641: Chapter 631 Senichi (6)

The moment the Phoenix head opened its eyes, the entire Sacrificial Mountain sank slightly.

Everyone from the Chishan Tribe looked up, their expressions changing at the same time.

The blue-gold Phoenix head had only half-opened its eyes, but the glint of cold light seeping from them caused the Life Patterns on everyone's bodies to light up simultaneously.

At first, some thought this was the sacrificial ceremony's response.

“The Life Patterns are glowing.”

“The Superior One has awakened, this is the acceptance of the sacrifice.”

“Quick, steady yourselves, don't panic.”

But in the next breath, things went wrong.

Instead of flowing slowly as they usually did, those glowing Life Patterns seemed to be forcefully seized by something inside their bodies and began to be pulled outward.

A few men with weaker cultivation felt their knees go weak and fell straight to the ground, the red-gold patterns on their arms seeping out along their flesh.

“What's going on?”

“My Life Pattern!”

“Stop, stop quickly!”

Even as they shouted and grabbed at their own wrists, they couldn't grasp the light at all; instead, it tore away even faster, as if it were going to hollow them out completely.

Ah Lie originally wanted to stabilize the situation.

Standing at the front with veins bulging on his forehead, he tried to use his own Life Pattern to suppress the crowd's panic, but the moment he activated it, his face turned pale.

His Life Pattern was also draining away.

And it was draining even faster than everyone else's.

“This isn't right.”

His voice changed. “This is not a blessing.”

“It wasn't like this before.”

“In the past, the Sacrificial Mountain would also consume Life Patterns, but they would be replenished afterward, like borrowing power once.”

“This time, there is no replenishment.”

“None at all.”

Some began to cry, some began to curse, and others knelt on the ground, kowtowing and continuously reciting ancestral teachings.

“O Superior One, spare our lives.”

“It is not that we are disrespectful.”

“It is just that our Life Patterns are no longer obeying us.”

“We beg The Superior One to withdraw it.”

The cries and shouts piled on top of one another, making everyone's chest feel tight with anxiety.

Qin Yun stood at the back of the crowd, remaining silent.

He saw things more clearly than anyone else.

The Life Patterns were indeed being extracted, but that power did not disperse into the mountain. Instead, it flowed continuously along an extremely deep line toward the core of the Sacrificial Mountain.

This was not a simple devouring.

It was more like sustenance.

Except, what was being sustained was neither this village nor the Phoenix head before them.

The Phoenix head was merely the outermost opening.

Chi Li was also standing in the crowd.

He did not kneel, nor did he retreat.

But he was in more pain than anyone else.

The dim blue-gold Life Pattern on his forehead seemed to be gripped by something, dragging him forward bit by bit toward the Phoenix head.

He couldn't take a single step back. Though no one was touching him, he was being dragged forward by his neck.

“Chi Li!”

Ah Lie looked back, his eyes instantly turning red.

“What are you trying to do again!”

Dragged forward by the Life Pattern, Chi Li suppressed his anger, but did not panic.

“Are you blind?”

“I'm standing here without moving.”

“If you are truly capable, tear this thing off of me.”

Ah Lie's face darkened.

“You dare talk back?”

“Every time something happens, it's related to you!”

The others were already panicking, and Ah Lie's roar was like throwing a spark into a haystack.

“Yes, it's him.”

“Every time the Sacrificial Mountain changes, Chi Li is always the first to react.”

“What Chi Heng left behind back then was nothing but a disaster.”

“He only lives to bring ruin to the whole tribe.”

Hearing these words, Chi Li kept moving forward.

He couldn't retreat, nor could he defend himself.

This feeling was very familiar.

So familiar that he couldn't even be bothered to explain anymore.

Only his eyes grew colder and colder.

Qin Yun did not look at the crowd, but instead stared at the Phoenix head.

He activated his Heart Heavy Pupils, and the blue-gold light deep within the Phoenix head's eyes slowly unfolded.

In those eyes, there was indeed no killing intent.

Instead, there was mostly exhaustion.

There was also a sorrow that had been suppressed for too long, as if it had been trapped by something for ages, making even the act of opening its eyes feel heavy and sluggish.

Qin Yun's heart stirred slightly, but he did not jump to conclusions immediately.

Elder Ji finally spoke.

Standing amidst the chaotic crowd, he raised his black wooden staff, his raspy voice drowning out everyone's clamor.

“Shut up.”

“If anyone shouts another word, I will break their legs first.”

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Elder Ji gazed at the Nine Mountains, as if he had known this day would come sooner or later.

“You have always thought that the Sacrificial Mountain was merely about worship, seeking peace, and ancestral teachings.”

“It is not.”

“The Life Patterns of the Chishan Tribe have never been obtained for free.”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

Ah Lie's expression changed abruptly.

“Elder Ji, what are you saying?”

Elder Ji did not look at him, keeping his eyes fixed on the Phoenix head.

“The Life Pattern is sustenance, but it is also a lock.”

“Every time we sacrifice to the mountain, we must send the power of our Life Patterns into it, in exchange for the tribe's peace, the stability of the mountain forests, and the continuation of our Life Patterns.”

“Over the years, you thought it was the ancestors' protection, but in truth, it has always been an exchange.”

“In the past, the exchange would return something to us.”

“This time, nothing is coming back.”

Hearing this, the clansmen were first dazed, and then they became even more panicked.

These words sounded like the truth, but they were only a corner of it.

Yet, this single corner was enough to make people believe seventy to eighty percent of it.

“So, the Phoenix head feeds on Life Patterns?”

“The Superior One is using our Life Patterns to repair itself?”

“No wonder the elders always complain of weakness after every sacrificial ceremony.”

“So we have been supplying it with our lives all along.”

“Is this what Chi Heng discovered back then that caused him to make trouble?”

Ah Lie whipped his head around.

“Chi Heng?”

Elder Ji was silent for a moment, but eventually, he nodded.

“He had been inside.”

“And precisely because he had been inside, he left Chi Li behind.”

Hearing this, Chi Li's footsteps finally faltered.

But instead of stopping, he was pulled even harder by that force, nearly tumbling forward.

This scene fell into everyone's eyes, instantly sparking an even greater commotion.

“Do you see that!”

“He's being dragged over again!”

“As expected, it was he who disturbed the Sacrificial Mountain!”

“He is the source of disaster!”

“Push him out!”

“Offer him to The Superior One!”

The crowd began to surge forward.

Ah Lie's face turned purple. With a raise of his hand, his blade was already halfway out of its sheath.

“None of you move!”

But these words could not suppress them at all.

Once fear finds an outlet, it becomes the first thing to bite.

Qin Yun stood to the side, watching these people lose control without taking action.

He felt that this was still not the ultimate truth.

Qin Yun looked at Chi Li once more.

This youth was dragged forward step by step by the Life Pattern. Even though he was bearing the accusations of everyone, he didn't even furrow his brows again.

It was not that he wasn't angry.

It was just that he had been angry for too long, and he no longer wanted to waste energy defending himself.

Qin Yun raised his hand and pressed it onto Chi Li's shoulder.

Chi Li's body shuddered, and his footsteps finally stabilized.

Elder Ji and Ah Lie looked over at the same time.

“What are you doing?”

Qin Yun didn't explain, but merely pressed an extremely faint Daoist technique into Chi Li's body.

The technique was not strong, but it was exceptionally stable. Countering the pull of the Life Pattern, it forcefully halted Chi Li's momentum of being dragged toward the Phoenix head.

Chi Li groaned, cold sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead.

But he was finally able to stand firm.

“Mind your own business,”

he muttered in annoyance, though his voice was not as aggressive as before.

Qin Yun ignored him, looking only toward the depths of the Sacrificial Mountain.

The azure pagoda in his palm was heating up, the warmth becoming increasingly noticeable.

This was no ordinary resonance.

It was a response from a shared origin.

Qin Yun's heart sank.

This meant that if he were to forcefully act now, he might be able to break the deadlock.

But the price would likely be breaking the current balance, directly waking the remaining eight heads as well.

Once all nine heads woke up, the situation would not be as simple as Life Patterns being extracted.

The entire Dao arena might lose control.

At that time, the Chishan Tribe would be the first to die.

Qin Yun looked up, and the open eye of the Phoenix head was slowly turning toward him.

At that moment, he saw something deeper.

Beyond exhaustion, there was sorrow.

And within that sorrow lay a helplessness from being trapped for many years.

Chi Li suddenly moved too.

He instinctively raised his other hand, as if trying to shield Qin Yun from the Phoenix head's pull.

This movement was very subtle and swift, so much so that even he might not have realized it.

But because of this, the sorrow deep within the Phoenix head's eyes suddenly trembled.

As if it had recognized something.

Or as if it had finally waited for something.

At this moment, Ah Lie finally broke down completely.

“Enough!”

His voice cracked. “If this continues, everyone will die!”

The clansmen fell into utter chaos.

Some wanted to run, some wanted to kneel, some began to curse Chi Li, and some began to curse Qin Yun.

“It's all their fault!”

“If Chi Li hadn't returned, the mountain wouldn't have awakened!”

“If this outsider hadn't touched the Life Pattern, the Phoenix head wouldn't have opened its eyes!”

“Kill them, and the mountain will stop!”

Elder Ji's expression was equally grim.

He knew that if this dragged on any longer, people would truly die.

Just as everyone was about to completely lose control, the sky suddenly darkened.

A force of a much higher level suddenly descended.

The Nine-Headed Phoenix, just on the verge of continuing to awaken, was forcefully suppressed by this power.

The single open phoenix eye slowly closed.

The Life Patterns being extracted also came to an abrupt halt at this moment.

Everyone felt a wave of relief wash over them, followed by utter exhaustion.

Some collapsed to the ground, some knelt directly, and others had numb limbs, unable to even stand steadily.

Ah Lie panted, looking up toward the top of the Sacrificial Mountain, his eyes filled with sheer terror.

“Who is it?”

No one answered.

The force made no further movements. After suppressing the Nine-Headed Phoenix, it casually swept everyone away from the edge of the Sacrificial Mountain's core.

Their vision blurred, and in the next instant, they had been transported out of the depths of the Nine Mountains.

By the time everyone recovered their senses, they had arrived at a sealed stone hall outside the Sacrificial Mountain.

The four walls of the stone hall were carved with ancient patterns, and all sides were tightly sealed, clearly a place of refuge for the Chishan Tribe.

But right now, no one was in the mood to look at these.

Having escaped death, the members of the Chishan Tribe slumped on the ground, gasping for breath, their faces filled with lingering fear.

Some covered their faces and wept, some held their knees and trembled, and others had blank minds, not even realizing where they were.

Ah Lie sat on the ground, only lifting his head after a long while, his voice extremely hoarse.

“Who was that just now?”

Elder Ji stood in the center of the stone hall, leaning on his black wooden staff, his expression more solemn than anyone else's.

He did not answer immediately, but instead turned to look at Qin Yun and Chi Li.

Chi Li leaned against the wall, his face still pale, but his Life Pattern was no longer draining.

Qin Yun stood to the side, his expression calm.

He knew that the one who acted was no ordinary person.

Outside the stone hall, the sound of the wind was very soft.

The crowd panted for a long time before slowly quieting down.

The elders of the Chishan Tribe looked at one another, their eyes filled with the bewilderment of surviving a disaster.

Ah Lie finally spoke.

“Who on earth was that person?”

Just as his voice fell,

a calm voice came from outside the stone hall.

“The Superior One you have been looking for.”

“Is me.”