Armed Train in the Apocalypse-Chapter 372 - 250: Divine Favor? Evolution! (Part 2)
Forcing himself to shift his gaze to the High Priest’s face, the Second Priest’s expression was grim, "You have defied the gods."
The High Priest turned his murky eyes, seemingly looking through the Second Priest, his gaze landing on the Death God behind him, "Child, I have never defied the gods."
The Second Priest pointed at Su Huan, who was leisurely standing by, "But he didn’t attend the ritual."
"Oh, he missed it, he’ll have to wait for the next one."
The High Priest said calmly.
The Second Priest’s eyes were burning, "It’s still not too late to join now. After all, the ritual hasn’t officially begun, right?"
His confidant stood out with a sneer, "That’s right, there’s still a thousand... no, half of them are missing!"
The confidant said with a shocked expression.
The people around, including the Second Priest and Ah Duo, suddenly looked grave.
This large-scale reduction in numbers might indicate an unknown disaster occurred on the island.
The Second Priest’s face was uncertain as he stared intently into the High Priest’s eyes, stating each word emphatically, "He is the one from the prophecy."
It was not a question, but a statement.
"Who, me?"
Su Huan, as if realizing his own abruptness, pointed at the tip of his nose.
"Go to the altar and let the gods decide, whether it is him, or me, the one who peers into fate, let the gods decide! Whether to descend into hell, or enter Eden, leave it to the gods to decide!"
The High Priest suddenly shouted harshly, his voice shrill and hoarse.
The people around were visibly startled, and all looked towards the Second Priest.
The latter stared intently at Su Huan, but the more he stared, the more uncertain he felt. In those narrow eyes, he could see nothing, not even his own reflection.
"Is it on the mountain?"
Su Huan looked at the small mountain behind the resort hotel and, ignoring everyone’s reactions, walked past the Second Priest.
If his current interest was quantified, it might be 1~2 for New Eden, perhaps -1~0 for the conflict between the two priests, but his interest in this so-called "altar" and "gods" was around 5.
As for whether or not they existed, he was not certain.
In his past life, he had never seen gods, but he had seen people more god-like than clay statues.
The Second Priest did not argue with the High Priest anymore. Instead, as if certain of something, he followed the High Priest with his confidant and three hundred Evolvers.
He instructed a confidant with a few words, who quickly left.
The remaining people enclosed Su Huan and others more tightly in the middle.
Ah Duo was secretly regretting, had she known the other party was so reckless as to walk into the Second Priest’s territory, she would’ve brought more people.
The small mountain wasn’t high, though a bit slippery, but with Su Huan’s agility, it was as easy as walking on flat ground.
The group quickly reached the mountain top.
Su Huan looked around, curious, "Where’s the altar?"
...
"Bang!"
A barely audible muffled sound.
The head of a large flower python hanging from a tree branch exploded, its body twisting downwards.
Qu Hang put away his sniper rifle, a gentle breeze swirled by, cutting off all the plant vines silently entwining around.
Pang Tu, holding a herbal pack against his face with one hand, picked through the plants on the ground, choosing two items and crushing them into the medicine pack. Then he jogged over, dissected the fallen flower snake, and swallowed the gallbladder under He Zhenzhen’s horrified gaze.
He then muttered, "Finally almost done."
Qu Hang frowned, "Is the poison that strong?"
Pang Tu shook his head, "It’s not about that. It’s always been this way; it’s easier to kill than to save. That bastard put a bunch of composite poisons in there. In the whole battalion, I’m the only one who can solve it; even Licking Rabbit can’t do it."
While they talked, they had already emerged from the forest.
He Zhenzhen followed closely at Qu Hang’s side. If she wasn’t afraid of affecting his combat, she’d be holding onto his arm by now.
On the open ground, a large group of sacrificial priests, looking disheveled, squatted with their heads in their hands, most of them young and strong, while armed soldiers with guns stood guard.
Mountain Goat looked at the two approaching, his headache evident, "How do we handle these people? Do you two have any ideas?"
Qu Hang glanced at the absent-minded He Zhenzhen beside him, subtly signaling.
Mountain Goat shook his head, "They’re all regular survivors forced into participating in a heretical ritual..."
"There are only about three hundred, give me half to watch over, and you continue deeper inside. There shouldn’t be any combat objectives further in, right?"
Pang Tu said.
Mountain Goat chuckled, "Agreed. You keep an eye here."
Pang Tu rolled his eyes, "Damn! Digging a pit for me to fall into here, anything else?"
Mountain Goat restrained his smile, reached out his hand, and held a handful of red crystals in it, "Found this on them, from my observation, it can be ingested by people, but after death, it somehow precipitates and grows in size..."
Qu Hang was momentarily stunned, "Pan-energy Crystal?"
"It does have pan-energy, but it doesn’t seem like it. I somehow feel it resembles a material synthesized by the Maker. What do you guys think we should do with it?"
Qu Hang nonchalantly said, "Keep them, give them to the train conductor to handle; once he sees them, he’ll surely recognize them."
Mountain Goat said, "Alright then, let’s head out directly."
Qu Hang nodded, glancing at He Zhenzhen, but seeing her ready to grab his hand at a moment’s notice, he swallowed back his words.
"Leave this to Pang Tu to handle."
"Let’s go."
Pang Tu was speechless, rolling his eyes again in silent protest.
...
Seeing the scene before him, Su Huan was suddenly deeply disappointed.
The so-called altar was just an enclosed area on the mountain top, paved with black stones below, which were likely old floor tiles from before the apocalypse.
In the center stood a post, surrounded by three layers of steps.
At the topmost lay a coarse chair, its leather covering stripped away, yet looking like a single-seater sofa dragged out from some hotel room.
A heap of colorful cloth strips extended from the post, draping over the stones.
"Do not underestimate it. As long as you hold awe in your heart, the gods will grant you blessings." the High Priest said.
Su Huan squinted; if the "divine blessing" in the opponent’s words equated to evolution, it meant there was something near the altar capable of promoting evolution.
"Pan-energy Perception" activated in an instant.
Almost momentarily, he received a response beneath the altar.
His "Pan-energy Perception" seemed amplified, its range instantly doubling!
The area expanded up to a terrifying fourfold.
It almost covered the entire Tide Watching Island.
He could sense Yu Jing busy disassembling a giant whale with a group of people to the west, He Jie leading a small squad slowly advancing towards the small mountain but stopping halfway.
Familiar pan-energy fluctuations were rapidly approaching the foot of the mountain from the east.
Another group of strangers had just climbed up.
This is not divine blessing; it’s clearly an evolutionary opportunity!
Similar to the opportunity from the Crown Pear Tree!
"Once you become the High Priest and preside over the ritual, you’ll be able to sense the divine blessing here..."
The High Priest whispered to Su Huan.
"How effective is it?"
Su Huan’s eyes were fixed on the seat above, asking with amusement.
The High Priest hesitated to speak, while Ah Duo softly chastised, "This is the closest place to the gods, even the Second Priest doesn’t dare to act rashly."
"Also, you have not yet inherited the position of High Priest, so even if..."
Ah Duo glanced at the surrounding people watching intently, and then at the Third Priest speaking with the Second Priest, her tone slightly resentful, "Because of your recklessness, you didn’t even get a chance to prepare. You haven’t even inherited the title of High Priest yet, so what are you going to use to oppose him!"
"Ah Duo!"
The High Priest chastised.
Turning his face towards the direction of the altar, he whispered, "The effect is obvious. The first time I inadvertently performed a ritual for the gods, I gained the ability to peer into fate. But this ability is always vague. After obtaining the divine blessing through the ritual, the trajectory of fate becomes incredibly clear before me..."
"There are things underground that can enhance abilities."
Su Huan mouthed softly; Yu Yue seemed thoughtful, while Shu Wei quickly made notes on his tablet.
Bai Lu and Giraffe both focused their gaze on the Death God behind the Second Priest.
