Throughout the entire process of Zhuang Xun's cultivation, the members of the Shengxue Cult did not stop him at all. Instead, they remained kneeling on the ground, their expressions resembling pilgrims paying homage to a holy dynasty.
Zhuang Xun leaped out of the pool. The Primordial Blood that had stained his clothes had already been completely absorbed by him earlier, so he wasn't wet at all.
Facing all the believers who had knelt for four days and three nights without moving a single step, he spread his arms, an exaggerated smile overflowing on his face.
“My children, I have returned!”
“Blood Ancestor!”
“Blood Ancestor! We missed you so much!”
“Blood Ancestor! While you were away, they kept bullying us!”
The believers wept loudly like children, recounting the grievances they had suffered over the years, as well as their joy at seeing the Blood Ancestor again.
“Blood Ancestor! Blood Ancestor!” The Blood Son pressed his forehead against the ground and crawled to the Debt-Lending Bladesman's feet, sobbing. “This child has disappointed you. After you didn't respond to us for so many years, I should have realized you had already descended into the world. Yet, I failed to search for you, forcing you to seek us out yourself.”
“This child is unfilial. Please punish me!” He slammed his head against the ground with loud thuds, each strike heavier than the last.
Well, I've somehow gained a forty-something-year-old 'son' out of nowhere... Zhuang Xun wore a benevolent smile. “Rise, my child. The Blood Ancestor does not blame you.”
“Ahhh, our Ancestor is merciful! Blood Ancestor! I missed you so much! You've finally returned!”
“Blood Ancestor, this is the Innate Law and the surviving secret rituals of the Shengxue Cult that you previously requested, as well as your conical hat.”
“You can keep it.”
Zhuang Xun only took the thick, crimson-covered booklet presented by the Blood Son.
Take it and become the Pirate King, kid. I won't sever your arm.
“Thank you for our Ancestor's grace!” The Blood Son was so excited his voice almost cracked. He carefully put the conical hat back on his head, adjusted it properly, and began to show it off to the others.
“This is the Blood Ancestor gave this to me. Does it look good?”
“Right Protector, does it look good?”
“It looks good,” the others flattered him with envy.
Afterward, they fell silent, quietly kneeling on the ground and looking up at the Debt-Lending Bladesman as he browsed the blood booklet.
The handwriting is actually quite elegant... Innate Law, a blood sacrifice ritual to rapidly increase strength... Holy crap! There's even a resurrection ritual! Huh? Why are they all fragments? The resurrection ritual only has a few brief sentences.
Zhuang Xun cast a glance at the Blood Son.
The Blood Son immediately understood his meaning, his expression filled with immense shame.
“Blood Ancestor, this child is incompetent. I failed to protect your inheritance. All the classics were burned by the Jiyi Sect. Three of the Sacred Cult's four high-tier martial arts have been lost, and as for the secret rituals... I only managed to remember these...” he muttered, his voice growing softer and softer toward the end.
Aside from the sacrificial and prayer rituals to the Blood Ancestor, you didn't remember a single secret ritual in its entirety! What on earth did you learn during your time in the Shengxue Cult? Oh, right, you also learned the ritual to welcome the Blood Ancestor's descent into the world...
Zhuang Xun flipped through the blood booklet and, rare as it was, spotted another complete secret ritual.
Zhuang Xun looked at the elderly Right Protector, who also lowered his head in shame.
“Blood Ancestor, my status in the Shengxue Cult back then was not high, so I was not qualified to access these things.”
Well, at least there's a fragment... Zhuang Xun unceremoniously tucked the blood booklet into his robes.
“Are there any other treasures left in the cult?”
“Yes, Blood Ancestor!” The Blood Son hurriedly presented a dried insect the size of a thumb. “Blood Ancestor, this can be used to control Lord Blood Leech. In the past, we hid inside Lord Blood Leech to escape the pursuit of the Jiyi Sect and fled all the way here.”
“Oh?”
Zhuang Xun took the dried insect and played with it for a moment, discovering something unusual.
He channeled his mind into it and discovered that he had gained an additional, albeit blurry, but extremely vast field of vision.
—This was the vision of Lord Blood Leech outside.
He tentatively controlled Lord Blood Leech to move, and instantly, the earth shook and the mountains trembled.
The believers kneeling in the front row swayed, while those in the back row, lacking sufficient strength, fell directly to the ground.
However, Zhuang Xun quickly got the hang of it. Although there was still some slight shaking inside Lord Blood Leech, it was no longer enough to make people lose their footing while kneeling.
He discovered that Lord Blood Leech could easily cleave through rock and soil, moving through the ground and mountains.
However, its injuries were extremely severe. They seemed to be old wounds from thirty years ago that had still not healed.
Furthermore, Lord Blood Leech kept sending him signals of hunger and exhaustion. After moving for just a short while, its speed slowed to a crawl, and it fell back into a deep slumber.
It seems it can't be used for combat, but it's not bad. It can serve as a mobile base... Zhuang Xun tucked the dried insect into his robes.
“What is the origin of this dried insect and Lord Blood Leech?”
“Origin?” The Blood Son thought for a long time. “They were caught by the previous Blood Son.”
And I was born from my mother. Is that what I wanted to know? Zhuang Xun pursed his lips, looking at him with utter speechlessness.
The Blood Son also realized his answer was poor and said in deep shame, “I am sorry, Blood Ancestor. When I was in the Shengxue Cult, I spent all my time praying to you.”
“Am I supposed to praise you?”
“No, Blood Ancestor! It is because this child is ignorant and incompetent! I have disappointed you! Please punish me!”
Punishment again. Are you a masochist? Looking at the Blood Son, who had once again pressed his head against his toes, Zhuang Xun found it amusing. He gave him a light, casual kick, as if nudging a dog.
Instead of feeling humiliated, the Blood Son actually felt an immense sweetness in his heart.
He raised his head, giving the Debt-Lending Bladesman a foolish grin, and then proceeded to answer the third question his master had asked four days ago.
“Blood Ancestor, you asked why we are still so weak despite having the Primordial Blood you bestowed upon us. This time, this child really did try his best. It is just that the damned Jiyi Sect placed the Resentment Curse upon us. Those of us who were fortunate enough to escape back then, including our descendants, can only ever reach the First Rank at most in our entire lifetimes.”
Hearing this, Zhuang Xun instantly understood why the Jiyi Sect had stopped hunting down the remaining remnants of the Shengxue Cult.
It turned out they had already completely blocked all paths of survival for the Shengxue Cult's remnants.
Not only did they make it impossible for the Blood Ancestor to respond to his believers, but they had also destroyed the entirety of the Shengxue Cult's inheritance. Finally, they had even cursed the remaining remnants and their descendants to limit their strength.
No matter how hard the Shengxue Cult tried, they would never be able to make a comeback.
Unless an entirely new Shengxue Cult was born.
However, this was perhaps the very reason why the Jiyi Sect had kept these remnants of the Shengxue Cult alive.
The Blood Son smiled bitterly. “Fifteen years ago, this child tried to break through the limitations of the Resentment Curse. In the end, I was left paralyzed. Today, my martial arts are at the First Rank, but my physical body's realm is barely at the Third Rank.”
He pulled open his robes, showing the Debt-Lending Bladesman his upper body, which was so withered there was almost no muscle left, leaving only a layer of skin clinging to his bones.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Don't be sad, child. Look on the bright side—not only can you cosplay Nagato, but if you crossdress, you can even cosplay Erii... Zhuang Xun comforted him in his heart.
Rate on N.U.
