Demon Emperor

Chapter 28 Welcoming the Gods
"Bang bang bang bang..."

That was the sound of a wooden clapper at the third quarter of the hour of Yin (3:45 AM).

Ruan Hu had already gotten up early and rode in his imperial carriage out of the capital to the foot of the Heavenly Maiden Palace.

At the foot of the imperial city, through the mist and through the nearly ten-foot-high foundation stones, one can see the bronze bells on the nine-tiered eaves of the Heavenly Maiden Palace ringing out.

On the main road outside the imperial city, a grand ceremony is currently underway, drawing huge crowds who bow and worship at the Heavenly Maiden Palace, the emperor's carriage, and the statues of deities.

On the street sprinkled with clear water, three hundred young girls knelt in two rows along the sacred path, each holding a white cleansing bottle. Some of them had flowers in their hands, while others had willow branches or vines in their hands.

"Welcome the Celestial Maiden of Wonderful Fragrance..."

Ruan Hu leaned on the railing of the palanquin with the nine dragons holding a pearl, watching the believers on both sides of the sacred path prostrate themselves with their foreheads pressed against the blue bricks.

These people don't really believe in the goddess, but what difference does it make who they believe in? And it doesn't cost any money to worship her.

The eunuch, holding a ceremonial book made of golden nanmu wood, bowed and reminded, "Your Majesty, the auspicious time has arrived."

Ruan Hu nodded slightly: "Let's begin!"

Then, the people around him made the arrangements.

Eighty-one strongmen carried the statue of the celestial maiden, marching rhythmically up the steps toward the main hall of the Celestial Maiden Palace.

The statue of the celestial maiden was covered with plain silk, which fluttered in the wind like the robes of a celestial being.

The ceremony proceeded gradually, and soon it was 9:00 AM.

"Dangdangdangdang..."

The city bells rang out ninety-nine times.

The young girl stepped forward and tore off the white silk covering the statue. As the last piece of white silk slid off the face of the statue...

The morning light is falling.

The light shone through the lotus-patterned window on the roof, casting a golden pattern on the forehead of the deity.

"The Heavenly Maiden has returned to her place!"

"The gods welcome you!"

An official in a crimson robe loudly proclaimed his greeting, as if breaking down the barrier between the realms of the living and the dead.

In the main hall.

Suddenly, the murals lit up with light, and the layers hanging high up moved without any wind.
Ruan Hu looked at the statue, and the phoenix-headed harp held by the goddess suddenly sounded, and the twelve white jade tassels on the goddess's body collided with each other, making a crisp sound.

"Whee!"

"We finally have a home."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

A woman's soft laughter drifted from some unknown corner, as ethereal as a sacred chant leaking from paradise.

Ruan Hu looked at the murals in the hall and felt as if every flying goddess in them was looking at him.

into the night.

After bathing and fasting, Ruan Hu, dressed in white robes, sat cross-legged in the Heavenly Maiden Palace, as if he were meditating.

The entire Heavenly Maiden Palace was brightly lit inside and out. Sitting in the main hall, one could clearly hear the young boys and girls outside reciting the "Universal True Scripture of the Heavenly Maiden of Wonderful Fragrance".

“Om Kalavinka Mani Dha, Sattva Narayana Mandala.”

"..."

Along with that sound, strange phenomena also occurred in the main hall.

Ruan Hu saw clouds and mist rising, and layers of flowing clouds flowing out from the sky in the mural.

just like.

The mural has become a reality, permeating the world.

One by one, the celestial maidens from the paintings, each possessing unparalleled beauty, came to life, then detached themselves from the murals and gracefully flew into the main hall.

The celestial maidens' jade feet were untouched by dust; they all floated in the air. With their appearance, a unique fragrance filled the entire celestial palace.

Looking up, the sky was filled with colorful clouds, a riot of hues.

The celestial maidens wore long, thin gauze dresses, which could neither conceal their voluptuous upper bodies nor hide the glimpses of their lower bodies rising from their thighs.

The celestial maidens' expressions and postures were all different; some were bold, some were shy, some were passionate, and some were aloof.

Ruan Hu sat cross-legged in the main hall, like an old monk in deep meditation.

"Your Majesty, please come with me."

Then, the celestial maidens landed one by one beside Ruan Hu.

Ahead, a celestial maiden in white robes reached out her slender hand, took his right hand, and flew up with him.

On his left, a celestial maiden dressed in purple embraced him, lifting his arm and pressing her chest tightly against him.

Ruan Hu, who was behind him, could not see anything, but he felt a series of flowing ribbons and jade belts brushing against his body, along with soft breathing sounds.

It felt like someone was whispering behind my back, and then gracefully leaving.

And so, Ruan Hu flew into the wondrous paradise within the mural.

In the fairy palace.

Ruan Hu then saw the fairy Miaoxiang, who looked like a celestial being, but whose face and adornments had a Western Region flavor.

Ruan Hu seemed attracted by the other person's appearance and asked a question while looking at him.

"Are you now a Buddhist?"

"Or the Dao?"

The other person looked like a Buddhist celestial maiden, but she wore a Taoist crown on her head, and the floral decoration between her eyebrows had the characteristics of a lady from the Central Plains.

Even standing among a group of stunningly beautiful celestial maidens, she still stood out like a crane among chickens.

Ruan Hu's question was also a question about whether Miaoxiang Tiannu intended to belong to Buddhism or integrate into Taoism.

Miaoxiang Tiannu looked at Ruan Hu and responded.

"Then it depends on whether Your Majesty wishes me to be a Buddha or a Taoist." Ruan Hu passed through layers of gauze curtains and only then noticed the scenery around her.

Just as the Celestial Maiden Miaoxiang had said, this wondrous paradise was somewhat different from the one Ruan Hu had visited the first time.

The other magnificent palaces and pavilions around were much the same, but this newly built main palace looked exactly like the Heavenly Maiden Palace.

The structure is similar, but it is much grander and more imposing, and the decoration is extremely luxurious.

All the gauze curtains that had been tied up in the Heavenly Maiden Palace were now lowered, and these curtains were more than ten times longer and more numerous.

This makes the palace appear to be partially hidden, as if it were floating in the clouds.

In a sense, with the end of this welcoming ceremony and the arrival of the Celestial Maiden of Myo-hyang, Ruan Hu and the Celestial Maiden of Myo-hyang were completely bound together.

Both are prosperous.

If one is harmed, all are harmed.

Ruan Hu looked deeper into the distance, to the location of the murals in the Heavenly Maiden Palace.

There was another mural here, but the content was different.

The murals in the Heavenly Maiden Palace depict a blissful paradise.

The murals here depict the imperial city and Xijing in the human world.

If you look closely, you can even see the changes in the imperial city and Xijing.

With this Heavenly Maiden Palace.

This also meant that the imperial city had a protective barrier.
It would be much more difficult for ordinary demons and ghosts to cause trouble in the palace, and any slightly larger disturbances could be observed here.

Passing through layers of gauze curtains, a high platform came into view.

Miao Xiang helped Ruan Hu sit in the main seat, which was the position of the statue in the Heavenly Maiden Palace, but here it had become a high platform like a cloud bed.

Looking down from above, the main hall below was at least dozens of times more spacious than the Heavenly Maiden Palace on Earth, but the scattered gauze curtains obscured the view, making it difficult to see clearly.

Miaoxiang Tiannu: "Your Majesty, please take a seat."

Ruan Hu: "Isn't this your altar?"

Miaoxiang Tiannu: "As I have said, Your Majesty is the true master of this wondrous paradise."

Ruan Hu: "Can a mere mortal like me sit here?"

Miaoxiang Tiannu: "Your Majesty is no ordinary mortal."

Upon hearing Miaoxiang Tiannu's words, Ruan Hu immediately recalled the origin of his body, the ancient Churen Kingdom, and the supernatural powers he had just acquired.

immediately.

Ruan Hu inquired about the Chu people and their supernatural abilities, especially whether they possessed the ability to heal through physical form.

After listening, the Fairy of Fragrance gave Ruan Hu the answer he wanted.

"I do not know exactly how this supernatural power is used."

"However, I know that only spiritual objects and some things of extraordinary origin can use form to supplement form and exert unimaginable wonderful effects."

"Just like the Chu people that Ruan Heng transformed into, they all ate the descendants of the ancient Chu people kingdom, otherwise eating more would be of no use."

After listening, Ruan Hu fell into deep thought.

At this moment, the Celestial Maiden Miaoxiang interrupted him.

"His Majesty!"

Ruan Hu turned around and saw that the other party had taken off his Taoist hat.

A thick head of white hair fell down, its disheveled appearance carrying a hint of allure and a touch of divine solemnity.

For some reason, the longer I looked at that seven-tenths of divine solemnity, the more alluring it became.

She said, "It's time to rest."

A cloud-like altar hangs high above, surrounded by gauze curtains that flutter gently like hanging clouds, obscuring the view inside.

Only two young and strong bodies could be vaguely seen intertwined, filled with mysterious rhythms and overflowing with a rich, intoxicating fragrance.

For Ruan Hu, this was an unprecedented experience.

This is a way that gives people the same feeling, but transcends lust.

If we were to name it by a desire, we should call it spiritual desire.

Ruan Hu felt all his senses being amplified; his eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind all became much clearer through these sensations.

Not only the outside world, but also inside his body.

"Changpo·Elegant Words!"

"Changpo physiognomy, Changpo archery, Changpo hundred-battle swordsmanship, Changpo..."

His soul and spirit flowed before his eyes, his consciousness was emptied, and a large number of memories were constantly magnified and then integrated into his mind.

Originally, it would have taken many days to master and repeated attempts to fully integrate the Changpo.

At this moment, Ruan Hu quickly mastered and became proficient in it.

Ruan Hu was so engrossed in it that he felt as if his body was floating on clouds, as if he were enveloped by a soft, fleshy ocean.

Ordinary physical desires are nothing but a waste of energy and make one feel depraved.

This spiritual practice not only satisfies desires but also makes Ruan Hu stronger, giving people the feeling that he is striving for progress.

No pain no gain.

At this moment.

The depraved desires of the flesh and the rational pursuit of the mind were both satisfied, achieving a win-win situation.

Ruan Hu felt both decadent and striving; his body was indulging in vulgar desires, yet his consciousness was so ethereal, as if he had ascended to the heavens and reached the pinnacle of elegance.

It was truly wonderful.

(End of this chapter)