Chapter 3905: Detected By The Ritual!

The sharpened bone descended once again as fresh blood appeared. The crystal skull accepted another offering and vitality drained away while bodies weakened. Another circle ended.

Then another began.

Time slowly slipped away like that and the gathering continued in complete silence apart from occasional groans and the old man’s commands.

Every prisoner eventually approached the effigy, every prisoner offered blood and every prisoner staggered away weaker than before. Lin Mu quietly counted as nearly an hour passed.

The final ordinary prisoner completed the ritual.

Only the old man remained.

Thud thud thud

He slowly limped toward the effigy, his crude peg leg clicked softly against the stone. The crowd watched in respectful silence as the old man knelt. He removed the sharpened bone from his tangled gray hair once again.

This time, he did not immediately stab himself. Instead, he lowered his head. His voice became quieter than before... Almost reverent.

"With this final draw..." He slowly raised the sharpened bone. "...I offer the blood of the old."

The bone pierced his scalp and Blood immediately flowed across his weathered face. The old man never flinched and his clouded eye remained fixed upon the crystal skull.

"Let this be our tribute..." His voice echoed throughout the cavern. "...and may you come for more later."

The instant the final words left his lips, something answered.

No light appeared and no explosion followed, yet the entire cavern suddenly felt different. Lin Mu’s expression changed instantly as an invisible pressure swept across the summit. His heart suddenly trembled.

And for the briefest moment, it felt as though some unseen existence had looked directly toward him. His vitality instinctively surged and the Burdenless Dominator Physique reacted before his mind even formed a thought.

Deep within his body, every trace of life force condensed protectively. Simultaneously, another response emerged.

Humm!

The barrier surrounding his soul, the protection formed through the Litany of the Verdant Forests quietly shimmered. Gentle green light appeared deep within his consciousness as the barrier tightened.

It was ready and prepared, as though expecting an attack from something beyond ordinary perception.

Lin Mu’s pupils narrowed. ’So it truly is real.’

Until now, he had still entertained doubts. Perhaps the ritual merely maintained tradition or perhaps the prisoners had deceived themselves. Those possibilities vanished. But something had genuinely answered.

Whatever accepted these offerings existed.

At the same time Lin Mu became even more confused. The presence still lacked demonic characteristics as its nature differed entirely. Sure it felt ancient, but there was a certain order within it along with a coldness.

It resembled neither Devil Path techniques nor Demonic cultivation. Yet, whatever responded inspired every bit as much unease as either.

Perhaps even more.

’Whatever this being is...’ Lin Mu quietly thought. ’Calling it a demon would hardly be an insult.’

The pressure gradually faded as the old man’s blood finally rose into the crystal skull. Curiously enough, his body showed almost no visible change as his wrinkled appearance remained the same.

Even his breathing remained steady.

Lin Mu quietly wondered whether the old man simply possessed so little vitality that the ritual barely drew anything further. Or perhaps, he had undergone this process so many times that little remained to take.

The old man slowly stood as the ritual appeared complete. The prisoners remained kneeling when one of the younger men looked around uncertainly.

"Is it over?" His weak voice echoed across the summit.

Nobody answered though. Instead, the old man slowly turned toward the effigy as something had caught his attention. His remaining eye narrowed, seeing that the faint orderly aura surrounding the crystal skull still lingered.

Normally, it should have dispersed. But this time, it continued circling the effigy. Almost as though it was waiting.

The old man’s expression gradually changed as confusion appeared, then realization. And finally, there was... Horror.

His remaining eye suddenly widened and he staggered backward.

"No..." His hoarse voice cracked. "There is someone else!"

The gathered prisoners immediately looked around.

The old man pointed toward the crystal skull with his trembling hand.

"The Deity wants more!" His voice rose into a frantic scream.

"The Deity wants more blood!" His entire body began shaking.

"SOMEONE IS HIDING!" He swung toward the surrounding rocks. "SOMEONE IS CHEATING THE DEITY!"

Lin Mu’s heart sank.

’It sensed me...’ He had concealed his aura perfectly.

The Abyssal Horizon Veil Seal remained untouched. Even his breathing barely disturbed the air. Yet somehow, the ritual itself had discovered an extra living presence. Without hesitation Lin Mu withdrew behind the rocky outcrop.

His movements remained incredibly fast while avoiding unnecessary sound and he had barely lowered himself from the top when the crystal skull reacted. A dense mist erupted from its open jaws.

WHOOSH

Dark gray vapor surged upward while countless crimson and pale yellow particles drifted within it like glowing embers. The eerie cloud hovered for a single heartbeat, then it shot directly toward Lin Mu.

Its speed rivaled an arrow released from a powerful bow.

"There!" The old man screamed while pointing toward the outcrop. "HE’S HIDING THERE!"

Nearly a hundred weakened prisoners instantly erupted into motion. And despite their exhaustion, every one of them charged toward Lin Mu’s hiding place. Lin Mu watched the prisoners charging toward him without the slightest change in expression.

The stone beneath his feet remained steady and the dark mist released from the crystal skull had already revealed his location. As such there was no reason to hide any longer. His eyes calmly swept across the rushing crowd.

There were nearly a hundred prisoners.

Some still weak from the ritual, some limping and some carrying crude clubs fashioned from bones. Others gripped sharpened ribs or jagged pieces of stone. Their movements carried desperation more than skill.

Ordinarily, Lin Mu might have attempted to speak, he might have sought information first or perhaps even tried to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. This time though, none of those thoughts appeared.

Because the person standing here was no longer Little Bull... It was Lin Mu.

Little Bull needed to maintain appearances and he needed to behave like a framed disciple struggling to survive, but Lin Mu had no such restrictions.

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