Chapter 266

Chapter 266: The Grand Ceremony

Li Hui and Rouran stepped onto the rushing battle chariot, sitting upright as they approached the altar.

This battle chariot was not a true war vehicle, but an ancient sacrificial vessel, entirely carved from jade, drawn by a mechanical jade horse. After passing through the ceremonial passage, with a soft “pop,” all the scenery around them turned to shades of black and white, as if they were in an ink painting.

“Senior Brother, I remember your Dharma clouds resembled a beautiful necklace. How have they turned into such condensed golden lotuses today?” Rouran wasn’t foolish; she had her limits, and by now, she had caught on.

Li Hui smiled calmly, continuing to feed her nonsense: “This is nothing. As practitioners of Buddhism, we value a single mind. The Qinan of the past is not the same as the current Qinan, and the current Qinan is not the same as the Qinan of before. Beyond the realm of Dharma clouds lies the realm of equal enlightenment. Equality means fairness, enlightenment means awakening. Many Buddhist cultivators reach this point, but they fall into a strange cycle where their insights and realizations are completely mistaken! They might achieve equal enlightenment, but that is merely their obsession within. So I ask myself, who am I? Who are you? The sentient beings, understand sentient beings, among the myriad of beings, the divine often exists!”

Rouran was moved: “Divine Sight, Heavenly Hearing, Heart Insight, Past Life Insight, and the Insight of Exhaustion are the six great spiritual powers of Buddhism. Among them, Divine Sight is also called Perfect Understanding. Has Senior Brother attained Divine Sight? Today, your teachings are like the nectar dripping on my head; Rouran will surely remember them.”

“Junior Sister, there’s no need to be obsessed; follow your heart and virtues, be at peace with your surroundings, and consider everything in this world as a chance encounter!” Li Hui secretly laughed: “Got it! I’ve fooled you again. A clever person is truly clever; as long as they are convinced of the outcome, even the most unreasonable process will be auto-filled with suitable explanations. Did you see the Illusory Figures behind me manifesting? That is Divine Sight! Senior Brother is giving you a thumbs up in my heart!”

The battle chariot “chuffed” forward and stopped at the foot of the altar.

Even though all the surroundings had turned black and white, it couldn’t suppress the majestic beauty of the altar. Countless white jade steps stretched upward, and numerous monuments and pavilions had been built, solemn and serene, creating a tranquil ambiance that reminded Li Hui of the phrase “worshipping the mountain.”

Having various sects participate in the grand ceremony of Xuantian Road was like a scheduled homage to the mountain, which could create a suppression in fortunes. But the various sects were not foolish; being perfunctory made sense to them.

It was not surprising that the new emperor put on such a show for the grand ceremony; consolidating the imperial power was his responsibility. The issue was that this new emperor had grand ambitions; he sought to establish an underworld court and was not satisfied with just ruling the living Grand Xuan Dynasty but also desired to govern the underworld Grand Xuan.

If he succeeded, who knew how many disasters would arise? The various kingdoms of Dalong would not find peace. To Li Hui, it seemed the days were too good, and he was bored, needing to stir up some trouble. Such a person would suffer if not given some setbacks, so better to give him a little challenge!

A eunuch came forward to lead the way; the usual rituals of fasting, bathing, burning incense, and praying were needless to say. Li Hui was unfamiliar with the procedures, but Rouran was well-versed! She mimicked the rituals and managed them well enough.

After reciting scriptures all night, just as Li Hui felt drowsy, the sound of horns rose in the air, followed by the cracking of whips.

“Crack, crack, crack…” Eighteen experts at the Condense Essence Stage wielded golden whips, unleashing thousands of whip shadows along the royal road.

Behind them, ninety-nine massive Mammoth Elephants, with golden fur, pulled the chariot. Each step echoed with a booming sound, and golden light filled the royal road, supporting the elephant’s legs.

From a distance, the chariot dragged a brilliant palace, adorned with auspicious lights and radiating glory, with the sound of drums and music clamoring together—a sight of extravagance indeed.

“Boom, boom, boom…” The sounds grew louder and closer.

Li Hui rubbed his ears and thought, “The show is about to begin! The Five Ghosts Transportation Talismans are lurking inside, but I wonder how far they are from the treasure’s golden light I spotted before. Since the silver snake bracelet opened a backdoor, as long as I can sense the Five Ghosts Transportation Talismans, I can reel in the treasures stored in the Grand Xuan underworld. I don’t care about the treasures; as long as Mastercard, the silver snake, has a good meal, amplifying the Heavenly and Earthly Arrays so that the treasure cabinet is fierce this time, expanding the absorption range as much as possible. That way, the spiritual shells and Five-Color Fortune Coins in the bank, and Miao Jade, will all lose a bit of value, which will be quite the profit!”

Speaking of which, the treasure cabinet was the real thief; perhaps it wasn’t used this way in the Nine-Mystic Continent, but under the evolution of the Heavenly and Earthly Arrays, it became quite aggressive. Especially after receiving the amplification from the silver snake bracelet, it could draw from above and below, gathering the beautiful mountains and rivers into its embrace, building a grand foundation with billions of spiritual energy.

It took two hours for the Mammoth Elephants to bring the luxurious palace to the foot of the altar, and a voice rang out like that of a duck: “Disciples from all sects, please present yourselves.”

The golden boys and jade girls of various sects walked along the left corridor of the royal road, while Li Hui and Rouran, under the guidance of the eunuch, stepped onto the altar, ascending the white jade steps to the first monument.

The monument stood nine zhang high, with golden light flowing through the inscriptions that recorded the merits of the royal ancestors. Reading a few lines made one’s teeth ache, trying their hardest to embellish their own accomplishments as much as possible, boasting until the skies broke—mentioning extraordinary figures, mystical beasts, and venerable ones! The founding emperor was so revered that one would think he should kneel before him, but how could they not be a bit more modest?

They waited for another two hours.

Li Hui still wanted to see what the emperor looked like! However, the golden boys and jade girls from the various sects came up, and he didn’t even hear the proclamation for the meeting, making him realize that Qinan must be the forgotten one in this situation.

“Sigh! It’s a matter of luck! If I were Qinan, I would definitely make sure everything was well arranged so as not to be so neglected!”

Seeing the disciples from various sects approach, Rouran held up a jade ornament and said, “Senior Brother, let’s go! We’ll reach Longque Gate at the mountainside, which is the entrance to Xuantian Road. It is said that this Grand Xuan altar is built on the Dragon Tomb, and the awe-inspiring dragon tooth of the Grand Xuan comes from this mountain. Legends say that the surrounding seas were once red, thus called the Red Sea. However, after constructing this altar, all the red color faded. Some say that it was the blood of the Xuan Dragon.”

“Junior Sister, you are so knowledgeable; I cannot compare!” The monk held his hands together, while Rouran blushed, feeling embarrassed by the praise from her senior brother.

There was no helping it; Rouran, the little nun, was too easy to fool. Li Hui gave her some compliments, and she immediately exhibited her tendency to act like a teacher, explaining everything in detail while referencing scriptures and providing thorough details without having to ask for information.

Suddenly, Li Hui’s pupils constricted as he saw another figure akin to Su Qing’er standing beside her. His eyes sparkled with curiosity, glancing at Qing’er’s chest now and then while strutting with an arrogant demeanor.

“Indeed, that’s the one—Grand Xuan Prince! What a fine example of the ‘Li De Tao Jiang’ skill; I wonder who Noble Concubine Wan has turned into her pawns?” Li Hui suddenly recalled the gaze exchanged between the Ghost Blood Dress and Noble Concubine Wan during the night banquet and couldn’t help but look for the presence of that woman.

Sure enough, the Ghost Blood Dress maintained a calm expression; though nothing could be seen, her manner of walking was too stable, exuding poise between each step, which was quite suspicious.

“Senior Brother, we need to move ahead; let’s go.” Rouran tugged at the Fake Monk, her heart racing as they got so close for the first time.