ushernet Chapter 150 - Blood of Immortality Ritual
Chapter 150 - Blood of Immortality Ritual
Chapter 150 - Blood of Immortality Ritual
Cassius saw his progress bar jump up by four-fifths. With the advancements he had already previously made, only one-ninth of the progress bar for the Rune of Wisdom remained blank. It was almost within his reach!
Joy surged through Cassius's heart. He confirmed once again that the essence of calamity had nothing to do with dark essence. Even though he was at least several dozen meters away from the powerful Blood Race member, he still managed to absorb the essence of calamity after it had died. It had absorbed quite a large area.
Cassius had seen the high-ranking Blood Race member chasing them was dead. He had some guesses as to how, but now was not the time to be distracted. Escaping the ruins was paramount, so Cassius immediately began forming a Tornado Sphere on the steps.
Since achieving his third-level accelerated blood flow, he had become more adept at controlling his power. The Azure Wind Flow had also been further developed to make it even more practical in combat.
The white vortex, flat and apple-sized, gradually took shape in the center of his hand, the swirling airflow rippling through the air like waves. Under Duomo's curious gaze beside him, he hurled it forward.
The Tornado Sphere drew an arc in the air and exploded where the white scarabs had gathered. The blast rent through many of them, and the explosive billowing airflow hindered the advance of a large swarm of white scarabs.
It gave enough time for Duomo and Cassius to catch their breaths. With a few agile leaps, they reached the opening on the wall.
"Cough, cough, cough..." As soon as Duomo reached the entrance of the passage, he couldn't help but lean against the wall, coughing uncontrollably as blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.
Duomo's injuries were clearly much more severe compared to Cassius's. Since Cassius was at a higher level than Duomo, in addition to practicing hardening Qigong, his physical defense was much more resilient.
Cassius aspired to reach this exact realm. In battles and perilous situations, a body with a strong defense could withstand many attacks, greatly increasing the chances of survival.
When the two were being chased by the high-ranking Blood Race earlier, Cassius had been the main fighter, and yet, his injuries weren't as serious as Duomo's. If he hadn't used the scarabs to kill the high-ranking Blood Race, Duomo would have surely died in the next clash, and the most Cassius could have done was hold on for at least two or three more rounds.
Despite how dangerous the situation still was, Cassius was already thinking about using his Rune of Wisdom to upgrade the Stone Armor Technique. Just in time too: the hardening Qigong had reached its limit and Cassius was eager to see what it would be like after breaking through.
"Follow me, let's get out of here first." Cassius patted Duomo's shoulder and led the way deeper into the passage. Since he had already passed through the traps when he first came in, their departure was smooth and unobstructed.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
In the passage, Duomo was breathing rhythmically. Cassius shot a curious glance at him. Rather than collapsing, Duomo seemed to be using some sort of breathing technique or Secret Technique.
After a series of rapid breaths, Duomo's complexion visibly improved, and his movements became self-assured again. Cassius couldn't help feeling a bit envious.
Indeed, the Three-Eyed Mad Lion Sect's foundation was much deeper than that of the Wind Elephant Sect, possessing many Secret Techniques that made Cassius green with envy.
For instance, both the technique that seemed like blood-control breathing, as well as the Heart Eye Secret Technique he had experienced first-hand when sparring with Duomo earlier could enhance a Covert Martial Arts Practitioner's overall strength. If Cassius ever got the chance to collaborate with the Mad Lion Sect, he would do everything possible to obtain these valuable Secret Techniques.
Tap, tap, tap... tap, tap, tap...
A series of hurried footsteps echoed on the slope. In a flash, two tall figures quickly broke out of the cave.
"We're finally out!" Duomo couldn't help but sigh in relief.
It also felt like a weight had lifted off of Cassius's chest. With the ruins full of danger and monotony, he had lost track of how many days he had been inside. But now, as soon as he burst out of the passage and took in the fresh air laced with the fragrant plants, his mood improved considerably.
"Both of us are badly injured. Let's head back to Mirror Lake City to recover and heal. My uncle happens to be in seclusion there, so we can discuss things while we recuperate," Duomo suggested, taking a deep breath as color returned to his previously pale face.
"Alright," Cassius agreed. Although his Rune of Wisdom was still just short of completion, he wasn't in any kind of rush. With plenty of dark creatures in the world, a few more kills would likely fill the bar.
Suddenly, both of their heads snapped up. As Covert Martial Arts Practitioners in a realm above normal humans, their senses were extremely sharp. Cassius and Duomo could vaguely hear the continuous sound of gunfire coming from below. They could also hear roars and growls that didn't sound human. Just as Cassius was about to speak, his eyes caught on a gap between the trees where a hissing sound, like something crawling, seemed to be coming from.
Duomo was a step behind but he heard it too. His expression changed drastically in an instant. He looked at Cassius and uttered a single word, "Run."
The sky was like a vast black curtain, with no clouds drifting above. Even the moon was nowhere in sight. Only a few tiny, flickering stars reflected off one another. Under the starlight, many tall and indistinct shadowy figures stood silently by a small creek below a waterfall, their heads bowed and their right hands pressed to their left shoulders. They began chanting scriptures in a strange tone, almost like they were performing an opera. The language they used was unlike any known tongue. For a moment, there was a bizarre and eerie atmosphere in the area.
Many agile figures darting through the gaps were hit by bullets, howling in pain as they tumbled to the ground. The Mercury Thorn had significantly weakened their healing abilities. Blood gushed out of their wounds.
The Mercury Hunters and officers began to press forward, volley after volley of bullets and arrows sweeping across the battlefield. Many of the ordinary elite Blood Race members couldn't withstand the assault and were forced to retreat, leaving dozens of corpses behind.
"It's the direct descendants of the Alphama Bloodline!"
Just as the Blood Race's defensive line was about to collapse, a dozen figures charged forward with a ferocious roar. At least seven or eight of them swelled and transformed in an instant.
Claws tore through their clothing, revealing bristly black and red bodies. The tall, half-human, half-bat monsters stormed ahead, crushing the crossbow bolts coated with Mercury Thorn, and brutally killing some of the nearby Mercury Hunters. Bullets fired at them without stopping, but the monsters rolled, dodging.
We've withstood the first wave and didn't allow those Blood Race in their Blood Gift state to break into the crowd! A white-haired old man among the Mercury Hunters breathed a sigh of relief, believing they'd won half the battle. Cooperating with the police departments of the two nearby cities had been the right decision.
Bullets could penetrate bodies better than crossbows... The old man couldn't help wondering if the Mercury Hunters should keep up with the times. Perhaps they should include firearms in their arsenal, along with the traditional crossbows. Maybe they could even try coating the bullets with Mercury Thorn...
"Will! Take some of the men and the officers to the Lusa Falls! Try your best to disrupt their ritual. If the Blood of Immortality Ritual is successful, the Blood Race in the northern part of the Federation will be practically impossible to fight against!" the old man said to the young man beside him.
Having just delivered his message to Chief Kenneth, Will rushed off again. The last group, consisting of more than thirty people, broke through the Blood Race's defenses and took a detour toward the waterfall.
Five minutes later, on the altar beside the creek, the Blood Race elder chanted loudly, slashing with his red hand blade. A headless corpse fell to the ground with a thud. Blood splashed across the entire surface of the altar, making the patterns and runes glow brighter.
"They're here."
"Over here!"
"Stop them!"
Suddenly, more than thirty people burst out from the other side of the creek. The Mercury Hunters and officers immediately launched an attack toward the altar, firing bullets and crossbow shots wildly.
"Damn it!"
"It's those blue-eyed bastards!"
"Kill them!"
Immediately, many of the Alphama direct bloodline transformed into huge, half-human, half-bat monsters and charged across the creek. The two sides clashed fiercely.
The remaining Blood Race members stood guard by the altar, keeping an eye out for enemies who may come in any direction, while the elder continued the ritual. The blood ritual could only be completed within a specific time frame.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Upstream of the creek, two tall figures, one with black hair and the other with golden hair, rushed toward the scene. Their movements were hurried as if they were running away from something chasing after them.
"More people are coming! Take them out before they get close to the altar and disrupt the ritual! Nathan, Ildan, you two go!" The elder's eyes glinted as he calmly came up with a counterstrategy.
"Yes, sir!" two tall, strong figures guarding the altar immediately responded. They exchanged glances before swiftly moving toward the upper areas of the creek. To expedite matters, both of them activated their Blood Gift transformations mid-run.
The large, powerful, black-and-red bat-like monsters sprinted across the grass, leaving behind shallow webbed footprints. One of the bat creatures roared, their voice bloodthirsty, "Lowly humans! Prepare...to...die!"
The approaching black-haired figure let out an angry roar as his white arm whipped around like a terrifying serpent!
Boom!
1. The sentence in quotation is written out as in the raw. ☜