Volume One: The Young Meet in the Humble Times Chapter 100: The Sacrifice Begins

Li Yan had been pondering the matters he had heard that seemed vitally important to the Li family. How was he supposed to face Li Xiyan after returning home? Just as worry clouded his thoughts, he heard Li Yu’s words.

At first he could not comprehend them, but after a brief moment it dawned on him what Li Yu truly intended. It would grant him a path to survival, so that upon returning to the Li family he would not face targeting from Li Xiyan. It would also bind him closely to Li Xiyan, so the rumors he had heard today about matters in the Li family would not hinder Li Xiyan’s upcoming investigations.

In truth there was a third point he did not understand. Li Xiyan and Li Yu both knew that only by completely binding Li Yan to their side could the death of Li Xiqing and the ensuing bloody storm that the Li family might unleash be thoroughly concealed from him. Yet Li Xiyan was even more curious. Given Li Yu’s repeated worries, he must have regarded Li Yan as the sole variable. With his masterful schemes and ability to manipulate minds, how could he not realize that only dead men could eternally guard secrets!

He merely felt a trace of curiosity about this, but in the days to come when they would meet again he came to realize that Li Yu still harbored kindness in his heart. In Li Yu’s eyes Li Yan was innocent and thus should not die! Even if he might become their variable later, that was for the future. Since he had done nothing wrong now, there was no justification to kill him.

Thus the cooperation between Li Yu and Li Xiyan was solidified.

Li Xiyan concealed Li Xiqing’s death for Li Yu, attributing it entirely to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect. Li Yu then fully revealed one matter behind the Li family to Li Xiyan and promised to provide additional clues at the right time.

When they had settled everything, the sky had already darkened, with winds whipping across the sea and clouds churning violently. The sea surface raged with monstrous waves, while the sky loomed heavy and oppressive, as if ready to collapse upon them, merging the vast sea into one. In the heart of Tianmen Town a blinding light soared into the sky, piercing the dark expanse, and then a brilliant formation ignited in the heavens. The light converged upon a single point, shooting toward the southeast sea where Li Yu and the others stood.

A low buzz echoed. A crystal-clear, transparent yet ancient and majestic door materialized out of thin air above the sea, beneath the sky.

In truth, during the tense exchanges between Li Yu and Li Xiqing’s group, the central square of Tianmen Town had already teemed with people.

They were unaware that the so-called talent selection conference was actually a sacrifice selection, and the supposed blessing prayer was a sacrificial rite. They believed their good fortune had finally arrived, a chance to escape a sea-bound existence where the horizon was endless water, mirroring the dullness of their lives, seeing only to the end without zest.

The Shen couple escorted Shen Tang to the square’s center. They had no other choice but to comply. Originally Shen uncle had opposed Shen Tang coming, but Shen Tang insisted, saying at least let her accompany her parents for their final journey. They suppressed their tears, striving not to reveal their grief—one reason was to ease the other party’s mind, the other to avoid causing trouble for Li Yu. In the minds of the high-ranking figures Tianmen Town’s residents were ignorant of this. If the Shen family’s sorrow was exposed, uncovering the final veil of shame, and someone investigated Shen Tang for it, whether or not they could uncover Li Yu’s involvement, it would not bode well for Shen Tang.

The Shen parents reasoned thus: since they were fated to die, why burden the living?

This time outsiders had gathered at Tianmen Town, witnessing history’s birth. If successful, it would be a grand chapter in the cultivation world.

The Tianmen Town people gazed at the arrivals of all outsiders. Those chosen surged with emotion, envisioning themselves as part of it, their anticipation like endless rivers. The unselected were divided into separate areas from the chosen. Shen Tang gazed reluctantly at her parents positioned near the stone tablet, tears finally spilling.

Others wondered why she wept, thinking this was a good thing, what was she contemplating?

Among the selected, roughly one-third of Tianmen Town’s populace, save Shen Tang’s family, were mostly entire families. This was only belatedly realized after the selection. The two-thirds unselected pondered where their clan had gone wrong—were their ancestors not from Tianmen Town but outsiders, or did they lack virtue, confined here by Tianmen Town, dooming their descendants?

From the day they learned they were unselected, they blamed heaven and man, resentment peaking with three words circling their minds: why?

Under the chosen’s anticipation, Elder Huang of Yin Mountain Sect stepped forward, gripping her staff and chanting. After a stick of incense, layers of light emanated from the stone tablet.

A sacrificial formation, employing the nine palaces and thirteen days arrangement, had been erected nearby by outsiders, realigning the positions of the Life-Giver of the Southern Dipper and the Death-Bestower of the Northern Dipper, using Tianmen Town residents’ life force as offering to open the sealing array.

After Elder Huang’s rite, everyone anticipated a blessing, but their bodies stiffened, losing mobility. Initially they mistook it for a gift, but upon checking neighbors, realized the anomaly. All began to fade, flesh, essence, souls turning to light streaming to the stone tablet, nourishing it. Slow, until consciousness fully merged, then panic, fear, sorrow. Realization dawned: Tianmen Town’s selection was a deception by outsiders.

No regrets left.

Tianmen Town had sacrificed one-third of the population in this rite, including families Li Yu knew, who had anticipated the trap. They bore only helpless sorrow, no righteous fury at betrayal. Knowing it changed nothing; how could they challenge absolute power? In absolute strength, compromise alone.

As Shen Tang watched her parents vanishing, yearning to charge, a large hand steadied her. Turning, it was Jiang Dafeng.

“Brother Jiang, release me! I must find my parents!”

Jiang Dafeng’s eyes reddened: “Going to die? Forget your parents’ hopes? They fear not death, but you dying with them.”

She calmed.

No more rushing, she fixed her gaze on her parents, etching their final image in memory.

The unselected gaped in shock at the silent slaughter unfolding, more devastating than any rebellion. The Shen couple exchanged looks, no more tears, but smiles of release and happiness. Silent understanding: with you through the last road, I’m blessed!

Finally, all turned to light, flying into the stone tablet. The square, save unselected and high-platform cultivators, emptied.

Soon, brilliant light from the stone pierced clouds to the heavens. A golden array manifested above, shrinking to a ray flying to the horizon like fireworks, blooming a transparent yet ancient door over the sea.

Zhou Ce was absent. Post-selection, when Shen Xun was taken, Zhou Ce was also brought to the city lord’s manor and confined there. Worried for Shen Tang, he sought to bring her too, but was denied.

He knew the cultivators’ intent for Tianmen Town, yet could do nothing.

When lights surged from the square, he knew the sacrifice had begun. Seeing the formation appear in the sky, he knew the sacrifice had ended. When that thick door appeared, he felt a heavy suppression, and he knew those people’s purpose had finally been achieved.

Zhang Helun was not there. Zhou Ce looked at him and asked, “Uncle Zhang, is it over?”

Zhang Helun replied, “Finished? It’s just beginning!”

Zhou Ce did not understand. Had the Tianmen already opened, could there be other variables? Wasn’t the next thing them rushing to enter the Tianmen?

Zhang Helun eyed him: “This is something you have to ask your friend’s master if he agrees or not.”

Then he sealed Zhou Ce in the room and appeared in another room of the city lord’s manor.

That was the core of the city lord’s mansion, also the core of the entire Tianmen Town. On the ground of the room was placed a formation disk carved from obsidian, occupying almost the entire room area.

Zhang Helun took out the array core managed by past city lords, inserted it into the pivot position, and in an instant the entire formation disk shone. He softly said, “Daoist Lin, forgive me, I have no choice, as you have none.”