187: Chapter 187 The Only Hope

"Even faster?"

These three words rose from the bottom of Su Changge's heart like ice picks, stinging him until he almost suffocated.

He lowered his eyes and held his breath, doing his utmost to maintain the mental fluctuation emanating from his Sea of Consciousness, ensuring not a single shred of disorder.

His fingertips, hidden within his sleeves, were tightly clenched, yet he remained composed.

At this moment, he sat upright on that ancient bone chair, his aura deep and heavy like an abyss, as if he were truly the king who had descended from the Divine Realm to look down upon all living beings.

Only he knew what kind of raging storms were hidden beneath this calm and composed exterior.

The Old Priest did not notice the surging waves in his heart; instead, he became even more excited because of his "question." On that wrinkled face, a look of fanaticism was almost overflowing.

He bowed deeper, his tone filled with piety and pride: "King, for this day, our Bloodline Clan has prepared for too long, far too long."

"From the time the first High Priest received the revelation of the True God thousands of years ago, we have made collecting energy the highest mission of the entire clan."

The Old Priest's voice was low and distant, recounting a long and heavy history.

"Every hunt, every sacrifice, and even every death of a tribesman—their dissipating life essence would all be collected by the Formation beneath the altar."

"The accumulation of generations has already allowed that energy to reach a critical point."

Su Changge listened quietly, showing nothing on his face, but his heart grew increasingly heavy.

Thousands of years of planning, generations of accumulation... What a terrifying obsession, what profound madness. And he, now, had to use his own strength to block this torrent that had been building for a thousand years.

The Old Priest's words continued, the pride in his tone growing even stronger: "Originally, before you descended, we were already close to completion."

"But previously, in order to welcome your arrival, we forcibly activated the altar to probe the traces of your Divine Power—that miracle where you annihilated that mountain range with a single finger—which consumed a portion of our reserves."

Hearing this, a subtle emotion flashed through Su Changge's heart.

That "miracle" he had created that day by borrowing the power of the System had actually inadvertently consumed the other party's energy reserves? This was... a lucky strike?

However, this relief had not yet lingered in his heart for a moment before it was completely shattered by the Old Priest's next words.

"However!"

The Old Priest's tone shifted abruptly, and in those turbid eyes, a burning light erupted as he stared directly at Su Changge.

"However, with your descent, everything has changed!"

"You are the Son of the Blood Moon, the embodiment of the True God's will! Your existence itself is the highest Rank beacon!"

"Under the blessing of your Divine Power, the speed at which we accumulate energy will be ten, or even a hundred times faster than before!"

"The gap that might have taken years to make up..."

The Old Priest extended three fingers as dry as withered branches, his voice becoming sharp with excitement, speaking in an almost trembling tone:

"At most, it will only take three months!"

"Three months later, we will be able to gather all the energy needed to open the erosion channel!"

Three months.

These three words were like a hammer, smashing hard against Su Changge's heart.

He sat upright on the bone chair, his aura remaining as steady as a mountain, with not a ripple showing on his face. Yet, deep within those profound eyes, dark tides were surging.

It was too short.

It was simply too short.

In three months, he would have no time to devise a comprehensive countermeasure, no time to find a way to break the deadlock, and not even enough time to send any warning to the Cangxuan Dao Domain.

What was even more terrifying was that his existence would actually accelerate this process.

This was simply like roasting him over a fire.

If he did nothing, in three months, the Cangxuan Dao Domain would face a catastrophe; if he did something, once his identity was exposed, he himself would immediately die without a burial place.

No.

Absolutely cannot let the channel open.

In Su Changge's heart, this thought was incomparably clear and firm.

He must find a way to delay the time, or even... sabotage this plan.

But, what reason to use?

He was now the high and mighty "King," the object of fanatical worship by all Bloodline Tribesmen, the divine child in the prophecy who carried the fate of the entire race. His every word and action represented a divine oracle and was regarded as the golden rule by these tribesmen.

If he directly ordered the plan to be stopped, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Why would a king who couldn't wait to conquer the world suddenly change his mind?

This was illogical and unreasonable.

He needed a reason, a reason that the Old Priest and all the tribesmen could not refute and would willingly execute. A perfect excuse to delay time.

Su Changge's thoughts raced, running through all his current identities and situations.

King, Son of Prophecy, descended from the sky, boundless Divine Power...

Wait.

Descended from the sky.

Su Changge's gaze slowly fell on his hand wearing the Royal Bone Ring. That ancient bone ring gleamed with a faint bloody luster in the dim light.

A plan quickly took shape in his mind.

He slowly raised his hand, his slender fingertips gently caressing the bone ring, his movements calm and elegant, as if examining his own power while contemplating something profound and unfathomable.

A moment later, he used a mental fluctuation filled with weakness and fatigue to slowly convey to the Old Priest.

"This King has descended to this world from the Divine Realm."

"Crossing the endless Void Realm, my divine body has been damaged."

"My current Divine Power is less than one-tenth of what it was."

"I need time to recover."

This mental fluctuation remained as calm as water, yet faintly revealed an imperceptible sense of fatigue.

This reason could be called perfect.

It not only explained why he did not immediately display world-destroying power, but also provided the most reasonable basis for his need for "recuperation" and "time."

He had even thought of a follow-up plan—using the recovery of Divine Power as a pretext to make various harsh demands, keeping them busy and exhausted, thereby delaying the collection of energy.

However, after hearing his words, the Old Priest was stunned for a moment, then his face revealed an expression of "as expected" and "everything is under control."

On that aged face, a look of realization actually emerged, as if he had long anticipated all of this.

He bowed respectfully, his fanatical eyes even carrying pity and heartache.

"King, I had already anticipated your concerns."

"For the sake of our clan's future, you have paid such a huge price, crossing the endless Void Realm to descend to this world; we are extremely terrified and extremely grateful."

The Old Priest raised his head, and on that wrinkled face, a mysterious and confident smile appeared.

"However, please rest assured."

"Regarding the matter of recovering your Divine Power, our clan has long been prepared!"

This sentence was like a basin of ice water poured over Su Changge's head.

He sat upright on the bone chair, his aura remaining as deep and heavy as an abyss, with not a ripple showing on his face. Yet, deep within those profound eyes, an imperceptible stagnation flashed.

Long been prepared?

These four words caused the last bit of luck in his heart to be completely shattered.