Chapter 451: The Sacrifice

Chapter 451: The Sacrifice

In a certain estate within the Capital City, two individuals met.

The one on the left shared the news he had just received.

After hearing the entire story, the person on the right was stunned.

"Are you serious? Are they really going to do this?"

"Absolutely. They are indeed planning to sacrifice Jingcheng!"

Upon receiving confirmation, the person on the right flew into a rage, "How dare they? How could they do this? How can they even think of doing such a thing?"

"What can't they do? I've learned that the people in Changping weren't killed by Lu Wu, but by them! To kill Lu Wu, they didn't hesitate to slaughter the millions in Changping. Sacrificing Jingcheng, a city of several million, for the refinement of a few Gateway Fragments is nothing to them.

In their eyes, common folk are no more than ants. They've come to see themselves as gods, capable of manipulating life and death at their whim."

In other words, they've lost their humanity!"

The words of the person on the left left the person on the right speechless, unable to respond for a moment.

"That's all I can tell you.

Do what you must, bring out any relatives and friends from Jingcheng if you can.

I have to return to my task; staying longer might get me discovered.

And remember, don't entertain any unrealistic ideas. You can't do anything, and you can't save anyone!"

As these words landed, the person on the left soon disappeared.

The person on the right, not long after the other's departure, also left the estate, his face filled with worry as he made his way back to the Cultivator Training Center in the Capital City.

If Lu Wu were here, he would recognize this person as Sun Kongkong, the vice-president of the Capital City's Cultivator Training Center.

Sun Kongkong, with a heavy heart, returned to the Training Center and forwarded the intelligence he had received to Yuan Hua.

After listening, Yuan Hua also fell into deep thought.

After a while, he finally lifted his head, "Is this information accurate?"

"It's as good as certain!"

"Old Yuan, what should we do?

Should we just follow his advice, evacuate our loved ones from Jingcheng, and then do nothing?" Sun Kongkong asked anxiously, his eyes filled with both tension and expectation. He genuinely felt helpless and could only rely on Yuan Hua.

But faced with such a dilemma, what could Yuan Hua do?

"It's futile. There's nothing we can do that will make a difference!"

Yuan Hua had to admit that they faced an almost insurmountable challenge, "Even if we could save Jingcheng, it wouldn't matter much. They can just pick another city.

For them, as long as there are people to sacrifice, the city itself is unimportant.

So, to resolve this issue, the simplest, most effective, and only solution is to eliminate those two old men."

Yes, this was their only option, but it was also impossible.

The two Epic 3-Star powerhouses had already reached the pinnacle of the Alliance.

Not only them, but even the Science Alliance and Dark Council had become their puppets. What could Yuan Hua and Sun Kongkong possibly do against such odds?

Any effort would be in vain.

"Even if it's futile, I can't just stand by and do nothing!"

Sun Kongkong knew this too, but he couldn't convince himself to ignore the situation.

So, he decided to take action, even though he was well aware of the consequences.

Yuan Hua watched Sun Kongkong leave, his eyes filled with concern.

---

On the fifth day after the destruction of Changping Mystic Realm, and the fourth day after the annihilation of the Science Alliance and Dark Council, something went unnoticed in Region 1's Jingcheng.

Within just four days, a ritual encompassing the entire city had quietly taken shape, just as Sun Kongkong's intelligence had suggested.

The two elders of the Elder Council were indeed preparing to sacrifice the city.

Everything was ready.

All that was left was to initiate the sacrifice ritual.

Soon, this massive city with its population of five to six million would be offered up, erased from the Alliance and the world. The Elder Mountain would gain five refined fragments.

High above Jingcheng, Zhang Mingrui gazed down at the city below, his eyes devoid of emotion or guilt for the impending destruction.

"Are you ready yet?"

"J-Just about!"

Compared to Zhang Mingrui, Kutan, who was assisting him, seemed much less composed.

Although Kutan wasn't a good person, he was still human.

He still had a sense of humanity.

The idea of personally destroying a city was something he simply couldn't accept.

"Relax, this isn't as serious or solemn as you think. Life, especially the lives of commoners, is actually very fragile.

If we didn't protect them, they wouldn't have the right to survive in this world.

We protect them, create a beautiful lie of world peace for them, and in return, we gain the right to control their lives. That's fair, isn't it?

Now, if they can sacrifice themselves for us, it is actually a great honor for them."

Zhang Mingrui patted Kutan's shoulder, speaking words that completely upended Kutan's worldview.

At the same time, he snapped his fingers lightly.

The moment the snap echoed, Kutan, who had been momentarily stunned by Zhang Mingrui's words, trembled all over.

His eyes widened, staring intently at the city below.

However, when he looked down, Kutan was taken aback. The scene he had anticipated did not occur. The city beneath his feet was still intact, unharmed.

"What's going on? Did the ritual fail?"

Zhang Mingrui shook his head beside him: "No, there are just some meddlesome people."

Almost as soon as Zhang Mingrui spoke, several figures emerged from the city below. Kutan recognized the leaders among them.

One was Sun Kongkong from the Cultivator Training Center, another was Xing Zhanlong, the former head of the Summoner Training Center, and the third was the Chancellor of Capital University.

Each of these three was a peak figure in the Alliance, with terrifying power. The weakest among them, Xing Zhanlong, had reached semi-Epic Rank after returning from Region 11. The others, Sun Kongkong and the Chancellor of Capital University, had both reached Epic Rank 1.

These three individuals were so powerful that the entire Alliance would tremble if they so much as stomped their feet.

But at that moment, Kutan looked at them as if they were idiots.

In fact, they were indeed idiots. If they weren't, they wouldn't have stood up at this critical moment.

"Senior Zhang, we ask you to show mercy and spare the people of Jingcheng.

If you truly need a sacrifice, please give us some time. We will ensure that we gather the sacrificial offerings you require."

"Senior Zhang, you are an Elder of Elder Mountain. I believe you understand that these people are the foundation of the Alliance. Destroying millions of them would cause immense harm to the Alliance.

The Changping Mystic Realm incident has not yet been resolved. If another crisis in Jingcheng were to occur now, the entire Alliance might collapse.

I believe you wouldn't want to see the Alliance fall, right?

After all, the Alliance is the result of your collective efforts over a century."

Sun Kongkong and Chancellor Zhou An, being more articulate, spoke with restraint despite their anger and hatred towards Zhang Mingrui.

As for Xing Zhanlong, he remained rational.

Knowing he wasn't good with words and that his speech might be unpleasant, he chose to remain silent, standing there coldly.

But his actions conveyed his stance.

He was telling Zhang Mingrui that if he wanted to sacrifice the city, he would have to get past him first.

Zhang Mingrui, looking down at the four figures below, maintained a smile on his face.

But it was not a gentle or kind smile; it was a mocking one.

He first focused his gaze on Sun Kongkong: "Suppose I agree to your request and let you gather the sacrificial offerings. How long would it take, and what kind of offerings could you provide?

Would you bring millions of commoners from other regions?

Or perhaps capture some heinous summoners? As for summon beasts, don't even mention them; they don't meet my standards for sacrifice."

Sun Kongkong had anticipated many possible reactions from Zhang Mingrui, but he hadn't expected him to calmly discuss this matter. This left him slightly taken aback, but he quickly regained his composure and presented his proposal.

"On one hand, I will transfer people from other regions to assist you. On the other hand, I will help capture some heinous summoners."

"If I were to do something like this, would I really need your help?"

"I'll take care of everything myself, and I'll bear the responsibility alone. If necessary, I'm even willing to sacrifice myself."

Sun Kongkong's determination to save the people of Jingcheng was straightforward.

But Zhang Mingrui couldn't help but laugh after hearing his words.

"That's noble and admirable, but have you considered how your actions differ from mine? Are the lives of people in Region 1 more valuable than those in other regions?

And how can you be certain that the Summoner you captured is truly a heinous sinner? Who are you to define their morality? Furthermore, if you disregard the lives of common folk in other regions, why do you suddenly care about the morality of a Summoner? Have you subconsciously drawn a line between Summoners and commoners in your mind?"

"In that case, what's the significant difference between your actions and mine?"

"Is there a difference between disrupting Region 1 and other regions?"

Zhang Mingrui's words left Sun Kongkong speechless.

When responding to Zhang Mingrui, he hadn't considered these points at all. He simply wanted to appease Zhang Mingrui, so he spoke without thinking, only to be sharply refuted by Zhang Mingrui.

Sun Kongkong was at a loss for words, feeling extremely frustrated.

At that moment, Zhang Mingrui turned his gaze to Zhou An.

"What were you saying just now? That the deaths of millions of people would cause the Alliance to collapse? That the Alliance is the product of over a hundred years of my hard work?"

"Well, I agree with half of what you said. Yes, the Alliance is indeed the fruit of my labor.

So, how I choose to treat my creation is my business. As for the death of a few million people causing the Alliance to collapse? You're overthinking it. Their resilience is strong enough to withstand such a blow!"

"So, you're determined to sacrifice this city?"

Zhou An and the others' faces darkened, and they stared coldly at Zhang Mingrui, who seemed unconcerned. "You can try to stop me if you wish. If you can, I might reconsider sacrificing this city.

But can you really do that?"

As Zhang Mingrui spoke, he chuckled lightly, and a sense of pressure emerged.

Sun Kongkong and the others couldn't help but tremble.

It wasn't out of fear but due to the vast power gap between them.

At that instant, Sun Kongkong and his companions were acutely aware that Zhang Mingrui could easily crush them, yet they didn't flinch.

Sun Kongkong raised his head and looked at Zhang Mingrui. "We may not be able to stop you, but we can ensure that your actions are witnessed by the entire Alliance.

That's something you wouldn't want, right?

The deaths of millions might not cause the Alliance to collapse, but if you were to be responsible for their demise, how could the Alliance ever unite again?"

In a desperate attempt, Sun Kongkong finally played his trump card.

After careful analysis, he believed this was the only solution, and the only thing Zhang Mingrui truly feared.

Indeed, when Sun Kongkong mentioned this, Zhang Mingrui hesitated, and his aura became slightly chaotic, giving Sun Kongkong a glimmer of hope.

However, as Sun Kongkong rejoiced in this newfound hope, Zhang Mingrui suddenly lifted the corner of his mouth.

"Then go ahead and do it. It's not a big deal to me. At most, it'll cause some chaos and claim the lives of a few commoners. That's all."

"What?"

Sun Kongkong's expression changed, and at that moment, Zhang Mingrui seemed to have run out of patience.

"Alright, I'm done talking. Since you're here, you might as well stay. I was worried that sacrificing a few million commoners might not be enough, but with you three of you, it'll be more than sufficient."

As Zhang Mingrui spoke, a strong sense of crisis overwhelmed the trio. Just as they were about to react, Zhang Mingrui's fingers pointed at them.

"Puff!" "Puff!" "Puff!"

With three light taps of his fingers, Zhang Mingrui pierced through the bodies of the three Epic Class Powerhouses, pinning them to the spot.

While controlling them, Zhang Mingrui lifted the corner of his mouth and snapped his fingers once more.

This time, the snap had an effect, and the entire city below lit up, signaling the start of the sacrificial ritual.

However, this ritual didn't last long. With a 'swish,' the illuminated city dimmed, and the sacrifice was halted once more...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end