Building a sect from scratch.

Chapter 130 Sect Ceremony
As the crescent moon rose, the sky was still tinged with a deep crimson glow, and the setting sun gradually disappeared into the distance.

But soon, as more and more cultivators gathered in the Taiyin Sect's main hall plaza, the sky gradually darkened, and the surrounding stone statues replaced the candlelight, illuminating the entire plaza.

The grand ceremony of the Taiyin Sect will last for seven days, starting with the offering of incense at Chenshi (7-9 AM) on the first day and ending on the seventh day. The incense must not be broken and the offerings must not be stopped. If there are any deities or immortals to be worshipped, their tablets will be erected, incense will be lit, and petitions will be presented during this period. At the appointed time, three kinds of sacrificial animals will be offered.

Among the three sacrificial animals, the Jade Sacrifice ...

Whether it is the Jade Palace Three Sacrifices, or the Grand Sacrifices Three Sacrifices, the Lesser Sacrifices Two Sacrifices, or the Small Three Sacrifices, they are only used in sacrifices where memorials are presented. In ordinary daily sacrifices, only incense is burned and fruits and snacks are offered.

The Taiyin Sect enshrines the Taiyin Goddess as the main deity, with the Horned Wood Star Lord and the Heart Moon Star Lord as secondary deities, and the three immortal deities of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity, as well as the Taishui Dragon King, as the last deities.

Of course, this ranking method is only the ranking of those worshipped within the sect. Although it is indeed related to the power of the immortals and gods, the ranking does not represent their absolute strength, and sometimes it is also related to their degree of closeness.

For example, the Dragon King of Taishui is the water god of Taishui, the largest river in Zhongzhou. He is the "good old god" among all the gods in Zhongzhou. He grants all requests for help with farming and survival, such as making clouds and rain. However, he never interferes in any worldly disputes, nor does he attend any banquets held by gods.

During the first playthrough, Fang Xianyu, who had lived in the Guixu Realm for over a hundred years, had never even seen him! He was a god who was so reclusive that he couldn't be more so!

However, despite being a recluse, the Water Dragon King was very easy to talk to. He allowed any sect to worship him, and even the permissions he granted were exactly the same: he only accepted sacrificial petitions and prayers for clouds and rain, and he did not accept any official reports.

Therefore, regardless of the size of the sect, all sects in Zhongzhou like to add a Tai Shui Dragon King to their offerings at the end of the list, at least to ensure that the people under their rule have good weather and abundant harvests.

Since the Taiyin Sect's grand ceremony is presided over by the Taiyin Goddess, a sacrifice of three animals with jade tablets must be offered on the first day.

Afterwards, the three immortals, Jiao Mu Xing Jun, Xin Yue Xing Jun, Fu Lu Shou, and Tai Shui Long Wang, each occupied one day for sacrifices, which were correspondingly reduced to Tai Lao and Shao Lao, for a total of seven days.

The Taiyin ritual is considered auspicious when the moon rises and is most honored when the moon is high. Therefore, it was not until the hour of You (5-7 PM) that people saw the Taiyin sect disciples arriving in a grand procession.

On the altar where the tablet of the Goddess Taiyin is placed, there are musk deer, white deer and black muntjac, as well as many fruits and snacks, and twenty-eight dishes and bowls, which is the standard for the three sacrificial animals of the Jade Palace.

Despite the seemingly respectable appearance of the players in such a serious setting, the banned players were actually arguing fiercely in the world chat!

"Ugh—I really want to scratch my butt!"

"Is this ass absolutely necessary to scratch? I reasonably suspect you're trying to get on TV because of your ass!"

"Do you also want to be humiliated in front of netizens across the country like the Emperor?"

"This is so boring! When will the storyline end? This is just a waste of time!"

"If you were bored, why did you sign up for it in the first place?"

"I had no idea it would take so long!"

"Just bear with it, it gives a good amount of prestige points anyway!"

"I'd rather just run a few more dungeons!"

"Forget it! The queue time for dungeons is already ridiculously long! It takes at least three to five minutes to get in! I might as well do exploration quests!"

"But exploration missions are too luck-based!"

"Be confident, sister! I just dug up a top-grade spiritual herb yesterday and sold it for over eight hundred spirit stones at a night market stall in Chang'an! It's awesome!"

"You! You're not allowed to play 'Ten Continents Chronicle'!"

……

While the players chatted amongst themselves, seemingly lost in thought, Fang Xianyu began reciting the memorial. "...On the day of Xu Chen in the month of Ren Shen in the year of Jia Chen, auspicious signs appeared in the heavens, and fragrance filled the earth. On this auspicious day, cultivators from all directions gather at Taiyin, and fellow Daoists from all realms gather together..."

Fang Xianyu stood at the very front outside the main hall, his expression solemn and his voice authoritative.

Behind her followed two cultivators of considerable strength: one was Lian Jiezi, the sect leader of Guangcheng Sect, who had already reached the Nascent Soul stage, and the other was Baihua Xianren, the patriarch of the Hu clan, representing the Chiyuan Sect. The two followed, and after the sacrificial text was read, they joined Fang Xianyu in bowing before the tablet of the Taiyin Goddess.

The various sects and forces that came to observe the ceremony stood solemnly to one side, waiting quietly.

Before long, the flames in the incense burner suddenly grew larger, and then a thick, multicolored beam of light shot into the sky, enveloping Fang Xianyu!

This means that the offering has been successfully made with the permission of the deity being worshipped!
Compared to the complex expression of the Hundred Flowers Immortal, Lian Jiezi was simply grinning foolishly: "Congratulations, Sect Leader Fang! Congratulations, Sect Leader Fang!"

The Flower Fairy could only offer her congratulations: "Congratulations, Sect Leader Fang!"

Fang Xianyu first returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute in thanks, then his voice, imbued with spiritual energy, echoed heavily in the plaza in front of the sect's main hall, exuding unparalleled majesty: "The ceremony is—complete—".

Afterwards, Fang Xianyu thanked the many sects and cultivators who came to witness the ceremony and announced the start of the banquet.

One by one, the players carried the exquisitely arranged dishes of food from the bottom to a custom-made wooden tray more than a meter long. The long tray slowly moved in front of the guests' tables, which amused many of the cultivators who came to watch the ceremony.

Hundreds of banquet tables, sculpted by Fang Xianyu using system energy, surrounded the square, spreading outwards in layers. Each banquet table was laden with a set of condiment dishes and sauce bowls, as well as a strangely shaped "bronze cauldron".

Below the bronze cauldron was a small and exquisite brazier, the interior of which was shaped like an octagon and divided into two parts. One side contained a spicy and stimulating bubbling red soup, while the other side contained a white soup with various mushrooms floating on it. The two rich aromas mixed together, making the mouths of the cultivators who had not eaten cooked food for a long time water.

This method of cooking raw food in a "bronze cauldron" is not uncommon, but it rarely appears in such a large-scale banquet. Even the sauce set, which at first glance appears to consist of a dozen or so dishes and bowls, is just a few extra ingredients whose names are not recognized. In terms of how it is eaten, it is not a novel thing.

Therefore, although it was a novel experience, the banquet did not produce the scenes that players had imagined, such as "NPCs not knowing how to eat" or "NPCs being amazed because they had never seen anything like it before."

but……

"Cough cough cough..."

"Hiss, wow, this red soup, hiss, it's so stimulating!"

Many cultivators who rarely ate spicy food coughed and wheezed from the spiciness, and many even had tears streaming down their faces. Fortunately, they all knew magic and had cultivation, so they were able to use spells to deal with the situation. Otherwise, they would have been in a much worse state!

Some monks who were fond of spicy food clapped their hands in praise.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! It tastes even better than the Sichuan pepper banquet! Wonderful!"

There were also cultivators who practiced the Five Flavors, distinguishing the drinks they casually picked up: "Top-grade Yellow-rank spiritual spring water, jade bee spiritual honey... Huh? There's even rue citron? This is just a mere mortal fruit, how can it be served at a celestial banquet? Wrong! Wrong!"

Just as the chef was shaking his head and sighing, another cultivator nearby rolled his eyes and said, "If you're so capable, then don't drink it!"

The chef, watching the ethereal fairy constantly munching on ordinary mortal meats on his left, and the venerable Daoist friend endlessly simmering various mundane mushrooms on his right, sighed repeatedly, "This is an insult to the Way of the Five Flavors," while eating with relish. Finally, he muttered to himself, "I am merely going with the flow, concealing my abilities, a true hermit in the city, not defiling the cultivation of the Five Flavors..."

Anti-troll ramblings:

The procedures related to sacrifices are based on various ancient sacrificial records and materials—completely made up!

There's also the matter of eating hot pot. In ancient times, food was limited only by production and variety, but the ways of eating were quite diverse. Many things that are common in modern times had their prototypes in ancient times. Even stir-frying was recorded as early as the Han Dynasty (although it did become popular after the Song Dynasty).

And chili peppers. Not to mention the chili peppers recorded as being used in Chinese medicine, people in the Sichuan region have loved spicy food since ancient times. However, the ancient food used was dogwood, also known as yu, which was recorded as early as the Book of Rites. But the "yu pepper banquet" is something I made up.

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(End of this chapter)