Chapter 242 If you want something, you have to pay with your life
"When facing a battle, all the troops must line up in front."
Chu Xuanyi remained calm in the face of danger, quickly made hand gestures with his hands, and muttered something.
He suddenly slammed the golden talisman in his hand onto the ground and shouted, "Command."
A golden light flashed, and a Bagua formation composed of golden runes quickly unfolded with him as the center, forming a protective shield several feet in radius that firmly protected the two of them.
"Bang bang bang bang."
Countless resentful souls crashed into the shield, emitting a series of dull thuds. The golden shield trembled violently, its light flickering.
Chu Xuanyi's face was solemn. He had already tried his best to maintain the formation and was unable to fight back.
Ajiu hid behind him, looking at the crazy and screaming faces outside the shield, his heart pounding.
"Sir, how long can this formation last?" Ajiu asked anxiously.
"A quarter of an hour," Chu Xuanyi said, sweat already forming on his forehead. "After a quarter of an hour, the formation will be broken and everyone will die."
At this critical moment, a cold male voice sounded above the altar without any warning.
"After a thousand years, finally here come two more people who are not afraid of death."
As this voice appeared, the resentful souls that were frantically hitting the shield retreated like a tide, and turned into thick blood mist again, lingering around the altar and watching hungrily.
Chu Xuanyi and Ajiu looked up at the same time.
I saw a figure appear on the top of the altar, next to the ambergris fruit.
The man was wearing a loose black robe, and even his head and face were covered by the shadow of the hood, so his appearance could not be seen clearly. All they could feel was a pair of cold eyes staring at them indifferently in the darkness.
"Who are you?" Chu Xuanyi asked in a deep voice.
"It doesn't matter who I am." The black-robed man said slowly, "What matters is what you are doing here."
"We came here to seek the miracle medicine and save lives. We have no ill intentions." Chu Xuanyi answered neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Save a life," the black-robed man let out a creepy laugh. "This ambergris fruit is watered day and night with the blood, flesh, and spirit of a hundred thousand souls, and nourished by the evil energy accumulated in the veins of this Blood Moon Valley for a thousand years. You use it to save one life, but who will save the other hundred thousand lives?"
Ajiu and Chu Xuanyi were both shocked when they heard this.
"You can take it if you want." The black-robed man's laughter suddenly stopped, and his tone became grim. "According to the rules here, you must exchange it for a soul of 'sufficient weight'."
"What does it mean to have a soul of sufficient weight?" Ajiu couldn't help but ask.
"Ordinary souls are nothing more than leftovers, fit only to serve as nourishment for it," the man in black said slowly. "To trade it for your soul, you must sacrifice a complete soul, sufficient to feed it."
Chu Xuanyi, who was standing aside, changed his expression slightly. He seemed to have thought of something, but did not speak.
Ah Jiu was confused. "What does a strong soul look like?"
The man in black robe did not answer her directly, but stretched out a dry chicken claw-like finger and pointed towards the valley entrance.
"For example... the one lying in your carriage."
Ajiu's pupils suddenly shrank, and all the blood in his body seemed to freeze at this moment.
"He possesses the energy of the Purple Dragon, destined to be a mortal emperor. His soul barely holds enough weight," the black-robed figure said slowly. "Trading his soul for this spiritual plant to save his body is a fair trade."
"Don't even think about it." Ah Jiu screamed without thinking, staring at the black-robed man like an angry little beast, "We will never trade Brother Xiongxiong's life for yours."
"Oh," the black-robed man seemed unsurprised by her reaction. His gaze from under the hood slowly shifted back to Jiu, "Then, I'll trade yours."
Chu Xuanyi took a sudden step forward and completely blocked Ah Jiu behind him. He said coldly, "Sir, please don't go too far. She is just a child."
"A child?" The black-robed man chuckled again. "Ask her, is she truly an 'ordinary' child? Her bloodline holds something unknown even to herself. Her soul is imbued with the 'spirituality' that suppresses all things. While not as 'nutritious' as the soul of an emperor, it's still a rare delicacy. It's enough for exchange."
Ajiu was stunned.
"How about it, little girl?" the black-robed man tempted. "Exchange your life for his. Didn't you just say that you would bring back the ambergris fruit for him even through fire and water? Now, the opportunity is right before your eyes."
In an instant, the valley fell into silence again.
Chu Xuanyi's heart sank. He clenched his fists and stared at the man in black robe.
Ah Jiu stood behind him, her small body trembling uncontrollably. She looked at the ambergris plant on top of the altar, emitting a halo of life, and thought of the pale, weak man in the carriage.
Exchange her life for her brother Xiong Xiong's life.
Chu Xuanyi stood guard in front of Ajiu, "The prince is the pillar of the country, and the safety of the people of the world depends on him. You can't afford to take his life, and I won't allow anyone to touch Ajiu's life."
"Oh, no." The black-robed man laughed softly. "In this Blood Moon Valley, I am the rule. You either obey, or... become new bones on this altar."
The moment he finished speaking, he gently raised his dry hand.
The thousands of resentful souls lurking around suddenly rioted, emitting deafening screams, and once again turned into a black torrent and pounced towards Chu Xuanyi's shield.
“Crack.”
The golden Bagua shield only lasted less than three breaths before it made a crisp sound as it could not bear the weight, and a clear crack appeared on its surface.
Chu Xuanyi groaned, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
He pushed Ah Jiu back with his backhand and shouted, "Ah Jiu, run quickly, run out of the valley, don't look back."
After saying this, he bit his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of blood onto the peach wood sword in his hand.
The peach wood sword suddenly shone with golden light. He formed a sword gesture with his hands and rushed towards the altar like an arrow.
"You don't know your own limitations."
The man in black robe didn't even move, but just uttered four words indifferently.
The bone altar under his feet flashed red, and a huge claw formed by countless resentments and bones suddenly sprang out from the ground and headed towards Chu Xuanyi.
"boom."
The golden light and the black claws collided violently.
The peach wood sword in Chu Xuanyi's hand wailed, its golden light instantly devoured by the black energy, shattering into pieces. Like a kite with its string cut, he flew backwards and landed heavily on the ground, spurting out another mouthful of blood. His face instantly turned as pale as paper.
Just one move and the winner is decided.
"Sir." Ajiu exclaimed and hurried over to help him up.
"Don't worry about me...go away..." Chu Xuanyi was so weak that even speaking became extremely difficult.
"Stop fighting, I'll switch with you."
Ajiu stood up slowly, his small fists clenched tightly.
"Ajiu?" Chu Xuanyi shouted sternly.
Ajiu pushed Chu Xuanyi away and tried to hold her hand, then walked towards the altar step by step.
Chu Xuanyi's pupils shrank, "Ajiu, come back."
Ajiu didn't look back, she looked up at the man in black.
"Is my soul heavy enough?"
The man in black robe fell silent.
He carefully examined the girl in front of him. He saw her pure and flawless soul, the destiny of the nation hidden deep in her blood, and even more so... the faint but extremely domineering purple dragon energy wrapped around her soul.
"So that's how it is... a dragon soul bond." The black-robed man laughed hoarsely. "So you've already formed this bond of life and death. Sacrificing your soul is not only pure but also carries a hint of dragon energy. It is truly a rare and precious tonic in the world."
"That's enough," he replied affirmatively. "More than enough."
"Ajiu, don't listen to him." Chu Xuanyi struggled to get up, but was pinned to the ground by an invisible force. "If you die, even if the prince comes back to life, he will never live alone."
Ajiu's body trembled slightly.
But she couldn't let her brother Xiongxiong die.
Absolutely not.
"What do you want me to do?" Ajiu looked at the man in black robe and asked calmly.
"It's simple," the black-robed figure pointed to the altar at his feet. "Walk up, free your mind, and offer your soul completely to it. It will devour you very gently, and you won't feel any pain."
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