46: Chapter 46 The Gift of the Barbarian Ancestor

Song City, Red God Cathedral.

Beneath the tolling holy bell, a man in a fire-patterned red robe strode into the Divine Fire Hall and approached the central flame altar, kneeling on one knee to the old man upon it.

"High Priest, why did you summon me so urgently? What has happened?"

The High Priest on the altar opened his aged eyes and looked at him for a few seconds before sighing softly.

"Lv Yang, do you know why I trust you the most among the four bishops?"

Lv Yang froze for a moment, then answered with some hesitation, "Because I… am the most devout to the Red God?"

"No, it is because your foundation in Song City is the shallowest, and you cannot contend with the other three. You have no choice but to follow me wholeheartedly."

Although Lv Yang's expression remained normal, he still felt a bit awkward inside.

But the High Priest's subsequent words immediately made him snap out of it.

"I was trying to tame a descendant of the Barbarian Ancestor who was about to awaken, and I had almost succeeded. Yet, unexpectedly, someone suddenly interfered."

"The Barbarian Ancestor? That fallen ancient god… Hasn't His last bloodline already perished? The Man King's lineage was wiped out by the Pope; how can there still be descendants in this world? Who is the other party, to be able to interrupt your Soul Gaze?"

The High Priest sighed, "A young man, whose strength is quite ordinary. But he… possesses the mask of calamity, and is currently in a camp about one hundred kilometers to the northwest."

"What!" Lv Yang was even more shocked, nearly jumping off the ground.

"That thing has appeared in the world again? Is the person you mentioned the inheritor?"

"I assume so."

"He is too close to Song City. Then… should we eliminate him?"

"Kill a Holy Messenger of our own holy lineage?" The High Priest shook his head, "Anyone else could do so, but we cannot. Right now, I am only worried that the inheritor does not understand the stakes and will be used by others."

"You mean…"

"Go find him and see what kind of person he is. If he is not an evil villain, you can try to make contact."

"Then… what are the principles of contact?"

"Test his attitude. As long as he is willing to swear to the Red God not to interfere with the sect's affairs, bring him back."

Lv Yang was greatly alarmed, "High Priest, that is the inheritor of the mask of calamity! Bring him into the city? Won't that…"

The High Priest smiled, "Do you think the mask of calamity only spreads calamity as the legends say? Don't be so naive."

"The saints fought during the Era of Holy War; none of them were kind and gentle. It is just that the abilities of the Calamity Saint are related to the soul and have strong contagion. Inheritors often inherit this type of power, which is why they are more feared by the world."

"Even if there really is some curse, it is not impossible to purify before his strength grows."

"Leaving him outside—if he is summoned into the Apostle Sequence by the Pope or used by others—would be the real trouble. We had better find a way to coexist with him peacefully."

Lv Yang asked again with great concern, "What if we can't? What if he has already been used by others, specifically targeting us? The influence of the Man King back then was immense. His interrupting your plan, I fear, is not a coincidence."

"That depends on our luck."

"If he has already been used and it is irreversible, we must minimize his influence on us, for example, by forcing him to live in the cathedral forever."

"If not yet… the support of a holy lineage inheritor could have a huge impact on your status in the sect. And this is the only possibility I can think of to let you ascend to the altar."

"Do you understand?"

Lv Yang certainly understood, and was quite excited.

For many years, although the High Priest had hinted many times that he valued him, he had never clearly expressed an intention to make him his successor.

Today, the High Priest had actually said it clearly and placed the opportunity right in front of him.

The other three High Priests of the Songcheng Sect had rather special backgrounds; they either came from influential families or had close ties with various forces.

In terms of influence, Lv Yang was inferior to them.

But as the High Priest said, only he, Lv Yang, was the one who followed the High Priest wholeheartedly.

However, the High Priest was already old.

He could not step into the legendary realm of the High Priest and master absolute strength. Even if he were forcibly pushed into that position, it would be difficult to sit firmly on that supreme chair in the future.

Now the High Priest had given him another path; if the holy lineage inheritor were willing to support him, things would indeed be different.

"This jade token can help you sense him. If you drip his blood onto the jade token, you can glimpse part of his memories without a ritual, which will help you examine and discern him."

As the High Priest spoke, he waved his hand, and a jade token floated down.

Lv Yang caught it in his hand, but felt it was exceptionally heavy, and quickly asked again: "High Priest, making the inheritor of the mask of calamity bleed—this… is very dangerous, right?"

"He should not be as terrifying as recorded in the sect's archives, and you do not need to hurt him personally. Even if there is a slight impact, the jade token can protect you."

Lv Yang could hear that the High Priest's words were somewhat uncertain, yet they were also unquestionable.

He took the jade token, bowed deeply, and then rose to leave.

The High Priest watched his back, rubbed his forehead, and sighed to himself again.

"If only he were just an inheritor, but if he is not…"

————

In the wind and snow, Lu Xiaohu knelt on one knee, looking at the figure not far away, his eyes somewhat dazed.

More than ten minutes ago, he had already regained his consciousness, and at the same time, felt the power of his bloodline awakening; he was stronger than ever before.

Then he remembered that the person had tricked his grandfather out of five precious blood spirit stones and had subjected him to multiple inhumane beatings.

Those were the inheritance his mother left him. He tried desperately to take them back, but time and time again he was beaten into a rolling gourd, beaten until he began to doubt his life.

He stood up once again, but Lu Pingan had already rushed up and pinned him down tightly.

"Xiaohu! What are you doing? Wake up! Brother Tang saved your life!"

Lu Xiaohu tightened his small face and gritted his teeth, "I shouldn't have lost. My speed was clearly faster than his."

Tang Long chuckled and also walked over.

Lu Xiaohu, with the Ancient Protection stacked to three layers, indeed had agility that already exceeded his own.

But sometimes speed alone is useless. Without the consciousness of that big shot, his fighting skills were only at kindergarten level in front of him. Besides, he wasn't so fast that he couldn't react.

Lu Pingan was afraid that Tang Long would get angry, so he quickly smoothed things over: "Brother Tang, this child has been motherless since he was young. It's my fault for not teaching him well. Please don't take it to heart."

Tang Long waved his hand, "It's fine. Who hasn't had a time of youthful impulsiveness?"

"However, Xiaohu, you should understand that there is no such thing as kindness without reason in this world. I am not related to you, so saving your life and collecting your payment is only natural. There is no such thing as trickery."

"Also, I advise you to return to human form immediately; this appearance is too eye-catching. If others see it, all of your grandfather's hard work will be in vain."

"Right, right, right!" Lu Pingan then patted Lu Xiaohu hard, "Xiaohu, hurry up and change back!"

Lu Xiaohu then endured the pain all over his body and quickly returned to human form.

[Help Lu Xiaohu complete the atavism ritual and awaken the ancestral blood. Mission accomplished!]

[Completion: Stage Three.]

[Special Mission: The gaze of the unknown powerhouse has been dispelled. Completed. You have received the blessing of an ancient deity.]

[Comprehensive Reward: 10,000 EXP, Legend +2, Spirituality +1, Special Skill: Gift of the Barbarian Ancestor LV1]

[Legend attribute increased by 2, maximum mission releases +2, maximum completions +200!]

[Gift of the Barbarian Ancestor LV1: Temporarily raise your own realm by one stage, lasting for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 24 hours.]