Chapter 1810: Round Light Sphere

Xu Yang gently shook his head.

“We’ll discuss this later; let’s first deal with the immediate problem. Both of you, carefully observe the warriors accompanying the infants. Pay close attention to their every movement. If I’m not mistaken, these individuals should be fundamentally different from the warriors wearing our kind of clothes. Not only in their status and prestige, but also in their cultivation strength. They are clearly much more powerful than the warriors within this city-state. More importantly, I’ve observed that the martial arts aura flowing within these cloaked warriors is distinctly different from the cultivation system of normal warriors. Perhaps their true identities are the secret worth our in-depth investigation. It might even bring us some unexpected surprises.”

Clearly, Xu Yang had already drawn some special conclusions about the identities of these mysterious cloaked warriors, who were the operators of the upcoming soul-sacrifice ritual. In other words, Xu Yang considered them to be similar to the Heavenly Sect’s female assassin. This was because their behavioral patterns shared too many similarities. Furthermore, according to Xu Yang's own judgment, the average strength of these mysterious cloaked warriors was already close to the Spirit Void Realm, making them a force not to be underestimated.

According to the observations of Xu Yang and his two companions, the entire vast central plaza was divided into two sections. The area with a stone tablet sealing array was likely the main venue for the soul-sacrifice ritual, while the other side, also heavily guarded, was a control area. Powerful warriors were now beginning to construct a completely different, extremely domineering, and evil array in that control area. According to Xu Yang's guess, this was likely for dealing with infants who failed the soul sacrifice. It seemed they intended to use the terrifying power of this array to dispose of all those infants deemed to have no purpose in life.

“See? That other area will be our core battlefield later. Once they attempt to process those infants in a different way, both of you are to act according to my instructions. You must stop their scheme, and if necessary, eliminate all those cloaked figures.”

Upon receiving Xu Yang’s orders, Long Kun and Qing Ya both nodded in agreement and silently entered a state of readiness. Although none of the three emitted any aura, their gazes became incredibly sharp. If an unbearable situation truly arose, these three acting together would undoubtedly cause a commotion that would shake the entire city-state.

Soon after, a powerful middle-aged man, clad in a full-length silver robe, suddenly appeared. In his hand, he held a very unique energy crystal. It appeared to be a special magical artifact for this soul-sacrifice ritual. With this spherical glowing orb, it could accurately test the children’s innate soul strength, or their so-called talent level.

“The exciting moment is almost upon us! Citizens of Sacred Soul City, with your most fervent cheers, let us eagerly await the arrival of the chosen prodigy, one in ten thousand! I, representing the emperor’s decree, shall bestow blessings upon this child of heaven.”

Standing in the center of the soul-sacrifice ritual’s high platform, the middle-aged man’s declaration immediately garnered millions of citizens’ fervent cheers throughout the entire city as a sign of support. As the sound reverberated, the middle-aged man finally unleashed a powerful martial arts aura, fully igniting the crystal in his hand. The light emitted from within the crystal then shot into the square array surrounding the plaza, immediately illuminating its edges. All the energy surged wildly through every section of the array, gradually converging on the massive stone tablet in the very center. It slowly ignited each inscription within the tablet, emitting an incredibly dazzling light. Once the entire colossal stone tablet was fully enveloped by this light, it signaled the official commencement of the soul-sacrifice ritual.

Inside the square array, the first batch of one hundred infants, enveloped by the light, simultaneously began to cry. It seemed they weren’t experiencing significant pain; at least, under Xu Yang’s observation, their physical structures and life forms hadn’t suffered destructive damage. They were more likely just startled by the intense light. After undergoing the light’s baptism, a point of light formed on the forehead of each of the first hundred infants. Most were white, while a few glimmered green. No third color appeared. The middle-aged man’s face was etched with disappointment; he shook his head slightly and waved a hand. Immediately, a large group of warriors nearby transported these children to another empty section of the plaza, awaiting further instructions. Concurrently, a new batch of one hundred children was brought onto the soul-sacrifice platform to receive another round of light baptism.

This time, Xu Yang clearly observed that among the hundred infants, two possessed blue points of light. And according to Xu Yang's observations, the martial arts talent of children with blue points of light was indeed significantly stronger than that of those with white or green points.

“So that’s how it works. This array truly can test the martial arts talent of these children.”

Xu Yang muttered to himself, and the scene he witnessed next seemed to confirm his judgment: the children with blue points of light were personally held by the mysterious cloaked warriors. The remaining children with white and green points of light, like the previous batch of test subjects, were all transferred to the other side of the plaza. From the reactions of the women accompanying the children, it appeared that those sent to the other side, lacking sufficient talent, were akin to outcasts, destined to be sacrificed.

“Damn it, Boss. Is this seriously happening? I also noticed that only children with blue light points receive special treatment. All the other infants were sent to the other side as if they were trash. And the array being prepared on that side of the plaza is far more terrifying than this soul-sacrifice array. They're not going to burn those children without sufficient talent to death on the spot, are they?”

Qing Ya, standing beside him, snorted coldly and replied, “It’s just as you imagined. In the eyes of these high-and-mighty warriors, the unchosen children are nothing but waste. After all, these children are, at their core, the bloodline born from women of the neighboring empire. If allowed to continue growing, they would become a hidden danger to the empire in a few decades. That’s why they show no pity for these children’s lives, treating them as potential threats and refuse that shouldn’t exist, sacrificing them on the spot!”

Upon hearing this reply, Long Kun appeared to be at his breaking point, clenching his fists.