Chapter 764 – Sacrifice

　　Edited by Ea

　　Thus, Sheng Ren tricked Lian Hua to the Southeast Land’s Youshan region.

　　Waiting for him was a sacrificial ceremony that frightened his soul. Those martial uncles who treated him kindly, those Spirit Sect people who respectfully called him “Lian Hua Immortal Venerable”, those people he was familiar or unfamiliar with, they had all changed their faces.

　　It was as if they were now wearing cold and crazy masks, or just tearing off the masks that they had worn for a long time.

　　They surrounded him and looked at him indifferently as he was offered on a high platform. There was an endless hole in the dark sky, surrounded by a half-collapsed Pillar of Heaven. These famous figures who had already become famous joined forces and actually chanted mantras to sacrifice him as the new Pillar of Heaven, without Lian Hua understanding anything.

　　Lian Hua was scared to death. He struggled and screamed. However, even though he was furious, he couldn’t move. Even though he kept crying, no one came to help and save him. He couldn’t find Master, Shixiong, or Shidi, or a single person who’d stand on his side. He despaired.

　　But he didn’t want to accept his fate.

　　He hadn’t told Cang Rong yet that he had always liked him, and he hadn’t taken Lingyu to eat at the wonton stall that he had been thinking about for a long time. He hadn’t finished the homework assigned to him by Dao Zu, and he hadn’t traveled all over the famous mountains and rivers of the Nine Lands yet. He still had so many things to do, and he didn’t want to die so tragically.

　　He didn’t want to die.

　　He wanted to live.

　　However, no one came to save him until his consciousness gradually disappeared and his body grew colder and colder from the biting pain.

　　Yan Tianhen’s eyes grew red.

　　He watched Lian Hua lose his voice, his body disappearing, and his three souls and seven spirits slowly being integrated into the Pillar of Heaven. He hated those hypocrites who were willing to sacrifice others for the so-called righteousness.

　　Before this, Yan Tianhen only knew that Lian Hua suffered a great deal, but he didn’t see with his own eyes the humiliation and injury that Lian Hua suffered. Now, he saw it with his own eyes.

　　It broke his heart.

　　Finally, someone heard Lian Hua’s painful cry, and it was Cang Rong and Xi He who first discovered that something was wrong.

　　But after seeing this, Lin Xuanzhi didn’t continue watching.

　　The scene in the pocket dimension suddenly shifted to another place, which was Youshan, the place where Heaven’s Wail formed because of the collapse of the Pillar of Heaven.

　　Yan Tianhen looked up at Lin Xuanzhi. “Why did you change to this location?”

　　After looking at Yan Tianhen, Lin Xuanzhi continued, “In fact, the sacrificial ceremony happened at the same time as us guarding Youshan together. Now I just want to know what happened to you after I left Youshan.”

　　Yan Tianhen was a little embarrassed and said, “In fact, I don’t want you to see those things.”

　　“If I don’t see them, how can I correct your name for you?”

　　Yan Tianhen kept silent for a moment and said to Lin Xuanzhi, “I think it’s better to see what Cangdi Fenglang is doing now.”

　　Although Lin Xuanzhi was a little puzzled, he still agreed.

　　When they switched the scene to Cangdi Fenglang’s side, he was surprised to find something wrong.

　　Cangdi Fenglang was actually locked up in a dark room with no sun. He screamed miserably from atop layers of arrays stacked on top of one another. First there was spiritual Qi around his body, then black demonic Qi. Finally, thick purple evil Qi gushed out and surrounded him.

　　Yan Tianhen’s face changed dramatically. “This is the art of unsealing! It’s to release the evil Qi sealed in him!”

　　Lin Xuanzhi said, “This method of unsealing can only be accomplished by people whose cultivation levels are much superior to Master. Who could that be?”

　　Dao Zu was already the most powerful cultivator in the world. Even if his cultivation was damaged, he was still worthy of being the first cultivator in the world.

　　Who could the culprit be?

　　Lin Xuanzhi and Yan Tianhen looked at each other. In fact, they already knew the answer in their hearts.

　　Purple evil Qi filled the whole room.

　　After an unknown amount of time when Cangdi Fenglang was lying on the ground, spitting blood and dying, the door of the secret chamber was opened from the outside.

　　A tall man wearing a mask came in.

　　“Dead yet?” The man asked.

　　Cangdi Fenglang was motionless.

　　The man lifted his foot and kicked Cangdi Fenglang’s face, while the boy lying on the ground remained still.

　　“Dirty evil Qi cultivator.” The man sneered, “Qingchen really is too kind. He just brings all kinds of things here. He’s not even afraid of polluting the air in Spirit Sect.”

　　Yan Tianhen clenched his fists so tightly that cracking sounds could be heard.

　　He shouted, “Get your dirty feet off of him! Fuck off!”

　　Naturally, no one listened to him.

　　“Like a dead dog.”

　　Then he bent down and stretched out his hand to cut open Cangdi Fenglang’s abdomen. He pulled out the evil spirit core hidden in him. However, just when his hand was half an inch deep into Cangdi Fenglang’s guts, the boy who was originally motionless like a corpse suddenly reached out his hands and grabbed the man’s collar. Then with a roar, he bit Sheng Ren’s neck and suddenly, blood was splashing everywhere.

　　Yan Tianhen gasped.

　　The man was caught by surprise by this sudden attack, and he punched Cangdi Fenglang’s soft abdomen. However, even though half of his body had already flown away, Cangdi Fenglang still bit down hard on Sheng Ren’s neck, refusing to let go. The evil Qi quickly spread throughout the man’s whole body, traveling with the blood and spiritual Qi.

　　After hearing a roar like a wild animal howling, there was a smothering explosion, and Cangdi Fenglang was vigorously thrown out and fell to the ground. Cangdi Fenglang was probably in extreme pain. He screamed wildly and miserably. He kept rolling on the ground, while the man pulled out a long sword.

　　He was walking step by step to kill Fenglang. But he suddenly realized what he was doing, stopped, and disappeared in place with a wave of his hand. He ran away.

　　Soon, a man in clothes as white as snow hurriedly arrived.

　　His steps were unstable, his lips were white, and his hair, which had always been neat, was messy and just fell all over his chest and back. He jumped down from the sword and nearly fell to the ground, but managed to hold himself up.

　　Dao Zu’s eyes were black and blue as he ran quickly towards the crazy and confused Cangdi Fenglang.

　　Cangdi Fenglang kept wailing. The evil Qi wanted to burst from his body and tear apart his body. He had a headache and his eyes were bloodshot. One palm after another, he struck out aimlessly at his surroundings. There was a mess around him.

　　Dao Zu escaped these attacks and came behind Cangdi Fenglang. He raised his hand and pasted three calming talismans on him, and then instilled spiritual Qi into his body. After a long time, he barely managed to stabilize Cangdi Fenglang. Cangdi Fenglang fell into a deep sleep.

　　“What happened?” Sheng Ren, who heard the sound, appeared. When he saw the scene, even though his face changed greatly, he came towards Dao Zu.

　　Dao Zu had just woken up from his sleep, and his mind was not very clear. He said, “The seal in his body is broken, and that seal could only be used once. Once it is forcibly destroyed, he can only cultivate evil Qi…”

　　“But an evil Qi cultivator…” Sheng Ren’s eyes flashed slightly, and he seemed to be thinking of something. “Most evil Qi cultivators are ruthless and heartless. Moreover, now that the Pillar of Heaven isn’t completely repaired yet, the place is suffused with evil Qi, which easily led Cangdi Fenglang to become delirious and even crazy.”

　　Sheng Ren added, “He was influenced by the Pillar of Heaven.”

　　At this time, Dao Zu remembered what had happened before. He suddenly opened his eyes like a beast and glared at Sheng Ren. “You drugged me. What did you do after that?”

　　Sheng Ren was indifferent. “I just did what you should have done.”

　　Dao Zu was stunned and frowned. “Explain.”

　　Sheng Ren looked at Dao Zu, with three points of madness and seven points of paranoia in his eyes. “The person chosen by the Pillar of Heaven is not you, but someone else. I know that you don’t want to be the bad guy, so I took the initiative and acted for you.”

　　Dao Zu’s face paled, and his lips shook uncontrollably. “Who?”

　　“Lian Hua.”

　　“Have you gone crazy?” Dao Zu was stunned. His brain went blank, and he shouted, “You offered my disciple as a sacrifice? Ah Man, you actually dared to use an innocent person as a sacrifice behind my back. Why do you do this!?”

　　“I’ve gone crazy?” Sheng Ren’s face was filled with anger and self-mockery. “Do you want me to watch as you drag around your body that is barely alive and continue to toil away for the Nine Lands? Over the years, I’ve fucking had enough of your wishful self-sacrifice. You are willing to die generously for the sake of the Nine Lands, but have you ever thought about my feelings?”

　　Dao Zu completely froze.

　　“The Nine Lands mean nothing to me. Even if all the Pillars of Heaven collapsed today and the Nine Lands were completely destroyed, I wouldn’t even frown!”

　　Sheng Ren clenched his fists tightly. “Why did we come to the Nine Lands from the Boundless World? Wasn’t it precisely to avoid those suffocating disputes and find a paradise where we can live in peace? But what have you done over the years? Have you ever thought about me — your own younger brother?!”

　　Dao Zu stepped back a few steps, gasping for air in anger. “So, just because of this, you have to sacrifice innocent people? Do you know that once the sacrifice is finished, Lian Hua will never come back again! Even if I die, I still don’t want to see such a conclusion!”

　　“But it’s too late now.” Sheng Ren laughed wildly, “This is what the people want ah. Elder Brother, do you think Lian Hua’s sacrifice can be completed by me alone? Everyone is waiting for him to die. Everyone wants to see the least amount of sacrifice in exchange for the best possible result. The Pillar of Heaven has a new sacrifice, and there will be no more problems in the next thousand years or even ten thousand years. The Pillar of Heaven is stable, and the Nine Lands will naturally become stable. Everyone is happy, right?”

　　“Enough!” Dao Zu raised his voice and coldly shouted, “You truly disappoint me!”

　　After that, Dao Zu picked up Cangdi Fenglang from the ground. With unsteady steps, he got on the sword and flew towards the horizon.

　　After Dao Zu left, Sheng Ren stood there with a cold expression, looking at where Dao Zu’s figure disappeared for a long time, and finally turned around with a sneer.

　　At this point, Sheng Ren suddenly vomited a mouthful of grimy blood, which turned out to form veins on the ground. The ground under his feet suddenly followed these veins, and cracks opened up in the ground. Purple evil Qi suddenly rushed towards his body, staining his skin and trying to enter his body.

　　—

　　Sarah: omg this is my last chapter in the translation rotation since we’re down to the last 10 for RSCB! Wow, how unbelievable that this story is almost done, and it’s amazing that I stuck by for so long (2 years exactly since I joined on Nov 2019)! Of course I couldn’t have done it without the help of Ea and the rest of the team! I’ll def still be staying to catch the finale of it all so you guys better be there too~ ^w^

　　Ea: Time passed by so fast! Truly appreciate Sarah and Zaki for sticking around for so long XD We’re almost at the end~