Chapter 527: The Terrifying Imperial Sacrificial Rite (Two-in-One)

All three were unfamiliar faces.

The youth walking at the front wore a hoodie and a pair of red headphones around his neck. Sucking on a lollipop, he looked thoroughly bored. He pulled a Rubik's Cube from his pocket, and wisps of white smoke drifted from the headphones, arranging themselves into words in the air:

"This Rubik's Cube can fuse up to six items, extracting one trait from each to form an item of a higher quality tier."

Yan Jing looked at the Rubik's Cube, which appeared identical on every side, and said nothing.

Following closely behind the youth, a woman stepped forward.

A green ribbon covered her eyes. She wore an emerald dress that cascaded to her ankles, the hem layered like a starry chessboard. She was very tall, with an exceptionally striking figure.

She drew a flute from her waist and mouthed a few words. Though no sound emerged, Yan Jing heard her perfectly. "When played, this flute can mend what is broken. If these three items share the same origin, it can restore them to eighty percent of their former state."

Yan Jing glanced at the flute, a flicker of interest in his eyes, but remained silent.

The last one was a white rabbit.

It wore a suit, stood about half a meter tall, and held a massive carrot in its right hand like a cane. A tall top hat rested on its head.

It chewed on a fist-sized cabbage clamped in its mouth.

When it reached them, it pulled the half-eaten cabbage from its mouth and offered it to Yan Jing.

"Here, for you."

To everyone's surprise, the rabbit actually spoke.

The youth and the woman both turned grim.

They didn't consider themselves inferior to the rabbit, but they clearly lacked its resolve to face certain death.

Meeting their astonished gazes, the rabbit smiled.

"I don't care. If I don't get out of here, I only have a few days left to live anyway."

"How about it? Make a deal with me."

"Your three items all belong to the path of blood. This thing of mine is a perfect match. Combined with all my Divinity, it can trace them to their source and restore them completely to their former state."

"There might even be some unexpected surprises."

Yan Jing looked at the cabbage in the rabbit's hand, his gaze calm.

Seeming to guess what Yan Jing was thinking, the rabbit chuckled and broke the cabbage apart, revealing a thumb-sized worm. The worm looked like a piece of white jade half a finger wide, gleaming like rich tallow, and radiating starlight. It was clearly no ordinary creature. Exposed to the light, it wriggled ceaselessly against the cabbage leaves, seemingly uncomfortable.

A few seconds later, the little worm seemed to catch a scent. It suddenly turned its head toward the three vessels outside the Great Curtain, its white body trembling violently.

An instant later, it gave a mighty leap, launching itself from the cabbage leaves and pouncing toward the exterior of the Great Curtain.

"Snap."

The rabbit reached out and pinched the worm precisely between two fingers.

"How about it? Make a deal with me."

"The Great Curtain doesn't lie, and anyone who leaves cannot attack you. You should know this very well."

The rabbit looked at Yan Jing.

Yan Jing raised his head and met the rabbit's eyes.

"You're barely holding on?"

"If you make me talk much more, I'll drop dead right in front of you."

The rabbit remained expressionless.

"What I mean is, you just said you needed to sacrifice some Divinity..."

"Don't even think about it."

The rabbit truly seemed to be at its limit. It started gnawing on its carrot cane right there just to sustain itself enough to keep talking.

Those blood-red eyes didn't look dyed anymore—they were actually bleeding. Its face was ghastly, looking like a rotting corpse.

"You couldn't possibly take out that much Divinity—"

Before it could finish, Yan Jing called for Xiao Xin and had the Divine Items brought in from the Surface World one by one.

One item... two items... five items... ten items... thirty... fifty.

Xiao Xin moved at blazing speed, and a small mountain of items gradually took shape under everyone's watchful eyes.

A full fifty items!

The group was stunned.

So many Divine Items... even back in the distant eras Before the Severed Era, this would equal the entire foundation of a major sect.

Where the hell did this guy get them?!

"I emptied out a Deity's ascension ground, then robbed a few people who reached the Summit."

Yan Jing looked relaxed.

These only amounted to a third of what he had taken from the God Storage Land; Mao Si had also snatched another dozen or so in Haidu.

A Deity's ascension ground! Reaching the Summit... that meant a Celestial Immortal!

Everyone practically doubted their own ears.

Was he even speaking human language?

The rabbit was also dumbfounded, its cleft lip trembling uncontrollably.

"This..."

It swallowed hard.

"You're willing to give these to me?"

"I value your friendship more."

Yan Jing smiled.

The rabbit fell silent for a few seconds.

It actually wanted to stay silent a little longer to express its shock.

But the carrot in its mouth didn't quite permit that.

With little time left, it asked one final question:

"Do you know that after the Celestial Immortal realm, if you want to climb higher, all of these items are necessary?"

"There are always trade-offs."

Yan Jing said with a smile.

He was unwilling to trade the present for the future.

To him, the present was the future.

"Alright!"

The rabbit finally stopped hesitating. It spat a large mouthful of fresh blood onto the wriggling worm in its hand.

In a single second, its aura withered. Its snow-white fur turned pitch-black, spreading and growing like dark seaweed.

The flesh on the outside of its ears sloughed off entirely, leaving behind only grisly white bone, and its suit turned into tattered rags.

Its two ruby-like eyes dimmed and ignited with eerie silver-blue fire, while two worms burrowed back and forth through the sockets.

Its condition was indeed terrible.

Only the top hat on its head still looked immaculately new.

"My name is Fang Shen! What is yours?"

The rabbit spoke, fresh blood dripping as its dark-red mouth opened and closed.

"Yan Jing."

Yan Jing didn't hesitate either. He crushed the Ritual Blessing Coupon, then swept back to his meditation cushion, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes. Fei Yu, the Fear Bird, and the Fear Tree materialized behind him simultaneously, fully prepared.

Someone in the crowd recognized the origins of those three entities, and their eyes narrowed in trembling shock.

Just where did this monster come from? To think all three of his Dao protectors possessed such world-shaking backgrounds...

If this were Before the Severed Era, any one of them would have been an existence capable of making the earth tremble.

"Seniors."

Yan Jing kept his eyes closed, but opened his mouth to speak:

"This junior is bold enough to ask you all a question."

"I once had a loved one who died in the River of Time of the past. I do not know how I might save them... If any Senior can enlighten me, I will repay you with everything I have!"

"If you believe in me, Seniors, I will strive to return here within three months."

Three months...

The crowd fell into silence.

Three months, from Celestial Immortal to Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.

In the past, this would have drawn a chorus of curses, because it sounded like the ravings of a madman.

But the person before them was truly different...

Judging from the items he produced, the strength he displayed, and the connections beside him... everything made the crowd believe that Yan Jing was absolutely not spouting nonsense.

From the time Yan Jing first appeared behind the Great Curtain until now...

The gap between each of his visits had never exceeded two months!

Yet, faced with Yan Jing's question, the crowd truly didn't know how to answer.

Because...

"Sigh..."

A sigh drifted out, sounding as if it came from beyond eternity.

Just hearing the voice made one feel the winds of entire eras blowing against their face, as if anyone who heard it aged tens of thousands of years in a single instant.

Everyone shuddered in unison and looked back.

Upon seeing the newcomer clearly, everyone bowed their heads.

Quite a few shifted their feet, wanting to block the person's advance, but the figure merely sighed again.

"Why bother stopping me? You foolish children, can't you see that the sole chance of survival for us old bones is right in front of us?"

As his words fell, those who had blocked him silently stepped aside.

"Your name is Yan Jing, yes? ...Very good."

The man suddenly coughed a few times.

"I cannot say too much. I will only tell you two things."

"First is your problem. It is impossible for you to enter the River of Time."

Sensing Yan Jing's unwillingness and confusion, he spoke again.

"The marks of the River of Time on your body are too heavy."

"I do not know how many times you have stepped into that river, but... your soul is no longer strong enough to sustain another crossing of the River of Time. As for that river, those who swim upstream are all people with dead hearts, and those who flow downstream are entirely composed of ambitious schemers. But you are neither."

After saying that, the man paused for a long time. It seemed that speaking these words had drained him of too much strength.

"Second... cough, cough, cough..."

"The most important thing for you right now is to figure out whether you are actually still in the river. And if you are still in the river, who the Anchor Point is."

"To find the Anchor Point, you must find the person who traveled through the River of Time together with you."

"Remember, you only have one chance to find the Anchor Point."

"If you choose wrong, you will become thoroughly lost in the river."

"You will go from being someone outside the river to someone inside it."

"When that happens... once you fully enter the river, you will never be able to fish out the person you want to save from it."

"If you confirm that you have not entered the river yet, you can seek out something called a Soul Fruit. Generally, a Celestial Immortal in the Soul Tether realm can condense one. After eating it, you will be able to make one more short-range journey into the river."

"I tell you this for no other reason."

"The next time you come to this Great Curtain will be your last visit. When that time comes, I will have something to discuss with you."

His voice faded, drifting into nothingness.

Before he knew it, Yan Jing woke as if from a dream.

He opened his eyes, realizing he had actually left that nameless realm and returned to his room in the Surface World.

This time, there was no sensation of ice and fire, nor was there a process of having to subdue the Ritual.

It was as though he had completed the absorption of the Ritual while the man was speaking.

It could be said that this was the easiest absorption out of all his times taking in Rituals.

Yan Jing clenched his hand, feeling a sense of unreality.

Until a voice rang out next to him.

"Stop looking, it's real."

Yan Jing lowered his head and looked at the rabbit by his feet.

"You didn't leave?"

The rabbit expressionlessly chewed a bite of carrot.

"I need to find a place to recover. If you're willing, I'll watch your house for you. I can deal with anyone below the Tenth Tier for you—consider it extra payment for all those items you gave me."

"I'll have to trouble you, then."

Yan Jing bowed slightly.

"I will have someone arrange a room for you as soon as possible."

The rabbit didn't reply. It disliked owing people.

But Yan Jing had already made a deal with it, and it had already offered its friendship.

"Check your item. Don't say I didn't deliver."

Yan Jing looked at the system in front of him.

[Imperial Sacrificial Rite: Demon Blood (Gold)]

[Ability 1: Blood Emperor]

[You can utilize any of your own blood. The more blood you shed, the greater the enhancement to your strength, speed, and physique. At the same time, you can convert the blood of other creatures into your own.]

[Ability 2: Blood Fiend]

[Wounds you inflict upon an opponent will not heal. The opponent cannot stop the wound from bleeding entirely until their blood is drained completely.] [Ability 3: Blood God]

[Those who consume your blood will become your loyal believers. They cannot betray you, nor can they defy your will. At the same time, they will gain one-tenth of your power.

The stronger you become, the stronger they will become.

Restricted to entities no more than two Tiers higher than your own (inclusive).]

[Imperial Sacrificial Rite Extra Trait: Hat Trick

You have obtained a hat. This hat makes you appear slightly taller, and it raises the Tier limit of all your abilities by one Tier.]

Yan Jing stared at the system and blinked.

Then he blinked hard.

"Is there... something wrong with this thing?"

He looked at the rabbit.

The rabbit remained expressionless.

"I can't see it. What is it? Is it very weak?"

"It shouldn't be..."

By the end of its sentence, the rabbit also grew a little uncertain.

Many things were just guesses on its part.

"No, that's not it."

Yan Jing looked hard at the first two abilities of this Ritual.

He looked very hard.

He confirmed that these two abilities truly had absolutely no Tier restrictions.

Which meant...

Even Deities...

For the first time in a long while, Yan Jing's breathing quickened.

However, it only lasted for a few seconds.

Even with these two abilities allowing him to make a Deity bleed, that was only in theory.

If his opponent was truly a so-called Deity, just getting close would be a problem in itself.

He regained his calm, but the joy in his heart hadn't diminished much.

The Hat Trick trait alone was already a massive profit.

"Alright, as long as you're satisfied."

The rabbit stretched.

"We agreed beforehand—this was already my full effort."

"If you want me to take it a step further, I can't do it. I reckon right now I might not even be able to beat you in a fight."

Listening to the rabbit's words, Yan Jing mulled over the implications.

"That shouldn't be right... You're at least at the Tenth Tier, aren't you? Are you injured?"

The rabbit returned to its aloof expression.

"I've fallen to the Ninth Tier, and there's no going back."

"This item of yours contains the entirety of my Tenth Tier. Cherish it."

It patted the hem of Yan Jing's pants.

"Didn't I give you so much..."

"Those were only used to save my life. Alright, drop the expression. You saving my life is already good enough." "This..."

Yan Jing gave a bitter smile.

He still felt that the favor he owed was a bit too huge.

"Hurry up and go, I'm sleepy. I need to find a place to sleep."

Ignoring Yan Jing, the rabbit walked on ahead.

As it walked, it seemed to remember something. It turned back to look at Yan Jing with a serious expression:

"Don't fully believe what that last guy said, but don't completely disbelieve it either."

"It's best if you only trust half of what you hear."