The Ritual

As Jiang Xiaorou walked step by step onto the Divine Bone Altar, a red line appeared on the distant horizon. Then, thousands of miles of red clouds rolled in, dyeing the sky above this land a blood-red color.

The crimson clouds hung low, like thick blood about to flow from the sky to the ground.

On the desolate land of the gods, there lived a woman of unparalleled beauty, watching this scene from afar.

The woman's appearance bore a resemblance to Jiang Xiaorou, but she lacked Jiang Xiaorou's childishness and possessed more maturity and charm.

She watched Jiang Xiaorou's every move and expression, but her heart was far from at ease.

They are the Wilderness Clan, passing down through countless ages. They have always carried the mission that belongs to the Wilderness Clan, and from ancient times to the present, their bloodline has been slowly weakening.

Now, they have very little power left.

Each generation of Wild Kings had to gain the approval of the Divine Bone Altar and awaken their ancient bloodline on the altar.

However, not every generation of Wild Kings can successfully awaken; in the history of the Wild Clan, there have been instances where a Wild King was missing.

Moreover, even within awakening, there are different levels, such as initial awakening, deep awakening, and perfect awakening, and the differences between them are enormous.

As time goes by, perhaps due to the dissipation of the power of the Divine Bone Altar, the number of people among the Desolate Kings over the past tens of millions of years who have been able to deeply awaken their ancient bloodlines has become increasingly smaller.

The stunningly beautiful woman before me had deeply awakened her ancient bloodline thousands of years ago. She ruled over the Wilderness Clan and was not only powerful but also humble and magnanimous, making her a wise and virtuous queen.

However, twenty years ago, a major incident occurred that severely injured her and damaged her bloodline.

Although she remains powerful, the damage to her bloodline makes it difficult for her to control the Desolate Tribe Sacred Spirit, a crucial factor for the Desolate Clan.

In this turbulent world, without the Desolate Tribe Sacred Spirit, their heritage may be destroyed.

For Jiang Xiaorou, not even twenty years old, to step onto the Divine Bone Altar and attempt to awaken her bloodline is something that has never happened in the last few million years.

Jiang Xiaorou was too young to complete such a ceremony, but she had no choice but to do it because... they had run out of time.

"Your Majesty, are you worried?"

Beside the woman, a Youth in Green spoke respectfully. This young man was none other than the Shepherd Boy had rescued Yi Yun when the army besieged Tai'a Divine City.

The woman nodded slightly and sighed, "I'm worried... and heartbroken. Rou'er was separated from me when she was young. She grew up alone in Yunhuang, suffering all kinds of hardships. We were finally reunited, but I can't give her much care. Instead, I have to make her walk up to the Divine Bone Altar and bear the mission of my Wilderness Clan..."

"Rou'er has a special constitution. Even at a young age, she may gain the Holy Spirit's approval and become a true Desolate King... However... the suffering in her heart is something I find hard to let go of."

Hearing the woman's words, the Shepherd Boy hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing his words before speaking, "Your Majesty, if Qing Kui may be so bold as to say this, that young man named Yi Yun must still be on the Young Master's mind... because being separated from him has caused the Young Master to smile less..."

"Yi Yun ..." The woman took a deep breath, but shook her head slightly. "Over the years, I have learned about some of his actions. If he were just an ordinary person, it wouldn't be so bad for him to stay in the Wilderness Clan and reunite with Rou'er. However, this boy is no ordinary person. Don't expect him to stay quietly in the Wilderness Clan. Moreover, he will inevitably stir up trouble in the future. I have a feeling that if Rou'er has too much contact with him, it may bring disaster upon her."

"I went my own way back then and suffered a loss, which is something I'm worried about. Some things, even if you try to avoid them, are hard to escape..."

As the woman spoke, she let out a soft sigh. At that moment, Jiang Xiaorou had already reached the top of the Divine Bone Altar.

She raised her hand, holding the Totem Bone Staff high, her wide sleeves drooping down, revealing Jiang Xiaorou's fair, porcelain-like arms, which stood out against the backdrop of the crimson clouds.

Waaah...

A sudden gust of wind arose between heaven and earth.

Jiang Xiaorou's long hair and red robe were whipped around by the gale, and a desolate and vast aura instantly spread throughout the entire land.

All the wild beasts trembled slightly as this aura pressed down upon them. As if sensing something, they all raised their heads and looked towards the Divine Bone Altar.

The wind grew stronger and louder, like thunder!

The red clouds also rolled in the wind, like surging tides.

Amidst the raging wind, the woman standing alone on the high altar, her cloak billowing behind her, her staff pointing straight to the sky, seemed poised to ride the wind and clouds away.

Waaaaah!

The endless crimson clouds, stretching for thousands of miles, began to converge towards the Divine Bone Altar, driven by Jiang Xiaorou's actions. The crimson clouds stirred up a huge red vortex, where endless Savage Power gathered, forming a raging ocean of energy!

At this moment, Jiang Xiaorou's expression was solemn, and the blood in her body seemed to be summoned by an ancient force, becoming increasingly hot.

Three red dots on her forehead shimmered faintly. High above, red clouds gathered at the center and began to swirl down toward Jiang Xiaorou. From a distance, the entire sky looked like a giant funnel.

Jiang Xiaorou chanted the ancient scriptures of the Wilderness Clan. The syllables of these scriptures condensed into bright red characters that flowed outwards. The totem at the end of the bone staff in her hand also seemed to come alive.

Finally, the crimson clouds in the sky descended upon Jiang Xiaorou's slender body. Her beautiful yet tiny figure was swallowed by the endless crimson, and the vast aura that filled the world also changed, with a sudden chilling aura emanating from her.

The wild beasts surrounding the Divine Bone Altar lowered their already prostrate bodies even further, seemingly in fear of this immense power.

The crimson clouds grew increasingly fierce, and Jiang Xiaorou's figure standing within them appeared as delicate and slender as a feather.

Enveloped by endless Savage Power, Jiang Xiaorou's gaze remained remarkably calm.

At this moment, she wasn't thinking about the Wild Clan or the ancient bloodline that was about to awaken, but rather about every little detail of her past.

Once, in the Yunhuang, she was just a poor girl who worked hard every day, often working through the night, and even so, she still had to worry about food.

Those days of hardship seem unbearable to recall, yet in retrospect, there are bits and pieces of happiness...

At that time, Yi Yun was everything to her, her spiritual anchor for survival.

She was happy for Yi Yun's growth and overjoyed that Yi Yun had become a member of the Brocade Dragon Guard.

She had always thought she would live a happy and ordinary life, watching her younger brother achieve success and quietly caring for him. But fate had other plans. One day, she would stand atop this altar, surrounded by endless wild beasts, burdened with a mission so foreign to her...

She attained a supreme position, but this was not what she wanted.

Standing on this altar now, she felt only an indescribable loneliness...

...(To be continued~^~)