Chapter 499: The Sacrifice
Chapter 499: The Sacrifice
Will I be fed to the diagram, or will the diagram be fed to me?
Mo Hua licked his lips as he lay in the cold coffin, the flickering candlelight causing the contemplation diagram to seem as if it trembled.
It was rather comfortable lying in the coffin, cold though it was.
Mo Hua waited and waited inside...
But even after a long while, there was still no sound.
Mo Hua frowned.
What was going on?
Wasn't I supposed to be the sacrifice? Why hasn't anyone come to 'eat' me yet?
He waited a little longer, but still, there was no response from within the coffin.
"Is the coffin broken?"
"Or did Lu Chengyun recite the incantation incorrectly?"
"Or perhaps this contemplation diagram is picky, and it will only accept sacrifices offered by Zhang's disciples?"
That didn't seem right either...
A group of zombies wouldn't care who was offering the sacrifice as long as they got to eat.
"Then... could it be my problem?"
Mo Hua started, then focused his senses and indeed felt something amiss within the coffin.
There was a faint voice coming from within.
It was so subtle, wavering in and out of hearing, sometimes distant, sometimes near...
Mo Hua listened intently and realized it was an old man speaking, his voice broken and full of enticement:
"You... have an unusual constitution..."
"Your meridians hide a high-grade spirit root..."
"We are destined. I will impart the Great Dao to you and help you ascend..."
...
Mo Hua scoffed.
If you could truly help someone ascend, why wouldn't you do it yourself instead of offering it to others?
The voice was unmistakably that of Zhang Quan's ancestor. Mo Hua had heard it many times before.
As he thought about it, he paused, a realization dawning on him.
Could this voice be the key to the sacrifice?
Did one have to believe his words to be offered as a sacrifice? With his profound divine sense and unwavering Dao heart, he didn't fall for the spirit's deception, which was why it couldn't enter the coffin and 'eat' him?
Mo Hua thought it was possible...
So, he convinced himself to pretend to 'believe' the old man's words.
Sure enough, after a moment, the voice became clearer, as if it were echoing directly within Mo Hua's sea of consciousness.
"We are destined. I will help you become immortal..."
"I will help you ascend..."
The voice was ancient, kind, and filled with compassion.
At the same time, Mo Hua's vision blurred, and he faintly saw a painting emerge.
He was very familiar with this painting; it was the ancestral diagram of the Zhang family that he had coveted for so long!
Unlike the real diagram, the ancestral diagram before him was enveloped in swirling clouds and curling incense smoke. In the shimmering light, a golden glow appeared, and the figures within the painting had golden auras.
The ancestors of the Zhang family seemed like immortals standing amidst the clouds and mist, each one extraordinary and ethereal, exuding a celestial aura.
Mo Hua's face was filled with admiration, but his heart thought otherwise:
"You can deceive others, but in front of your 'little ancestor', don't put on such an act..."
"I know very well that you are all a bunch of old and undying zombies..."
As Mo Hua harbored these unspoken thoughts, he looked at the Zhang family's ancestral diagram and suddenly froze.
Among the group of 'people', he spotted a familiar face.
It was none other than Zhang Quan!
He was at the very end, his expression respectful as he looked at Mo Hua with a mix of surprise, resentment, and greed in his eyes.
Mo Hua was taken aback.
Is Zhang Quan not dead?
No, or perhaps...
His physical body had perished, but his divine sense had not. Like the ancestors of the Zhang family, his divine sense had transformed into a vengeful spirit, parasitizing the contemplation diagram...
Mo Hua gradually understood.
No wonder Zhang Quan wanted to see the ancestral diagram of the Zhang family before he died.
It wasn't because he felt ashamed before his ancestors, as he had claimed, and wanted to kowtow and atone.
Instead, he wanted his divine sense to enter the diagram upon death, so he could exist as a vengeful spirit within the contemplation diagram and cling to a semblance of life.
Whether Lu Chengyun could open the diagram or not didn't matter. As long as he took out the contemplation diagram from his storage bag, he would give Zhang Quan the opportunity he needed.
Mo Hua had to admit that he had indeed underestimated Zhang Quan.
Zhang Quan wasn't as foolish as he seemed.
And Lu Chengyun obviously hadn't expected Zhang Quan to be so cunning, nor had he anticipated such a secretive and inscrutable method from the Zhang family.
Mo Hua frowned again.
"But... surely not every cultivator receives such 'treatment' after death, right..."
Death and the dissipation of the soul were terrifying prospects.
Many cultivators, when facing their imminent demise, would go to extreme lengths to ensure their survival.
The Qian family ancestor refined the Elixir of Human Immortality, and the Lu family ancestor turned himself into a corpse. They did these things out of fear of death and a desire to continue living.
If this diagram could truly harbor vengeful spirits, even evil and despicable old villains like the Qian and Lu family ancestors would surely be delighted to become ghosts and latch onto the diagram...
Mo Hua didn't possess extensive knowledge about cultivation, but he surmised that it probably wasn't that simple...
"Is it because the Zhang family's bloodline is unique, or is this contemplation diagram particularly special?"
Mo Hua pondered this silently.
After a moment of reflection, he remembered that now wasn't the time for such contemplations. He still had to set up a 'feast' to welcome his 'guest'.
Two elders and three disciples, one of whom was Zhang Quan.
Zhang Quan had the lowest seniority, but his cultivation was rather high as he had reached the Foundation Establishment realm, making him the most outstanding disciple.
However, facing his "ancestors," he maintained a low profile and spoke with reverence.
After entering Mo Hua's sea of consciousness, Zhang Quan cautiously asked, "Elder Song, Elder Si, is it alright for us to enter first? Shouldn't our ancestors be the first to feast?"
"It doesn't matter," replied the iron corpse elder known as "Elder Song," his voice indifferent. "Our ancestor relies on the spiritual connection formed by our shared bloodline. The stronger we are, the stronger our ancestor becomes. There's no need for him to take action personally for something as trivial as consuming a sacrifice..."
Zhang Quan admired, "As expected of our ancestor!"
Elder Song nodded, "Our ancestor's methods are beyond what we, as juniors, can fathom."
He glanced at Zhang Quan again and praised, "To be able to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment realm and spread the glory of our Corpse Path is a great achievement, even if your physical body perished in the end."
"Among the disciples of my Zhang family, your talent, heart, and means are indeed at the forefront."
"More importantly, your filial piety towards our ancestors is commendable."
"Our ancestor has high hopes for you."
"That is why you are the first to partake in this offering. Devour his spirit sense, heal your injuries, and soar to new heights in your cultivation. Then, you shall serve our ancestor and the Zhang family even better!"
Zhang Quan's expression was filled with excitement as he cupped his hands and said, "Disciple Zhang Quan will definitely live up to the expectations of the elders and our venerable ancestor!"
Elder Song nodded in satisfaction.
Zhang Quan lifted his head, his face now transformed into that of a zombie.
He glanced at Mo Hua's sea of consciousness, his fangs dripping with saliva, his eyes gleaming with greed. He muttered, "Little ghost, who would've thought that you would end up like this today?"
On the other side, Elder Si, who had been silent all this time, asked, "Do you know this sacrifice?"
Zhang Quan nodded and answered with hatred in his voice, "To be honest, I have suffered countless losses at the hands of this little ghost! I wanted to kill him countless times, but I couldn't!"
Elder Si frowned, "And you couldn't kill a mere junior cultivator?"
Zhang Quan quickly explained, "His cultivation is not high, and his strength is average. In a direct confrontation, I could crush him with just one hand!"
"But this little ghost is proficient in array formations, has a treacherous heart, and is full of cunning schemes. He's good at hiding and playing both sides, which made it impossible for me to take action against him..."
Zhang Quan gnashed his teeth in anger.
Elder Song knitted his brows, unable to imagine what kind of person—or monster—could be so skilled in array formations, hiding, and deception.
Was this person a human or a demon? But he didn't dwell on it further, as regardless of who or what Mo Hua was, they were now nothing more than prey to be devoured.
Elder Song consoled Zhang Quan, "It doesn't matter now. You're in his sea of consciousness, so he has no way to escape. It's us who will decide his fate from now on. No matter how capable he is, he won't be able to turn the tables on us..."
Zhang Quan felt relieved and smiled, "Elder, you are absolutely right."
He paused as if he had just remembered something, and then sighed, "However, no matter how cunning this little ghost is, he still ended up like this—being sacrificed by Lu Chengyun. He died and extinguished his Dao, just as expected."
Zhang Quan's expression turned apprehensive as he said, "That Lu Chengyun is truly terrifying in terms of schemes and methods!"
But Elder Song just scoffed, "Don't boost the morale of our enemies and diminish the prestige of our Zhang family! In the eyes of our ancestor, these are nothing."
"This Lu Chengyun is merely a pawn in the hands of our ancestor."
"Once he worships our ancestor, contemplates the Dao of our ancestor, and borrows the power of our ancestor's spirit sense, he will one day become a puppet of our Zhang family's Corpse Path."
"He will become neither human nor corpse..."
"Since he is not of our Zhang family's bloodline, once his physical body undergoes corpsefication, his spirit sense will not be able to enter this diagram. He will either lose his sanity or become nothing more than food for us."
Elder Song looked at Zhang Quan and said indifferently, "You may have died, but you still live on."
"He may be alive now, but he will inevitably face death!"
"Our Zhang family does not tolerate insults from outsiders. We, your ancestors, will avenge you!"
Zhang Quan was overjoyed and immediately kowtowed to show his gratitude, "Thank you, Elder, and thank you, venerable ancestor!"
Elder Song helped him up and said gently, "You are a member of the Zhang family, valued by our ancestor. There's no need for such formalities. The most important thing now is to restore your strength by consuming this sacrifice."
Elder Song looked around and at the group of "people," his eyes gleaming with hunger, "It's time... to dine."
Hidden nearby, Mo Hua also nodded in agreement.
That was indeed his plan!
(End of Chapter)
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