From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 437 Sacrificial Conflict Nearly Breaks the Stalemate

I am Xiao Yao.

Standing before the vast and solemn altar of the demon race, my fingertips trembled slightly, yet I still gripped my sleeve tightly, refusing to show the slightest fear.

The air was filled with a mixture of fragrances, including the aroma of sandalwood and the sweet, metallic scent of burning bloodstone.

This is one of the sacrificial rituals of the demon race—burning incense and bloodstones to honor ancestors and make vows.

"Different cultures and different expressions do not represent hostility." I repeated this to myself over and over, forcing myself to view everything before me with a neutral and inclusive perspective.

The Wind Demon King personally presided over the ceremony today, wearing a dark ink and dark gold battle robe, holding a dragon scale blade staff, standing in the center of the Nine Flames Altar, his expression solemn as a mountain.

Meanwhile, Mo Yan, the boy on either side of him, looked very excited and would occasionally lean in and whisper, "This is a grand festival that only happens once every hundred years. Fairy, are you lucky enough to witness it?"

I forced a stiff smile: "I hope it doesn't turn into a once-in-a-century farce."

Unexpectedly, things really did take a turn for the worse shortly after he finished speaking.

The main representative of the Immortal Clan in this round is that old fellow, Immortal Li.

He stood in the crowd, his nose held high, looking around with displeasure, as if he were not participating in a sacrifice, but stepping into a pigsty.

As soon as Mo Yan picked up the incense burner and softly chanted the incantation, his voice echoed in the air like a spell, carrying a kind of desolate and ancient power.

Just then, Immortal Li sneered, his voice not loud, but every word was clear: "Tsk, blood aura filling the sky, demonic flames swirling—this looks more like a ghost sacrifice than an ancestor worship ceremony, doesn't it?"

His cold, emotionless eyes looked at the Wind Demon King and the elders of the demon race with utter contempt.

The air seemed to be ignited.

Mo Yan abruptly stopped, slamming the incense burner in his hand onto the bluestone ground with a loud bang. Incense ash flew up, sparks flying from the impact, leaving a crimson trail in the still-lingering demonic energy, like an angry horn.

"What did you say?" Mo Yan turned around abruptly, his eyes turning dark red.

Li Xianren neither dodged nor avoided, but instead turned to the side, raising his voice even higher: "What you are sacrificing, is it blood or soul? No wonder the demon race has produced so many evil monsters, even their ancestors were so bloodthirsty—what else could this be but evil magic?" With that, he waved his sleeve, and a surge of spiritual energy dispersed the black and red smoke that had just risen, the runes shattering in the air.

This action enraged all the demons present.

"How dare you desecrate my ancestors?"

"Master Li, you're disrespecting our traditions! You're courting death!"

shhhhh--

Dozens of demonic blades were unleashed simultaneously, their cold light chilling, and their overwhelming killing intent instantly froze the air.

Before the Wind Demon King could speak, the two demon generals beside him, wielding battle axes, stepped forward and stared intently at Immortal Li.

"Stop!" I shouted, taking a step forward and instantly standing between the two sides. My soul power spread out like ripples on water, blocking the aura between the two races and forming a transparent barrier.

The Wind Demon King's face was ashen, his eyes blazing with fury, and the oppressive aura of a king was almost suffocating.

“Fairy Xiao Yao,” he said in a deep voice, like thunder, “is this what you call ‘equality and mutual trust’?”

I could feel Wen Chen's aura quietly gathering behind me, and he would attack without hesitation if I beckoned.

But I am unwilling to resort to force; I absolutely will not do so until the very last resort.

Peace is like a fragile glass vessel; once cracked, it is difficult to repair.

"Wind Demon King, please calm down." I tried my best to respond calmly. "Immortal Li's words were indeed too harsh, and I apologize on behalf of the Immortal Clan. But this is not the attitude of all of us."

"Hmph," Mo Yan sneered, "but he is your representative!"

“That’s not my choice,” I said through gritted teeth. “If a seat has a splinter, we shouldn’t destroy the whole set of tables and chairs, but rather pull out the splinter.”

"Pull him out? You really can pull him out?" The Wind Demon King narrowed his eyes, a cold glint appearing within them.

At this moment, Li Xianren raised his head with a righteous and awe-inspiring expression: "Xiao Yao, how can you bow down to the demons?! Their bloodshed and barbarity can never compare to our righteousness! Have you already fallen and become their wingmen?"

My breath hitched.

"Insolence!" Wen Chen, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. His voice was not loud, but it was like a piece of jade falling to the ground, resounding and clear.

He walked step by step from the other side of the altar, his white robes spotless, surrounded by a pure aura. Wherever his footsteps landed, the chaotic aura instantly subsided.

His gaze toward Li Xianren was as cold as a bottomless abyss: "Do you think that just because you stand on high, you can insult people at will? Is your so-called 'brightness' a pedestal erected by stepping on the dignity of others?"

Li Xianren's lips curled slightly, showing no fear of Wen Chen: "They were originally..."

“Say one more word,” Wen Chen interrupted him, his pupils narrowing slightly, and an invisible bolt of tribulation lightning instantly coiled around him, “and I will banish you from this place not in the name of the Immortal Venerable, but on the behalf of Xiao Yao’s Daoist companion.”

I was taken aback, not expecting Wen Chen to publicly mention the name "Daoist Partner" at this moment.

The Wind Demon King's expression seemed to soften; he glanced at me, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Seeing Wen Chen's demeanor, the demons gradually sheathed their swords, their anger still simmering, though no longer at the point of eruption.

Taking advantage of the moment, I bent down, picked up the broken incense burner from the ground, held it in both hands, and bowed deeply to the Wind Demon King and the Demon Flame.

“This is a sacred object offered by your clan as a sacrifice. I apologize on behalf of my clan for their disrespect.”

The scorching incense ash burned my palms; at that moment, it really hurt.

But I'm more afraid that the demons will retreat decisively because of this.

The Wind Demon King stared at me for a long time before finally raising his hand and waving it lightly.

"enough."

His anger had not yet subsided, but the moment that palm struck, the demons' momentum of retreat vanished.

The air seemed to finally be able to flow, yet it also seemed as if it dared not breathe too loudly.

Everyone froze in place, but I felt a chill seep into my bones.

Behind him, Elder Sun's hoarse voice finally broke through the stalemate: "This...this sacrificial ceremony...shouldn't it be..."

Before he could finish speaking, a clap of thunder suddenly boomed overhead—this was not a celestial phenomenon, but rather a harbinger of some kind of aura.

My heart sank, and I instinctively glanced to the side, my gaze piercing through the crack at the edge of the altar. There, I saw a broken rune quietly appearing in mid-air, with a faint black light swirling within it...

"Wen Chen," I called softly.

He nodded slightly, but his gaze was already fixed on that dark light. He murmured, "Isn't this... a remnant of a sacrificial array?" Beads of sweat slid down my temples. The lingering smell of incense ash and blood on the altar made my throat itch.

Elder Sun's old face was wrinkled like a bitter gourd. He looked at the furious demons one moment and then at the ashen-faced Immortal Li the next, like a sesame seed stuck in a millstone, about to be crushed into powder.

Zhao Xianzi was busy trying to comfort them, but unfortunately, her gentle voice was like a mosquito's buzz in this tense atmosphere, and had no effect.

Wen Chen held my hand, and the warmth of his palm seeped through my skin, bringing me a sense of peace.

He nodded slightly to me, indicating that I could rest assured.

I took a deep breath and walked up to the Wind Demon King.

“My Lord Demon King,” my voice, though not loud, was unusually firm, “the Demon Clan’s ritual of burning incense and bloodstone is not a bloodthirsty evil art, but rather a way to communicate with our ancestors through the power of blood and to pray for their protection. It is an ancient and sacred ceremony.” I paused, pointing to the intricate totems carved on the altar, “Each of these totems represents the heroic deeds of our Demon Clan ancestors. They protected the glory of the Demon Clan with their blood and lives. This spirit deserves our respect, not our ridicule.”

I noticed that the Wind Demon King's son, Demon Flame, stared at me with wide eyes and an incredulous expression.

At the same time, Wen Chen walked up to Li Xianren, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Li Xianren, the Immortal Clan's sacrifices involve burning incense and praying for the protection of heaven and earth—this is reverence for nature and respect for life. The Demon Clan's sacrifices involve burning incense and bloodstone to commemorate the spirits of their ancestors—this is the inheritance of tradition and the protection of their bloodline. The two are different in form, but the essence is the same: both are expressions of devotion to faith and hopes for the future. Your judgment based on your own experience is not only an insult to the Demon Clan but also a desecration of your own faith."

Li Xianren's face flushed red and then turned pale, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Wen Chen's aura was so powerful that he could hardly breathe.

The surrounding immortal disciples also lowered their heads, not daring to look Wen Chen in the eye.

With Wen Chen's and my efforts, the emotions of both the immortals and the demons gradually calmed down.

The Wind Demon King picked up the incense burner again, lit the Blood Fiend Stone, and the deep incantation rang out once more. This time, there was no mockery or doubt, only solemnity and awe.

The sacrificial rites were able to continue, and the peace agreement was temporarily preserved.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and my tense nerves finally relaxed.

However, I knew in my heart that this was just the calm before the storm.

The resentment in Li Xianren's eyes, and the strange rune on the edge of the altar, both made me uneasy.

"Yao'er," Wen Chen's voice rang in my ear, "What's wrong?"

I shook my head and pointed to the rune on the edge of the altar. "Look, what's that?"

Wen Chen followed my finger and his expression instantly turned serious.

"This isn't a remnant of a sacrificial array..." Before he could finish speaking, the rune suddenly erupted with a blinding black light, and a powerful, evil aura instantly enveloped the entire altar... A chilling voice came from within the black light: "Peace? How laughable! This world is destined to be swallowed by darkness!"