Chapter 254: Kaboom? Yes Xie Qing, Kaboom [II]

Xiao He waved his hand, standing before a wall deep within the imperial palace. Black smoke slipped from his hand and penetrated the wall, disappearing.Soon, a creaking sound was heard. The platform behind the wall slid to the side, revealing a hidden passage.

"Proceed," Xiao He said indifferently.

Despite their surprise, the elders did not dare to linger and instructed the disciples to quickly enter. Only when the last disciple entered the passage did Xiao He follow them.

Then the passage closed.

***

Flicker. Flicker. Flicker.

Lights began to ignite, illuminating their path. It was a long corridor, five meters wide and ten meters high. There was a smell of dampness, iron, and decay, as if it were some abandoned place.

However, none of the elders showed any sign of discomfort. Being sufficiently strong, they could understand that this was just a disguise. Knowing the truth did not change what they saw; they still saw stone walls covered in moss. Even the smell remained the same.

This was the power of Xiao He, who, besides being a renowned assassin, also possessed excellent skills in formations.

And so…

After twenty minutes, the group reached their destination. The disciples held their breath, sensing Negative Karma and something even more terrifying. Even the experienced elders felt suffocated.

The altar… was entirely made of blood, bones, and flesh of some strange creature. In the center were runes of unknown origin. The whole situation reeked of danger and something forbidden.

A stark contrast compared to what the Sect of Bone Circle had. This altar felt much more dangerous and powerful.

Gulp. The elders swallowed, feeling cold sweat trickle down their foreheads. At the same time, they were extremely excited. If they had undergone the ritual with this altar back then… perhaps they would be at a completely different level of cultivation now.

"Halt."

Suddenly, Xiao He's cold voice rang out, snapping the disciples and elders out of their thoughts.

"Eh?"

One of the disciples noticed that Xiao He had somehow moved in front of them. He looked at them with an indifferent expression and continued, ignoring the crowd's surprise.

"I have explained the rules. Enter one at a time, no more than one person. Those who have previously undergone the altar ceremony must turn back and leave, including the elders. That is all." Xiao He waved his hand, and a black wall with a single door appeared in front of the altar.

The elders exchanged glances and, after a moment of hesitation, decided to leave. Even after they left, Xiao He said nothing and merely looked coldly at the disciples.

"I made myself clear. Those who have undergone the altar ceremony must leave the room immediately. Are you deaf?" The man released his Qi, which immediately forced the guilty to their knees. Looking at about twenty people, Xiao He said coldly, "Get out. You are lucky that I am in a good mood today. However, the next time, the only result will be death.

Understood?"

"Y-yes…"

"S-sorry…"

"Please…"

The disciples could barely make a sound. Their bodies seemed to disobey them. Then Xiao He waved his hand, and a strong wind appeared, selectively blowing the lying disciples out.

Only then did he begin to let the disciples enter one by one.

The first disciple entered the room with obvious nervousness. Xiao He followed him. The door opened and closed by itself, as if it had a mind of its own.

Beside the altar, it was hard to breathe, and there was a feeling as if the blood was boiling. The gloomy atmosphere immediately gripped the disciple's heart, making him sweat as if in the summer heat. Xiao He merely glanced at him and then snapped his fingers.

Bwoo-woo-woo…

A vibrating sound with a hint of a horn echoed. Following this, the sound of boiling liquid was heard, and a small black drop, resembling blood, appeared in the center of the altar. As the disciple approached, suddenly!

The drop vibrated and then struck the disciple's forehead with great force. The impact sent him flying to the wall, and he coughed up blood… wait, that was too much blood!

Blood flowed from his mouth, not just in small drops, but in a stream, as if a dam had burst.

Soon, the disciple's skin began to turn white, then suddenly turned black with a hint of purple. Red veins covered most of his body.

"Hm…"

Xiao He let out a soft hum. The altar ceremony was cruel, harsh, and likely only ten out of so many would be able to live fully after this. Some might even die. There were high chances of becoming a mindless monster.

But if he could survive… then this disciple would reap the benefits. However…

"Failure," Xiao He muttered indifferently.

And in response to his voice, as if expressing its anger…

"Graaaa!"

The disciple suddenly grew in size and charged at Xiao He. With the same indifferent expression, Xiao He shook his head and sighed.

Pfu-u-u…

A light mist from his mouth quickly caught up with the giant, and at that moment…

BOOM!

The body of the disciple, who had turned into a monster, exploded into a thousand pieces! His remains hit the walls and, surprisingly, were absorbed by them! Blood flowed directly to the altar and, turning into steam, disappeared.

Xiao He shook his head. In any case, these disciples could at least serve some purpose – to give their blood to the altar, thereby strengthening it.

Then the second disciple entered. When he did not see his fellow disciple, a grimace of fear and doubt appeared on his face. However, he quickly regained his composure.

…of course, he felt no sympathy. It was more fear that he would share the fate of his predecessor. Xiao He did not care.

After twenty minutes…

"AAAAAAAAGH!"

A loud, desperate scream echoed as the disciple's body exploded. This time, he died almost instantly after receiving the black drop. Xiao He shook his head. Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

This scene repeated many times. The first batch of twenty people yielded the following results:

10 – dead (turned into monsters).

5 – exploded.

5 – survived but lost their minds.

Overall, it was not very encouraging. Xiao He shook his head. He was already getting tired because almost none of the disciples met the criteria. In the end, it was a waste of resources.

And then, the next batch… a successful disciple appeared.

"Congratulations," Xiao He said, glancing at the disciple who had instantly broken through to the ninth stage of Soul Integration, having previously been at the first stage. "Now you possess decent talent. You might be of some use."

Although Xiao He's tone was as cold as ice, his words were impressive enough for the disciple, who bowed politely and left with an excited expression.

Following him, another disciple entered. He stood out for being tall – almost two meters in height. His eyes were sharp, and his gaze was cold and calculating. He had a muscular build and a decent appearance.

"I greet you," the disciple said, then approached the altar.

Xiao He said nothing and raised his hand to activate the altar, but…

"Hm?"

He suddenly stopped. His gaze shifted to the disciple, who looked at him in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" the disciple asked.

Xiao He narrowed his eyes. For some reason, his sixth sense was screaming danger. Therefore, he immediately activated all his power and…

BOOM!

A deafening explosion sounded. The floor cracked, and the walls shook. Xiao He gritted his teeth, looking at the disciple in front of him. He had been… deceived!

"Who are you?!"

"Hahaha…" Laughter echoed from the cloud of dust. "Who am I? I don't know, ask your mother or your sisters… they should know 'very well' who I am, son."

"What?..." Xiao He frowned.

Spy! That was the only word that came to Xiao He's mind. There was a spy among the disciples! But how was that possible?

"Tsk."

From the cloud of dust came an annoyed clicking of the tongue. Immediately afterward, a whirlwind swept the dust away, revealing the disciple with blood trickling from the corners of his mouth.

"A cultivator of the third stage of Divine Transformation with the Law of Darkness. An impressive opponent," a calm, hoarse voice sounded.

"You are quite bold to have blocked my strike instead of dodging," Xiao He calmly replied, narrowing his eyes. "I'll ask again. Who the hell are you? And how did you manage to hide from my Divine Sense?"

The unknown person, disguised as a disciple, smiled faintly.

"Where you learned, I taught."

Xiao He's eyes flashed with irritation. He felt a slight annoyance. This guy had a foul mouth.

"You are either fearless or stupid. I think the latter suits you better," Xiao He finally said after a moment, scoffing. "But no matter. I will help you gain the manners your parents or Master failed to instill in you."

"You are either dumb or smart as fuck. If you're so tough, why don't you try to kill me? Or you got no balls?