Under the fervent gazes of the black-robed figures, Ji Xia stepped into the Temple of the God of Sacrifice. The first thing that caught his eyes was a vast, open area, with the most prominent feature being a massive black statue of a deity. The statue was surrounded by black flames, and a sculpted river of mud flowed around its head, coiling around the statue and winding down to its feet. The statue's eyes were tightly shut, its face soft and feminine, with long earlobes that reached the shoulders, yet there was nothing overly strange about it.
"This is the statue of the Lord God, the God of Shadows," Dark Priest said, crawling to Ji Xia's side. "He bestows us with power, and we offer our flesh and blood in sacrifice to him. When the power of the sacrifices is sufficient to build the bridge between realms, he will descend upon it!"
"At that time, the vast wasteland will bow at the feet of the Lord God. As his servants, we will receive his incomparable favor."
Ji Xia was skeptical about the claim that a god hidden underground could suppress the entire wasteland, even though the followers were formidable. The presence of these followers made Ji Xia feel an overwhelming pressure, and though he could sense their immense strength, their levels of power remained unclear to him.
The only one he could somewhat gauge was Shi Yu. Shi Yu had at least reached the fourth level of Divine Power, and that was before she transformed into the terrifying spider. Once she became the giant spider, Ji Xia couldn't sense her power anymore, only that the spider itself was extremely dangerous.
"From this day forth, you are a follower of the God of Shadows. You will serve him with flesh and blood, and in return, he will bestow upon you unique power and a perfect body," Dark Priest continued, his voice reverberating in the hall.
Ji Xia glanced at his half-body, severed at the waist, and thought, "This is not a perfect body." But he couldn't deny that Dark Priest's half-body was strange. If he hadn't seen it himself, it would have been impossible to imagine such a bizarre being.
"You have joined us. The Lord God will reward you. He has already given you tens of thousands of Sacrificial Spirits. When you offer your flesh and blood in sacrifice and achieve great deeds, he will awaken the Sacrificial Spirits in your body, and you will receive a perfect body!" Dark Priest continued, sounding even more authoritative. "And as the Dark Priest in this area, I will also reward you!"
"I know your heart is filled with greed, just like ours, so I will bestow upon you a treasure."
He raised his arm and pointed toward the far right of the hall, where the darkness receded to reveal a black door, standing before Ji Xia. The furnace in his snow-capped mountain stirred, as if intrigued by the door. Ji Xia, who had grown used to the furnace's restlessness since seeing Shi Yu, allowed it to calm down.
"This hall is where we worship and offer sacrifices. It is the most sacred place in the Temple of the God of Sacrifice. The door on the right leads to the treasury, where we store the treasures we have plundered from countless countries and races!" Dark Priest said.
"I will grant you the right to select a treasure from the treasury."
With that, Dark Priest turned to Shi Yu and ordered, "Take him to choose a treasure."
Shi Yu, who had changed into a fresh set of crimson clothing, bowed slightly and answered in the affirmative. Ji Xia was pleased by the prospect of acquiring a treasure without any cost and followed Shi Yu toward the treasury.
As they approached, Ji Xia noticed that the door was at least three meters tall. It seemed to have a spirit of its own. Upon detecting Shi Yu's approach, it creaked and slowly opened.
Stepping inside, Ji Xia's eyes gleamed with greed. The treasury was filled with enormous jade racks, upon which were a dazzling array of items—large and small. Some racks were filled with massive spiritual gold, while others held countless herbs and pills. There were also racks with various weapons, armor, and other treasures, and some were lined with books of techniques and secrets.
What shocked Ji Xia the most, however, were the countless Spirit Crystals. They were scattered across the floor like stones, glowing with a blue light. The sight of so many was overwhelming, and Ji Xia couldn't help but think that even the vast stores of the Great Fu mansion couldn't compare to this.
"A single Spirit Crystal is worth 80,000 pounds of grain. There must be hundreds of thousands here!" Ji Xia thought greedily. "If I could take these Spirit Crystals, the people of Tai Cang would never worry about food again!"
He glanced at the many black-robed figures standing solemnly in the hall and at Dark Priest, who now turned to look at him. Dark Priest's gaze was sharp, and a cold shiver ran down Ji Xia's spine.
"This treasury must have some secret mechanism," Ji Xia thought. "Otherwise, how could it be so easy to enter? Doesn't Dark Priest worry about someone stealing the treasures?"
Just then, Shi Yu spoke, her voice cutting through his thoughts. "You have greedy thoughts, don't you?"
Ji Xia's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a neutral expression. Shi Yu smirked. "Don't try to hide it. I can see the desire in your eyes. You know why I can see it? Because I had the same reaction the first time I saw this treasury."
She leaned in closer, her voice turning cold. "But this is the Temple of the God of Sacrifice. These treasures are the foundation that supports the descent of the Lord God. If you dare to covet them, do you know what will happen?"
She pointed to the lamps lining the sides of the room, each made from skulls, their tops hollowed out with a flickering blue light emanating from them. Distorted faces appeared in the light, contorted in pain and fear.
"You will be turned into corpse oil by Dark Priest and used to fuel these lamps," Shi Yu continued. "Your soul will be trapped forever, forced to watch these treasures without ever being able to touch a single one."