Chapter 1211: Section 1212: Baiyuan Ancestral Altar
Popota clenched his fists; the formidable power he had possessed just a short time ago and his current extreme weakness formed a stark contrast.
From mind to thoughts, from body to soul. That endless void made one thing clear to him.
It was all over.
His clan, the Baiyuan fire… and his sister.
“I’m sorry,” Popota murmured softly to himself. Images flashed through his mind, and as these memories broke through, his eyes began to mist.
“Popota.”
At that moment, a sigh-laden voice resounded by his ear.
…
Angel had not expected that only a moment after speaking with a weeping young fire demon, he would come to Popota and hear crying again.
Popota heard Angel’s call and raised his head, his eyes still glistening with moisture as he repeated to himself, “It’s over.”
“This was your choice, so you should have anticipated this ending,” Angel said in a soft sigh.
Hearing the voice by his ear, Popota’s thoughts slowly emerged from chaos. He glanced at Angel, and his eyes darkened with sadness:
“I knew I was destined to die, but I only wanted to delay it a bit longer. I wanted to sacrifice Aoluxiya to buy some time, but I never expected such consequences. I foresaw that this day might come, but arrogantly believed that I could control the situation.”
“Yet in reality, I’ve achieved nothing.”
The greatest illusion in his life was “I can.”
When Popota mentioned Aoluxiya’s shell, Angel raised an eyebrow: “Do you still want to use Aoluxiya’s body for a sacrifice?”
Popota shook his head with a wry smile.
The moment the other party completely ignored him as he tried to use the offering to summon The Profound Abyss, he realized everything.
From the very beginning, he had been a mere puppet in the hands of The Profound Abyss.
Even if he now obtained Aoluxiya’s shell and offered it to The Profound Abyss, he doubted he would achieve what he desired. Moreover, Aoluxiya’s body had already been taken away by Angel.
“Making a pact with a Demon God is akin to plotting with a tiger,” Angel said calmly.
“I received my sister’s prophecy, thinking I could transform from a pawn into a player. Now I realize that from the moment I prayed to the Demon God, I was already powerless…” As Popota lifted his nearly skinless eyelids, his cloudy eyes turned to Angel: “You made the right choice, to never trust a Demon God and never to use an offering.”
Teary blood mixed with thick fluid trickled from Popota’s eyes.
Angel merely watched him quietly.
After a long while, Popota looked up and said, “Angel, could you do me a favor…”
“No,” Angel refused without hesitation.
Popota froze, not expecting Angel to reject his request so decisively. He had thought that since Angel sought him out, there must be some meaningful reason. Why come to him if only to refuse?
Or was Angel there merely to mock his defeat in the guise of the victor?
“You’re still alive. The extraordinary energy is gone, and the bubble of dreams it brought with it has burst. Come back to reality; at least you’re not dead yet. Whatever you want to do, you can do it yourself.”
“I’m already a cripple, the Magical Core has cracked beyond any chance of healing. And the Primeval Flame…” Popota glanced towards Greerwu and immediately received a scornful look, “the Primeval Flame is gone too, it’s all over.”
“Is the Primeval Flame so important to the Baiyuanians?” Angel asked.
“Only the Primeval Flame can ignite the Baiyuan ancestral altar and leave behind a legacy of fire for our clan. According to the ancestors’ Prophecy, when the Baiyuan fire is rekindled, we can reclaim our past glory. Therefore, the Primeval Flame is a pillar of spirit for our clan.”
Angel nodded thoughtfully.
“I can give you the Primeval Flame,” Angel pointed to his earlobe. The purple-white Primeval Flame sealing Aoluxiya’s spirit couldn’t be given to Popota, but there was still a spark of the Primeval Flame inside the Flame Mark in his earlobe.
Popota stared in astonishment at Angel, who had said he wouldn’t help him, so why would he offer the Primeval Flame?
Without explaining his reasons, Angel simply said, “Now that you have the Primeval Flame, you should live on and ignite the Baiyuan ancestral altar you mentioned. Moreover, you need to find your sister yourself.”
Popota, understanding at last, couldn’t help but realize he had completely misunderstood Angel. He hadn’t come to mock him; he was encouraging Popota to survive using this method.
Tears muddied with emotion ran from Popota’s eyes. If he were still in the Barbarian Cave, perhaps he could have become friends with Angel… but now.
“Thank you,” Popota said, his eyes filled with sadness, “But even if I choose to light the Baiyuan ancestral altar, I am still going to die.”
Angel looked at Popota, waiting for him to explain.
This matter was related to the core secret of the Baiyuanians. Hesitation flickered in Popota’s eyes, as he was unsure whether to reveal it. After a long sigh, Popota reasoned: Since he was going to die soon, taking these secrets to the grave would only bury them, so he might as well tell Angel. He probably… deserved to be trusted.
With that thought, Popota slowly revealed a secret about the Baiyuanians.
The so-called ancestral altar of the Baiyuan Clan is not actually found in the real world; Popota himself does not know where it is. He only knows that it exists in the minds of every Baiyuanian. As long as one concentrates and feels it with a serene heart, all Baiyuanians can sense the altar that exists in the void.
Upon hearing this, Angel felt a moment of realization. He had read about it in books, which claimed that any settlement of Baiyuanians must possess the Primeval Flame. That was partly why some Wizards sought to hunt Baiyuanians. Despite Baiyuanians being killed off in droves, not a single Wizard had found this so-called “Primeval Flame.”
The altar that held the Primeval Flame was not in reality after all.
“Since the fire in the ancestral altar slowly vanished, Baiyuanians found it increasingly difficult to sense the altar. The books left by our ancestors record that when the fire in the altar was blazing fiercely, one could see its location with just closed eyes. But now, to sense the ancestral altar of the Baiyuan, one needs to perform an auxiliary ceremony.”
“The auxiliary ceremony requires at least two days to perform. That’s also why, after arriving in this world, I did not immediately attempt to ignite the Primeval Flame,” Popota said with a sorrowful look in his eyes.
The auxiliary ceremony can help Baiyuanians rediscover the location of the ancestral altar.
Once the ancestral altar has been found, can it be ignited by the Primeval Flame? The answer is no; to send the Primeval Flame into the ancestral altar, it takes a considerable amount of energy.