Chapter 389 - 383: A Stirring in the Divine Mansion

The Day of the Sacrifice to Heaven arrived.

The main peak of the Dragon Tiger Sect became incredibly lively.

Over a hundred officials from the Xuan Yang Court gathered on the peak. In addition, there were more than a hundred Daoist Officials from the Dragon Tiger Sect. It was a magnificent sight unseen in a century.

Upon the main peak of the Dragon Tiger Sect was a stone platform, a hundred zhang wide.

Legend had it that this platform was naturally formed, without any carving or embellishment.

The first Celestial Master Zhang named this the Ascension Platform, signifying a place from which one could achieve immortality and ascend, or listen to the voice of the heavens.

Over the next thousand years of the Dragon Tiger Sect's history, not only were the sect's grand ceremonies held here, but emperors from several dynasties also came to this very spot to worship heaven and earth.

Bai Yuan and the other Xuan Yang Court officials stood on the left, while the Daoist Officials of the Dragon Tiger Sect were arrayed on the right.

Everyone wore a solemn expression.

Atop the stone platform was a smaller, natural dais. Emperor Xuanyang, Li Chengyuan, and the Dragon Tiger Sect's Sect Leader stood upon it, while Elder Pei and Grand Tutor Liang Yuan Kang stood at the forefront, just below the dais.

The process of sacrificing to heaven was extremely complex.

The Daoist Officials of the Dragon Tiger Sect were well-practiced in the procedure, executing the hundreds of steps without a single mistake.

The solemn and majestic chanting sounded like a heavenly chorus.

This was a crucial step in the Emperor's sacrifice to heaven. The Daoist Officials used their Telekinesis to reach the heavens, letting the Celestial Ancestor know that the Emperor on earth wished to communicate.

A strange scene unfolded.

As the Daoist Officials' chanting grew louder, plumes of white mist began to rise from the Ascension Platform.

In the blink of an eye, the entire platform was shrouded, making everyone feel as if they had stepped into an Immortal Realm.

The officials all revealed looks of surprise.

When it came to pomp and mystique, the Confucian Family was truly no match for the Daoist Sect.

Just as the Daoist Officials' chanting reached its peak, a vigorous and powerful voice overwhelmed the sound of a hundred people!

"Present the offerings!"

Following the Sect Leader of the Dragon Tiger Sect's loud cry, three squads of soldiers were seen slowly ascending the stone platform, carrying three massive demons, each twenty zhang long.

These were the three sacrificial animals for the ceremony.

Bai Yuan had seen many folk sacrificial rites back in Ling Province. Poor families couldn't afford the three sacrificial animals, so they mostly used grain as a substitute. Wealthier families would use the "lesser three sacrifices"—a pig, a fish, and a chicken. More prestigious families, of course, would use the "greater three sacrifices"—a pig, an ox, and a sheep.

But compared to the imperial sacrifice unfolding before his eyes, this was a case of a small-time sorcerer meeting a Great Witch.

To prepare for this sacrifice, the Xuan Yang Court had long ago readied three Tier Eight Great Demons.

These three great demons were a Fish Demon, a Bear Demon, and an Eagle Demon, corresponding to the realms of water, earth, and sky.

Sacrificial offerings of this caliber had not been seen in a century.

As the three sacrifices were placed on the stone platform, the atmosphere of the ceremony grew even more profound.

The Sect Leader of the Dragon Tiger Sect was heard speaking slowly again: "Celebrate!"

Hundreds of Daoist Officials began to dance in unison, their sashes fluttering as if they were soaring through the nine heavens.

Emperor Li Chengyuan looked dignified. He held a jade and silk tablet and began to proclaim in a clear voice.

"I, born in a later age, have dedicated my heart to the state, bringing peace to the realm. I have struck down the Demon Sect in the north and pushed back the Demon Race in the south... Blessed by the grace of Imperial Heaven and Sovereign Earth, the world is now at peace..."

Li Chengyuan's sacrificial text was immense, running over ten thousand characters.

It was, for the most part, a report to the Celestial Ancestor on his achievements in the mortal realm.

Li Chengyuan was not the founding emperor of his dynasty, so his main achievements were in civil and military affairs.

Civil affairs naturally referred to strengthening the nation's power and ensuring the people's peace and prosperity.

Military affairs referred to foreign wars—namely, the military campaigns of the four great armies.

These words were not just for the Celestial Ancestor, but also for the hundreds of people present. Afterward, the text would be printed and posted at every Prefecture Magistrate's Office.

The purpose was to let the world know of the Emperor's grand achievements and to accumulate the nation's luck.

This was why sacrificing to heaven had become the most important event for the Empire.

As Li Chengyuan's voice, reciting the sacrificial text, fell silent, all the court officials and members of the Daoist Sect knelt and kowtowed.

"May the Celestial Ancestor protect us! Your Majesty is wise and brilliant!"

The atmosphere reached a climax.

This was followed by a series of other complex procedures, such as the secondary offering, the final offering, and the drinking of blessed wine.

Yet, none of the court officials showed the slightest impatience. Instead, their faces were filled with bliss.

Luck... A vast and powerful luck was empowering them. Attending a single sacrifice to heaven was worth several years of arduous cultivation.

Because the sacrifice was held at the Dragon Tiger Sect this time, the second-grade officials from the court had not been brought along.

The third-grade officials present were in for a treat; they could absorb this luck to their hearts' content.

Bai Yuan stood quietly among the officials.

He appeared calm on the surface, but a tempest was raging within him.

Because the seven Divine Mansions inside his body had begun to operate on their own!

This had happened once before, back in Yan Province when he encountered the "Withered Tree's Second Spring" qi.

That qi had been tinged with a trace of the Divine Mansion's aura, which had activated his Divine Mansion Technique.

'This means the Dragon Tiger Sect is very likely connected to the Divine Mansions!'

Realizing this clue, Bai Yuan grew even more excited.

The Great Demon Raccoon Power in Shenfu Mountain had once said that the Divine Mansion Technique was the key to opening those three palaces.

After breaking through the first level of the Divine Mansion Technique, Bai Yuan had learned that it would resonate whenever it came close to those three palaces.

And the current disturbance in his Divine Mansion Technique was exactly that resonance!

His mind raced.

'To think the Divine Mansions are actually on Dragon Tiger Mountain. Perhaps they've only revealed themselves because of the sacrifice to heaven.'

'The person who built the Divine Mansions back then must have possessed immense Divine Power.'

'I just don't know if the Divine Mansions were built before or after the Dragon Tiger Sect was founded.'

'But either way, it's simply heaven-defying.'

After all, the Dragon Tiger Sect, as the Daoist Ancestral Court, was founded a full ten thousand years ago. This meant the Divine Mansions could be even older than the Daoist Sect itself!

At that time, the Human Race was just an insignificant branch among the myriad races of the world.

While he was lost in thought, the sacrificial ceremony reached its end.

The dense white mist slowly dissipated, and the immense luck vanished along with it.

The officials all showed looks of regret.

As for Emperor Li Chengyuan, his eyes shone even brighter.

He had presided over several sacrifices to heaven, but the amount of luck he gained this time was particularly large—nearly twice as much as before.

This was highly unusual!

'Could it be that the Celestial Ancestor has recognized my achievements?'

At this thought, Li Chengyuan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He was the Master of Xuan Yang. All of the nation's luck would ultimately be bestowed upon him. The more luck he had, the greater his chances of a breakthrough.

Li Chengyuan's personal strength was considerable, but he was still only a Mingxin Grandmaster.

The reason he could command the submission of men like Yan Shao'an, Liang Yuan Kang, and all the heroes of the realm was precisely because he possessed the greatest luck in the world. With this luck, he could fight a Tong Shen realm expert and remain undefeated.

His primary purpose in coming to the Dragon Tiger Sect for the sacrifice was to acquire luck.

A major reason the previous dynasty was overthrown was the decay of its luck. The emperor couldn't even maintain the combat power of a Tong Shen realm expert, so how could he possibly intimidate the world?

With the final step, the Celebration of Completion, the sacrifice to heaven was declared over.

And in that same instant, Bai Yuan's connection to the Divine Mansions abruptly ceased.

'It seems the Divine Mansions are indeed related to the sacrifice to heaven,' he mused.

But the Dragon Tiger Sect's sacrifice to heaven only happened once every hundred years. After this one, the next would be a century away.

Bai Yuan felt helpless.

Emperor Li Chengyuan, in high spirits after completing the grand ceremony, decided to fast and purify himself on Dragon Tiger Mountain for three days before returning to the capital.

Hearing this news, Bai Yuan was overjoyed.

'This is the perfect opportunity to search for the Divine Mansions!'