644: Chapter 634 Senichi (9)

The Life Pattern was still flowing.

Strand by strand, it was pulled from beneath the skin of the Chishan Tribe members, transforming into crimson-gold threads that flowed endlessly toward the depths of the Sacrificial Mountain along those Seal chains.

Some began to scream. Ah Lie knelt on the ground, the Life Pattern on his forehead dimming at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He looked up at the figure at the highest point of the sacrificial steps.

"What have you done!"

"You promised it was just suppression!"

"Why are you still draining our Life Pattern!"

"The Superior One" stood in place, hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, as if watching a group of ants struggle.

He did not answer.

Nor did he stop.

The chains continued to tighten.

The Life Pattern continued to flow.

More people fell.

An old man collapsed directly onto the sacrificial steps, wrinkles rapidly spreading across his face, his hair turning mostly white within a few breaths.

A child was held in its mother's arms, its small face deathly pale, the faint Life Pattern on its forehead completely extinguished.

The mother desperately patted the child's face, calling its name over and over.

But the child did not respond.

Ah Ye rushed up.

"What are you!"

He held the crimson-gold bow, an arrow nocked on the string, aiming at "The Superior One"'s chest.

But before the bow could be fully drawn, the Life Pattern on his wrist jumped violently. His entire body felt as if its strength had been drained; his knees went weak, and he fell directly to the ground.

Ah Ye lay on the stone slab, his hands trembling, still trying to crawl forward.

"You are not The Superior One."

He gritted his teeth, his eyes red.

"The Superior One would not kill us."

"The Superior One" finally lowered his head and glanced at him.

"Who told you that I am The Superior One?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire sacrificial steps fell silent.

"The Superior One"'s mouth twitched slightly, carrying a hint of mockery.

"Your Superior One."

"Died long ago."

Died.

There was silence on the sacrificial steps.

Some opened their mouths but could make no sound.

Some knelt there, their entire beings as if hollowed out.

Ah Lie's face turned from red to white, then from white to gray.

"Impossible."

His voice was hoarse.

"You said before that you were The Superior One."

"You said it yourself."

"The Superior One" looked at him, his expression filled with undisguised contempt.

"I only said that The Superior One you were looking for is me."

"I did not say that I am your Superior One."

Ah Lie was stunned.

Sang He stood in the middle of the sacrificial steps, his face pale and bloodless.

"Then who are you?"

"The Superior One" turned around, facing the Nine Mountains.

"Me?"

He raised his hand, and those Life Pattern chains were as obedient in his palm as the strings of a marionette.

"Someone who accidentally obtained your Superior One's relic."

As these words fell, the expressions of the Chishan Tribe members changed again.

It was no longer shock.

It was anger.

It was the rage of being fooled to the extreme.

"A relic?"

Ah Lie struggled to climb up, his face covered in blood, not knowing where he had been cut.

"You dare to impersonate The Superior One relying on a single relic?"

"You tricked us into performing the Sacrificial Mountain!"

"You tricked us into offering our Life Pattern!"

"What kind of thing are you!"

Curses burst from his mouth, filled with hatred.

The other tribesmen also exploded.

"Liar!"

"Kill him!"

"He is harming us!"

"He is not The Superior One at all!"

But despite the cursing, no one could stand up.

The Life Pattern was still being drained.

They had almost no strength left to even take a step.

"The Superior One" listened to these curses, his face showing not the slightest ripple.

He didn't even turn back.

"Do you think cursing me is useful?"

His tone was flat, as if stating a fact.

"The relic I obtained is the Death Origin left behind by the 'Superior One' you speak of."

"It is not just an Origin fragment, but a key."

"The key contains the location of this incomplete Dao field, as well as the whereabouts of this Innate creature."

He turned around and looked at the Chishan Tribe members, his eyes finally revealing his true intentions.

"Why do you think I came to such a broken place?"

His mouth curled with mockery.

"If not for the Innate creature, would a mere broken little realm be worthy of my personal descent?"

A broken little realm.

Worthy.

Chi Li stood on the side of the sacrificial steps, having remained silent all along.

He leaned against a stone pillar; the cyan-gold Life Pattern on his arm shone brighter than anyone else's, but it was also being drained faster than anyone else's.

His face was deathly pale, his lips pressed tightly together, but his eyes still held that cold, hard calmness.

"The Superior One"'s gaze landed on him.

"You are quite quiet."

Chi Li looked at him.

"What is there to fuss about."

"I have seen plenty of people like you."

"The Superior One" raised an eyebrow, seemingly interested.

"You have?"

Chi Li didn't take the bait, only lowering his head to look at his own Life Pattern, which was detaching.

"If you're done talking, do it."

"Stop the nonsense."

"The Superior One" chuckled and ignored him further.

"You have guarded this place for generations, thinking you were performing the Sacrificial Mountain, suppressing the Phoenix, and protecting the ancestral lineage."

"But you have never thought about what the relationship between you and the Nine-Headed Phoenix actually is."

Ah Lie gritted his teeth.

"What relationship?"

"The Superior One"'s voice slowed down.

"You are not jailers."

"You are Totem Guardians."

"Totem... Guardians?"

"What does that mean?"

"The Superior One" took a step forward, the crimson-gold chains spreading out behind him.

"The so-called Life Pattern is not just a chain."

"It is also a Totem brand."

"Your clan is essentially the Totem Guardian lineage of the Innate creature, the Nine-Headed Phoenix."

"For generations, you thought you were suppressing the Phoenix."

"In reality, you were also protecting the continuation of the Nine-Headed Phoenix's final Origin."

"Without you, the Nine-Headed Phoenix's Origin would dissipate."

"Without the feedback of the Nine-Headed Phoenix's Origin, you would not be able to live either."

"You are symbiotic."

The eyes of the Chishan Tribe members changed.

Some sat blankly on the ground, muttering to themselves.

"Symbiotic..."

"We and that thing are symbiotic?"

Someone suddenly realized something, their face turning deathly pale.

"Then if it dies, we must die too?"

"If the Life Pattern is drained, how can it still live?"

"And what about us?"

Fear welled up beneath the anger.

This fear was deeper than all previous fears combined.

Because they finally realized that "The Superior One" was not just harming them.

"The Superior One" was killing them along with the Nine-Headed Phoenix.

"The Superior One" looked at everyone's reaction, finally showing some satisfaction.

"Finally realized it."

He raised his hand, and the Life Pattern chains tightened further.

"Your Life Pattern is connected to two core Origins of the Nine-Headed Phoenix."

"One represents Nirvana and rebirth, which is 'Death'."

"One represents endless life, which is 'Life'."

"Your Superior One, through long years and the Life Pattern system, had already extracted the 'Death' Origin."

"That is the relic in my hand."

He flipped his palm, and a ball of dark golden light emerged.

Death Origin.

"Only the last step remains."

His voice lowered, unable to hide his excitement.

"Life Origin."

"And the clue to the Life Origin."

His gaze slowly turned to Chi Li.

"Is right on him."

Chi Li's body stiffened.

He looked up and saw those eyes staring at him.

The next instant, the Life Pattern chains tightened violently, all winding toward Chi Li.

Chi Li groaned, his knees hitting the stone slab.

The cyan-gold Life Pattern on his forehead throbbed violently, as if something was about to be forcibly ripped from deep within his body.

"Chi Li!"

Ah Lie shouted, but he couldn't even crawl himself.

The Elder Ji leaned on his black wooden staff, his hands trembling, his lips moving, but he couldn't say a word.

Deep within the Sacrificial Mountain, the core of the Nine-Headed Phoenix's Seal shook violently.

The cyan-gold Life Pattern within Chi Li resonated with the Seal.

A faint wisp of cyan-gold light floated up from his chest, carrying a pure, extreme vitality.

Life Origin.

It was really hooked out.

The moment "The Superior One" saw that wisp of light, his eyes lit up.

He reached out his hand, intending to grab it.

"Finally."

His voice was trembling.

"The Death and Life Origins are gathered together."

"The Innate creature, the Nine-Headed Phoenix, will be mine."

"Returning to the sect, with this, the position of true disciple will no longer be a dream."

"The entire Yaochi Immortal Sect will have to look at me with respect."

His hand had touched that wisp of cyan-gold light.

Just as his fingertips touched it.

An unexpected change occurred.

That wisp of Life Origin did not merge into his palm following his power.

Instead, like a snake coming to life, it suddenly coiled back, wrapping around his wrist.

"What?"

His expression changed abruptly.

The Life Origin began to devour him.

Devouring his immortal power.

Devouring his life force.

Devouring his Life Pattern fluctuations.

"No—"

"What is happening!"

He frantically urged his power to suppress it.

But the more he urged it, the faster he was devoured.

His originally composed face finally revealed panic at this moment.

True panic.

"Impossible!"

"The Death Origin is in my hand!"

"I am the controller!"

"How dare it backfire on me!"

He struggled desperately, his expression finally twisted.

The Chishan Tribe members watched this scene, all stunned.

But what shocked everyone even more was that after the Life Origin devoured him, it did not dissipate.

It was transmitting.

The direction of transmission was not to Chi Li, nor to "The Superior One" himself.

It was to the Elder Ji.

Everyone saw it.

That wisp of cyan-gold light, after being forcibly extracted from "The Superior One"'s body, turned into an extremely thin line of light, crossed half the sacrificial steps, and landed on the Elder Ji.

The black wooden staff in the Elder Ji's hand shook gently.

The crimson-gold mark on his forehead, which had been dim for too long, suddenly lit up at this moment.

It was not crimson-gold.

It was cyan-gold.

Exactly the same as Chi Li's.

Everyone was stunned.

Ah Lie was stunned.

Sang He was stunned.

Chi Li also suddenly looked up, his pupils contracting.

"The Superior One" even lost his voice.

"You..."

The Elder Ji slowly raised his head.

His eyes changed.

No longer that stooped, trembling old man leaning on a staff.

No longer that kind, silent elder of the clan who would only say "Stop fussing."

In his eyes, something that had been suppressed for too long was finally released.

He looked at the struggling "Superior One" and curled his lip.

"An ant, daring to covet an Innate creature."

"The Superior One"'s face was drained of all color, the Life Origin still frantically devouring him, and he could no longer even stand steadily.

But he still struggled to raise his head and look at the Elder Ji.

"You... who exactly are you!"

"You cannot just be an Elder Ji!"

"You have been plotting against me from the very beginning!" "You—"

The Elder Ji did not let him finish.

He raised his hand and pressed down gently.

The man's mouth was still open, but his voice was as if choked off, unable to make another sound.

The Elder Ji withdrew his hand and looked down at him, as if looking at an insect that had lost its value.

Then, he turned around.

Facing all the tribesmen of the Chishan Tribe.

Those who were kneeling on the ground, collapsed on the ground, and crying while trembling all over, all looked up at him.

As if seeing him for the first time.

The Elder Ji's lips moved. The voice was not loud, but it fell clearly into the heart of everyone.

"I am The Superior One you have worshipped for generations."

"The Superior One Qingxu."