I am becoming the ultimate demon.

Chapter 25: Clues to the Altar, Initial Exploration of the Underground; The Masked Man, Transcending

The demon gently picked up the little maid, who nestled obediently in Ji Lin's arms, as gentle and well-behaved as a cute little rabbit.

The two figures darted off the carriage in an instant, and using the characteristics of their skills, they didn't even alert the coachman.

Yun Cui had been following Ji Lin around lately, and even though this situation suddenly occurred, she didn't seem too surprised.

Ji Lin originally planned to stay overnight in Hongshan County and then visit Bai Zhan and Wang Bo, two local bigwigs, but due to this sudden change, he had no choice but to give up.

Taking advantage of the darkness, Ji Lin used his exceptional agility to run away and quickly shook off his pursuers. He dared not linger and rushed back to Xiong'an County overnight.

Ji Lin slowly put Yun Cui down, panting heavily, his demonic form already unable to hold on.

"Young Master, what just happened?" Yun Cui helped Ji Lin, who was about to fall to the ground.

"It's nothing, just that a few tough guys are with us."

Yun Cui's face turned pale instantly. She knew how powerful the young master was; in the entire Xiong'an County, there was almost no one who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

Now, just a trip to the neighboring Hongshan County has left them with no choice but to flee in disarray.

This world is not only full of anomalies, but also has many things that are far more dangerous than she imagined.

"What are you standing there for, little girl? Hurry up and help me back to my room to rest." Ji Lin gently tapped her head.

Yun Cui then came to her senses and helped him into the room.

"You must be tired today, go back and rest." Ji Lin said, then closed the door.

Back in his room, the words "ancient altar" kept popping into his mind. What exactly was that?

He first looked up ancient books in the county to find information about this.

Despite searching high and low, no records of the ancient altar could be found.

That's strange. Could the information from the black market be wrong?

He thought again, and although this circle was very strange, the news that it was worth ten taels of gold—no, it was worth one thousand one hundred taels of gold—was still quite reliable.

The search may have been misdirected. Since the ancient altar is a secret of Xiong'an County, it could not possibly be recorded in the open.

He began searching for keywords such as "god," "sacrifice," "ritual," and "mystery."

Finally, the only site that matches these keywords is the long-abandoned ruins of the "Laojun Temple" in the west of the city.

According to county records, a grand ceremony was held when the Lao Jun Temple was built many years ago, and sacrifices have been performed there every year since then. People also go there to burn incense and worship the gods during festivals...

A chill ran through him; he decided he might as well go and take a look.

That night, a fierce snowstorm raged.

Ji Lin decided to explore the ruins of Lao Jun Temple alone.

He took a torch, but didn't light it. Alone in the dark, he arrived at the west side of the city, where he saw a dilapidated building with some walls collapsed. Over the long years, few people remembered what it had once been used for.

The main gate of Laojun Temple has long since disappeared, leaving only two weathered stone pillars. Most of the glazed tiles on the roof are broken, and weeds grow all around. The clay statue of Laojun on the high seat has lost its gold leaf, leaving only half of its face remaining.

Ji Lin looked around but didn't find anything amiss.

The wind and snow howled past, and moonlight shone through the roof, forming faint beams of light that spilled onto the floor.

He remembered that the key word was "underground" in the ancient underground altar.

So he picked up a dry branch from the side and started stepping on it while tapping the stone slabs on the ground with the stick.

"Da da da"

He carefully examined every single stone slab, leaving no corner unchecked.

After searching for a long time, finally, when I tapped the stone slab under the offering table, it made a "thump thump thump" sound.

It's empty inside.

Ji Lin was overjoyed; he had found it.

He moved the loose stone slab and saw a dark passageway inside.

He then took out a tinderbox from his pocket, lit the prepared torch, and the flame instantly illuminated a section of stone steps.

He looked around to make sure no one was following him before entering the passage and gently covering the stone slab with it.

Following the stairs down to the bottom, you'll find a dilapidated basement with a spacious interior.

On the ground was a huge, ancient stone platform. The patterns on the platform were twisted, and most of the blood color in the texture had faded. The surface was covered with a thick layer of dust.

"Could this be... the so-called ancient altar? What is its purpose?"

Ji Lin was very puzzled.

His gaze swept across the area and he suddenly noticed a groove in the center of the ancient altar, which immediately caught his attention.

He then approached the spot, gently brushed away a layer of dust, and cleaned away the dirt inside.

Suddenly, I realized that the tiny bumps in this groove felt somewhat familiar.

He took out the bone flute from his pocket, looked at the shape of the end, and was very surprised to find that the two were perfectly matched!

This bone flute is actually related to an ancient altar?

Ji Lin slowly inserted the bone flute into the groove, and suddenly heard what sounded like a mechanism. Then the altar began to emit a faint blue light.

At that moment, a stream of obscure information flooded into my mind, fragments of images about "blood sacrifice" and "sealing".

It is a fragment of a powerful being sealing away a terrifying anomaly through some kind of ritual.

A directional coordinate also appears, pointing to a certain location on the Huai River.

Could this be the "moving hill"? I can't imagine how powerful this calamity was before it was sealed away.

Ji Lin suddenly felt a chill run down his spine; he realized that many powerful auras were approaching!

He turned around abruptly and saw a group of masked men behind him. The leader had a cold aura, the same aura that had been watching him from the black market.

He had a bad feeling. Damn it, how did they follow us here?

He hadn't even noticed it himself, and worst of all, he hadn't sensed any of the abnormal beings among them.

After a rough count, there were more than ten people on the other side, but it was impossible to tell exactly how many there were.

"Hand over that thing obediently, and we'll leave you with a whole corpse!" said the masked leader.

Ji Lin used his Insight skill to check this person's information:

[Martial Artist: Li Quan]

[Level: Transcendent]

Martial Arts: Corpse Palm, Shadowless Step

Wait a minute! Transcending the ordinary and reaching sainthood? This is the first time he has encountered a martial artist of this level.

According to the system's attribute algorithm, at least four dimensions reach 50 or more, but the upper limit is unknown.

He couldn't even defeat one Saint-level martial artist, let alone now that more than a dozen have arrived. He's truly doomed.

Their purpose was clear: they came for the bone flute, and they should know its function better than he did.

But how did these people know that he had that bone flute, and why were they still chasing after him?

The disaster in the Huai River is probably not simple; it's not just about its high level, but it must involve some great secret.

He is now surrounded, and the enemy is well-prepared. What should he do?

Should we hand over the bone flute, or risk engaging in a deadly battle here in an unknown form of demonic blood?