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Chapter 362: Stealing Fire
Chapter 362: Stealing Fire
Chen Chuan glanced at the Xuejun Blade and took two steps closer. Although the outward assault from the red stone below had weakened, its surface appeared unchanged.
Ignoring this, he bent down and picked up the stone, then glanced at the ground and walked to the crucial ritual node. He rubbed his feet on the ground a few times, destroying the pattern on it.
Only after finishing this did he hear several deep breaths from the surroundings, followed by a few coughs. The three people originally wrapped in secret ritual cloths slowly regained consciousness.
When they saw Chen Chuan standing in the middle, holding the Sun Disc Stone, they were first surprised, then filled with rage. A stream of words poured out of their mouths.
Chen Chuan couldn't understand; it seemed to be a foreign language. At that moment, two of them tore off the cloths covering their bodies and stood up from where they were.
Both men were over two meters tall, and their body movements clearly indicated they were fighters. After getting up, they each drew two axes from their waists and spoke to Chen Chuan, their anger palpable despite his inability to understand their words.
Chen Chuan stood calmly, examining the axes with a hint of disappointment. They weren't weapons carried by third-limit fighters, so they held little value for his collection.
Just as the two men roared and tried to charge at him, Chen Chuan took out the prepared pebbles from his pocket and flicked them with his fingers. Before they could get halfway, they reacted as if shot, their heads jerking back before they fell to the ground one after the other.
The entire process happened very quickly.
The last person finally regained consciousness. Sensing something amiss, he quickly spoke in broken Da Shun dialect, "Sir, please don't move. I mean no harm."
Chen Chuan turned to him and asked, "Did you set up this Sun Origin Ritual?"
Hearing the ritual's name, the man was startled. Giving up his hope, he hesitated before replying, "Yes, we set it up... Sir, may I ask..." He raised his head and cautiously asked, "What year is it now?"
Chen Chuan replied, "The Great Harmony Republic, year ninety-four of the establishment."
The man paused, converting the time in his mind, then fell silent. He realized he had just entered the ritual slumber period and was soon discovered by Chen Chuan, who had disrupted the ritual. Moreover, Chen Chuan's ability to find this place precisely suggested an extraordinary identity. With difficulty, he asked, "Are you from the Da Shun government?"
"You can think of it that way," Chen Chuan replied.
The man breathed a sigh of relief. He was more afraid of competitors within the sect and other hostile secret societies. In contrast, communicating with the Da Shun government might be easier, and at worst, he could pay a fine.
Cautiously, he said, "Your Excellency, the sacrificial offerings I used were all brought from abroad. I didn't use any of your country's people, not even the Sun Disc Stone, which wouldn't be revealed during the ritual..."
Chen Chuan looked at the crystal in his hand and asked, "What would happen if it were revealed?"
"You don't know, Your Excellency?"
The man was surprised but hesitated and explained, "If handled improperly, within a certain range, it could cause the death of people and livestock and the withering of plants..."
He quickly added, "For our sect, the sun crystal is the key to initiating the ritual and an essential component for maintaining it. We don't want such a situation to occur and be discovered by your government. Please believe me; that outcome won't happen."
"First of all, this is Da Shun's land, not a place for you to set up rituals at will," Chen Chuan said. "And it seems you haven't considered the consequences of a failed ritual?"
"Failure is impossible!" the man immediately refuted.
Chen Chuan remained calm, observing him.
The man realized something was wrong. If Chen Chuan had come to handle this situation, it was either because he had followed them or had discovered some anomaly.
Had something happened to those who returned? As this thought crossed his mind, his breathing became rapid, and he grabbed his throat as if struggling to breathe.
Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow, clearly sensing the man's rapidly deteriorating condition. His life force was waning at an unstoppable pace.
The man suddenly pointed at the sun crystal, saying, "Quick, quick, save..."
Chen Chuan understood his intention—to return the sun crystal to its original position and prolong his life. However, the ritual had already been disrupted, and placing the crystal back would be futile. So, Chen Chuan stood silently.
Seeing Chen Chuan's inaction, the man's face turned desperate. As his breath faded, his flesh quickly shrank, and within a mere ten seconds, he became a mummy.
Chen Chuan approached and examined the man, finding a package containing essential medications and a notebook. On the other two men, he only found some necessary items for outdoor survival.
Seeing no more valuable items, Chen Chuan prepared to return to the ground. As he looked up, the light shone on the cave's ceiling, revealing several bumps.
As he looked up at the cave ceiling, he initially thought the formations were naturally occurring. But upon closer inspection, he noticed something peculiar—human-like shadows seemed to be curled up within the contours.
He averted his gaze, choosing to ignore the sight and continued walking out. Behind him, the uneven cave walls appeared as they always had, devoid of any human presence.
Chen Chuan retraced his steps, and since his biofield had completely receded, he had rarely encountered such anomalies lately.
He suspected that the anomaly he just witnessed might be related to the Sun Crystal in his hand. However, as long as he trusted his judgment and didn't pay it any mind, it wouldn't hinder him.
Recently, Chen Chuan had discovered that by using his second self to reduce his physical expression, he could effectively avoid these anomalies. But this wasn't a good solution, as avoiding problems didn't mean they didn't exist.
Cao Guiqi had once told him that these anomalies were like stepping stones to his progress. Each time he encountered and overcame them, it was a valuable opportunity to train his eternal spirit. So, there was no need to avoid them; he just needed to face them head-on.
As Chen Chuan had recorded the situation along the way, he returned to the surface faster than when he entered. In less than ten minutes, he was back on the ground, only slightly damp from the cave's moisture and not even breaking a sweat.
Stepping out of the cave and into the sunlight, he closed his eyes briefly, then opened them, instantly adjusting to the outside light.
Director Lei had been waiting outside. Seeing Chen Chuan emerge, he approached and asked, "Chen, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Director Lei," Chen Chuan replied, patting the package he carried. "I brought some things up with me."
"Let's talk in the car."
Director Lei led him to his armored vehicle and handed him a bottle of water. Chen Chuan thanked him and took out the items from his package, handing them to Director Lei, and then recounted the situation he had just encountered.
Director Lei first took the Sun Disc Stone, examining it closely. His expression grew solemn as he placed it carefully into a heavy metal box and sealed it. Only then did he take out the documents and notebook Chen Chuan had brought, flipping through them intently.
Chen Chuan noticed the director's incredibly fast reading speed; he could scan an entire page with a single glance.
After about ten minutes, Director Lei closed the notebook and said, "I've more or less figured it out. The leader of this expedition was the wealthy businessman mentioned in the documents, most likely Ruri Ko."
"Is this person famous?" Chen Chuan asked.
"Ruri Ko is from Norland and has a criminal record for conducting cult rituals in various countries. The Da Shun Bureau of Investigation has a file on him," Director Lei explained.
"Is it true that he claims the man from the expedition twelve years ago was his father?" Chen Chuan inquired.
"They are indeed father and son, but it's not that simple," Director Lei replied.
He held up the notebook and continued, "I thought they were performing a simple Sun Origin Ritual, but they went further. On top of that, they conducted a 'Stealing Fire' ritual."
"Stealing Fire?" Chen Chuan asked.
"It's a term used in the Sun Origin Ritual," Director Lei explained. "In essence, the ritual allows the transfer of vitality from one person to another.
However, for the Sun Origin Ritual to achieve its maximum effect, the sacrifice must be willing and fully aware of every detail and truth. If an ignorant substitute is used, the gained vitality will be minimal, as no one would willingly sacrifice themselves without a good reason.
So, Ruri Ko and his son devised a clever scheme.
Ruri Ko had his son transfer twelve years of his life to him.
For the next twelve years, due to the ritual's effect, Ruri Ko would not age, while his son could enter a ritual slumber, drawing vitality from the remaining sacrifices.
In the Sun Worship Cult's doctrine, twelve years represent a cycle, a new beginning. During this cycle, a gap appears, and the cultists seize power from this opening.
So, when the next ritual is held, Ruri Ko awakens his son and allows him to reclaim twelve years of life from his body. However, Ruri Ko himself doesn't lose any life force. Instead, he uses the vitality from the remaining sacrifices to enter a ritual slumber.
In this way, his son can enjoy twelve years in the outside world. When the next ritual is held, they repeat the process, and this is what's known as 'Stealing Fire'.
In essence, they've 'borrowed' twelve years of life from the ritual, which they can repeatedly use. Their plan was ambitious, but it seems there was a flaw this time, preventing the ritual from fully succeeding."
"Can they keep doing this exchange?" Chen Chuan asked.
"The Sun Worship Cult holds the number twelve sacred," Director Lei replied. "According to their beliefs, 'Stealing Fire' can be performed twelve times consecutively. Even if it's just twelve times, the increase in lifespan is still considerable."
Chen Chuan listened to Director Lei's words and couldn't help but ask, "I wonder which cycle they're on this time?"
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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