Chapter 16: Promotion Ceremony
On a dark and windy day, outside the desolate wilderness.
It was the perfect time and place for some underhanded dealings.
Ji Ma rolled up her sleeves, rarely taking matters into her own hands to set up the ceremony site. She drew circles of ergot and white salt, both inside and out. She was afraid that the Lord of Transmutation, who loved a good twist, might pull a fast one on her, like airdropping a few bloodthirsty behemoths.
She even prepared her weapons.
After everything was done, the glass monument stood upright, and the traps were set.
All that was left was to sprinkle Waylin’s blood and chant a string of incantations like a madwoman.
Ji Ma pulled out a small bucket filled with moonlight grass, at the center of which was a test tube containing flowing black blood.
It was Waylin’s blood.
Using pliers, Ji Ma lifted it and, once free from the constraints of the moonlight grass, the black blood flowed faster.
She walked to the glass monument, the evil ceremony was about to begin. Ji Ma paused and couldn’t help but glance at George, who stood nearby in silver armor with a sword.
Compared to this wicked ceremony, this powerful paladin seemed completely out of place.
George had been called over by Ji Ma, just in case.
“Ji Ma,” he said, “can you hurry up?”
Ji Ma replied, “Safety first.”
“If safety is the priority, you’d better avoid the Dark Four Gods for life.”
“As a paladin with aspirations to impregnate a succubus, don’t you think your words lack persuasion?” Ji Ma said, “I’m about to start the ceremony.”
George turned his head, “Call me if you need anything…”
Ji Ma pulled out the piece of paper Waylin had given her, and according to the process, she uncorked the test tube. She poured a few drops of blood onto the paper. The black blood dripped from the mouth of the test tube, emitting dark energy as it slowly fell onto the paper.
The paper absorbed Waylin’s blood, which dyed the line of incantation black, making the edges sharp.
Ji Ma glanced at the line of incantation, which jumped off the page, burning her eyes. After looking for a moment, she couldn’t bear it any longer and shut her eyes.
But she found that the black incantation had burned a line of words into her vision. No matter where she looked, the black incantation remained at the center of her sight.
And the incantation on the paper had vanished without a trace.
This was not surprising; Ji Ma had seen stranger things. She just felt anxious, as it indicated that the ceremony was of high caliber and indeed dangerous to her life.
Ji Ma opened her mouth and began to recite the incantation, word by word. She could feel the sharp-edged spell emerging from her throat, scraping across her tongue, piercing her lips, and spilling outwards.
With each word she uttered, a character of the incantation disappeared from her sight.
She endured the pain, patiently finishing each word, then immediately splashed the remaining black blood onto the glass monument.
The blood seeped into the glass monument, which began to shine with a rainbow of colors, continually changing hues.
Ji Ma held her breath, feeling something wet at the corner of her mouth. When she wiped it with the back of her hand, she saw it stained with bright red blood.
The incantation had truly cut her tongue and lips.
“Ah, ah, ah.”
The cawing of crows echoed from all directions, a massive swarm of three-eyed crows flew in from the surrounding forest, flapping their wings and hovering behind the glass monument. Their third eye focused on Ji Ma.
The crows’ three eyes glimmered, forming a line of words: “I can give you everything you desire.”
“No,” Ji Ma spoke, her tongue still hurting, and this little injury healed quickly for her. “All I want is the formula and ceremony for the promotion potion to Diamond.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, one of the crows dropped a black cloth-wrapped object at her feet.
A line of words appeared before her: “This is the promotion potion.”
Ji Ma glanced at the glass bottle wrapped in black cloth on the ground, her first reaction was that this was another conspiracy by the Lord of Transmutation. Regardless, even if the Lord of Transmutation stumbled and hurt themselves, that would still be part of their grand scheme.
“Do you think I would believe that?”
“I don’t think so.” The flapping crows continued to “write,” “but you will verify, and there are ways to test it.”
They weren’t wrong.
But to receive a potion worth its weight in gold just like that, what could their purpose be?
Ji Ma asked, “What’s the cost?”
“Part of a grand scheme; that’s all.” The third eyes of the crows lit up one by one, forming a common text: “Free.”
Ji Ma bent down and pulled aside the black cloth. The glass bottle was of a size that could be easily held in one hand and seemed to contain a multitude of tormented souls. Smoke flowed inside, constantly forming a tortured face that pressed against the bottle’s wall.
At just one glance, Ji Ma couldn’t help but recall various painful events from recent days.
Her status in the harem had declined, preventing her from pursuing any girl she fancied.
Foreboding about the future.
Worries about the impending apocalyptic war.
She suppressed her discomfort and picked up the heavy glasses enchanted with “Identify,” putting them on.
She examined carefully and concluded that this thing indeed looked like a “promotion potion.” More importantly, a line of text had appeared in her long-dormant personal system information panel.
“Congratulations, you have obtained the promotion potion. Quickly hold the promotion ceremony to level up.”
Ji Ma’s hand instinctively tightened around the promotion potion. But she knew that consuming such a powerful potion all at once would surely kill her; she needed the promotion ceremony to offset the potion’s adverse effects.
She asked, “What is the ceremony?”
“Very simple.” The crows “wrote”: “Harm and betray your beloved.”
“If he possesses a kingdom miles wide and cares for his people, then you shall destroy his kingdom and torment his citizens.”
“If he sees justice as truth, then you must trample justice.”
“Only then can you gain immense pain from him, and in his suffering, drink the potion. The more he suffers, the greater your chance of success.”
“These are the experiences of your predecessors.”
Ji Ma blurted out, “You’re lying!”
“Then witness the history of the past firsthand.”
The crows’ three eyes all gleamed together, projecting the shadows of past history.
Ji Ma only felt a flash before her eyes, and she saw an endless desert. Looking down, she found herself standing on a pyramid, which was built in the midst of an oasis.
In the oasis, a rich city was burning, soldiers in chariots were chasing fleeing civilians with spears.
She saw a wounded king clutching his chest, asking:
“Why?”
Then she saw the queen, a stunning woman, who simply said: “I’m sorry.”
Then she spread wings, horns, and a tail, her bones growing and cracking. Soon, she became taller, more beautiful, and more powerful.
Ji Ma could feel her strength as if she were present.
The scene blacked out again.
The glowing three eyes of the crows formed a few words:
“This is the legend of the ancient desert kingdom. Your predecessor betrayed her lover and burned his kingdom. You can look up the historical records.”
Ji Ma remained silent.
Wasn’t this a coincidence?
The ancient texts left by Gregory for George documented a few events, one of which was exactly the historical projection the Lord of Transmutation had shown her.
Ji Ma didn’t doubt the authenticity of the historical projection; the Lord of Transmutation knew all of history and could indeed place people into the shadows of the past.
Of course, it couldn’t be ruled out that the Lord of Transmutation was selectively quoting, saying nine truths and one lie, which was something Ji Ma liked to do.
“You’re lying to me.”
“Believe it or not.” The crows wrote: “I just have high hopes for you.”
“There must be another way to promote.”
“There is. You can slowly endure, continue to gather others’ suffering, and let it settle in your heart.” The crows replied: “Afterward, you can hold this promotion ceremony. Thus, many powerful succubi have deeply loved someone.”
“Get lost!”
Ji Ma angrily shouted, swinging her “branch axe” and chopping at the crows; more than ten crows died on the spot.
“I forgive you and even admire you.” The crows wrote: “I can give you a glass eye to grant you a glimpse of the future’s shadows. Plus, you’ll be able to foresee incoming ambushes, and you can always be prepared.”
“Just place it on your forehead.”
“I chose you.”
Among the crows, a glass eye fell to the ground.
“Get lost! Die.”
Ji Ma spread her wings, swinging her axe again toward the flock of crows.
The crows shrieked and immediately landed on the ground. Ji Ma struck at empty air.
The glass monument lost its colors; Ji Ma swung her axe forcefully, and it made a clanging sound.
The blade sunk in several centimeters, and only then did she realize that the glass monument had turned into a blank stone tablet, quite ordinary.
“What happened to Ji Ma?” George asked as he stepped over an intact salt circle and ergot circle, sword in hand.
Ji Ma asked, “What did you see or hear just now?”
“I saw you finish the evil incantation, and then a light orb enveloped you and the ceremony. After that, I only heard the crows’ sounds.”
“A very bad thing happened,” Ji Ma said. “The Lord of Transmutation wants me to be His chosen one, and of course, I refused.”
“But the Dark Four Gods never ask for consent.” George hugged Ji Ma: “You still have me.”
“Well now, your woman has been promoted to chosen one.” Ji Ma joked with a smile: “Does that mean more motivation in bed from now on?”
“That joke isn’t funny.”
“True.” Ji Ma sighed deeply, her mind filled with the content of the promotion ceremony. “Getting promoted is too difficult. It seems like, despite being a genius who jumped to Platinum in just two years, I’ll be stuck here for life, dying as merely Platinum.”
“That’s fine.” George comforted her: “The journey ahead is fraught with danger. A wrong step, and you’ll regret it for a lifetime.”
“Are you regretting meeting me?” Ji Ma asked. “You were supposed to be a young hero, just reached Diamond, and now you’ve fallen to Gold and are only just crawling back. There’s a strong possibility you’ll never progress further.”
“No regrets.”
Ji Ma smiled.
George continued, “Because I feel like I’m close to Master level.”
Ji Ma’s smile stiffened.
“Actually, during the last time when I was punishing the Mother of All Beasts for the people of Bartow, I had a chance to reach Master level because of the good order I established—promoting good and punishing evil.” George continued: “But regarding my bloodline, it must have led many to doubt the order I left.”
Originally, she thought there was another comrade stuck at her level.
Ji Ma looked at George’s groin with annoyance, pondering, “George, I have a question.”
“What question?”
“With your current physique, if someone were to swing a hammer and hit you hard in the balls, would you be in a lot of pain?”
“Are you serious?”
“Look at my expression; I’m very serious.”
George said, “It shouldn’t hurt much; my essential life form has changed. Why are you asking me this so suddenly?”
“I won’t tell you.” Ji Ma leaned against George’s shoulder: “From now on, you might have to take care of this Platinum waste for the rest of your life.”
“Platinum and waste are conflicting terms.”
“Just answer me: will you take care of it?”
“Of course.”
“Let’s go.” Ji Ma’s tail inadvertently wrapped around the glass eye on the ground: “I’m feeling quite down today; let’s go get some late-night snacks.”
“No.” George said, “This place where the evil ceremony was held must be processed and purified, especially with all these crow corpses.”
“Ugh, so annoying.”
