Chapter 488: Perverse Sacrificial Rite

On the altar soaked by the blood moon, nine Crystal Coffins hang upside‑down in black mist. Inside each coffin lies a woman whose appearance matches Ao Li, their wrists bound with chains that stretch into the void, the other ends tied to the gears of Lín Jìn's pocket watch. Shen Mo sheds his black robe, revealing a back covered in snake scales—each scale reflecting a burning scene of the Spiritual Sky Hall from a different time and space.

**I. Molting Council**

The round table where the Dark Elders sit is actually a giant snake skull; whenever someone speaks, the corresponding snake fang oozes memory fluid. From beneath the chief elder's cloak extends a glowing vine, its tip coiled around half of the Mysterious Wind Pavilion Master's heart: "Fear is the best Burial Coffin Sacrifice." As he says this, he crushes the heart, and blood mist reveals a scene of border villagers gouging out each other's eyes.

"Let the reflection become the body." The black‑robed crone spits out three snake eggs, their shells reflecting the silhouettes of Spiritual Sky Hall sentinels. When the eggs burst, corresponding soldiers a thousand li away suddenly begin carving an inverted five‑star on the defensive diagram with daggers.

**II. Seed of Lies**

Inside the newly arrived defensive crossbow cannon at the Mo Sect workshop, the wood grain silently sprouts blood‑colored ominous verses. The craftsman's hand touches the bow, and the dying voices of fallen relatives whisper in his ear: "Ao Li is the gate of Shenyuan." That night, rumors spread simultaneously in twelve towns: those who slay the Dragon Clan will attain immortality.

When Lín Jìn heard the rumor in a border tavern, the singing girl's pupils suddenly shattered, and a glowing centipede bearing the words "the third quarter of the Zi hour" crawled out. He chased out the alley, only to find that the reflections of the entire street kept reenacting the spreading of the rumor, while the actual townspeople remained oblivious.

**III. Mirror Assault**

When the seventh layer of the Dragon Island barrier collapsed, the guards saw "Ao Li" leading troops to aid. These mirror entities bore authentic Dragon Clan talismans, yet the moment they passed through the barrier they turned into black tides. The real Ao Li was about to rush to help when a Crystal Coffin suddenly rose from beneath her feet—one of the nine coffins on the dark altar.

At the same time, all the bronze mirrors in the Spiritual Sky Hall Library floated on their own, reflecting elders who suddenly drew daggers and stabbed at their comrades. The Mysterious Mirror Elder's golden threads wrapped around three mirror entities, only to discover each thread was linked to a snake scale on his own nape. When the first drop of blood fell onto a torn page of the "Record of Subduing Demons," the scorch mark revealed an altar blueprint drawn by Shen Mo.

**IV. Pocket‑Watch Gallows**

A bronze pillar rose at the center of the dark altar, its wrapped chain being a magnified version of Lín Jìn's pocket‑watch chain. Shen Mo set five snake‑shaped fragments into the recesses, each fragment reflecting Ao Li's battle scene from a different time and space. When the fragments joined, every Ao Li across all timelines simultaneously clutched their chests—their hearts manifested as miniature pocket watches.

"Only four bodies remain missing." The chief elder lifted his cloak, revealing that his face was the rotting half of the Mysterious Wind Pavilion Master's visage. The altar began to sink, exposing an upside‑down Spiritual Sky Hall sand table below, each soul‑binding tower's tip piercing a Lín Jìn mirror entity.

**End, Reverse Burial Coffin Sacrifice**

When the border villagers collectively knelt before the two‑faced statue, its left face fully transformed into Ao Li's expression of agony. Lín Jìn's pocket watch suddenly fell apart, its gears turning into iron chains that bound his limbs. In the direction of the dark altar, the nine Crystal Coffins opened simultaneously, the women inside reaching out to pull the chains—each Dragon‑Roaring Sword from every timeline began to pierce the corresponding Ao Li's heart.

Meanwhile, the true gate of Shenyuan was slowly rising from beneath the Spiritual Sky Hall council chamber. The nine snake eyes on the door each reflected the distorted face of the Mysterious Mirror Elder, the eyes of the Mo Sect Grand Progenitor Liu Yin, and the broken dragon horn of Crown Prince Ao Sheng. When the bell of the third quarter of the Zi hour rang, the runes of all defensive arrays reversed simultaneously, turning into invitations for the Burial Coffin Sacrifice of living beings.