Chapter 317 - Day of the Ritual (1/2)
Originally, there were supposed to be two beneficiaries for the ritual that Master Dongran had painstakingly planned for.
Leader of the Blazing Wings, Blazing Dragon or Master Dongran.
As well as the emissary from the Radiant Raven Sect, Zuomin Ta.
Since Master Dongran had mistaken him for the emissary from the Radiant Raven Sect, Lu Tianzi decided that he might as well go along with the flow, taking over Zuomin Ta's position as one of the beneficiaries.
But if he was already taking the place of Zuomin Ta, why not go all the way and replace Master Dongran with Nanlan Qianxue as well?
This was a ritual that was supposed to boost Master Dongran to the Fifth Origin Cycle, possibly even to breaking him to the very edge of breaking through to the Sixth Origin Cycle.
For an Essence Condensation realm martial artist like Nanlan Qianxue, this was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Of course, it was not that easy to simply swap out Master Dongran.
In Zuomin Ta's case, nobody here knew of his true identity. On top of that, he was even foolish enough to confront Lu Tianzi in the wilderness, allowing Lu Tianzi to take both his life and his identity with no one being any the wiser.
However, there was no way that Master Dongran would make the same mistake.
Even if Master Dongran did confront Lu Tianzi in the wilderness, Lu Tianzi could not just take him out if he wanted to go ahead with the plan.
That was simply because he had no way of assuming Blazing Dragon's identity.
Without Blazing Dragon taking the lead, it was unlikely that Aged Crow or the other members of the Blazing Wings would be willing to listen to him at all.
And without their willingness to cooperate, the ritual could not be activated.
Therefore, Lu Tianzi had no choice but to cooperate with Blazing Dragon, at least up till the point where the ritual was successfully activated.
The moment the ritual was activated, however, it shall be the moment to strike!
***
Lu Tianzi stood under the moonlight, his gaze landing upon the mansion in the distance.
This is the day.
It had already been an entire day since he met Blazing Dragon. Now, he had returned to the Blazing Wings' base to see things through to the end.
Huuu-!
Lu Tianzi let out a long breath before continuing up the barren hill.
As he did, Lu Tianzi cautiously spread his perception in all directions.
This might be a location near to Bog Town, but that was just relatively speaking. The Blazing Wings certainly would not build their secret base right outside the town or they would just be inviting trouble.
Lu Tianzi let out a faint smile.
Apart from the large group of people up at the mansion, there were also a few other groups hiding nearby.
From the looks of it, the bounty that had been placed on the leaders of the Blazing Wings had managed to draw in quite a few ambitious characters as well.
Fortunately, none of them were at the Origin Core realm, so Lu Tianzi need not worry about them too much.
It appeared that the town lord and the noble families were clueless about the significance of today.
How amusing would it be if they were to suddenly awaken to a sacrificial ritual drawing away their life essence?
Lu Tianzi continued up the hill, taking each step slowly but firmly.
When he reached the top, Lu Tianzi was greeted by a spectacular sight.
With the mansion as the backdrop, probably more than a thousand masked townsmen were gathered in a huge clearing.
Five gigantic Sky Crystals lit up the place, one positioned in the centre of the clearing while the other four stood at each of the corners. A wooden stage had been constructed, with two familiar masked men standing on top.
They were none other than Blazing Dragon and Aged Crow.
Below, the thousand masked townsmen were roaring at the top of their voices, riled up by Aged Crow's speech.
”We need a change!”
”We need a change!”
”We need a change!”
Upon sensing Lu Tianzi's arrival, Blazing Dragon signalled to Aged Crow, who raised a hand into the air.
Understanding what Aged Crow meant, the crowd quietened down immediately.
”And now, let us all welcome the person who will help us set everything right!” Aged Crow yelled. ”Let us open a way and welcome White Griffin, the honourary emissary from the Radiant Raven Sect!”
Thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd as they parted, opening up a clean path leading from the stage to where Lu Tianzi was standing.
”White Griffin, you are finally here!” Bald Falcon hurried forward to greet him. ”We have been waiting for you!”
Lu Tianzi nodded in response before following Aged Crow down the open path, entering the stage in a spectacular fashion.
”White Griffin,” the masked Master Dongran clasped his fist towards Lu Tianzi.
”Blazing Dragon,” Lu Tianzi returned the greeting.
After which, Master Dongran nodded towards Aged Crow, who turned back towards the crowds.
”Now then, as I have said earlier, today is a special day for us,” Aged Crow started. ”Today will mark the true start of our revolution, our movement to free Bog Town from those evil and depraved noble families who aren't noble at all in any meaning of the word! We will no longer just spread awareness. We shall start taking action!”
Cheers from the crowds once more.
”Is everything in place?” Lu Tianzi sent a voice conveyance to Master Dongran without turning away from the crowd.
”Don't worry, everything is nicely set. Now, we just need to start the final act,” Master Dongran answered.
”Good.”
”To commemorate this day, let's all offer a drop of blood to the land,” Aged Crow shouted with fervour while raising his thumb into the air. ”With the marking of our blood, this place shall be known as the start of the revolution. With the marking of our blood, this place shall be the holy land of change. And with the marking of our blood, we will no longer be just comrades in arms, but family who will have each other's backs in the fighting that is to come!”
The crowds seemed to have entered a state of trance, their cheers just came ceaselessly.
Going with the momentum, Aged Crow bit hard on his thumb and let a drop of blood fall to the ground.
”With this, I prove my allegiance to the Blazing Wings!” Aged Crow yelled.
”With this, I prove my allegiance to the Blazing Wings!” the crowd echoed, mimicking his actions to let a drop of blood fall to the ground.
”Hahaha! Very well!” Master Dongran laughed heartily. ”And I shall gladly accept all of you as part of the Blazing Wings, as a part of me!”
The crowds roared, and the five Sky Crystals' dim glow quickly grew in intensity, masking the dim emblem of light that had started to appear on the ground.