Chapter 635 - Is There Something Wrong?
Everyone fell silent upon hearing Emperor Yi Deng announce the commencement of the Holy Disciple Nomination Ceremony.
This was the holiest moment of the ceremony. If they were to continue chit-chatting, then what awaited them would be the deadly fist of Emperor Yi Deng.
“Next, please cordially invite the Blood Patriarch to nominate the Holy Disciple of the next generation!” Emperor Yi Deng wore a solemn expression as he spoke.
The Dao Integration Stage Blood Tribe cultivator in the sky retrieved a drop of jet-black blood from a black vial.
Once this drop of blood appeared, a terrifying aura surged into the surroundings. It was as if the sky were about to be crushed, and every member of the Blood Tribe felt as if there were an invincible being gazing down upon them. This was the stifling pressure possessed by a primordial bloodline; this was the stifling pressure of an invincible cultivation base. This profound power caused them to bow their heads deeply, and none of them had the courage to raise their heads.
That was without a doubt the Blood Patriarch’s blood!
“Go!” The mighty figure standing amid the bloody swirl flicked his finger, and the drop of blood belonging to the Blood Patriarch flew toward the glassy statue resting on the mountaintop. The drop of blood eventually fused into the area between the male’s brows.
Boom!
There was a slight tremor, and a peculiar aura started emanating outwards.
The crushing pressure exuded by the bloodline started to disappear, and everyone present immediately felt as if a huge load had been taken off their shoulders.
They gazed up at the statue of the Blood Patriarch. To their surprise, it looked as though the statue had come to life, with a rich sense of vitality currently radiating from it.
“Yi Deng beseeches Blood Patriarch to nominate the Holy Disciple of the next generation!” Emperor Yi Deng bowed deeply as he spoke.
The thirty-six Return to Void Stage cultivators all sliced open their fingers in unison. A drop of their blood suspended in mid-air and awaited the Blood Patriarch’s decision.
The tens of thousands of black-robed Blood Tribe cultivators all gazed at the divine mountain with bated breath.
Most of the Blood Tribe cultivators focused their attention on Adah and Laden’s blood. They wanted to see which one of them was going to receive the acknowledgment of the Blood Patriarch.
That’s right, the individual whose blood was chosen by the Blood Patriarch would become the next Holy Disciple!
What about the Holy Disciple of the previous generation you ask? He was none other than the Dao Integration Stage cultivator who was standing amid the bloody swirl—Emperor An Mang. Ten thousand years had already passed since he was nominated as the Holy Disciple. With such a long time between nomination ceremonies, it was abundantly clear just how lofty the status of the Holy Disciple was.
The next generation of the Holy Disciple was very likely going to become the Blood Tribe’s next Dao Integration Stage cultivator!
And this Holy Disciple was going to be one of Laden or Adah!
The red-glazed statue moved. Although its movements were very slow, they captured the attention of everyone present. Even supreme beings such as Emperor Yi Deng were nervous as they watched the statue.
The Blood Patriarch raised the skull in his hand and pointed it toward a certain direction.
Laden took a deep breath upon seeing this. Although his face was a picture of calm, his mind was already screaming in joy.
A look of disappointment flashed across Adah’s face, and she sighed softly.
She and Laden stood at opposite ends of the group of candidates. Right now, the skull was pointing in Laden’s direction.
The tens of thousands of spectating Blood Tribe cultivators all wore different expressions. Some had looks of jubilation, while others had looks of lament. There were also some who were sighing in grief and frustration. Needless to say, everything had been settled now.
A flash of red flitted across the skull, and a drop of blood was attracted toward it.
However, before Laden could even smile victoriously, the scene that played out before him caused him to widen his eyes and mouth in shock and disbelief.
The expressions of the tens of thousands of Blood Tribe cultivators were also frozen. It was as if they had seen a ghost and were stunned silly.
Three drops of blood slowly flew toward the statue of the Blood Patriarch and eventually landed in his mouth.
A satisfied look appeared on the statue’s face, and it even smacked its lips. Then, it slowly lowered the skull and returned back to its initial position.
Emperor Yi Deng was a bit dumbfounded. Emperor An Mang, who was still standing amid the bloody swirl, was also a bit dumbfounded.
Adah’s eyes were wide with shock as she turned her gaze toward a certain direction. It wasn’t Laden that she was looking at, rather, it was the three people that were standing behind him.
Not only her, but the rest of the red-robed as well as the black-robed cultivators also turned their gazes toward a certain location. Their faces were filled with shock and incredulity.
The three Blood Tribe cultivators who were at the center of attention found the turn of events to be absurd and unfathomable.
The three nominated individuals were none other than Cassidy, Merlin, and Tobias! They had all thought that they were merely here to make up the numbers. Why did something like this happen?
Laden’s breathing became labored as he glanced at the three people behind him, and he was unable to maintain his composure any longer. “How is it that you guys… W-what on earth is going on?!”
The strength of these three individuals merely ranked in the upper quartile of the supreme beings present. Only Tobias had a sliver of a chance of being nominated by the Blood Patriarch to become the next Holy Disciple.
However… the drops of blood of these three individuals were absorbed by the Blood Patriarch at the same time… Who could tell him what the f*ck was going on?!
A profound red glow suddenly burst out from Emperor Yi Deng’s eyes, and his gaze scoured over every inch of space within a fifty-kilometer radius. However, he didn’t discover any abnormality.
A pitch-black and profound eye appeared on the back of Emperor An Mang’s hand, and this eye carefully scrutinized the statue of the Blood Patriarch. However, he didn’t discover any abnormality either.
The surroundings fell into an uncanny silence.
“Is there… something wrong?” Emperor Yi Deng suddenly speculated. “After all, there’s no previous case of three drops of blood being acknowledged by the Blood Patriarch.”
He appeared to be speaking to Emperor An Mang, yet it also felt like he was speaking to the tens of thousands of Blood Tribe cultivators present. His words represented his view as well as his attitude.
He was unable to accept this result. The power and resources bestowed upon the Holy Disciple were tremendous. How could they allow three individuals to obtain these at the same time?!
“I feel like this might be an aberration. We can repeat the nomination ceremony again!” Emperor Yi Deng finally spoke his thoughts.
As Cassidy and the others came to their senses, a feeling of anger welled up in their hearts. However, they didn’t dare to let their dissatisfaction show. After all, their standing was below Emperor Yi Deng, and they could only comply with his demands.
The black-robed Blood Tribe cultivators didn’t find this suggestion strange. At most, they were feeling a little shocked.
However, the red-robed cultivators, especially those who were more powerful than Merlin, all voiced their approval at Emperor Yi Deng’s suggestion.
Flickers of hope were ignited in their hearts. If even Merlin, a cultivator of the Return to Void Initial Stage, could be chosen as a Holy Disciple, then why couldn’t they?
Perhaps… this was a chance!
A look of hesitation appeared across Emperor An Mang’s face. “But the Blood Patriarch’s blood is extremely valuable. The price of holding another nomination ceremony is huge…”
“I’ll compensate for the cost of the Blood Patriarch’s blood!” Emperor Yi Deng gritted his teeth as he came to a decision.
After saying this, Emperor Yi Deng looked toward Laden in encouragement.
This was fatherly love!
Laden was extremely moved. This is what a good father is like… I definitely won’t disappoint you!