The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 195 The Grand Ritual of Salvation by the Yellow Register of the Lord of Mount Tai
With a flick of the young Taoist's sleeve, the atmosphere instantly changed. Xiweizi and the others exchanged glances, then bowed in unison and chanted:

"We respectfully obey the decree of the True Man."

After Zhou Yan returned, the atmosphere at Louguandao changed drastically.

The atmosphere, which had been solemn and somewhat anxious, suddenly became orderly.

Two thousand four hundred Taoist priests of the Xuan Guan level abandoned their ordinary Taoist robes and prepared to change into their ritual robes. The entire Louguan Taoist temple was almost silent except for the sound of footsteps, the sound of sleeves being rolled up, and the crisp sound of jade talismans being placed on the altar.

In this quiet and solemn atmosphere, a sense of impending doom naturally permeates the air.

Zhou Yan knew that such large-scale ceremonies required time to begin.

Jing'an and Jingxu walked out carrying a tray, on which was an extremely elaborate Taoist purple robe.

Zhou Yan watched as the other Taoist priests changed into their robes and said:

"I don't need these."

Jingjing asked in confusion, "Grandmaster Uncle, this is the Zhou Tian Grand Ritual, with the Eastern Peak Taishan Emperor as the main deity. How can he not wear a ritual robe? This doesn't match the records in the classics."

"What if the Lord of Mount Tai blames us?"

Blame?

Zhou Yan chuckled and patted the heads of the two young Taoist priests:
"Don't worry, I'm prepared."

Before the Taoist priests began their ritual, during the purification process at the altar, Zhou Yan had other things to do. He quickly found Li Pingyang and Bihen. Li Pingyang had been looking for him, while Bihen was dressed in a simple blue robe, without any makeup, and possessed a cool and aloof demeanor.

"What's the matter?"

Zhou Yan looked at the woman standing on the high place and said, "I thought you had run away."

When the Weaver Girl realized that she was about to be attacked, she was already somewhat deranged. She kept gathering the earth's veins, which turned into huge spider legs, like earth spikes and spears, and attacked Louguandao.

Bihen was, after all, the Weaver Girl's goddaughter. She raised her head, a hint of confusion in her phoenix eyes.
"I do not know."

“In the past, I only practiced swordsmanship and cultivated myself in the lair; after I came out, I saw many people and many things. My heart tells me that what my godmother did was not in accordance with the Dao. She was indulging in her own desires and hatred.”

Rumble!
The earth trembled. In this world, within the vast Zhongnan Mountain range, which was even more expansive than Zhou Yan's hometown, enormous spider legs continuously pierced through, protruding and colliding with the Taoist sect's arrangements.

Standing atop an old pine tree on Mount Bihen, the woman in blue robes fluttered in the wind, like the sound of waves crashing in the pines. She appeared even thinner than before. Suddenly, she said, "I wonder, why live so long?"

"what?"

"It is not like a mayfly, which is born in the morning and dies at dusk. It hears the Way and dies without any troubles. Its life is empty and clear. The longer it lives, the more things it sees, and the more it will reflect on itself and then have all kinds of dissatisfactions."

"In that case, what meaning does immortality have for me?"

Zhou Yan looked at Bihen, considered for a moment, and said, "Mayflies may also have many troubles, but you just don't remember them."

Bihen looked at him.

Zhou Yan gathered his thoughts and said, "From a human perspective, mayflies are born in the morning and die in the evening, their lives are extremely short. But the longest human lifespan is only a little over a hundred years. From the perspective of mountains and rivers, aren't humans just like mayflies?"

"But if we consider the time of heaven and earth, the sea changes into mulberry fields, and mountains and rivers are nothing more than morning births and evening deaths, never constant; how can we be bound by the small and fail to see the big?"

"As small as a mayfly, it may not be without troubles; as vast as the world, it may not be as magnanimous as you."

"If Mount Buzhou can collapse, then the God of Mount Tai will also perish."

"You and I who stand here today may one day grow old."

"Since you have such confusion and bewilderment, isn't it a pity that you spend your whole life bound to the spider spirit Weaver Girl instead of finding the answers to your questions?"

With a rustling sound, leaves fluttered and a cool fragrance, like that of pine trees in winter, wafted over. Bihen's cultivation level was not high, but his speed was not slow. He appeared in front of Zhou Yan, his phoenix eyes with some golden traces at the corners staring at the young Taoist in front of him.

Bihen asked, "Then, what should my life be like?"

Zhou Yan said, "You can say whatever you want."

However, she also knew that the aloof woman in front of her had always been guided by the Weaver Girl, as if she were covered by invisible spider silk. Bihen, who had grown up in this way, did not know the so-called concept of controlling one's own destiny.

I can understand, but I can't empathize.

The young Taoist priest, ultimately softened, smiled and reached out to pick up a fallen leaf that had turned and fallen, saying, "We are but mayflies in the vastness of the universe, a grain of millet in the boundless ocean. If you are so lost, then why not entrust your fate to the heavens and the earth?"

"Perhaps in the next ten or twenty years, you will find the answer."

Like a mayfly in the vastness of the universe...

Bihen gazed at the young Taoist before him. This was the very creature described in the Taoist scriptures as a mayfly. With a clear and discerning heart, he vaguely sensed the profound meaning within those words. His usually cold eyes softened slightly as he said:

"……it is good."

"I'll ask you then."

Zhou Yan said, "I'll tell you a place. Go there with Miss Li."

"You two have a connection with the Weaver Girl."

“I’m worried she might do something desperate and attack you. Let’s go there and find an old lady to stay with.”

Bihen regained her usual aloof demeanor, tilted her head slightly, and said:
"Which Miss Li?"

Zhou Yan said, "The taller one."

He paused for a moment, rubbed his temples, thought of Li Zhiwei's mother, and sighed, "Take that little Miss Li with you too. Be careful on your journey."

The young Taoist priest gripped his knife, watching the demonic energy soaring into the sky in the distance.

"I will impose it on you."

"Sever them all!"

Zhou Yan released his grip, and the fallen leaf he was holding fluttered down.

A gust of wind rose, and a hand reached out to catch the fallen leaf. Bihen, who had returned, said, "I will bring the fallen leaf to ask you about it later." Her toes moved slightly, and her body turned, like a mayfly brushing against the Taoist's sleeve, passing by him.

After Bihen left, the petite Miss Li actually came and found Zhou Yan. Looking at Zhou Yan standing under the tree, the girl said:
"Zhou Yan, you were fighting someone earlier?"

Zhou Yan was stunned. Li Zhiwei said, "I sensed that you used the painting."

Zhou Yan understood. That painting had been a great help to him, directly connecting him with the four divine armors from Mount Tai. Without the protection of the Zhongyue Breastplate, even with the Hunyuan Realm and Yin-Yang Reversal, he wouldn't have been able to withstand the peacock's attack.

Not to mention the flying technique that the old lady taught him.

Reversing the power of the earth, he shot out at incredible speed, but the pressure on his body was also unbelievable. Just flying around would leave him covered in injuries. It was only because a fragment of the Shennong Cauldron was melted into the Zhongyue Breastplate, which contained endless vitality, that Zhou Yan did not die suddenly during the flight.

Zhou Yan suppressed his many distracting thoughts and simply said, "Go and meet up with Miss Bihen first, and together we'll go find that old lady, Tai Zhen Yuan Jun. You're at least at the fifth rank, so their safety along the way is in your hands."

Yang Taizhen smiled and said, "Okay."

The petite Miss Li nodded, turned and took a few steps, her pace slowing down. Suddenly, she exhaled, turned back, and walked quickly over, saying, "Stand here and don't move."

"What?" Zhou Yan saw the little girl think for a moment, then pulled out a dagger from his waist, cut off a piece of the wide sleeve, bit his finger, and blood flowed out. Just as the earth shook and the Taoist ritual was being held, and the ancient demons were facing off, he did it.

Li Zhiwei used blood as ink to draw a picture on her sleeve. She exhaled, handed the blood-stained cloth to Zhou Yan, and said, "Let's go!"

Without any hesitation, the girl ran away quickly.

Her eyebrows had a heroic air about them, but her face had a touch of baby fat, like a sweet glutinous rice ball running on the ground.

Zhou Yan chuckled as he looked at the painting. Li Zhiwei had drawn it with her own blood, so the handwriting was obviously not as refined as usual, and was even somewhat hasty. However, this hasty painting carried a touch of unrestrained and free spirit.

This is almost the pinnacle of Li Zhiwei's painting skills.

Carrying wisps of light, it is [Zhou Yan, the Grand Master Uncle of the Taoist School].

Burning this painting will bring the blessing of the Xuan Guan, allowing Zhou Yan to get closer to the title of Grand Master Uncle of the Daoist sect and increase the success rate of the Grand Ritual. Zhou Yan couldn't help but smile knowingly, stuffed it into his sleeve, and said, "Elder Ao."

Water and clouds swirled, ripples spread across the void, and Ao Xuantao cupped his hands in greeting:
"Lang Jun."

"Peacock has already told Weaver Girl about our plan. This girl is probably going crazy. After the Grand Ceremony starts, she will definitely not sit idly by and wait for her doom. She will have all sorts of backup plans. At that time, we will have to trouble Elder Protector Ao."

"Yes."

With all the actions completed, the grand ritual was set up. However, deep within the layers of the earth's veins, the Weaver Girl became increasingly frenzied. It was after thousands of years since she was abandoned that she was filled with resentment and bitterness.

Perhaps, at the beginning, this resentment wasn't so intense.

However, as long as hatred is not let go and resolved, it will spread and blossom like a seed over time. Furthermore, because the Weaver Girl connected her spider web with the earth's veins, the daily pain fueled it, and ultimately, the hatred at this moment far surpasses that of the past.

"You want to kill me? You want to stop me?!"

"Heh... Hahahaha, come on, come on, you stinking old Taoist!"

"Before settling accounts with Manjushri, I'll wipe you out first."

The earth trembled, and the spider legs, which resembled spears, shifted. Then, inky water fell, transforming into fist-sized spiders that attacked the Taoist priests and destroyed the altar.

The rustling sound of insect limbs striking the ground transformed into a vast ocean of waves.

"Ah, this is it!"

"So many spiders! So many spiders!"

Xiweizi was naturally surrounded by streams of light that annihilated the spiders attacking him. His eyes turned slightly cold as he said, "What a monster. You seem to know about my Daoist Grand Ceremony. You plan to destroy each altar one by one to disturb those juniors with lower cultivation levels?"

"The Mantra for Purifying Heaven and Earth!"

Suddenly a voice said, "No need!"

The many Taoists looked over and saw a young Taoist walking towards the source of the sound. Xiweizi's eyes lit up slightly as he looked at the young Taoist, who was wearing a brocade armor with landscape patterns on it, a red-gold robe with civil and military sleeves, and combat boots. His hair was tied up with a jade hairpin.

What a refined and handsome Taoist priest! What a divine general of the Xuanmen!

Suddenly, layers of water vapor pressed down, transforming into clouds. Accompanied by a chilling, low dragon roar, Ao Xuantao had transformed into a dragon, swirling within the water vapor and slowly swimming, using the water to block the spider.

However, these spiders are of the earth element and are not afraid of water magic at all.

Ao Xuantao's methods of obstruction were limited.

"That guy drained the earth's veins and turned into a spider. He's a madman."

Zhou Yan reached out and grabbed the battle robe on his body. This battle robe was the one 'gifted' by Nan Yue. He grabbed the golden-red battle robe, and with a forceful pull of his wrist, the battle robe was pulled down. With a shake, it turned into a ball of red light and shot into the sky.

hum-

This divine garment suddenly unfurled, becoming enormous and vast, like a fiery cloud, slowly pressing down, with wisps of firelight directly enveloping the entire Taishang Tower Taoist Temple!
The fist-sized spiders were engulfed, burned to death, and curled up.

It turned into yellow earth energy and disappeared.

Zhou Yan exhaled and said, "Open the altar!"

Two thousand four hundred Taoist priests stood solemnly, burning incense, presenting petitions, and addressing their masters. They performed the rituals of "Inviting the Saint" and "Bowing," each movement meticulously executed. The entire Louguan Taoist temple was ablaze with fiery clouds, and the Taoist energy flowed and shifted.

The Taoist music resounded, spreading a solemn and dignified aura that soared into the sky.

"Taoist Taishanglou Temple".

"The Shangqing Sect of Taoism".

"Lushan lineage".

One voice after another began to chant, and finally, two thousand four hundred streams of pure energy from the Xuan Tan slowly rose in the form of a grand formation, vast and magnificent.

The True Lord of the Western Peak gazed from afar at the pure aura soaring into the sky from Zhongnan Mountain.

"Taoist sect, grand ritual."

In the courtyard at the foot of Mount Li, the white jade lion cat stood motionless.

"Goodness gracious!"

"What a big battle!"

The Old Mother of Lishan, leaning on her cane, gazed at the clear light that tore through the miasma and earth's energy, spreading out in ripples. Zhou Yan was at the very center of the grand ceremony, at the Xuan Altar, where two thousand four hundred Xuan Officials, after paying their respects, chanted in unison.

[Within and beyond the six directions, all things, great and small, are governed. All that possesses form and energy are subject to its rule.]

[A list of officials responsible for recording merits and demerits was compiled, and officials were appointed to oversee life and death.]

[Overall encompassing both the living and the dead, governing all things and people]

"Hail!"

The True Man Xiweizi performed the ritual steps, and everyone chanted in unison.

With sincere devotion, I take refuge in you!
The Supreme Saint of the Eastern Peak, Lord of Mount Tai, the Benevolent and Holy Heavenly Venerable.

They are in charge of the registers of human rank and judge right and wrong in the underworld.

He supervised the ghosts in Luofeng, weighing their merits and demerits;
To save all beings from suffering, and to mercifully forgive sins.

Great compassion and great vows, great holiness and great mercy.

Lord of Mount Tai, Heavenly Venerable of the Eastern Flower, who grants forgiveness and bestows blessings!
Xiweizi is not a figment of imagination, but a true Taoist master. He forcefully reshaped the sacred title based on the current state of the Lord of Mount Tai, directly forming a strong connection with the Lord of Mount Tai, and transforming the legend into the Lord's power.

The sound was magnificent, as if it resonated with heaven and earth in the dark. Zhou Yan had only opened the altar casually before and had never had such an experience before. The two thousand four hundred altars resonated together, and the pure energy turned into a pillar of light that soared into the sky!

Three times!

Three rites!

Twelve wishes!
The Grand Ritual of Salvation by the Yellow Register of the Lord of Mount Tai is now open!

(End of this chapter)