Chapter 524 - 525: Blood Sacrifice, Stop Him

Chapter 524: Chapter 525: Blood Sacrifice, Stop Him

Jin Ling summoned the male members of the Phoenix Wing Clan who were hidden nearby.

"We need to go down to the stone mountain to investigate, but we can’t alert the people inside. In a moment, I’ll need you to lure away the beast soldiers outside the mountain."

"Don’t worry. We know what to do."

With that, the members of the Phoenix Wing Clan flapped their wings, soared into the sky, and let out a sharp, long cry.

The sound quickly alerted the beast soldiers guarding the stone mountain. A few among them were Green Bird Beasts, which immediately flew up to engage.

But the Green Bird Beasts were no match for the Phoenix Wing Clan.

CRASH! CRASH!

Following a few loud thuds, the Green Bird Beasts plummeted from the sky.

The other beast soldiers looked troubled. As Land Beasts, they were at a clear disadvantage against flying opponents. One of them tried to head down the stone mountain for reinforcements, but the moment he moved, a diving member of the Phoenix Wing Clan snatched him up.

The warrior carried the beast soldier into the sky and viciously dropped him.

The remaining beast soldiers were terrified and scattered toward the forest. Hiding among the trees would provide cover, making it harder for the Phoenix Wing Clan to catch them.

One of the Phoenix Wing Clan flew quickly over the forest. Qiao Xixi and the others, hidden in the trees, knew this was their signal.

Jin Ling and Xijing exchanged a look. Xijing nodded, then leaped down from the tree and killed the beast soldiers who were fleeing in a blind panic.

Once Jin Ling saw that the beast soldiers had been completely lured away, he had Qiao Xixi climb onto his back, transformed into his beast form, and ran swiftly toward the stone mountain.

He climbed up to the large boulder and opened the stone door, following the pulsating rhythm he remembered.

Xijing arrived shortly after and was the first to enter.

Jin Ling shifted back to his human form, held Qiao Xixi in his arms, and followed him inside.

The moment they stepped through, the stone door slammed shut behind them.

As the door closed, they were plunged into darkness.

Xijing took out a sea pearl, illuminating their small corner.

By the pearl’s soft glow, Qiao Xixi examined the passageway.

The passage was enclosed by hard stone walls, which still bore the marks of claws. It had clearly been carved out by beastmen using their bare talons.

As they walked down the passage, they could hear a sharp whistling wind. The wind blew toward them, carrying a foul, acidic, and rotten stench.

Qiao Xixi sniffed, trying to identify the odors, but after two breaths, she grimaced in disgust.

Jin Ling gently pressed her face into his chest. "Don’t breathe it in too deeply. It’s the smell of a forbidden concoction mixed with blood. I’ve smelled it before."

Qiao Xixi was surprised. Recalling that Jin Wei had abandoned Jin Ling for being utterly useless, a pang of sympathy made her hug him a little tighter.

Feeling her gentle comfort, a faint smile touched Jin Ling’s lips. "It’s all right. It’s all in the past."

"Mm."

Xijing, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped.

"The path ends here."

"There must be a way to open another door."

Jin Ling let go of Qiao Xixi and felt along the stone wall. High up, he found a distinct protrusion.

He pressed it hard with his palm, and the wall in front of them slowly rose.

Stepping inside, they found themselves in a stone chamber with five entrances surrounding them, each one a pitch-black maw.

Xijing and Jin Ling went to inspect each entrance in turn.

"Each entrance has a different scent coming from it."

Finally, Jin Ling stopped at the middle entrance.

"Jin Wei and the others went this way."

"Let’s go have a look."

Xijing once again took the lead. Compared to the previous passage, this one was wider—spacious enough for at least three adult males of their size to walk abreast.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Xijing stopped again.

Qiao Xixi also saw a strange red glow coming from the exit ahead.

"You wait here with Xixi. I’ll go check it out."

Jin Ling nodded. "Be careful."

Xijing grunted in acknowledgment and slowly approached the exit.

He concealed himself in the shifting darkness and gazed at the scene before him.

Xijing’s pupils contracted. Just as he was about to retreat, Jin Ling arrived behind him with Qiao Xixi.

Qiao Xixi craned her neck to look, and her eyes widened in shock.

Beyond the exit was a massive pit, surrounded by a dark, black-and-red glow.

Jin Wei and Fengxuan stood in the center of the pit. What surprised Qiao Xixi the most was that Jin Wei was surrounded by nearly a hundred females.

Their hands and feet were bound. They looked terrified, their eyes filled with despair.

Fengxuan held a stone bowl. One by one, he pricked the females’ fingers with a bone needle, letting the bright red blood from their fingertips drip into the bowl.

Once he had collected blood from every female, he brought the stone bowl to Jin Wei.

"City Lord, drink this. When our ritual is complete, you will gain an Undying Body. No beastman in this world will be your match."

Jin Wei stared at the stone bowl, his eyes glinting with a greedy, dark light.

He eagerly took the bowl and drained it in one gulp.

The moment he drank the blood, he felt a strange power surging through his entire body.

Fengxuan watched Jin Wei, a flicker of inscrutable meaning in his eyes. He concealed the strange emotion as he turned away.

He held two sharp animal bones in his hands and chanted an incomprehensible incantation.

A low, droning sound filled the air, making one’s chest feel as if it were being crushed by a great stone, so tight it was hard to breathe.

As Fengxuan moved, the bodies of the bound females suddenly levitated, rising to stand steadily in the air around Jin Wei.

Qiao Xixi’s expression darkened. ’Little Demon, what are they doing?’

"Host, this is an ancient blood-sacrificial Forbidden Technique. By using the blood of fertile females to sacrifice to the power of a dark primastone, one’s strength can be greatly enhanced. If the blood sacrifice succeeds, Jin Wei will become truly difficult to defeat!"

The moment Little Demon finished speaking, Qiao Xixi saw streams of blood shoot out from the females’ bodies, rapidly converging on Jin Wei.

"How can I stop him?"

"Host, you must perform the Sacrificial Dance immediately, before his blood sacrifice is complete! Use its purifying energy to counter the Forbidden Technique. If you win, the Forbidden Technique will fail."

"While the Forbidden Technique is in progress, Jin Wei cannot move. Host, you must seize this opportunity!"

Watching the females gradually lose their life force, Qiao Xixi’s gaze grew resolute. After she told Xijing and Jin Ling what Little Demon had said, both of their expressions turned cold and grim.

"Fengxuan can’t stop now, and Jin Wei can’t move. They must have guards posted around. You two hold off the beast soldiers, and I’ll deal with Fengxuan."

The other two nodded. Jin Ling was the first to leap out, transforming into his beast form and pouncing toward Fengxuan.

The instant he jumped, Qiao Xixi also rode the wind, flying to a spot directly above Jin Wei’s head.

The moment they moved, beast soldiers who had been guarding from the shadows revealed themselves, just as expected.

Fengxuan opened his eyes. He was stunned to see Jin Ling and Qiao Xixi charging out. His face twisted into a ferocious snarl as he roared, "Kill them!"