This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 134 Supreme Being

He didn't know how much time had passed when he slowly woke up and his consciousness gradually returned. He felt an unbearable pain all over his body, as if he were being gnawed by thousands of poisonous insects.

If the tortures he suffered when he first entered the prison were just a small test, then at this moment, his body felt as if it had been struck by a bolt of lightning from the sky, ravaged beyond recognition from the inside out, truly "burnt on the outside and tender on the inside".

"How dare you! Why did you beat him so badly?"

The questioning voice that came from beside me was like a sharp sword, piercing straight into my heart, seemingly filled with endless chill.

The guards responsible for watching over the prison were also stunned and stood there dumbfounded. The prisoners in the cell were like dead trees struck by lightning, their bodies charred black and lifeless, lying on the ground like corpses.

“Your Excellency, although we perform our duties routinely, they are merely superficial injuries. But this prisoner does not seem to be the work of us.”

"Hmph, still dare to argue! They say that entering the Heavenly Prison is like having one foot in the King of Hell's palace, and today I've truly experienced it firsthand. This is an important prisoner, and if anything happens to him, I will make sure you all pay with your lives."

The man, known as the Supreme One, had a voice as cold as ice, as if it could freeze a person's soul.

Xiao Xingchen struggled to open his eyes. By the faint light from his peripheral vision, he noticed three men staring at him like hungry wolves outside the cell door. One of them was the jailer, while the other two were shrouded in black coats, making it impossible to see their faces; they resembled two mysterious statues.

"Alright, you can leave now. I need to question him alone."

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, you may summon us at any time if you have any orders."

"Supreme Venerable?" This was the first time Xiao Xingchen had heard this title. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his whole body trembled, and he silently closed his eyes, continuing to play dead. He pondered to himself, wanting to see who this mysterious Supreme Venerable really was.

As soon as the jailer left, another man in black entered swiftly like a ghost, then began groping himself frantically, as if searching for something.

"Your Excellency, as expected, this person's spiritual platform possesses power from the Ninth Heaven. He must have had some extraordinary encounters. Moreover, his body is permeated with the blood of a great demon, making him an exceptional sacrifice. That's for sure. If we can use him as a sacrifice, it will make our efforts twice as effective."

A sacrifice? Xiao Xingchen's heart churned like a stormy sea. Could this be the murderer...?

“When I first noticed him, I felt that this young man would be the key to our High Priest. The scent on him is like a bewitching incense, something those things love most. In that case, let's report it. This time, we will hold the High Priest ceremony as the Sword Immortal Festival.”

"Yes, I will personally guard it until the Sword Immortal Festival arrives."

"Give him a life-saving pill, don't let him die, a live sacrifice is more valuable."

The black man, addressed as the Supreme One, let out a chilling laugh, like a demon from hell, which made him realize that the Dark Hand had appeared.

And they intended to use him as a sacrifice for the next time. He dared not move an inch, fearing to arouse their suspicion. He wanted to take the opportunity to obtain more information, but the person called the Supreme One seemed to have only come to take a look, to determine if he was worth being a sacrifice.

Once he was sure, he turned and left without hesitation, disappearing into the darkness like a ghost.

However, another man in black fed him a pill, and he could sense that this man hadn't left but had instead chosen to disappear into the darkness, seemingly guarding him.

"Cough cough cough..."

He coughed violently, as if struck by a heavy hammer, his mouth still filled with the remnants of his internal organs, as if he were coughing up the whole world.

This attempt to condense the Fusang Divine Tree was like a terrifying nightmare, leaving him severely injured. His entire body felt as if his bones and tendons had been removed, and his demonic embryo was completely sealed off. He seemed to be extremely frightened, cowering inside his spiritual platform, not daring to make the slightest sound.

What exactly was that bolt of lightning? And why did it explode in my mind?

Am I really going against the natural order of Yin and Yang?

When he first heard this absurd statement, countless questions welled up in his mind.

He had already guessed that all of this was caused by the Demon Blood Divine Tree, and that the lightning bolt seemed to be specifically aimed at the Demon Blood Divine Tree that had pierced his heart.

Could it be that he misunderstood? But he clearly remembered that the moment the Demon Blood Divine Tree pierced through his heart, a new power, as vigorous as bamboo shoots, suddenly burst forth from the depths of his body—a power full of vitality and life.

However, this power had barely begun to emerge when, like a delicate flower caught in a storm, it was mercilessly blasted away by that lightning.

Since a new force has emerged, it means that our direction is not wrong; it's just that we haven't fully figured out the key points yet.

Once you've recovered, you must try again.

The results were encouraging, validating the possibility of the existence of new forces.

As for the process, he never imagined it could be accomplished in one fell swoop. As the pill fell into his body like sweet rain, his ravaged internal organs, like parched land receiving rain, began to radiate new vitality and gradually regain their life.

What a wonderful thing! His expression brightened with joy. This pill was like an oasis in the desert, and his thirsty body was frantically absorbing it.

In just a moment, the pill's potency was completely used up; it was a real pity there was only one. If he could have a few more, perhaps he could not only recover quickly but also use the pill's powerful life force to try again to condense the Demon Blood Divine Tree.

He secretly made up his mind that he must find a way to get some of this elixir, as it was a life-saving miracle drug!

As for the two men in black, he couldn't help but wonder if this Venerable One was a royal retainer, someone from the legendary Immortal Pavilion?

The exposure of the Immortal Pavilion allowed Emperor Wu to erase all traces of it with overwhelming force, and no one ever knew how many people were worshipping there or who they were.

The indiscriminate killing of all the dead was considered an explanation to appease public anger. As for the evil spirit sacrifice, it was not mentioned at all, let alone the fact that all the dead were deliberately ignored, as if someone was deliberately hiding something.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that the key to everything lay in that one word—"sacrifice".

What exactly is a sacrifice? The black man just now hinted that the offerings need to be carefully selected. In other words, the offerings are graded, and he himself undoubtedly belongs to the top tier.

Chen Haoran was clearly sacrificed as a offering, the huge character for "sacrifice" being irrefutable proof. Moreover, it was a live sacrifice, which means that during the ritual, the offering was subjected to inhuman torture. Recalling Chen Haoran's miserable state at the time, he couldn't help but feel pity for Chen Haoran. It was truly regrettable that such an outstanding member of the Hanhai Chen family ended up like this.

If we interpret it literally, the Evil Ghost Festival is a sacrifice to evil ghosts, and the Houtu Festival is a sacrifice to Houtu (the Earth Goddess), but something just doesn't feel right.

Sacrificial rites have been passed down for tens of thousands of years, with unwritten rules and more of a sense of etiquette.

Why do these men in black show such reverence for the priests, even to the point of harming so many people in the Immortal Pavilion?

Their behavior is more like conducting an experiment, trying to find a way to achieve their goals.

Therefore, there must be a deeper reason behind the sacrifice, a reason that would benefit the man in black.

After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch. If there were no benefits, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths. They must be well aware that it's not worth the effort.

After meticulously unraveling the mystery, Xiao Xingchen's gaze remained fixed on the character "祭" (sacrifice). Once the true meaning of "祭" was understood, all the answers would become clear.

As for this Venerable One, he secretly speculated that this person was most likely one of the people from the Immortal Pavilion.

All the sacrificial matters were manipulated behind the scenes by them, from the selection of sacrificial offerings to the execution of the chief priest. Did Emperor Wu really know nothing about it?

He had a big question mark in his mind about Emperor Wu.

Could the royal family's offerings really be carried out without Emperor Wu's knowledge in such a crucial matter?

He had deep doubts. If Emperor Wu was also involved, the impact of this matter would escalate further, and the importance of the sacrifice would need to be elevated to a new level.

Lately, he had been puzzled as to why the Emperor was so calm and composed when the Northern Region fell, and why the Emperor did nothing when Dali and Hanhai City colluded.

Initially, he believed that Emperor Wu was preoccupied with suppressing the Silent Temple, which was why he was unable to spare the time.

However, he now increasingly feels that his original guess may have been completely wrong.

Based on the analysis just now, perhaps the real reason why Emperor Wu ignored the affairs of the Northern Regions and the Vast Sea was this sacrificial ceremony. After all, in Xiao Jianren's memories from his previous life, the Houtu Sacrifice was a major event that shocked the world. This also corroborates his guess, because the date of the Houtu Sacrifice, also known as the Poetry Immortal Assembly, is drawing ever closer.

Once this sacrificial ceremony is successfully completed, Emperor Wu will be fully confident in suppressing everything.

In this way, Emperor Wu allowed the Northern Regions and Dali to act recklessly.

This means that through sacrifice, he can obtain the powerful force to be fearless and suppress the world.

This undoubtedly further fueled Xiao Xingchen's curiosity: what was so unique about this ritual?