It’s true that no one would pay much attention—a young man like him, already past his prime and with no cultivation at all, what future could he possibly have? Still, the demonic cult needs to recruit people, and anyone who’s handed in their token of allegiance and joined up is considered one of their own. If they don’t even accept people like this, where else are they going to find recruits?

If Charles Carter were a few years younger, or if he already possessed powerful cultivation, he might have landed a good position. But as things stand, while the ceremony is taking place inside, they’re not even allowed to watch and can only stand outside in the cold wind.

“No regrets. As long as there’s somewhere to go, it’s fine. Staying with the Luo family would’ve meant annihilation anyway, so what difference does it make?” Charles Carter didn’t dwell on it, and changed the subject: “Are you still mad at me? It’s been days on the road, are you going to keep sulking forever? It’s not like I destroyed the Luo family, and if I hadn’t pulled this off, do you even know if you’d still be alive? Or are you still blindly loyal to Luo Zhenwu and planning to avenge him?”

David Sullivan sighed and said, “As you said, it was the Four Symbols Cult and the Blood God Cult that destroyed the Luo family, not you. What do I have to blame you for? It’s just that my life has been thrown into chaos, the future is uncertain, and I’m in a bad mood. I’m not deliberately giving you attitude, hope you understand.”

Charles Carter did understand, and asked, “Then do you hate the Blood God Cult? As a child of the Luo family, your parents… were they among them?”

“Heh…” David Sullivan shook his head. “My parents have been gone for a long time… I just find it strange—why did they want to wipe out the Luo family?”

Why did they want to destroy the Luo family? That might actually be important. Charles Carter quickly thought of the second “location card” he’d received upon transmigrating. Since the “eye behind” really worked, the location card couldn’t be random; it must be connected to the Luo family. Maybe once he officially joined the cult, he could ask about it…

Just then, David Sullivan said, “The Blood God Cult isn’t as mysterious and unfathomable as the Four Symbols Cult. They’re active in the world, often recruiting all sorts of bandits to plunder everywhere… So they have official cultists and unaffiliated bandits. What kind of treatment we’ll get is still uncertain… If you manage to become an official member, look out for me in the future.”

So that’s why he was trying to smooth things over. Charles Carter was the one who’d made a contribution and had a good chance of being accepted, but David Sullivan wasn’t.

Charles Carter understood. Earlier, Emily Foster had mistakenly thought the black-clad killers at Zhao Village were unaffiliated Blood God Cult bandits, because their martial arts were all crude and basic, with no clear origin. It was obvious that if you only got accepted as one of those, it was basically useless.

At that moment, a secret door behind them opened a crack, and someone called from inside, “The branch master wants you two to come in and talk.”

The two of them thought, here we go, exchanged a glance, and turned to enter.

Beneath the snow-covered mountain hollow was a secret door, and behind it a winding path led downward, deep into the mountain’s belly.

The space inside the mountain was neither too big nor too small, with an altar shrouded in a blood pool, and enough room beside it for hundreds to attend the ceremony.

This was the altar of the Blood God Cult’s branch. Many other bandits weren’t allowed inside and could only camp out in the freezing wind and snow on the mountain.

At this moment, torches blazed around the blood pool, and over a hundred official cultists sat in a strange formation, silently praying. The branch master stood on the altar, chanting words that were basically about acting smoothly under the Blood God’s protection.

So this is a “cult,” not a sect.

But looking at the scene now, there was nothing particularly mystical or blood-curdling about it—it actually felt a bit superstitious.

“Are there really gods in this world?” Charles Carter asked David Sullivan in a low voice.

“There are,” David Sullivan replied with certainty. “I haven’t seen a true god, but there have been many miracles… everyone believes.”

“What kind of miracles?” Charles Carter pressed.

He’d always felt this couldn’t be a low-martial world—otherwise, how could that blind man have sent someone across worlds?

David Sullivan gave him a strange look. “You don’t know?”

“I really don’t.”

“You’ve lived in this world and never seen a Chaotic World Book?!”

Chapter 7: Blood God Cult

“What’s that?” Charles Carter felt a little guilty. Is this book really that popular? It sounds like everyone in this world is supposed to have read it. Even the Bible isn’t on that level. Should I go back to Qidian and start a novel with that name—would it become a hit?

David Sullivan rolled his eyes, but before he could answer, the branch master said, “The ceremony is over. Everyone, return to your cultivation. You two, come up and speak.”

The two of them fell silent and walked around the blood pool to the altar.

The branch master’s attitude was neither warm nor cold: “You two have rendered meritorious service. By the cult leader’s order, you are to be given positions, to show our holy cult’s sincerity in seeking talent. Our Beiwang branch is newly established and short-handed in many areas. Do you have any particular skills? I can assign you accordingly.”

The branch master was actually an acquaintance—the one who had crippled Ethan Sullivan with a hidden weapon, named Adam Brooks.

David Sullivan quickly spoke up, “I have broken through the first Xuan Gate.”

Adam Brooks looked at David Sullivan in some surprise. “You broke through the first heaven with just the Luo family’s outer sect skills?”

David Sullivan replied, “Yes.”

“Not easy, you’re quite talented.” Adam Brooks was clearly more discerning than Charles Carter. After a moment’s thought, he said, “In this harsh winter, our branch needs people to go out regularly for provisions. You can lead a team… you’re qualified for that.”