I offered sacrifices to the gods

In the twenty-seventh year of Jianwu, in the state of Yu.

Since the passing of Emperor Taizu, the Taoist Jinyang has usurped the throne for 230 years. The entire nation has erected golden statues and built shrines in his honor, and the years of forced labor have caused countless people unbearable suffering and widespread resentment.

Inside the Imperial Study in the Imperial Palace.

Emperor Jianwu, who had long since become a puppet, summoned his five princes.

Lin Mo gazed at the elegant yet imposing building in front of him, hesitating to step inside.

Having been in this world for several years, he naturally knew what he was about to face.

Go to Jinyang Temple and become a hostage.

There was no way to hide anymore. Every emperor of the Yu Kingdom had to send one of his sons to Jinyang Temple to cultivate after ascending the throne.

They called it listening to the profound sounds of the Great Dao and receiving the teachings of the Taoist Master Jinyang.

Squeak~!

Lin Mo pushed open the door to the imperial study and saw Emperor Jianwu, dressed in a dragon robe, sitting upright in front of a desk carved from sandalwood, his eyes deep and peaceful.

The other four princes stood in pairs, and when they saw Lin Mo walk in, they all showed a mocking expression.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty."

"Get up." With a majestic voice, Lin Mo stood up and looked at his four other brothers. His heart skipped a beat.

That's it, it seems the selection of the hostage has been finalized.

"Sixth Brother, do you know why I summoned you here?" Emperor Jianwu stared at Lin Mo, putting considerable pressure on him.

Lin Mo sighed inwardly, but feigned ignorance, saying, "With all my elder brothers present, does Father intend to make me the Crown Prince?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jianwu was stunned.

puff!

One of the princes, whose composure was not very strong, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Emperor Jianwu cleared his throat, and the other princes immediately suppressed their smiles, their expressions turning serious once more.

"Your second brother accidentally ate a spiritual herb at Jinyang Temple and unfortunately died. Now we need to select a new prince to cultivate at Jinyang Temple."

"I think you're quite suitable. What do you think?"

Lin Mo would not believe such a clumsy excuse as accidentally ingesting a elixir; he was clearly poisoned.

Since the usurper of the kingdom by Jin Yang Dao Ren, no hostage has ever met a peaceful end.

"I'm not going."

The imperial study fell silent instantly, and the other princes all looked astonished.

They looked at Lin Mo as if he were a stranger, never expecting that their younger brother, who had lost his mother at a young age, would have such courage.

They dared to refuse their father's proposal in such a forceful tone.

You have guts!

Emperor Jianwu remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Why not go? Jinyang Temple is full of spiritual energy and is a good place for cultivation."

"I'm not going." Lin Mo shook his head again, giving the same answer.

"For the sake of the bigger picture, stop being so willful." Emperor Jianwu's tone became more serious.

The atmosphere in the Imperial Study became extremely oppressive, as if the air itself was about to freeze.

However, Lin Mo remained unfazed by the pressure. He stared at his father, the emperor, and said resolutely, "I'm not going!"

boom!

Emperor Jianwu was furious. He slammed his fist on the table, and the spiritual energy between his fingers shattered the sandalwood desk.

"You insolent fool, you must go when I order you to! If you dare disobey again, you'll be thrown into death row!"

boom!

Immediately following, a wave of superior authority and spiritual pressure swept out simultaneously.

Lin Mo's face immediately turned ashen, and his knees creaked as they endured immense pressure.

Even breathing became difficult.

There was no other way. Even a puppet emperor still had some authority and temper.

To disobey the emperor's orders again would mean immediate death.

Going to Jinyang Temple might allow me to survive for a few more years.

He can still clearly distinguish what is important and what is not.

Upon realizing this, Lin Mo knelt down with a thud: "Your subject obeys the decree!"

Soon, Emperor Jianwu's expression softened, and he withdrew his spiritual pressure aura.

"That's right. Get up. We'll set off in three days."

Lin Mo felt his muscles relax, and before he knew it, his back was soaked in cold sweat.

Among the princes of the royal family, he had the lowest status because his mother did not have a distinguished background and had already passed away, and there was no one in the court to help him.

If the Second Prince hadn't committed a grave mistake, he would have been the first hostage sent to Jinyang Temple.

Unfortunately, his elder brother died unexpectedly after only five years, so the task of sending the second prince to Jinyang Temple naturally fell to him.

Since ancient times, royalty has been the most ruthless, and Lin Mo has now come to understand this deeply.

Of course, he never actually regarded the person sitting high above him in a dragon robe as his father.

Lin Mo did not rush to leave, but knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times firmly.

boom! boom! boom!

Each sound was incredibly heavy, as if severing the relationship between ruler and subject, father and son.

"Your subject takes his leave!"

After saying this, Lin Mo stood up, turned around, and left without looking back.

The other princes, upon seeing his retreating figure, couldn't help but show a hint of emotion.

"Sixth Brother... seems to have changed a lot."

"He has lived a secluded life in Liyang Palace for many years, which has naturally made him more withdrawn."

"..."

On the same day, the third prince, born to the empress, was naturally made crown prince.

In an instant, congratulations came from all directions, the whole country rejoiced, and all the civil and military officials uttered eloquent and beautiful words.

In the following days, the threshold of the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace was almost worn down by the crowds, as various factions sent congratulatory gifts.

In comparison, the palace garden where Lin Mo was located seemed much more deserted.

"Some build tall mansions, some host grand banquets, but I remain in a deep ditch..."

A middle-aged eunuch approached and whispered, "Your Highness has excellent literary talent. Everything in the palace has been packed and we are ready to depart at any time."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo sighed softly, knowing it was time to face his fate.

"good!"

Stepping outside the palace, a tall, slender figure dressed in a bright yellow python robe stood in the distance, seemingly having waited for some time.

It was his third elder brother, now the Crown Prince.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Crown Prince Jing'an turned around, carefully examined his sixth brother, and then said with a warm expression:

"Sixth Brother is about to go to Jinyang Temple. I wonder how his practice of the Dragon Breathing Technique is going?"

Lin Mo replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, you know me. My talent for cultivation is mediocre. I've only just reached the threshold of the mid-stage of the Spirit Guidance Realm."

The royal family's cultivation methods were passed down from the founding emperor. In his early years, the founding emperor had incorporated a drop of dragon blood essence into his body, and since then, his descendants have all had a trace of extremely rare dragon blood.

Based on this, the founding emperor created a cultivation method, which can be cultivated to the highest level of the Shackles Realm.

Once a member of the royal family cultivates to a high level, they can even evolve a portion of the dragon's power using their own diluted bloodline.

Unfortunately, no member of the royal family has ever reached that level of cultivation.

Otherwise, the country wouldn't have been usurped by the Golden Sun Taoist for so many years.

"That's not how it works. The Great Ancestor's natural talent was nothing special in the cultivation world back then. The reason he was able to achieve such extraordinary success was naturally due to his indomitable spirit."

"Although your aptitude is only average, you must not give up easily. Even if you go to Jinyang Temple, remember to cultivate diligently."

As he spoke, His Highness the Crown Prince took out two white jade porcelain bottles from his sleeve.

"I have two bottles of Qi Transformation Pills that have just been refined in the alchemy room. They will be of great benefit to the cultivation of the Spirit Guidance Realm. Take them and use them for your cultivation. Consider it a farewell gift for you."

Lin Mo was stunned for a long time when he saw the two jade bottles handed over by His Highness the Crown Prince. He was even a little unaccustomed to it.

In the past, he might not get a bottle of the Qi Transformation Pills refined in the alchemy room even once every six months in the palace, as most of them were taken by other princes.

Therefore, among the princes, his cultivation progress was the slowest.

Unexpectedly, my elder brother was so generous today, giving me two bottles of Qi Transformation Pills in one go to see me off.

"This...brother, won't giving me this elixir hinder your own cultivation?"

However, the Crown Prince smiled gently and said, "Don't worry about keeping it. I'm already preparing to ignite the flame of life and advance to the Illumination Realm."

"The limited resources available for cultivating at the Spirit Guidance Realm are no longer of much use."

Upon hearing this, a hint of envy flashed in Lin Mo's eyes.

Igniting the flame of life and illuminating oneself—this is the second realm on the path of spiritual practice: the realm of illumination.

Once promoted, one can enjoy a lifespan of up to 180 years.

Why not take advantage of free benefits?

"Thank you very much, brother!" Lin Mo accepted the two white jade porcelain bottles with great gratitude.

"Well, you can cultivate peacefully at Jinyang Temple from now on and won't have to worry too much about things in the palace." Seeing that Lin Mo accepted the pills, the Crown Prince's smile became even brighter.

"Farewell, elder brother."

"Take care, my brother!"

...

As the carriage drove out of the palace gates, Lin Mo, sitting inside, took one last look at the vermilion palace walls before lowering the curtain.

He examined the white jade porcelain bottle in his hand for a while, and then checked the pills inside.

"So they're all low-grade pills. No wonder they're so generous." Lin Mo muttered to himself, then felt a little relieved, knowing that this was normal.

Inferior pills are not necessarily unsafe to consume, but they contain more impurities and have slightly lower efficacy than genuine pills. If consumed in excess, they can lead to a greater accumulation of erysipelas in the internal organs.

But ultimately, it is a pill that can improve cultivation and enhance spiritual power.

"It seems that after being chosen as a hostage, my other brothers are hoping I can live as long as possible." Lin Mo shook his head helplessly, then closed his eyes and sat in the carriage to meditate.

As a time traveler, one naturally possesses their own cheat codes.

Soon, a celestial palace with many shrines appeared in his mind.

However, among these shrines, only two enshrined statues emitted a hazy glow.

[Statue of the Celestial Lord of Longevity and Fate (already visited)], [Statue of the Mother of All Forests (not yet visited)]

[Reward obtained: Longevity Talisman]

"We have now unlocked two shrines, but we have only been able to pay homage to the statue of the Immortal Lord of Longevity and Fate."

"The sacrificial and worship ceremony for the Mother of Wansen should be different in some way, perhaps in the offerings or the ritual procedures."

He has been studying this mysterious mansion for several years. Although he doesn't know how to unlock more statues, he does know that he can gain benefits every time he successfully worships a statue.

He has successfully paid homage to the Immortal Lord of Longevity and received a "Longevity and Destiny" talisman.

As long as there are no illnesses or disasters in the future, one can easily live past one hundred years old.

Unfortunately, he didn't know this Mother of Wansen; she was probably a deity worshipped in other regions.

To this day, he has never been able to successfully perform a sacrificial ceremony or worship, and therefore has never been ordained.

...