Huangquan looked at him and said, “The life line must still exist. Otherwise, the sacrifice of an entire clan, or even a whole country, wouldn’t be enough to save your life.”
Otherwise, why would it be called the life and death line?
“The death line itself shouldn’t cause any pain. The pain you’re experiencing must be a side effect of your clan’s sacrifice to extend your life.” Huangquan observed him closely.
The High Priest was surprised at Huangquan’s understanding of these matters and nodded, “You’re right.”
Huangquan continued calmly, “I can help you resolve this issue, but it will have to wait until we return.”
Then, she added, “From what I see, you just need to endure this period of pain. Beyond that, there shouldn’t be any other problems.”
“I will enter the tower to save my brother. If you disagree, we’ll go in together. Leaving them outside is too dangerous and unrealistic, so for now, we can only wait.” Huangquan looked at him intently. “Wait until your pain subsides, and then we can enter the tower together.”
The High Priest nodded, “Agreed.”
“Don’t tell them about this,” the High Priest requested. “Not even Emperor Qin.”
Huangquan was a bit surprised. “You want me to keep this a secret from Qin Qin?”
“Yes.” The High Priest raised his eyes to look at her. “In return, I will keep your secret. Although you might not need it, at least for now, you don’t want to be exposed.”
A slight smile appeared on Huangquan’s lips. “So, you know my identity?”
“Foreseeing the future allows me to glimpse some secrets.” The High Priest looked at Huangquan. “We can keep each other’s secrets.”
He couldn’t reveal this. At least, not now.
He had told Emperor Qin that he needed to confirm something. Emperor Qin didn’t know what he wanted to confirm, but if Huangquan disclosed it, Emperor Qin would immediately understand…
Huangquan and Emperor Qin were too close. If he didn’t do this, she would definitely tell Emperor Qin.
“Are you threatening me?”
Huangquan looked at him, the corners of her lips still curved upward, her eyes still smiling, and even her voice was soft and gentle. Yet… there was a coldness that sent a shiver through one’s soul.
“High Priest.”
Huangquan leaned in slightly, approaching him with a smile. “Do you know? I can kill you right now.”
“If you die, no one will know my identity.” Huangquan said. “It would be much simpler than letting you live.”
“You’re right.” Even with his life threatened, the High Priest remained calm and composed, without a trace of fear. “I believe what you say, and I believe you can do it. But I also believe you won’t.”
“As I said before, you don’t really care about hiding your identity. You just don’t want them to know too soon.” The High Priest looked at her. “You disdain hiding. You’re not saying anything now only because you’re considering Nangong Mian’s feelings. But eventually, you will tell. So you won’t kill me over this.”
“Moreover, your current attempt at hiding is half-hearted.” The High Priest continued, “If you truly wanted to hide, with your abilities, you could live like the old Huangquan, pretending to be like her, just protecting yourself in secret. Instead of being so… brazenly flamboyant, shining like a bright sun.”
The current Huangquan was completely different from the Huangquan he had investigated.
The Huangquan he had investigated was gentle but also weak, while the current Huangquan was bold, flamboyant, strong, and dazzling.
“In fact, your brother…” Anyone with a bit of sense would notice Huangquan’s change.
Was Nangong Mian foolish?
No, he wasn’t.
He definitely knew something but just didn’t want to face it.
208
Everyone knew it in their hearts, but no one spoke out.
Huangquan looked at him and, after a moment, chuckled softly. “Alright, let’s keep each other’s secrets.”
The High Priest sighed in relief, though he didn’t show it in front of Huangquan.
Huangquan was too clever. If he appeared too relaxed because she agreed to keep the secret, it would surely raise her suspicions.
“Thank you,” said the High Priest.
“No need to thank me. We’re just mutually keeping secrets.”
The High Priest nodded and said no more.
They had been away for a while, and the others were still waiting for them, so the two of them didn’t linger and returned to where Feng Jiuyuan and the others were.
Seeing the High Priest and Huangquan return, Jingchen, who was responsible for watching them, put away the Longyin Qin and said, “Are we going into the tower now?”
The High Priest shook his head. “No rush.”
Huangquan also said, “Let’s wait a bit.”
Feng Jiuyuan asked, “Wait a bit before going in?”
“Yes,” replied the High Priest.
Feng Jiuyuan said, “If we’re going to go in anyway, why not go in now?” After all, they would have to go in eventually.
The High Priest looked at him. “I want to observe the exterior of this tower. Is that okay?”
Feng Jiuyuan replied, “…Alright.”
The High Priest withdrew his gaze and said no more to him.
After a while, the High Priest was still standing in the same place.
Feng Jiuyuan watched him, his face showing signs of confusion.
Wasn’t he going to observe the exterior of the tower?
Why hasn’t he moved?
The High Priest had no idea what Feng Jiuyuan was thinking. Even if he did, he wouldn’t care.
About two quarters of an hour later, the pain began to subside. The High Priest looked at Huangquan. “It’s okay now. Let’s go.”
Huangquan nodded and then headed towards the tower gate.
The tower gate was tightly shut, with no keyhole or lock visible on its surface, seemingly only able to be opened from the inside. To open it from the outside, there was only one way.
That was to break it down violently…
However, this place was special, and the material of the tower gate was also unique. A little bit of force wouldn’t be enough to break it. To destroy the gate, it would require immense strength.
Even the High Priest’s strength wasn’t sufficient.
Only she had the power…
Although everyone believed she was someone without spiritual roots, once she unleashed her power, she would be exposed.
If her brother was likely inside, what did it matter if she was exposed?
She never intended to hide forever. She hadn’t used her power before simply because there was no need. But now, with her brother needing rescue, she wouldn’t hesitate to use her power!
With this thought, as Huangquan prepared to strike, the tightly closed gate suddenly opened.
“Creak…”
The gate slowly opened, revealing the scene inside the tower.
Seeing this, Huangquan was a bit puzzled. Why did the gate suddenly open?
The others were also confused, but since they were planning to enter the tower anyway, an open gate was convenient and saved them the trouble of figuring out how to open it.
The High Priest walked forward and was the first to enter the tower.
After the High Priest entered, Huangquan followed.
The interior of the tower was empty, barren, giving off a very unsettling feeling.
“There’s nothing down here,” Huangquan said. “Let’s go upstairs.”
Upon hearing this, the High Priest walked directly to the stairs and began to climb.
The others saw this and followed.
Soon, the group reached the second floor.
The door to the second floor was open. The High Priest walked to the doorway and looked inside. With just one glance, his pupils contracted sharply, and he stood there, frozen.
An altar, fresh blood, a baby on the altar…
This was the sacrificial ritual of his people!
