American comics: Praising the sun, starting from Gotham!

The next morning, the sunlight shone on the dining table.

On the dining table, there are freshly baked croissants and thick, sweet oatmeal porridge.

From brightly colored fresh-cut fruit platters to more than a dozen different flavors of jams and cheeses.

"Wow! The sausages here are a hundred times better than the ones at home!"

Clint's youngest son, Nate, had his mouth stuffed full of food.

"Dad, can you make this kind of cloud-shaped fried egg?"

The youngest daughter, Leila, looked at Afu with adoration.

Clint frantically wiped his youngest son's mouth while giving his wife a pleading look.

Laura simply smiled and shook her head, then picked up a slice of toast and handed it to Maya, who was sitting next to her looking somewhat uneasy.

Xiu En was intently working on his dinner knife.

Ivy took a small bite of the fresh berries, a satisfied look on her face.

After breakfast, the group set off in a grand procession toward the back of Wayne Manor.

Afu even thoughtfully prepared thermos cups filled with hot cocoa for everyone, as if they were going on a pleasant winter hike.

"So, where exactly are we going?"

Clint was carrying a huge backpack stuffed with snacks and toys, looking like an old father taking his children on a spring outing.

"Why don't you just teleport us there? Why do we have to walk?"

"Maintaining reverence for nature is part of the ritual."

As Ivy walked at the front, her footsteps pierced the snow, and the snowflakes seemed to come alive and make way for her.

"And it doesn't hurt for children to breathe more fresh air."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a snowball flew from the side and hit Clint on the back.

"Cooper!"

Clint turned around and yelled in exasperation.

"Nate did it!"

Cooper immediately pointed to his younger brother.

Nate giggled and hid behind his mother.

Xiu En floated at the very back of the group.

The children chased and played in the snow, Laura and Kate chatted, and Maya followed silently at the back, occasionally looking down at the sprouting grass at her feet.

That was conceived secretly by Ivy along the way.

As the journey continues, nature awakens.

Their final destination was a secluded mountaintop platform on the back of the mountain.

The terrain here is flat and open, with excellent views overlooking the entire Wayne Manor and the faint outline of Gotham City in the distance.

Despite the cold winter, the ground here is not covered with a single snowflake, but instead is covered with vibrant green grass, and there is even a faint fragrance of flowers in the air.

Ivy stood in the center of the platform, closed her eyes, opened her arms, and felt the pulse coming from the depths of the earth.

"The place where life flourishes most. It's also the best place to welcome spring."

Xiu En nodded and took out the prepared offerings one by one from his trench coat.

He gently placed a branch, seemingly imbued with the vitality of an entire spring, in the center of the platform. It was the reward he received from the World Tree, and now it would serve as the ritual's [Azure Coin], carrying boundless life force.

A badge, imbued with the comedian's lifelong obsession, now purified into the emblem of the sun, had spontaneously turned emerald green as he placed it upon the spot. That was the [Azure Jade], carrying the purest beliefs of mortals.

The souls of the three sacrificial animals—cattle, sheep, and pigs—that were stripped from the unjust universe, transformed into three invisible halos in his palm and merged into the lower part of the altar.

The altar is ready.

"Clint."

Xiu En called out.

Clint took a deep breath and stepped out of the line.

He had changed into a dark hunting outfit that Afu had prepared for him, more suitable for the ceremony, and looked much more energetic. In his hand, he held the Bow of Apollo, which he handed to Shuen.

On the other side, Ivy also stepped forward, holding the emerald green divine arrow that the whistle arrow had transformed into in her hands, and solemnly handed it to Xiu En.

Xiu En took the divine arrow and placed it, along with the Bow of Apollo, at the very top of the altar, directly above the Qing Gui.

Everything is ready.

Xiu En closed his eyes.

The next second, a solemn will descended.

Everyone subconsciously quieted down, even the noisiest children seemed to sense the atmosphere and quietly took their mothers' hands.

[The sacrifice to the Green Emperor has begun; all offerings are presented for your perusal.]

The appointed time has come. The gods return to their places.

[The Azure Emperor's sacrificial ceremony begins.]

At that moment, everyone in the entire ceremony venue seemed to hear a resounding bell.

High above, it seemed as if an invisible divine eye had opened, its gaze piercing through endless time and space, landing on this small hill.

An aura enveloped the entire area!

The children stopped making noise, Kate and Maya instinctively straightened up, and even Hugh's usually lazy expression became incredibly solemn.

[Sacrifice, inspection.]

That majestic voice began to echo throughout the heavens and earth, like a proclamation.

Judging from the voice, the old man inspecting the offerings seems to be the one who released water for himself during the White Emperor's sacrifice, rather than the Green Emperor.

[Firstly, the Stone of Obsession. — Originating from obsession, returning to obsession. Purified by compassion, the cause and effect have been repaid.]

As the words were spoken, the sun emblem on the altar emitted a sun-like radiance, echoing the golden crow pattern in the sky.

[Of the highest rank, suitable for sacrifice.]

[Secondly, the sacrificial animal of the highest order. —The three beast souls are brute force, hypocrisy, and gluttony; take their origins and discard their impurities.]

The three orbs of light converged and hovered above the platform, letting out unwilling roars, before being quickly purified by the green light of the altar.

[Of upper-middle rank, suitable for sacrificial offerings.]

Thirdly, the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth. — A branch of the World Tree, supporting life across the nine realms and connecting the real and the illusory.

The branches of the World Tree floated up, and the flowers and plants on the entire hill grew wildly!

[Of the highest rank, suitable for sacrifice.]

The system seemed quite satisfied with these material offerings.

Explore the infinite possibilities of the heavens, all within the category navigation.

[Fourth, the divine bow of Apollo. An instrument of the sun god from another world, forged by the father of the gods in this world. Though it has no string, its light shines brightly, already possessing a divine master.]

The golden bow floated up and made contact with the sun.

[Of the highest rank, suitable for sacrifice.]

Fifthly, the Divine Arrow's Prayer. — A relic of the wanderer from the starry sea, carrying the hearts of millions of patriots, transcending the mortal realm.

The emerald green arrow also emitted specks of white light.

[Of the highest rank, suitable for sacrifice.]

The lengthy chanting finally came to an end.

Just when Clint thought it was all over, that authoritative voice finally landed on him.

[Sixth, the man holding an arrow.]

The guardian of home, the thread of cause and effect, a mortal body, a heroic soul.

That gaze seemed to see right through Clint Barton’s past, present, and future!

[Rank/Rank]

Heaven's will is clear!

[Accept filth within, refine fire within. Conceal mortal bones, yet harbor divine will. With a mundane body, resonate with the strings of cause and effect. Good.]

[It is beyond certainty, yet it has reached its zenith and its ultimate conclusion.]

The ceremony can be completed.

Just as the echoes of the chanting faded, the solemn atmosphere of war and battle lingered in the air.

On the contrary, a gentler yet equally vast and boundless pressure quietly descended.

The sky, which was originally clear and azure, silently transformed into a piece of warm and lustrous jade.

The wind carries the fresh scent of thawing earth and sprouting vegetation, and every exotic flower nurtured by Ivy on the hillside unfolds its most beautiful form at this moment.

A gentle voice resounded simultaneously in the hearts of Xiu En and Ivy, who was in the center of the altar.

This voice didn't sound as solemn as the previous one; it was more like a spring thunderclap rolling across the earth, awakening all things.

The offerings are excellent. The unwavering strength of metal and stone, the burning passion of unyielding will, and the very essence of life—all are of the highest quality.

His gaze swept briefly over the various offerings on the altar, seemingly with great satisfaction, but soon, His attention was completely focused on Shuen and Ivy.

[Geng and Xin's son, you bear the power of the White Emperor's ruthless ways, why then do you commit adultery for another?]

Xiu En even had the leisure to glance at the sun, feeling that its light seemed somewhat out of place against the emerald sky.

"If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to go through all this trouble."

"I just wanted to quietly sunbathe, eat some metal, and find a place to retire once my lifespan is up."

"But this world and other worlds always have some dirty and smelly things popping up, which ruin my mood for sunbathing and eating."

"As for her."

Xiu En's gaze shifted to Ivy in the center of the altar.

"She's different. The flowers she grows are beautiful, and she smells wonderful. She can clean up dirty places. Sunbathing is more comfortable when she's around. So, I believe she can help me purify the disgusting Crimson Dimension."

silence.

The Azure Emperor seemed to be processing his answer.

After a long pause, a response tinged with a smile finally came.

【interesting.】

The Azure Emperor's will then focused all its attention on Ivy.

That kind of pressure felt more like an investigation.

Like an old gardener admiring a rare flower that has grown on its own in the harshest of environments.

【Daughter of the Wood Spirit】

You were born in this filthy world, raised in an environment of resentment and sin, where all you see is the ugliness of human nature. Why do you not hate? Why do you protect?

This question directly addresses Ivy's background, tearing open the scars that Gotham has left on her soul.

Ivy's consciousness, like the roots of a plant, was deeply rooted in the land beneath her feet, merging with the life force of the entire mountain.

Her answers were a series of images and feelings.

It was the sheer joy she felt, born from the instinct for life, when she discovered the first tiny, glowing moss struggling to survive in a crack in the stone in the darkest basement of Arkham Asylum.

It was the warmth of the children from the orphanage who, playing hide-and-seek in her greenhouse, watered the silent plants with their innocent laughter, that was unintentionally healed.

It was the helpless sense of responsibility she felt when Xiu En coughed up golden sparks in front of her, and she angrily pushed him into the treatment pool.

Ultimately, all the images converged into one sentence, a law of nature.

"Land is neither good nor evil."

"Seeds are neither good nor bad."

"As long as it falls, it will grow."

"My idea is to protect every seed that is willing to grow upwards."

Whether it's a seed, a green sprout breaking through the soil, a mortal covered in wounds, or a lonely sun from another world.

a long time.

The oppressive force that filled the heavens and earth slowly dissipated.

Under the emerald sky, specks of blue light rained down.

When the sunlight falls on the plants, they grow even stronger.

When it falls on ordinary people, it can remove all their illnesses and fatigue.

Even the members of the Barton family felt full of energy.

The Azure Emperor's voice rang out again, this time filled with satisfaction and approval.

【good.】

This heart aligns with the Way of Heaven. This will can uphold the glory of spring.

He acknowledged Ivy's path and recognized this otherworldly spirit who did not belong to the Eastern pantheon but also possessed the same heart to protect life.

The Bow of Apollo, with its bow body covered in strange, emerald-green, vine-like patterns.

And at the tip of that divine arrow, a touch of divine green also condensed.

That was a blessing bestowed by the Green Emperor.

This arrow will not only tear through the darkness, but also sow the seeds of hope for the entire spring.

Whether it will be completed or not, we shall see today.

The world has regained its original colors.

The festival reached its climax.

Shuen looked at Clint and grinned.

He said.

"It's your turn to perform, my best bow."