Chapter 428: Awakening

"Not enough, continue the arrests. We must fill the Blood Pool to initiate the Blood Sacrifice and awaken the Great God," Kamo no Yasunori commanded.

"Hai!" the Ninjas in the temple replied in unison, then their bodies flickered as they performed the Earth Escape Technique and left the temple.

Within Kyoto, large-scale arrest operations began. The common people of Dongying had just experienced war, and the survivors faced collapsed houses, unable to cry despite their grief.

They called out the names of their loved ones in the ruins, searching for usable supplies. Just as they were overcome with grief, a group of black-clad Ninjas appeared. They were agile and elusive, knocking the survivors unconscious one by one before hoisting them up and walking away.

Some survivors discovered these black-clad Ninjas and tried to resist with kitchen knives, but it was completely useless.

These Ninjas were at least First-Grade Ninjas; whether it was their strength, speed, or the Ninjutsu they mastered, the ordinary survivors were powerless to resist.

"Don't move! I'm the police! I don't care if you're Ninjas or not, you've broken the law—everyone, hands up!" A police officer raised his gun, aiming it at the group of black-clad Ninjas.

A Ninja smiled dismissively at the handgun. His left eye rotated clockwise, his right eye counter-clockwise, and a strange mental fluctuation spread outward.

The police officer suddenly felt dizzy and blurred, as if the whole world were spinning. He knew something was wrong and bit his tongue hard; the sharp pain brought him back to his senses.

Unfortunately, it was already too late. The black-clad Ninja had reached them, and with a swing of his sharp Samurai Sword, a flash of blade-light cut the handgun in two.

"Baka yaro! You're so powerful, why didn't you come out to fight when the Shenzhou Immortal Cultivators invaded? How come you only come out to bully us now that the Shenzhou Immortal Cultivators have left? You cowards!" the police officer roared in anger.

The black-clad Ninja's expression was somewhat complex. They were all acting under orders, and the Shenzhou Immortal Cultivators were too terrifying; even if low-level Ninjas like them charged, it would just be throwing their lives away.

The black-clad Ninja did not argue, but instead struck the back of the police officer's neck with his right hand. The officer lost consciousness and was dragged away by the transport personnel behind.

More and more survivors were dragged into the temple, pressed down beside the Blood Pool, and had their throats slit to drain their blood.

Soon, the blood within the Blood Pool, which was over two hundred meters in diameter, grew more abundant, slowly covering the platform at the center of the pool.

With so many survivors killed, their resentment condensed and did not dissipate, filling the temple with an evil aura.

Eventually, the resentment became so thick that after the survivors died, their souls actually left their bodies. They bared their fangs and brandished their claws, wanting to fight the black-clad Ninjas to the death.

Unfortunately, these Ninjas were all practitioners with powerful Qi and blood. As soon as these ordinary wandering souls approached the Ninjas' bodies, their souls felt as if they were being burned by raging flames. In pain, they dared not approach, and could only hover nearby, roaring in anger and weeping over their hatred.

The temple was permeated with a thick, bloody stench, and coupled with these flickering wandering souls, it made the place filled with chilling winds, like hell, making one's hair stand on end.

When the blood covered the statue on the platform, Kamo no Yasunori held the Yin-Yang Banner and began to perform rituals around the Blood Pool. As he cast spell after spell, waves surged in the Blood Pool, and streams of blood swirled around the statue, attempting to awaken it and let them enjoy the offerings.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes—the statues remained motionless, which left Kamo no Yasunori very disappointed.

"Failed again. Can even human blood not awaken the Great God?" Kamo no Yasunori muttered. Suddenly, he thought: the more abundant the energy contained in the blood, the more likely it is to awaken the Great God. If the blood of these ordinary people is useless, then what about the blood of Immortal Cultivators?

"Watanabe Rokuro, you all must offer yourselves as sacrifice too," Kamo no Yasunori commanded.

The leader of the black-clad Ninjas froze. He was a Third Grade High-Level Ninja, a famous figure in the Dongying Ninja circle. He never expected that Kamo no Yasunori would sacrifice him just to awaken the Great God.

Seeing that Watanabe Rokuro did not move, Kamo no Yasunori said coldly, "Do you need me to help you?"

Watanabe Rokuro sighed, knelt by the Blood Pool, tore open the clothes on his chest, and used a short sword to cut horizontally across his chest, then cut vertically, forming a standard cross. Fresh blood gushed from his abdomen and flowed into the Blood Pool.

Under Kamo no Yasunori's cold, icy gaze, the other Ninjas had no choice but to follow Watanabe Rokuro's lead and end their own lives in the way of the samurai.

Seeing that the Ninjas who had captured them were doing the same as them, the wandering souls of the survivors clapped and cheered excitedly. Kamo no Yasunori ignored these wandering souls and continued to hold the Yin-Yang Banner, performing rituals around the Blood Pool, calling for the Great God to return.

"Hum! Hum!" Suddenly, the Susanoo Statue trembled. This filled Kamo no Yasunori with joy, as it meant the Great God Susanoo had responded to his call.

Kamo no Yasunori continued to cast spells, striking one incantation after another into the Blood Pool. All the blood surged toward the Susanoo Statue. Just as Kamo no Yasunori's Spirit Power was about to be exhausted, the Susanoo Statue suddenly opened its eyes, then opened its large mouth and took a violent breath, sucking the entire pool of blood into its mouth.

Not only that, but the wandering souls drifting in the temple were also enveloped by an invisible suction force and dragged into the mouth of Susanoo.

After draining the Blood Pool and devouring the wandering souls, the Susanoo Statue seemed to come alive. He twisted his neck, emitting crisp cracking sounds, then lifted his arms to look at the stone limbs, clearly dissatisfied with this body.

Susanoo walked down from the platform and said to Kamo no Yasunori, "You awakened me—what is the matter?"

Kamo no Yasunori's body trembled as he prostrated himself on the ground. He had not expected that by presiding over the Blood Sacrifice, he would actually awaken the Great God. This was truly wonderful.

Like a child who had been wronged and returned home to complain to an adult, Kamo no Yasunori recounted the story of Meng Yifan and Zhang Sanfeng invading Shenzhou.

Susanoo froze for a moment and muttered, "That shouldn't be. Earth's Spirit Qi is exhausted; it is already the End of Dharma Era. It is not yet time for the recovery of Spirit Qi. How could a Grade 6 Cultivator appear in the Shenzhou Immortal Cultivation world?"

"Do you have the combat footage of Meng Yifan?" Susanoo asked.

"I do. Great God, please follow me." Kamo no Tadayuki led the way, and Susanoo followed closely behind, walking out of the temple located in the belly of Mount Fuji.

Susanoo looked at Kyoto, which looked as if it had been bombed by an Atomic Bomb, and said angrily, "This is too much. It seems I must make a trip to Shenzhou and let them know that Dongying cannot be insulted."

"Great God, this subordinate is willing to be your vanguard and follow you to conquer Shenzhou." Kamo no Yasunori was incredibly excited, wishing he could follow Susanoo to Shenzhou right now to slaughter everyone.