Chapter 3904: An Unseen Power

There was no demonic aura, baleful energy, traces of devilish intent, and not even the faintest spiritual fluctuation emerged from the crystal skull.

It truly resembled an ordinary sculpture.

’Could this simply be tradition?’ Lin Mu wondered.

Perhaps the ritual served only psychological purposes; a method of maintaining order or a way to frighten newcomers into obedience. The prisoners themselves certainly believed in it and that alone granted it influence.

Even so, Lin Mu sensed nothing supernatural.

He remained patient and kept on watching as he waited. Several more breaths passed as the blood continued flowing. It stained every newcomer’s face and red streams dripped from their chins before striking the stone beneath them.

Silence returned and a few moments later, the old man lowered his head once more. The remaining prisoners remained perfectly still as everything appeared ordinary. Then, Lin Mu’s pupils suddenly contracted.

The blood covering the newcomers’ faces... Moved.

No wind stirred the cavern and no one touched them, yet every crimson droplet began trembling upon their skin. The thin streams quivered and Tiny ripples spread across the fresh blood.

Almost as though something unseen had begun responding to the offering.

Lin Mu remained perfectly still behind the stone outcrop, every muscle in his body relaxed despite the tension steadily building around him.

His eyes never left the crystal skull.

The newcomers continued kneeling before the effigy, fresh blood flowing from the shallow wounds across their scalps. Thin crimson streams rolled over their foreheads and cheeks before dripping onto their shoulders and robes.

For several breaths, nothing happened as the blood simply continued flowing. The prisoners kept their heads lowered while the older members of the gathering watched them with blank expressions.

Then the first drop stopped falling.

Lin Mu narrowed his eyes seeing that it had frozen in midair. A tiny crimson bead hung beneath one prisoner’s chin, trembling ever so slightly. The next instant, it rose upward and the droplet drifted through the air as though gravity had suddenly reversed.

A second followed, then a third. Within moments every trace of blood spilled from the newcomers’ wounds had begun floating upward.

The sight looked deeply unnatural.

Hundreds of crimson droplets gathered together above the kneeling prisoners before spiraling toward the effigy. None of the blood touched the muddy body and every drop entered the crystal skull.

The transparent crystal slowly changed as red veins spread beneath its surface. The color deepened with astonishing speed until the once translucent skull resembled a piece of dark crimson jade.

Lin Mu silently observed every fluctuation.

His Immortal Sense remained focused entirely upon the effigy.

Only now... A faint aura finally emerged.

shua~

It spread from within the crystal skull rather than the muddy body supporting it. The aura itself proved incredibly weak, almost imperceptible. Lin Mu expected something entirely different.

His brows slowly furrowed. ’There isn’t any demonic aura...’

That confused him more than if demonic energy had appeared. He sensed no Devil Path influence, no baleful corruption and no chaotic demonic intent. Instead, the fluctuations felt strangely orderly.

They were far too controlled and measured, as though an ancient formation had quietly awakened after receiving enough power. Every pulse carried remarkable stability. It reminded him less of an evil ritual and more of an array operating exactly as it had been designed.

The thought left Lin Mu deeply puzzled.

’What exactly is this thing?’ His attention returned toward the prisoners.

Several had begun breathing heavily and one of the younger men swayed from side to side while another’s shoulders visibly slumped. Then, the changes became unmistakable as their bodies were shrinking.

Lin Mu’s eyes sharpened.

At first the difference appeared subtle as cheeks became slightly hollow, arms looked thinner and the already loose robes hung lower than before. Within several breaths the transformation accelerated.

The prisoners’ skin tightened against their bones and muscles visibly diminished. Even their necks appeared thinner.

Lin Mu immediately understood. ’They’re being drained.’

His gaze shifted between the prisoners and the crystal skull. ’Vitality.’

The effigy consumed vitality alongside the blood. Blood merely served as the medium, the true offering lay deeper... In life itself.

The newcomers groaned in pain as several nearly collapsed forward. Their breathing became ragged. One woman coughed repeatedly before barely managing to remain upright but the process continued relentlessly.

The blood kept rising and the crystal skull continued drinking. The faint orderly aura surrounding it steadily strengthened. Two full minutes passed before the final crimson droplet disappeared into the crystal.

Silence returned and the wounds upon the newcomers stopped bleeding. Several immediately collapsed onto their hands and knees while others simply fell sideways onto the stone.

Only one managed to remain standing, though even he shook violently.

The older prisoners calmly helped them back toward the crowd as no one appeared surprised and no one looked the slightest bit sympathetic. It was clear this happened regularly.

Lin Mu quietly studied the exhausted newcomers.

Their already poor condition had worsened considerably as they now had sunken cheeks, pale skin, trembling limbs and weak breathing. Whatever little vitality remained inside their bodies had clearly diminished.

His thoughts turned grim.

These people already suffered severe malnutrition and years of inadequate food had weakened them. Their cultivation remained sealed. Ordinarily, immortals relied upon Qi to supplement their bodies.

The Baleful Qi Eater Steel shackles prevented that and every ritual further consumed what little strength they still possessed. Lin Mu honestly doubted many could endure such treatment for long.

If starvation failed to kill them... The prisoners around them likely would.

His gaze briefly swept across the gathering and observed several older prisoners openly staring at the weakened newcomers. Their expressions remained unreadable but Lin Mu remembered the human bite marks upon the skeletons.

The thought alone explained enough.

The ritual did not end there as the old man calmly raised his hand once again.

"Next." Another group stepped forward.

This time though they showed considerably less hesitation. They already understood the procedure, so each knelt before the effigy and each repeated the familiar words.

"Take little from us now, so that we can give you more later."

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