Chapter 23
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 23: Blood Sacrifice to the Spirits
Yang Lingrui clapped his hands and said, “Sister Lingqing, you analyze things so thoroughly.”
Yang Guanfeng and Old Yu looked at Yang Lingqing, who spoke so clearly, and couldn’t help but show appreciative expressions, nodding frequently.
Having a disciple like Yang Lingqing, who was both clever and composed, was something many families could only dream of.
“Lingqing is right. No wonder you can communicate with that spirit stone.”
After the battle against the monster tide, the Yang Family had changed how they referred to Chen Yang.
If outsiders asked, they would still say it was a mysterious stone, but privately, they had started calling him the spirit stone.
Everyone’s gaze turned once more to the ancestral hall in the restricted area.
Yang Guanfeng led the other four inside, and at that moment, Chen Yang was quietly placed in the center.
The five of them stood still, and Yang Guanfeng respectfully cupped his hands toward Chen Yang, saying, “Thank you for protecting my Yang Family during the monster tide, Senior Spirit Stone. We are eternally grateful for your life-saving grace!”
He then led the other four in bowing to Chen Yang.
His words were sincere and heartfelt, with no hint of pretense.
And indeed, without Chen Yang, they would not have survived to see the fox monster show itself. The fourth-level Gathering Qi monkey monster alone could have wiped out all three hundred individuals of the Yang Family.
After realizing that Chen Yang might possess intelligence, Yang Guanfeng and Old Yu went through everything from start to finish carefully.
In the Small Secret Realm, they discovered the four-leafed spirit-receiving grass. As they were leaving, Old Yu sensed a fluctuation of spiritual energy and noticed Chen Yang in the corner.
They then brought him home, and Wang Lie disrupted the formation with a magnet, allowing him to emit a wave that awakened Yang Lingqing, preventing Wang Lie’s ambush from succeeding.
Afterward, during the onset of the monster tide, he constantly reminded Lingqing and Linghu of the approaching monsters and even took out the fox monster in one blow, saving the lives of the two children.
Now it seemed clear that everything that happened was not mere coincidence.
In fact, from the beginning, this spirit stone might have been aware!
In other words, it was not they who brought the spirit stone out of the secret realm, but rather, the spirit stone chose to be with the Yang Family!
Old Yu even imagined more scenarios and concluded that the route they took after entering the secret realm might have been guided by the spirit stone!
After confirming this matter, the members of the Yang Family felt they could not be careless and hurriedly moved Chen Yang from the high platform in the courtyard to the ancestral hall, placing him in a position equal to their ancestors.
The other four also tried to communicate with Chen Yang, but unfortunately, only Yang Lingqing could occasionally elicit a reaction from him; others might as well be speaking to a lifeless object.
They analyzed that it was likely because Lingqing often communicated with the spirit stone and had gained its recognition.
In the ancestral hall, the Yang Family cultivators decided to use a special method to repay Chen Yang for saving the entire family.
As soon as Yang Guanfeng finished speaking, he took a fire talisman from his sleeve and placed it in his palm.
With a thought, the fire talisman ignited.
He then extended his other hand, gathering spiritual power to break through his fingertips.
A droplet of blood glowing with spiritual light flew out.
Old Yu and the three children behind him did as he did, taking out a drop of their blood as well.
This was not ordinary blood; it was the essence blood unique to cultivators after forming their Qi Palace, extremely precious.
Every drop lost would require a significant amount of time to refine anew.
Essence blood is so vital that a cultivator cannot use techniques without it, and a deficiency can cause a regression in their cultivation level.
This precious substance, akin to one’s very life, was taken out drop by drop by each of the five Yang Family cultivators.
Everyone focused their spiritual power, guiding their essence blood toward the flame in Yang Guanfeng’s palm.
The moment the essence blood touched the fire, it erupted into a dazzling orange light, illuminating the entire restricted area.
If not for the formation that isolated it, the mortals at the foot of the mountain would have thought a second sun had appeared.
The five drops of essence blood fused and steamed in the radiant light until they transformed into a wisp of bright red spiritual energy, causing the light to fade.
Next, this strange spiritual energy slowly drifted toward Chen Yang.
“Hmm? This aura… it smells so good!”
The scent of the bright red spiritual energy greatly excited Chen Yang, prompting him to activate his spiritual power to draw it into his body.
Seeing Chen Yang absorb the bright red spiritual energy, Old Yu’s face lit up with immense joy. “It really is a divine object! Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!”
This method is called the blood sacrifice to the spirits.
Old Yu had been a sect disciple and learned of this technique in the library.
It is a secret method for refining spiritual treasures, often used for national or sect treasures.
The cultivator offers their essence blood to cleanse the spiritual treasure of impurities, while a bond is established through the essence blood.
Whenever the sacrificing cultivator achieves a breakthrough, the spiritual treasure absorbs a portion of their cultivation power.
According to legend, if the spiritual treasure develops its own intelligence, it will actively absorb the bright red spiritual energy created by this technique.
Otherwise, it needs a cultivator to guide it.
The Yang Family members couldn’t hide their joy at this sight.
A spiritual treasure with its own intelligence is a legendary treasure!
Not even the Wanhuamen or Solitary Moon Mountain sects could possess such a thing.
Yet, by chance, the Yang Family had obtained this supreme treasure!
Yang Guanfeng had just begun to smile when his expression suddenly darkened.
“Obtaining this precious treasure is a fortune for the Yang Family, but it could also bring about our downfall,” he said softly.
The three children turned pale at his words, and Old Yu nodded in realization, “Master is right. The fate of the Yang Family is tied to this stone. If a powerful cultivator discovers this treasure, not only will we perish, but our entire Yang Family and the village of mortals at the foot of the mountain will likely be reduced to ashes!”
Yang Lingrui and Yang Linghu both looked serious, as if facing a formidable enemy.
At this moment, Yang Lingqing said, “In my humble opinion, the two Elders need not worry this much. Fate is fate. The Elders have said that we cultivators are gamblers who bet against heaven. Since our Yang Family has acquired this treasure, we must fight for it!”
Lingqing’s words eased the expressions of the two Elders, and they nodded in approval.
“Indeed, since the spirit stone has chosen our family, we cannot simply give it up. However, this matter must remain confidential; it concerns the survival of the Yang Family!”
Yang Guanfeng immediately led the four to swear a blood oath to protect the secret of the spirit stone with their lifeblood.
While they were talking, Chen Yang also stirred.
As the bright red spiritual energy flowed within him, Chen Yang was astonished to find that it seemed to be raining in his white space, with pure spiritual energy dropping all around him.
In just a quarter of an hour, the amount of spiritual energy generated equaled what he would normally gather in five years!
This shows just how precious cultivators’ essence blood is and the remarkable effects of the sacrifice method.
And this was just from five Gathering Qi cultivators. If the Yang Family grows stronger and increases their number of cultivators and their levels, the effects of the spirit ritual will multiply.
After a few more moments, the bright red spiritual energy faded away.
In that instant, Chen Yang felt an unprecedented sense of comfort, as if he had just undergone a complete rejuvenation, and his body felt much lighter than before, with the flow of spiritual power inside him becoming even smoother.
At that moment, through internal observation, Chen Yang discovered five red souls of fire inside him.
Two large and three small, each with subtle differences.
Among the larger fire souls, one burned bright and strong, while the other flickered with a dim glow.
Chen Yang quickly understood.
“The vibrant one is Old Yang, and the old man’s flame, while the same size, is dimmer because of his advanced age.”
“The remaining three: the one with the lively flame must be Linghu, the steady one is Lingrui, and the one that sparks intermittently is the little girl Lingqing.”
Chen Yang confirmed this through the familiar aura.
As a result, his connection with the five members of the Yang Family grew even closer, allowing him to observe their real-time states through the soul flames.
Moreover, through this connection, Chen Yang could directly link his consciousness with the divine awareness of the five, conveying information without the need to emit fluctuations of spiritual energy as before.
“The spirit ritual is complete. Lingqing, according to the method I taught you, hurry and try it out!”
