Chapter 129: The Hope of Awakening Psionic Ability

Once the Holy Crusaders had completely entered, the doors in the walls closed shut. They merged so seamlessly with the walls that it was impossible to tell where the doors had been.

Ye Hai looked at Qi Beishan, grinned, and asked, "High Priest, with such a grand display, what exactly is this for?"

Qi Beishan, wearing the same faint smile, walked to the front of the crowd and replied, "Naturally, to preside over the blessing ceremony of the god Shesha. Leader Ye Hai, aren't you very eager to obtain the power of these mutants? This time, the four of us High Priests will personally perform the blessing for you, ensuring you get your heart's desire."

Ye Hai shrugged and looked around at the four High Priests.

Balan, the Cardinal in Red, was a burly, bearded middle-aged man in a crimson robe. Lucar, the Cardinal in Black, had a horizontal scar across his nose that divided his face in two; he stared at Ye Hai with a fierce, murderous glint in his eyes. Li Ya, the Cardinal in White, was the only woman among them; she looked at Ye Hai calmly, her face devoid of any expression.

There were nearly five thousand Holy Crusaders who had followed the four High Priests into the underground, completely surrounding Ye Hai’s thousand men. However, none of them carried weapons, clearly fearing that the use of high-energy weaponry would shatter the ice and release the ARMY-3s trapped beneath.

Ye Hai continued his questioning, "How many of these terrifying Shesha gods are there in total?"

Qi Beishan was slightly taken aback, then realized what Ye Hai meant by "Shesha god." He smiled faintly and replied, "There are fourteen in total."

Ye Hai frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "Unlike the ART-2 and 3, is the ARMY-3 population really this small? Or is there some other reason? Are these gigantic mutants actually ARMY-3s? It’s truly baffling."

Before Ye Hai could ponder further, Qi Beishan continued, "Leader Ye Hai, are you ready? We are about to begin the blessing ceremony!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Hai’s expression darkened. There were too many mysteries yet to be solved, and he still did not know how this so-called blessing ceremony would be conducted. Judging by Qi Beishan’s attitude, he held no real reverence for these giant serpents, treating them instead as mere tools. Furthermore, was the location he was currently in truly the experimental base he had been searching for? Too many questions left Ye Hai scratching his head.

Following the principle that if he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't waste time thinking about it, Ye Hai grinned and said, "Since the four High Priests are so gracious as to personally hold this blessing ceremony for us, we are naturally grateful beyond words. Then, please, let us begin! What must we do?"

Hearing Ye Hai’s response, the four High Priests were momentarily stunned. Ye Hai’s reaction was completely different from what they had anticipated. They had expected fierce resistance, and his cooperative attitude made them wonder if they had overthought it. They had brought their most elite Holy Crusaders specifically to force them into submission, just as they had done with other survivors who arrived here every year. Usually, a thousand men were sufficient, but this year, they had mobilized five thousand.

After a brief pause, Qi Beishan smiled and said, "As expected, Leader Ye Hai’s loyalty to the Shesha Sect comes from the heart. The blessing ceremony of the god Shesha can only be performed on one thousand people at a time. It will last throughout the entire winter. All of you will be buried in this thick layer of ice to sleep until the spring blossoms. Some of you will crawl out from the ice, having received the god Shesha’s blessing and gained supreme power. Of course, some will also melt into a pool of blood due to a lack of firm faith."

Hearing this, Ye Hai immediately thought of Alexia from the *Resident Evil* games, who used a low-temperature virus on herself for fifteen years to lower the activity of the Veronica virus in her body, allowing her to fuse perfectly with it and become its ideal host. It seemed the Shesha Sect had inadvertently discovered a similar method, using the condition of the virus inside the serpents being weakened to the extreme by low temperatures to integrate the virus into human bodies, thereby gaining the power of mutants and that magical method of transformation.

Ye Hai stared at Qi Beishan’s face and asked, "I am very curious about the power you speak of, High Priest. The Holy Crusaders must have all successfully received the complete blessing of the god Shesha, correct? Could they demonstrate their power?"

Hearing this request, Qi Beishan’s face darkened slightly. It was clear that Ye Hai was not going to submit obediently just because of his smooth words; this was obviously a probe into the strength of the Holy Crusaders. However, Qi Beishan did not mind. He hoped that Ye Hai and his group of test subjects would remain intact. He had learned from Kuls that Ye Hai’s group had defeated a 500-man Dusa Resistance force on their way here. Normally, this wouldn't have mattered much, but upon learning that it included a Saintess, Qi Beishan had immediately taken it seriously.

The Saints and Saintesses of the Dusa Resistance were perfect blessed ones, just like the High Priests. However, an accident had occurred that year. One of the Saints had awakened an ability that could create a teleportation portal. That batch of blessed ones had escaped the underground before the Shesha Sect could control them. Although the four High Priests had pursued them relentlessly, the Shesha Sect could do little against the power of those portals. Moreover, the Saintess's ability to bring the dead back to life ensured that as long as the Dusa Resistance wanted to expand, the survivor corpses discarded by the Shesha Sect every year were enough to keep the resistance growing. If not for the Shesha Sect’s monopoly on the black market, which kept the Dusa Resistance in a constant state of resource shortage, they would surely have developed even more rapidly.

Qi Beishan smiled faintly and said, "Leader Ye Hai, the Holy Crusaders have only completed the blessing of the god Shesha; their power is not considered strong. We, the four High Priests, are all perfect blessed ones! I can demonstrate my power for you. Perhaps, by next spring, Leader Ye Hai will become the fifth High Priest as a perfect blessed one!"

As he spoke, Qi Beishan waved his hand slightly. A massive amount of blood sprayed from the mouths of the giant serpents beneath the ice. This blood burst through the thick ice, forming several red pillars that intersected with one another.

Seeing Ye Hai’s slightly stunned expression, Qi Beishan smiled and said, "My ability is blood control. As long as I wish, I can instantly drain the blood of any living creature. Now, Leader Ye Hai... you know I value you highly. So, let the blessing ceremony begin! The other High Priests are likely growing impatient."

Ye Hai grinned and replied, "Let's begin!"

At this moment, Ye Hai was filled with anticipation, wondering if he would have the good fortune to awaken psionic powers through the methods of the Shesha Sect.