Chapter 65

That night, Lian Chengyu fasted, burned incense, and spent the whole night in meditation, adjusting himself to his best state.

The next morning, the ceremony officially began!

Zhao Tiezhu led the members of the Warrior Reserve Camp and brought out the beast bone horn that the Lian Clan used specifically for the sky worship ceremony. Two strong men carried it, and another strong man had to use all his strength to blow it.

The muffled sound echoed over the Lian Clan, traveling for seven or eight miles.

"The auspicious time has arrived!" Zhao Tiezhu shouted at the top of his lungs.

Such a grand ceremony of the Lian Clan naturally attracted everyone in the clan to come and watch. As long as they could get out of bed, even one-year-old children were carried by their mothers.

The entire venue was packed, with people swarming around!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The drummers started beating the drums, starting slowly at first, then becoming more and more urgent. The old oxhide drum almost couldn't withstand such force.

"Kill the beast!"

Zhao Tiezhu shouted again. His face was flushed, and he was in high spirits. To be the master of ceremonies for such a grand event was a great honor!

The members of the Warrior Reserve Camp led out the last ox of the Lian Clan and slaughtered it.

The Lian Clan originally had three oxen. In the past few months, due to the lack of food, two had already been killed and made into salted meat, most of which was given to the Lian Clan's upper echelons, and a small part was used as a reward for the men who were being trained.

Now, with the last ox killed, it was like breaking the pot and sinking the boat. Without the ox, it would be even harder to cultivate the land in the village.

The land in the Great Wasteland was full of black iron rocks, making it extremely difficult to develop farmland. Warriors like Zhao Tiezhu, who were members of the Warrior Reserve Camp, were far less effective at clearing and cultivating land than an ox. Lian Chengyu was stronger than an ox, but how could Lian Chengyu possibly pull a plow and cultivate the land?

The ox was dead, and a large basin of ox blood was collected. The clan's witch came out, smeared the ox blood all over her emaciated body, and began to dance like someone having a seizure.

Indeed, this witch was the same one who had followed the villagers to surround Jiang Xiaorou's house with cow dung a few days ago. In fact, the entire Lian Clan had only this one witch.

"Finally, the bone essence is ready! Now, Young Master Lian will become a Purple Blood Warrior!"

In the crowd, Lian Cuifhua said proudly. Her voice was loud, and many people heard it.

"I heard that Young Master Lian is about to be chosen by the Divine Kingdom. He will lead us to a big city and a better life."

"Will our lives finally get better? I don't mind, but my son Niunv is only a teenager. If he can leave this place, it would be great..."

The people of the Great Wasteland were more concerned about their future lives. All the oxen were killed, the medicinal mountain was picked clean, and the stored food was gone. The entire Lian Clan was now using all its resources, with nothing left.

If they failed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Will this really go as planned...?" a middle-aged man asked uncertainly, feeling a bit afraid.

"Spit, spit, spit! What are you saying? How could it go wrong!"

People were discussing, and they had great hopes for Lian Chengyu's attempt to reach the Purple Blood stage and participate in the Divine Kingdom's warrior selection.

"Mom... can we get some meat?" As people were envisioning the future, a three- or four-year-old girl, lying in her mother's arms, stared at the beef that had been put into the large cauldron, her eyes wide and her mouth watering.

"Don't talk nonsense. This is an offering to the gods. How can you eat it?" The woman was startled and quickly covered the little girl's mouth...

The ceremony lasted a full hour before it ended. Lian Chengyu, dressed in formal attire and silver armor, came to the high platform.

Today, Lian Chengyu was in high spirits!

In front of Lian Chengyu was a jade box, covered with a red silk cloth.

Lian Chengyu took a deep breath. This was the moment he had been waiting for, the moment to realize his ambitions and aspirations!

He slowly lifted the silk cloth, revealing a fist-sized piece of bone essence inside the jade box!

This piece of bone essence was the result of him exhausting all his resources!

The appearance of the bone essence was not good; it looked like a brown mud clod. Compared to the crystal-clear, peanut-sized bone relics, it could only be described as pitiful.

This was understandable. This bone essence was refined using a primitive method, first extracting the energy from the Cold Python bone into a fire water, then evaporating the fire water to leave the crystalline residue, which was the bone essence.

How could something made this way look beautiful?

However, even if it looked terrible, in Lian Chengyu's eyes, it was the most exquisite work of art in the world!

This thing, which was crucial to his future and all his hopes, was now in front of him. Lian Chengyu calmed his mind, picked up the bone essence with both hands, and solemnly swallowed it.

The fist-sized bone essence looked like a mud clod and tasted like it too.

The taste was unimaginable.

But Lian Chengyu didn't waste a bit. He was very careful, not letting a single grain escape, and even licked his fingers clean.

He was a bit nervous. This was his first time eating bone essence, and the energy it contained was very violent. However, his body was strong, and he should be able to withstand it.

"The ceremony is over! Everyone, leave!"

Zhao Tiezhu shouted loudly, and the members of the Warrior Reserve Camp immediately started to clear the area to avoid disturbing Lian Chengyu.

Lian Chengyu would break through to the Purple Blood stage on this altar blessed by the clan's witch!

Although they were driven away, the people didn't go far. They all watched the altar from a distance.

Lian Chengyu sat cross-legged and began to meditate, focusing all his energy on breaking through.

However...

The expected surges of heat that would make his body feel like it was about to explode did not appear.

On the contrary, his stomach was very calm, as if he had just eaten an ordinary mud clod.

Huh?

What's going on?

Lian Chengyu frowned.

Could the bone essence not have taken effect yet? Should he wait a bit longer?

Lian Chengyu patiently continued to wait.

"I must remain calm. Once the bone essence releases its energy, it will be like a storm. Although my body is strong, it will be a struggle to withstand it. I must calm my mind, grit my teeth, and endure this trial. After this, I will be reborn like a phoenix, transformed, and soar to new heights!"

Lian Chengyu thought this, and his heart truly calmed down.

However, after a quarter of an hour...

The bone essence in his stomach still showed no reaction.

This was Lian Chengyu's first time eating bone essence, and he didn't know how long it would take to take effect. He thought it might be hard to digest, so it was just slow...

It should be, right...

...