Seeing the young man rise from his seat, the three masked figures all dropped to their knees and cried out with utmost reverence, "Great Il, supreme bestower of blessings, Ipal's believers offer up their loyalty here."
The young man looked at them for a moment, a trace of caution and arrogance in his manner. "I permit you to offer your loyalty. As a reward for awakening me, when the time is right, I will also permit you to offer your souls and bodies."
The three kneeling figures were instantly overjoyed.
For they knew that in Ipal's terms, offering one's soul and body was no bad thing. It was a ritual of submission and tribute, as well as a gift bestowed by those above upon those below.
After their bodies and souls were taken, they would be remade by him, gaining nobler bloodlines and greater power. Once they had been branded with the mark of Ipal's divine race, these would be returned to them. In the previous era, many of Ipal's vassal races had taken pride in receiving such a gift.
Was that not precisely why they had come?
But as that thought arose, they vaguely sensed that there seemed to be something else important awaiting them, something they needed to accomplish. Yet no matter how they thought about it, they could not remember what it was.
The young man looked at the figure in the green mask. He did not speak, but his voice resounded directly in the latter's mind. "You are a Celestial Xia person?"
The green-masked figure respectfully replied, "Half my bloodline is An people, and the other half Celestial Xia. But now, I am a servant of Ipal."
The young man said, "I saw much about Celestial Xia in your memories. They should be the rulers after