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Chapter 351: Activating the Core of the Sanctuary
🕑 Added 2024-10-17 08:42:40 +0000 UTCThe atmosphere remained deathly silent.
Seeing that Jian Ka remained obstinate, Rhett grew increasingly impatient and frowned, saying, "Silence won’t stop death. Have you forgotten the promise you made to Xieman? If you die here, how will you fulfill his dream? On the contrary, if you tell me everything, I might be able to help you."
As his words fell, the Blood God Cult Leader’s expression wavered, and he fell into deep contemplation. After a moment, with a conflicted look, he finally said, "Give it up. You don’t understand how powerful the Blood Demon truly is..."
"If it were truly that powerful, you wouldn’t be in this state. Without a traitor’s help, it wouldn’t have been able to invade this world. In fact, without your cooperation, it might have perished long ago!" Rhett snorted coldly.
The Blood God Cult Leader suddenly raised his head, surprised. "You seem to know a lot about the Blood Demon. Why do you have so much information?"
"I don’t know much. It’s related to the Shadow Demon from a thousand years ago. Although it failed to defeat the Blood Demon’s avatar, it left behind a lot of useful information, which I just happened to come across," Rhett replied with a prepared explanation. "Enough talk. I’ll give you one last chance: speak or remain silent."
"I..." The Blood God Cult Leader’s expression flickered, and he experienced an intense internal struggle. After a deep breath, he rasped, "You’re right... I am Jian Ka."
Rhett’s expression softened slightly. "Then... why did Xieman betray humanity and side with the orcs?"
"Because it was under my orders," Jian Ka replied, his aged face filled with sorrow as a tear of grief rolled down his cheek.
"Why would you do that?" Rhett’s voice was filled with confusion.
A flash of hatred passed through Jian Ka’s eyes as he gritted his teeth and said, "It’s a long story, but it all stems from the Blood Demon’s avatar!"
"The death of Director Gunners was tied to the Blood Demon avatar, and the destruction of Golden Blood Academy was because of its forced support for human alchemy experiments, leading to its downfall. Xieman’s dreams were shattered because of it!"
As Jian Ka spoke, his chest began to heave violently. His heart raced, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
A pained expression crossed Jian Ka’s face, but his eyes flickered with madness and resentment. Suppressing the agony, he let out a chilling laugh. "Hahaha, so... I decided to kill the Blood Demon!"
Seeing Jian Ka’s deteriorating condition, the Ice Queen frowned and cast a pure light element onto him, a life-filled power attempting to heal his body.
However, blood mist seeped from his pores, instantly dissolving the healing power.
Rhett was perplexed as he stared at Jian Ka and said, "Kill the Blood Demon?"
"That’s right. It killed Director Gunners, destroyed Golden Blood Academy, and turned me into this inhuman monster... I want to kill it. Is there anything wrong with that?!" Jian Ka roared, his voice hoarse yet thunderous. All his pent-up rage, hatred, and resentment from a thousand years seemed to erupt at this moment, pouring out uncontrollably.
Rhett and the Ice Queen stood in stunned silence, watching as Jian Ka’s emaciated body began to regrow flesh, though it formed grotesque lumps that spread across his entire body, pulsating like malignant tumors. It seemed as though they could explode at any moment.
But Jian Ka no longer cared about life or death. His voice was cold, filled with murderous intent, as he continued, "The Blood Demon promised me that if I helped destroy this world, it would take me to the Underworld and grant me immense power!"
"Honestly, I didn’t care about any of that. What I truly wanted was to find its main body in the Underworld..."
"So, I willingly cooperated, helping it weaken humanity. Xieman’s apparent betrayal of humanity to join the orcs was all part of the plan..."
"The ultimate goal has always been the same—to enter the Underworld and kill the Blood Demon!"
At this moment, Rhett looked at the pitiful figure of Jian Ka, his heart filled with a mixture of shock and complex emotions.
In just a few minutes, his opinion of the man had dramatically shifted.
It was a naive, absurd, and foolish plan, but hearing it from someone like Jian Ka, who had endured for a thousand years, filled Rhett with a strange, indescribable feeling.
"What makes you think you can defeat the Blood Demon?" Rhett re-evaluated Jian Ka, frowning as he asked, "And what about your current condition? Can I do anything to help you?"
"There’s nothing you can do," Jian Ka shook his head weakly. "Neither Xieman nor I had any certainty of defeating the Blood Demon. But he was willing to try, so how could I refuse?"
Boom!
A burst of blood mist exploded from Jian Ka’s chest.
His torso caved in, splitting in two as a blood-red bat emerged from his body, casting a vengeful glance at Rhett and Jian Ka before trying to flee!
Jian Ka fainted on the spot, falling toward the sea, but was caught by the quick-acting Ice Queen.
Rhett, filled with killing intent, focused on the blood-red bat. His mental power surged like a flood, spreading a force of annihilation. The bat, trembling and flapping its wings desperately, was unable to escape. Letting out a terrifying screech, it dissolved into a puddle of blood, which Rhett quickly sealed in a container and stored in his spatial ring.
He then swiftly approached the Ice Queen, gazing at the critically injured Jian Ka. His face darkened as he asked, "How is he? Can you save him?"
"I’m trying," the Ice Queen said, her body radiating a brilliant light as she exerted all her power to heal him. But Jian Ka’s body rejected the light element, preventing any healing.
In the end, after exhausting all efforts, the Ice Queen gave Rhett a helpless look and sighed, "It’s no use. There’s a strange force within him that’s interfering with any element trying to heal him..."
Rhett’s face grew even darker, and his eyes flashed with indecision.
But after a moment, recalling something, he sighed in resignation.
"Don’t... worry about me..." Jian Ka weakly opened his eyes, smiling as if he had finally found peace. "My body has long been altered by the Blood Demon, making it impossible for me to absorb any element other than dark energy. Light, in particular, is like poison to me."
Looking at Rhett with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, Jian Ka pleaded, "You promised me... you said you’d rebuild Golden Blood Academy..."
Rhett’s expression was conflicted, but he nodded solemnly. "I won’t go back on my word. And if I get the chance, I’ll kill the Blood Demon."
Jian Ka shook his head with a sorrowful smile. "There’s no need... You have no idea how terrifying the Underworld is..."
As he spoke, he felt the last bit of life slipping away. Jian Ka gave Rhett one final look, his eyes widening in disbelief as his smile brightened, as if returning to the pure, golden days of youth a thousand years ago under the setting sun.
"For Xieman... thank you..."
"It was nothing..." Rhett muttered, bowing his head.
When he looked up again, Jian Ka had passed away, still smiling.
"Sigh..."
Rhett let out a long sigh.
The Ice Queen’s beautiful eyes shimmered as she waited in silence. After half a minute, she finally spoke, "Can you tell me more about what the Shadow Demon shared with you?"
Rhett’s gaze turned calm, and he nodded.
Ten minutes later.
After a slightly edited version of the story, Rhett stopped speaking.
The Ice Queen looked up at the sky in awe, her face full of wonder.
"Incredible... There are always greater powers out there. Who would’ve thought there’s an entire Underworld out there, filled with terrifying entities!"
She turned to Rhett. "Do you think they’ll invade again?"
"Who can say for sure?" Rhett said quietly as he stood on a floating ice block. "For now... all we can do is our best."
"Yes," the Ice Queen agreed with a nod. She glanced at Rhett, intrigued. "Since the Blood God Cult Leader is dead, I plan to resume my search for the First Founder's relics. Would you like to join me?"
Rhett shook his head. "I have other matters to attend to. Maybe next time."
"Alright... until next time, then."
After bidding farewell to the Ice Queen, Rhett took Jian Ka’s body and quickly flew toward a certain defensive line, speeding through the stormy seas!
One day later, in the Kingdom of Greyroot.
Following his memory, Rhett arrived at the site of the former Golden Blood Academy.
It was now a cemetery, a memorial for the extraordinary individuals who had been killed during the academy’s reckless expansion and unethical alchemy experiments.
Skirting around the gravekeeper, Rhett approached the location where the palace of Golden Blood Academy once stood, now a field of flowers.
Under his mental control, the earth began to shift, and a deep pit appeared silently.
After laying Jian Ka’s remains to rest, Rhett sighed. He could have saved Jian Ka if he had tried.
By using multiple simulations, he might have found a way to rescue him.
But he didn’t want to, nor could he.
Although Jian Ka had his reasons for his actions, they couldn’t absolve him of the countless lives he had taken.
Even though the Blood Demon was the true mastermind, Jian Ka was not innocent. Dying at the hands of the Blood Demon was, in a way, a fitting end...
With a wave of mental energy, Rhett covered the grave with earth and meticulously restored the ground to its original state.
Looking once more at the grave beneath his feet, Rhett exhaled softly, murmuring, "Don’t worry. I will fulfill your and Xieman’s final wish."
He stood there in silence for a long time, reflecting on everything.
Eventually, hearing footsteps approaching from behind, Rhett disappeared in an instant.
Five days later.
Among a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, Rhett stood atop a throne crafted from the bodies of orcs, having accomplished something unparalleled—he had become the Orc Exterminator.
With the blood of countless beings staining his hands, Rhett’s resolve remained unshaken. War was not a game, and mercy had no place here.
Now, as his mind cleared and relaxed, he felt that the world’s essence no longer posed a threat to his Sanctuary, and with the existential danger gone, he closed his eyes to savor the sensation.
He immersed himself in the boundless sea of fire and earth elements, feeling the profound changes in his comprehension of elemental mysteries. It was like wiping a foggy window clean, allowing him to see the true nature of these elements more clearly than ever before.
Although he had already achieved mastery in earth mysteries, his understanding of fire had only just begun.
At this moment, as he delved deeper, every particle of fire element revealed a mysterious power—the very source of elemental force!
As Rhett continued to immerse himself in this newfound understanding, his grasp of fire mysteries rapidly grew.
After a few minutes, he willingly pulled himself out of this wonderful state.
He summoned a ball of water elements to cleanse the blood from his body, then dried himself with fire elements before leaping down from the mountain of corpses, landing on the blood-soaked earth below.
For the second time, Rhett closed his eyes and activated the Sanctuary system.
[Family Head: Rhett Green]
[Second Generation Members: Tark Green, Relai Green, Telles Green]
[Third Generation Members: Dick Green, Trish Green, Carris Green, Kazena Green, Irene Green, Abel Green]
[Sanctuary: Green]
[Sanctuary Core: Unnamed (Activated, Functioning)]
[Text Simulation]
[Real Simulation]
[Fate Points: 11,417]
His eyes scanned quickly over the information and landed on the Sanctuary Core, noticing the updated description. His heart skipped a beat.
"It worked! It’s fully activated!"
Rhett opened his eyes, excitement flickering in his gaze as he clenched his fists tightly.
With a focused thought, Rhett immersed himself in the Sanctuary Core and felt his consciousness transported to another space.
The scene around him shifted, and it seemed as though he had entered a hazy, mist-filled world. There was nothing around him except for a glowing, multicolored spherical core floating in the center.
Through the Sanctuary, Rhett could sense that the sphere before him was a projection of the world’s essence, with the swirling multicolored lights exuding an infinite sense of mystery and profundity.
At first glance, Rhett almost found himself completely captivated.
The elemental essence of the entire world was displayed clearly before his eyes!
However, while the essence of other elemental types was visible, Rhett could only observe them. He could not sense their deeper powers, likely because he had not yet acquired the proper "authority," similar to how he had been unable to control other elemental forces before absorbing Flowing Fire.
Nevertheless, he felt a special connection between himself and the world’s core, and even though he couldn’t fully control it, he decided to try directing his consciousness to interfere with its operations.
Silently, six distinct elemental projections emerged from the core, each radiating a different elemental power.
The projections represented earth, fire, wind, water, light, and dark!
The six projections didn’t remain still but rather swirled in chaotic motion, releasing countless threads that extended toward the inner workings of the world.
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