THEY SACRIFICED ME, NOW I RULE THE CULTIVATION WORLD

Chapter 4: The Altar of Death

The guards did not give me time to ask why the ceremony had been moved forward.

Their leader seized my arm and pushed me into the corridor, where more cultivators waited with weapons at their waists. I kept my expression blank, though the energy beneath my ribs stirred at their touch. Vaelthar had warned me not to release it without instruction, and I had no intention of testing that warning in front of the entire family.

The estate had changed while I was hidden in my room. Lanterns burned along the walkways, and servants hurried between buildings carrying trays of spiritual stones and ritual tools. Cultivators stood at every entrance, their attention fixed on the ancestral hall. Nobody spoke about the failed search anymore. They were preparing to watch me die.

“Keep moving,” the guard behind me ordered.

I followed them through the wide courtyard. My eyes found Elara near the hall entrance, standing beside two elders. Her face remained composed, but her fingers were tightly folded together. When our eyes met, she gave the smallest shake of her head, warning me not to do anything reckless.

I wanted to tell her that I had no plan to die quietly. Instead, I lowered my gaze and allowed the guards to lead me inside.

The ancestral hall was larger than I remembered. Red banners hung between the pillars, and the family crest had been placed above a circular formation carved into the floor. Dark stones surrounded a raised platform at its centre. Thin lines connected them, forming a pattern that seemed to move whenever I looked directly at it.

Darius Voss stood before the platform in ceremonial robes. The elders gathered behind him, while family members and invited guests filled the rows along the walls. Lucian noticed me first and smiled as though he had been waiting for a performance.

“So the runaway has returned,” he said. “I thought you might have found somewhere to hide.”

“I was brought here,” I replied.

“Be grateful. Not everyone gets to contribute something useful to this family.”

A few people laughed. I kept my attention on the formation, trying to understand the flow of energy beneath its surface. It gathered around the stones before moving toward the central platform. Even without Vaelthar's warning, I could feel that the structure was designed to draw something out of whoever stood there.

Darius raised his hand, and the hall fell silent.

“Tonight, the Voss family will strengthen the foundation that has protected our name for generations. The offering has been chosen, and the elders have completed their preparations. Let there be no interference.”

His gaze settled on me. “Stand on the platform, Kael.”

I did not move immediately. “You have already decided to kill me. Why pretend this is an honour?”

A murmur passed through the hall. Darius's expression barely changed.

“You entered this family with nothing and were given shelter, status, and a wife. Your life has served no purpose until now. Do not insult the family by refusing the only contribution you can make.”

Elara shifted, but one of the elders glanced at her, and she went still. I understood the warning. If she defended me openly, Darius would have another reason to punish her.

I stepped onto the platform.

The stone beneath my feet felt cold. The guards moved away, and the elders took their positions around the formation. I could see Elara watching from the edge of the gathering, her face carefully controlled. Lucian stood beside Darius, looking pleased with himself.

“Begin,” the patriarch ordered.

The elders pressed their palms toward the spiritual stones. A low hum spread through the hall, growing louder as the carved lines filled with pale light. The energy moved beneath my feet and climbed around my legs like invisible chains.

I tried to step away, but my body refused to move. Something had fastened itself around my chest, tightening with every breath. The formation pulled at the energy inside me, searching for a spiritual foundation it could drain.

Pain spread through my ribs. My knees weakened, and I caught myself against the platform before I fell.

“Hold the flow steady,” one elder called.

The energy intensified. I felt it dragging at my life, drawing warmth from my limbs and strength from my muscles. My vision blurred at the edges. The people around the hall watched with the calm interest of spectators at a contest.

Elara took one step forward before an elder blocked her path.

“Stay where you are,” he warned.

She stopped, but her eyes never left me.

“Vaelthar,” I managed inside my head. “You said you could help.”

“Not yet,” it answered. “The formation is pulling energy through its outer channels. I need to understand its direction before you act.”

“I don't have much time.”

“Then stop wasting it by panicking.”

The voice was cold, but I forced myself to breathe evenly. The formation continued draining me, and my fingers began to lose their feeling. I could no longer tell whether the trembling in my legs came from pain or exhaustion.

Darius watched the elders with satisfaction. “The energy is gathering. Continue.”

A faint vibration travelled through the platform. Vaelthar's presence sharpened inside my mind.

“Now. When I tell you, release the energy at the centre of your chest. Do not push it outward. Let it meet the formation's current.”

I waited, fighting the pressure that threatened to pull me under.

“Now, Kael.”

I focused on the warmth beneath my ribs and let it move.

The reaction was immediate. Gold light flashed beneath my skin, and the formation shuddered as if something had struck it from below. The energy flowing through the carved lines slowed, then reversed direction.

One of the elders cried out. “The flow is turning!”

“Stabilize the array!” Darius shouted.

The elders pushed more energy into the stones, but the formation resisted them. Cracks spread across the dark surfaces, and the lines on the floor brightened until they were almost white. The force pulling at my body changed direction, rushing back toward the platform.

I felt the pressure leave my chest. In its place came a surge of unfamiliar energy that swept through my limbs. The platform split beneath my feet, and a shockwave burst across the hall.

Several elders were thrown backward. Guests stumbled against the walls, while the spiritual stones shattered one after another. A pillar cracked near the entrance, sending fragments across the floor.

I dropped to one knee as the light faded. My shoulder no longer throbbed, and the pain in my ribs had vanished. The energy inside me was stronger than before, but it remained contained beneath my skin.

“What happened?” someone shouted.

Nobody answered.

Darius stared at the broken formation. His expression had changed for the first time that evening. He looked from the shattered stones to me, searching for an explanation.

Lucian pointed at me. “He did something! That useless man must have used a forbidden technique.”

“Quiet,” Darius snapped.

I understood then that surviving was not enough. If they discovered what had awakened inside me, they would not let me leave the estate. Vaelthar's voice returned, firm and urgent.

“Fall. Pretend the backlash knocked you unconscious. Do not let them examine your energy.”

I let my body collapse onto the broken platform. My cheek touched the cold stone, and I slowed my breathing until it sounded weak and uneven. Through half-closed eyes, I watched the elders struggle to rise.

“The formation is destroyed,” one of them said. “The central stones have lost their energy.”

“Then repair it,” Darius ordered.

“It cannot be repaired tonight. The entire array has collapsed.”

The patriarch's jaw tightened. “Secure the hall. Nobody leaves until I know why this happened.”

Elara moved before the guards could stop her. She knelt beside me and placed two fingers near my neck, pretending to check my pulse. Her touch was brief, but I felt her hand tremble.

“He is alive,” she said.

“Move away from him,” Darius ordered.

Elara looked up. “The formation nearly killed him. I am checking whether he needs help.”

“He is the offering. His condition is no longer your concern.”

“He is still my husband.”

For a moment, the hall went quiet. Darius's eyes narrowed, but Elara did not lower hers. She had risked too much already, yet she remained beside me until a guard stepped forward.

“Lady Elara,” he said, “the patriarch has given an order.”

She slowly withdrew her hand. Before standing, she adjusted the edge of my sleeve, hiding the faint golden mark that had appeared near my wrist.

The elders gathered around Darius and began arguing about the failure. Some blamed the stones, others questioned whether the formation had been prepared incorrectly. Darius listened without accepting any explanation.

Lucian came closer. “He looks different,” he said. “His injuries should be worse after that explosion.”

I kept my eyes closed.

“Check him,” Darius commanded.

Footsteps approached. I felt someone crouch beside me, and Vaelthar's presence stirred like a warning beneath my thoughts.

“Do not move,” it whispered. “If he touches your chest, keep your energy sealed.”

A hand reached toward my shoulder. I held my breath, waiting for the next move.

“Don't let him leave this hall,” Darius said. “If that formation failed because of him, I want to know what he is hiding.”

The sacrifice had failed, but the Voss family was not finished with me.