Yan Kongming, and other Divine Son candidates also arrived one after another, causing wave after wave of commotion.
In contrast, the area around Zhang Ruochen and Sun Dadi was quite desolate.
Because they had only recently joined the Blood God Sect, few people knew them. Even standing in the crowd, hardly anyone recognized them.
Sun Dadi sighed deeply and said, "Even a small fry like Bai Yu has so many supporters and followers. It's so unfair."
Bai Yu was indeed a Sacred Body, but Sun Dadi didn't regard him as anything at all.
In Sun Dadi's eyes, only Hai Lingyin, Wei Longxing, and Zhang Ruochen could be considered opponents. All other Divine Son candidates were just small fries.
Hai Lingyin arrived very late, yet he still caused an unprecedented commotion.
Because he came together with the Blood God Sect's Divine Maiden, walking to the bottom of the Blood God Altar, appearing quite composed, with a strong confidence emanating from him.
"In the end, the Divine Maiden still favors Hai Lingyin."
"It's very likely that the position of Divine Son has already been decided. It must be Hai Lingyin."
The cultivators of the Blood God Sect all discussed among themselves, with countless eyes fixed on Hai Lingyin and the Blood God Sect's Divine Maiden.
Most of the Divine Son candidates present showed unfriendly expressions, their battle intent surging, eager to compete with Hai Lingyin.
As time passed, it gradually approached noon.
The elders of the Blood God Sect, the ten palace masters of the Cross Heavenly Palace, and the four Dharma Kings of the Protectorate all arrived in person, landing on top of the Blood God Altar, emitting powerful and boundless auras.
More than half of the Blood God Sect's Saints had arrived.
Not to mention ordinary disciples, even the Half-Saints felt quite awed and dared not speak loudly.
Below the Blood God Altar, the hundreds of thousands of cultivators all fell silent. More than half of them knelt on the ground, kowtowing to the saints on top of the altar.
The scene was quite spectacular.
"Welcome the Sect Leader."
An aged voice, very melodious, spread across heaven and earth.
All the cultivators knelt on the ground, bowing and paying respects toward the Blood God Altar.
At that moment, the sky above the Blood God Altar turned completely blood-red, forming a huge vortex.
"Shua."
From the center of the vortex, a powerful and inexplicable aura emanated, landing on top of the altar, condensing into a majestic figure.
The palace masters of the Cross Heavenly Palace and the four Dharma Kings of the Protectorate all rose and bowed to the Blood God Sect Leader.
The Blood God Sect Leader sat down at the highest position on the Blood God Altar, and only then did the powerful aura that intimidated billions of beings gradually retract into his body, becoming formless.
"As expected of the Sect Leader. With such powerful cultivation, he could probably even knock down stars from the sky." Sun Dadi was covered in cold sweat, his heart racing, and even his breathing trembled slightly.
Zhang Ruochen operated the Formless and Faceless Thirty-Six Transformations to their extreme, not allowing a single flaw to show.
His transformation technique was now far more powerful than before. As long as he was cautious, the Blood God Sect Leader would certainly not see through him.
"The noon hour has arrived. Begin the sacrifice."
The sacrificial ceremony was presided over by the palace master of the Qian Character Heavenly Palace.
This sacrifice did not use savage beasts but living humans. A total of three thousand virgin boys and three thousand virgin girls were slaughtered, and the number of slaves killed was even more countless.
Crimson blood flowed from the top of the altar all the way to the bottom, appearing extremely bloody and cruel.
Seeing this scene, a strong rage surged within Zhang Ruochen, but he exerted great effort to restrain himself and did not do anything impulsive.
Since ancient times, the Blood God Sect had used living humans for sacrifices. Today was no exception. (To be continued.)