The bells tolled, and guests gathered like clouds, packing the area around the sacrificial altar.
Every gaze converged on Lu Yang, who was clad in grand ceremonial robes, his expression solemn and dignified.
Lu Yang strode toward the altar step by step, the surrounding crowd parting naturally to make way for him.
No one knew that at this very moment, a fierce inner war was raging inside Lu Yang's mind.
"Come on, come on, let me do it!"
"Fairy, are you reliable enough? How about I do it instead!"
"This immortal was receiving sacrifices in ancient times! I know the procedure better than you do!"
After a fierce struggle, Lu Yang was successfully forced to surrender control of his body.
The Immortal Fairy ascended the white jade altar. Her footsteps were steady and powerful, as though bearing the vicissitudes of countless eras, walking straight out of primordial antiquity with the ponderous weight of history.
"Who is that? He looks so young!" Seeing Lu Yang step onto the stage, the older generation among the onlookers froze, unable to match him with anyone they knew.
"I hear he's Daoist Buyu's youngest disciple, Lu Yang. He's been in the limelight lately. Some even say he's invincible in the Golden Core stage—the number one of the younger generation."
"Invincible in the Golden Core stage?"
That title carried immense weight. The Golden Core stage held a pivotal place across the entire system of cultivation. Anyone who could dominate and be called invincible in the Golden Core stage possessed limitless future prospects!
"Still, something isn't right. Even if he's invincible in the Golden Core stage, he shouldn't be the one on the altar."
"Word on the street is that Daoist Buyu intends to groom this youngest disciple of his, making him the Acting Sect Master and leaving an event as monumental as this celebration for him to organize."
"Rumors from outside can't be trusted. If you ask me, that Old Scoundrel Buyu simply didn't dare to show his face, so he shoved his youngest disciple into the spotlight."
"That does sound like something Old Scoundrel Buyu would do."
"To achieve so much at such a young age is boundless fortune. I wonder if this Lu Yang has someone he fancies? My clan happens to have a few girls of suitable age and respectable talent."
"But he's Old Scoundrel Buyu's youngest disciple."
"...Never mind, then."
*Dong—*
As the Immortal Fairy took the stage, the chime bells rang out. *Ding-dong, ding-dong.* The sound was archaic and grand, transporting everyone back a hundred thousand years.
The music being performed by the Fourth Elder and his disciples was the sacrificial ceremonial tune of the Dao Seeking Sect.
As a Confucian cultivator, the Fourth Elder was well-versed in musical theory. Playing the flute, he could summon a hundred birds to pay homage; in his youth, he had charmed countless young maidens with this very skill.
Three towering statues covered in red cloth stood upon the altar for the sacrifice. Beside them, the Great Elder cast a spell, sweeping aside the red cloths to reveal the true likenesses of the three statues.
Daoist Xiantian, who founded the Dao Seeking Sect; Heavenly Venerable Guiyuan, the founder of the immortal order; and Daoist Lord Hanhai, the ancestor of revival.
These three held special significance in the Dao Seeking Sect and were known as the Three Ancestors of the Dao Seeking Sect. When Lu Yang had officially entered the sect, his apprenticeship had been witnessed before their spirit tablets.
Holding a jade ritual tablet with both hands—left hand over right, palms facing inward—the Immortal Fairy performed three bows toward the spirit tablets.
Below the altar, Yun Zhi watched the Immortal Fairy bow with impeccable decorum, nodding in satisfaction.
By all reason, even as Acting Sect Master, Lu Yang wouldn't be qualified to conduct sacrifices on behalf of the entire Dao Seeking Sect.
Yet the one standing on the altar was not Lu Yang, but the Immortal Fairy.
As one of the Five Ancient Celestials and the bearer of the Immortal Dao fruit, when the Immortal Fairy bowed to the Three Ancestors of the Dao Seeking Sect, the concern was never whether she had the standing, but whether the three ancestors' fates were sturdy enough to bear it.
The Immortal Fairy lit the incense and candles. Amidst the curling wisps of fragrant smoke, she recited the sacrificial eulogy, her voice clear and resonant, echoing throughout the Dao Seeking Sect.
"Behold the sacred and divine, born of the remote antiquity... With reverence we offer silken fabrics and sacrificial beasts, grain vessels and varied fare..."
The sacrificial eulogy had been drafted by the Fourth Elder on Lu Yang's orders, though Lu Yang had merely borrowed the Immortal Fairy's authority to command him.
As the most erudite man in the entire Dao Seeking Sect, the Fourth Elder had taken on the heavy responsibility without hesitation.
At a single glance, the Immortal Fairy could tell the Fourth Elder's eulogy was of exceptional literary caliber—there were many characters she didn't recognize, and even the ones she did were a mouthful to pronounce.
Once the recitation concluded, the corners of the Immortal Fairy's mouth curved into a contented smile.
That felt great.
In the past, it was always other people bowing to her; today, it was finally her turn to bow to someone else.
As the Acting Sect Master and guest elder, it was perfectly logical and reasonable for her to worship the Three Ancestors of the Dao Seeking Sect.
"Our sect has prepared many activities. Please eat, drink, and enjoy yourselves to your heart's content! Rest for a day—the finals will begin tomorrow!"
The schedule Lu Yang had planned for the celebration was: Opening Ceremony — Guest Entertainment — Finals Begin — Closing Ceremony.
The righteous path's true objective in holding these finals was to identify ancient cultivators who had dispersed their cultivation to start anew.
However, Lu Yang felt that judging purely by performance in tournament matches would make it difficult to determine whether someone was truly an ancient cultivator. Thus, he proposed organizing various activities during the celebration to observe the participating cultivators' behavior and mannerisms, cross-referencing that with their performance in battle to reach a conclusion.
Once proposed, this plan immediately met with the approval of Emperor Xia and the other sect masters.
Many observing cultivators had been planted across the Dao Seeking Sect. Some were dispatched by the imperial court, others by the immortal sects. All of them were sycophants and flatterers, masters at reading people and discerning intentions.
Since sycophants and flatterers were hard to come by within the Dao Seeking Sect, they hadn't assigned anyone.
***
With the sacrificial ceremony concluded, a group of senior elders in the cultivation realm still harbored immense interest in Lu Yang. Elder Sikong and Lu Baqian were among them, being good friends.
"I hear this junior's combat power is extraordinary. He reportedly beat the masters of the Four Great Immortal Sects black and blue, leaving them severely injured and completely humiliated."
"Just rumors, surely? For a Golden Core cultivator to possess that kind of combat prowess—even the reincarnation of an immortal couldn't pull that off."
"You can't say that for certain. With the advent of the Golden Age, no manner of prodigy is out of the question. Haven't you heard that in ancient times, there were individuals born directly into Tribulation Transcendence, their cultivation peerless under heaven, who ultimately attained the Dao and became immortals?"
"Put that way, it does make some sense. Still, I can't shake the feeling that something about this isn't right."
"Look, Qiu Jin'an and the others are right over there. Why don't we just ask them?"
"Come on, let's go ask!"
Cultivators acted decisively, doing whatever came to mind.
Qiu Jin'an and the other three wore dark, brooding expressions as they searched high and low for Daoist Buyu.
The tale of *Legend of the Dao Seeking Sect: Lu Yang Chapter* had already reached their ears, and the moment they heard it, they knew it had to be the handiwork of that bastard Daoist Buyu.
After a month and a half of recuperation, all four had recovered from their injuries. Yang Ding's hair had grown back, and Master Jiesha's hair had disappeared back to normal. Everything had returned to how it was.
"Fellow Daoist Qiu, I hear Lu Yang beat the four of you up. Is that true?" The senior elders approached Qiu Jin'an and the others, asking quite bluntly, their faces practically plastered with anticipation for a good show.
The faces of all four turned pitch-black at once, completely at a loss for how to respond.
"It's true, but..." Qiu Jin'an nodded helplessly, just about to explain when Lu Baqian cut him off.
"Fellow Daoist Qiu, that's where you're in the wrong! A loss is a loss. Winning and losing are perfectly normal in cultivation—why try to make excuses?"
As a grand expert of the Tribulation Transcendence stage, Lu Baqian's words carried immense weight.
"Exactly, exactly! Old Qiu, you're always preaching that cultivators must be open and upright, brave enough to acknowledge their shortcomings. How come your own words don't apply to yourself anymore?"
"Acting like this won't do your future cultivation any favors!"
Everyone chimed in one after another, growing increasingly enthusiastic. Having finally found a chance to mock Qiu Jin'an and the others, they weren't about to pass it up for anything.
Unable to endure it any longer, Qiu Jin'an shot a glance at Luo Hongxia.
Luo Hongxia understood instantly. She produced the Light-Confining Treasure Box, and the treasure box flared with brilliant radiance, sucking everyone inside.
Equalizing cultivation required mutual consent, but if it was merely a matter of pulling people inside, Luo Hongxia could decide that all on her own.
"Get them!"
Inside the treasure box, Master Jiesha struck first, while Qiu Jin'an and the other two provided cover, beating the crowd of senior elders until they were thoroughly routed.
Chapter 476