Chapter 456 - 455: The 3rd New Spring Grand Rite
The New Year Grand Rite.
The Daoists with high Cultivation could fly, and even those with lower Cultivation possessed Spirit Flying Jade Talismans. Thus, for the New Year Grand Rite—a major annual ceremony that lasted but a single day—all of Daluo Palace’s Daoists had returned.
The night before, all the Daoists had returned and held a small, private banquet in the rear courtyard.
Gu Zhao sat in the seat of honor and took a count of Daluo Palace’s current number of Elders.
Nineteen members of the Zhengyi Dao were present:
Taoist Ming Yu, Taoist Ming Chong, Taoist Zhi Qing, Taoist Zhi Xiu, and Taoist Changyi of the Dragon Tiger Heavenly Mountain Heavenly Master’s Mansion.
Taoist Shen Hao, Taoist Han Zheng, Taoist Han Xuan, and Taoist Zhan Qing of the Sanmao Mountain Shangqing Sect.
Taoist Qing Ye, Taoist Xiu Jing, and Taoist Xiu Ming of the Ge Xuan Mountain Spiritual Treasure Sect.
Taoist Jing Feng, Jing Chun Taoist, and Taoist Gu He of the Mountain City Fengyue Sect.
Taoist Yu Zhang and Taoist Yu Hua of the Feiyun Mountain Northern Emperor Sect.
Taoist Gao Yue of the Zhenwu Mountain Qingwei Sect.
Taoist Chong Xuan of the Feiyun Mountain Shenxiao Sect.
Twenty-three members of the Quanzhen Dao were present:
Taoist Yi Hong of Yandu White Cloud Temple.
Taoist Yan Song, Taoist Yan Ling, Taoist Yan Qi, Taoist Zi Hui, and Taoist Zi Ting of Qingcheng Mountain.
Taoist Jing Fa and Taoist Yunyang of the Eight Immortals Palace.
Taoist Jing Hong of Dragon Gate Cave.
Taoist Xu Xing of Zhenwu Mountain.
Taoist Yuan He and Taoist Yangshuo of the Pure Yang Sect.
Taoist Huai Yi of the Lao Mountain Golden Mountain Sect; Taoist Tai Xian of the Sui Mountain Sect; Taoist Xuan Yong of the Yu Mountain Sect; and Taoist Xu Ning and Taoist Jingyi of the Pure Sect.
Taoist Ling Ya of the Feiyun Mountain Purple Sun Sect.
Taoist Xi Ning of the West Mountain Quanzhen Huashan Sect and Taoist Miao Zhen of the Chen Ancestor Huashan Sect.
Taoist He Xin and Taoist Fa Li of the Yuxian Sect, and Taoist Zong Hua of the Namo Sect.
Five members of the Sanfeng Sect, who entered through the Martial Dao:
Taoist Qingyuan, Taoist Qingwei, Master Hai Taoist, Master Shima, and Master Shiyu of Zhenwu Mountain.
And two from the Ancient Daoism:
Taoist Fang De of the Wen Shi Sect and Taoist Wu Zhi of the Shaoyang Sect.
A total of forty-nine Daoists. Gu Zhao still had eight unused Thunder Seeds in his Sea of Consciousness, and he expected to get a few more from the Illusory Flower Hall in Shanzhou.
’Daluo Palace is growing stronger and stronger!’
At this time, there were twenty-two Daoists whose Cultivation alone had surpassed the five-hundred-year threshold. Among the various powers in the world, they were an exceptional force.
Otherwise, Chi Wang Ancestor of Red Moon Valley wouldn’t have backed down the moment he appeared, claiming it was all a misunderstanding.
Gu Zhao glanced around and noticed that Taoist Zhi Qing and Taoist Zhi Xiu of the Heavenly Master’s Mansion, Taoist Han Zheng and Taoist Han Xuan of the Shangqing Sect, and Taoist Ling Ya of Feiyun Mountain were all on the verge of a breakthrough.
’Once they break through, the number of experts in Daluo Palace who can hold their own will approach thirty!’
...
「The next morning, the day of the New Year Grand Rite.」
Xu Yan of Chaoyang Island, Lu Yu of Silent God Mountain, Purple Cloud Monarch of Wuya Ridge, Lu Zhengtang of the Yongding River, and other Demons and Ghosts who were on good terms with the senior Daoists of Daluo Palace also arrived one after another.
SWOOSH—
Several streaks of light flashed by, revealing Bai Fei, who had brought Li Qingshuang, arriving alongside Ye Yunsheng and his wife from the Wangzhou Holy Union Sect.
"Forgive my intrusion, Brother Gu," Ye Yunsheng said, clasping his hands in a salute.
"Brother Ye, your presence brings honor to Daluo Palace!" Gu Zhao replied, returning the gesture.
Bai Fei’s gaze fell on Gu Zhao. "I truly never expected Yun Fei’ang to be cultivating a Demon Technique," she lamented.
"But what I never imagined was that he would die by your hand." Bai Fei shook her head with a wry smile. Her eyes swept over the Daoists of Daluo Palace, her expression a mixture of awe, confusion, and envy. "Is the cultivation passed down by the Taoist Sects really this fast?"
"It’s not that fast," Gu Zhao said, shaking his head and gesturing to Zhuo Qingyan. "Qingyan also practices Taoist Skills. Not only is her aptitude exceptional, but she also dual-cultivates with me, and even so, she only has around four hundred years of Dao Practice."
Bai Fei was speechless. "Don’t think for a second I don’t know about Qingyan’s situation. When you two first met two years ago, she had just over a hundred years of Dao Practice. She’s reached this level in only two years, and you’re still saying that’s not fast?"
Compared to the human Daoists who had come from Daluo Palace’s original home, Zhuo Qingyan’s cultivation speed was indeed not fast.
But compared to most Cultivators in the current era, her speed was already astonishingly fast. Even the Silk Embroideress and Bai Ke, who also practiced dual cultivation through Harmony, couldn’t keep up with her.
Bai Fei then looked at Li Qingshuang.
It wasn’t that Li Qingshuang had no hope for a breakthrough. However, there were countless individuals like her in the world, most of whom would remain stuck at this bottleneck their entire lives until their lifespan was exhausted.
Even if Li Qingshuang had a chance to break through, it couldn’t possibly happen this quickly. It was even more impossible for her to do so in a weakened state after more than a decade of imprisonment.
’The Cultivation Methods of Daluo Palace are truly unfathomably profound!’
Seeing Gu Zhao about to offer another humble reply, Bai Fei shook her head and stopped him. "The Daluo Palace’s New Year rite is about to begin. There’s no need for such pleasantries between us. Go on and attend to your duties. I’ll entertain Madam Xue for you."
As they were both renowned female experts of their time, Bai Fei had sensed Xue Feishuang’s presence the moment she landed.
"Bai Mountain Master." Xue Feishuang approached with a gentle smile, though she was quite surprised inwardly.
It was not unexpected that Chaoyang Island and Silent God Mountain from Yongzhou had only sent two Elders. However, she never imagined that two top experts from Jiangbei, Bai Fei and Ye Yunsheng, would personally attend.
Although White Spirit Mountain and the Holy Union Sect lacked the deep foundations of Snow God Mountain, the personal strength of Bai Fei and Ye Yunsheng was considerable, enough for them to converse with Xue Feishuang as equals.
Bai Fei introduced Li Qingshuang to Xue Feishuang, and Xue Feishuang, in turn, introduced Xue Bingbing, who had returned with Taoist Zhan Qing.
...
As the sun rose in the east, incense was lit at the mountain gates of Daluo Palace. The New Year Grand Rite was about to begin.
The Changping Prefectural Magistrate, the Xiuyue County Magistrate, and all manner of dignitaries and common folk who had been waiting in Cui Mountain Town since early morning, gathered at the Cyan Dragon Mountain Gate. Those who could afford it lit incense, while those who could not simply kowtowed in reverence.
The basic procedure was largely the same as the previous two New Year Grand Rites. The only difference was that the Daoists presiding over the ceremony now had far greater Dao Practice, and the divine miracles they manifested were all the more sublime.
From the Cyan Dragon Mountain Gate to White Tiger Cliff, from Vermilion Bird Forest to Xuanwu Lake.
From the Spirit Official Hall to the Four Imperial Lords Hall, from the Jade Emperor Hall to the Three Pristine Hall.
From the Twenty-Eight Star Constellations to the God of Wealth, the Matchmaker God, Wenchang, the Medicine King, the Thunder Ancestor, and the Savior.
By now, Daluo Palace not only had its veteran Daoists but also Guardian Star Officials, Inner Sect Disciples, and Elders recruited locally from the Otherworld, all of whom had made progress practicing Taoist Skills.
In the eyes of the common folk, Daluo Palace was already a blessed land of immortals.
In the eyes of the visiting guests, Daluo Palace was already a formidable power in the world.
As long as Gu Zhao’s Cultivation rose another level—he didn’t even need to reach the Ten Thousand Years of Dao Practice of someone like the Chaoyang Ancestor or the Snow Goddess—if he just had seven to eight thousand years of Dao Practice like the Feihong Ancestor, he wouldn’t be instantly defeated when facing a peerless master...
...Daluo Palace would be mighty enough to awe the world!
And in the eyes of Bai Fei, who knew Daluo Palace very well, that day was not far off.
While the common folk watched with reverent anticipation and the many guests were lost in thought, the New Year Grand Rite reached its final step.
With Gu Zhao leading and the other Daoists in support, they began to chant the Incense Blessing Divine Curse in unison.
Empowered by Divine Thought, suffused with Magical Power!
"The Dao is learned through the heart; the heart is conveyed through incense. As smoke swirls in the jade censer, the mind is present before the Emperor. May the True Spirit gaze down; may immortal banners grace this hall. Let this servant’s prayer be heard, and travel straight to the Nine Heavens."
A wisp of incense smoke materialized from thin air, shot straight toward the heavens, and then abruptly vanished high above the Nine Heavens.