48: Blood sacrifice, faith!

Year Six of Huang Tian.

Within a mere three months, the Yellow Heaven Cult had swallowed up three nations: Yu State, Yun Country, and Yuan Country.

Combined with the previously annexed Xuan Kingdom, the Yellow Heaven Cult had already occupied more than half of the ten nations in the Southwest region, possessing overwhelming power.

However, what shocked the Cultivation World the most was the Dao Foundation Realm cultivation base revealed by the Cult Master of Huang Tian Cult!

Of course, there weren't many Cultivators left in the Southwest region's Cultivation World to begin with.

Upon hearing the news, the Loose Cultivators of Jin Sheng Mountain, in their panic, directly hollowed out the underground Spiritual Veins and scattered in all directions.

In the present Southwest region, the Hunyuan Sect had already vanished. The Ling Country in the northeast was close to the Central Continent and had always ignored and looked down upon the Southwest region.

The only thing that could possibly stop the Yellow Heaven Cult from unifying the region was likely the small Alliance of three nations led by the Thousand Spirits Sect... the Thousand Spirits Sect.

"Dao Foundation! Dao Foundation?"

"How could he have made a Breakthrough to the Dao Foundation Realm so silently?"

"Damn that Yellow Heaven Cult, we should have crushed them sooner!"

The Palace Master of the Heart-Corroding Palace, Madam Yinshi, who was at the Peak Qi Refining stage, cursed with a face full of resentment.

Although she looked like a middle-aged woman and wore a black Daoist robe, she had a beautiful face with a trace of sinister aura at the corners of her eyes.

"The Yellow Heaven Cult has already swallowed more than half of the Southwest region. Now, I'm afraid they will head south any day now."

The Thousand Spirits Sect's Sect Head's voice was incredibly cold as his gaze swept across everyone present. "Everyone, it is now a matter of life and death. If we do not join forces for a fight to the death, we will surely follow in the footsteps of the Wind Fire Gate!"

"A fight to the death?"

An Elder from the Hundred Poisons Gate asked uneasily, "That Cult Master of Huang Tian Cult is a Dao Foundation Stage Cultivator. I heard the Sect Heads of the Wind Fire Gate and the Dark Water Sect were killed by him with a single palm strike. How are we supposed to fight?"

"Exactly, exactly!"

"No matter how we fight, it feels like certain death!"

"Why don't we—"

"..."

The high-level Elders of the three sects chimed in one after another, with some even suggesting they plunder the Resources, dig up the Spiritual Veins, and just run away.

Before the Yellow Heaven Cult had even arrived, the Alliance of the three sects already showed signs of falling apart.

Being "joined at the root" was one thing, but when it truly came down to a life-or-death crisis, running was still the priority.

After all, a wise man submits to fate.

The prestige and power of a Dao Foundation Cultivator were evident from this.

Looking at the noisy hall, the Thousand Spirits Sect's Sect Head shouted angrily with a dark face, shaking down countless specks of dust.

"Enough, stop arguing!"

The atmosphere immediately fell into silence.

"The Yellow Heaven Cult hasn't even attacked yet. What kind of behavior is this panicking?"

Everyone remained silent, just staring at him wordlessly.

You're not panicking?

What are you pretending for?

When the Cult Master of Huang Tian Cult actually arrives, you'll probably be more panicked than us, right?

Careful you don't get killed by a single palm strike... Seeing the skeptical looks from the crowd, his mouth twitched, and he finally revealed his trump card.

"My Thousand Spirits Sect has an adult Wind-Chasing Golden Eagle. Although it is only a First-Rank Late Stage Yao Beast, I am prepared to use a secret technique to forcibly elevate it into a Second-Rank Great Demon!"

"A Second-Rank Great Demon is equivalent to a Dao Foundation Realm Cultivator, sufficient to contend with True Man Huang Tian!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone began to frown.

Including the Elders of the Thousand Spirits Sect.

Does the Thousand Spirits Sect have such a secret technique? How did they not know? Could it be they had learned a fake Cultivation Technique?

"Sect Head, why have we never heard of this secret technique?"

"I obtained this technique by chance; it does not belong to our sect's Cultivation Techniques.

It's just that it is too inhumane, and the Yao Beast, after being forcibly elevated, becomes delirious and will die instantly once the power fades, so I have never used it."

"Inhumane?"

Seeing the curious gazes of the crowd, the Thousand Spirits Sect's Sect Head let out a long sigh and finally uttered two words:

"Blood! Sacrifice!"

The hall fell into a deathly silence once more.

"How... how many people?"

"If we don't use Cultivators, it will take at least a hundred thousand Mortals!"

"Then use Mortals!"

"Exactly, how could our Disciples be used for a blood sacrifice?"

"I agree. Mortals come in crop after crop anyway; they are endless."

"Sect Head, is a hundred thousand enough? How about we sacrifice two hundred thousand first?"

Thousand Spirits Sect's Sect Head: "..."

Good grief, he thought he was inhumane enough, but he didn't expect these guys to be even more ruthless than him.

"Prepare a hundred thousand first. Otherwise, if there are too many, I'm worried the Wind-Chasing Golden Eagle will be elevated too much and become uncontrollable!"

...March 10th.

Qichuan County City.

Although only a few years had passed, there seemed to be no trace of the Yu Kingdom left here.

In the center of the county city, the most prosperous and bustling area.

A temple that was completely out of place with all the other buildings in the city had risen from the ground.

【Huang Tian Supreme God Temple】

Although the Yellow Heaven Cult claimed that its Cult Master was the son of the huang tian supreme god, descending to the Mortal world this time to save the people.

But the Disciples all knew that this was the Cult Master's divine temple!

And today was the auspicious day for the Huang Tian Supreme God Temple to open its doors.

The sky was not yet bright, and the morning mist had not yet dispersed.

On the city street in front of the temple gates, a dense crowd of people was already kneeling.

It seemed as if all the people in the county city had come, and there were even some farmers who had hurried over from villages and towns outside the city after hearing the news.

This was strictly required by the Immortal Masters of the Yellow Heaven Cult.

Everyone bowed low, their foreheads touching the cold, damp street, not daring to make a sound.

Countless gazes peeked upward, focusing with awe and curiosity on the two closed log doors inscribed with mysterious runes.

Above the temple's lintel, a spiritual wood plaque had been hung, bearing three gilded characters—"Huang Tian Hall."

"Dong—!"

A dull drum beat echoed from within the temple.

The kneeling crowd trembled instantly, lowering their heads even further.

"Dong! Dong!"

"Zhiya—"

The doors opened, revealing a glimpse of a towering altar inside, and upon the altar, the outline of an even taller statue bathed in a warm yellow light.

The entire county city was silent.

A Disciple of the Yellow Heaven Cult, dressed in a mysterious yellow cloth robe and standing tall, appeared in the light and shadow within the doors.

His gaze calmly swept over the crowd prostrated outside the doors as he spoke slowly, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears:

"Huang Tian the Merciful Father, Hou Tu the Sustainer of All."

"The believer shall be delivered; the devout shall be blessed."

"..."

As he chanted, a dazzling yellow light gradually bloomed within the temple, its warm radiance even outshining the rising sun.

"A miracle!"

"The huang tian supreme god has manifested!!"

Among the kneeling crowd, countless people's faces flushed with excitement, their hearts becoming increasingly fanatical as they even began to chant the prayers along with him.

Wisps of faith, invisible to Mortals, began to converge.