Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

"boom!"

The moment that ray of crimson divine light fell, Chen Fan felt a series of muffled groans emanating from his bones, and the dark ink-colored scales on his body stood up without warning.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable burning sensation erupted from the depths of his heart, instantly sweeping through all the meridians of his body.

That was the ancient demon bloodline that he had painstakingly honed over ten years using an improved blood tempering technique. Now, it was like boiling oil being poured into cold water, roaring and boiling wildly!

Chen Fan was startled, but he forced himself to remain calm, gripping the scorching rock beneath him with both hands, his fingertips almost digging into the hard volcanic rock.

"What... what's going on?"

"The statue opened its eyes! The light fell on that kid!"

"That's not a genius from the main branch. Judging from his armor, he's clearly a country bumpkin from some remote wasteland!"

The square erupted in chaos as hundreds of thousands of ancient demons looked up and whispered among themselves, turning the once solemn sacrificial ceremony into a state of disarray.

"Kneel still and don't move!"

Tie Gu's face was pale. He pressed his hand firmly against the ground beside him and hissed through gritted teeth at Chen Fan, "Pharmacist, what did you do? Why did the light from the holy statue go straight for you?"

"Clan leader, I didn't do anything." Chen Fan exhaled with some difficulty, his throat feeling like it was on fire. "I just bowed respectfully."

"This is a huge problem..." Beads of sweat appeared on Tie Gu's forehead as he looked at the fiery red figure slowly descending above, his body trembling slightly.

The high priest, clad in a fiery red priest's robe, had already landed on a crimson lotus in the void, more than ten feet away from Chen Fan.

Those cold, weathered, dark red eyes, like a drawn blade, scanned Chen Fan relentlessly.

"You, stand up." The high priest's voice was as cold as iron, reverberating through the air.

Chen Fan frowned almost imperceptibly, then stood up with a calm expression, cupped his hands in greeting, and said in a respectful yet composed tone, "Junior Black Rock Clan Pharmacist greets the High Priest."

"Black Rock Tribe?" The high priest raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger. "A small tribe in a remote corner of the wasteland? The bloodline in your veins... is actually of the upper third rank?"

"High Priest, I had some good fortune in my early years and barely managed to break through the shackles of my bloodline," Chen Fan replied, half-truthfully.

The high priest snorted coldly, and with a swift movement, he landed in front of Chen Fan.

He extended a withered hand covered with fine red scales and gently placed it on Chen Fan's shoulder.

Chen Fan felt a surge of violent and scorching bloodline power flow into his body through his shoulder, violently circulating through his meridians.

A moment later, the high priest withdrew his hand, a hint of surprise flashing across his somewhat stern face.

"The foundation is extremely solid, the meridians are expanded in a way that is unlike ordinary blood tempering methods, and... the ancestral power in the body is surprisingly active."

The high priest looked at Chen Fan and slowly said, "Take him to the statue."

"yes!"

Four burly Holy City guards, all at the Golden Core stage, immediately stepped forward, subtly surrounding Chen Fan. One of them gestured for him to leave: "Let's go."

Chen Fan pondered for a moment, knowing that resisting at this moment would be tantamount to courting death, so he obediently took a step forward.

As he passed by Tiegu, he subtly gave Tiegu a wink.

Tie Gu stood there, opened his mouth, but could only sigh dejectedly and didn't dare to follow.

A moment later, Chen Fan was taken to the bone altar directly below the holy statue.

Looking closely at this thousand-foot-tall stone statue, the oppressive aura of the laws of an ancient powerful being intensified. The giant eye in the very center of the statue remained fixed on him, casting a crimson divine light that completely enveloped his figure.

"You have been chosen by the ancestors." The high priest walked to the center of the altar, looked at Chen Fan, and said with a complicated expression.

"Chosen by the ancestors?" Chen Fan looked at the High Priest with some doubt. "High Priest, I am just an ordinary pharmacist with mediocre talent. Is there some misunderstanding?"

"The holy statue has remained silent for millennia, and the light of the ancestors has never erred." The high priest coldly interrupted him. "Since you have been chosen, you will remain beneath this holy statue and receive the bloodline inheritance of your ancestors."

Chen Fan did not immediately agree, but asked hesitantly, "High Priest, this inheritance... what are the taboos? What is there for this junior to do?"

"You don't need to do anything." The high priest turned around, looked at the huge stone statue, and said calmly, "The so-called inheritance is to sit under this holy statue and comprehend the relics left by our ancestors. The greater the impact of your comprehension, the more bloodline power the holy statue will bestow. For us ancient demons, this is a transformative opportunity."

"But I am, after all, an outsider..." Chen Fan said hesitantly. "The Black Rock Tribe has only recently unified the wasteland, and I have not yet been fully registered. Moreover, there are still many important matters to be resolved within the tribe..."

His words seemed like an excuse, but in reality, he was testing the high priest's attitude.

"Foolish!" The high priest turned around and shouted sternly, "Can the trivial matters of the tribe compare to the inheritance of the sacred image? Countless geniuses of the main tribe have sought it but could not obtain it. Now that you have this opportunity, to refuse it would be disrespectful to your ancestors!"

Feeling the faint pressure emanating from the high priest, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, Chen Fan immediately made a plan.

This old monster clearly wouldn't allow him to refuse.

In that case, forcibly refusing would only arouse the other party's suspicion.

Moreover, he came to this third level, "Demon Heart," precisely to find a way to pass it. This so-called bloodline inheritance might be the key to unlocking the Demon Heart level.

"Since the High Priest says so, this junior will obey." Chen Fan looked apprehensive and bowed respectfully.

"Hmm, you're smart enough to know your place." The high priest's expression softened a bit, and he ordered the guards below, "Go and summon the chieftain of the Black Rock tribe."

Before long, Ironbone was led onto the altar with some trepidation.

Upon seeing the High Priest, he bowed somewhat awkwardly: "Iron Bone of the Black Rock Tribe greets the High Priest."

"Iron Bone, this apothecary was originally intended to be kept by the High Priest." The High Priest pointed at Chen Fan and said calmly, "He was chosen by the Holy Statue to receive his bloodline inheritance in the Holy City. You should take your men and return to your tribe first. The Holy City will take care of his affairs."

"This... he stayed in the Holy City?" Tie Gu was taken aback and looked at Chen Fan with some unease.

Over the past decade, the pharmacist has not only healed his hidden injuries but has also become the pillar of stability for the entire Black Rock Tribe.

Now that he was to be left in the Holy City, he was naturally a hundred times unwilling.

But how could he dare to say no to the high priest?