Chapter 242: The Coronation and Sacrificial Ceremony

Chapter 242: The Coronation and Sacrificial Ceremony

The Coronation and Sacrificial Ceremony was a grand event that drew the attention of the entire realm.

In the Imperial City, marquises from all the great marquis houses arrived in person—nobles from aristocratic lineages and those risen from humble origins alike. The Four Great Kings of the Yulan Empire—the Great Golden Roc King, the Qilin King, the Divine Dragon King, and the Peacock Ming King—arrived in magnificent carriages, stopping before the Sacrificial Altar.

These four kings were the pillars of the Yulan Empire, commanding vast armies, ruling over expansive fiefdoms, and wielding immense influence. Their status in the imperial court was second only to the Jade Emperor himself.

Even the Jade Emperor attended in person, riding in a war chariot escorted by imperial guards and eunuchs. The gathered nobles all bowed in reverence.

An ordinary heir’s coronation would never warrant such treatment. But the Jian Pavilion Marquis House was different—it was one of the Fourteen Hereditary Marquis Houses, counted among the "Eighteen Founding Heroes" of the Yulan Empire. As long as the empire stood, the descendants of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House would forever enjoy the privileges of nobility.

The Fourteen Hereditary Marquis Houses and the Four Great Royal Mansions were the true aristocratic nobles, the core of the empire’s power and interests. In a few decades, their heirs would become the empire’s rulers, commanding the winds and rains, overlooking all beneath the heavens. Thus, the coronation of a hereditary noble heir was an event of utmost importance, comparable to the investiture of a crown prince. All the great nobles attended in person.

Beyond the nobility, sect leaders, heads of martial academies, common martial artists, and even street vendors came to witness this grand occasion.

"The Jian Pavilion Marquis has ruled the Jian Pavilion Marquis House for nearly fifty years. Now, he finally begins grooming his heir."

"This is a transfer of power. In the future, Ning Xiaochuan will be the master of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House."

An older marquis remarked, "The situation is not optimistic. Ning Xiaochian is the current Champion of the Emperor’s Martial Palace and has become the disciple of the Senior Sister of the Master of the Martial Palace. In terms of seniority, he is now a junior brother to the Jade Emperor and the Great Golden Roc King. In thirty years, when the great noble houses undergo their own transfers of power—new generations rising, old ones retiring—few will be able to contend with Ning Xiaochuan."

Though the identity of the Senior Sister of the Master of the Martial Palace remained mysterious, most of these century-old nobles had heard of her name. Many speculated that Ning Xiaochuan had already become her disciple.

"Jing Lao, you think too far ahead. The world will always produce new talents, each generation surpassing the last. For now, it is still the elders who hold sway."

A silver Roaring Moon Golden Lion pulled a blue sandalwood-colored ancient carriage, slowly making its way to the Ancestral Grounds of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House before stopping beneath a maple tree.

The carriage’s purple jade curtain was lifted by a jade-white, delicate hand—slender fingers, skin like crystalline ice, as if carved from snow. It was the most flawless hand in the world, without a single blemish. A single glimpse of those fingers was enough to imagine that their owner must be a peerless beauty capable of toppling nations.

The curtain parted, revealing a woman veiled in white, her hair coiled in an elegant bun adorned with vermilion hairpins, pearl earrings dangling from her ears. Her dark, bright almond-shaped eyes gazed at the distant Sacrificial Altar, her crimson lips faintly visible beneath the white veil as she murmured softly, "What a grand spectacle..."

Xiao Ling'er nestled in the arms of the Masked Woman, her large round eyes blinking sleepily as she gazed toward the Sacrificial Altar. In a childish voice, she asked, "Mother, what are you looking at?"

Yu Ningsheng lowered the curtain and gently stroked Xiao Ling'er's head with her delicate jade-like hands. "Xiao Ling'er, why do you call me mother?"

Xiao Ling'er blinked her big eyes, her round pupils shimmering. "Mother, I'm hungry."

Yu Ningsheng sighed helplessly. Xiao Ling'er had the habit of calling any beautiful woman "mother," and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't correct it—a truly frustrating matter.

"The ceremony begins!"

An elderly man in Taoist robes, named Xuan Qingzi, presided over today's sacrificial rites.

Xuan Qingzi was a second-rank State Preceptor of the Yulan Empire, a revered sage of the Daoist sect, and had been enfeoffed as the "Duke of Haiming." His status was lofty, and his authority immense, overseeing the empire's rituals and judicial affairs.

The Yulan Empire was founded through martial prowess but governed through Daoist principles.

The disciples of the Daoist sect served as the empire's civil officials, managing the appointment, evaluation, promotion, and demotion of officials; overseeing land, households, taxes, and finances; presiding over ceremonies, sacrifices, and academies; administering justice and penal affairs; and supervising construction, agriculture, and water conservancy.

In essence, the State Preceptors wielded power no less than that of the nobility. However, while nobles could inherit their titles, possess fiefdoms, mines, and private armies, State Preceptors could not.

Once a State Preceptor retired, they were reduced to commoners, stripped of all influence.

Thus, in the Yulan Empire, the nobility still held greater sway.

The empire's State Preceptors were divided into seven ranks.

The first-rank State Preceptor, titled "Grand Preceptor," was the sole leader of the Daoist sect and the empire's civil officials, wielding immense authority—second only to the emperor.

The second-rank State Preceptors, nine in total, were enfeoffed as the "Nine Dukes," figures of supreme prestige capable of commanding the winds and rains.

The State Preceptor invited by the Old Marquis to preside over Ning Xiaochuan's coronation ceremony was none other than the second-rank State Preceptor—the Duke of Haiming, Xuan Qingzi.

Dressed in white ceremonial robes, Ning Xiaochuan ascended the stone steps step by step, reaching the Sacrificial Altar and standing before the Heaven-Worshiping Bronze Cauldron.

Xuan Qingzi, despite being 130 years old, had snow-white hair and beard, yet his skin remained youthful, showing no signs of aging—truly embodying the phrase "white hair with a youthful face" and exuding an immortal aura.

As Ning Xiaochuan approached, he sensed a shift in the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, as if Xuan Qingzi had merged with the world itself, becoming one with the heavens and earth.

If Ning Xiaochuan closed his eyes and relied solely on mental transmission, he wouldn't even be able to detect Xuan Qingzi's presence.

"This old Taoist's cultivation must be terrifying," Ning Xiaochuan thought to himself.

Holding a horsetail whisk, his head radiating a divine glow, and his skin shimmering with tiny points of light, Xuan Qingzi said, "Young Master Ning, immerse your hands and light the incense."

Twelve young women in Taoist robes carried a bronze basin and placed it before Ning Xiaochuan.

Rolling up his sleeves, Ning Xiaochuan washed his hands in the basin.

Xuan Qingzi proclaimed solemnly, "Honor the ancestors!"

Ning Xiaochuan lifted a thick yellow incense stick, as wide as a bowl's mouth, and inserted it into the Heaven-Worshiping Bronze Cauldron.

At the same time, a large number of cattle, dogs, and livestock were slaughtered and thrown into the Sacrificial Altar, where they were incinerated by the raging flames within.

A pillar of blood-red light rose from the altar, piercing through the clouds and staining the sky crimson.

Xuan Qingzi declared once more, "Heavenly Sacrifice!"

Ning Xiaochuan lifted the second yellow incense stick and inserted it into the Heaven-Worshiping Bronze Cauldron.

"Thud! Thud!"

Countless Mystic Beasts and livestock were slain, their heads and horns severed, their blood cascading like waterfalls into the altar, enveloping the entire structure in a bloody glow.

From within the altar, the wails of corpses and ghosts echoed—weeping, howling, and sobbing—as if the souls of hell had been awakened.

Above the sky, a clear and resonant chant resounded. The clouds churned, the mist parted, and streams of radiant light descended like a celestial waterfall.

"I sense something extraordinary about today’s sacrificial ceremony. It has actually summoned the celestial phenomenon of 'Ghosts and Deities Chanting Together.' Twenty years ago, such an omen only appeared during the crown prince’s coronation. Yet today, it has manifested once more," the Great Golden Roc King remarked slowly from within his carriage.

Beside him, from the carriage of the Peacock Ming King, a woman’s authoritative voice spoke, "This is only the beginning—the sacrifices to the ancestors and the heavens. The divine sacrifice has yet to commence. Who knows what else will happen? This Ning Xiaochuan carries immense destiny. In the future, he may truly become a figure of great significance."

The Peacock Ming King was the only female ruler of the Yulan Empire, usually secluded in cultivation and rarely seen in public. She held a prestigious position within the empire.

Her carriage was forged from the skeleton of a peacock, its feathers radiant and brimming with immense power. Merely by standing still, the carriage exerted such pressure that many found it hard to breathe.

Not every sacrificial ceremony could summon celestial phenomena. Only those with great destiny, during their coronation, could harness the power of the altar to commune with their ancestors, the heavens, and the deities, invoking their blessings.

Those capable of invoking celestial phenomena during sacrifices were extraordinary individuals.

This was the heavens foretelling the world—a sign of things to come.

A look of astonishment crossed Xuan Qingzi’s face as he clearly sensed the immense energy gathering within the altar, the fortune of heaven and earth converging upon it.

In all his years presiding over sacrifices, he had never witnessed such a spectacle.

"Divine Sacrifice!" Xuan Qingzi proclaimed loudly.

Ning Xiaochuan inserted the third incense stick into the Heaven-Worshiping Bronze Cauldron.

Simultaneously, the slaves, livestock, and Mystic Beasts were all slaughtered, their corpses cast into the altar. Their blood merged into rivers, taking on various forms—some resembling Divine Dragons, others like lions and tigers, and even human shapes.

The bloody radiance from the altar intensified, dyeing the entire sky crimson, as if a sea of blood hung inverted above, filled with floating corpses.

"Wuuu—"

The cries of ghosts and the divine melodies of deities intertwined within this space.

Above the firmament, lightning flashed and thunder roared. The phantom of a celestial palace appeared in the void, mysterious and unfathomable, leaving all who beheld it in awe.

Every soul in the Imperial City witnessed this spectacle, their hearts trembling with shock. Many even fell to their knees in worship, believing the Heavenly Emperor had manifested his divine presence.

"The Heavenly Emperor’s Divine Palace!"

The kings and marquises were all astounded, their minds unable to settle as they stared at the phantom palace in the sky, recalling the ancient legends recorded in historical texts.

The Heavenly Emperor’s Divine Palace was even more enigmatic than the "Heavenly Palace" within the Emperor’s Ruins.

Legend has it that the Heavenly Emperor's Divine Palace is hidden in the clouds above the Yulan Empire, floating in the sky, but no one has ever found it.

Ning Xiaochuan stepped onto the Sacrificial Altar, ascending to its peak. With a jade knife, he slit his wrist, letting torrents of blood flow down into the altar.

"Boom!"

The entire Sacrificial Altar erupted into a boiling sea of crimson, as strands of Blood Qi surged back into Ning Xiaochuan's body.

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