Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 69 Baptism of the Beast God
Ling Xuan carefully examined the nine beast god statues, hoping to glean some insight into the essence of the beast gods or a method for fusing with the laws.

No matter how hard Ling Xuan tried to comprehend it, he couldn't glean anything from the beast god statue other than something inanimate.

It's as if these statues were truly carved for worship.

But Ling Xuan was not discouraged. He felt that this time, because of the distance during the worship, he had not been able to properly comprehend the secret patterns on it.

"Let's go." Zhebie led Ling Xuan away and arranged a place for him to stay. "If you encounter any difficulties in your cultivation, you can come and see me. I'll stay over there."

Over the next three years, Ling Xuan successfully absorbed the fifth Blood Crystal by modifying his body with the baleful energy. His body was indeed very suitable for absorbing this Blood Crystal.

Having been in this Blood Luo World for four years, only Feng Lishuang and Leng Yanqiu have successfully fused one, while Ren Yaoli, an illusionist, hasn't fused a single one.

Today, Ling Xuan has finally ushered in the day of the Beast God's baptism that he has been looking forward to for so long.

As the first rays of dawn pierced through the thick clouds, Jebe arrived at Lingxuan's residence.

"Let's go. Today is the day you receive the Beast God's baptism. Don't be nervous. Just feel the power of the Beast God with your whole heart."

The two walked together toward the core area of ​​the Immortal Temple.

When they arrived at a huge circular plaza, a large crowd had already gathered there.

These people, some with tense expressions and others with fervent eyes, were all waiting for this sacred moment to arrive.

In the very center of the square, a huge blood pool emits a misty haze. The pool is carved from a single piece of blood-red boulder, and its walls are covered with ancient and mysterious runes.

The secret runes shimmered with a faint light, echoing the liquid in the blood pool.

Around the blood pool stood nine golden beast god statues, the same nine that were enshrined in the temple.

They were carefully transported here, each exuding a unique aura, as if guarding this baptism.

The liquid in this blood pool is not the blood of the Beast God, but a medicinal liquid formed by the blending of countless precious materials over a long period of time and the infusion of the power of the Beast God statue.

Its contained energy is enough to help those who receive baptism to further explore their own potential to fuse with the Blood Crystal, making it more useful than the blood mist in the ancient god ruins.

"Woo~Woo~"

As a deep horn sounded, the square fell silent instantly.

An elderly man dressed in a simple robe slowly walked forward. His face was somewhat weathered, but his eyes revealed profound wisdom.

"Today, many will receive the baptism of the Beast God. May the power of the Beast God protect you, and may you, under the blessing of the Beast God, merge with more of the Beast God's power and become devout believers of the Beast God."

The old man's voice was deep and resonant, as if it came from ancient times.

Ling Xuan took a deep breath and walked steadily toward the blood pool with the others who were being baptized.

Standing at the edge of the blood pool, he could clearly feel the surging energy and dense baleful aura emanating from the medicinal liquid within. However, this baleful aura was different from the baleful aura in the ruins of the ancient god; it lacked the will to kill.

No wonder it's called a precious baptism that happens only once every three thousand years; indeed, those malevolent energies are far more powerful.

Unfortunately, this baptism can only be performed once per person. Too many times will result in side effects, such as being assimilated by the Beast God and becoming a wild beast, unless one can comprehend the Beast God's intent and break free from this influence.

He was the first to step into the blood pool, and then the others followed suit.

The moment the liquid filled his body, Ling Xuan felt a torrent of scalding energy rush into his body through his pores, like thousands of liquid runes running through his skin.

He circulated the power of Bloodlust, attempting to guide this energy into his meridians for absorption, but found that the power in the medicinal liquid was like a living thing, constantly challenging the constraints of his body.

The gray-robed youth beside him trembled violently as soon as he touched the medicine. His absorption efficiency was low, and the medicine condensed into fine golden particles on his body, unable to penetrate for a long time. The silver-haired girl in the corner of the blood pool in the distance, on the other hand, seemed much more composed. A faint halo surrounded her, and the medicine was absorbed by her at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into specks of light that entered her body.

Suddenly, the nine beast god statues simultaneously let out a low roar.

The roar was deafening, as if it would shatter the entire world. The statue's body began to shimmer with golden light, which grew stronger and stronger, reflecting on the blood pool and causing the medicinal liquid in the pool to ripple with golden light.

Within this golden light, Ling Xuan saw a series of strange scenes: ancient beast gods roaming freely between heaven and earth, engaging in fierce battles with powerful enemies.

"This seemingly ordinary beast god statue actually possesses such power in the hands of these indigenous people," Ling Xuan exclaimed in surprise.

He had always acted like a devout believer, frequently visiting the temple where the statue of the Beast God was enshrined to worship, hoping to comprehend a trace of the Beast God's intent or signs of fusion with the laws.

No matter how hard he tried to comprehend it, he didn't get any feedback. He had already planned to give up and run away with tens or hundreds of thousands of Blood Crystals after the Beast God Baptism was over. He never expected that the Beast God Baptism would give him such a big surprise.

The other young geniuses who received the Beast God's baptism were just as mesmerized as Ling Xuan as they watched the roaring image formed by the nine Beast God statues.

dong dong dong~
Ling Xuan's heartbeat involuntarily changed rhythm, constantly shifting with the roar of the golden beast god.

Ultimately, a strange frequency remained constant, while in Ling Xuan's consciousness, the phantom of the beast god roaring to the sky became increasingly solid and clear.

The immortals and realm lords guarding the perimeter watched the scene unfold with astonishment.

Within the blood pool, a faint phantom of a beast god was gathering behind Ling Xuan. Although it was not clearly visible, their perception abilities confirmed that it was real.

Moreover, the aura flowing around Ling Xuan was faintly the same as that of the nine statues around him.

"A beast god transformation has actually occurred. Is it that he has been assimilated by the beast god and become a wild beast that only knows how to kill, or has he comprehended the essence of the beast god and soared to the heavens from then on?" Zhe Luo commented.

“Lord Zhe Luo, wasn’t this Cao Benqi receiving the Beast God’s baptism for the first time? How come he shows signs of being assimilated by the Beast God? He must have comprehended the Beast God’s intent.” An immortal god said respectfully from the side.

It seems that Zhe Luo holds an extremely high position in this Immortal Temple, far surpassing that of ordinary immortal gods.

“I don’t know either, but no one on the Blood Luo Continent has ever comprehended the Beast God’s intent at such a young age,” Zhe Luo said with certainty.

"Zhebie, where did you find Cao Benqi?" Zheluo asked Zhebie.

“Naro found it in the ruins of the ancient god.” Jebe broke out in a cold sweat, vaguely sensing that something was wrong.

"Encountered in the ruins of the ancient gods?" Zhe Luo frowned. "If this child is not from my Blood Luo world, then it is too terrible. When will my Blood Luo clan be able to get rid of the surveillance of the extraterrestrials?"

Zhe Luo didn't rush to interrupt Ling Xuan's baptism. After all, he only had a suspicion. If his suspicion was wrong, he would suffer a great loss. It could be said that he had personally nipped the blood world's hope of rising in the bud.

As time went by, Ling Xuan felt that his body was undergoing wonderful changes.

His bones made a faint "crackling" sound, as if they were being reshaped; a surge of power flowed through his muscles, and with each breath he could feel the medicinal power merging with the power of Blood Luo.

His consciousness gradually became blurred, as if he had merged with the power of the Beast God.

Ling Xuan also felt as if he had been transformed into a beast god, experiencing battle after battle.

"roar~"

As Ling Xuan let out a deafening roar, the medicinal liquid in the blood pool seemed to find a drain and flowed towards him.

Gulu gulu~
In no time, Ling Xuan swept the entire blood pool clean. As the energy of the blood pool disappeared, the nine beast god statues also returned to calm, and the beast god roaring image disappeared as well.

The other geniuses of the Blood Luo World, who were originally immersed in the Beast God's artistic conception, couldn't help but open their eyes with lingering enjoyment.

"Why did it end so quickly? Wasn't it supposed to last for three days?" The silver-haired girl in the corner asked first.

"Yeah, yeah, how come it ended so quickly?" Ling Xuan said innocently, trying to blend in with the victims.

"Heh." A cold laugh suddenly rang out. "You're quite good at hiding it. The one you secretly used to plunder my Blood Pool Holy Water was the World Ring that you extraterrestrials usually use, wasn't it?"

(End of this chapter)