Chapter 57: Sacrifice

Shen Lie had gained quite a reputation within this group over the past few days, and many people recognized him. However, with everyone now tense and preparing for battle, military officers at all levels were busy coordinating various groups into designated positions. Even the Awakened Alliance led by Gu Chengfang had to comply with the military’s command at this time.

Surveying the military’s formation, Shen Lie could see they had no intention of advancing; instead, they appeared to be preparing for a defensive stand. He did not particularly agree with such a strategy, but given the current circumstances, it was the only viable option. They were caught between a rock and a hard place, and the flanks were likely in no better shape; attempting a breakout would undoubtedly result in heavy casualties.

After exchanging a brief nod with an acquaintance, Shen Lie began to drift toward the edge of the formation. His purpose in coming out was not truly to gather intelligence—since the military had already issued the alert, there was no need for him to scout. He had come out to experiment with the Starry Sacrifice technique, hoping that by sacrificing the toad orb, he could replenish some of the mysterious energy stored within his brow.

Although he possessed the "Savage Charge" and "Hammer of World Destruction" skills, Shen Lie considered the mysterious energy in his brow to be his true trump card. Combined with his black spear, it was invincible and had saved him from peril countless times. To say nothing of the distant past, just look at the incident with the sedan chair in Dongfeng Town; had it not been for this mysterious energy, he would not be standing here today.

Therefore, in this life-or-death crisis, he had to push his strength to its absolute peak. Before the fighting began, he had to try this seemingly potent sacrificial ritual.

"Oh, look, isn't this our great King Shen? Where are you scurrying off to in such a panic?"

"Haha, don't tell me our King Shen is so terrified of the spider monsters that he’s planning to run away?"

"Looks like he’s about to wet his pants. Tsk tsk, a 'King'? Ha!"

Just as Shen Lie was about to slip away from the left flank of the line, a series of snide, disdainful voices filled with malice echoed around him.

Shen Lie frowned slightly. He recognized the voices—they belonged to the so-called Awakened Alliance, the core henchmen of Gu Chengfang. After their repeated failed attempts to recruit Professor Liu, the relationship between their armored vehicle squad and Gu Chengfang’s group had completely ruptured. Only because Professor Liu was a high-priority protectee of the military had Gu Chengfang refrained from causing trouble, allowing both parties to maintain a veneer of restraint.

Now that a crisis was upon them, these people could no longer contain themselves. Shen Lie glanced at the young man with a sharp, monkey-like face leading the group. His name was Zhao Jun, a water-attribute Awakened whose face resembled an ape and whose body was covered in short, coarse hair—a trait that earned him the nickname "Water Ape."

"Heh, I was wondering who it was. Turns out it's just a monkey. Haven't shaved in a few days? Are you hoping to gross out the spider monsters with that coat of fur?"

Zhao Jun was extremely sensitive about his body hair; Shen Lie’s retort struck a raw nerve. Instantly bristling, Zhao Jun raised his right hand as if to strike, but upon seeing the cold glint in Shen Lie’s eyes and the short hammer at his waist, he forced his aggression down.

Zhao Jun was well aware of Shen Lie's strength and knew he was no match for him. However, he also knew that Shen Lie would not dare to start a fight at such a critical moment. If he did, even the military wouldn't protect him, and it would be far too easy for the Awakened Alliance to deal with him later.

"Hmph, sharp tongue. Let’s see if you can even live to see tomorrow. I hope you're still this cocky in the morning!" Zhao Jun sneered, leading his men away to maintain order nearby. Only then did Shen Lie realize that this sector was the designated defensive zone for the Awakened Alliance.

Shen Lie offered a cold smile of his own and, with a few swift movements, vanished into the nearby overgrown wasteland. He dared not venture too far for fear of encountering spider monsters, so he found a concealed spot nearby and began the ritual.

The so-called "sacrifice" was actually quite simple: one only needed to lay out a sacrificial formation, place the sacrificial item at its center, and then activate it with an incantation.

It sounded simple, but the operation required some study. Time was of the essence, so Shen Lie couldn't afford to be meticulous; he began working as he thought. First, he cleared a patch of ground and took out five spider monster crystals from his pocket. These were his accumulated savings, and they served as the minimum energy source required to set up the sacrificial formation.

Indeed, for a sacrificial formation to function, it required a certain amount of energy. The information Shen Lie had absorbed emphasized this point. He was setting up the simplest form—not even a small one, but a micro-formation—which required five energy support points, and thus five energy sources. These sources could be objects or living Awakened individuals capable of emitting energy, but he could hardly go find five people to help him, so he had to grit his teeth and use these crystals.

The size of the formation was proportional to the grade of the sacrificial item. Shen Lie reckoned the toad orb wasn't of a very high grade, given the toad monster's own strength, so this minimal formation should suffice. In any case, it was the only one he was currently capable of setting up.

After placing the crystals in the required formation, Shen Lie took out the toad orb, holding it carefully as he prepared for the next step.

The process was not yet complete. To successfully activate the sacrificial formation, one needed an object to serve as the "eye" of the formation. The information noted that this item had to be a Star-artifact of the Starlight Race, and specifically a sacrificial-type Star-artifact.

Shen Lie wasn't entirely clear on what a Star-artifact was, but he was certain his black spear qualified. Since the original owner of the black blood was of the Starlight Race, the weapon they used couldn't possibly be from another race—though the black spear was not of the sacrificial type.

Naturally, Shen Lie had come prepared. The small token that held the Starry Sacrifice technique was itself a sacrificial Star-artifact, known as the "Sacrifice Token," and it was the absolute core of the ritual.

He placed the Sacrifice Token in the center of the five crystals, and the preparations were essentially done—so simple he could hardly believe it. However, this was not the final step; he still needed to use the mysterious energy—the Star Force—within his brow to trigger the token and initiate the start-up.

There was still some energy stored in the leaf mark. This was no time to be stingy. Without hesitation, Shen Lie channeled his Star Force, and an invisible thread of energy shot out from his brow, landing precisely on the Sacrifice Token on the ground.

The once-dull token began to glow the moment it was infused with Star Force. It hummed and vibrated, and as the intensity of the vibration increased, five beams of white light emanated from the token, striking the five crystals surrounding it.

The five crystals lit up simultaneously, each projecting a yellow pillar of light. All these pillars leaned slightly toward the center, converging above the token to form a circle of five points. At that moment, the token released a thicker beam of light that shot straight into the center of those five points, instantly forming a glowing disk.

Seeing this, Shen Lie’s eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he tossed the toad orb onto the disk. The orb shattered instantly, and it seemed as if energy was released from within, forming a mysterious resonance with the disk below. Then, to Shen Lie’s astonishment, it transformed into a brilliant pillar of light that shot directly into the void.