Divine Brilliance

The Prince returned back to Gantian Mountain City with matters settled.

…

He couldn’t ride horses anymore. In Zong Gang’s words, it was degrading his identity.

So, the grade 4 Windrider foal that he snatched from Feng Yu was abandoned, replaced with a dragon carriage that was actually made with gold. There were even jewels on it, shining bright. Any ingredient that looked bright and expensive was something to be used. There was 4 18-grade dragon horned winged beasts that pulled on it. It was a majestic and rich scene.

This was the carriage that Zong Weiran used in the past, and it looked extremely trendy. Zong Shou couldn’t take it, despising this Zong Weiran’s taste. This was a bit too much of a waste of money.

However, when he looked at the Gantian Mountain children around, they all looked on with respect and fear. He thought, maybe Zong Weiran’s taste wasn’t that bad.

People of this era were mostly struggling, so how would they know about style? On the contrary, such a gorgeous carriage that was so ugly and extravagant could help calm down everyone.

Under the protection of hundreds of thousands of guards as soldiers, Zong Shou reached the Gantian Mountain peak. There was no sign of Zong Shi and the others. Even if they all looked about, they couldn’t find any sign of those few people.

This was something that Hu Qianqiu and the others expected. The Gantian situation was settled. Even if Zong Shi tried something, he wouldn’t be able to turn the table around. If he didn’t go away, he would die. If it was anyone else, he would immediately flee.

Zong Shou had the same thoughts. However, his heart was still filled with wariness. Even if the Xue family interfered and used the illusionary mist heart charming technique, he might actually bring that illusionary heart mirror too.

He had heard of this grade 8 spiritual artifact for a long time.

If one wanted to hide, as long as one kept silent, then only an ascended ancestor martial cultivators or a day wandering spirit master would be able to notice it.

Even if his current spiritual power had reached the night wandering realm, he couldn’t check the trace of that spiritual artifact.

Still, his sword didn’t leave his body, he still wore heavy armor. However, when he walked into the Chongzhen Hall and sat on the Monster king throne, still no accidents happened.

What surprised Zong Shou was that there was a spiritual formation here. The dragon throne at the deepest part of the hall had a unique spiritual formation. If those people wanted to assassinate him, it would be much harder on this throne.

Did they really plan of giving up? Did that Zong Shi really know his place?

His eyes glanced around this hall but still, he didn’t see anything suspicious. Zong Shou couldn’t help but frown and took in a deep breath. Then, he relaxed slightly. He smiled as he looked at the many people in the hall get busy with their work, especially people like Zong Gang who were so busy that their legs didn’t stick to the ground.

This era, before the spiritual flood, could still be considered a barbaric time, it wasn’t that polite as the future.

The Donglin Cloud Continent was also regarded by many of this generation as a desolate land that didn’t bother with culture and education.

However, an inheritance ceremony for the position of ruler of state couldn’t be too simple. it couldn’t just have a bunch of people worship the city lord and then end. It had a full set of rituals and was really grand and complicated. The more so, the nobler the position of Monster king was. It also represented the respect the people had for the Monster king.

The process was more complicated, but there was a reason for it.

The ceremony style was more special. First, it was to form blood contracts with the many Monster race tribes, and then, they had to make sacrifices and tributes to the heavens.

Originally, the culture also needed to kill live people as well as to choose sinners from the various races. The more killed, the bigger the scale in the eyes of the various Monster races and the more satisfied they would be.

However, after Zong Weiran established Gantian Mountain, he removed this ugly habit of the Monster race. Their worshipping ceremonies every year were all simple, killing some pigs and dogs, and the matter was over.

Zong Shou, naturally, had no intention of bringing back sacrificing life people as that was too barbaric and inhumane.

Then, he saw Hu Qianqiu order people to carry a huge pot and place it in the center of the hall. They carried jugs of wine and pour in, his face slightly changed.

As expected, everything was prepared well. Hu Qianqiu cut his hand and blood flowed right into the jug.

Hu Qianqiu placed in a huge amount before stopping.

Hu Qianqiu’s face was ashen white and his legs seemed to become soft and tremble. However, he was prideful, sweeping everyone with a provocative gaze. His eyes were gleeful as he walked stride back to his original position.

Zong Shou’s head started to feel numb. However, why did just a blood oath be done into such a huge matter?

Luckily Hu Zhongyuan was not far away and he had someone he could ask. When Zong Shou looked over, Hu Zhongyuan gleefully said, “The prince doesn’t know! The Monster race’s rule is that during the blood oath, the more blood we release, the more sincere we are and the more loyal we are. Of course, there are other meanings like having strong vital energy and a strong body. On this aspect, you can’t show weakness. My father actually placed one jug of blood. It was amazing. He didn’t spoil the name of my iron tiger race…”

Zong Shou was slightly startled, thinking that there was actually such a custom? Why didn’t he know about it?

After Hu Zhongyuan was Chai Yuan. He was slightly depressed before but now he wasn’t going to admit defeat. After scoffing he cut his wrist, blood spurting out light a fountain.

A short moment later his body looked like he was about to fall. He let our half a bowl more of wine than Hu Zhongyuan before smiling, twitching his Chin at Hu Qianqiu before walking back wobbly.

The 3rd was Ling Xuan, the race leader of the eye wolf race and another vicious person. The blood he gave out was only a little less than Hu Zhongyuan. He nearly fell unconscious and the spot. He needed to be supported by someone before returning to his own chair.

However, his actions seemed to win praise from anyone. Not only everyone within the hall who looked serious, the remaining eye wolf race generals all showed a respectful expression.

As expected from what Hu Zhongyuan said, the other race leaders, the more blood they let out the more high spirited they were, filled with glee. Those whose bodies were weak and who let out less blood were ashamed, using their sleeves to cover their faces.

When the 200 tribes finished, that golden pot was pretty much filled with blood, a fishy smell lingering.

However, this wasn’t complete. Next would be those civil servants and generals with some identity. These people originally could just do so for fun and for the symbolic gesture but they all went all out, afraid that they didn’t bleed enough.

Zong Shou couldn’t help but roll his eyes, looking at the group of weak vital energy people. He thought that if a strong enemy attacked Gantian Mountain now, they would be unable to fight back and they would all get wiped out. This custom was too stupid and in the future, he had to get rid of it too.

Out of all of them, he saw Yin Yang and Hu Qianqiu, who both held important positions.

Yin Yang was the 4th town commander of the Guards army whilst Liancheng also became a lieutenant, barely having the rights to participate in this ceremony but he stood at the end of the hall.

He learned from the others, slashing a deep wound at his wrist. He didn’t even blink, looking really bold and mighty. It made Zong Shou feel like beating someone up.

There was also Zong Yuan who didn’t bother about everyone else. He gave a few drops of blood and that was it.

In the end, Zong Shou stood in the hall. Everyone focused on him as he stood in front of the golden blood pot.

He originally wanted to learn from the blood oath last time and act by just giving a few drops.

However, with thousands of eyes all filled with anticipation, he was helpless. Their minds were simple. At this time, the more blood that flowed, the more people would recognize you. If you didn’t, they would only despise you and not fully trust you.

He consoled himself that anyways he will just be in pain just once in his life.

He gritted his teeth as he picked up the knife. Closing his eyes and slashing his wrist, letting the blood flow.

He was feeling pitiful for himself. Since he came to this era, his few injuries were actually all caused by blood paths.

After half a jug of blood was released, he felt giddy. However, he had an inspiration, his pupils turned before he closed his eyes and laid down.

The people nearby were astonished and went to help him up. They carried him back to the throne and then they either fed him pills and medicine before being able to wake him up.

At this moment within the hall, be it Hu Qianqiu, Chai Yuan or all the old subordinates, they were all touched.

Although the prince’s body was weak, as expected from the Son of the ruler, he did look like a king. He was so sincere and so determined. He actually released so much blood for the oath that he actually fainted.

Only Hu Zhongyuan was scratching his head, his face filled with confusion. He thought to himself, was the prince’s body so weak?

His stamina was indeed weak, running for 4 hours before he would pant. But that didn’t mean his body was weak. In his memory, beneath that weak layer, his vital energy was really strong like a cow.

Then, the true blood alliance part of the ceremony would commence. The chair of the ceremony would give each one a bowl of blood wine. Zong Shou was also given one, only to feel a bloody smell pierce his nose.

99% of the bowl was blood. He pretty much had to hold his breath to barely force it down.

With the blood oath completed, all of them knelt and bowed. Only then was the 1st part of the ceremony get completed.

The final part of the ceremony was to worship the heavens, where the 10 bigger race leaders killed 3 types of animals. Lastly, Zong Shou would step on the worshipping altar built on Gantian Mountain peak hanging by the cliff, with the chair leading and reading the prayer words. After praying to the heavens, it was completed.

This could be considered really orthodox and proper in Donglin Cloud Continent.

However when Zong Shou looked at that heaven worshiping platform his brows furrowed, his eyes revealing a smile. He finally knew when Zong Shi and the others would act.