Chapter 493
Come out and see me within three breaths.
Chapter 493 Come out and see me within three breaths.
"Kru, are you crazy?"
Another old man frowned and said, "We have no idea how strong he is. He could do everything that he could do easily five hundred years ago, so why can't he do it now?"
"What if we anger him, and he could turn our city, our soldiers, and everything we are proud of to dust with a mere flick of his wrist?"
"To be on the safe side, we should continue to fulfill the agreement, hand over what is due, and maintain the status quo. This is the only way to survive."
Those who are given blood by Grell can maintain their appearance at the moment they were given blood, as long as they continue to drink fresh blood.
Therefore, the elders present were all clan elders who had personally witnessed Grell being granted power by that "god," and that terrifying figure was always etched in their memories.
These young-looking people are newcomers who have never even seen the "deity," so they are naturally more radical.
"Is surviving like a dog, wagging its tail and begging for mercy? Then what's the difference between us and those slaves outside?"
The hardline leader, known as "Kru," sneered: "Don't tell me you really think that guy is a god. He's just a more powerful flesh and blood body."
"Brown bears, tigers, lions... how many powerful creatures did we kill when we were weak, relying solely on our own strength?"
“The fact that so-called ‘gods’ can bleed means that they are still made of flesh and blood and can die,” Kru said coldly.
“That’s right,” another hardliner chimed in. “With such power and so many strong warriors, are we really going to live in his shadow forever?”
"Besides, he only appeared once every five hundred years. Who knows where he will be in the next five hundred years? Maybe he has already forgotten us, or is entangled in something else!"
The debate intensified, with the "cautious faction," which agreed to surrender in order to ensure safety, and the "hardliners," who advocated for greater autonomy or even independence based on existing strength, each sticking to their own arguments and attacking each other.
Until, a woman suddenly said something.
"So, we should also obediently hand over that newly discovered site, the one we haven't been able to approach until now?"
Upon hearing this, the council chamber fell into an instant silence.
"I don't take sides with either of you, but..."
The woman paused, slowly looked around, and said, word by word, "You should know that the age of that ruin far surpasses any of the ones we've discovered before."
"If I'm not mistaken, that should be what he's been looking for all along."
"That's something even the 'gods' covet!"
All the previous arguments seemed to be choked by a hand at this moment.
Whether or not that "god" was truly omniscient and omnipotent as some legends suggest, he was at least a being so powerful that none of those present could contend with him.
Even the hardliners, led by Kru, only wanted to kill him with the external objects developed using the technology found in the ruins, rather than trying to overwhelm him with their own strength.
Therefore, something that even such a terrifying being desires, and even bestows favors upon and punishes upon, may conceal hidden value or power...
Even the "cautious" members present couldn't help but feel their hearts race.
Tap...tap...
The light, moderate tapping sound echoed in the deathly silent council chamber.
Several pairs of scarlet vertical pupils subconsciously shifted away from each other's faces and turned in unison to the throne at the end of the long table, which was entirely made of Grell Stone, their gazes varying.
Fear, greed, curiosity, apprehension, awe...
Grell was now more imposing and robust than anyone else present, his muscles resembling those of a statue sculpted from rock.
Just sitting there, without making any movement, an aura of bloodshed and the brutality accumulated over time naturally permeated the air.
He casually propped his cheek with one hand, while the other hand rested on the armrest, his fingers tapping lightly.
He ignored the heated argument among his subordinates, his face expressionless. His deep, cold, crimson vertical pupils, more intense than those of the others, remained fixed on the outside, somewhat unfocused.
Ever since five hundred years ago, when he suffered an unforgettable humiliation and crushing pain in front of that "god" and his entourage, something inside Grell has become completely twisted.
In an attempt to erase the deep-seated fear and humiliation, he has intensified his actions over the past few centuries, consuming the flesh and blood of tens of thousands of living people under various pretexts.
The life force that had been drained was continuously poured into this body that had already been modified.
His strength, speed, physical prowess, and especially his terrifying self-healing ability, have reached an inhuman level that terrifies everyone who knows about him.
Ordinary sword wounds heal instantly, and severe injuries heal in a very short time. Various common fatal wounds can no longer truly threaten his life.
Even if it is directly shattered by the Grell Stone, it can be restored as long as there is a single drop of blood.
So sometimes he thinks that perhaps nothing can really kill him now.
But strangely, recently, a strange sense of unease has been quietly growing like a vine, entwining itself in the deepest part of his heart and refusing to go away.
He temporarily suppressed this unfounded unease, pushing it back into the corner of his heart.
Hey.
The final, clear knock rang out, and Grell slowly raised his head. His unfocused, crimson vertical pupils turned cold again, sweeping over the faces below, some tense, some expectant, and some fearful.
“Kru,” Grell’s deep, hoarse voice rang out, indifferent, “any new developments in the excavation of that ruin?”
These words caused a subtle shift in the atmosphere within the council chamber.
The faces of those who advocated for a cautious approach to handing over the relics immediately darkened, and worry flashed in their eyes.
Kluge and his supporters could not hide their joy.
But Kru quickly suppressed his joy, immediately stood up from his seat, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head toward the throne, saying, "Your Majesty."
"As per your orders, we have mobilized more manpower and resources at all costs to clear all the outer obstacles, but we have been blocked outside the core area of the ruins."
He licked his slightly chapped lips and continued, "It wasn't until we carried the blood you bestowed upon us that we finally seemed to have entered the edge of the core area."
"Unlike most of the previous discoveries that were architectural ruins or strange artifacts, this time we found that the site appears to be a tomb."
"Preliminary assessment suggests that it dates back approximately two thousand years."
Two thousand years?
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes flickered slightly. Although they knew that the newly discovered ruins were older than any of the ruins they had ever discovered, they did not expect them to be as old as two thousand years ago.
Two thousand years has already exceeded the limits of clearly recorded human history.
Did Homo sapiens really exist at that time?
However, unlike the tribespeople who focused on the "age," Grell was more concerned that the ruins were actually a tomb, and that the contents inside might be a "corpse."
He didn't really care much about the ruins he had discovered before, which were just architectural remains of various styles and strange objects whose purpose he couldn't understand.
Having lived for a thousand years, and possessing a near-immortal body and immense power, external things had long lost their appeal to him.
He pursued something more fundamental, such as power itself, absolute control, and so on...
Get rid of that ever-present fear.
If it's a corpse...
"The situation is completely different."
Grell narrowed his eyes slightly, a thoughtful look flashing in them.
Kru and his ilk never saw or experienced the terror of that "god" firsthand.
Their awe of power stemmed more from a reverence for it than from having confronted true strength directly. This is why they dared to harbor rebellious thoughts, daring to attempt to challenge, and even fantasize about, independence, using those nonsensical "external objects" unearthed from ruins.
But Greer was different.
He had personally experienced and witnessed it firsthand; every bone in his body had been crushed and reassembled by it, and he had deeply felt the terror brought about by that absolute power difference.
He's not some fool blinded by power.
He knew very well that a single drop of blood casually bestowed by that "god" was enough to create his current near-immortal body.
So, how terrifying must the true power of the one who bestowed this drop of blood be?
Is it really possible to kill it?
It's completely unimaginable.
If he could, he would absolutely not want to be enemies with such a being; even the slightest thought of it would be a foolish and unrealistic hope.
Submission, forbearance, and fulfilling agreements are indeed the ways to survive.
However, his ability is to manipulate and absorb flesh and blood, plundering life force to strengthen himself.
The blood and vitality of an ordinary human being can no longer significantly improve him; they can only maintain his physical condition from declining.
He needs a much larger amount of "nutrients".
A corpse from two thousand years ago, buried deep within the ruins, even intrigued by that "god"...
"If I could absorb it..."
Once the thought surfaced, it spread like poison, uncontrollably and rapidly taking over his entire mind.
Devour it, absorb it!
Perhaps, he will be able to break through his current limitations and achieve what he truly needs...
No, at least it gave him more confidence to face the power of that "god"?
Even if it's just a tiny bit of leverage, a tiny bit of possibility of breaking free from the other side's control...
After a moment's thought, Grell suppressed the surging greed in his heart and continued to ask, "Can't we go any further?"
Kru looked troubled, carefully choosing his words, and said tactfully, "Your Majesty, we have tried various methods, including using the Grell Stone to break it open, but with little success."
“However, since the ‘blood’ you bestowed upon us has allowed us to enter the edge of the core area, it means…”
Kru didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.
Grell's blood, a gift from that "god," allowed him to enter the edge of the core area, proving that a bloodline-based identification mechanism likely exists there.
Based on this, it can be inferred that the being buried in the ruins was likely of the same race as that "deity," and the proof of entry was their shared bloodline.
A single drop of diluted blood is naturally not enough.
Therefore, Grell needs to go there in person to have any chance of actually entering the core area.
"Kru!"
The old man, who had been suppressing his anger, finally couldn't hold back any longer. He stood up abruptly, glared at Kru, and said, "The situation in the ruins is unclear. Do you want the king to personally risk his life?"
"Excavating ruins is your responsibility, but now that you're facing difficulties, instead of thinking about how to solve them, you're trying to put the king in danger. What are your true intentions?!"
"Kru, are you bewitched by what's in those ruins and trying to harm the king?"
Several other cautious elders also spoke up in criticism, and the heated argument that had just subsided in the council chamber reignited, with the hardliners about to retort.
thump.
A crisp knocking sound rang out.
Grell's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the throne.
Instantly, a violent crimson aura spread out like a tide from Grell's center, making the air thick and heavy.
All the arguing stopped abruptly.
Everyone present felt as if they had been choked, their breath suddenly stopped, their faces turned pale, and their bodies trembled involuntarily.
"All right."
Grell's crimson vertical pupils swept over the silent crowd, and he said indifferently, "Isn't it just a ruin?"
"Do you really think that anything can truly kill me now?"
Upon hearing this, the elders opened their mouths as if to say something, but under Grell's gaze, they could only lower their heads even further, suppressing their surging unease deep in their hearts.
Kru, kneeling on one knee, had a look of wild joy in his eyes and said loudly, "These mere ruins will certainly not be able to harm the king in the slightest, but I am willing to be the vanguard and clear away all obstacles for the king."
Grell was quite pleased with Kru's reaction, nodded in satisfaction, and ordered, "Make preparations. I will personally go to that ruin tomorrow. Also..."
He paused, narrowed his eyes, and said coldly, "Keep the news under wraps. We absolutely cannot allow the existence of that ruin to be revealed, no matter the cost."
Although this was a hint, the meaning was quite clear.
Aside from those who were "bleeded" and whose lives and powers were entirely at Grell's mercy, everyone else who knew of the existence of that ruin...
This includes thousands of slaves who excavate and explore the ruins, as well as ordinary warriors who are responsible for surveillance but are not "bleeded"...
They must all be killed.
Klu felt a chill run down his spine, but quickly lowered his head and said, "Yes! I understand, I will handle it thoroughly!"
He stood up, bowed slightly, and was about to take his leave to make arrangements.
However, at that moment, the bright sunlight streaming through the skylight suddenly dimmed.
A biting wind rushed into the council chamber, emitting a whistling sound, and a chill quietly seeped into the thick, heavy air made thick by Grell's aura.
Kru and the others felt a chill creep up their spines, and a layer of fine goosebumps appeared on their skin.
what happened? !
Everyone, including Grell on the throne, instinctively looked up and gazed at the sky through the enormous skylight.
Suddenly, thick, leaden-gray clouds surged into the once clear, azure sky, spreading and gathering at a visible speed until they obscured the sky and blocked out the sunlight.
Lead-like clouds hung low, rolling like a tide, with flashes of lightning briefly illuminating the clouds.
In the instant the lightning flashed, everyone vaguely saw two figures silently hovering in the sky beneath the rolling dark clouds, looking down at Grell's kingdom below.
Boom!
The dull rumble of thunder came a moment later than the flash of lightning, shaking the stone walls and sending dust cascading down.
The entire royal city was shrouded in an oppressive aura, as if the sky were collapsing.
“Greel”.
A voice, piercing through the stone wall and the howling wind, reached the ears of everyone in the royal city below, like a high and mighty god.
"Come out and see me within three breaths," the voice said indifferently.
(End of this chapter)