Chapter 42: Chapter 42 Sacrifice to Heaven Commences

Taking the story told by Tian Xin individually, it’s riddled with holes everywhere.

But then again, rumors are inherently full of holes, and many differ vastly from the facts.

However, it’s also possible that within those absurd rumors, some astounding truths are hidden.

Perhaps it wasn’t Mr. Tian that left The Ancient Realm King utterly alone; maybe his friends and relatives didn’t die in accidents, and it’s even possible that the person who supposedly made The Ancient Realm King put the treasure into the box never existed.

Even if he had put it inside, couldn’t The Ancient Realm King just take it out again?

But if this key is real, then what lock does it open? Could it really be related to The Ancient Realm King? Maybe there really is a treasure box, though it might not necessarily belong to The Ancient Realm King.

Lin Shen held the key, examining it over and over; besides the different serration pattern, this key, in terms of both size and material, was extremely similar to the one Ye had, even down to the heart-shaped design.

“If there truly are The Three Treasures Keys, why does Ye possess one? If this is all a fabricated tale by Tian Xin to save his own life, then what purpose do these two keys serve?” Lin Shen was at a loss, with far too few clues.

Pocketing the key, Lin Shen didn’t ask Tian Xin anything more and went to collect the Base Mutation Fluid leaking from the python’s wound with his water bottle.

Wei Wufu had drunk quite a bit earlier and couldn’t stomach any more now.

“Old Wei, how are you feeling? Any better?” Lin Shen was asking while he collected the Base Mutation Fluid.

“Good,” Wei Wufu nodded.

“That’s good to hear.” Lin Shen then bent down and sucked the Base Mutation Fluid spilling from the wound.

After only a few sips, Lin Shen stopped drinking.

This Base Mutation Fluid was indeed potent; it benefited Wei Wufu, signifying that it came from a Crystal Base Level variant creature.

But after Lin Shen drank it, the information displayed on his watch still showed Base Mutation Rate +0. For him, it was only good for rapid recovery of stamina and energy, not for increasing the probability of Base Mutation. Drinking it now would be wasting it, and moreover, drinking too much might cause problems, given the extremely high energy content.

As for Wei Wufu, his legs gradually regained sensation after consuming a lot of the gene fluid.

“Friend, everything I said is true. We can cooperate to find the treasure box. With exactly three boxes, we each can take one. When the time comes, wouldn’t I let you pick first?” Tian Xin was still going on about it.

“How do you know The Ancient Realm King died on this planet when you said that no one knows where he died?” Lin Shen chatted, half-listening to Tian Xin.

“Surely, it’s not a secret that my aunt’s second uncle’s wife’s uncle was a historian,” said Tian Xin with a face full of sincerity.

Having heard the beginning, Lin Shen already lost any interest in hearing more.

Suddenly, the crisp sound of a phoenix call came from the sky, and Lin Shen instantly looked toward the source of the sound, catching sight of the translating orange halo.

“It’s that bird… not good… it’s flying this way…” Lin Shen recognized the terrifying orange halo flying in their direction and immediately, without a second word, grabbed Wei Wufu and ran.

He couldn’t make out the bird’s appearance, unaware of whatever terrifying entity it was, and dared not face it.

“Friend… take me with you… I…” Tian Xin watching Lin Shen and Wei Wufu about to run away, shouted anxiously.

Lin Shen hesitated for a moment, then turned around, hoisted Tian Xin up and continued running.

The three of them hadn’t run far when the orange halo was already close by, forcing them to seek shelter in a pile of rocks.

Fortunately, their target wasn’t the orange glow. They watched as the orange light that covered the sky fell, coloring the entire white beach and ocean with an orange hue.

With trepidation, Lin Shen and his companions moved closer behind the rocks, thinking the orange light might carry a high-temperature burn. But, as the light fell, they felt no increase in temperature nearby.

The python’s massive body was directly snatched up, tossed into the sky in an instant.

Such a massive body—I can’t even imagine how many tons it must weigh; a regular crane probably couldn’t lift it. Yet now, it was flung into the air hundreds of meters high like a toy, truly beyond imagination, a demonstration of terrifying strength.

Another phoenix cry resounded, an orange halo surged towards the heavens, meeting the giant serpent in the sky. Just at the moment of contact, the serpent vanished, seemingly devoured by the twisting halo of light.

As the three of them watched dumbfounded, the orange halo flew off into the depths of the ocean and disappeared in an instant.

“Steel Sacrificial Offering +1… Steel Sacrificial Offering +1…”

Suddenly, new information emerged in Lin Shen’s mind. Upon careful consideration, it seemed to be the activity of his Sacrifice to Heaven ability.

“What’s going on here?” Lin Shen wondered, looking around, but saw no one nearby. Why did the Sacrifice to Heaven suddenly react?

Within the message of the increasing sacrificial offering, Lin Shen felt an inexplicable warm current emerge in his body, spreading throughout, as if it made his blood boil, revitalizing every cell and infusing his muscles with strength, as though he could easily punch through steel.

“Alloy Sacrificial Offering +1…”

Following that message, Lin Shen instantly felt the warm current in his body explode like a volcano, filling him with terrifying energy, wild and surging, as if it were an unstoppable eruption.

He could clearly feel his body undergoing a horrifying enhancement, and even the steel armor he wore was being continuously reinforced.

The armor, mirror-like, began to emit a blood-red glow.

“What in the world is happening to that kid?” Tian Xin was utterly astounded, finding it all very bizarre.

Lin Shen seemed but a Steel Level weakling, yet previously he demonstrated such terrifying speed and could immobilize him with just a finger.

And now his body was glowing as if it were bathed in a blood-red Buddha’s light, making the situation all the more preposterous.

Wei Wufu also stared blankly at Lin Shen, who was emitting a blood-red glow, equally clueless about the situation. Since when did a Steel Body have colors? Could Steel Level be enchanted? That was unheard of.

“Are you okay?” Wei Wufu asked.

“I’m fine. You keep an eye on him; I’m going to take a walk.” Lin Shen pressed Tian Xin’s acupoint again, his strength clearly many times more potent than before. This pressure made Tian Xin’s tears and snot pour out.

Lin Shen turned and left. He could vaguely sense the location of the offerings, and since they were continuously increasing—and all at the same place—he wanted to see what was happening and what those offerings were.

With the blessing of Sacrifice to Heaven, Lin Shen felt strength coursing through his body. The gravity here hardly affected him anymore. He sped off into the Steel Forest, heading in one direction.

From afar, the sounds of combat and screams could be heard. Lin Shen stealthily made his way over and discovered that outside the Steel Forest was a mountain, at whose base a group of people were being besieged by a horde of Base Variant Creatures.

Those Base Variant Creatures were very peculiar, each one bigger and more muscular than the Green Giant, made up of metallic bumps; monster giants.

The most numerous were the grey Steel Giants, likely a thousand in number. There were also taller giants with a blue metallic sheen, probably Alloy Level, numbering several dozen.

There were also a few giants that looked like crafted from obsidian, about seven to eight meters tall with immense strength, fists like obsidian hammers, no doubt of Crystal Level.

The most terrifying was in the midst of these numerous giants, a Giant King towering over ten meters high, his body like obsidian and crowned with an Obsidian Crown.

The ones surrounded by these giants were none other than the Qi and Wang families, along with Bai Shenfei.

Bai Shenfei alone was battling the Giant King, and the situation did not seem optimistic.

The Qi and Wang families, under the siege of the surging tide of giants, kept falling, supported only by two Dark Birds.

Every time a person fell, Lin Shen’s mind received a prompt of Sacrificial Offering +1, leaving no doubt that these offerings were indeed the people from the Qi and Wang families.

His wristwatch vibrated relentlessly, each of his parameters skyrocketing crazily.