Chapter 52: Blood as a Covenant, I Am the Ancestor!

"Just a little bit of wind and frost..."

Su Ming muttered to himself, unconsciously stepping forward.

He wanted to see more clearly.

But... no way!

"What on earth is it?!"

He punched the mold‑covered wall, and the hard wall gave way, leaving a hole.

"Stay calm, you must stay calm..."

Su Ming took off his backpack and opened it.

Suddenly, he was startled.

He saw the photo album of his father and mother that he had taken when he returned to the complex today!

On the first page, the first photo showed his father in crisp military uniform, patting his head—

"You little brat, remember! People of the old Su family never bend their spines wherever they go!"

"Your surname was given by your ancestors!"

"Your blood was given by your parents!"

"This is your root! No one can take it away!"

Root...

Bloodline...

Su Ming's body jolted violently.

All the fog and restlessness in his mind were torn to pieces in that instant!

He... understood!

What has spanned thousands of years throughout Dragon Nation has never been some vague, ethereal contract, nor a belief that can be betrayed at any moment!

It is the bloodline!

It is the clan!

No matter where a person is, no matter how great their achievements.

He cannot abandon his surname.

He cannot deny the blood flowing in his body!

That is his root!

It is the most fundamental imprint of his identity upon entering this world.

And the clan...

For a vast family,

that thick genealogy book that records every member's name!

that imposing ancestral hall that enshrines the Ancestor Tablet!

Isn't that the most vivid, most fitting 'empty paper' and 'earthly contract'?!

"Exactly..."

Su Ming's voice trembled.

A genealogy book is essentially just a stack of paper with writing on it!

An Ancestor Tablet is essentially just a piece of wood carved with characters!

In themselves they are worthless, having no real value!

But—

What they represent, however, is a sense of belonging etched into the bones!

It is loyalty written into the genes!

"So... that's how..."

Su Ming exhaled a long breath of foul air, and all the bewilderment in his eyes vanished.

This cultural identity rooted deep in the bloodline.

This collective honor that merges with the soul.

Is the most unbreakable, most indestructible 'intangible shackles'!

It is truly...

One Mind!

"But..."

A harsher reality, like a mountain, pressed before him.

He now has no clan.

And no damned genealogy book!

His parents have left him, never to return.

Relatives avoid him like snakes and scorpions.

He... is a complete lone man.

The altar's demand for him is an unwinnable dead end.

"Heh..."

In the silent basement, a faint chuckle sounded.

"Hehe..."

The laughter grew louder, more frantic.

"No family, then what?"

Su Ming jerked his head up, and in his eyes burned a wild fire capable of incinerating the heavens!

"I, Su Ming!"

"From today onward!"

"From! To! Become! A! Clan!"

The voice was not loud, yet it echoed repeatedly through the cavernous basement.

Su Ming closed his eyes.

From the very beginning, he had said...

The him of today—

Must live!

Must live!!

Must live!!!

Because... this altar era has changed.

He saw an opportunity!

Had there been no such transformation, he might have earned a meager salary and drifted through life in mediocrity.

Then, at every midnight when he awoke from a dream, that "accidental" car crash and the hidden, overwhelming darkness behind it would gnaw his body to the bone!

He would never be able to know who the enemy was.

He could only guess in perpetual despair.

He could never reach that colossal hand that erased all traces!

"But now..."

Su Ming clenched his fist tightly.

His mindset, when those eyes first stung, broke free from the mire of memories and became a sword drawn from its sheath!

Divine and Demonic Descent, Order Collapse!

Power is no longer monopolized by those unseen Rules.

It is now within easy reach!

He will rebel!

He will unleash slaughter!

"So..."

"Since there are no predecessors to rely on, I, Su Ming, am the founder!"

"Since there is no ancestral hall to worship, this body of mine becomes my own temple!"

A crazy, bold, even world‑shocking plan suddenly took shape in his mind!

He will, today!

Right now!

Right here!

For himself, he will personally erect the first Ancestor Tablet!

Founding a... that belongs solely to Su Ming alone...

Bloodline Clan!

"Blood as contract, I am the ancestor!"

With his resolve set, Su Ming's eyes held no hesitation.

He looked around, and his gaze finally fixed on a collapsed pet shelf in the corner.

"Crack!"

He strode forward and, with his bare hands, snapped off the thickest Pine Board.

The board felt hefty in his hands.

Su Ming brushed away the dust with his palm, revealing the smooth grain beneath.

Now he has an Ancestor Tablet.

He still needs a brush and ink!

He looked at his empty hands, and a Smile Mask curved his mouth.

"Puff—!"

Sharp teeth tore his fingertip, and deep red blood surged out instantly!

This blood, transformed by Source Blood, possessed a deep, uncanny hue and immense power.

"With my blood as ink!"

Su Ming's eyes burned with frenzy, like a mad demon!

He extended his blood‑stained index finger, using it as a brush.

He began to solemnly write, stroke by stroke, on that rough board!

There was no complex inscription.

He wrote only two characters—

Su

Ming

He wrote them huge, almost filling the center of the board!

The brushstroke was strong and forceful, penetrating the wood.

At the moment the final stroke fell.

"Hum—!"

The whole plank shivered violently without any warning.

Above, a blood‑colored glimmer made the heart race!

It's done!

Su Ming could feel it clearly.

Between himself and this crude Ancestor Tablet, a strange connection as if bloodlines were linked seemed to have formed.

An illusion?

Perhaps!

"Hahaha… good!"

Su Ming let out a booming laugh, his spirit soaring.

"From today onward, I, Su Ming, am the founding patriarch of the Su lineage!"

"If I become a deity, my descendants shall all be divine offspring!"

"If I become a demon, my bloodline shall forever seal the abyss!"

"My will is the Rule of my clan!"

"My words and deeds are the law of my clan!"

He raised high the Founding Ancestor Tablet that belonged only to him.

Like an Emperor reigning over all under heaven, he proclaimed his existence to the whole world!

Having done all this, Su Ming took a deep breath and steadied his turbulent emotions.

The face that had been filled with madness instantly returned to calm.

It was as if everything before had been an illusion.

He quietly cradled the Ancestor Tablet and walked up to the Flesh Cocoon.

"【Nest of Ten Thousand Gu】…"

"What you desire, I have given you!"

"In this world, no loyalty is purer than this! No loyalty more absolute!"

Su Ming's eyes blazed as he slammed the Ancestor Tablet in his hand hard onto the Flesh Cocoon!

"Creak… creak…"

The irritating chewing sound abruptly stopped.

All around.

Silence!