176: Chapter 176 The Secret of the Blood Prison! The Temptation of Going Home?

That grand and cold intent was not Mortal speech, but a manifestation of Law, an inquiry of order. It crossed the barrier of the Divine Soul, branding itself directly onto the Old Priest's tranquil Sea of Consciousness, stirring up waves enough to overturn the heavens and earth.

"Do you... question God?"

The five archaic syllables, devoid of any emotion, contained the terrifying power of creation and destruction. Each word transformed into a dying star, trailing long flames of Dao Law, smashing toward the Old Priest's Divine Soul Origin.

His Dao Heart, long ago tempered by the ages into something indestructible, showed signs of cracking for the first time.

The Old Priest's withered body sank, and the spinal bone staff supporting him emitted an unbearable groan; along its shaft, fine cracks spread silently. Under the shadow of his hood, those scarlet eyes that had burned for eternity flickered violently, reflecting not the calculated confidence of before, but a horror as if the heavens were collapsing.

The pressure at the level of the Divine Soul was far more terrifying than the crushing of the Physical Body. It was a suppression of status in the essence of life, the indifferent scrutiny of a creator toward his creation. The mental barriers he had spent his entire life constructing were as fragile as sandcastles before this divine oracle, instantly washed away and riddled with holes.

The ancient Divine Soul he took pride in was now emitting a silent wail, a trembling born from the instinct of life.

Around the altar, it was deathly silent.

All the Bloodline Tribesmen held their breath; although they could not perceive the Divine Soul clash occurring in a higher dimension, they could see the result.

The High Priest, who was omnipotent in their hearts, like a god walking among men, had a spine that had never bent before, yet now it was trembling slightly and uncontrollably. The bone staff, symbolizing the tribe's supreme authority, was on the verge of shattering at any moment.

This realization made the hearts of all the tribesmen feel as if they were being gripped by an invisible giant hand.

The High Priest... had actually lost?

With just one glance, one silent clash, the pillar supporting the tribe had shown signs of collapse.

In an instant, all the gazes directed at the white-clad figure on the altar changed. The original awe and scrutiny were replaced by a more primitive emotion—fear. It was the insignificance and powerlessness felt from the depths of the Soul when Mortals looked up at a natural disaster.

Su Changge took everything in, and the heavy stone hanging in his heart finally settled.

The "Heavenly Dao majesty" simulated by the System had an effect far exceeding his imagination. This was no longer just a fox borrowing a tiger's might; this was directly donning the skin of a True Dragon.

His face remained indifferent, without sorrow or joy. He did not even continue to watch the Old Priest, but slowly turned his head, his gaze passing over the dense crowd below to look at the eerie blood moon on the horizon.

This action itself was a form of silent contempt.

Silence, at this moment, became the sharpest blade, exerting all the invisible pressure onto the Old Priest alone. To answer or not, and how to answer, would determine his fate and that of the entire tribe.

Time passed in extreme oppression, each breath as long as an epoch.

Finally, the Old Priest's trembling body stabilized. He used all his strength to slowly and deeply lower that noble head which had never bowed to anyone in the tribe before.

An intent, infinitely more humble than before, filled with submission and panic, was transmitted into Su Changge's Sea of Consciousness.

"I dare not."

"The descent of the God's messenger concerns the survival of my Bloodline Clan. This old man... it is my duty to confirm your identity, to avoid the sin of blasphemy."

The Old Priest had humbled himself to the dust, but in his words, he still hid a final, unwilling probe. He attributed his actions to loyalty to God, rather than provocation.

What an old fox.

A cold sneer rose in Su Changge's heart, but he couldn't even be bothered to respond with a single word.

He merely emitted a very light cold snort through that vast and boundless Divine Soul fluctuation.

"Hmph."

This cold snort did not stir up any energy storm, but in the Old Priest's mental world, it was no less than a cosmic explosion. His Sea of Consciousness was instantly frozen, and his Divine Soul Origin was struck head-on by a divine hammer forged from Nine-Nether ice, causing his vision to go black as all the thoughts that had just condensed in his Sea of Consciousness shattered completely.

"Pfft..."

A wisp of dark red blood spilled from the corner of the Old Priest's mouth, dripping onto the altar slab in front of him, emitting a faint "hiss" as it corroded a deep pit.

He staggered, his body hunching even more, and the face under his hood was deathly pale.

He understood.

This existence did not even bother to explain.

Why would a God need to explain to a Mortal?

Any further questioning would be blasphemy and provocation against Divine Might. Next time, it might not be the bone staff that shatters, but his head, or even the future of the entire tribe.

Unprecedented panic wrapped around the Old Priest's heart like vines. He knew he was already standing on the edge of a cliff; one more step forward would mean eternal damnation.

He dared not harbor any more wishful thinking, extinguishing all probes and calculations, and began to transmit everything he knew to Su Changge without reservation, in a posture akin to prayer.

"Lord Messenger, please quell your thunderous rage; this old man knows his sin."

"This realm is named the 'Blood Prison Realm', a broken ancient world, and the only cage where my clan multiplies and survives."

"We call ourselves 'Blood Descendants', the most humble and loyal subjects of the great True God who sleeps within the blood moon."

Strands of ancient information, mixed with fanaticism, piety, and sorrow, turned into a torrent and surged into Su Changge's mind.

Su Changge appeared tranquil on the surface, but his heart was surging.

Blood Prison Realm? Blood Descendants? Blood Moon True God?

He finally had his first clear outline of this bizarre and terrifying world.

The Old Priest's intent transmission continued, filled with a certain mission-like fanaticism.

"The only meaning of our clan's existence is to listen to the True God's call, respond to the True God's summons, conquer the myriad worlds, use the flesh and blood of endless living beings to recast the True God's immortal throne, and spread the True God's radiance to every forgotten, filthy corner!"

"Your descent is the omen of the True God's awakening! It is the supreme oracle that the True God is about to lead us onto a new round of bloody conquest!"

Conquer the myriad worlds?

Su Changge's eyelid twitched slightly as he heard this.

This was a thoroughly combative race, a group of madmen who believed in destruction and slaughter.

He had no interest in participating in this so-called "Holy War"; he only wanted to find a way to leave this damn place and return to his own world.

Just as Su Changge was pondering how to quietly extract information about spatial channels or teleportation formations, the Old Priest proactively dropped a bombshell that shook his Soul.

"Lord Messenger, this old man can perceive that your Soul... does not belong to this realm. You wish to return to the world you came from."

This old monster could actually see through this!

Su Changge's heart tightened, but the simulated Heavenly Dao majesty perfectly masked all his emotional fluctuations; his Divine Soul remained like an unchanging starry sky, profound and cold.

The Old Priest's intent followed immediately, carrying an irresistible temptation.

"The 'heaven-reaching altar' that our clan has sacrificed flesh, blood, and Souls to for generations might... be able to locate the world coordinates you came from and open a path of return for you."

Go home!

These two words were like a thunderbolt piercing through Chaos, exploding in the depths of Su Changge's Soul.

He had transmigrated here, alone in this strange world, and his longing for his homeland had long since turned into his deepest Heart Demon. And now, a hope for return was placed right before him.

He forcibly circulated his Mind-Cultivation Technique, suppressing the surging ecstasy and longing in his heart, maintaining that god-like absolute rationality.

His gaze pierced through the Void Realm and landed once again on the Old Priest.

In that vast Divine Soul sensing, he clearly captured that meaningful word when the other party transmitted the information—"might".

At the same time, he also "saw" a flash of some cunning, calculating light deep within the scarlet eyes under the Old Priest's deep hood.

This old fox really didn't have good intentions.

He was using the hope of returning home as bait to lure him into a trap.

Su Changge's eyes instantly became dark and lusterless, as if they could swallow everything.

He slowly responded with the same cold and grand mental fluctuation, each word sounding like the resonance of the Great Dao, echoing in the Old Priest's Sea of Consciousness.

"The heaven-reaching altar?"

"Where is it."