Chapter 979 - 984, - 985: 2nd Layer of the Spirit Platform, Fengshan, Celestial Manifestation

"Ru Yan, help me undress."

Taking advantage of the brief pause to catch his breath, Chen Mo said this to Yue Ruyan beside him.

"As if it’ll kill you to look good."

Yue Ruyan glared at Chen Mo, annoyed, but her hands still obediently did as told.

Chen Mo pressed down on Nalan Yiren’s body, cradled her head, and kissed her hard.

Yue Ruyan sat right next to them, helping Chen Mo take off his robe.

As Yue Ruyan’s hands tugged the robe down, Chen Mo even cooperated by stretching both arms back.

Catching this in the corner of her eye, Nalan Yiren’s fragrant heart trembled slightly—Ru Yan had already become an accomplice, so what was she even "resisting" for?

"Rrrip..."

Chen Mo was impatient too—Nalan Yiren’s inner garment didn’t have buttons and couldn’t be undone from the front; it had to be pulled off over her head, so he simply tore it open, then deftly stripped off her chest wrap...

Nalan Yiren’s jade-like face flushed scarlet, her delicate body instinctively tensed up, and those snowy shoulders trembled in little shivers.

After teasing and ravishing her for a while, Chen Mo finally raised his head, lowering his gaze to look at the jade-like beauty beneath him, her white skin like porcelain stained with rosy clouds.

By now, Nalan Yiren had already turned her face to one side. Chen Mo straightened her delicate head, and as their eyes met, a mix of shy anger surged up in Nalan Yiren’s gaze, ice-cold and stunning.

Chen Mo steadied himself, leaned toward her ear, and whispered softly, "Yiren, give me a child. If you get pregnant, it’ll be a surprise for the Great Elder when we go back—he’s been longing for a grandson."

At these words, Nalan Yiren’s cold allure faded; for a moment her feelings were all tangled. She said nothing, just raised her lotus-like arms and wrapped them around Chen Mo’s neck.

"Wife."

"Husband..."

Nalan Yiren’s rosy lips parted slightly, then her brows knit just a little as a soft hum slipped from her nose. Her two long, snow-white beautiful legs locked around Chen Mo’s waist and back.

Watching this, Yue Ruyan lifted her brows, feeling a bit impressed.

Chen Mo’s ways of conquering women really were something.

Nalan Yiren had already stepped into the Second Grade,

her body at peak condition, so Chen Mo had no scruples—unlike with Han Anniang, Song Min, Xiao Ya and the others, there was no need to hold back.

Only when Yiren’s eyes rolled back white did Chen Mo switch to Ru Yan.

...

...

The Jade Rabbit sank in the west, the Golden Crow rose in the east.

The next day, daylight blazed bright, strands of golden morning radiance poured into the courtyard.

Months of rising early had made Chen Mo’s biological clock extremely punctual.

On the bed, Chen Mo sat up, his gaze settling on the two women beside him with cloud-like disheveled hair and distinct complexions; his previously blank eyes gradually softened.

Even though over this period Yue Ruyan’s complexion had gotten much fairer, compared with Nalan Yiren, the difference was still striking.

Chen Mo shook his head and opened the system panel.

[Name: Chen Mo.]

[Age: 28.]

[Cultivation Technique: Golden Crow Heaven Burning Skill (Intermediate 10.6/3000000).]

[Realm: Celestial Human Realm (First Grade, 2nd Layer of the Spirit Platform.)]

[Power: 45510.]

[Skills: Great Sun Qi Slash (Intermediate 1632530/6000000), Sun-Shooting Arrow (Intermediate 22539/3000000), Divine Burning Technique (Intermediate 3320/200000), Gluttonous Technique (Basic 502/1000), Mi Sect’s Dual Refining Technique (893/5000), Wandering Dragon Step (Intermediate 769/3000), Vajra Longevity Skill (Basic 416/1000).]

"Power went up by twelve thousand."

Chen Mo mulled this over, then turned his senses inward to his Dantian.

Under the Golden Crow’s feet, the platform formed by condensed purple qi had gained an extra layer.

However, this new layer wasn’t as large as the platform beneath it.

The feeling was as if the platform was the foundation, and this extra layer was a building constructed atop the base.

The Three-legged Golden Crow itself hadn’t changed...

"No, my soul’s stronger too."

It was a sense that came from nowhere. Even though Chen Mo hadn’t tested it yet, he just knew his soul was stronger, and that feeling was very intense.

Chen Mo intended to give it a try, but before that, he had to wake the two women so they’d be prepared—otherwise, if he went Soul Traveling and they woke up to find him unresponsive, they’d worry.

The result didn’t disappoint Chen Mo.

The limit for Soul Travel had increased from the original three quarters of an hour to half an Hour—an extra quarter hour.

The Soul Travel distance was something he tested the next day: six li, one more li than before.

...

In the First Year of Zhen Guan, early in the ninth month, the Eastern tour procession arrived at Ziwei Mountain.

On the third day of the ninth month, Chen Mo, accompanied by Empress Wu Mi, Crown Prince Chen Jia, and the Civil and Military Officials, held a Fengshan ceremony at Ziwei Mountain.

Fengshan was also called fengsi, fengluan, or fengyue.

On the summit of Ziwei Mountain, earth would be piled up to build an altar for offering sacrifices to Heaven, an act called "feng" (to enshrine).

The specific steps of Fengshan were divided into four stages: inviting the gods, presenting offerings, placing the sacrificial meats, and washing the ritual cups.

People would light candles and stick incense into the great censer; the curling smoke symbolized the heartfelt intentions of all the world’s common folk being conveyed to Heaven.

On this point, the Ministry of Rites had long made arrangements. Half a month before the Fengshan, they had already gathered the nearby commoners around Ziwei Mountain.

Afterward, Chen Mo took the lead, performing the three bows and nine prostrations to the Celestial Emperor’s memorial tablet passed down by word of mouth among the people of this world, then, in order, offered incense to the various gods.

Once the deities had been invited, Chen Mo had to first ritually cleanse himself, then present the prepared jade objects, silks, and other offerings one by one according to the order of the tablets, making offerings to all the great gods.

Next came offering snakes, turtles, tigers, and birds as sacrificial beasts.

This needed a bit of explanation.

Originally, "placing the meats" meant offering pig, ox, and sheep—the three domestic animals—as sacrificial flesh.

But Chen Cultivator had dug up some ancient texts from who knew where, saying that using snakes, turtles, tigers, and birds was better.

He said that, according to legend, snakes, turtles, tigers, and birds all carried the bloodline of the Divine Beast Cyan Dragon, Black Tortoise, White Tiger, and Vermilion Bird.

And in the myths, the Celestial Emperor and the gods fed on these four Divine Beasts.

Last came "washing the cups."

By this time, Chen Mo had no idea how many times he’d already burned incense and presented offerings, but he still needed to patiently carry out the washing of the ritual cups.

In this process, Chen Mo would receive the goblets that had been wiped clean and offer them in sacrifice to the gods.

Afterward, he returned to the starting position, once again knelt and offered incense. At this moment the Priest began chanting scriptures, and the court musicians struck up drums and gongs, music rising.

The scriptures chanted by the Priest here, as well as the musical pieces played by the band, were all things Chen Cultivator had dug out of ancient classics together with court Historians before the Eastern tour.

And just as the Fengshan ceremony concluded and Chen Mo was about to rise, he suddenly felt his soul resonating with Heaven and Earth.

In a daze, it seemed as though something in the emptiness of Heaven and Earth surfaced from the void, then condensed into a wisp of Profound Yellow Qi. It hovered over Ziwei Mountain, circling again and again, watching every person below.

Finally, it appeared to lock onto Chen Mo and, like a stream of light, rushed into his body, merging with his soul.

Imperceptibly, a special ripple spread out from within Chen Mo, in an instant washing over all of Ziwei Mountain, then in another instant extending ever outward.

In that moment, the Civil and Military Officials on Ziwei Mountain, and even the commoners at the foot of the mountain, all felt the same sensation.

It was as if a wisp of wind had blown into their bodies, brushed lightly over their hearts, then departed.

"Elder Geng, did you feel anything?" Chen Cultivator asked Geng Songfu.

Geng Songfu described what he had felt.

Chen Cultivator’s eyes lit up, and he quickly questioned the other officials. When he learned that they had all experienced some strange sensation just now, he suddenly grew excited and said, "Your Majesty, Heaven has manifested its Spirit. Legend has it that in Ancient Times, the first Cyan Emperor to perform Fengshan at Ziwei Mountain encountered a Celestial Manifestation from Heaven and recorded it in the histories, stating that only an Emperor of great achievements and great virtue could make Heaven manifest.

Later Emperors who performed Fengshan never again encountered Heavenly Manifestation, so later generations thought this was merely officials of the Cyan Emperor’s era exaggerating his glory, and it gradually faded from memory. The Fengshan rites this minister adopted were modeled on those used when the Cyan Emperor performed his Fengshan.

It must be Your Majesty’s merit that moved Heaven, causing Heavenly Manifestation."

With that said, Chen Cultivator, overcome with emotion, knelt and bowed to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo, meanwhile, glanced at the system.

The panel hadn’t changed in the slightest.