168: Get the Gift Decision

Chapter 167: Obtaining the Ritual Arts.

At this moment, the golden phantom of Yi gradually grew taller, reaching tens of thousands of meters high, standing between heaven and earth, with colorful ribbon-like clouds flowing around his waist.

His golden eyes emitted divine radiance, and two beams of light shone down upon Xu Jingzhe.

He opened his hands, and a golden longbow thousands of meters long appeared. A blood-red arrow slowly condensed on the longbow, forming a blood dragon. The ancient chanting pierced through from the distant past, becoming even more magnificent.

Every cell in Xu Jingzhe's body was undergoing baptism by the chanting, branding indelible marks upon them.

Yi lowered his head, his longbow aiming at Xu Jingzhe, who could be described as an ant compared to him.

Outside the clearing, Tang Ruyi's expression was grave to the extreme.

This was different from when she had passed Yi's trial; she had not encountered this world-destroying strike. This must be Yi's final strike; if Xu Jingzhe could withstand it, he would pass this trial.

If he couldn't withstand it... death... would be the end.

"This is Yi's final strike, you must withstand it!" Tang Ruyi looked nervous, clenching her fists tightly, sweating for Xu Jingzhe.

Xu Jingzhe's fighting spirit soared to the heavens. He held his head high, looking at the golden phantom before him, completely unafraid.

Let the storm rage even more fiercely, he shouted in his heart.

Then, he closed his eyes, waiting for Yi's final strike.

"Swish!"

The blood-red dragon roared, tearing through the void, heading straight for Xu Jingzhe's crown.

Between heaven and earth, only blood red remained...

Half an hour later.

The blood mist dissipated, and the clearing returned to clarity. A blood-red arrow thousands of meters long was stuck in Xu Jingzhe's back, pinning him to the ground.

Fresh blood stained the ground red, spreading in different directions.

Tang Ruyi stood on the side, her hand holding her Tang saber trembling slightly, watching Xu Jingzhe quietly, hoping for a miracle to happen.

But! Nothing happened...

The ancient chanting sounded, growing from soft to loud, enveloping the entire small island.

All the trees shook, their leaves rustling, merging with the chanting.

Tang Ruyi sat down on the ground in defeat, watching the bright red blood gradually dry and turn reddish-brown.

The sky remained blue, with ribbon-like colorful clouds flowing across it; there was no wind, no dust, and no sense of the passage of time.

A sense of loneliness surged into her heart once again; she was a wounded, abandoned wolf.

Walking on the vast grassland, with no belonging, no direction.

Her Tang saber was stuck in the ground, half of it buried.

Tang Ruyi rose unsteadily, her eyes red-rimmed. She looked back at Xu Jingzhe one last time, confirmed he had no signs of life, and began to walk away, step by step.

"Hey, your... Tang saber."

Suddenly, a hoarse voice sounded from behind her.

The voice was not loud, like a mosquito or fly. Yet, it was captured precisely by Tang Ruyi, ringing in her ears like a thunderclap.

She turned around abruptly, staring fixedly at Xu Jingzhe. His handsome face and slender figure were standing there, though in a ghastly state.

For the first time. He smiled.

His teeth were as white as snow; when he smiled, he looked even more delicate, with a touch of feminine charm.

Xu Jingzhe was stunned, his expression weird.

Upon seeing this expression, Tang Ruyi immediately retracted her smile, returning to her cool poker face.

"As long as you're not dead, otherwise I wouldn't have peace of mind," she said in a flat tone.

"Thank you," Xu Jingzhe said sincerely.

"What are you thanking me for? You've only passed the first burial god."

Xu Jingzhe shook his head and chuckled, "You might... not have a chance to obtain the Ritual Arts."

Afterwards, he walked out of the clearing.

"Crack!" The invisible transparent wall shattered, turning into energy fluctuations that ravaged the entire island. The golden phantoms filling the sky turned into streams of golden light, merging into Xu Jingzhe's body.

Radiating light and color, the golden glow intensified, and Xu Jingzhe looked like a divine being.

The golden light disappeared, and everything returned to normal.

"The inheritance of the Ritual Arts now belongs to me, and others can no longer obtain it," Xu Jingzhe said, looking at Tang Ruyi.

There was great disappointment in Tang Ruyi's eyes. She had gone to great lengths to find the Six Decisions, only to make a wedding dress for Xu Jingzhe. To say she didn't feel bad would be impossible.

If she were in a place without anyone around, she would surely be squatting on the ground, hugging her head and crying.

"Congratulations," she said.

"However... I only obtained half of the Ritual Arts. The ritual to summon the burial god is still missing; it should be obtainable on that stone pillar." Xu Jingzhe turned around, pointing to the highest stone pillar on the island.

Tang Ruyi nodded: "I'll go with you."

The two did not immediately go to the stone pillar in the middle, but rested for a long time.

Xu Jingzhe also told Tang Ruyi why he was able to gain the recognition of the Ritual Arts, and not her.

The most important thing was the brand; one had to brand the mark of the burial god into their body.

When his consciousness extended beyond his body and condensed into the phantom of Yi, he had a medium between himself and the Ritual Arts. It was through this medium that the ancient chanting could successfully enter his cells and brand the mark of the burial god.

Because these chants were all sung from the 'god and buddha' phantoms.

However, although Xu Jingzhe had obtained the Ritual Arts, he could currently only summon one burial god to fight for him. That was Yi!

To summon the second or third one, he still had to condense the phantom of the burial god with his spirit. This meant that only by enduring the 'torment' of each burial god could he connect with them and successfully summon them.

He would have a hard time ahead.

Tang Ruyi's eyes returned to normal, calm as an ancient well. She knew why she hadn't gained the recognition of the Ritual Arts.

It wasn't that she wasn't strong enough, or that she couldn't endure hardship.

It was because she didn't have a heart prepared to die.

Yes... someone who had lived for tens of thousands of years relying on a hibernation pod, where would she find a heart prepared to die?

Even if she hadn't brought Xu Jingzhe and had come alone, she still wouldn't have obtained the Ritual Arts.

The Ritual Arts, the art of sacrifice. Wasn't sacrifice always linked to life and death?

Without disregarding life and death, the Ritual Arts naturally could not be obtained.

After resting for about an hour, Xu Jingzhe got up. He had to seize the time; in this lost world, he couldn't feel the passage of time, there was no day or night, and he had no idea how many days had passed.

However, he knew that a long time must have passed.

The two walked side by side, their steps in unison.

The sense of loneliness in Tang Ruyi's heart vanished again. She tilted her head slightly, looking at the peerlessly handsome man beside her with complex eyes.

She had an urge to form a five-person team with him to train in the Pollution Zone.

Presumably, that would be excellent.

She opened her mouth, but the words stuck in her throat, like a fishbone.

Past events surged into her mind, scene by scene, like a slideshow, every frame so clear.

She couldn't forget, she couldn't forget.

With a long sigh in her heart, she swallowed the words, which turned into a throat-burning strong liquor, spreading through her limbs and bones, lingering for a long time.