Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1211: Section 1212: Baiyuan Ancestral Altar

Popota clenched his fists; the formidable power he had possessed just a short time ago and his current extreme weakness formed a stark contrast.

From mind to thoughts, from body to soul. That endless void made one thing clear to him.

It was all over.

His clan, the Baiyuan fire… and his sister.

“I’m sorry,” Popota murmured softly to himself. Images flashed through his mind, and as these memories broke through, his eyes began to mist.

“Popota.”

At that moment, a sigh-laden voice resounded by his ear.

…

Angel had not expected that only a moment after speaking with a weeping young fire demon, he would come to Popota and hear crying again.

Popota heard Angel’s call and raised his head, his eyes still glistening with moisture as he repeated to himself, “It’s over.”

“This was your choice, so you should have anticipated this ending,” Angel said in a soft sigh.

Hearing the voice by his ear, Popota’s thoughts slowly emerged from chaos. He glanced at Angel, and his eyes darkened with sadness:

“I knew I was destined to die, but I only wanted to delay it a bit longer. I wanted to sacrifice Aoluxiya to buy some time, but I never expected such consequences. I foresaw that this day might come, but arrogantly believed that I could control the situation.”

“Yet in reality, I’ve achieved nothing.”

The greatest illusion in his life was “I can.”

When Popota mentioned Aoluxiya’s shell, Angel raised an eyebrow: “Do you still want to use Aoluxiya’s body for a sacrifice?”

Popota shook his head with a wry smile.

The moment the other party completely ignored him as he tried to use the offering to summon The Profound Abyss, he realized everything.

From the very beginning, he had been a mere puppet in the hands of The Profound Abyss.

Even if he now obtained Aoluxiya’s shell and offered it to The Profound Abyss, he doubted he would achieve what he desired. Moreover, Aoluxiya’s body had already been taken away by Angel.

“Making a pact with a Demon God is akin to plotting with a tiger,” Angel said calmly.

“I received my sister’s prophecy, thinking I could transform from a pawn into a player. Now I realize that from the moment I prayed to the Demon God, I was already powerless…” As Popota lifted his nearly skinless eyelids, his cloudy eyes turned to Angel: “You made the right choice, to never trust a Demon God and never to use an offering.”

Teary blood mixed with thick fluid trickled from Popota’s eyes.

Angel merely watched him quietly.

After a long while, Popota looked up and said, “Angel, could you do me a favor…”

“No,” Angel refused without hesitation.

Popota froze, not expecting Angel to reject his request so decisively. He had thought that since Angel sought him out, there must be some meaningful reason. Why come to him if only to refuse?

Or was Angel there merely to mock his defeat in the guise of the victor?

“You’re still alive. The extraordinary energy is gone, and the bubble of dreams it brought with it has burst. Come back to reality; at least you’re not dead yet. Whatever you want to do, you can do it yourself.”

“I’m already a cripple, the Magical Core has cracked beyond any chance of healing. And the Primeval Flame…” Popota glanced towards Greerwu and immediately received a scornful look, “the Primeval Flame is gone too, it’s all over.”

“Is the Primeval Flame so important to the Baiyuanians?” Angel asked.

“Only the Primeval Flame can ignite the Baiyuan ancestral altar and leave behind a legacy of fire for our clan. According to the ancestors’ Prophecy, when the Baiyuan fire is rekindled, we can reclaim our past glory. Therefore, the Primeval Flame is a pillar of spirit for our clan.”

Angel nodded thoughtfully.

“I can give you the Primeval Flame,” Angel pointed to his earlobe. The purple-white Primeval Flame sealing Aoluxiya’s spirit couldn’t be given to Popota, but there was still a spark of the Primeval Flame inside the Flame Mark in his earlobe.

Popota stared in astonishment at Angel, who had said he wouldn’t help him, so why would he offer the Primeval Flame?

Without explaining his reasons, Angel simply said, “Now that you have the Primeval Flame, you should live on and ignite the Baiyuan ancestral altar you mentioned. Moreover, you need to find your sister yourself.”

Popota, understanding at last, couldn’t help but realize he had completely misunderstood Angel. He hadn’t come to mock him; he was encouraging Popota to survive using this method.

Tears muddied with emotion ran from Popota’s eyes. If he were still in the Barbarian Cave, perhaps he could have become friends with Angel… but now.

“Thank you,” Popota said, his eyes filled with sadness, “But even if I choose to light the Baiyuan ancestral altar, I am still going to die.”

Angel looked at Popota, waiting for him to explain.

This matter was related to the core secret of the Baiyuanians. Hesitation flickered in Popota’s eyes, as he was unsure whether to reveal it. After a long sigh, Popota reasoned: Since he was going to die soon, taking these secrets to the grave would only bury them, so he might as well tell Angel. He probably… deserved to be trusted.

With that thought, Popota slowly revealed a secret about the Baiyuanians.

The so-called ancestral altar of the Baiyuan Clan is not actually found in the real world; Popota himself does not know where it is. He only knows that it exists in the minds of every Baiyuanian. As long as one concentrates and feels it with a serene heart, all Baiyuanians can sense the altar that exists in the void.

Upon hearing this, Angel felt a moment of realization. He had read about it in books, which claimed that any settlement of Baiyuanians must possess the Primeval Flame. That was partly why some Wizards sought to hunt Baiyuanians. Despite Baiyuanians being killed off in droves, not a single Wizard had found this so-called “Primeval Flame.”

The altar that held the Primeval Flame was not in reality after all.

“Since the fire in the ancestral altar slowly vanished, Baiyuanians found it increasingly difficult to sense the altar. The books left by our ancestors record that when the fire in the altar was blazing fiercely, one could see its location with just closed eyes. But now, to sense the ancestral altar of the Baiyuan, one needs to perform an auxiliary ceremony.”

“The auxiliary ceremony requires at least two days to perform. That’s also why, after arriving in this world, I did not immediately attempt to ignite the Primeval Flame,” Popota said with a sorrowful look in his eyes.

The auxiliary ceremony can help Baiyuanians rediscover the location of the ancestral altar.

Once the ancestral altar has been found, can it be ignited by the Primeval Flame? The answer is no; to send the Primeval Flame into the ancestral altar, it takes a considerable amount of energy.

The total energy consumption is extremely large, at least a Wizard Level amount.

This is why Popota came in contact with the Lord of the Profound Abyss, forcibly raising his own strength—not only to disrupt the situation in Lassudral but because igniting the Primeval Flame required immense power.

And this could not be done by someone else, for only a Baiyuanian could sense their ancestral altar.

“My Magical Core is already shattered, an irreversible state. To ignite the ancestral altar, there’s simply not enough energy,” Popota admitted.

“So, the only way is to sacrifice myself, to ignite the altar with the blood and flesh of a Baiyuanian.”

In other words, Popota would still die.

After finishing his explanation, Popota said to Angel, “Thank you for fulfilling my last wish. I am the only Baiyuan left, so I must do this.”

“Moreover, although the collapse of my physical body has been temporarily halted, it will eventually break down again. Even if I cling to life, at most, I could only survive one or two more years, so I will choose to sacrifice myself. The only one I’m sorry for is my sister… Angel, can you help me look after my sister, and tell her that I still…”

Popota’s emotional words were cut off as Angel said without expression, “No.”

Immediately after that, Angel added, “I’m not giving you the Primeval Flame, either.”

Popota was stunned. Wasn’t the mood fine just before?

…

Angel decided to hand over the Primeval Flame to Popota for two reasons.

First, the Primeval Flame was vital to the Baiyuan Clan, which, according to Popota, was key for the survival and continuation of the Baiyuanians. And it was almost certain that Dororo was a Baiyuanian, so Popota’s igniting the Primeval Flame would also be beneficial to Dororo.

Second, Angel didn’t want Popota to die, at least not in the short term. This wasn’t because Angel was deeply moved by Popota’s plight. Angel had always said that with every choice made, one should be prepared to face the consequences of failure. Furthermore, Popota had kidnapped him by force, so Angel had a negative impression of him from the start.

Yet, even so, Angel didn’t want Popota to die.

Because once Popota perished, as a follower who received the mark of the Lord of the Profound Abyss, his Soul would return to the Profound Abyss, to be controlled by the Lord of the Profound Abyss.

Once Popota’s Soul was in the hands of the Lord of the Profound Abyss, everything that happened here would become known to the Lord of the Profound Abyss.

By then, Angel would inevitably come into the sight of the Lord of the Profound Abyss, which would be extremely dangerous.

This was the real reason why Angel didn’t want Popota to die—at least until he returned to the Wizards’ Realm, it was best if Popota stayed alive, or else there would be endless troubles.

As for killing Popota and destroying his Soul… Angel still couldn’t do it. It wasn’t that he couldn’t bring himself to do it, but that a part of Popota’s Soul was already in the hands of the Lord of the Profound Abyss. Upon Popota’s death, his Soul would go directly from the Land of the Soul to the Profound Abyss, leaving no opportunity to destroy Popota’s Soul.

Since that was the case, it was best to ensure Popota stayed alive.

Hearing that igniting the ancestral altar would result in Popota’s immediate death, Angel naturally refused without hesitation.

…

“Why?” After being stunned for a while, Popota asked with a quivering voice.

“Why give me hope, just to make me…” dejected.

Angel looked at the dazed Popota, “I’ve told you, it would be better if you lived.”

“But igniting the ancestral altar is my only wish!” Popota roared with desperation.

“Is it really the only one?”

Popota paused. A vision flashed through his mind, and he seemed to hear his sister’s innocent laughter in his ears.

Igniting the ancestral altar was his obsession.

But protecting his sister was his wish as well.

“Don’t think that sacrificing yourself to ignite the ancestral altar will erase everything you’ve done,” Angel paused for a moment. “Also, you’re not the last of the Baiyuan Clan. You’d better keep your life and see Hua Que in person.”