American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

Chapter 206 Ritual, Interlude

"hiss."

A sharp, dark golden light flashed, tearing open the delicate throat, and a large amount of steaming blood gushed out, eerily suspending itself and converging into a stream that poured into the large and complex magic circle on the ground.

Craven tossed the brown-skinned boy, who had stopped struggling, into the formation and coldly beckoned with his hand.

A subordinate respectfully stepped forward and presented a comatose girl.

"Have the other ritual nodes been constructed?" He didn't rush to continue, but weighed the gold-forged ritual dagger in his hand and asked seriously.

"All thirty-three nodes were set up last night and are guarded by elite clansmen. Only the final activation step remains before they can be started," the subordinate replied crisply.

Craven nodded, his face calm and expressionless, accepted the offering, and without a trace of pity, raised his knife once more.

As vibrant lives rapidly vanished, the mysterious and intricate runes on the ground gradually brightened, and the remains of the innocent melted away, mixing with the released blood to form a viscous crimson liquid that flowed along the outlined patterns.

Amidst the blazing magical light, a hazy red glow emanated from the ground, as if a crimson space was connecting with this place. A square shadow appeared from the center of the magic circle, gradually rising inch by inch.

On the gleaming, metallic plate, exquisite reliefs rose one after another, and within a few breaths, a large and heavy silver-gray coffin, seven feet long and wide, appeared in the room.

"Crack! Pfft—"

Suddenly, the coffin lid trembled and lifted itself a third of its length. A dense mixture of negative energy and an equally dense stench of blood transformed into a strange gray mist that burst forth from the crack, rolling and spreading along the ground like dry ice.

Regardless of what they were busy with, all the vampires in the room knelt on one knee toward the coffin, bowing their heads and touching their chests. Even Craven, who was at the head of the group, lowered his head deeply.

"...Are you ready?" A weathered voice, covered in dust, rang out.

"Your Grace, everything has been arranged. There are 184 people in the town. After deducting those who left temporarily before the polar night, there are still 170 people left. We have prepared enough offerings in advance to make up for the surplus. In addition, we can still gather 333 people for the ceremony later."

The 3300 units of blood crystals accumulated over the years have been prepared and are ready to be deployed in the surrounding area, awaiting your command!

A withered hand covered in gray age spots reached out, as if lifting a tissue box, and gently moved the heavy metal coffin lid aside, tapping it on the edge.

In an instant, the coffin disintegrated layer by layer, splicing together and flipping outward to form a high-backed throne. On the throne, an old man dressed in ancient and luxurious clothes, as if he had stepped out of a sealed history, sat with his hands on his knees and cast an indifferent gaze at the group of vampires.

The old man had white hair like grass, a withered appearance, prominent veins on his hands, and loose, sagging skin on his cheeks, looking like he was about to die. Only his pair of blue eyes were bright and sparkling.

His gaze shifted upwards, as if piercing through the thick soil and reaching the heavens, and he let out a soft sigh.

"After waiting for so long, there's finally going to be an answer..."

A sigh came, and the old man spread out his left palm. A crystal-clear, bright red crystal slowly floated up, emitting a distant and profound energy rhythm.

The illusory sound of flowing blood resonated in the hearts of every vampire present. The extremely pure life force seeped into their bodies, causing them to involuntarily reveal expressions of intoxication.

Victor gazed wistfully at the inside of the gemstone, at the droplet of dazzling pure red liquid.

—This is the treasure that the Federal Government obtained from the secret base of the Third Reich, a legacy left to the Dark Nobles by the first three generations of divine vampires!

He had spent countless efforts and planned for years to steal the treasure from the family's vault during Christmas when the Special Investigations Bureau's main forces were away. As a result, the family's power, which they had secretly cultivated for nearly half a century, was almost completely lost.

But... it was all worth it!

Today I will use this as my foundation to climb the ladder to immortality!

Victor, his voice hoarse and strained with excitement, issued the command:

"Two hours from now, as the polar night descends, the ceremony will begin!"

The response from below was thunderous!

Ghostly figures darted along the underground passages toward the ritual sites set up around the town.

……

……

"This is truly a case of bronze camels amidst thorns a thousand years later, and golden horses and robes a mere dream..."

Zhu Mingyao flicked his peachwood staff, brushing away the vines covering the totem statue, and shook his head, indulging in a nostalgic, artsy reverie.

The mottled obsidian tapir totem statue, probably knocked askew by some animal, leans precariously beside the path of audience. Despite the wear and tear of hundreds of years, a faint trace of spirituality still remains on the statue.

"Are you done yet? Stop reciting your weird ancient poems. We only have three days to explore, and a third of that time has already passed. If we don't hurry, we won't even have a chance to reach the core area before we have to go back!"

Madison, riding on the white deer amidst the smoky haze, his little leather boots swaying back and forth, pursed his lips and urged on repeatedly.

"Don't panic, don't panic. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Let's secure what we see first."

After carefully inspecting the statue and confirming that the natural spirit that had been guarding the road had long since disappeared, Zhu Mingyao reached out and removed the two black jade eyes from the statue, then turned around and patiently explained.

"Actually, I didn't have high hopes of getting into the core area this time..."

He held two vibrant black jade beads in his hand, swirling them around like exercise balls, and said leisurely.

"To use an Eastern proverb, even a broken boat has three pounds of nails."

Even though the Aztec gods are only third-rate in terms of strength and status among the many pantheons, and have already crossed into the void, their legacy is not something that a bunch of little guys like us who haven't even reached the [Lord Rank] can easily touch.

"Just looting the outer areas is enough to make the trip worthwhile. As for any divine artifacts or secret treasures, I advise you not to get your hopes up too high. We're just a scout team; the real exploration will have to wait for the powerful figures from the various organizations to arrive."

As Zhu Mingyao spoke, he flicked his fingers, and a few points of white light danced like stars before extinguishing in an instant.

"You can feel it, can't you? The deeper we go into the island, the stronger the restraining force of the laws becomes. Although we have offset some of the restrictions by imitating the ritual process of believers formally entering the island to pay homage, the effect is probably not enough to make us last until we reach the palace of the gods."

"What should we do then? Are we just going to pick up trash? I'm not going to do that!" the blonde witch pouted and complained, while Zoe beside her agreed.

As they explored further, they discovered a plethora of rare and exotic creatures, along with a constant stream of precious materials. Their happiness threshold increased significantly, and their evaluation of ordinary finds plummeted. Now, they simply kick them into the "garbage" category.

Stroking the peachwood staff, Zhu Mingyao lowered his head and pondered for a moment. It wasn't just the girls who were still unsatisfied; he felt the same way. Even though he had already gained a considerable amount in his treasure bag, it was just a drop in the ocean compared to the secret realm itself. But if he went any further, his strength would be too weakened, which might be too dangerous...

correct!

His eyes suddenly lit up as he recalled a scene from the original story. He chose the tallest tree nearby, leaped to its top, activated his Divine Eye, and surveyed the area with all his might. Then he waved and called out:

"Let's go! I know another place that should be very lucrative!"

Chapter 207 Giant Ax

This mythical realm not only differs from the outside world in its solar and lunar cycles, but also in its spatial laws.

The saying "looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death" might be just an artistic exaggeration in the outside world, but it is an absolute reality on Skull Island.

Even with the help of special abilities, it still took the three of them one or two hours to reach their destination.

Are you sure there's anything good here?

Madison glanced sideways at the jagged cliffs before him and asked suspiciously.

"Don't panic, let me recall the drama... Hmm, let me take a look!"

A golden vertical pupil on Zhu Mingyao's forehead emitted a faint glow as he carefully discerned the direction of the earth's energy using the ebony compass needle in his hand.

"Hmm, this should be the place. Everyone, search for any monster remains or anything like that."

Zoe held a charm inlaid with rhombus-shaped iolite, controlling several wind sprites as they darted in and out of the surrounding grass. Raising an eyebrow, she asked curiously:

How can you be so sure you'll succeed?

"Have you forgotten the giant ape monster from seventy years ago? A ship strayed into this area and, by some twist of fate, brought it back to New York, which caused that upheaval. Our guild obtained the diaries of those who witnessed the events on the ship. According to the descriptions in them, the giant ape's lair is probably in the vicinity!"

With a smug smile, Zhu Mingyao said:

There is an ancient proverb in the East that says, "The phoenix does not alight on land without treasure." In other words, the places where extraordinary creatures reside are often the gathering points of spiritual energy in the surrounding area, and are likely to produce some rare and precious resources.

And just like the rules of nature, the more powerful the creature, the more concentrated the energy in the location of its lair, and the higher the quality of the products produced there.

His eyes shone brightly on his forehead, and with a whistle, two ghostly soldiers transformed into a whirlwind and flew towards a mountain peak.

There was another reason… Zhu Mingyao thought to himself silently.

According to eyewitness accounts, the giant ape and a type of bipedal monitor lizard with a skull-like head are enemies, but this is a setting in the movie spin-off.

In a fleeting glimpse in the spin-off film, one can see numerous skeletons of King Kong's kind near its habitat.

—That was the giant ape ancestor who died under the claws of the skeletal giant lizard.

If these remains were at a similar level of strength and power to Vajra during their lifetime, they could make a fortune.

It's important to understand that extraordinary beings approaching the [Lord Rank] are not commonplace; according to the Xuanmen system, they are great demons that are about to form their inner core.

In China, they would be a small, local tyrant ruling over a mountain or river. In the daily lives of ancient times, they would likely have earned a nickname like "General Ape" and occupy the bottom of the list in the Hundred Ghosts Parade.

The remains of this kind of exotic beast are extremely fine materials for magical artifacts. The Bai Ziyuan family has a treasure that was made from the Vajra Arm Bone that they were allocated back then.

"Oh! Look, I found one!"

Madison let out a soft cry of delight, his five fingers flicking out, and a large, fluorescent force field hand swung out, pulling a thick, yellowish shinbone, as thick as a telephone pole, from under the weeds and vines.

Zhu Mingyao examined it and was somewhat disappointed. Judging from its shape and size, it was indeed a kind of giant ape, but the spiritual energy it contained was not very strong, and the quality was only average. Such a large lump was really a bit of a waste given their limited storage space.

Next, they found a considerable number of scattered giant bones. Although there were many, the quality was quite poor. If a cultivator like Bai Ziyuan, who specialized in a particular field, had come, he could have used magic to extract the essence of the bones and take them away. However, none of the three present had such abilities, so they only glanced at them and then tossed them aside.

Just then, the ghostly soldiers scouting above sent a message, which invigorated him, and he excitedly raised his chin.

"Let's go! We've found the nest."

As he spoke, he took the lead, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and used the protrusions on the rock face to gain leverage, slowly rising towards a high cliff.

Seeing this, the girls quickly squeezed their legs together, urging the white deer beneath their little bottoms to leap and follow closely, their hooves treading on the white smoke.

When they reached the top of the wide cliff, they saw Zhu Mingyao wielding a sword-like beam of fire, slicing through a patch of crisscrossing emerald vines to reveal a dark, towering cave behind it.

The suppression of extraordinary power in the secret realm was several times stronger here than at the seaside. After the three-foot-long sword light barely cleared away the vines, it shrank to five or six inches. He simply flicked his finger, turning the remaining flames into a raging fireball that rolled back and forth in the cave, dispelling the long-abandoned damp and foul air.

The cave is enormous and spacious; even for a giant Vajra tens of meters tall, it would be a three-bedroom, one-living-room space. For an ordinary human, it would be more than enough room to play a football match.

The cave walls are covered with simple images carved with sharp tools, indicating that the wisdom of the former inhabitants was no less than that of some arrogant bipedal creatures. After all, there are some oddities among the latter that have not been able to develop a bronze civilization even in the 21st century.

The murals on the wall depict scenes of King Kong battling various strange and giant beasts, including giant octopuses that churn the seas, flying pythons with tattered fleshy wings, and most of all, skeletal giant lizards with sharp teeth and claws. A ball of light composed of simple lines surrounds a group of bizarre human figures high in the sky, seemingly enjoying watching the battle below.

Different figures cast balls of light above the heads of different monsters, as if placing bets, while the "bettor" above King Kong was a flowing winged serpent.

So that's how it is. Is it a replica of the Colosseum?

Ah, these blood-eating gods and demons from the city-state era all seem to enjoy this kind of thing, their minds filled with arrogance and debauchery. No wonder they were eliminated by later generations. The Aztec pantheon was quick to escape, otherwise they would have been destroyed sooner or later.

Watching the terrified little people fleeing beneath the giant beasts, Zhu Mingyao, from the perspective of a quasi-professional religious person, secretly expressed his contempt.

"Hey...you must be mistaken. I don't see anything of value."

The blonde witch spun around a few times, tugging at the white deer's mane in frustration, and pouted as she complained.