100: Blood Sacrifice

For the past eight years, the Asura Clan had a difficult time. They were severely beaten by the Star Palace, losing territory after territory, and suffering immense humiliation. The Blood Butcher Prince was almost internally injured from anger, constantly smashing things and cursing in his bone palace.

But he wasn't idle either. The Blood Source Altar, which he gritted his teeth and vowed to activate eight years ago, was no joke. This thing cost too much to activate and took a long time to prepare, a full eight years of effort!

During these eight years, while enduring the pain and clashing with the Star Palace, fighting and retreating, the Blood Butcher Prince secretly carried out several heinous deeds.

The first was a frantic capture of people. Not only did he seize lone cultivators from other forces in the Immortal Realm, but even their own vassal races and some weaker Asura Clan tribes on their territory suffered terribly. Tens of thousands of people were secretly transported to hidden starfields.

The second was to scour for resources everywhere. Various demonic ores, evil crystals, and even malevolent energy crystals left over from ancient battlefields, all containing immense energy, were scraped up by his subordinates like peeling skin and transported to the altar by the ship.

The Blood Source Altar was located deep within a desolate, spirit-energy-depleted death space. The entire altar was unbelievably huge, constructed from the bones of countless creatures mixed with a dark red, sinister ore. It was covered with twisted runes that made one dizzy and nauseous after staring at them for too long. Around the altar, an unresolvable smell of blood and resentment constantly permeated the air, and the wailing wind sounded like ghosts crying.

For eight years, it had never been quiet here. Countless captured beings were pushed onto the altar, and once the ritual began, they were instantly sucked dry into mummies, their souls becoming nourishment for the altar. The massive amount of resources was also piled around the altar, slowly burned by a dark red flame, refining the purest evil energy and injecting it into the altar.

Presiding over this were several old Asura Clan high priests, so ancient they could barely walk, exuding an aura of decay. These old men were among the very few in the Asura Clan who still knew how to communicate with the so-called ancestral land. They constantly circled the altar, muttering, performing strange dances, and chanting ancient and blasphemous incantations.

The Blood Butcher Prince would occasionally come to observe, his expression growing a few shades darker each time. This altar was a bottomless pit; despite so many resources and living beings poured into it, only a larger area of the runes had lit up, still far from full activation. Every time he saw the slow progress, he became so enraged he wanted to kill, causing his subordinates to tremble in fear.

"Faster! Even faster!" he often roared at the old high priests. "Those scoundrels from the Star Palace have taken another stronghold! We don't have time!"

The old high priests merely glanced at him with their cloudy eyes, continuing their slow dance and incantations. Urgent? Could communicating with the ancient ancestral land and summoning the dormant ancient warriors be rushed? One wrong move could attract something terrible, and everyone would be finished.

Thus, amidst the Blood Butcher Prince's anxiety and the old high priests' procrastination, eight years slowly passed.

The energy absorbed by the altar grew increasingly vast, the blood-red light it emitted became more dazzling, and almost all the runes on it were lit up, as if outlined in fresh blood. The resentment and blood stench were so thick they almost solidified, forming a huge, constantly twisting and churning blood-red vortex above the altar.

On this day, the Blood Butcher Prince arrived again. He had just received a front-line report: another important resource world had fallen to the Star Palace, and the defending general had died in battle. His face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

He was about to erupt in anger when one of the oldest high priests, whose face was so wrinkled it could trap a fly, suddenly stopped his dance and spoke in a voice as hoarse as a broken bellows:

"Your Highness Prince... the altar... is ready..."

"What?" The Blood Butcher Prince was stunned, then a surge of ecstasy filled his heart. "Are you serious? It can begin?"

The old high priest slowly nodded, a strange light flashing in his cloudy eyes: "The energy... is fully charged... the runes... are all activated... the resonance... with the ancestral land... has also been established... the final step... the summoning... can commence at any time..."

"Hahaha! Good! Excellent!" The Blood Butcher Prince was so excited he almost jumped up. Eight years! A full eight years! It was finally done!

"Then what are we waiting for? Quick! Begin the summoning immediately! I want the ancient warriors from the ancestral land to descend and crush those scoundrels from the Star Palace into dust!"

However, the old high priest shook his head, extending a withered finger to point at the largest, still slightly dim runes at the center of the altar: "The final step... requires... the strongest... purest... blood-soul... as a catalyst... to completely... open... the passage... and attract... the strongest... warriors..."

The Blood Butcher Prince frowned: "The strongest blood-soul? What do you mean? I have plenty of captives here!"

The old high priest was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "Ordinary... beings... have too many... impurities... it requires... the blood of the Royal Family... and it must be... a voluntarily... offered... blood-soul of the Royal Family... to serve as... the perfect... key..."

"Royal Family blood? And it has to be voluntary?" The Blood Butcher Prince was dumbfounded. The Asura Royal Family was inherently arrogant and selfish; asking them to voluntarily sacrifice themselves? What a joke!

He glared fiercely at the group of subordinates behind him, and the Asura Clan generals all collectively took a step back in fear of being seized by the Prince for a 'voluntary' sacrifice.

The Blood Butcher Prince's expression fluctuated between dark and uncertain. For him to go himself? That was even more impossible! After finally cultivating to the Immortal Venerable realm, to go and sacrifice himself? Was he out of his mind?

Just as he was conflicted, a figure stepped forward.

It was that Immortal Venerable of the Royal Family who had been injured by Lin Xuan in the Divine Wilderness Realm and narrowly escaped back! His injuries hadn't fully healed in these eight years, and his face remained somewhat pale.

He walked before the Blood Butcher Prince, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a low but firm voice: "Your Highness Prince, let me go."

Everyone was stunned, including the Blood Butcher Prince.

"You... what did you say?"

The Immortal Venerable of the Royal Family looked up, his eyes burning with a crazy flame of hatred: "My injuries are difficult to heal, and my cultivation is hard to advance! All of this is due to Lin Xuan and the Star Palace! This enmity is irreconcilable! Since my power cannot personally exact revenge, then let my blood, my soul, summon an existence that can crush them!"

A nearly fanatical piety appeared on his face: "For the glory of the Asura Clan! For revenge against our enemies! I voluntarily offer everything!"

The Blood Butcher Prince looked at him, silent. He hadn't expected that it would be him who stepped forward in the end.

The old high priests also looked at this Immortal Venerable of the Royal Family and slowly nodded: "Pure... royal blood... powerful... resentment... and hatred... it is the best... sacrifice..."

The Blood Butcher Prince took a deep breath and heavily patted his shoulder: "Good! Brother! Your hatred, the Asura Clan will remember! Your sacrifice will surely bring about the destruction of our enemies! Go forth without worry!"

The Immortal Venerable of the Royal Family stood up, took one last look in the direction of the Star Palace, his eyes filled with endless malice. Then he resolutely turned and walked step by step towards the center of the huge and evil altar.

Standing in the center, he spread his arms and let out a roar filled with hatred and resolve towards the sky!

The old high priests began to chant the blasphemous incantation at the top of their voices, and their dance became frantic.

All the runes on the altar suddenly erupted with blinding blood-red light!

The body of the Immortal Venerable of the Royal Family, starting from his feet, rapidly transformed into the purest blood-red energy and twisted soul fragments, which were greedily absorbed by the altar!

His cries were no longer roars, but screams intertwined with pain and madness, yet containing a chilling sense of "voluntariness."

Finally, he completely disappeared, fully merging into the altar.

The last few dim runes at the center of the altar were instantly lit to their extreme!

Rumble rumble rumble!!!

The entire death star system trembled! The huge blood-red vortex above the altar spun wildly, then violently collapsed inward, forming a bottomless dark passage emanating an endless ancient, savage, and murderous aura!

The other end of the passage seemed to connect to some incredibly distant, incredibly terrifying place!

"They're coming! They're coming!" The old high priests trembled with excitement, prostrating themselves on the ground.

The Blood Butcher Prince and all the Asura Clan generals held their breath, watching the passage with tension and anticipation.

An indescribably terrifying pressure, like a tangible tsunami, surged from the other end of the passage! It pressed down on all the Asura Clan, including the Blood Butcher Prince, an Immortal Venerable, making them almost unable to breathe, their legs turning to jelly!

It was a pure, ancient aura born for slaughter!

Immediately after, a roar, as if from primordial antiquity, came from deep within the passage! It made the entire altar hum!

Then, a giant claw covered in dark red, scarred, rough keratin suddenly stretched out from the passage, gripping the edge of the passage!

The claw was as large as a small mountain! Its fingertips were so sharp they seemed capable of easily tearing apart stars!

Immediately after, another claw also extended.

Then, a massive, ferocious head, emanating an overwhelming murderous aura, slowly emerged from the passage! It had twisted giant horns on its head, and its eyes were like two burning pools of blood, containing only the most primitive desire for slaughter!

It opened its mouth and let out an even more terrifying roar, revealing dense, razor-sharp teeth like guillotines!

This... was the ancient warrior from the Asura Ancestral Land?!

The Blood Butcher Prince looked at this terrifying existence, which had only just revealed half its body, and felt an aura far more powerful than his own. First, there was boundless fear, which then transformed into ecstasy!

"It worked! Hahaha! It worked! Star Palace! Lin Xuan! Your doomsday has arrived!!!"

However, his ecstatic smile didn't last long before it froze on his face.

Because the passage did not close; instead, it began to vibrate violently.

Then, a second, a third... equally terrifying, and even slightly different, murderous aura also faintly emanated from deep within the passage!

It seemed... that more than one had been summoned?!

The Blood Butcher Prince's ecstasy slowly turned into astonishment, and even a hint of... unease.

This altar... it seems what was summoned has exceeded expectations...