Chapter 976: Below the Altar

Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio

Choosing the Deity was one of the most important events for any ancient sect. They must be careful. In a way, it determined the success or failure of the sect’s next 100 years.

Before choosing the Heir, they must first worship the Blood God. The Blood God Altar was located in the heart of the Blood God Sect. It was only a few hundred miles from Qianyuan Mountain. The altar had nine levels, built from millions of white bones.

After a disciple of the Blood God Sect died, their body would be turned into a skeleton and become part of the altar. Like individual bricks, they made the Blood God Altar bigger and more majestic.

Zhang Ruochen stood below the altar. Looking up, he felt very impressed.

The Blood God Altar didn’t look like an altar at all because it was even taller and mightier than Qianyuan Mountain. One could feel the vast power even when standing dozens of miles away.

Bloody mist shrouded the top of the altar. Sometimes, a saintly image would appear. They were like the souls of ancient Saints. These images were of different sizes. Some were only a few meters tall. Others were hundreds of meters tall.

“The bones of the various Hierarchs and Saints of the Blood God Sect all become part of the altar,” Ji Shui said. “Any disciple must be reverent when they come here.”

Ji Shui knelt onto the ground. She placed her hands on the ground and kowtowed to the Blood God Altar respectfully. Zhang Ruochen looked around and saw that the other disciples all did that as soon as they arrived.

To them, the Blood God Altar was the most sacred place.

Countless Monks had gathered below the altar. There were at least a few thousand. The noise reached the top level and the people were jostled. It was practically a sea of people.

The disciples of the Blood God Sect weren’t the only ones present. The families and clans under the sect had also sent representatives. They wanted to witness the birth of the new Heir.

Some of the disciples had created war banners with the surname of a Deity candidate to show their support.

“Senior Brother Wei’s talent isn’t any weaker than the previous Deity, Mei Lanzhu. He’s known as a Hierarch of the Blood God Sect. He will definitely become the next Deity.”

A Half-Saint disciple stuck a black banner onto the ground. The banner was printed with a golden “Wei,” representing Wei Longxing.

The Monks who supported Wei Longxing all gathered toward the black banner, forming a unified camp.

“Hai Lingyin experienced a great opportunity in the Savage Barren Territory and has healed now, returning as a king. He will definitely bring the younger generation of the Blood God Sect to take power over the world. Seventy years ago, Senior Uncle Hai was the top prodigy of the sect. Now, he’s still the top figure of the Blood God Sect.”

One of Hai Lingyin’s junior nephews stuck a dark blue banner with the word “Hai” onto the top of a small hill. This represented Hai Lingyin.

The crowd instantly flooded toward the dark blue flag.

Hai Lingyin had once lost to Dong Wutian and was internally injured. For the past decades, his cultivation had improved slowly. However, he was still very influential in the Blood God Sect.

Many people had high expectations for him. They thought that his tumultuous life would cause his will to be stronger. He may surpass his past and become a truly undefeatable king.

Wei Longxing and Hai Lingyin were definitely the two top stars today. The two of them had massive support. The supporters kept waving the banners and shouting their names.

The two hadn’t even appeared yet, but their supporters were already standing off against each other. Violence almost erupted. Thankfully, a Saint elder appeared in time to stop them.

Zhang Ruochen chuckled. “It’s just choosing the Deity. There’s no need to make such a big deal, right?”

“The levels of the Blood God Sect are very strict,” Ji Shui said. “The strong are respected, the abled are kings, and the weak can only be the slaves. Anyone who can become a candidate of the Deity is a cream of the crop. They naturally deserve to be respected.”

The supporters of the candidates were mostly female disciples. The male Monks were more clear-headed. Of course, if they were choosing the Saintess now, the situation would be flipped.

Sun Dadi had appeared out of nowhere and was to the left of Zhang Ruochen. He sighed. “Wei Longxing and Hai Lingyin have too many supporters. Plus, some goddess-like beauties of the sect are in their camps too. This is unfair.”

Sun Dadi looked suspicious and perverted. He kept glancing at those two camps, looking hungry as he gazed at the beautiful girls.

He hit Zhang Ruochen with his red tail and pointed at a girl clad in a blue dress from Wei Longxing’s camp. “That girl is called Bei Haiying. She once competed for the Saintess position. She may be wearing a veil now, but apparently, her looks are comparable to the present Saintess.”

Then he pointed to another sexy girl in Hai Lingyin’s camp. “She’s Ning Xi, known as the sexiest creature of the Blood God Sect. I’ve had my eyes on her for so long. Who would’ve thought that she would choose Hai Lingyin?”

Zhang Ruochen was calm. He was used to how talkative Sun Dadi was. “Don’t you have a lot of supporters too?”

Sun Dadi made a face and chuckled awkwardly. “They’re all disciples of the Earth Heavenly Palace. Plus, they’re mostly all guys. There isn’t a single pretty girl.”

Suddenly, Sun Dadi made a surprised noise. As if discovering something great, he exclaimed, “Brother Gu, there’s a goddess-like beauty in your camp too! She’s comparable to Bei Haiying and Ning Xi.”

Zhang Ruochen naturally had supporters too. They were from the Spiritual Void Sea. There weren’t many but they were all followers of Disciple King Haiming.

Zhang Ruochen didn’t care about his supporters and never paid attention to them. Hearing Sun Dadi’s words, he finally turned around and glanced in the direction of the banner with the word “Gu” on it.

He really did see a tall beauty standing there. She wore a loose blood-red robe, her skin was like porcelain, her bosoms were full, and her features were delicate. She seemed to be exquisitely carved. Thin bloody mist snaked around her, forming an impressionistic type of beauty.

However, her eyes were very cold. When Zhang Ruochen looked over, a warning appeared in her eyes. Zhang Ruochen just smiled, not afraid of her warning, and looked away.

“Hey! Where did that sister go?” Sun Dadi looked at where Ji Shui had been, but she’d already disappeared to somewhere unknown. “She’s so impolite. She didn’t even tell us when she left. Brother Gu, if you become the Deity, you have to teach her a lesson.”

The eyes of the beautiful maiden in Zhang Ruochen’s camp flashed coldly when she heard Sun Dadi’s words. Zhang Ruochen smiled without replying.

Just then, there was a commotion.

“Senior Brother Wei is here. Hurry and go welcome him.”

“It really is Wei Longxing. As expected by the hero of this generation, his aura is comparable to the various Saints.”

Wei Longxing wore five-colored armor and rode an auspicious cloud. He descended from the sky, causing a huge commotion. The female disciples who saw Wei Longxing as their dream lovers were all so excited. They kept screaming his name.

Next, Bai Yu, Yan Kongming and the other candidates arrived one after another, creating rounds of commotion.

In comparison, Zhang Ruochen and Sun Dadi’s surroundings were quiet. They were new to the Blood God Sect and very few people knew them. If they stood in the crowd, no one would be able to recognize them.

Sun Dadi sighed. “Someone as insignificant as Bai Yu has so many supporters and followers too. This is too unfair.”

Bai Yu had a Saint Body, but Sun Dadi didn’t care about him at all. He probably only treated Hai Lingyin, Wei Longxing, and Zhang Ruochen as his matches. The other candidates were nothing.

Hai Lingyin came late, but he still caused an unprecedented commotion. This was because he’d arrived with the Saintess. They walked to the bottom of the Blood God Sect, seeming composed and extremely confident.

“The Saintess supports Hai Lingyin the most.”

“It’s possible that the Deity has already been decided. It must be Hai Lingyin.”

The various Monks of the Blood God Sect discussed amongst themselves. Countless eyes were on Hai Lingyin and the Saintess.

Most of the other candidates looked unfriendly. The antagonistic feelings soared. They couldn’t wait to compete against Hai Lingyin.

Time passed and the day slowly reached noon. The various elders of the Blood God Sect, the ten palace lords of the Ten Heavenly Palaces, and four Disciple Kings had all arrived. They landed at the top of the Blood God Altar, radiating with powerful and boundless auras.

More than half of the Blood God Sect’s Saints had arrived. Even the Half-Saints were filled with respect, let alone the regular disciples. They didn’t dare make noise.

The hundreds of millions of Monks below the altar quieted down. More than half knelt on the ground, kowtowing to the various Saints at the top.

The scene was extremely impressive.

“Welcome the Hierarch.” An ancient and graceful voice spread throughout the world.

All the Monks knelt down and bowed toward the Blood God Altar. That moment, the sky above the altar turned blood-red and a huge vortex formed.

Whoosh.

A mysterious but powerful aura spread out from the vortex’s center. It landed at the top of the altar, solidifying into an expansive figure. The palace lords of the Ten Heavenly Palaces and the four Disciple Kings all rose and bowed to the Blood God Sect’s Hierarch.

The Hierarch sat on the uppermost position of the altar. The aura that repressed the millions of people present was gradually pulled away, becoming invisible.

“No wonder he’s the Hierarch,” Sun Dadi said. “This strong cultivation can probably hit a star out of the sky.” He was covered in cold sweat and his heartbeat had quickened. His breath trembled as well.

Zhang Ruochen was performing the Traceless 36 Changes to the max. He couldn’t reveal any flaws. His transformation skills were much stronger than before. If he was careful, the Hierarch wouldn’t be able to see through it.

“It is noon. Begin the sacrifice.”

The host of the sacrifice was the Heaven Heavenly Palace’s lord. This ritual didn’t sacrifice beasts. Instead, they sacrificed humans. They would kill 3,000 boys, 3,000 girls, and countless more slaves.

The crimson red blood flowed down from the top of the altar to the bottom. It was incredibly bloody and cruel.

When Zhang Ruochen saw this, fierce anger burned in his heart, but he worked hard to control himself. He didn’t do anything impulsive.

The Blood God Sect had always sacrificed humans. Today was no exception.