"Are they using me to feed the picture, or using the picture to feed me?"
Mo Hua licked his lips, and under the flickering candlelight, the Contemplation Map seemed to shiver.
The coffin was icy cold, yet lying in it was quite comfortable.
Mo Hua waited and waited inside...
But after a long time, there was still no movement.
Mo Hua frowned.
What's the matter?
We had an agreement that I'd be the sacrifice, so why has no one come to "eat" me?
Waiting a bit more, there was still no response from the coffin.
"Is the coffin broken?"
"Or did Lu Chengyun chant the wrong spell?"
"Or perhaps, this Contemplation Map is picky, only accepting feedings from the Zhang Family's disciples?"
That's not right either...
A bunch of zombies, given something to eat, who would care who fed it to them?
"So... could it be my problem?"
Mo Hua was startled and then focused his senses, indeed noticing something unusual within the coffin.
There was a voice inside the coffin.
The voice was faint, drifting and ethereal, fluctuating between distant and near...
Concentrating hard, Mo Hua made out that an old man was speaking, his voice intermittent, filled with allure:
"You... have an exceptional skeleton..."
"... a unique physique, your meridians conceal a top-grade Spiritual Root..."
"We share a destiny, I will impart to you the Great Dao... and assist you in becoming an Immortal..."
...
Mo Hua sneered.
If one could truly become an Immortal, why wouldn't you do it yourself instead of passing it to others?
This voice was clearly that of Zhang Quan, the old ancestor of the Zhang Family.
Mo Hua had heard it many times before.
He thought it over carefully and suddenly felt a light shock.
Could this voice be the key to the sacrifice?
You have to believe his words to be included in the sacrifice?
Because my Divine Sense is profound, my Taoist Heart steadfast, and I don't believe in its nonsense, it can't get into the coffin to "eat" me?
Mo Hua thought it might be possible...
So he convinced himself to pretend to "believe" the old man's nonsense.
Sure enough, shortly after, the voice became clearer and seemed to resonate directly within Mo Hua's Sea of Consciousness.
"We are fated, I will help you become an Immortal..."
"Help you become an Immortal..."
The voice was ancient, kind, compassionate.
At the same time, Mo Hua's vision blurred, and an image faintly appeared.
It was the Ancestral Master Picture of the Zhang Family, a masterpiece Mo Hua had coveted for a long time!
Unlike the real one, the Ancestral Master Picture at this moment was wreathed in clouds and mist, with curling incense smoke, and amidst the fleeting lights and shadows, golden radiance could be seen, with all the figures edged with gold.
The historical forebears of the Zhang Family stood like Immortals amidst the clouds, each exceptional and removed from mortal concerns, their immortal aura billowing.
Seeing this, Mo Hua's face lit up with longing, but inwardly he scoffed:
"You can fool others, but in front of your Zhang Family's 'little ancestor,' drop the act..."
"I'm not ignorant that you all are just a bunch of 'never-say-die' old zombies..."
As Mo Hua inwardly sneered, looking at the Ancestral Master Picture of the Zhang Family, he suddenly froze.
Among these "people," he spotted a familiar face.
This familiar person was none other than Zhang Quan!
Standing at the end, his expression respectful, he looked towards Mo Hua with a mix of surprise, resentment, and greed.
Mo Hua was somewhat taken aback.
Was Zhang Quan not dead?