231: Chapter 232 Two Deadly Paths! The Gate of Blood Sacrifice! How Much is Your Life Worth?

Lin Qi's words, "There are two paths before you," were not spoken loudly, yet they pressed heavily against the chest of every Prodigy.

Before the palace, where pressure permeated the air, the atmosphere grew tense.

Xiao Kuangyun and the others knelt on the ground, not daring to even breathe loudly, and could only stare at the back standing before the bronze gate.

Two paths?

Was there really a choice?

Just when they were about to suffocate, Lin Qi moved.

He turned around, expressionless, looking at this group of Prodigies from prestigious Families who were once arrogant and overbearing, but now looked utterly wretched.

He raised a hand and pointed at the hundred-foot-tall bronze gate behind him, which emanated a heavy pressure.

His tone was as casual as if he were talking about what to eat for the day.

"To open this gate, one needs a catalyst."

"Use a sufficient amount of living Qi and blood to activate the sacrificial totem on the gate and neutralize the Seal Law."

Living Qi and blood.

Sacrifice.

These words fell into the ears of Xiao Kuangyun and the others, causing a chill to run down everyone's spine simultaneously.

They were not fools; they immediately understood what Lin Qi meant.

They looked at Lin Qi, at his face, which was so calm it made one's scalp tingle, and no one dared to make a sound.

Lin Qi's voice continued, devoid of any emotion.

"Therefore, the first path."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the face of everyone, including Xiao Kuangyun and Han Qianchi.

"You may refuse any transaction that follows."

"And then, as the sacrificial Materials to open this gate, all of you shall die here."

"It is very simple, and also very fair."

When he finished speaking, the entire scene was silent, without a single sound.

The faces of Xiao Kuangyun and the others turned pale, with no color left.

No one doubted the authenticity of Lin Qi's words.

This person was someone who would truly do it.

The corpses of those Li Family Death Warriors were still lying not far away, and the blood on the ground had not even dried yet.

Reason with this guy? Talk about mercy? That would be the funniest joke in the world.

In the face of absolute power, they did not even have the qualification to resist.

Just when they were suffocating from being blocked by this dead end, Lin Qi spoke again.

He extended his other hand and pointed to the blank parchment scattered before them.

"The second path."

His voice was still calm, but everyone's spirits lifted.

"Write down IOUs on these pieces of parchment."

"Use your respective Family resources to buy your own lives."

As expected.

He was indeed here for extortion.

A massive sense of humiliation surged from the depths of Xiao Kuangyun and the others' hearts.

What was their status? They were the top Prodigies of the Federation's most prestigious Families, the future heirs of their Families.

Yet now, they were being forced to sign such things.

If this got out, how could they maintain their standing in the Federation? The Families behind them would become the laughingstock of the entire upper society.

But this humiliation did not burn for long before it was overshadowed by another, more straightforward thought—compared to life, face meant nothing.

As long as they could survive, as long as they could leave this hellish place alive, resources, wealth, dignity—they could discard it all.

Lin Qi saw through their thoughts, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly as he added the most crucial sentence.

"Oh right, a word of advice."

"I will not set a standard for how much you write on the IOU. This number shall be determined by how favored you are within your respective Families, and how much you believe your own life is worth."

"Do not try to fool me with some pocket change."

He extended a finger and shook it gently.

"Because my temper is not very good."

"And my patience is quite limited."

As these words fell, the last bit of luck in their hearts shattered.

One meant certain death. The other, while humiliating to the extreme, meant survival. Was there even a choice?

Xiao Kuangyun and Han Qianchi exchanged a glance and saw the same thing in each other's eyes—anger, unwillingness, humiliation, and a guilt that could not be suppressed.

They knew clearly that if they did not bleed heavily today, it would be absolutely impossible to walk out alive.

This Devil King named Lin Qi wanted to use this method to break their spines and grind them into powder.

Xiao Kuangyun gritted his teeth so hard that his gums bled, and his mouth was filled with the taste of rust.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly bent down.

That spine which was once held straight, symbolizing the pride of a prestigious Family, bent at this moment.

With trembling hands, he picked up the blank parchment that felt light as a feather yet heavy as a mountain, and also picked up a pen that Lin Qi had thrown over—he did not know which Death Warrior it had been scavenged from.

After completing this action, his entire spirit seemed to have been drained.

With the first person taking the lead, the remaining people no longer hesitated. Han Qianchi silently picked up the parchment, and the other Prodigies from prestigious Families also bent down, one by one picking up their own "contracts of servitude."

They knelt on the ground, spreading the parchment across their thighs, and began to write with difficulty.

The nibs of their pens scratched across the paper, making a rustling sound that seemed exceptionally jarring before these palace ruins.

Lin Qi stood to the side with his arms crossed, watching them coldly.

His gaze was like a blade suspended over everyone's head.

Write too little, and it might mean death. Write too much, and upon returning to the Family, one might be stripped of their heir status, or even abandoned entirely.

This question was too difficult.

Just then, a Genius from a second-rate Family had a flash in his eyes.

This person felt that it was impossible for Lin Qi to know the ins and outs of every Family. Top prestigious Families like the Xiao Family and the Han Family would definitely have to bleed heavily. But for a second-rate Family like his, by writing down some marginal industries and scraping together some rare resources that sounded intimidating but were actually of low value, he should be able to get away with it.

After all, with so many people, Lin Qi could not possibly check each one carefully, right?

Harboring this thought, he wrote furiously, quickly filling up a piece of parchment. Then, being the first to stop, he held the IOU filled with "sincerity" with both hands, cautiously crawled to Lin Qi, and held it high.

"Master... Master Lin, I have finished writing, please take a look."

His voice carried a hint of obsequiousness and barely concealed glee.

Lin Qi lowered his eyelids and took the parchment.

He only glanced at it once. Just one glance.

Then, in the eyes of everyone, he pinched the parchment with two fingers and gave it a gentle rub.

Rip—the IOU that carried all the hopes of that Genius was torn in half, and the fragments drifted down.

The expression on the face of the Genius who wrote the IOU froze on the spot, staring blankly at the fragments, his mind completely blank.

Lin Qi looked at him, his gaze devoid of any warmth, and said:

"It seems you think your life is only worth this much?"

The Genius shuddered all over, jerked his head up, and met Lin Qi's emotionless eyes; his mouth opened, wanting to explain, wanting to beg for mercy.

But Lin Qi did not give him the chance.

"Very well, I will satisfy you."

His voice was calm, yet it made the blood of everyone present run cold.

"You shall be the first sacrifice."