Immortal Travel of Longevity

On the day the altar was opened for the rites.

The officials entered the palace early in the morning. Arranged by the Ministry of Rites, they filed into the space outside the great hall one by one.

An event as monumental as the heavenly sacrifice required the attendance of even minor first-rank officials. As a result, the entire plaza outside the great hall brimmed with them—a dense, unbroken sea of humanity stretching as far as the eye could see.

A single path was left clear through the center of this sea of people.

The imperial guards stood arrayed on both sides, clad in armor and wielding long spears and greatswords.

Looking down that path, a massive Ritual Cauldron stood at the center. Three incense sticks, each a zhang tall, burned within it, sending curls of green smoke straight up to the firmament.

The official of the Bureau of Celestial Mandate held his Wooden Sword, standing before the Ritual Cauldron.

He stood there for two shichen.

The heavenly sacrifice had to align with the celestial timing. The officials had to wait before the great hall without moving or speaking.

Once the hour of chen passed, the blazing sun overhead broke through the clouds and beat down upon them.

Between this stifling heat and the prolonged standing, some officials had already gone pale, struggling to hold on.

Naturally, a few collapsed.

But the moment they fell, attendants would immediately rush forward to prop them up. Even if they fainted, they had to stay until the heavenly sacrifice was complete.

The official of the Bureau of Celestial Mandate stood before the Ritual Cauldron, his breathing calm as he waited.

In the plaza, a eunuch with internal energy called out the time, announcing the passing of every half shichen.

"The hour of si has arrived!!"

"The hour of si has arrived!!"

Eunuchs stationed across the plaza relayed the announcement one after another, echoing the call until the arrival of the hour of si washed over the entire square, ensuring everyone heard it.

But the hour of si was still too early.

The timing for this heavenly sacrifice was set for exactly the hour of wu.

That meant they still had to stand for another shichen.

The blazing sun beat down, turning the air increasingly stifling. Without a single drop of water, some officials already had cracked lips, yet they still remained on their feet.

"The exact hour of wu has arrived!!"

The eunuch's call rang out.

The massive drums flanking the plaza thundered to life.

That majestic sound rolled over them. The deep vibrations of the drums instantly jolted those drowsy officials awake.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Before the Ritual Cauldron, the official of the Bureau of Celestial Mandate also raised his head.

He raised the Peach Wood sword in his hand and performed the rites before the Ritual Cauldron.

The sword in his hand flicked through several flourishes. Fire and water abruptly flared up. After circling the Ritual Cauldron once, the official of the Bureau of Celestial Mandate began to chant the sacrificial incantations.

He then drew a Talisman, tossing it in to burn within the Ritual Cauldron.

Taking a bundle of incense sticks—exactly eighty-one to match the number of nine times nine—he gripped them tightly in both hands. Along with the burning of the Talisman, he ignited the entire bundle at once.

"Zha!"

The official of the Bureau of Celestial Mandate shouted loudly. Holding the blazing bundle of incense, he circled the Ritual Cauldron once more. Even as the falling ash seared his hands and raised blisters, he did not stop, acting as if he felt nothing at all.

Returning to the front of the Ritual Cauldron, he gave a sharp shake of his hands.

Ash drifted into the air, the burning incense in his grasp glowing like sparks of starlight.

The official of the Bureau of Celestial Mandate looked at the eunuch standing to the side.

The eunuch nodded. He then pitched his voice to its limit, a deep, resonant shout piercing across the entire plaza.

"Bow!!!"

The echoes rolled endlessly, striking awe into the hearts of those who heard it.

Thousands of officials dropped to their knees across the plaza. The grand space outside the hall, silent for so long, finally produced a few other sounds.

Holding the incense sticks, the official of the Bureau of Celestial Mandate likewise bowed to the heavens.

"Bow again!!"

The voice once more swept over the plaza.

After a wave of rustling sounds, a scattered handful of officials could be seen passing out mid-bow, likely from standing for too long.

Attendants immediately rushed forward to prop them up, dragging them through the rest of the bow.

After a long stretch of silence, the eunuch spoke once more, "Third bow!!"

The third bow concluded.

Everyone seemed to let out a long sigh of relief.

To these officials, the heavenly sacrifice was a brutal ordeal. Rumor had it that during the last heavenly sacrifice, a full nine people had died, breathing their last the moment they collapsed.

Surviving long enough to finish the three bows to the heavens meant they had secured their lives.

The official of the Bureau of Celestial Mandate let out a breath. After finishing the sacrificial incantations, he plunged the bundle of incense into the Ritual Cauldron.

"Boom!!!"

The drums thundered.

The doors of the great hall were hauled open.

Several generals emerged from the side doors, along with a eunuch with his head bowed.

After they fanned out to either side, His Majesty, clad in a Dragon Robe, could be seen stepping out from within.

"His Majesty has arrived!!!"

As this voice rang out, the officials in the plaza fell to their knees once more.

"Long live Your Majesty!!"

"Long live Your Majesty!!"

The voices rose in a massive wave, a roar that seemed ready to wash over the entirety of Shangjing City.

Yan Ruchu paced slowly forward. Sweeping his gaze over the crowd, he declared, "All beloved ministers, rise!"

The few officials in the front row slowly got to their feet.

Only then did the officials behind them dare to slowly stand, the simple act of rising taking quite a long time.

Yan Ruchu stepped forward slowly.

The officials also turned their bodies to follow His Majesty's movements.

The drums thundered without pause, every step seeming majestically imposing.

Atop a certain grand hall within the palace.

Several figures were sitting up there, watching the proceedings.

Qing Tianyou watched this unfold and could not help but remark, "The rules are truly strict, and the scale is staggering!"

This was far more interesting than anything he had seen within the spirit cage.

While these inexplicable rules might draw criticism, perhaps it was precisely because of them that the importance of this heavenly sacrifice was revealed.

Mo Yu heard this and said, "It is much better than what I saw in the past. Back then, they used living humans for the heavenly sacrifice. It was incomparably cruel."

Qing Tianyou was not surprised, instead saying, "It was the same within the spirit cage."

"Using living humans... for the heavenly sacrifice?"

Lihua blinked and asked, "What was it like?"

Beside it, Mo Yuan reached over and lightly rapped Lihua on the head, saying, "They're just talking nonsense."

Lihua rubbed its head in confusion. "Really?"

Qing Tianyou chuckled. "Yes, we're just talking nonsense."

Jian Shenghua stood on the sloping roof ridge with his arms crossed. Speaking of which, he also found the scene breathtakingly grand. At least back in the Cultivation World or in the past, they had rarely experienced an atmosphere this solemn and massive.

Ruyi squatted off to the side. Frowning, she muttered, "Tedious formalities."

The others cast their gazes over.

Ruyi froze for a moment and asked, "I... I'm not wrong, am I?"

Qing Tianyou and the others chuckled and nodded. "You are not wrong to call them tedious formalities."

They were indeed somewhat convoluted and troublesome, lacking any substantial use.

Ruyi smacked her lips, then asked, "By the way, is Uncle Chen still not coming?"

Mo Yuan looked at her and said, "Mister Chen has more important matters to attend to."

"What matter is so important that he had to sneak off?" Ruyi asked curiously.

Mo Yuan smiled. "I presume there is nothing that could stump the Mister. Miss Ruyi, you do not need to worry."

Ruyi blinked and said, "True."

Mister Chen was an Immortal, after all—a very, very powerful Immortal.

"Boom!"

The drumbeats suddenly stopped.

By this time, Yan Ruchu had already reached the Ritual Cauldron.

He picked up a bundle of incense sticks, using the burning Talisman to light it.

"I! Receive my mandate from Heaven!"

A deep voice echoed from his lips.

"The duties of the Son of Heaven are no greater than the rites; the rites are no greater than one's proper station; one's proper station is no greater than one's title. What are the rites? They are the fundamental laws. What is one's proper station? It is the bounden order of sovereign and minister. What is a title? It is Duke, Marquis..."

He recited this for a long time, elaborating on the duties of the Son of Heaven, which was also part of the process.

Only after finishing this passage did he reach the main topic.

"When the Grand Ancestor unified the realm, heaven and earth flowed with spiritual energy. All spirits rose, and the heavens favored the Human Dao, allowing us to prosper and flourish. However, prosperity also breeds chaos. Demons in the mountains wreak havoc upon the Mortal World, bringing forth instability and unrest."

"As the Son of Heaven, I ought to quell this chaos."

"Therefore, I grant the Investiture Scroll to nine celestial officials to guard our rivers and mountains, and pacify this chaos!"

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