Inside the underground palace of Tenshu Castle.
Hidan curled up in the corner of the cage, guarding his last three grains of spoiled rice.
This was his final hope.
Every time the Daimyō brought in a little food, he would save a few grains of rice.
During the long and torturous imprisonment, he relied on these few grains to stay alive.
He still had some food, still had hope.
He hadn't gone mad, hadn't broken down, all thanks to these few grains of rice.
The last companion had been dragged away by the Daimyō for sacrifice. The next time the Daimyō came, it would be his death.
Hidan was only 8 years old at this time. He really didn't want to die.
Thwack!
A sound of breaking earth shattered the silence of the palace underground!
Hidan quickly moved aside, allowing the light from the two candle flames in front of the statue to illuminate the area beneath him.
An unknown plant had actually broken through the ground beneath him.
The plant grew two red leaves!
The two leaves quickly rotated, forming a small trumpet.
Faintly, it seemed there was a sound coming from the small trumpet.
Hidan hurriedly lay down, pressing his ear against the small trumpet.
Sure enough, there was sound from the trumpet.
"The one before you is a false god! A clown walking the shinobi world!"
"He has briefly deceived the eyes of the Evil God, arrogantly attempting to replace him!"
"Join the true Jashinism! Kill your enemy! Use blood and pain to pray to the Evil God, to exchange for his blessings!"
"The true Blood Mastery sacrificial ritual is..."
Hidan listened, his heart filled with extreme terror.
He understood the meaning from the trumpet. That statue behind him, like bloodglaze (liú lí - colored glaze), was actually a false god?
Hidan, having been imprisoned for over a month, had matured rapidly under the high pressure. He immediately realized this might be his chance to escape!
Sure enough, the red leaves continued to change, transforming into a sharp thorn over ten centimeters long.
The thorn was sharp enough to cut his flesh.
For several consecutive days, red flowers grew from the ground, their sweet nectar restored his strength.
For several consecutive days, Hidan used the thorn to pierce his arm, letting his meager blood flow onto the cage floor.
He finally drew a sacrificial blood array—a circle with an inner triangle.
Next was to wait, wait for the Daimyō's arrival.
In Hidan's eyes was deeply ingrained hatred.
He stared fixedly at the distant underground palace entrance.
At a certain moment, the cover of the underground palace suddenly opened, and two people walked in.
The footsteps were very familiar, expensive, soft, comfortable boots stepping down the stairs.
The Daimyō, leading his only surviving young son, descended into the underground palace.
Hidan quickly lay over the red flower.
Soon, blood seeped out from the red flower!
This was the Evil God's blood!
As long as he consumed the Evil God's blood and then sacrificed to the Evil God, he would gain the Evil God's favor!
Hidan lay on the ground, sucking the Evil God's blood.
In the darkness, a wooden tube detached from Yōkō's blood vessel; he had just delivered the blood to Hidan.
This way, Hidan, having consumed part of his blood and then sacrificing to him, would help him obtain the Blood Mastery faith power.
The dim candlelight illuminated the Daimyō's ferocious face.
The Daimyō first brought his son before the Evil God statue, prayed for a moment, then turned and came to the cage in the corner.
He dragged out the sick-dog-like Hidan and pulled him towards the statue.
Hidan's face dragged along the ground. Ignoring the pain, he tilted his head, struggling to glance at the statue.
False god! This is a false god!
The one he believed in was the true god, the true Evil God!
Just like the previous timeline, after the Daimyō had his son prepare, he grabbed Hidan's hair, pulled his head back, pressed his knee against Hidan's back, and exposed Hidan's throat.
At that moment, the wooden thorn in Hidan's sleeve suddenly dropped.
Hidan used all his strength to stab backwards and upwards. The sharp wooden thorn pierced the Daimyō's calf.
The Daimyō, in pain, fell backward.
Hidan pulled out the thorn and hurriedly ran towards the cage.
The Daimyō got up, staggered after Hidan, but tripped over something. A few sections of wooden vines had inexplicably grown from the cracks in the bricks, conveniently tangling around his ankles.
By the time he cut through the vines, got up, and chased again, he found Hidan had already run back into the cage.
"You lowborn wretch! Get over here and complete the great sacrifice!"
The wound on the Daimyō's leg was healing rapidly.
The Evil God granted an immortal body, along with extremely powerful recovery abilities.
No matter how severe the injury, it could self-heal.
When the Daimyō reached the front of the cage, he found Hidan pressing the wooden thorn against his own throat.
The Daimyō sneered, "What, threatening me with suicide?"
The next moment, Hidan violently stabbed the sharp thorn into his own throat!
The Daimyō was about to say how resolute this wretch was, that he might need to find a new sacrifice tonight.
The Daimyō suddenly raised his hand, clutching his own throat!
A hole appeared on his throat as well, and a large amount of blood gushed out!
The blood splattered on the ground. The Daimyō followed the blood with his eyes and only then saw the sacrificial blood array on the floor—the circle with the inner triangle!
What was happening? Had this child mastered the sacrificial method after witnessing it a few times?
The injury on his neck was clearly caused by the Evil God's secret technique, Death Controlling Possessed Blood!
Yōkō was hiding on the dark stairs, his eyes suddenly turning completely red.
Blood churned within his eyeballs!
Sacrifice!
Someone was sacrificing to him!
Yōkō's spirit suddenly left his body. He appeared in a boundless void.
Underfoot was a layer of shallow water, pale gray and lifeless.
In the void, two drops of blood quickly fell, dripping onto Yōkō's head.
The two drops of blood came from Hidan and the Daimyō, respectively.
Hidan was the believer; the Daimyō was the sacrifice.
The moment the two drops of blood touched Yōkō, they turned into gushing springs.
A torrent of blood sprayed from Yōkō's head, flowing downwards, covering his entire body.
From the outside, Yōkō also looked like a figure made of blood colored glaze.
Simultaneously, a certain bloodthirsty craving arose in his heart.
Yōkō's eyes were red.
Sacrifice...I need sacrifices, need blood...
Yōkō thought that if he was driven by this craving, letting the mental tribulation run rampant, he would be swallowed by the Evil God's primal desire for blood.
He hurriedly formed the Buddhist wrathful Scythe Seal.
The Three Worlds Vidyārāja Form appeared in this realm.
The Vidyārāja was on the left, the Evil God on the right.
The Vidyārāja, with a lotus-face smiling yet wrathful, frowning fiercely, sharp teeth appearing, subdued the craving for blood in Yōkō's heart.
Slightly calmed, Yōkō regained his reason.
He discovered his consciousness had separated from the blood-covered Evil God statue, regaining control.
The semi-transparent crimson Vidyārāja and the bright red blood-glaze Evil God made this realm exceptionally solemn.
This was a divine realm belonging solely to Yōkō.
The Three Worlds Vidyārāja and the Evil God were two completely different (jié rán bù tóng - completely different) abilities he controlled, both transcending the limits of spiritual energy and entering the domain of gods or sages.
Yōkō heard Hidan's prayer.
"Great Evil God, I pray to you with pain and blood! May the Evil God forever enjoy glory! May the Evil God grant me the power belonging to a god!"
Hidan had sacrificed the Daimyō of the Land of Hot Water, and he had also sacrificed himself.
This Blood Mastery divine realm formed a special connection with Hidan.
A part of Hidan's soul was permanently preserved within the Blood Mastery Divine Realm.
This was the secret to Hidan's immortality. As long as the Blood Mastery Divine Realm existed, Hidan's soul would never die.
Outside the cage, the Daimyō of the Land of Hot Water fell heavily to the ground, blood gushing from his throat.
The Daimyō, who frequently sacrificed to the Evil God, should have been immortal.
But the one killing him this time was extremely special.
He felt his blood coagulating; another divine power had invaded his body.
His immortal body was being destroyed!
The original Evil God and Yōkō used the Daimyō's blood vessels as a battlefield, their divine powers clashing.
At the critical moment, a Vidyārāja Form suddenly appeared behind Hidan.
Hidan received Yōkō's favor, while the Evil God behind the Daimyō seemed lifeless.
In the end, Yōkō's Evil God form and Vidyārāja Form jointly crushed the Daimyō, completing the sacrifice.
Hidan shouted, "False god! The one you believe in is a false god! The one I believe in is the true Evil God!"
"The false god's power has been defeated by the Evil God!"
After shouting a few times, Hidan quickly lost consciousness.
***
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