Chapter 182
Chapter 182
Deaf Granny took cinnabar, white paste, and blue vitriol and painted Hua Jiunan’s and Chen Daji’s faces with the same war paint she wore.
Then she closed her eyes and began uttering desolate, archaic syllables.
The sounds seemed half spoken and half sung, mysterious and distant beyond measure.
Before long, layer upon layer of dense fog blanketed Hemp-clad Mountain. Yin winds howled through it, accompanied by furious shouts and roars from every direction.
Deaf Granny struck the ground with her cane and cried, “Offer the blood wine!”
Hua Jiunan was about to move when Chen Daji beat him to it.
The fool might never have eaten pork, but he had at least seen a pig run. He knew that an occasion like this called for opening a vein, not punching himself in the nose.
Without hesitation, he drew the ox-horn knife Hua Jiunan had given him and slashed his wrist.
Not one drop of the blood that spurted out went to waste. Chen Daji caught every last bit in the wine jar, ignoring the pain as he poured out three bowls of blood wine in succession.
Deaf Granny’s voice grew even more grave and solemn.
“First, to Heaven, which grants all things to sustain humanity!
“Second, to Earth, whose boundless virtue nurtures humanity!
“Third, to the ancestors, whose merit knows no bounds!”
At her words, Hua Jiunan lifted the first bowl above his head and bowed three times with reverence. Then he flung the wine into the sky.
A gale swept it up. It was as though someone had swallowed the blood wine in a single gulp; not one drop fell back down.
Hua Jiunan lifted the second bowl above his head and bowed three more times, then poured it onto the altar.
Like clear water spilled onto desert sand, the blood wine vanished into the ground in the blink of an eye without leaving a drop behind.
When it came to the third bowl, Hua Jiunan merely bowed three times. He did not lift it.
Deaf Granny’s chanting swelled until it resembled muffled thunder rolling across the distant sky.
Hemp-clad Grandmother slowly floated into the air and took her place above the altar’s southeastern corner, her expression utterly solemn.
“Offer the Three Sacrifices!”
Chen Daji did not hesitate. He drove his knife straight into the hearts of the ox, the sheep, and the pig.
Though the three animals writhed in agony, they could not make a sound. The blood flowing from them formed dense rows of ancient, mysterious symbols across the altar.
The symbols glowed with an eerie crimson light, seeming to leap and dance.
The Five Great Immortal Families watched with grave expressions, eyes fixed on the flickering symbols as if determined to burn every last one into their memories.
Hu Qingshan warned Hu Fei’er sternly, “Granddaughter, watch carefully. Remember as much as you can! Our hosts were merciful enough not to send us away. For cultivators of other species like us, this is an opportunity beyond measure!”
As Deaf Granny’s recitation quickened, lightning began flashing and thunder crashing around the altar.
Hemp-clad Grandmother gave a mighty shout. “Let the ritual music begin!”
“Woooo! Woooo! Woooo!”
The four pairs of paper men and paper horses sounded their desolate horns.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The muscles of two Yellow Turban Strongmen bulged as drum and bell rang out together.
Deaf Granny flung Zhao Fei’s bloodstained clothes onto the altar, the strange syllables pouring from her mouth faster and faster.
Hemp-clad Grandmother knelt reverently upon the altar and called aloud, “Villains seek to harm the good and innocent descendants of the Hua, Chen, and Zhao families! Forebears and ancestors, we ask you to uphold justice for them!”
The instant she finished, the third bowl of blood wine disappeared as though an invisible person had drained it in one gulp.
Then the heavy fog condensed into a gigantic blood-red eagle.
It let out a piercing cry and circled the altar once. With a single beat of its wings, it vanished.
The eagle had only glanced at Hu Fei’er, yet a chill had already seized her heart.
“Grandfather, that… that Immortal Spirit just now… What sort of being was it?”
Hu Qingshan first cupped his hands toward the direction in which it had vanished. Only then did he answer his granddaughter.
“An ancient human totem-the Blood Eagle! It appears Sister Deaf’s bloodline descends from a branch of the ancient Dongyi Tribe!”