Chapter 18 Divine Sacrificial Fire

Early the next morning, faint birdsong rang out from the jujube tree outside the window, crisp and pleasant.

Gu Jianlin let out a yawn. He hadn't slept all night; he'd been studying the whole time.

It had been a long while since he last studied so diligently. The main reason was that schoolwork was too basic for him—easy to understand and requiring no effort. But the Extraordinary World was different; everything about it was novel and intriguing.

He had already finished reading the Ether Association's code of conduct and basic knowledge for Ascenders.

What intrigued him the most—and was perhaps the most valuable—was the introduction to the Divine Path.

"There's no doubt that among all the ancient paths in the East, the Divine Path is the most powerful. Why, you ask? Because I am Divine—the strongest Divine. For two hundred and ten years, I've reigned undefeated."

——King of Qing.

Gu Jianlin could only comment: This person is so full of himself.

He had no idea who this King of Qing was. Even the Deep Space Network offered no clues.

As a rookie who had just stepped into the Extraordinary World, he couldn't yet comprehend what "the strongest" truly meant.

But if the one buried in Lishan also qualified as "the strongest," then the power of this King of Qing must be truly terrifying.

Of course, this document wasn't written by the King of Qing himself; they had merely quoted him.

The key points he extracted from it were as follows:

First, the Divine Path had the fewest practitioners among the ancient paths because it was hard to advance and even harder to master.

Second, the Divine Path was the most versatile of all paths. Its origins were unclear, but it had its heyday during the Chu Kingdom of the Pre-Qin Period, leaving behind a rich cultural legacy, hence its name, "Nine Songs."

A quick search revealed that "Nine Songs" was a chapter title in "Chu Ci." It was originally an ancient song name from Chinese mythology, reimagined by the Chu-era poet Qu Yuan during the Warring States Period.

It included eleven compositions: "Donghuang Taiyi," "Cloud Lord," "River Deity Couple," "Great Fate Master," "Junior Fate Officer," "East Lord," "He Bo," "Mountain Ghost," "Lament for the Fallen," and "Ritual Spirit."

Qu Yuan—this was someone everyone was familiar with, the same figure who famously threw himself into a river, a story immortalized by the Dragon Boat Festival.

The progression chain for the Inheritance Path was as follows:

Fate Officer, Junior Fate Officer, Great Fate Master, Cloud Lord, Star Lord, Heavenly Monarch, East Lord, Donghuang…

As for the final tier, it was unknown for now. Perhaps it involved classified secrets and wasn't disclosed.

The essence of the Divine Path's abilities lay in mastering the mysteries of life, channeling nature to draw immense power.

Thus, there were two core abilities.

The first: Life Perception.

The second: Divine Sacrificial Fire.

The former was passive, while the latter was active.

"Divine Sacrificial Fire allows you to channel nature, extract life force, and replenish yourself. Targets may include plants, animals, and similar entities."

Gu Jianlin murmured, "This must be referring to that pale flame."

He focused his attention, and the pale Ghost Fire reappeared on his forehead.

At the same time, his aura became cold and sinister. In his pitch-black eyes, faint flame reflections could be seen. The pale Ghost Fire also ignited on the fingertips of his outstretched right hand.

He tried pressing his hand onto the cactus on the windowsill, murmuring softly:

"Sacrifice!"

The Ghost Fire on his fingertips flickered, and countless jet-black spell glyphs twisted and wriggled like living creatures, spreading outward. It was as if they formed a mysterious and intricate ancient array in the void, sparking bursts of flames.

Before his eyes, the green cactus emitted a puff of black smoke and withered grotesquely!

Gu Jianlin suddenly understood. At the moment the cactus withered, he felt a dense surge of life force pouring into his body like a cool stream. The wounds on his forehead and shoulder began to itch.

After hesitating for a moment, he decided to remove the bandages and gauze.

To his astonishment, the wounds were already completely healed!

The abrasions on his back were also fully gone.

Incredible!

Gu Jianlin was genuinely stunned by the scene before him. So this was a supernatural ability.

However, after using the Divine Sacrificial Fire, he clearly felt his mind becoming a bit hazy, as if something had been drained.

It was likely, he guessed, a depletion of his spirituality.

But from this moment on, for the first time, he truly felt what it meant to be an Ascender.

In addition, Zero-tier practitioners of the Divine Path also had one more ability—Ghost Curse Technique!

By using tissues, clothing, or personal belongings of the target as a medium, one could burn their own life force to cast a curse. This could inflict physical or psychological damage, and it was difficult to resist.

At first glance, this seemed like a self-harming skill, but that wasn't accurate.

Because those who followed the Divine Path truly feared no injuries. They could draw life force to replenish themselves at any time.

"I think I understand now why the Divine Path is considered hard to master. If a normal person gained Life Perception, it would be like suddenly acquiring an extra sensory organ. It'd be overwhelming, and interacting with others would be influenced by those rhythms." Gu Jianlin murmured.

So many lives. So many people. So many rhythms.

Good or bad, they would all echo endlessly in your ears—it truly could be torment.

However, Gu Jianlin didn't find it too hard to adapt. After all, his profiling abilities were already pretty strange to begin with.

"And then there's the Divine Sacrificial Fire. Just now, when I extracted the cactus's life force, it gave me an addictive feeling. If I couldn't control myself, I might not be able to stop."