Chapter 801: Erupting into Existence
Chapter 801: Erupting into Existence
Black Cloud Mountain, a certain peak.
This spot was the closest to the outside world. A mountain stronghold stood upon it, and several hundred acres of mountain fields had been reclaimed nearby.
The mountain fields were steep and quite barren, making it difficult to yield much grain.
Within the stronghold, however, the numerous buildings were constructed with great order, with an ancestral hall at the very center.
Outside, Xu Yunlang was a noble scion from an aristocratic family, yet here he was cautious, not daring to even breathe loudly.
He entered a study, where a middle-aged man, whose appearance resembled his own, was holding a brush and writing.
"Father. . ."
Xu Yunlang first bowed: "Today, your son inspected the fields of Xiaotian Village. The crops are growing well, and there should be a good harvest next year. . . The Great Pass Fabric Store in the city has completed its annual audit, earning a total of one thousand two hundred sixty-seven taels of silver. . ."
The middle-aged man's expression softened slightly: "The winter sacrifice is almost upon us. All sacrificial rites must be fully prepared; there must be no mistakes whatsoever. . ."
"Yes, your son understands."
Xu Yunlang bowed, his fist secretly clenching within his sleeve.
Although all the offerings were prepared, there was no real novelty, and his branch of the family would still fade into obscurity among the others.
If he could obtain that spirit wine from that day, it would surely greatly please the Old Ancestor and win his favor. Alas. . .
He couldn't say more now. He bowed again, then backed out of the study.
Soon after stepping out, he met a noble scion dressed in luxurious brocade robes, holding an ivory folding fan.
"It's Yunlang. . ."
The noble scion saw Xu Yunlang and greeted him with a smile.
He was preceded by attendants and surrounded by lavish servants and beautiful maids, looking even more imposing in scale than Xu Yunlang, who only had one small page.
Xu Yunlang recognized him as Xu Yunding from the Eldest Branch, and a fawning expression involuntarily appeared on his face: "Eighth Brother. . . you've come too?"
"Mm, this mountain will be the family's foundation in the future, so we, from the main lineage, should come more often to adapt. . ."
Xu Yunding frowned. Clearly, this place was still too humble compared to their opulent family manor, where fine dining was routine.
The two chatted for a few more moments, then he continued: "For this winter sacrifice, I spent a great deal of effort to find a white ox. . . Sacrificing it will surely make the Old Ancestor delighted."
Hearing this, Xu Yunlang quickly said: "Eighth Brother is truly thoughtful. . . to even find a white ox."
Pigs, oxen, and sheep were collectively known as the 'three sacrificial animals', all beautiful offerings to deities.
Among them, the ox was the most valuable.
A white ox was an even rarer treasure.
This item was comparable to that spirit wine.
'Once the Old Ancestor truly becomes the Black Cloud Mountain God, and the Eldest Branch is the direct lineage, they will surely become even more distinguished in the future. . . '
Xu Yunlang watched Xu Yunding's retreating figure, a shadow flickering in his eyes.
Meanwhile, inside the ancestral hall.
Xu Yunlang's father, the middle-aged man, stood solemnly, watching an elder slowly arrange the family ancestral tablets and fruit offerings.
Within the ancestral hall, incense smoke curled, imbued with a mysterious aura.
"Divine Law has regulations. . ."
Assistant Minister Xu, who had retired from his post, spoke, his voice steady: "Only members of the main family can offer sacrifices in the ancestral hall; control over incense offerings is extremely strict. . ."
After all, this was a Shinto world, and the quantity of faith power directly represented strength!
"To break through this restriction, one must become a True God!"
The elder slowly said: "Your father currently only possesses a Daoist title. . . Back during the Dao Court's factional struggle, I bore all the interrogations and criticisms for our faction, which should count as a merit. There's nothing wrong with a little secret, unauthorized sacrifice; there are people in the imperial court who will speak for me. Now that enough divine power has been accumulated, and the other families have also been forced away by ours, it's time to be more aggressive. . ."
The middle-aged man's expression immediately became solemn.
A more aggressive plan would naturally be to publicize Assistant Minister Xu as the Black Cloud Mountain God, allowing him to accept the faith and worship of the nearby mountain residents in that capacity.
The power of Shinto lay in turning the false into true!
As long as a large number of common people believed Assistant Minister Xu was the Black Cloud Mountain God, the false could potentially become true, even coalescing the divine office of the Black Cloud Mountain God.
Of course, doing so would mean being severely suppressed by the Dao Court as an evil god!
Fortunately, Assistant Minister Xu had connections in the imperial court; once he became the Black Cloud Mountain God, he could immediately request conferment from the Dao Court.
Although it was akin to boarding first and then regularizing it. . . as long as they had a ticket, they wouldn't be besieged.
At that time, the Xu family would be able to perpetuate itself on Black Cloud Mountain for a hundred generations, endlessly, just like the Dongxuan Temple of Fuling Mountain.
"Has it finally come to this step?"
The middle-aged man's expression was grave.
This was a gamble!
If anything went slightly wrong, the immediate outcome would be family destruction and personal ruin!
"You needn't worry; they owe me this anyway."
Assistant Minister Xu sneered: "I took a massive hit for many behind me. Otherwise, with my Assistant Minister status, the imperial conferment and grants I received could have even far surpassed that of the Black Cloud Mountain God. . . This time is simply compensation."
If even their powerful backer couldn't manage this much, then morale would surely collapse. . .
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately felt much more at ease.
Rumble!
Just then, a thunderclap suddenly echoed from outside.
To the middle-aged man, this winter thunder was nothing unusual.
But for Assistant Minister Xu, it was a sudden shock. His facial muscles twitched violently, and he stumbled and crawled out of the ancestral hall.
The middle-aged man had never seen his father so flustered before and couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
He stood stunned for a moment, then quickly followed, only to see dark clouds churning in the sky, and a crack suddenly appearing in the firmament.
A golden light descended, enveloping a mist-shrouded mountain peak on Black Cloud Mountain.
The entire Black Cloud Mountain range seemed to be roaring at this moment.
Countless birds, beasts, and spirits scurried out of their nests, gazing at this sight, then instinctively bowed towards that mountain peak.
"This is. . . a hundred beasts bowing in worship? A Mountain God ascending to position? " The middle-aged man muttered in disbelief: "Black Cloud Mountain. . . has a Mountain God emerged? How is this possible?"
He was well-versed in literature and immersed in Shinto, so he would never mistake it.
This was absolutely a sign of a Mountain God taking their rightful position!
But how could that be?
The imperial court had clearly not conferred any title, and the one with the most flourishing incense nearby was clearly his own father!
Why then had a Mountain God emerged?
Unless. . .
The middle-aged man thought of the most impossible scenario, and his eyes turned red.
"Heaven-bestowed divine office. . ."
Upon seeing this, two lines of clear tears involuntarily flowed down Assistant Minister Xu's face: "Vast heavens, why are you so unfair to me?"
He then cried out loudly!
...
Panlong Lake.
Beneath the water, there was a magnificent and splendid palace.
The walls were embedded with bright pearls the size of fists, one after another.
At the corners of the corridors, colorful corals several feet high could be seen everywhere.
"Bastard!"
A roar echoed from the grand hall: "After all this time, that great loach demon still hasn't been captured. . . My aquatic forces are truly negligent!"
Thud!
A huge turtle was thrown out of the grand hall.
Upon closer inspection, it was none other than the Turtle Prime Minister.
Its leg seemed to have been kicked, as it walked with a slight limp, but at this moment, it lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to move for a long time.
The Little Princess had been abducted, and the kidnapper had brazenly used a fish to demand one hundred jars of 'Ice Jade Brew' as ransom!
It was only natural for the Panlong Lake Monarch to be furious.
Yet, he mobilized his divine power and commanded thousands of aquatic creatures, almost turning Panlong Lake upside down, but still failed to find any trace of that detestable great demon.
Given the Dragon Monarch's sensory power over Panlong Lake, it was likely that the loach demon had long since fled into other waters.
The Dragon Monarch was left with only impotent rage!
At this moment, within the grand hall, stood a middle-aged man wearing a dragon robe.
He wore a golden crown, exuded an air of noble refinement, and had two branched dragon horns growing from his head.
Suddenly!
The Panlong Lake Monarch gave a soft cry of surprise, the anger on his face receding as he transformed into a golden light and flew out of the lake surface.
He saw a mountain peak within the Black Cloud Mountain range, which bordered Panlong Lake, suddenly enveloped by a golden pillar of light, and couldn't help but sigh: "A born divine spirit. . . Alas!"
"Why does Your Majesty sigh? A mere Black Cloud Mountain God, at most a seventh-rank divine office. . ."
An aquatic general said: "Even the Lianyun Mountain God, beyond the Black Cloud Mountain range, is lower than Your Majesty. When Your Majesty celebrated your divine birthday back then, he even specially came to offer congratulations. . ."
"You don't understand. . ."
The Panlong Lake Monarch gazed at the Black Cloud Mountain range, silent for a long moment.
Both he and the Lianyun Mountain God had received conferment from the Dao Court, possessing Daoist titles, akin to being tied with a dog chain.
From then on, the Dao Court could not only restrain them, but their promotion in divine rank also became difficult.
Heaven-bestowed divine office holders, however, did not have this concern.
The difference was enough to make the eyes of those who knew the inside story turn red with envy.
'It's just. . . the Dao Court will certainly not permit it. Even if a heaven-bestowed divine office holder isn't an evil god, they will still need to be conferred a title later. . . A mere small mountain god likely couldn't withstand the pressure from the Dao Court. '
The Panlong Lake Monarch's heart grew silent.
Forget the Black Cloud Mountain God, even he, back then, had he ever withstood the pressure?
But at this moment, he actually somewhat hoped the other party would fail. . .
Since when had he become such a narrow-minded person?
Whoosh!
Just then, above the Black Cloud Mountain range, myriad rays of rosy light spread out, and a figure emerged.
The mountain range roared. From the earth, from plants, from the void. . . strands of spiritual essence emerged, converging upon that figure.
As a native Mountain God, one could naturally mobilize local spiritual essence!
Especially during ascension, one could even disregard the suppression of divine law to a certain extent!
Countless milky-white spiritual essences surged forth, layering like white clouds, with a faint red tint emerging from within.
That thread of red rapidly expanded, dyeing the entire spiritual cloud crimson, transforming into a scene of boundless rosy clouds.
"Crimson divine power, truly a seventh-rank divine office!"
Just as the Panlong Lake Monarch was about to nod, his expression suddenly changed drastically.
Then, within that boundless expanse of crimson clouds, threads of golden light appeared!
These golden lights were originally just faint threads, but they immediately became like a tide, converging on the figure as if all rivers flow to the sea, forging it into a 'golden body'.
By the time the last trace of crimson vanished, the aquatic general who had first spoken had already exclaimed in shock: "Golden divine power, a fifth-rank divine office? This. . . isn't this comparable to the Lianyun Mountain God? How can a mere hundred-mile mountain range support a fifth-rank divine office? Directly transforming into Yang in one step?"
Below a true fifth-rank divine office, they were all still Yin Gods, similar to ghost spirits.
But above fifth-rank, one could forge a divine body, exactly like an ordinary flesh-and-blood being!
How many deities could never transform from Yin to Yang in their entire lives.
Yet, the other party succeeded in one step!
The aquatic general was practically gritting his teeth.
"No!"
The Panlong Lake Monarch felt a sense of oppressive might, and his expression changed immediately: "It's not over yet. . ."
Above the golden divine body's head, a thread of blue light appeared, ethereal and delicate, like a heaven-sent sweet rain, then transforming into a patch of azure auspicious cloud.
"Heaven's Favor? !"
At this moment, countless observers were rendered speechless. . .
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