The gods want you dead

During Li Boyang's recovery period, time did not stand still at all.

With the complete annihilation of the Guirong Clan's army, the entire Guifang Kingdom was urgently mobilized.

As a powerful force in the south, the Guifang Kingdom had encountered forces that dared to resist it.

However, the Guifang Kingdom had only encountered one such situation since its founding: the complete annihilation of the Guirong Clan and even the forced expulsion of the Roaring Heaven Clan.

That time, the entire Guifang Kingdom mobilized, throwing all the people of the nation into the Imprisoned Soul Cauldron, forcibly refining a Ghost God filled with resentment.

The name of that Ghost God was "Tufang," and the country that was removed from the list was called "Tufang Kingdom."

"You should know what fate awaits you this time, right?"

Standing atop the tall and wide altar, the current high priest of the Guifang Kingdom asked this question.

The one kneeling at his feet was none other than You Chong, the sole survivor of the Guirong Clan and Muzheng's deputy.

At this moment, You Chong was no longer the handsome young man he once was.

Most of his body was charred black after being struck by lightning...

Half of his face was burned to the point of disfigurement...

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would have been hard to believe that this demon-like face was actually that of the boy from before.

Moreover, You Chong's hands and feet were not original, but lifelike wooden prosthetics.

From bone joints to finger joints, its exquisite and perfect form seems unlike anything from this era.

"I know, I'm ready."

Slowly raising his head, You Chong's disfigured face revealed an angry and cruel grin.

"High Priest, the glory of the Guirong Clan will be forged anew with blood and fire!"

"And I am willing to be that first drop of blood, to become the ritual vessel through which the Gods of the Five Directions reshape the human world!"

Upon hearing this, the high priest nodded with satisfaction.

"Since that's the case, then jump into this pool of blood!"

"I will use the blood of ten thousand to reshape your body, making you an agent capable of bearing the majesty of the gods."

As if in response to the high priest's words, the executioners who had been waiting for a long time immediately raised their swords and brought them down.

Crack!

As heads rolled off the altar, a near-tangible surge of resentment rose into the sky.

Directly below the altar, in that enormous mass grave.

The corpses almost filled the entire mass grave, and the scarlet blood flowed in a bizarre way.

A terrifying sacrificial ritual quietly unfolded, and a wild and ancient power descended upon this world.

"For the glory of the Tide-Swallowing Clan!"

Without the slightest hesitation, You Chong arm to pierce through the top of his head.

Pfft!

When blood flows out of the seven orifices along with the brain matter.

You Chong stood up strangely and then threw himself into the blood pool below without hesitation.

Rumble...

In an instant, storms and lightning flashed in the pool of blood.

A Maxims Talismans, yet even more enigmatic than the twelve Talisman Incantation known to Li Boyang, is taking Maxims Talismans.

Behind the altar, in the temple of the Gods of the Five Directions.

The young priest, holding a skull scepter, watched all this in silence, yet his eyes revealed an emotion that shouldn't have been there.

The young priest and You Chong were chosen as "priest candidates" at the same time.

However, the young priest eventually passed all the tests and gained the right to wield the skull scepter.

You Chong was eliminated and eventually joined the Guirong Clan, which was founded with the aim of protecting the honor of the priests.

"You've wavered again?"

With a long sigh, an old priest emerged from behind the young priest.

"Xuan Hui, you are destined to inherit my mantle and become the priest who wields the power of poisons and healing..."

"If you so frequently waver in your faith in the gods, you will eventually follow in the footsteps of the You Xiao."

Turning to look at his teacher, Xuan Hui lowered his head with a wry smile.

"I just feel... You Chong shouldn't have died so meaninglessly."

"He is the most outstanding warrior I have ever seen, a fierce general who could face alien gods without dying."

"Furthermore, he withstood my Witchcraft Incantation modifications and possesses limbs more perfect than flesh and blood..."

"In any case, keeping him alive to rebuild the Guirong Clan is better than the blood sacrifice option..."

Hearing the rebellious undertones in Xuan Hui's words, the old priest remained silent for a long time.

After all, if even the Xuan Hui could see it, how could the wise and experienced priests not see it?

As one of the most intelligent and wisest groups of this era, priests are often powerless to change their own circumstances.

Because there are some things that can be done, but cannot be said.

"You Chong shouldn't have come back, and you shouldn't have saved him."

After a brief silence, the old priest sighed again.

"If he hadn't come back, if you hadn't saved him, we could have turned a blind eye and pretended he'd died in battle too."

"But then he came back, and he even found you, the priest..."

"The High Priest and the King can't keep up the act any longer."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Hui was immediately taken aback.

He never imagined that this cause and effect would come full circle back to him.

Fortunately, Xuan Hui wasn't truly stupid; he quickly realized where the real problem lay.

"It's God, it's God who wants him dead!?"

Xuan Hui, its pupils dilated in shock, gaped open, its eyes filled with bewilderment and astonishment.

"Because he witnessed God's defeat, even if he survived, he had to die!"

When Xuan Hui looked at the blood pool again, his eyes no longer held the same brilliance.

"Once I leave the ancestral temple, I will not admit to such a thing."

With a look of satisfaction in his eyes, the old priest reached out and rubbed Xuan Hui's head.

"But I'm glad you've finally matured and learned the first lesson of becoming a true priest."

"I was hesitant about how to teach you this lesson, You Chong saved me a lot of trouble in this regard."

Before Xuan Hui could speak, the old priest continued speaking with great enthusiasm.

"To outsiders, we are the closest beings to the Gods of the Five Directions, the mouthpieces of the gods."

"The king sees us as symbols of wisdom, and the people need us to guide them in their direction..."

But we also have our own troubles and worries.

"God is not invincible, nor is He omniscient or omnipotent."

Patting Xuan Hui on the shoulder, the old priest taught his apprentice the most crucial lesson of his priestly career in his own way.

"I know this, you know this, and even the king knows it."

"But this is something that must never be known to the general public, even if he was once very close to the priesthood."

"The most important duty of a priest has never been to guide the people on their path, but to uphold the dignity of the gods."

Monthly Pass / Recommendation Pass