Thinking back on all these years, the Xiao Family had sacrificed countless lives, each generation following the last, all for this goal. They had already climbed nine-tenths of the mountain; only the final step remained!
No matter the cost, they couldn't give up now!
With that thought, Xiao Shou strained his right arm and shifted his maimed body, lighting another incense stick for the third time.
Having lost both legs and one arm, he had no choice but to crawl and even wriggle along the ground like a bug to complete the preparations for the offering.
Getting the incense was especially difficult.
The Xiao Family had never imagined they might end up in such a predicament, so the box holding the offerings had been placed on a tall table, nearly chest-high to an ordinary person. For a healthy adult, reaching it would have posed no challenge.
But Xiao Shou struggled for quite some time before he finally managed to retrieve what he needed.
At last, after a long stretch of toil, blue smoke rose once more inside the room. The words "Xiao Shou" floated in midair, and the altar appeared again.
He crawled before the altar, took out a dagger, and aimed its cold, gleaming tip at his own face.
Feeling the chill of the blade drawing near and thinking of what he had to do next, Xiao Shou couldn't suppress the fear in his eyes.
But he drew a deep breath and, with a final burst of strength, drove the dagger into his eye socket...
"Aaaaaah!!"
Unimaginable agony surged through him. Blood gushed like a spring, soaking his face in an instant and staining the front of his clothes.
He threw it onto the altar.
Having learned from his first two failures, Xiao Shou feared the offering might still