nucmednet Chapter 156 Mahayana Ritual 14
Chapter 156 Mahayana Ritual 14
Chapter 156 Mahayana Ritual 14
The bright moon hung high in the sky, and a hazy mist shrouded the bright banquet, adding a touch of ethereal beauty to the event.
Penglai Island was filled with rich spiritual energy, which flowed towards the banquet from all directions.
So many immortal lords and venerable lords are comprehending the Dao, each of them being a top-tier powerhouse in the cultivation world. The spiritual energy they consume during their enlightenment is immeasurable. In ordinary places, such a large number of people comprehending the Dao would have long been unable to sustain it and would have become barren land.
Even places with spiritual veins need time to recover.
But the fact that Penglai Island has steadily supported so many immortals and true lords in their enlightenment is enough to show its extraordinary nature.
Cheng Jiu woke up from his enlightenment and saw the bright eyes of the two brothers next door as soon as he opened his eyes.
Cheng Jiu smiled at the two of them, and they exchanged glances, indicating that they had both had a good experience.
When people are bored, their eyes will involuntarily wander. Cheng Jiu, Gong Cheng, and Gong Yu followed behind their master, who looked quite pleasing to the eye today.
As Cheng Jiu looked around, his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the crown of Immortal Lord Qingyang.
Not only her, but the brothers Gongcheng and Gongyu also looked at each other's crowns.
The three of them couldn't help but recall how Qin Che had secretly taken them to see the crowns of the two immortal lords in advance. The crown of the Qingyang Immortal Lord had left a deep impression on them.
Now that I have more free time and am closer to the object, my attention is naturally drawn to it.
Unlike the breathtaking feeling the three of them had experienced before, the pearl shone brightly under the moonlight, with an indescribable warmth and luster. It looked ordinary and completely different from the feeling they had when they first saw it.
The three knew that this was just a facade; there must be some significance to these 12 beads, but they were simply too blind to see it.
"What a scoundrel! What a scoundrel!" Immortal Lord Fengjue looked at the crown worn by Immortal Lord Qingyang as he walked on the Enlightenment Carpet, shaking his head in anguish and sighing.
“Qingyang has always been like this, you’re not used to it yet!” Immortal Lord Lingguang looked at his friend with some helplessness.
"How can anyone get used to this! Qingyang's parents are as willing to spend money as ever." Fengjue Immortal Lord's tone was somewhat sour.
Li Weixin was completely confused and looked at her master, asking if there was a problem.
He didn't face the true appearance of that crown, so he didn't feel it deeply.
Sensing his disciple's questioning gaze, Immortal Lord Qianli spoke up to explain, "Your Uncle Fengjue is referring to the crown made of the twelve star beads on Uncle Li Qingyang's head."
"Star Beads?" Li Wei asked with a puzzled tone, "I've never heard of them."
"These are treasures circulating among immortals. Each star bead can nurture a world, and mastering a star bead is equivalent to the Heavenly Dao of that world. Although not every star bead can be upgraded, they are highly sought after among immortals. One can imagine how important it is to be able to collect these twelve star beads as a crown."
Even the Immortal Lord Qianli had to sigh in admiration. It was incredibly extravagant. Even a single Star Bead was extremely rare, yet this crown had gathered twelve of them. Of all the crowns in the entire Mahayana ceremony, this crown was the most precious.
Twelve! And this is the ultimate number they've been asking for! If a Mahayana Immortal Lord could receive such a crown at a Mahayana ceremony, he would have no regrets in this life!
Li Weixin was also shocked. This was no crown; it was clearly twelve small worlds placed on his head. Was this the Mahayana stage? Every resource he casually possessed was a world.
The immortals present had lived for countless millennia, but the legend of the star pearl crown had always been a tale passed down in the upper realm, and now it had actually come to life in reality.
These old guys have really broadened their horizons! To put it bluntly, they now have material for their dreams.
Immortal Lord Qingyang was the first to walk across the Enlightenment Carpet, and stood at the end watching Immortal Lord Qingxu walk towards him.
Gongcheng and Gongyu followed closely behind their master, waiting with impeccable manners.
Immortal Lord Qingxu did not keep them waiting for long; they completed the Enlightenment Carpet in just a quarter of an hour.
"How many steps?" Immortal Lord Sui Rong stopped counting and asked the person who was still counting curiously.
Immortal Lord Mengya: "Qingyang is five thousand six hundred steps, and Qingxu is five thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps."
Those present gasped. Reaching the Great Ascension Immortal Lord realm, every step is an insurmountable chasm. Qianli Immortal Lord's talent is already at its peak. The relative talent among the three has always been a topic of much discussion. Unexpectedly, a decision has been made today, with Qingxu's talent being far superior.
But upon closer reflection, it wasn't so surprising. After all, among the three, only Qingxu was able to learn everything quickly and well. He even became a ninth-grade alchemist with his ice spiritual root. This was just further proof.
Two immortal lords walked across the Enlightenment Carpet, and two disciples stood at the very end of the carpet, lightly and quickly rolling it up and carrying it away.
"May the two immortal lords' hearts remain steadfast in their Dao and their paths to immortality be smooth and unobstructed!"
"May the two immortal lords' hearts remain steadfast in their Dao and their paths to immortality be smooth and unobstructed!"
"May the two immortal lords' hearts remain steadfast in their Dao and their paths to immortality be smooth and unobstructed!"
Starting with the guests from Penglai Island, the disciples of the Guiyuan Sect respectfully bowed and offered their blessings in unison, all centered around the two immortal lords.
The sound was like thunder, announcing to heaven and earth the celebration of the two immortal lords' breakthrough to the Mahayana stage.
Cheng Jiu and the other two stood behind their master, watching the figures bowing in unison. A strange excitement filled their bodies, giving them a sense of pride as they looked down upon all living beings and observed all aspects of life.
But they knew all too well that this was just an illusion, because the one who was experiencing all of this was not them, but their master.
The thrill and the surging sense of illusion made the three of them feel dizzy. The excitement and exhilaration fueled their desire for power. One day, they too would become the true protagonists here!
The two immortal lords sat high between their seats, receiving the homage of those below.
It was as if a god high in the sky looked down upon all living beings, yet no one dared to disrespect him.
"The auspicious time has arrived!" A loud voice resounded throughout the entire venue.
The guests returned to their assigned seats.
"Distinguished guests, please enter!"
The Mahayana Immortal Lords in the reception hall all stood up and walked towards the venue in an orderly manner.
"Dragon Abyss Sect, Immortal Lord Qianli has arrived!" As the official's voice fell, an Immortal Lord carrying a sword on his back and with a cold and aloof demeanor walked through the middle.
"Greetings, Immortal Lord Qianli!" As he passed by, the two venerable lords on either side bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Immortal Lord Qianli!" Gongcheng respectfully greeted him and led him to sit down in the seat closest to the two Immortal Lords.
As the master of ceremonies finished reading the list of gifts from the Longyuan Sect, the senior sisters waiting nearby led the gifts around the banquet hall.
"Elder Tiexian from the Wuji Sect has arrived!" The other official announced as the last gift departed.
"Greetings, Immortal Lord Iron String!" The crowd rose again to pay their respects.
The gift from Elder Tiexian seamlessly connected with the procession ahead.
The principle is that gifts must not be interrupted; as many gifts are given, as many disciples will accept them. The more gifts given, the better, as they all represent the face of the two immortal lords.
Starting from the beginning, walk around the banquet area, from left to right, and then go down the right-hand passage.
This continued until all the gifts were displayed and all the guests had entered.
Like a lithe and powerful dragon, it opened the eyes of the Tribulation Transcending Venerables attending the banquet. They had never seen so many treasures before. Some they had only heard of but never seen, and some they had never even seen or heard of.
Cheng Jiu and his two companions were to promptly guide the guests to their assigned seats, making sure the order was correct. There were important rules to follow, and making a mistake would be embarrassing.
Therefore, Cheng Jiu and his two companions were even more nervous and on edge than when they were welcoming guests, fearing that they might make a mistake!
Despite being on edge, they remained organized and efficient, earning the admiration of everyone who witnessed it.
Several guests had gone directly to the master beforehand, and when they greeted the guests, the master took the opportunity to give them a gift as a token of appreciation. This also put the three of them to the test.
If the greeting takes too long, it will leave a bad impression on later guests.
Fortunately, they were all good friends of their master, and the three of them cooperated well, their movements were smooth and seamless, as if it were meant to be.
When welcoming guests from the demon race and the mortal realm, the three of them were somewhat tense, fearing that these guests might suddenly cause trouble and disrupt the Mahayana ceremony. However, they did not expect that these difficult guests would be more cooperative than the last. Even the demon prince and the eldest prince of the Lin Dynasty were extremely respectful and polite.
It was as if all the previous conflicts were just an illusion.
The three of them secretly thought that it seemed their strength was too low, so the other party had no respect for them at all.
Now, in front of the two immortal lords, these guys didn't dare to be presumptuous at all; after all, one must be strong to withstand attacks.
As the eldest prince of the Wei Dynasty took his seat, a large group of Mahayana Immortal Lords from the back mountain arrived, led by the sect leader. The scene was extremely impressive. Apart from the peak masters of the seven peaks, only Mahayana Immortal Lords were allowed to participate in this ceremony.
The once somewhat empty first step was instantly filled with people, each of them a powerful Mahayana Immortal Lord with an impressive aura.
His mere presence there instilled fear in the guests who attended the banquet, excluding the five major clans.
Only among these Mahayana Immortal Lords can one glimpse the true essence of the Guiyuan Sect.
Especially the three great dynasties of the mortal realm above, and the demon race, could only force smiles when they saw so many Mahayana Immortal Lords, their eyes filled with apprehension.
This is just one sect! Is this a show of force to intimidate them? The cultivation world is indeed not to be underestimated.
This was the first time Cheng Jiu and his two companions had ever seen so many Mahayana Immortal Lords from their sect. They were once again grateful that they were disciples of the five major sects, and that these were the foundation of their sects.
A strange sense of pride welled up within me.
The sect leader was very satisfied with the deterrent effect, especially on the demon race and the mortal realm, whose attitude was too mild, causing these forces to forget their ruthless methods.
"The guests have arrived! Let us offer sacrifices to Heaven!"
As the disciple's voice faded, the main hall behind the two immortal lords rapidly slid down, and an altar rose high into the air.
Everyone stood up, and as the altar descended, an old man with a white beard stood on it.
The other party was dressed in a simple and unadorned purple Taoist robe, and his aura was extremely smooth, as if he were to merge with heaven and earth.
Standing there, he seemed to be the spokesperson for the Way of Heaven.
"Daoist Tian Shu! I never expected that Guiyuan Sect would actually invite Daoist Tian Shu."
One of the Transcending Tribulation Venerables spoke with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"These are the five major sects. Apart from the powerful figures of the Heavenly Mystery Sect, who else can preside over the sacrificial ceremony for them?"
The other ruler thought he was making a fuss over nothing.
“But Daoist Tian Shu had already announced his formal retirement.”
The venerable one explained, "I never expected that he would accept the invitation from the Guiyuan Sect to preside over the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven."
So how could it not be surprising? These elders of the Heavenly Mystery Sect, all of whom hold high positions and no longer receive guests, actually made an exception for the Guiyuan Sect.
"This is one of the five major sects, this is the Guiyuan Sect!"
The other Venerable One was not surprised at all and offered a reminder.
"So what if they're the Five Great Sects? They're nothing special!" The Venerable One fell silent after saying that.
It seems that, indeed, it's quite remarkable.
The other lord stared speechlessly at the other's choked expression, wondering what nonsense he was spouting.
The two stopped chatting and continued looking ahead, where Elder Tian Shu was presiding over the Mahayana ceremony.
Two celestial beings jointly placed the prepared offerings on the altar, expressing their gratitude for the blessings bestowed upon them by Heaven.
Then Elder Tian Shu performed the sacrificial dance to guide the descent of the Heavenly Dao.
As the incense sticks, which had originally been winding and twisting, slowly rose straight up into the sky.
The two immortal lords led everyone in bowing once more.
Elder Tian Shu opened the sacrificial text placed on the table: "I humbly beseech the Heavenly Dao, the Supreme Saint of the Mysterious Vault..."
As the eulogy was recited line by line, the previously misty sky began to glow with golden light, like the rising sun, clearly indicating that the heavens were very satisfied with the eulogy.
Golden rays shone upon the two immortal lords, Qingxu and Qingyang, as a reward from Heaven for its favored and promising children.
Cheng Jiu and Gong Cheng, Gong Yu, standing beside their master also benefited a lot. Their warm and comfortable feeling swept away their fatigue, and they just wanted to find a place to have a good fight and release their energy.
"Light incense again!" Elder Tian Shu called out as the golden light faded.
The two immortals offered the incense they had prepared earlier and inserted it into the incense burner, where the incense in the previous burner had already burned out.
The incense smoke was hazy, and the ash kept falling, showing that Heaven was satisfied with this incense.
Elder Tian Shu: "Perform the sacrificial dance to Heaven!"
Cheng Jiu, Gong Cheng, and Gong Yu exchanged a glance. Was this part of the rehearsal?
Then I saw two immortal lords standing in the open space in front of the Heavenly Dao Altar. Oh, it turns out it was Master who jumped!
The three were both shocked and expectant, feeling as if ants were crawling all over their hearts, yet they dared not show their emotions.
The two immortal lords had clearly studied it. Cheng Jiu originally thought that his master was not open-minded, but he did not expect that he was the one with the stereotype.
The dance for worshipping Heaven is not complicated, but as a dance passed down from generation to generation and never missed by the presiding officer of the Heaven worship ceremony, it is quite classic and has been passed down for thousands of years.
It's hard to make a bad jump, and it's equally hard to make a good jump.
The two celestial beings danced beautifully, their movements crisp and graceful, yet they didn't evoke feelings of happiness. They were like celestial beings, inspiring no one to harbor the slightest thought of disrespect.
When the dance ended, the incense had burned out.
"Offer incense three times!"
The two immortals offered incense again.
The incense sticks slowly flew into the sky, where they swirled and formed two golden clouds that flew towards the two people.
The pattering rain seemed to be bathing and purifying the two of them, washing away all the complexities and restoring them to a state of purity.
Cheng Jiu stared blankly at his master, whose respectful and calm expression, shrouded in the hazy rain, seemed to possess a divine aura.
As the spiritual clouds in the sky dissipated, Elder Tianshu looked up at the sky and announced the end of the sacrificial ceremony.
"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Heavenly Dao!"
"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Heavenly Dao!" the crowd said in unison.
"The sacrificial ceremony is over! This old Daoist congratulates the two of you on breaking through to the Great Perfection Immortal Lord level!" Elder Tian Shu smiled as he looked at the two protagonists.
"Thank you for your help in presiding over the sacrificial ceremony, Elder. It is our honor!" the two said with smiles of gratitude.
"No need to be so polite. After all, the three of us have connections, so it's only right that we help each other." Elder Tian Shu thought for a moment and took out two jade pendants made of white jade from his bosom: "This is a gift from Heaven to me, given to me by the Heavenly Dao for the first time I presided over the sacrificial ceremony. Now, I present them to you two as a congratulatory gift. It's just a small token of my appreciation, so please don't refuse."
Elder Tian Shu placed the jade pendant in the arms of the two.
The two wanted to refuse, but Elder Tian Shu had already left quickly.
Seeing this, the two had no choice but to accept it.