189: Chapter 189 Gambling in Desperate Circumstances

Merely standing at the edge of this blood pool, Su Changge felt a fine, prickling pain on his skin, sharp as needles and thorns.

The energy diffusing through the air carried an indescribable sense of erosion, causing the meager spiritual energy within his body to become sluggish, nearly solidifying.

He lowered his eyes, casting his gaze into the pool.

The liquid in the pool was viscous like paste, dark to the point of being black. As it bubbled and churned, one could occasionally see bits of stark white bone that had not completely melted, bobbing up and down in the dark red gore.

There were even some bizarre-shaped skulls, likely belonging to powerful exotic beasts, half-submerged and floating, silently recounting a tragic tale.

How could this be a Holy Land? It was clearly a terrifying demonic pool that had been brewing for ten thousand years.

Su Changge felt a shiver in his heart, but his face betrayed nothing.

The Old Priest stood by the pool, an expression of extreme intoxication and piety appearing on his aged face.

He took a deep breath, as if tasting the most precious nectar in the world, so intoxicated, so obsessed.

"King, have you felt it?"

His voice was full of fanatical expectation.

"This surging, magnificent life force! This nectar bestowed by the True God!"

He extended a finger, dry as a withered branch, pointing toward the very center of the blood pool. There, a circular platform built entirely from snow-white beast bones rose several feet above the liquid surface.

Upon the platform sat a throne, also crafted from white bones. Its design was ancient and simple, exuding an indescribable eeriness and majesty.

"King, please move to the 'God Throne' in the center of the pool."

The Old Priest's tone grew increasingly respectful, yet also increasingly fanatical.

"There, you will be able to absorb the energy in the pool with the highest efficiency and receive the purest gift from the True God!"

Su Changge looked in the direction he pointed. There was no bridge connecting the edge of the pool to the white bone platform in the center. The only path was to walk, step by step, through this churning blood.

His calves trembled slightly, uncontrollably.

Go down? Walk across?

How was this any different from jumping directly into aqua regia? No, this was ten thousand times more terrifying than jumping into aqua regia.

He did not doubt for a second that if he stepped in, within less than a tenth of a breath, he would be eroded by this terrifying energy until not even a speck of dust remained.

Death was certain.

These four words exploded in his mind like a thunderclap.

What to do? What to do!

Su Changge screamed frantically in his heart, but his face maintained the indifference and composure belonging to a King. Once again, he pinned his hope for survival on that typically unreliable System.

"System!"

He called out in his heart, his voice nearly a roar.

"Help me! Is there any way for me to survive in this pool? Any way at all!"

He was calling out with nearly all of his Mental Energy.

The System's voice soon rang out in his Sea of Consciousness, as cold and mechanical as ever.

【Detecting external environment...】

【High-concentration, highly corrosive energy aggregate detected.】

【Energy attributes: Chaotic, violent, containing a large number of negative mental imprints.】

【Conventional physical defense ineffective.】

【Conventional energy shields ineffective.】

Su Changge's heart sank bit by bit, as if falling into an ice cellar.

Even the System said it was ineffective? Was he truly going to meet his end here today?

Just as he was nearing despair, the System's notification sound rang out again.

【Generating emergency response plan...】

【Plan generation complete.】

【Plan One: Give up. Evaluation: The Host will experience an extremely brief and painful death.】

Su Changge: "..."

【Plan Two: Consume a massive amount of emotion points to temporarily activate the 'complete' mode of the passive special effect 【Myriad Laws Immunity (Pseudo)】.】

Su Changge's eyes suddenly lit up! Complete mode? "What does that mean? Explain quickly!" he asked urgently in his heart.

【【Myriad Laws Immunity (Pseudo)】 complete mode: For a specified duration, the Host will temporarily gain the 'Absolute Isolation' trait, becoming immune to all forms of energy detection and energy erosion.】

【At the same time, the System will mobilize energy to simulate a grand phenomenon of the Host crazily absorbing external energy.】

【Special effect duration: One hour.】

【Required emotion points: One million.】

Su Changge quickly checked his emotion points panel in his heart. After he was crowned King and accepted the kowtowing of the entire tribe, his emotion points had seen an unprecedented surge. At this moment, that long string of numbers was just enough to cover the cost.

This was his only path to survival. It was also a massive gamble. If he won the gamble, he could temporarily survive this crisis and further consolidate his position as "King." If he lost, he would be doomed beyond redemption.

Su Changge's gaze fell once again upon the churning blood pool. In his eyes, that bone throne was no longer just a death trap, but a single-plank bridge leading to survival. A bridge he had to walk across.

He had no time to hesitate. The Old Priest's gaze, full of expectation and urging, had already landed on him, burning like a torch.

Su Changge slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, the breath long and steady.

His face returned to that eternal, unchanging calmness and indifference, as if the terrifying blood pool before him was nothing more than an ordinary hot spring bath in his eyes.

He felt slightly more settled in his heart. His expression, however, grew increasingly composed and indifferent.

Under the gaze of the Old Priest, who was fanatical to the extreme, Su Changge maintained the dignity and composure belonging to a King. He lifted his foot and, step by step, walked slowly toward the terrifying blood pool that led to both death and survival.

His gait was steady and firm. Every step he took felt as if it were landing on the heartstrings of all the Bloodline Tribesmen.

The Old Priest held his breath, and an unprecedented light burst forth from his murky eyes.

Su Changge's toe finally touched the surface of the liquid at the edge of the pool.