NOVEL WEB Chapter 338: Sacrifice
Five grotesque figures knelt in reverence before a four-meter-tall black altar. Though their forms were vaguely humanoid, twisted limbs, warped flesh, and unnaturally bulging muscles betrayed their monstrous nature.
They were no longer men; if they ever had been.
Their bodies pulsed with an unnatural high vitality, laced with tendrils of dark spiritual qi that writhed beneath their skin. This unholy fusion twisted their features beyond recognition, birthing limbs where none should exist and warping bone and flesh into abhorrent shapes.
Scattered around the altar, dozens of corpses lay strewn across the ground like discarded shells. Not a single drop of blood remained within them. Their spiritual qi and life essence had been completely drained, leaving behind shriveled cadavers that made one question whether they had ever been truly alive.
Atop the altar, a shadowy figure hovered in silence, its form barely distinguishable from the darkness that clung to it like a second skin.
"Master, how may this humble servant be of use to you?" said the four-armed man at the head of the group. His voice was low and reverent, but filled with fear.
His forehead remained pressed against the cold stone, not daring to rise even a fraction. He knew all too well that the figure above him was nothing more than a projection, a mere sliver of the true behemoth's will, but even a flicker of disrespect could invite annihilation.
The Soulsucker Demon Venerable was not known for mercy. Servants were tools, and the moment they lost their usefulness, they were discarded—often painfully. The four-armed man needed only to look at the altar itself for a reminder.
The body of his predecessor, now reduced to a mummified shell, served as the anchor that allowed the Demon Venerable to project into the Mortal Realm.
"A tier 9 Array Master has arrived in the Seven Planets region," the floating figure intoned, its voice reverberating through the bones of the kneeling cultists. "If left unchecked, he will ruin everything. I've spoken with the others; each will send a relic to assist in ensuring this Array Master does not live long."
The shadowed figure paused, then delivered its final command.
"Bring me a hundred thousand lives for the sacrifice. I want them within two days."
A cold sweat broke across the four-armed man's back. His voice trembled. "M-Master… such a number in that short time… it may be impossible…"
Even though the projection was but a fragment, the aura it unleashed was overwhelming. The altar groaned as dark pressure descended. The five men cried out in agony as the stone cracked beneath their bodies, which were slowly crushed downward, the very earth protesting their existence.
"You will do as I command. If there are not enough enemies to claim, then make the count with your own."
With that, the figure vanished, dissolving into mist and leaving only silence and terror behind.
"Cult Leader, what should we do?" came a guttural voice—not from a head, but from a face grotesquely embedded in the speaker's chest. The speaker, one of the four surrounding the four-armed man, lacked a head entirely. It was no longer human, but a creature warped beyond recognition by the dark energy that sustained him.
The Cult Leader's expression twisted with irritation. "What?! You think a hundred thousand lives are going to fall from the sky, Kong Ning? Move your ass and bring them to me—all of them!" he barked, his four arms gesturing sharply as his brows knitted in fury.
Before his master, he was a groveling servant—timid as a mouse, obedient, and careful not to breathe wrong. But before those he considered beneath him, the Cult Leader transformed into a tyrant, arrogance seeping from his every word and movement.
He stood, towering over the still-prostrating figures. His crimson eyes burned as he looked down on the four cardinals.
"Get moving, you useless trash!"
"Yes, Cult Leader!" the four replied in unison, scurrying to carry out the impossible command.
As their twisted silhouettes vanished into the darkness, the Cult Leader remained behind, his gaze fixed on the black altar. Alone now, his hands clenched into fists.
'If we fail…'
His throat went dry at the thought.
Failure wasn't an option.
—
Feng Fan stood within the fortress, gazing at the array encircling its walls with quiet satisfaction. Though he had struggled at first because he was unfamiliar with channeling energy through a conductive material like Spiritual Veinstone, hours of meticulous adjustments had finally yielded a flawless tier 9 array, its power woven seamlessly into the fortress's structure.
A smirk adorned his face. 'Even if a thousand Transcending Tribulations were to attack it simultaneously without anyone inside, the array would hold firm for days.'
Though already a tier 9 Array Master, Feng Fan could feel his understanding of the Array Dao deepening with every passing moment. Just hours ago, he'd dismissed this place as a waste of time, but now, his comprehension had doubled.
A dangerous thought flickered through his mind. 'Could one surpass tier 9 within the Mortal Realm?'
If he achieved the impossible, transcending mortal limits without leaving the realm, he'd wield an unimaginable advantage when he finally stepped into the Immortal Realm. But that was the problem. He knew nothing of arrays beyond the ninth tier. Not even the stolen manuals of the Heavenly Demon Monarch had hinted at such heights.
His only lead? The natural formation shrouding the Seven Planets.
A bitter smile touched his lips. 'I came here reluctantly… but now, the idea of leaving feels unthinkable.'
"Senior Feng, this is truly remarkable!" Xue Feng clasped his hands, his usual flattery replaced by genuine awe. "To think such a feat was possible in the Mortal Realm…"
As an Array Master himself, Xue Feng understood better than most the magnitude of Feng Fan's accomplishment. He had seen Feng Fan, completely on his own, grasp a new concept and apply it to create a grand array of his own in a matter of hours.
Feng Fan glanced at him, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Save your praise. We have many more to go."