A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 233: Sacrifice to Heaven
In the Hall of the True Dharma of the Profound Heart Sect, Jin Guang and Gu Xu sat facing each other.

"Senior brother, is His Majesty's sudden idea to perform a sacrificial ceremony to welcome the immortals related to the Moon Demon's appearance in the capital?"

Jin Guang couldn't think of any other reason besides this. He knew the emperor's temperament very well: weak-willed, ambitious but incompetent. For such a person to be able to make up his mind to do this, he must have been subjected to some great stimulus.

Gu Xu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down before slowly saying, "Indeed, the reason the court made this decision is largely due to Yue Mo; in fact, it could be said that she orchestrated it."

The Moon Demon appeared in the capital. Gu Xu intended to drive it away, but a royal decree was sent to the Xuanxin Sect. After reading it, Gu Xu did not interfere further and allowed the Moon Demon to enter the palace. Only half an hour later, the Moon Demon left the capital, and the secret letter was delivered to Jin Guang.

After hearing this, Jin Guang frowned and his face showed disgust. This emperor was really getting more and more confused as he got older. How could the human court mix with demonic monsters? It was absurd.

"Senior brother, the Moon Demon must have ill intentions. Although I don't know the purpose of this sacrificial ceremony to welcome the immortals, it's still not a good thing. Why did you agree to it?"

Jin Guang looked at Gu Xu and said in a deep voice, "Xuanxin Zhengzong is the number one righteous sect in the world. Although it was granted a title by the imperial court, it is independent of the outside world. Except for fighting against the Yinyue Dynasty, Xuanxin Zhengzong generally does not interfere with the operation of the imperial court. However, if the imperial court interferes in the affairs of the sect, Jin Guang will not sit idly by."

"The Heaven-worshiping ceremony is a calamity that cannot be avoided. I have already instructed the Holy Maiden of the Three Realms to expedite the divination. Although the Heaven-worshiping ceremony is absurd, if it can be used well, it may turn the tide and uproot the Yin Moon Dynasty, so that we don't have to wait until the fifteenth of the first month and can also reduce some unnecessary casualties."

Upon hearing this, Jin Guang was startled. Looking at his senior brother, whose expression remained calm, he asked urgently, "Senior brother, do you already have a plan?"

Gu Xu's return truly excited Jin Guang. The only thought of the successive leaders of the Xuanxin Sect was to promote the sect and eliminate the demonic path. If they could complete the feat of slaying demons while they were in power, they would have the face to meet their ancestors even after their souls returned to the netherworld.

"Take a look at the blueprints for the altar used in the imperial court's sacrificial ceremony to Heaven."

Gu Xu reached into his sleeve and took out a drawing. With a gentle flick, the drawing unfolded smoothly. As his magic power was poured in, the drawing immediately became three-dimensional. The golden light focused on it and immediately noticed the three-zhang-high array platform in the very center.

Although the height of this array platform is ordinary, its shape is ancient and heavy, with colorful runes and mythical beasts as decorations. The top of the array platform is shaped like the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), and a large bronze cauldron stands in the middle. In front of the cauldron is an altar, on which everything is complete, and at a glance, they are all of the finest quality.

The main platform was surrounded by four auxiliary platforms, each two zhang high, which were black in color and each had a banner planted on it.

"Senior brother, the location and construction style of this altar seem to be a mix of styles, with elements of both the sect and the Yin Moon Dynasty. What's going on here?"

Jin Guang stared solemnly at the blueprints. This sacrificial ceremony was the most sacred of all, so the initial preparations could not be taken lightly, especially the altar, which was of utmost importance. If there was a problem with the altar, it would not be a sacrifice to heaven, but a sacrifice to the heavens, which would bring disaster.

Gu Xu said, "This altar was set up by the imperial court. It combines the essence of both righteous and demonic formations to form the Five Elements Yin Yang Formation. It can be described as having extraordinary talent. It's just a pity that setting up this formation will inevitably lead to a bumpy road in the future."

Jin Guang listened to Gu Xu's sigh and his heart sank. The imperial treasury did indeed contain some array diagrams of the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect. Apart from the three gate-guarding arrays, copies of the essentials of the other arrays were preserved. In addition, the Yin Yue Dynasty had its own resources, and the Jian Tian Pavilion had many capable people. Setting up this array could be said to be easy.

"Although this formation contains Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, it leaves no room for compromise. All the original gates of life are closed, spiritual energy can only enter and not exit, and life force is difficult to circulate. This goes against the way of heaven and is truly against the harmony of heaven. Once the sacrificial ceremony is completed, it will probably be the time when the person who set up the formation will face a tortuous fate."

Jin Guang expressed his regret, but his face remained calm. He believed that as long as one was loyal to the emperor, one had no choice but to obey.

"This formation is not yet fully set up, and we can only roughly guess at how it works. Perhaps the Moon Demon wants to use the dragon vein energy of the capital to reverse yin and yang, accelerating the decline of the Dao and the rise of the Demon?"

Jin Guang continuously deduced the formation in his mind, and after a moment he expressed his speculation.

Gu Xu nodded upon hearing this and said, "What the sect leader said is true. The second point is to break the pattern of the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect monopolizing the righteous energy of the world. Once the sacrificial ceremony is successful, the Yin Yue Dynasty will be automatically recognized by the dragon vein. At that time, the imperial fortune will be divided between the two sides. With the help of the Yin Yue Dynasty, the lost fortune will be quickly made up."

After a pause, looking at Jin Guang's gloomy face, Gu Xu straightened his expression and continued, "The third point is also the most important one. The Moon Demon wants to use the sacrificial ceremony to change the timing of the heavens and obscure the secrets of heaven. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the day when the Heavenly Demon clashes with the Seven Fiends. We do not know the exact time. If the timing is delayed, our arrangements will definitely have some oversights, and we will be caught off guard by the enemy."

Upon hearing this, Jin Guang took a deep breath. He understood his senior brother's meaning and said in a deep voice, "If we cannot eliminate the Seven-Life Enemy Couple when the time comes, we will leave a flaw. At that time, the heavenly secrets and destiny will no longer exist, the yin and yang energies will be reversed, the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect will surely be doomed, and the human world will be plunged into darkness!"

Gu Xu glanced at Jin Guang with satisfaction and praised, "What the sect leader said is correct; that is exactly the point."

"Senior brother, in order to probe the secrets of heaven, bears this burden of power..."

Jin Guang looked at Gu Xu with a worried expression. Gu Xu had just tried to deduce the secrets of heaven, but everything was in chaos. It was clear that someone was deliberately causing trouble. And for his senior brother to know the other party's plans so clearly, the price he paid must have been considerable.

"It's alright. With Senior Brother Yan and the others here, I can still bear the burden of these burdens."

"The Yin Yue Dynasty has gone to great lengths to bring this situation to fruition, and it seems that there is some instability within the court as well."

"Hmph, the Xuanxin Sect holds a superior position, and many people are already dissatisfied with it. My junior brother didn't take action against them before for the sake of the overall situation, but now that they have crossed the line, there's nothing more to say. Although the sect doesn't want to cause trouble, it's not afraid of trouble either!"

"His Majesty's sacrifice to Heaven is nothing more than a desire for immortality, so I will grant his wish."

Jin Guang was already very dissatisfied with this emperor. He said, "Why don't you just be a proper supreme ruler and instead get involved in the feud between the righteous and the demonic paths? If that's the case, then you must bear the consequences."

"I will make proper arrangements for this matter, junior brother, and I will absolutely not let the demonic path succeed."

"You can make your own decision. As for the Moon Demon..."

Gu Xu stood up, looked outside the hall, and slowly said, "If the Moon Demon reappears, I will make sure she doesn't return. You must also keep an eye on Qi Ye and not underestimate him."

The power of the Seven Lifetimes of Vengeful Couple is essentially a special kind of celestial energy. Once this power is fully unleashed, the entire human world will be affected. The Xuanxin Orthodox Sect is on the first line of defense and will be the first to bear its power. It is unknown how many people will be left in the end.

"I have remembered what you said, senior brother. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave now."

After bowing to Gu Xu again, Jin Guang put away the altar blueprints and slowly left the main hall. After Jin Guang left, Gu Xu's figure faded and reappeared in the Earth Fire Cave. Looking at the Guardian Demon Shuttle that was still being refined below, Gu Xu reached out and waved his hand, and a stream of vital energy slowly flowed into the shuttle.

The shuttle was absorbing the essence of the earth's yang fire, and its body had turned completely red. Now, with this pure energy flowing in, it instantly turned half red and half blue, and the two forces were still merging.

"Wood generates fire, and this pure and spiritual energy is enough to make the fire element of this shuttle complete."

After using this shuttle to kill the Black Mountain Demon, Gu Xu placed it in the Fire Cave to refine it, constantly improving its quality, striving to turn it into a rare spiritual weapon, just like the Azure Thunder Sword and the Soul Purifying and Heart Cleansing Mirror in his own hands.

While Gu Xu was refining the magical artifact, in the Holy Temple of the Yin Moon Dynasty, Qi Ye looked at the secret letter and blueprints in his hand with a gloomy expression.

"The Moon Demon left the Yin Moon Dynasty without permission, all for this sacrificial ceremony? Mother, what are you thinking?"

"A sage ruler?"

Seeing the displeasure on the Holy King's face, the Sage of Evil Dragons spoke softly.

"You three take a look."

Seven Nights glanced at the evil dragon, then threw the secret letter and blueprints at it. The dragon hurriedly caught them with both hands, and after reading them, its expression changed several times. It then handed them to the evil spirit, who read them before they fell into the hands of the demon.

"Your Majesty, there must be something fishy about this. The Moon Demon is cunning and wouldn't come up with such a scheme without a reason. The sacrificial ceremony sounds nice, but it's really just sending people to their deaths!"

Although Shura's research on formations was not as advanced as Jing Wuyuan's, it was still superior to that of Evil Dragon and the other two. Therefore, after carefully examining the blueprint, she discovered its strangeness.

"The altar built according to these blueprints is based on Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, but it is mixed with the Holy Dynasty's formation. If this formation were to be described in one word, it would be a place of no return. If our people were to go there, they would not survive and would be sacrificed to the altar. The Moon Demon is truly vicious!"

Qi Ye nodded upon hearing this and said, "The capital city is the place with the strongest Yang energy of the dragon vein. In addition, with the Xuanxin Sect in charge, although I am not afraid of death, I cannot die in vain. The most important thing now is the day when the Heavenly Demon attacks the Seven Fiends. As long as we successfully guide the Holy Star, all the sacrifices made by the Holy Dynasty will be worthwhile."

"As for the manpower in the capital, Evil Dragon, select one hundred mid-level demon spirits and hand them over to Moon Demon. Don't worry about anything else."

After thinking it over, Qi Ye decided to give Yue Mo some support. Otherwise, who knows what harmful things the other party might do to the Holy Dynasty? With these hundred demon spirits, it should be enough for the other party to use.

Upon hearing this, the evil dragon was slightly taken aback, and then replied that it was true. This demon spirit was a kind of creature without intelligence from the Yin Moon Dynasty. It was generally divided into three grades: superior, middle and inferior. Among them, superior demon spirits could become the targets of possession by the upper echelons of the Yin Moon Dynasty, while retaining most of their cultivation.

Mid-level demons are creatures that only know how to kill, and their lifespan is extremely short, ranging from three years to a few months; low-level demons are just ordinary spirits that will turn to ashes when exposed to sunlight, so they can only hide deep in the dense forest.

Seeing that Qi Ye had no further instructions, the evil dragon and the others left together. After preparing the hundred demon spirits, the evil dragon led the evil ghosts and the asura to a moon-white palace, which was the residence that Qi Ye had prepared for the moon demon.

Just as the three arrived outside the hall, a beautiful woman came out, bowed to them, and said, "The hall master knows that the three envoys have arrived, but because the hall master is currently cultivating, it is inconvenient for him to come. If the three envoys have any instructions, please tell me."

The evil dragon glanced at the woman and said in a deep voice, "The evil dragon has come on the orders of the Holy King."

As he spoke, the dragon handed over a glass bottle with carved patterns. Upon seeing this, the beautiful woman straightened her expression, accepted it with both hands, bowed again, and said, "I will definitely give it to you after you finish your cultivation, Lord Palace Master."

The dragon nodded, then left with the demon and the asura. After the three left, the beautiful woman also entered the palace.

"It's quite good to have this kind of support; it saves me the trouble of personally arresting people."

Dressed in luxurious robes, the Moon Demon looked at the glass bottle in her hand with a playful smile on her face.

"Gu Xu, I will never lose again! This time, I will definitely turn the tide!"

In the Emperor's bedchamber within the Imperial Palace, the current Emperor, dressed in casual clothes, sat on his throne, looking at the blueprints spread out before him with a gratified smile on his face. Upon seeing this, his attendant immediately offered him a cup of tea.

The Emperor glanced at him, picked up the tea and took a sip, saying, "Clear Dew Fragrance, truly an excellent tea. It's remarkable that you were able to find such a place."

Upon hearing this, the attendant was overjoyed and immediately showed a happy expression on his face. He bowed and said, "As long as Your Majesty is pleased, all my hard work is worthwhile."

The Emperor chuckled softly upon hearing this, said nothing more, and turned to look at the altar blueprints in front of him.

"Song An, do you really believe there is a way to achieve immortality?"

Upon hearing this, Song An's heart sank. The Emperor was now over fifty and entering old age, and his desire for life was becoming increasingly evident. However, Song An knew that there was no such thing as immortality in the world, but he absolutely could not say these words in front of the Emperor.

"This servant does not know, but Sect Master Jin Guang must know some ways to prolong life. His Majesty has asked Sect Master Jin Guang to preside over this sacrificial ceremony, and he will surely get what he wants."

"Indeed, Jin Guang's appearance remains unchanged despite years of cultivation; he must have a method. It's a pity the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect isn't a government institution; otherwise, why would I have taken this step? I only hope Jin Guang is sensible and doesn't do anything to betray me, otherwise..."

As Song An listened to the Emperor's voice growing softer and softer, a chill ran down his spine. This Emperor had truly gone mad. The Xuanxin Sect was a cultivation sect. How could one expect a good end after offending it? The fates of previous emperors were still fresh in his mind.

"His Majesty is getting old, and the Crown Prince has become powerful. The political landscape of the court is about to change."

Song An sighed, then suppressed his thoughts and began to discuss with the Emperor what preparations should be made for the day of the sacrificial ceremony.

(End of this chapter)