Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 314: Sacrifice to the Gods
When Linglong heard what the two had prepared, he felt that it was really suitable for them.

Ling Long looked at Qing Wan and said with a smile: "You just prepared a few beans, aren't you afraid of being blamed by God?"

Qing Wan put her hands behind her back and shook her head, saying, "Haven't you heard the story of sending a goose feather from a thousand miles away? The thought behind it is great!"

Linglong had never heard of this story, but he could understand its meaning by listening to the words.

She couldn't help but laugh and said, "You seem to understand a lot of things. What stories have you read? Tell me about them."

Qing Wan said, "Well, there are many! Which kind do you want to listen to? Mathematics, the study of things, or..."

Ling Long quickly said: "Ordinary people listen to it."

She didn't want to hear those brain-wrenching little stories.

Qing Wan asked curiously, "You are not an ordinary person either?"

The group talked as they walked, and after leaving Mi Mansion, they got on a carriage and headed for a high mountain outside the city.

The Double Ninth Festival in Yongzhou City is led by the Yongzhou City God, and assisted by the gods and officials in the city.

Some prominent family members or practitioners can also watch, but ordinary people are not qualified to participate.

The carriage sped along the flat road and soon arrived at the foot of a high mountain.

The thousand-foot-high green mountain is covered by clouds and mist, and the top cannot be seen at a glance.

After getting off the carriage, Lu Zheng and his companions walked up the mountain.

Walking along the mountain road, we met many people climbing mountains.

They were all old gods and acquaintances that Ling Long knew, and they greeted each other politely when they met.

Some people recognized Lu Zheng and came over to chat with him.

Some well-informed people had already heard that Lu Zheng was a guest at the Mi Mansion, so they came to get acquainted with Lu Zheng.

Of course, not everyone is polite.

Some gods were indifferent or unfriendly towards Lu Zheng.

Ling Long explained in a low voice: "In the past, there were many wars between Chu and An, and some gods participated in them. They were not very friendly to the people of An..."

Lu Zheng asked curiously, "Miss, have you never fought in a war?"

"Me?" Linglong shook his head. "Why would I go to war? They fight to achieve great things and then be canonized as gods. I don't need any achievements."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "People with backgrounds are different."

"I feel uncomfortable listening to what you said..." Linglong couldn't help but say.

Although Lu Zheng was telling the truth, Ling Long felt awkward mentioning his family background in front of Lu Zheng.

After all, Lu Zheng is a scholar without any family background, but he has achieved what he has today at such a young age.

If Ling Long boasted about his family background now, wouldn't it make him look even more inferior to a young man?

Suddenly, a light breeze blew from behind, and a tall and thin man floated over.

The man was walking on the wind, wearing a yellow robe, his whole body bathed in the golden light of Shinto, and his aura was fierce and powerful.

When the man in yellow passed by Lu Zheng and his companions, his gaze lingered on Lu Zheng for a moment, with a hint of evil in his eyes.

Noticing the man's slightly unfriendly gaze, Lu Zheng couldn't help but look at him.

Seeing the man walking away, Lu Zheng faintly felt a trace of strange aura lingering.

It is clearly a Shinto aura, but it makes people feel weird and uncomfortable.

Ling Long whispered, "It's Tengshan Jun."

"It turned out to be him." Lu Zheng suddenly realized.

Ling Long couldn't help but look at Lu Zheng, "Do you know him?"

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "I heard the City God of Yang in Yu County mention it a little before."

In Yongzhou's Teng County, there is a large mountain range where hundreds of thousands of barbarians live.

Those barbarians worshipped a mountain god, namely Tengshanjun.

It is rumored that this Tengshan Lord has the blood of the ancient mythical beast Teng Snake.

Originally, this Tengshan Lord was a god secretly worshipped by the barbarians. Later, the Chu court conferred him with the title of a legitimate god, controlling most of the territory within Teng County and specifically governing the barbarians. He was a local autonomous being.

This specially appointed Lord Tengshan was not even under the jurisdiction of the Yongzhou City God, nor did he need to offer incense and worship. No one could control what he did.

He is not a good guy... Lu Zheng felt something evil in him, which was even worse than those wild gods who harmed the people.

According to Yang Chenghuang, this Tengshan Jun was originally an evil god.

However, the government was unable to control the barbarians in that area, so they canonized him as a god in order to manage those barbarians.

Ling Long warned: "Be careful, I feel like he's targeting you."

As a god, Linglong feels that his intuition is quite accurate.

"Really?" Lu Zheng's eyes moved slightly.

Ling Long whispered, "In the past, gods who offended him died in unclear circumstances, but no one could track him down."

Lu Zhengdao: "But I didn't offend him."

Ling Long chuckled, "I went to ask around yesterday, and you're quite valuable."

She had nothing to do yesterday, so she went to the subordinates of Mi City God to ask for details about someone trying to buy Lu Zheng's life.

"How much?" Lu Zheng became interested.

"Ten thousand spirit stones." Ling Long said, "This amount of spirit stones is enough for people in the fourth realm to squander for a long time."

Lu Zheng thought that his worth had really increased a lot. The killer he met for the first time only cost less than a hundred spirit stones.

In such a short period of time, his net worth had increased a hundredfold. However, Lu Zheng still felt that this price was too low and underestimated him.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "It's a bit too little."

He felt that he had to offer some precious treasure as a reward for his life.

"Too little?" Ling Long raised his eyebrows. "One hundred thousand taels of gold, such a price is more than enough to kill a high-ranking official. Who knows how many people would rush to do it."

"Really? It seems I don't understand the market situation." Lu Zheng pondered, "Doesn't that mean that many people want to kill me now?"

Ling Long smiled and said, "Not entirely. After all, the person who made the bid is mysterious and never shows up. Even if I kill you, I may not get the money."

The reward price has been announced, but there is no clue about the person who made the bid. Where can we get the money if we can’t find him?
Ling Long paused, then continued, "Of course, that doesn't stop some people from taking risks... Mi City God didn't tell you this yesterday because he was afraid he'd scare you."

"I am not someone who can be frightened." Lu Zheng smiled.

Lu Zheng had a calm expression on his face and climbed the mountain with brisk steps.

Walking along the way, looking at the scenery along the way, I feel relaxed.

Ling Long saw it all, but he couldn't understand where Lu Zheng got the confidence to deal with the situation that followed.

At the top of the mountain, there is a wide platform opened up by humans.

There is also a sacrificial platform on the platform.

Now, many people have gathered on the top of the mountain, all of them are dressed in luxurious clothes and have extraordinary demeanor.

On the altar, Mi Gu stood with his hands behind his back. He was wearing a set of simple clothes with intricate patterns and prints on them, emitting a dazzling light.

Mi Gu was shrouded in a divine glow, like a god in heaven.

At the top of the mountain, people arrived one after another.

Those who came stood in order of their position and status and gathered around the altar.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan were outside guests and could only stand on the periphery, but they were also within the grand formation for offering sacrifices to the heavens.

Many gods and cultivators gathered at the top of the mountain, and an invisible and powerful aura slowly condensed, with the potential to rise into the sky.

Qing Wan stood beside Lu Zheng. She was influenced by his aura and looked excited with bright eyes.

Lu Zhengze stood there and looked around, observing the surrounding layout.

In the sky, a golden sun hangs high in the sky.

"The auspicious time has come!"

Someone shouted, but the sound was like thunder, resounding through heaven and earth.

"Boom!"

There was a resounding sound of drums, containing a special power that instantly struck everyone's heart.

Mi Gu on the altar spread his hands, his whole body was full of vigor and vitality, and the aura of God gushed out. He was muttering something in ancient Chu language, an ancient language that was said to be able to communicate between heaven and earth.

The many gods surrounding them also opened their mouths and recited ancient Chu language. Their voices were rhythmic and contained a special momentum.

Suddenly, the great heavenly sacrificial formation set up on the top of the mountain was activated.

Spiritual energy surged in from all directions, making people's clothes rustle.

The entire mountain top is dazzling and full of spiritual energy.

This is just the beginning. Rich spiritual energy nourishes the bodies, minds and souls of those present.

Of course, this level is far from being considered a blessing from heaven and earth. Only when it triggers strange and auspicious phenomena from heaven and earth can it be considered a blessing, and greater benefits can be obtained.

The voices of the gods became louder and louder, and the aura they emitted continued to surge.

There are also gods making hand seals, and gods mobilizing their divine power to form various Dharma images.

Lu Zheng watched with a burning gaze. To put it simply, this kind of heaven-worshiping ceremony was actually similar to practicing the Five Thunders Method to attract heavenly thunder, except that this kind of ceremony was more grand and complicated.

It can also be considered a large spirit gathering array that requires people to take the initiative, so large that it may attract the power of heaven and earth to bless itself.

As to whether such benefits can really be brought about, there is a probability.

There were many offerings placed on the altar, including various spiritual objects and several sacrificial spiritual beasts.

Within the formation, the momentum grew stronger and stronger, and various spiritual auras even began to rage wildly, becoming less gentle.

Qing Wan couldn't bear the sudden change in pressure, and couldn't help but hug Lu Zheng's thighs tightly, looking at him curiously without blinking.

Mi Gu's whole body was shining with golden light. He formed seals with his hands and began the final steps of the sacrifice with a sound like a bell.

The several spiritual beasts on the altar were instantly crushed into powder by an invisible force, turning into streams of blood-colored spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy contained in the various offerings placed around was also extracted.

From the book that Lu Zheng worshipped, a righteous spirit gushed out, transforming into a unique aura.

At the same time, the entire mountaintop was shining with light, dominated by the golden light of the Shinto way, which covered up all other auras.

In an instant, a huge golden beam of light appeared from the top of the mountain, shooting up into the sky, which was spectacular.

Everyone present looked up at the sky.

Between heaven and earth, a wave of momentum was transmitted back.

"It's done!"

Mi Gu's eyes were shining with golden light, and he could feel that it was the power of heaven and earth that was reacting.

I remember the last time the power of heaven and earth responded was last time!

Oh, more than thirty years ago?

Mi Gu could hardly remember anything, and his face was filled with unconcealable excitement.

(End of this chapter)