The patterns on the Altar ignited like popping beans accompanying the incantation. In a matter of seconds, the entire Altar was illuminated—mysterious graphics emanating a terrifying aura invisibly, a standard Demon destruction mythos. This supernatural phenomenon made the reporter even more terrified; she seemed to see her own demise.
Then, the woman was waning at a speed perceptible to the naked eye. Her supple skin developed wrinkles, her bright blonde hair dimmed, and her vibrant body aged at an exponential rate. Time seemed to have engaged a jet propulsion device on her.
"Her life force is being absorbed."
Li Xi felt a chill. He hadn't expected this kind of fate. Living out an entire life in just a few minutes—was there a more cruel way to die? Beside him, another woman's features began to contort into a knot of fear. Beneath her feet, the rhythm of dripping water could be heard. Li Xi didn't mock her; he hadn't soiled his pants simply because his bladder was empty.
Along with the reporter's painful lamentations, a dark shadow behind her expanded. Seeing the shadow, the Wizard grew frenetic, his voice becoming more strident. However, as the reporter doubled over and her life force was extinguished, the dark shadow stalled.
The Wizard grew anxious. With a flick of his finger, the woman beside Li Xi was violently thrown onto the Altar. The first reporter, now shriveled and small after her life force evaporated, closed her eyes forever.
As the second woman was sacrificed, the shadow reached the size of a fist. Li Xi understood: they were sacrifices for the Wizard to communicate with an unknown life form! When the second woman was drained, Li Xi was hurled onto the Altar.
He wanted to resist, but his body was immobile. If looks could kill, this Wizard would not have survived a minute. But the animosity Li Xi held was less significant to this Wizard than a gulp of air. Li Xi felt a pressure like an orange being squeezed in a machine. His muscles slackened, his agile brain became sluggish, and his vision blurred. He was flying toward death on a rocket.
"I still haven't found you... how unwilling I am."
As he waited for the end, the dark shadow smelled a delicious treat and approached him. Just as his hair turned white, the shadow enveloped him like a black curtain.
"Ah!"
The moment he was covered, Li Xi jumped two meters high, his body metamorphosing through various contortions. It was ten times more painful than the draining of life force. From the Wizard's perspective, Li Xi's ashen hair transformed back into black. His vitality erupted with power hundreds of times stronger than before, as if doused with gasoline.
"Hahahahaha, I succeeded!" The Wizard fell into a condition of total mania.
Suddenly, several figures appeared, wearing long robes and holding staffs. One figure chanted an incantation, and spiritual chains entered Li Xi's body.
"Energy Seal Technique."
Li Xi's escalating energy fluctuations stopped. He fell straight onto the Altar, his limbs twitching from the intense exertion.
When Li Xi opened his eyes again, he felt a surge of explosive power, as if every cell was filled with TNT. He estimated that dismantling a truck with his bare hands would be no problem. But before he could assimilate these changes, a sense of crisis spread.
Two Wizards in gray robes were watching him. Their gaze made his throat feel constricted.
"Name?"
Li Xi was startled—this Wizard was speaking Chinese.
"Li Xi."
"Age?"
"23 years old."
"What do you do for work?"
"Real estate sales."
"How much can you earn from one house?"
"The commission isn't fixed... between 10,000 and 20,000 per transaction."
Li Xi didn't dare hide anything. He saw the silent Wizard staring intently at him, his eyes seeming to penetrate his flesh and reach his soul.