On the altar's edge are carved nine sinister and terrifying Hellhounds, their blood-filled mouths wide open, heads bowed low, eyes filled with bloodlust and cruelty.
Beneath their heads are nine holes the size of fists.
"This is the altar." The Ke Clan Leader's eyes flashed as he stepped forward and said, "Although no one has ever opened this altar for millennia, the method to open the array has been passed down through generations. As the Clan Leader of the Merfolk Clan, my mission is to safeguard peace here and protect the lives of my clan members. But you've revived the Divine Tree, so today I'm going to break the rules; I hope the ancestors can forgive me."
As he spoke, he shook his palm, revealing a green staff, muttering incantations as a light emanated from the staff, enveloping the entire altar.
The Ke Clan Leader slowly opened his eyes, took out a knife to cut his fingertip, letting the blood drip, drop by drop, onto the altar's nine black array points.
