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Chapter 711: Mountain Sacrifice and Summoning Deities
Chapter 711: Mountain Sacrifice and Summoning Deities
"Let's open the mountain!"
"Let's summon the deities!"
Just as these words were spoken, in the vast and desolate land, from twelve different directions, malevolent entities were heading straight towards Old Yin Mountain.
The strange wind carried them into the forest, and in the bright moonlight, the Old Yin Mountain, where the Great Sheep Village was located, began its Eighth Day Mountain Sacrifice Ceremony.
The holy man held the incense, guests observed the ceremony, and commoners prayed.
The Second Master was the incense holder, with a red silk sash tied around his waist and three incense sticks in his hand. He emerged from the Great Sheep Village, step by step, accompanied by two grass dragons created by the villagers, dancing and swaying.
Behind him were musicians playing instruments, and the sound of gongs and drums reverberated through the air. Every ten zhang he walked, he would stop to plant an incense stick by the roadside, and the person beside him would then offer him three more incense sticks.
This was a ritual to pay respects to various ghosts and deities. With the grass dragons leading the way, the ghosts and deities bowed their heads, and wandering spirits and wild ghosts all received the blessings of incense.
Following the grass dragons were the villagers, with the elders holding offerings of millet, beans, and other sacrificial items. Those of lower status carried paper offerings, incense, and candles, and when they reached the spot where the second incense stick was planted, they would burn them.
They arrived at the mountain sacrifice site, in front of Hu Ma's wet nurse. An incense table and altar had already been set up there.
The Commander of Grain Protection and guests from all over Bright State, who had come to observe the ceremony, were already waiting. They watched as the Second Master, protected by the two grass dragons, approached the incense table with a solemn expression, taking slow and steady steps.
He inserted the three incense sticks into the incense burner, then took three steps back and began to kowtow reverently, leading the others in prayer.
After three kowtows, he half-knelt and stood up. The Elder Patriarch had already handed him a yellow scroll, which he unfurled and began to recite loudly. These were words meant for the ghosts and deities, mostly prayers for blessings and warding off disasters.
Usually, someone with excellent literary skills would be needed to write these prayers, but the village didn't emphasize this. Instead, they valued simplicity and understanding, and the villagers' prayers carried a sense of ancient authenticity and depth.
After each recitation, he would kowtow, rise to offer incense, and the people around him would present offerings.
The commoners and observers followed suit, kowtowing and burning incense and candles on the ground.
In the forest, the incense smoke swirled, and a mysterious and ancient aura gradually emerged, enveloping the villagers participating in the mountain sacrifice.
The malevolent wind in the mountains grew stronger, and the darkness above became more oppressive. However, within the thick and gentle incense smoke, the malevolent wind seemed to be held at bay.
...
...
"Are...are you alright?"
Not far from the mountain sacrifice, Zhao San Yi and Chen A Bao, among others, were so concerned that they didn't even notice the Meng Clan Lady who had fallen to the ground. They rushed to support Hu Ma, their faces filled with worry, and their eyes betrayed a deep sense of guilt.
"I...I'm fine."
Hu Ma took a few deep breaths, secretly thinking about the high cost of summoning disaster.
He had his own spirit temple protecting his life, and the fourth incense stick was like directly sacrificing himself. The cause and effect should have been borne by the Meng Clan, but the backlash was still there, almost causing him to lose control of his mind. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
But without that mouthful of blood, the play wouldn't have been so convincing.
"Mysterious and strange..."
Amidst their concerns, the madman who had crawled out of the coffin clapped his hands and exclaimed, "So, the Young Master of the Hu Clan had prepared in advance, such thorough preparations..."
"Summoning guardian deities to ward off disaster is a good method, but it's not enough, haha, far from enough..."
"Twelve tribes of disaster, never seen before. The Meng Clan has gone all out this time. The Young Master of the Hu Clan won't be able to withstand it..."
"..."
"Twelve tribes of disaster?"
Having already guessed that the strange phenomena in the mountains were caused by the Meng Clan summoning disaster despite warnings, Zhao San Yi and the others were still shocked to hear the number 'twelve'.
He abruptly turned to look at the madman, not recognizing him due to his limited interactions with the Ten Clans. However, from his words, he could guess his identity.
"How is this possible? The Meng Clan...are they really this ruthless?"
His heart raced, and he exclaimed in shock. Suddenly, his sleeve drooped, as wide as a bag, and he quickly reached into it, pulling out a basket of eggs. Without even looking, he held the basket high and tossed it to the ground.
The eggs shattered, breaking into countless pieces.
He quickly squatted down and counted the eggs in the basket, his face turning deathly pale.
Twelve eggs!
The broken eggs were exactly twelve, no more, no less.
"This..."
After a moment of silence, he shouted hoarsely, "Is that guy really a madman?"
"With twelve tribes of disaster, not only does he harm others, but he doesn't even consider his own clan's blessings. How can the Meng Clan bear the weight of these twelve disasters?"
"..."
Realizing the severity of the situation, even Chen A Bao and Zhou Si Gals fell silent. Hu Ma, who had just spat out blood and was slowly recovering, sighed heavily.
To others, it seemed like he was trying to suppress his anger. He fixed his gaze on the madman from the Robber Disaster Sect and said solemnly, "Mountain sacrifice, mountain sacrifice..."
"Can this mountain sacrifice in Old Yin Mountain ward off the disaster for my young master?"
"..."
"Not enough, not enough..."
The madman who crawled out of the coffin didn't seem to mind that Hu Ma had buried him earlier, or perhaps he was now too engrossed in his new plaything to pay any attention to Hu Ma.
He hopped around frantically, looking every bit like a deranged person, but his steps were surprisingly precise, as if he was quickly measuring a certain direction. Finally, he knelt down and crawled forward on his knees for several dozen zhang, reaching the foot of the cliff at the edge of the valley.
He lifted his head slightly and blew a gentle breath.
The breath was blown with utmost care, almost inaudible, but suddenly, a gust of wind formed, scattering the withered vines and tangled weeds that covered the cliff, revealing an eagle's nest.
The onlookers had sharp eyes, and they all noticed that in the nest, there was a brood of baby eagles. A male eagle spread its wings, flapping them vigorously to intimidate the intruders.
Beside the nest, there were colorful snakes, over a dozen of them, with their heads raised, ready to strike. Their emerald eyes were fixed on the nest, and their bodies arched from time to time as they hissed and spat. Suddenly, one of the snakes shot forward, only to be met by the eagle's powerful flapping.
It was the middle of the first lunar month, a time when the weather was bitterly cold, and snakes should have been hibernating, while eagles wouldn't be hatching eggs. Yet, here they were, both appearing together, and the madman who had come to steal disaster was staring intently at the web of disaster, muttering under his breath:
"The Hu Clan's young master is clever, using a temple deity to ward off disaster..."
"Temple deities, too few, far too few, and they're all hiding..."
"He managed to convince this temple deity to ward off disaster, clever, but it's not enough. No one can withstand the twelve tribes of disaster..."
"He's just using the mountain sacrifice method to coax the remaining temple deities to come and take the brunt for him, but this little bit of incense spirit is far from enough, far from enough..."
"..."
As he rambled on, everyone saw that despite the eagle's fierce defense, the snakes were closing in. The baby eagles in the nest were on the brink of death.
'The incense spirit in Old Yin Mountain may indeed be insufficient...'
Hu Ma watched coldly, thinking to himself: 'What if we add incense spirit from other places?'
...
...
With Old Yin Mountain at its center, there were disaster deliverers in eleven directions.
When a gust of dark wind blew, pushing these disaster deliverers who had dared not take a step beyond the boundary, the disaster delivery team, composed of Meng Clan's hall officials, family guards, and even close relatives, completely lost control.
Far away in Yan Prefecture, the Meng Clan's eldest son couldn't understand why the situation had suddenly spiraled out of control, and those guarding the malevolent entities didn't know either.
They were shocked to the point of despair when they saw the disaster deliverers actually stepping beyond the boundary.
Some panicked and shouted, wanting to stop them, but before they could get close, the lambs, chickens, dogs, ducks, and pigs held by the disaster deliverers turned their heads stiffly, their empty eyes staring at the onlookers, who then fell straight to the ground.
In an instant, their bodies deflated, and swarms of black flies emerged from their sleeves, collars, and pant legs.
Seeing this, some wanted to flee, but after taking only a few steps, they met the same fate.
Those nearby, aware of the danger, could only grit their teeth and continue with the disaster delivery, playing their instruments and carrying the processional canopies. But even so, some were too afraid to play their instruments.
As he blew his instrument, his face turned crimson, and black blood oozed from the horn he held to his lips, dripping onto the road.
The man holding the blue banner trembled with fear, causing the white silk to fall and wrap around his neck, tightening until he fell.
The large disaster delivery team, consisting of processional canopies, guards, musicians, and Meng Clan members, seemed to lose a member with every step.
But with each death, the disaster deliverers became more solemn and quiet, and their pace quickened. The wind around them grew stronger and darker.
They were disaster deliverers, and the malevolent entities were from the Netherworld.
In the Netherworld, there were no roads, and when these entities came to the mortal realm, they followed the rules of the Netherworld.
Unable to see the roads of the mortal realm, they were as good as blind, so their positions, whether near or far from Old Yin Mountain, even those who needed to walk for several months to reach it, were now just a daze away.
When the shadow of Old Yin Mountain appeared in their eyes, it seemed as if only a few li remained before they could enter the mountain.
...
...
"Receive the Imperial Decree!"
At that moment, following the second master of Old Yin Mountain leading the villagers to offer incense, ghost walkers in various places set up altars and received orders from the Inquiry Hall Official.
They led the villagers from various villages and towns, burning silver paper and offering incense.
A torrent of willpower surged instantly.
The eleven disaster deliverers, who had been close to Old Yin Mountain, suddenly felt their steps grow heavy.
The shadow of Old Yin Mountain in their eyes seemed to recede into the distance.
(End of Chapter)
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