I didn’t move, curled up there like a clay puppet, and allowed several red-robed priests to break in through the door, grab my arms, and lift me up.
A bottle was handed to me, and a strange fragrance rushed into my nasal cavity. Even though I held my breath immediately, I felt dizzy and lost consciousness in an instant.
Cold water drops fell on my face.
I slowly opened my eyes and saw the round dome above. A full moon was very close, and the moonlight enveloped me.
I heard strange chanting sounds all around me. I looked around and found myself in the center of the altar in the temple where I painted Nalin.
A group of priests in red robes surrounded the altar, each holding a sharp blade in their hands.
On the throne on the high platform in front of the altar sat the white-haired female demon surrounded by stars. She was waving a fan lazily, with a half-naked, handsome, long-haired male lover nestled in her arms, who was holding a glass tray and feeding her cherries.
The people standing beside her in purple robes and pointed hats were obviously the elders of the Tusheng sect. They all stared at me as if they were looking at a rare delicacy. I felt a chill down my spine and sat up. My hands and feet made clanking sounds, and I realized that they were all tied with heavy chains.
I haven’t taken the poison yet. I can’t die like this.
I glanced at the red-robed priests around me, hoping to find where the eldest madam was, but they were all masked, and I couldn’t tell them apart for a moment, and I couldn’t help feeling panicked.
“Congratulations, Shengzun. Congratulations, Shengzun. Before his ascension, he finally found a perfect sacrifice.” A low laugh sounded beside me. I looked up and saw a fat man with a pair of slender eyebrows like a snake. I recognized him. He was one of the priests who sent me into the palace.
“Bandan has made a great contribution in finding this sacrifice. How about Shengzun allow him to drink with us?” That male priest who was nestling in her arms suggested with a smile.
“He is just a red-clothes priest. What qualifications does he have to drink with us elders?” An old man shouted angrily, “There is only one sacrifice, and it is not even enough for us to share. How can he have a turn?”
I shuddered. Sharing food?
“That’s right. If the karma on your body is not completely eliminated this time, it will be difficult to ascend.” The old woman echoed, “We are all old and can’t wait any longer!”
“Don’t be angry, Elders. Bandan did not seek this honor. As the saying goes, if one person succeeds, all his relatives and friends will benefit from it. If Shengzun and the Elders can ascend successfully, we, the relatives and friends, will surely be able to get some of that honor as well.” The fat priest smiled flatteringly.
“You are really sensible.” That female demon chuckled, “You have made great contributions in finding the sacrifice this time, so this lord will reward you. This lord will allow you to be promoted to the purple-robed elder, how about it?”
“Thanks Shengzun for your grace!” The fat man knelt down in gratitude.
I looked around anxiously, trying to find the location of the eldest madam, but it suddenly became dark above my head. I looked up and saw a lunar eclipse above the dome.
“Alright, the time has come, let’s start the sacrifice.”
Seeing the red priests surrounding me, I curled up into a ball but was powerless to stop the sharp knife from cutting and piercing my flesh. I was shaking all over in severe pain and could not help screaming. Suddenly, I felt a hard object being quickly stuffed into my right hand.
I lowered his eyes and saw the red carnelian ring in my palm.
It was just coated with something, emitting a glittering green light. I realized something, raised my eyelids, and saw the tearful and bloodshot eyes of the eldest madam. I smiled and nodded and saw her suddenly raise the sharp knife and turn around to rush towards the high platform in front of the altar.
“There’s an assassin! Protect Shengzun!”
There was a commotion all around, and I took the opportunity to put the ring into my mouth and swallowed it hard.
The carnelian was hard, and it rubbed my throat. I choked on a mouthful of blood foam and looked ahead in a trance with a feeling of suffocation, the madam was pierced through the heart by a sharp knife and fell just a few steps away, without even crossing the edge of the altar. She looked at me with her wide-open eyes, and a tear of blood slid down from the corner of her eye, just like my mother many years ago.
A burning sensation spread from my throat, as if my intestines were ruptured. I started coughing violently and shivering. The chains on my limbs were suddenly tightened. Several figures approached and fell on me. Some grabbed my wrists, some grabbed my ankles, and some buried their heads in my neck, licking the cuts and even tearing and devouring my flesh, just like wild animals sharing their prey.
I was numb from the pain, and my vision gradually went dark. I stared at that white-haired female demon and saw her push the male pet in her arms away and slowly walk to me from the high platform. I heard a puff, and when I looked down, her five pointed fingers were actually inserted into my heart.
A severe pain came over me, I opened my mouth and choked out a mouthful of blood.
“Becoming a god in this way… what are you seeking? Aren’t you guys… afraid of retribution?”
I gritted my teeth and squeezed out a few fragmented words, then looked up at her, only to see that she was actually smiling and staring at me with eyes that were both sad and crazy, as if she wasn’t looking at me.
“I have been trampled upon so much that I am where I am today. Only by becoming a god can I be above all living beings.” Go with peace of mind. When I become a god one day, I will help you find a good afterlife.”
The moment she dug out my bright red heart, my body felt lighter, and I floated in the air.
When I lowered my eyes and looked down, I saw a pale figure floating on the blood in the center of the altar with a circular magic circle drawn on it — it was actually me.
I felt dazed and looked at my own lifeless eyes for a moment as if reflecting in a mirror, then I realized that I was dead.
I thought it would be very painful, but I didn’t expect that I would die so quickly.
“Cough, cough!”
Suddenly, several elders who were lying on me and sucking my blood started coughing violently. Some rolled to the ground with convulsions, while others half-knelt on the ground, pinching their necks and gasping for breath, with streams of black foam gushing out of their seven orifices.
The poison took effect.
I stared at that female demon who was holding my heart and sipping my blood, expecting the poison to take effect, but I saw her covering her mouth in astonishment. She crushed my heart and fell to the ground, arching her back. Black water was oozing from her mouth and nose, and her exposed skin was covered with blood-red veins. Her body twisted and made a crackling sound as her muscles and bones broke.
“Saintess!” That male pet screamed, rushed to her side, held her in his arms, patted her back, and dug into her throat, but it was of no use.
“Good, good!”
I clapped my hands in cheers, but unfortunately I was already a ghost, and she couldn’t hear my cheers.
At this moment, there was a commotion from somewhere, and someone shouted, “A sacrifice is being held in the holy temple, and Shengzun has issued a ban. Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you cannot go in!”
“What kind of sacrifice? It’s clearly a divine marriage for Ninth Brother. Get out of the way!”
