Chapter 369. The Sacrifice, a Mysterious Old Man, the Human Sovereign?
The instant Lu Yuan began the sacrifice, he discovered that the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token within his body was trembling.
Streaks of purple light, as well as a majestic aura began to pour forth. This had not happened the previous round and Lu Yuan himself was not sure what it represented.
Then, he discovered that as the sacrifice progressed, the surrounding space and time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Everything around him was slowing down. It felt like he himself had become the core of this sacrifice, and yet he had no control over what was happening and could only allow the changes around him to continue.
Just like that, time passed by.
The fresh blood dripping out of Lu Yuan continuously merged into the little bronze cauldron. It also began emitting light, which slowly spread across the entire Shennong's Altar.
More importantly, the trembling of the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token became even more intense than before.
Lu Yuan was certain that this sacrifice would be completely different from the previous one.
Indeed, not long after, as light surged from the little bronze cauldron, Lu Yuan discovered that the sacrifice seemed to have already ended.
Everything became quiet, and the altar was shrouded in layers of purple halos, looking dreamlike and illusory. As for the two Jiang siblings, they stood at the side without speaking.
"The sacrifice is over, but the change doesn't seem very great," Lu Yuan immediately spoke.
However, the two siblings gave no response at all and still stood where they were.
Lu Yuan froze slightly; he could not comprehend the situation.
He spoke again.
But nothing changed. Neither of them showed any response. They stood there, their gazes and postures no different from living people. Yet it was as though they could not hear his words, nor see his movements.
"What is going on?" Lu Yuan was somewhat astonished. At once, he reached out, preparing to touch the two of them, only to discover that his hand passed through their bodies. It was as though his physical body no longer existed, and only his soul remained.
This...
At the sight, Lu Yuan was completely puzzled. He had no idea what had happened.
When he turned around, preparing to put away the little cauldron, he suddenly discovered a person standing before him.
He was an old man in a simple long robe, with gentle features and exuded a benevolent air. At first glance, there was nothing extraordinary about him.
But with careful observation, one would discover that this old man possessed an extremely special aura, as though he could merge all things in the heavens into one. Standing there, he seemed to represent the entire world.
And such an old man had suddenly appeared before him just like this.
"Senior, you are..." Lu Yuan said, remaining composed as he cupped his hands.
Although he was shocked by the old man's sudden appearance, he did not sense any dangerous aura from the elder.
As such, he calmed down slightly. In his heart, he also had a certain guess regarding the identity of the person before him.
Of course, he did not dare say it casually, because it was too shocking. He needed the old man to admit it himself.
"Who am I?"
The old man's expression changed at the question. His eyes were incomparably deep and carried the weight of ancient vicissitudes. He seemed to be recalling those glorious years from long ago.
"I do not know what I should call myself. Others have given me many titles, but those titles make me feel somewhat unworthy." The old man spoke again, looking toward Lu Yuan. "I can sense that on your body, there is the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token, the existence of the Nine Cauldrons, and the Investiture Edict.
"Of course, more importantly, my blood essence has already completely assimilated with you. It is precisely because of this that I have appeared."
His blood essence?
At those words, Lu Yuan's expression changed.
What he had obtained in Shennongjia was the blood essence of the Human Sovereign. And this blood belonged to Shennong, one of the Three Sovereigns.
Although he had harbored this guess in his heart right from the start, he still could not help but be startled at the revelation.
At once, Lu Yuan wanted to say something.
But the old man directly waved his hand and continued, "I do not have much time, so I can only make this brief.
"As for your questions, I am afraid I have no way to answer them. Everything must be explored by you yourself."
The old man thought briefly, then spoke again. "In short, you will be a very important person in the future, and also indispensable. Perhaps the hope that comes afterward will all rest on you. In this state, there is not much I can do. However, there are some things with which I can still lend you a hand."
The old man turned his palm upward, and in the next instant, ripples of light surged within it. In the next moment, an ancient token abruptly appeared. It quietly hovered in midair, emitting radiance.
When Lu Yuan saw this ancient token, his eyes immediately filled with astonishment. This was the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token, and also the fourth one he had seen.
"This object will become a great aid on your future path to strength. But remember, any external object is still external power. What you can truly rely on is only your own strength. Remember this well. This is also what I wish to tell you."
The old man sent that Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token over to Lu Yuan, then turned his eyes toward Jiang Ningxian and Jiang Haokong.
In the end, however, he said nothing. He only instructed, "Remember, do not speak of everything that happened just now. No matter who it is, tell no one."
As his voice fell, the old man's figure disappeared. In the next moment, all the purple halos around them vanished completely.
When Lu Yuan came back to himself, he discovered that he was sitting cross-legged on the ground, with the mysterious little cauldron before him.
However, the sacrifice had already ended. It was as though everything he had just experienced had been an illusion.
Though, when he sensed the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token in his hand, he knew it had not been a facade.
It had truly happened.
Just then, Jiang Ningxian's voice rang out.
"Lu Yuan, why did it end? Did you discover anything?"
There was a puzzled look on her face. From her perspective, from start till end, Lu Yuan had been performing the sacrifice but there was no reaction even when the sacrifice concluded.
Around them, nothing had changed at all. That was why she found it somewhat strange.
"No. I didn't discover anything."
Lu Yuan had originally wanted to explain what had just happened, but when he thought of what the old man had instructed before leaving, he ultimately said nothing more.
At this moment, he had already completely confirmed that person's identity—Shennong, one of the Three Sovereigns.
Since it was an instruction from a Human Sovereign, and from the ancestor of the Jiang Clan, he naturally could not disobey.
Only, Lu Yuan had not expected that the Celestial Emperor's Ancient Token he had long yearned for would be obtained in this manner. It was indeed rather easy. It had even been directly gifted to him by Shennong himself.
But, what did Shennong mean when he said he was very important and indispensable?
