Giant Tortoise and Sacrifice
*Swish!* A brilliant blood-red arc of light cut through the air, wiping out the massive flames. The outside world looked extremely distorted from within it, and it gave one a momentary feeling of isolation. It was clear that this streak was moving at great speeds.
The ray of light vanished in an instant and all became still, but it did not seem too abrupt. A black silhouette revealed itself, and beneath it was an enormous iron hammer with many iron chains firmly sealing a large number of runes.
‘This place is at least a thousand miles away from Port Elias. It should be far enough.’ This was naturally Leylin. After snatching Bayclark, he had been afraid of arousing too much suspicion so he’d used a lot of concealment and bewitching spells, quickly fleeing from the scene.
Although he did not know how much effect the spells he cast had, it was always better than nothing. Leylin finally let out a sigh of relief after making sure that he’d fled this far without being followed.
‘However, for the sake of safety I should settle this as quickly as possible.’ Leylin’s figure descended unhurriedly, arriving at a lonely island.
This island was very small, and was comparable to a single drop of water in the middle of the vast ocean. It also looked desolate, with no vegetation or fresh water sources that could be found.
However, Leylin nodded his head in satisfaction, especially after sweeping the area with his soul force, ‘This should be a good place, especially as it keeps moving.’
While laughing softly, Leylin lightly stamped his right foot, causing the ground to hum. A tremor was sent through his foot, which grew larger and ended up forming a small earthquake and a tsunami.
*Rumble* Broken rocks rolled over the coral reef, and a small fissure appeared. By the time the earthquake had calmed a little, even stronger vibrations began to sound out.
An oppressive hiss from an animal, like the cry of a dragon or the roar of a tiger, sounded out from the dark sea.
*Crash* All of a sudden, Leylin’s isolated island began to move. The black rock rose higher and higher from the sea, with kelp and black shells attached to it. In the end, the small island became a huge and irregular piece of circular land.
*Crash* On one side of the island, numerous rocks fell to the bottom of the sea, revealing a large, pitch-black hole. Promptly, a snake-like head stretched out from this hole.
The howl from earlier had evidently come from this monster’s throat. Its body was immense and its eyelids were still covered in algae and green moss.
[Beep! High energy undulations have been discovered, scan completed!] Accompanying the A.I. Chip’s voice, a complete image of this monster had already been projected in front of Leylin.
This monster was an impressively huge tortoise whose length reached tens of thousands of meters. Leylin’s ‘island’ was actually part of its shell, and since the monster had been floating motionlessly for far too long, it had started to show vestiges of life.
“It’s a miracle of life, or should it be called the beauty of this world? It really is quite fascinating!” Leylin murmured a few words of praise. This type of giant tortoise could sleep for thousands of years at a time. If this island had been discovered by ignorant people, even a city could have developed on the tortoise’s back.
“Good day, your Excellency. Sorry to disturb your rest. I was wondering if you could give me a ride? I’ll be sure to make it up to you later.”
The A.I. Chip had determined the giant tortoise to be rank 4, but it still had to be subservient to him when faced with his Half Moon truesoul. Thus, it began to slowly move through the depths of the sea.
‘Very good,’ Leylin nodded his head, and his body automatically descended into the bottom floor of the coral island. It was as if the floor had melted under him. ‘A moving target is clearly less likely to be discovered. Now, I have to dispose of this fellow, lest it becomes a hidden danger.’
Soon after, a small yellow light radiated out to clear out an expansive underground space. The walls fused to become a marble-like material, the structure evidently stable.
Leylin sat cross-legged on the dry floor, with a very solemn expression on his face, “A.I. Chip, transfer the content on the Purgatory World’s Sacrificers.”
[Beep! Establishing task, commencing transfer......] Along with the A.I. Chip’s feedback, a large amount of data was very quickly gathered and saved in Leylin’s memory bank.
The path of offerings had a very long history in the Purgatory World and had become the main strength system after many years of decisions.
In the past, Leylin had believed that this kind of sacrifice was a technique from the World of Gods. However, there seemed to be evidence that the technique had appeared before the end of the Great War.
Although the origin of the path of offering could not be verified, it had gone through such a long period of development that it was very rich in core content.
The so-called Sacrificers offered sacrifices to a higher existence, which required that the receiver have some comprehension of laws. This way, amplification power could be sent down through their subconscious communication channels.
The higher existence would amplify the Sacrificer’s strength. Even if it was for a limited time, it was still an extraordinary thing. With the correct sacrifice it was possible to almost borrow the power indefinitely. Assuming the Sacrificer could endure it, of course.
The Sacrificer’s rank could be improved through continuous sacrifices, and once they reached rank 4 they could perform a ceremony to permanently increase their attributes.
After the ceremony, the Sacrificer would be branded by their chosen dignitary and their sacrifices wouldn’t be accepted by others.
After many amplifications, the Sacrificer could receive power that surpassed their race. Take the Governor of Elias for example, his physical prowess exceeded even Melinda who was a mixed blood rank 4 Alabaster Devilsnake.
Furthermore, not only could rank 4 Sacrificers borrow power first and sacrifice later, they could also try to summon a clone of their dignitary.
From what Leylin understood, the sacrifice represented the limits of what you could get from the dignitary. So high level sacrifices meant receiving greater attention and a quicker response from the dignitary.
This was why he had to run far away after capturing Bayclark. Since he was a rank 5 Sacrificer, he was sure to capture the attention of the Trial’s Eye.
A Rank 5 Sacrificer could even borrow a tiny bit of the power of laws from their Exemplary, such as the golden lightning and trial power.
Relying on that, Bayclark was not weak for a rank 5. Leylin’s own strength just surpassed his greatly.
‘According to the A.I. Chips speculations, a rank 6 Sacrificer can borrow the dignitary’s power over laws. It would be possible to borrow up to 90% of this power if the Sacrificer and the dignitary are highly compatible. Their strength would surpass the power of the Blazing Flame Monarch...’ Leylin’s expression became rather imposing.
‘Of course, the path of sacrifices has its disadvantages as well. After all, the power of laws can only be borrowed, and not retained. No matter how harmonious the relationship is, Sacrificers cannot rely on this to reach Rank 7. Those dignitaries won’t allow others to grasp their laws. Therefore, rank 6 is the peak for a Sacrificer. However, there may be exceptions...’
As if he had thought of something, the corners of Leylin’s mouth curved into an excited smile, and his entire being seemed to be eager to try something.
[Beep! Transmission of Sacrificial Array has been completed!] A complex spell formation formed in Leylin’s mind.
This was not just the Sacrificial Array he had recorded, but one that he had modified and optimised with the A.I. Chip. Not only could it accept more sacrificial power, but it could also minimise any loss.
If Leylin was willing to sell this modified version, it would make him extremely rich. Of course, he wouldn’t do such a thing.
‘The decisions made in the first sacrifice are incredibly important and the offering is a crucial point. The better the offering of the first sacrifice, the more attention and benefits will be given by the dignitary.’
Leylin’s spatial pouch flashed, and many resources appeared. He began to draw the modified Sacrificial Array whose power surpassed the Purgatory World’s most powerful secret techniques. It was all thanks to the A.I. Chip and the enormous amount of labour and resources that Leylin had poured into it.
“Also...” After arranging the Sacrificial Array, Leylin looked at the surrounding walls and swept his palms across them. Layer upon layer of blood-red lightning runes automatically emerged.
“Summoning across worlds!” “Powerful binding!” “Annihilation ray!” “Breath isolation!” “Location interference!” A great number of advanced ancient runes steadily emerged on the wall, which were the same standard as those used in astral laboratories.
Although Leylin was prepared to practice the path of offerings, it was still necessary to be cautious. By the time he was finished, he looked a little tired even though his soul force was still frighteningly vast.
*Crash* The black runic chain was broken, exposing the Elder Eye Bayclark within.
Bayclark’s soul force was currently sealed, to the point where he couldn’t even express himself. His three vertical pupils were filled with terror.
“We meet again, Elder Bayclark!” Leylin faced Bayclark and greeted it.
Bayclark trembled in fear when he saw Leylin, especially after he noticed the Sacrificial Array.
[Beep! Sacrificial Array has been completed, simulated success rate is 100%!]
At this moment, the A.I. Chip transmitted some information...