Chapter 76
Chapter 76
“Brother, I just received word. The Refugees have all come to Mingjiang City. They’re already at Mingjiang No. 7 Special School.”
Xun Silu hurried toward an office in Mingjiang City.
The Xun family’s intelligence network had naturally followed them into the city. No disturbance, large or small, could escape their notice now.
Xun Fayin looked up from the documents he was organizing, his expression grave.
“That group… So they came after all.”
Those Refugees were descendants of families that had worshipped the Old Divine Gate. With a New Divine Gate about to emerge, their arrival was hardly surprising.
“The occult configuration already formed at the school is not enough. They still require anomalous stone for the altar and incense offerings as tribute before they can summon anything from the Old Divine Gate. Now that everything has come together, they may truly have a chance.”
Expectation filled Xun Fayin’s eyes.
“Brother, I think you’re celebrating too soon,” Xun Silu said.
“The Ji family came as well.”
Xun Fayin frowned.
“The Ji family has grown extremely powerful in recent years. They’re also plotting to recover the Old Divine Gate, and their path requires vast amounts of worship.”
Xun Silu continued, “How could they sit by and watch Mingjiang No. 7 Special School take everyone’s worship? The Ji family is bound to clash with the man surnamed Li!”
“Now we’ll have a good show to watch.”
He sounded openly delighted by the prospect of others’ misfortune.
Xun Fayin fell into thought.
The existences within the former Divine Gate were far too important. The Xun family was hardly the only one watching them.
The Ji family had once been one of the Divine Gate’s worshipping families. It had become exceedingly mysterious in recent years, and rumors even claimed that it had reestablished contact with beings inside the Old Divine Gate.
Both the path chosen by Mingjiang No. 7 Special School and the Ji family’s path required worship to sustain them.
Xun Fayin frowned. The situation was becoming even more complicated.
“Send people to monitor them.”
…
Inside the security booth at Mingjiang No. 7 Special School, surprise flashed across Shen Yuan’s aged face, while Ji Fengming instantly filled with anger.
“You… know each other?” Yin Rumei asked in astonishment.
“Know each other? That’s putting it mildly,” Ji Fengming said coldly.
“I never imagined that the foul toad who swore a blood oath to serve the Ji family until death would betray us and flee, only to become a worthless security guard here.”
Everyone nearby was startled.
“The Ji family’s toad… Could he be the water anomaly they worshipped?”
“I heard that worshipped anomaly was immensely powerful. He nearly approached the level of the existences within the Divine Gate and lacked only divine investiture.”
“Then, for some unknown reason, the worshipped anomaly left the Ji family and disappeared. He hasn’t been seen in years.”
The crowd whispered among themselves. Yin Rumei’s expression changed even more dramatically.
Others might not know Shen Yuan’s true identity, but she did.
Abyss was the Ji family’s worshipped anomaly?
“I swore my blood oath to the old master. I will never forget it!” Shen Yuan said through clenched teeth.
Anomalous aura stirred faintly in his reddening eyes.
“But what did you do to the Young Master after the old master died?!”
Ji Fengming sneered.
“What, you want to attack someone of Ji family blood?”
“So what if I killed everyone in the main line? So what if I used Ji Tian to summon anomalies? You’re furious, aren’t you? Come on. Kill me.”
Shen Yuan’s aged eyes turned scarlet, and his fists clenched.
He ground his teeth until they nearly shattered, yet he never moved.
When he entered the Ji family’s worship ritual, he had sworn a blood oath to protect the Ji bloodline. No matter how shameless or despicable Ji Fengming and the others became, Shen Yuan could not attack them so long as Ji blood flowed through their veins.
The Ji family’s worship had given him power, but it had also bound him forever as an anomalous entity.
“It seems you still remember your place.”
Ji Fengming sneered and casually patted Shen Yuan’s shoulder.
“Where is Ji Tian? Hand him over, bow your head, and acknowledge me as your master. The Ji family can continue to worship you.”
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth. “Never!”
Ji Fengming did not grow angry.
“You think the people here can protect you and Ji Tian?”
“Fine. I’ll meet this person. When the time comes, he’ll obediently hand Ji Tian over to me.”
He strode directly into the school.
Worry filled Yin Rumei’s face. She suddenly regretted gathering the Refugee families and wondered whether she had made the right choice.
She had intended to help Li Que obtain the worship held by these families.
But the Ji family might turn the entire affair against him.
It was too late to stop now. She hurried after Ji Fengming.
The group entered the campus.
“Mrs. Wang, welcome.”
Leng Qingyan and Qin Shiyu had come to greet them. Both women smiled.
“Welcome to our school. If you have any questions during your tour, please feel free to ask us.”
“Everyone, this way.”
Calm and composed, Leng Qingyan began leading the visitors around the school.
Yin Rumei had called in advance. Leng Qingyan and Qin Shiyu knew that most of these people remained undecided and had yet to choose a side.
They had barely begun the tour when someone exclaimed in surprise.
“This place… is extraordinary. It truly possesses the occult configuration of the Old Divine Gate!”
“That flagpole really does resemble the Great Bone Standard from within the Divine Gate!”
“And that athletic field looks almost like a burial ground for divine corpses…”
“This place is extraordinary. Truly extraordinary!”
In that moment, every family that had once worshipped the Old Divine Gate saw something remarkable in this seemingly ordinary school.
Even Ji Fengming was astonished.
The inhuman pupils deep within his eyes flashed rapidly, and he could not help murmuring, “No wonder they need the role-playing method to conceal what they truly are. This place has actually formed an occult configuration!”
At the same time, however, his expression grew increasingly grim.
The Ji family was also in desperate need of worship.
That was why he had made such a grand entrance and deliberately tried to suppress Yin Rumei. He wanted to seize the initiative and make the other families follow him instead of her.
But the occult configuration this school possessed might well sway their decision…
“Miss Yin, you were right. This place truly has a chance of welcoming the gods within the Old Divine Gate back into the world!”
The old woman carrying a bamboo basket spoke excitedly. “The Shi family… is willing to take this gamble with you!”
Another middle-aged man patted the briefcase at his waist. His butcher knife was inside.
“Just say the word, Miss Yin, and the Tu family will bring out our incense offerings right now!”
The others voiced their agreement one after another.
Yin Rumei inwardly relaxed. Even Leng Qingyan and Qin Shiyu exchanged a delighted glance.
After all, these families’ worship had once been devoted to the Old Divine Gate. It would be immensely useful to Li Que’s New Divine Gate.
“Everyone, I believe you should think twice,” Ji Fengming suddenly said in a cold voice.
“This place may have formed the beginnings of an occult configuration, but it remains weak. Turning it into a New Divine Gate capable of welcoming gods would take years at the very least-and exhaust every last reserve your families possess.”
His words were a bucket of cold water.
“Anyone can stand around making discouraging remarks, Mr. Ji, but this is already our only chance,” Yin Rumei replied unhappily.
The others nodded as well. The price might be enormous, but if it allowed them to contact the beings inside the Old Divine Gate, it would all be worthwhile.
“Who said this was your only chance?” Ji Fengming sneered. “Everyone, do you still recognize this?”
With that, he slowly drew half a broken brick from his sleeve.
The fragment was stained with multicolored anomalous blood-red, green, blue… It exuded an aura that made their hearts pound.
“Is that… half a broken brick from the Place of Offerings inside the Old Divine Gate?”
“How did the Ji family get its hands on that?”
Everyone was stunned.
The Place of Offerings within the Old Divine Gate was where the gods had once received worship. It had been an exceptionally important location.
This fragment of brick from the Place of Offerings was therefore the finest possible medium for contacting whatever gods still survived.
“Building a New Divine Gate here would merely create a medium and sanctuary through which the gods could descend. It would still require vast amounts of time and resources,” Ji Fengming said calmly.
“But the Ji family can use this half-brick directly as an altar. All we need is for everyone to contribute their worship, and we can welcome the gods back!”
“Wouldn’t that be better?”
This fragment had been one of the Ji family’s greatest trump cards, and he had never intended to reveal it.
But the school’s occult configuration had already tempted the others. To preserve the worship for his own family, he had no choice but to bring it out.
“Mr. Ji, this object is indeed genuine, but words alone prove nothing. Can the Ji family truly contact the gods inside the Old Divine Gate?” someone nearby could not resist asking.
Ji Fengming answered coldly, “Since everyone has doubts… I will invite a god here and now.”
“Then you can see for yourselves.”
His words sent a shock through everyone present.
…
At the same time, inside the classroom.
“Where… is this?”
Ji Tian, whose face had previously been vacant, had now regained consciousness. For the first time, clarity appeared in his eyes.
He looked around in confusion.
“Mingjiang No. 7 Special School. You’re safe here. No anomaly would dare possess you in this place!” Lin Xiaoyu said beside him.
She was delighted that she had successfully drawn Ji Tian out from the deepest recesses of his heart.
“Hey.”
Bai Lu, normally aloof and taciturn, suddenly lowered the mirror in her hand and looked at Ji Tian.
“Have you ever met Sir before? Did he tell you anything?”
Lin Xiaoyu, Meng Mo, and the others were puzzled. This was clearly Ji Tian’s first time at the school. How could he possibly have met Sir before?
Ji Tian seemed to strain his memory, but pain soon spread across his face.
“I can’t remember… I only know that he gave me candy. I only know he gave me candy!”
Lin Xiaoyu hurried to comfort him. “All right, all right. If you can’t remember, don’t force yourself. Sir has given all of us candy.”
“If you like it, you can just ask him for some whenever you want.”
Ji Tian panted heavily. Trying to remember seemed to have exhausted him.
Bai Lu appeared to be pondering something. Then she asked, “Can you invite a god? Try inviting one from inside that place. Perhaps… it will help you remember.”
She seemed deeply concerned with a certain question-with a certain answer.
Even Nian Youyu, Meng Mo, and the others looked confused. Bai Lu had always been aloof in class. Almost nothing, important or otherwise, ever drew much attention from her.
This time was different.
Could Ji Tian… be hiding some secret?
…