Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 353 The Final Sacrifice

Su Wan's spirit did not respond further.

Her silhouette, in the dim light of the blood pool, faded and dissolved silently, like a wisp of mist blown away by the wind. The last blurry shadow seemed to glance back, or perhaps it was just an illusion of light, before disappearing completely.

Lu Kong stared silently at the spot where Su Wan had disappeared. After a long while, he turned around, faced Chen Anran who had just regained her footing and was pale-faced, and then, without hesitation, bent his knees and knelt down.

His knees hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Master... has entrusted everything here to you." Lu Kong appeared very calm. "From this day forward, Lu Kong... and the other five disciples under Master's command will all respect Uncle Chen. Uncle Chen's command is Master's command, and this is the way of the disciples."

His kneeling was so abrupt, yet so natural, as if he had simply completed the last and simplest part of a ritual that had lasted for three thousand years.

However, Chen Anran seemed not to see him at all.

Chen Anran glanced at the spot where Su Wan had disappeared, his expression heavy with grief. He took a deep breath and turned to Wei Qingyi and Feng Xiaolu beside him.

"How are you? Is there anything... bothering you?"

Wei Qingyi's hand gripping the sword remained taut, but she shook her head at Chen Anran, her gaze sweeping over the kneeling Lu Kong with a complex expression before finally returning to Chen Anran's face. She whispered, "I'm fine."

Feng Xiaolu, her eyes red-rimmed, shook her head vigorously. Her lips moved a few times before she whispered in a tearful voice, "Junior Brother...Senior Sister...she really..."

Chen Anran reached out and gently patted Feng Xiaolu's shoulder. The movement was a little stiff, but it was meant to comfort her.

Just then, Lu Kong, who was kneeling on the ground, hesitated for a moment before saying, "Second Uncle and Third Uncle probably don't have many days left."

Lu Kong's words were like an ice pick, piercing Chen Anran's heart.

"What did you say?" Chen Anran's voice was terrifyingly low. He turned around, his gaze piercing like a knife as he looked at Lu Kong kneeling on the ground. "Say it again."

Lu Kong raised his head and met Chen Anran's almost fiery gaze. His expression remained calm, but beneath that calm lay an unspeakable heaviness.

"The 'Spirit-Severing Reversal' formation requires three cultivators with pure Yin bodies to sacrifice themselves for it. Master... was the first to sacrifice herself," Lu Kong said slowly. "She used her own spiritual body as a catalyst to activate the first stage of the formation—the Spirit-Severing Mist that severs spiritual power."

His gaze shifted to Wei Qingyi and Feng Xiaolu: "Second Martial Uncle and Third Martial Uncle... are the Second Sacrifice and the Third Sacrifice respectively."

Lu Kong's voice continued to ring out in the dim light of the blood pool, steady yet each word piercing to the heart:

"Second and Third Martial Uncles practiced the 'Ice Pure Jade Snow Technique,' and their origins have been marked by the great formation. Master's spiritual body has dissipated, and the first stage of the formation is complete. Next... is the second stage, 'Reverse Origin.'"

He looked at Wei Qingyi, "The power of the array will guide the participants in turn according to the strength of their pure Yin origin and the depth of their imprint. Second Uncle has the deepest cultivation and the most stable imprint, so he will be the second to perform the ritual. The time limit is... three days from now."

His gaze shifted to Feng Xiaolu, whose face was now deathly pale: "Third Uncle's foundation is somewhat shallow, so this is the third sacrifice, with a time limit of... five days from now."

"At that time, without external force or activation of the array core, the physical bodies and souls of the two senior uncles will be naturally drawn into this pool by the power of the array's origin, just as Master did just now, completing the final step of 'Reversing the Origin' and completely suppressing this wave of the revival of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth."

"You're talking nonsense!" Chen Anran's eyes widened in fury. She took a step forward, and although the Imperial Sword wasn't raised, its heavy pressure was already like a collapsing mountain. "What kind of bullshit array imprint is this! I'll destroy this pool! I'll break this array! Let's see how it pulls on me!"

Lu Kong did not dodge, but merely lowered his eyes slightly: "Uncle-Master, the foundation of the formation is already connected to the earth's spiritual essence. Destroying the formation is like destroying the earth's spiritual essence, and the consequences have already been stated. Furthermore..."

He paused, his voice even lower: "The brand is not simply imprinted on the body, but rather a 'resonance' that gradually develops between the two senior uncles and the spiritual energy of this world, which has been secretly adjusted by our master, as they cultivate the 'Ice Pure Jade Snow Technique'. When the formation is activated, the resonance becomes a chain. Unless the fundamental logic of the entire formation is reversed, otherwise... removing the brand is almost equivalent to destroying their life's cultivation, and may even directly damage their souls."

The peach wood sword in Wei Qingyi's hand fell to the ground with a "clang." She wasn't afraid, but she instantly understood how ruthless and...desperate Su Wan's unfinished scheme was.

Feng Xiaolu staggered, almost losing her balance, before Wei Qingyi quickly reached out to support her. She looked up at Wei Qingyi, then at Chen Anran.

Practicing the "Pure Jade Snow Technique" was their own choice, a result of their master's instruction and their daily hard work. Who could have imagined that every step forward in their cultivation was adding weight to today's sacrificial array?

Chen Anran's chest heaved violently, the veins on the back of his hand gripping the Imperial Sword bulging. He stared intently at Lu Kong, then suddenly looked at the pool of dark blood, his eyes surging with violent rage and resentment. The array information forcibly injected into his mind was still churning, but now it seemed to have transformed into countless cold chains, binding his hands and feet, and also binding the lives of his senior sisters.

Three days. Five days.

This is no longer a distant plan or a tragic ideal, but a death knell hanging overhead, ticking away.

"A way," Chen Anran spat out through gritted teeth, his eyes bloodshot. "Tell me, how to stop them from being drawn in by the formation. Any way."

"Any way?" Lu Kong repeated slowly, his voice devoid of emotion. "Uncle-Master, if there truly were a foolproof method, why would Master have waited three thousand years, and why would he... have thrown himself into the formation as well?"

He raised his hand, pointing to the pool of dark blood. "This formation is not a killing formation, but a 'Return to Origin' formation. It forcibly 'reverses' the overactive spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which is about to trigger a new round of plunder and collapse, back to a dormant state that has not yet recovered. The power it uses is neither metal nor wood, neither thunder nor fire, but 'cause and effect' and 'order' itself. Master sacrificed himself as the first offering to lay the foundation for the reversal; a pure Yin body is needed to take over to harmonize Yin and Yang, stabilize the power of returning to origin, and prevent the spiritual energy from backfiring and causing even greater disaster."

Lu Kong looked at Wei Qingyi and Feng Xiaolu, whose bodies were trembling slightly, and a trace of pity flashed in the depths of his eyes.

"Removing the brand is tantamount to forcibly severing their connection with the altered 'order' of this world. At best, their cultivation will be completely destroyed and their intelligence clouded; at worst... their souls will be torn apart by the chaotic power of order, leaving them no chance even to enter the cycle of reincarnation."

"Then let's switch!" Chen Anran hissed, grabbing Lu Kong's collar and practically lifting him off the ground. "I'll do it! I don't cultivate the 'Ice Pure Jade Snow Technique,' but I have other powers! Use me to trade for them!"

The heavy will of the Imperial Sword resonated within him, while the faint light of the Museum of Evolution flickered deep within his consciousness. He was willing to pay any price.

Lu Kong let him hold him, his expression remaining calm to the point of being cruel.

"It can't be changed. The 'recognition' of the formation is based on the original resonance. The pure Yin energy of the 'Ice Pure Jade Snow Technique' is the only 'catalyst' to harmonize the violent bloodlust and reverse the spiritual energy. No matter how strong you are, if the attributes are incompatible, forcing it will only cause the formation to collapse, all previous efforts to be wasted, and may even trigger an even more terrifying spiritual energy chaos."

"Master... she calculated everything. All she left you with was the choice to 'accept'."