Ancient Sacrifice

When Kang De saw those ancient figures again, only seven remained.

The vast, winding dragon that was initially seen traveling through the underground world had mostly perished in the pursuit and attacks of the Void Spirit along the way, their bodies torn apart or transformed into twisted and terrifying monsters. Only seven of the strongest remained in Kang De's sight.

Long, long ago, in their time, this underground region had no scattered dark red crystals, no high-purity mineral crystals, no blazing light or gas, only deathly silence and darkness, illuminated by the light emitted by the ancient people's lighting tools.

Kang De followed in their footsteps.

These ancient beings had temporarily escaped the Void Spirit, but for some reason, Kang De always felt that their steps and figures were more solemn and tragic. Why did these beings of the past come to this place?

How did the strange ecosystems and elemental environments of the underground world come about?

He had a premonition that Space-Time Flashback might reveal the answer.

Kang De moved forward, following the figures of the only seven survivors.

I watched as they arrived at a platform.

Watching them stop one by one.

The air was still, and in the darkness, only the weapons and armor of the seven men gleamed. They stood silently, whether in mourning or waiting, it was unclear.

After a while, one of the figures came out.

Tall and imposing, heavily armored, carrying a massive Warhammer, he must have been an extraordinary warrior.

He took a few steps, turned around, and looked at his remaining six companions.

The six men, including the flag-bearer, knelt down before him.

The tall warrior stood silently, accepting his fate with equanimity. Then he spoke in a low, rough voice, like the cold wind and icy rocks of a snow-capped mountain, in a language that Kang De could not understand.

The other six slowly rose, watching their companions, and retreated step by step until they were a great distance away.

The flag bearer then stepped forward, gazing at his companion who was close at hand.

The warrior removed his helmet, revealing a face with fangs and blue skin, but a purple patch was already shimmering around his right eye. He stroked the helmet in his hand, a look of reluctance flashing in his eyes, then placed the Warhammer and helmet some distance away and returned to his companions.

Then he revealed a fearless and serene smile and closed his eyes.

They had a brief conversation.

They still couldn't understand the words, but emotions and will can transcend language, even traversing the vast river of time, reaching the ears of the Fire Thief.

The flag bearer took out a dagger and stabbed it towards the soldier's chest.

The breastplate, infused with mysterious elements, looked like tattered cotton, easily punctured.

An extremely dense and immense mysterious energy surged from the flag bearer's body and into the warrior's body, surrounded by purple light, with energy fluctuations and vibrations that caused a series of light bursts.

The soldier's expression shifted from calm to pain, from pain to contortion. He howled, he roared, his face contorted, blood splattering. He swung his swollen arm, grabbing the flag bearer's arm, trying to break it. He raised his thick fist and pounded it against the man's head.

The flag bearers accepted the blows one by one, gripped their daggers tightly, and continued to infuse them with mysterious energy.

The two figures were enveloped in a dense purple light, and the tall warrior gradually lost his human form.

Distortion.

Distortion.

Expansion.

Transform into a monster.

Mysterious energy surged from the flag bearer's body and poured into the victim's body. The victim's screams and howls were enough to move even the most hard-hearted person, but everyone watched in silence.

Until the rich life energy flowed back from the warrior's body to the flag bearer's body.

This scene... feels very familiar.

Kang De was greatly shaken. The image of the time fracture distorted, a result of the vibration of the divine power of spacetime. He tried his best to calm himself down; he needed to continue searching for answers.

The warrior swelled and twisted into a monster several meters tall.

His body swelled up like a ball of flesh, and dozens of limbs sprouted and transformed into the shapes of knives and spears, lashing the ground violently. The monster Earth's Wrath.

The flag bearer silently withdrew, and together with his companions, bowed once more to the mutated monster.

Their only response was a furious, twisted roar.

One less member.

The remaining six glanced one last time at their former companions, then silently and swiftly departed. In the dark, desolate underground world, the enormous monster, its body swollen and radiating purple light, seemed to shift its body slightly, glancing at its departing companions before roaring incessantly and furiously pounding the ground.

Until the Black Beast's roar came from afar.

Powerful tentacles coiled around a Black Beast, stuffing it into its enormous maw that opened from its abdomen, chewing, swallowing, digesting, and corroding it into a distorted purple substance, before spitting out the remains.

This is what Kang De saw, the final scene in the Space-Time Flashback.

The next moment, time flashed by, a heat wave hit us, and everything before our eyes turned crimson.

Kang De stared blankly around.

"You're awake... We're debating whether to wake you."

Lily sounded relieved, "If you go any further, you'll fall."

Kang De blinked, slowly recovering from the absurd feeling of being out of place in time and space.

He stared intently at what was in front of him and was stunned.

Following this path, winding and turning, we discovered a completely different world.

Before me stood a massive, dark red crystal pillar, rising abruptly from the ground and pointing towards the sky.

The upper part of the crystal pillar had shattered, with sharp fractures appearing one after another. A large number of bright red fragments were scattered on the ground, sparkling and without dust.

Horus said, "Father, microscopic observation indicates that it exploded recently."

Kang De slowly exhaled.

He observed the base of the crystal pillar, which seemed to be rooted to the ground. He gently pushed it, but it didn't budge. The Fire Thief's spiritual power surged in, and the result surprised him.

The underground portion of this crystal pillar is extremely large and deep, extending downwards seemingly without end.

At least, beyond the limits of mental power extension.

"Any discoveries?"

"Lily asked softly."

Kang De composed himself, but instead of answering Lily's question, he walked to the side, searched for a moment at the foot of the distant rock wall, and then fell silent.

He saw the weathered, almost rotten Warhammer and helmet.

"... sacrifice."

Kang De said softly, "I witnessed a sacrifice."

The flag bearer's methods, and even the outcome, were almost identical to Cuixisi's actions.

She plunged a dagger into her comrade's chest, infusing it with mysterious elements and draining his life force, transforming him into a monstrous and terrifying monster that fought off the pursuing Void Spirit.

... Is that all it's for?

Was it merely to obstruct the enemy?

Kang De felt that things were definitely not that simple.

This dark red crystal pillar is very likely the monstrous transformation of the warrior.

It is devouring the Void Spirit.

Cuixisi's actions were also inspired by Space-Time Flashback. Did he see the same things as Kang De? If not, what was his purpose in doing so?

Kang De slowly said, "Cuixisi performed the same sacrificial ritual as the ancients, and I believe this so-called sacrifice is directly related to the explosion of the crystal pillar... Perhaps it can explain where his power came from. Through the sacrifice, he obtained the power of the mutated beast that was the incarnation of the ancients."

This is the only possibility that can explain it.

Lily's face showed disgust.

Because she was also a pre-ordered sacrificial offering, tracing back to the source, this is the fault of the ancients.

What are you guys doing?

"Evil and eerie," she spat. "What exactly is the origin of these ancient species?"

Kang De sighed, "No... I think there is a difference between the two."

He slowly rose, scattering the dust from his Warhammer and helmet onto the shattered crystal pillar. "Cuixisi corrupted and corrupted Luzi, cruel, evil, and disgusting, belonging to torture and fratricide, but the consciousness of the ancients gives me the feeling of..."

He paused, then said in a deep voice, "Sacrifice."

Lily frowned and said, "Even with this kind of behavior, method, and result?"

Kang De sighed, "Think about it from another perspective. They were all brave people. For their comrades and victory, they were willing to sacrifice themselves and become monsters. If proud and powerful warriors could choose such power and such an end, how desperate must the difficulties they faced have been, and how strong their will must have been."

He said in a daze, "I can see that each of them is filled with immense helplessness and pain, but also with an unwavering belief that matches their pain. So I'm very curious, what mission do they have that they must accomplish, sacrificing their comrades as offerings, letting these brave souls die silently here?"

Lily paused for a moment, then suddenly A Xing next to her said, "Over here!"

Kang De turned around and looked in the direction A Xing had pointed. There were several dark spots of blood on the ground.

Lily narrowed her eyes and strode forward, with Kang De following behind.

The dark gray ground was stained with a deep, dark purple, and scattered with some purple, fluffy substances. Lily frowned, squatted down, observed for a moment, and said, "It's corroded dragon blood, and mutated dragon scales—the pattern is that of a green dragon, and Cuixisi is the only one in the delegation who is green!"

No, I think they're all green.

"And it wasn't just left behind!"

Upon hearing this, Kang De's eyes narrowed. He glanced at the shattered crystal pillar. "If the speculation is correct, Cuixisi obtained the power of the ancients after their mutation through sacrifice. Then the large amount of dragon blood and the signs of peeling dragon scales can be explained. He must have come here personally, exchanging his life essence for the power of the ancients. This process was accompanied by rapid changes in his body..."

That's why a large amount of blood, dragon scales, and flesh tissue disintegrated out.

Lily's eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "This means there are six more crystals, each corresponding to one of the other six ancient beings? And Cuixisi has taken Luzi's life essence and is about to extract it from Wei'insi, and me... So, three crystal pillars are intact, which means..."

Kang De nodded. "Yes, if we can discover one of the crystal pillars in advance, we'll have a chance to ambush Cuixisi, because he'll be there sooner or later..."

This is good news.

The underground map provided by Luzi only goes this far. Finding Cuixisi in such a complex and vast area is extremely difficult, but waiting for her to come to you is much easier.

"But how do we find the locations of the other crystal pillars?"

Kang De hesitated for a moment, then smiled slightly.

"I'll do it," he said. "Space-Time Flashback can be triggered near crystal pillars, so it should also happen near other crystal pillars. This way, we should be able to detect them accurately..."

Lily asked worriedly, "But... are you alright?"

She could see that each time Space-Time Flashback, it intensified Kang De's psychological pressure and anxiety.

Kang De shook his head and said, "Is this the time to talk about this? Besides, panoramic VR is awesome."

The Dragon Girl remained silent. Just as she was about to say something, A Xing, who had been standing in front of the crystal pillar after discovering the dragon scale marks, suddenly turned around and pointed in a direction. "... over there."

Kang De and Lily were both taken aback. "What?"

"Next," A Xing said confidently, "Over there."

The Fire Thief and the dragon both wore strange expressions. After exchanging a glance with Lily, Kang De looked at A Xing and asked uncertainly, "How did you know?"

A Xing tilted his head, looking troubled. "I don't know."

"... Is it that you don't know where it is, or that you don't know why you know it's over there?"

A Xing's expression changed from distress to bewilderment.

Ah, thankfully, it's still the same A Xing I know.

A Xing carefully counted on his fingers, repeated Kang De's words, and finally understood. He said with certainty, "I know it's there, but I don't know why I know!"

Kang De then looked at the Dragon Girl, and the Dragon Girl looked back at Kang De.

After exchanging glances, Kang De said, "Shall we give it a try?"

Dragon Girl turned to look at A Xing, who still seemed a bit silly, and nodded, saying, "Alright... anyway, even if she didn't say anything, we wouldn't know where to start looking, so we could only search randomly."

The plan has been finalized; let's start afresh.

However, Kang De had another concern on his mind. This was the first time he had expressed his opinion since entering the underground world and A Xing falling into a dazed state, and it concerned the main quest.

As they walked in silence, Kang De and Lily exchanged glances.

The Dragon Girl's gaze was easy to understand; she was referring to A Xing —what's going on with this guy?

To this, Kang De could only shake his head with a wry smile.

A Xing.

She was the first friendly and intelligent being he encountered on the Holy Seal Archipelago and in the entire world. He spent the most difficult year with her, and their relationship was as close as that of family.

But that's all.

He didn't know A Xing's origins, why she was sealed on the Holy Seal Archipelago, or her previous identity. The magical creatures on the island all had illustrious pasts and retained their old memories, but A Xing's was a blank slate. The Parrot also kept her origins a secret.

Now, she has come to this long-forgotten underground world, displaying a completely different kind of confusion and bewilderment than usual, and now, she has even pointed out the direction to move forward.

Could it be...?

Kang De's expression changed slightly; he had considered a possibility.

But why...

The mysteries and doubts in his mind grew, and he glanced at A Xing. This was not the time to talk about this. He had talked to A Xing several times before, and she had shown pain and struggle. With a great battle imminent, it was unwise to dwell on such matters... He would deal with Cuixisi's matter first, and then slowly dig deeper.

Soon, they found the second crystal pillar.

It was also a massive, unrestrained, dark red crystal rooted deep in the ground.

The upper part has already exploded.

Kang De exits the Space-Time Flashback; it's the same story again. The next companion to be sacrificed faces it with the same equanimity, the same painful distortion—it's just another repetitive cycle.

The heroes who endured countless hardships and battles to reach this place, bravely faced their deaths, transforming into grotesque and twisted monsters. What was their true purpose?

"There!"

A Xing quickly pointed out the way forward.

The pace quickened, and it was essentially a race. Kang De had to block Cuixisi, which would require searching up to seven crystal pillars, while Cuixisi wanted to be the first to sacrifice the life essence of the two dragons in her possession. Her goal was very clear: she only needed to head straight for the two complete sacrifice pillars.

Hopefully, this ceremony will take quite a while.

The third one.

The third Time Flashback.

These flashbacks, though brief glimpses, depicted similar yet distinct scenes, primarily due to the different time periods. The first flashback showed the warrior undergoing a blood sacrifice and becoming mutated, while the third showed the detailed process of the mutated monster confronting the Black Beast.

It is devouring the Void Spirit.

And defeat, suppress, crush, and devour this apocalyptic beast from behind the Veil.

The mutated ancient people became extremely powerful.

Kang De witnessed the process and the outcome.

The devoured phantom beasts became nourishment for the monsters, corroded and digested by mysterious elements. The transformed mysterious elements then strengthened the monsters' power, enhancing their advantage in battle against the Void Spirit.

An overwhelming advantage.

This raises questions.

If there's such a good method, why run away? If they're only facing the calamity of the Black Beast and the Veil, why not use this method to directly resist it?

What are we supposed to do in this desolate underground world?

The fourth Zhuzi.

In the Space-Time Flashback, Kang De saw that the monster that had devoured many Void Spirit had begun to crystallize because it had absorbed and transformed too many mysterious elements.

Dark red.

And they began to take root in the earth.

The mysterious elements generated by digesting the Void Spirit flowed underground along the massive, crystalline body that had expanded.

The fifth Zhuzi.

A dragon's roar suddenly resounded, and a giant dragon spread its wings, its body swelled and twisted, its head was huge, dripping purple saliva, spewing deadly poison gas, and emitting mournful howls and fierce roars.

But that wasn't Cuixisi.

"Wei'insi!"

Lily cried out in disbelief.

"Lily! Lily! Lily!"

The mutated and corrupted dragon, dripping with maddening blood and tears, roared. It still retained its sanity and recognized Lily, but the distortion of its body had also caused its soul to go mad. Driven by instinct and evil thoughts, the former dragon launched an attack on Kang De and his companions.

Become like me! Become like me!

Its eyes held madness, distortion, jealousy, inferiority, and hatred as it cried out, "Ascension! Ascension! Ascend together!"

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PS1: Damn it... you guys wait, I'll give you a real beating tomorrow.