Chapter 252: He Said He’s Coming
Guanchao Island, at the foot of the crater.
Over a dozen subordinates of the Second Priest stood in a pavilion next to the resort hotel.
Two trusted aides squatted together, lit cigarettes, and spoke in low voices.
The one missing an ear on the left spoke first, “I don’t know what those people’s deal is…”
Drooping Eye said contemptuously, “Survivors, duh. Haven’t you seen how many people have come to Guanchao Island over time? At least tens of thousands. The outside world is probably flooded. This is our last paradise.”
“There’s also New Eden.”
“Tch, what paradise? If there really is one, it’s probably Guanchao Island under our feet.”
Hearing this, Missing Ear’s brow twitched. He subconsciously glanced at the others, and only relaxed after seeing no one noticed their conversation. He cursed in a low voice, “Can you think before you speak? If the Second Priest hears, he’ll turn us into living dead.”
Drooping Eye’s eyes flashed with wariness, “Have you eaten a divine stone?”
Missing Ear panicked, “What do you mean?”
“Just asking if not. It seems like ninety percent of people in New Eden have eaten divine stones.”
“Haven’t you eaten one too?”
The two fell silent for a moment.
“Anyway, I didn’t feel anything wrong with the divine stone when I was marked.”
Drooping Eye reluctantly stubbed out his cigarette butt on the ground and spat, “Let’s not talk about that. Have all the survivors participating in the sacrifice been summoned?”
“Those three or four hundred still alive should be heading this way.”
“Why did they die so fast this time? Last time on the second day, there were still over two thousand left, right?”
“There were few to begin with, and they ran into disaster right away. A big flood came ashore, and who knows what weird things came with it.”
“Such a big commotion, and no one went to check what it was?”
Drooping Eye asked curiously.
“Whatever, it’s not my responsibility anyway. On the island, there’s food, drink, and women. If the sky falls, there are still a few priests holding it up.”
“Hey, those women of yours are really nice. How about I trade mine for yours?”
“Someone’s coming!”
Missing Ear instantly schooled his expression and looked into the distance.
A figure came running wildly. Though the ground was muddy, there wasn’t a speck of mud on his pant legs. He wore an extremely ill-fitting jacket and carried a backpack made from a canvas bag, with something inside that swayed as he ran.
At the start of the sacrifice, Liu Chang had it pretty smooth.
Avoiding crowded areas and relying on some jungle survival experience, he survived cautiously.
He ate a few fruits and luckily evolved a divine grace that manipulates temperature, manifesting as the ability to quickly freeze water surfaces.
Having divine grace was like having a safety net.
Whether joining New Eden or escaping Guanchao Island, he now had the initiative.
Moreover, with this ability, life in the jungle was much easier.
Those venomous insects and damp rainwater could no longer threaten him.
Just as he was about to find a tree hollow, he suddenly heard gunshots, then saw a stocky man holding an assault rifle, crazily slaughtering survivors in the jungle.
This excessive scene scared him witless. Not daring to entertain any thought of resistance, he fled eastward with the remaining fruits.
Then he desperately discovered more armed soldiers hunting sacrificers to the east.
Liu Chang had no choice but to run back.
On the way, he killed two sacrificers who tried to ambush him and obtained their divine stones.
New Eden had distributed the divine stones before the sacrifice began, and the method of use was to eat them.
Besides that, the divine stones also served a tracking function.
Worried the divine stones had issues, Liu Chang hadn’t eaten his. While collecting them, he encountered a terrifying woman.
She moved through the jungle as if on flat ground, severing a flower snake into fragments with a bare-handed swing.
Chased by that terrifying woman with no way to heaven or earth, if she hadn’t accidentally startled a strange tree and gotten entangled, he couldn’t have escaped alive.
Then he received the message that the sacrifice had ended and hurried toward the island center.
From afar, he saw New Eden people standing ahead.
Drooping Eye glanced at the one next to him and asked, “How many?”
“Three, but he hasn’t eaten them.”
“Sooner or later. How’s the strength?”
“He obtained divine grace, and he’s the first to arrive. He should be one of the top ones. I want this one.”
“Opening with a bang.”
……
When Liu Chang approached, Missing Ear sized him up and smiled faintly.
“Congratulations on obtaining divine grace. As one favored by the gods, you can follow us up the mountain to participate in the true sacrifice.”
“Another sacrifice?”
Liu Chang’s complexion stiffened.
Missing Ear immediately understood and smiled, “Don’t worry, your sacrifice is already over. As a divine grace obtainer, you don’t need to participate again.”
Hearing he was safe, Liu Chang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As the first to arrive from this sacrifice, Missing Ear personally led him up the mountain.
As they walked, he asked, “How does obtaining divine grace feel?”
Liu Chang said hesitantly, “Not bad.”
Missing Ear was stunned. This was the first time he’d seen such a humble divine grace obtainer; no need for a show of force.
“You’re the first.”
Liu Chang touched his nose and smiled bitterly. If that terrifying woman were chasing you, you’d run faster than me.
Just after going up the mountain, Liu Chang saw a bizarre scene.
Over three hundred people tightly encircled an altar, but at the front weren’t several black-robed priests, but a long-haired young man in black clothes.
The latter merely gave him a sidelong glance, making him shiver all over.
The people outside parted to make a path for him, all the way to the Second Priest’s side.
Liu Chang walked over and stopped three meters from the Second Priest, where various conflicting auras intertwined, making him feel like he’d entered a cage of wild beasts.
The Second Priest glanced at him and frowned slightly, “Eat the divine stone, squeeze a few drops of blood on the altar, and you’re done.”
Liu Chang’s heart tightened. Did he still have to eat that thing?
But sensing the gazes laced with threat, Liu Chang could only take out the bright red crystal.
Including his own, a total of three.
“What is this?”
A clear voice came from nearby. The young man in a casual black shirt had somehow already stood in front of him.
Liu Chang was just nervous, but the Second Priest’s pupils suddenly contracted.
He warily stepped back half a pace, drawing closer to the Grim Reaper.
“You have so many. Mind giving me one?”
Su Huan asked with a smile, but before he could answer, he naturally took one from his hand and returned to his spot.
Seeing this, the Second Priest hesitated to speak and gave Su Huan a deep look.
Su Huan examined the so-called divine stone with interest. It had general energy fluctuations inside, but much murkier than general energy crystals, like it was mixed with something else. He couldn’t figure it out right away, so he tossed it to Shu Wei behind him.
Meanwhile, Liu Chang ate the remaining two divine stones, then cut his hand with a knife and squeezed blood onto the edge of the altar.
“Is this how you activate the altar?”
Su Huan asked curiously.
The High Priestess nodded, “Yes, only the blood of divine grace obtainers can activate it.”
“Is that so.”
Su Huan’s eyelid twitched slightly.
Sensing the energy steadily draining from his body and the amplified general energy perception, he used Yu Yue’s “shared sound field” to transmit, “Activation condition: level two or higher general energy, very high consumption.”
Shu Wei recorded while asking, “Is the blood a necessary condition?”
Su Huan pondered for a moment, “It should be a trigger. With this bit of blood, it can draw out the energy in these people’s bodies.”
“What about the divine stones?”
“Couldn’t see any relation to the sacrifice.”
After thinking, Su Huan directly asked the High Priestess, “Did the divine stones exist before?”
A’duo replied, “That was something the Second Priest came up with. He said it could enhance divine grace obtainers’ strength, so his subordinates are all a bit stronger than ours…”
“There was a sound of crystals breaking in his room. Maybe it’s this thing.”
Yu Yue’s voice appeared in Su Huan’s ear.
“Oh~”
Interesting.
Su Huan smiled, but just a little.
As he spoke, a figure was led up from the mountain.
The Second Priest whipped his head around, eyes gleaming, and urgently said, “Let her come over.”
The crowd parted, and a figure wrapped entirely in a military raincoat walked through, her cold, slender vertical pupils sweeping the crowd. Seeing Su Huan and the others, they suddenly stretched and rounded.
Slightly surprised, “Train Conductor?”
Su Huan turned with a grin and waved, “Little cat arrived quick.”
Hearing this, the Second Priest’s expression froze, his complexion quickly darkening.
He hadn’t expected them to know each other.
But he couldn’t let go of such a good Grim Reaper seedling.
Whether they knew each other or not, as long as she participated in the sacrifice, she was his.
Even if her dad or mom came, it wouldn’t work!
“How many divine stones did you get?”
The Second Priest asked coldly.
The mongoose pulled out a big handful of large and small red crystals from her bosom. Because her hands were too small, they dropped to the ground.
Seeing this, everyone fell silent.
Drooping Eye’s mouth twitched, “How many is this damn thing?”
Missing Ear sensed and stammered, “Forty, forty-six, with quite a few being second- or even third-fusions.”
“In just half a day, she killed over forty people?!”
Their voices were low, but still reached the surrounding people.
Looking at the mongoose’s weak appearance, everyone had incredulous looks in their eyes.
The Second Priest took a deep breath, his tone trembling, “Quick, eat them all, then squeeze some blood on the altar.”
“Once you complete the sacrifice, you might obtain the next stage of divine grace. When I become High Priestess, you can take over the Third Priest’s position!”
What New Eden, Third Priest—none compared to the prestige of being a general on the armored train?
The mongoose’s gaze fell on the train conductor behind.
The latter slightly lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.
“Wait!”
A loud shout came from down the mountain.
A stocky man came running up panting, one hand holding a gun, the other carrying a cloth bag. From afar, he threw the cloth bag over. It landed on the ground, spilling out a pile of red crystals.
The mongoose looked at the crystals, eyes widening. Though she didn’t count, there were definitely more than hers.
Was she going to lose?
As for the Second Priest, he was practically glowing red, looking at Old Wu’s pancake face with more affection than a lover.
He’d thought the mongoose was a treasure, but unexpectedly there was another expert!
“It’s over, tied one-to-one.”
Seeing Su Huan knew the mongoose and thinking their side had gained a great general, A’duo’s horns on top of her head glowed pink with excitement.
But with Old Wu’s appearance, she wilted again.
“Use whatever means you have quickly, or it’ll be too late…”
Su Huan ignored her and instead spoke softly with Shu Wei.
“Director Xu agrees with your guess. Danger is low, can try. As for the red crystals, they should be the ‘manufacturer’s’ product.”
“Alright, let’s try.”
Su Huan walked toward the altar and stepped onto the first step.
“What are you doing?!”
The Third Priest let out an angry shout.
Instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
Seeing Su Huan ascending the steps, there was immediate uproar.
A’duo anxiously said, “You’re not the High Priestess yet, you can’t go up!”
The Second Priest turned and saw Su Huan already on the third step, his eyes turning red with rage—that was his position!
“Outsider, you’re blaspheming!”
The High Priestess was also stunned, “The sacrifice hasn’t started. Going up now is useless.”
With three steps total, in the time of two sentences, Su Huan was at the top, unceremoniously sitting in the chair. He pursed his lips slightly disdainfully—this chair was far worse than his orange cat sofa.
“Isn’t it just blood? Easy.”
Su Huan waved indifferently. Thinking of what was to come, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up.
The giraffe looked at the train conductor’s mouth and suddenly felt a jolt in his heart.
He dashed up the altar in a few steps and shrank behind Su Huan.
The mongoose and Old Wu reacted quickly too.
Seeing the group occupy the altar, the Second Priest roared in fury, “Kill these blasphemers for me.”
Su Huan looked at the crowd squeezing behind him, slightly speechless.
“No backbone. Have He Jie make some noise.”
Shu Wei’s expression tightened, “He says he’s here.”
White Deer asked in panic, “What’s here?”
“Boom——”
A lightning-like black shadow suddenly flashed before their eyes.
The three hundred plus people about to charge the altar suddenly exploded.
Blood, flesh and bone, rocks, plants…
Everything at the center of the impact was equally engulfed by the blast in that instant.
The terrifying shockwave swept over everything around, even shattering the stone altar.
A’duo’s fur stood on end in fright. She grabbed the High Priestess beside her and rushed to the altar, no longer caring about blasphemy, and hid directly behind Su Huan.
“Pretty powerful, huh.”
In the train conductor’s pitch-black eyes, a tiny spark bloomed like a blooming mandala flower, madly devouring the crowd.
Air pressure carrying rocks swept over again.
“Just a bit off.”
A hair-raising lightning barrier and vacuum appeared in front of the altar.
With the train conductor as the boundary, before the altar: earth-shaking.
Behind the altar: calm and peaceful.
All sounds were blocked by Yu Yue.
Moments later, the smoke slowly dissipated.
A deep pit 1.2 meters deep and 50 meters in radius appeared in front of the altar.
Various scorched limbs in the deep pit slowly oozed dark red liquid.
The giraffe looked at the deep pit below and went numb all over.
“Is this how you use a howitzer?”
