Fengshen.-(2)

Author: Longren
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: "—" With a deafening roar, a green flame suddenly burst from the center of the giant cauldron, towering several feet high and blazing towards the sky, casting everything around in a lush green hue. As the flame rose, the eight women holding instruments on the sacrificial platform immediately began to play, their solemn and music filling the entire city of Liuguo. Yet to Yi Xian, it seemed to carry an undertone of murder. Just as he listened intently, he noticed the enchanting Yun Yuyan descending from the sky with eight dancers, landing on the second level of the platform and dancing gracefully to the music. The Four Elders also simultaneously stepped onto the third level of the platform and knelt down together. Only Yi Xian and others remained standing in front of the platform.
As soon as the Four Elders knelt, the tens of thousands of Jiuli people below also knelt in unison. Yi Xian had been instructed by Wen Shen beforehand that this was the ritual of the Jiuli Clan's heaven-worshiping ceremony, so he had already knelt. However, while others knelt with sincerity, he merely did so perfunctorily, not feeling the same reverence as them, and thus stole glances around. On the platform, Yun Yuyan led the dance, her skirt fluttering, her jade arms cool, every movement exuding unparalleled elegance. Though the dance was performed by a group of women, their graceful postures gave off an indescribable sense of boldness and unrestrained freedom, stirring one's blood. Coupled with the vigorous music and the occasional thunderous drumbeats that shook the heart, it evoked the feeling of being on a battlefield, with countless troops charging toward the enemy, knowing that only victory could bring honor.
Although Yi Xian had experienced the seemingly real ancient god-mage battle in the "Virtual Spirit Realm" with Yao Yang, he was still greatly astonished by the shock brought by the dance performed during the Jiuli Clan's heaven-worshiping ceremony. Unbeknownst to him, the dance Yun Yuyan performed was called the "Heaven-Questioning Demon Dance," originally created by the demons to worship ancient demon gods. Its purpose was to seek the protection of the demon gods and live life as one pleased, hence its ability to invigorate the spirit and boost morale. Since the second god-mage war, the demons had weakened, and the various demon clans had been yearning to restore their former glory at every turn. Therefore, the Jiuli Clan chose this "Heaven-Questioning Demon Dance" as their heaven-worshiping dance, aiming to inspire their people to rise again after the death of their former chief, Chiyou. However, the "Heaven-Questioning Demon Dance" had long been lost among the demons after the second god-mage war, yet somehow it had fallen into the hands of the "Demon Master" Yuan Zhongxie. Thus, the Jiuli Clan had no choice but to invite the "Demon Master" Yuan Zhongxie to join the dance.
Yi Xian was so captivated by the dance that he suddenly heard Wen Zhong roar loudly: "The Jiuli people, the Chi family, pay homage to the heavens! In the vast universe, life exists in heaven, earth, and humanity. All things in heaven and earth are precious. The Jiuli Clan is mighty, and the world respects us." His voice was heavy and resonant, echoing across the sky of Liuguo, filled with an indescribable magic. Wen Zhong released the magic formula in his hand, and the green flame in the cauldron shot straight into the sky, dispersing into a dazzling array of sparks. Below, the crowd suddenly erupted into even louder cheers, rising to their feet and shouting along: "The Jiuli people, the Chi family, pay homage to the heavens! In the vast universe, life exists in heaven, earth, and humanity. All things are precious. The Jiuli Clan is mighty, and the world respects us." Instantly, as if a storm had broken out in the calm, everyone imitated Yun Yuyan's dance movements to the music, dancing wildly and frenziedly, their faces filled with madness. Yi Xian jumped in alarm, only then remembering what Wen Shen had said: this was the climax of the heaven-worshiping ceremony. At this moment, Wen Zhong was performing the most crucial part of the ritual with a strange gait, his mind entirely focused.
This was the perfect moment for Su Rou to slip away, and Yi Xian quickly stood up, joining the wild dancing crowd, babbling nonsense while shouting with them, but slowly moving outward. At this point, the Jiuli people danced with fervor, none of them noticing that Yang Ban, the favored disciple of the chief, had slowly moved to the edge of the entire square while dancing.
At this moment, a tall, slender young man with a jade-like face, starry eyes, and white robes that couldn’t hide his wild, powerful aura rose leisurely behind Chong Houhu. He roared, "Bold! Who are you to act so insolently in front of the Northern Marquis?" Su Hu quickly pulled Yao Yang down and said, "This is one of my subordinates who doesn’t understand the rules. I hope the Northern Marquis won’t hold it against you. However, what he just said isn’t entirely baseless. If the winner’s demand is unreasonable, what then?" Chong Houhu glanced at the young man behind him, exchanged a glance with him, and then surveyed the crowd, saying, "Of course, the demand must be reasonable. If it’s too excessive, the loser can simply refuse." Su Hu seeing no objection from the others, had no choice but to sit down. Only Yao Yang looked at the young man in white behind Chong Houhu, feeling vaguely familiar, but unable to recall if he had met him before.
Chong Houhu was overjoyed. Seeing no objection, he declared, "Since no one disagrees, then tomorrow morning, each of you will enter the mountains from a different entrance to hunt. The one who catches the male Tianwu will be the winner. Now, write down your stakes and place them in the bowl." After saying this, Chong Houhu first wrote a few words on a simple wooden board and dropped it into the bowl. The others had no choice but to write down their stakes and drop them into the bowl before dispersing to rest.
Su Hu returned to the camp with Yao Yang, remaining silent the entire way. Yao Yang, unfamiliar with the relationships between the various feudal lords, dared not speak freely and could only follow silently behind, a sense of indescribable pressure rising in his heart, as if an invisible, mysterious force was affecting his calm.
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