Chapter 347 - 338: Giant Buddha of the Earth Altar, the Grand Sacrifice Begins

Chapter 347: Chapter 338: Giant Buddha of the Earth Altar, the Grand Sacrifice Begins

The Human-faced Gu Carving soared upward.

Fu Juemin stood on the Gu Diao’s back. The night wind whipped in from all directions, filling his sleeves and making his robes flap loudly. The Exorcism Saber at his waist swayed gently.

The ancient manors below him gradually shrank into squares on a chessboard. Yingjing had entered its curfew; every household had extinguished its lights and shut its doors. The entire city resembled a black silhouette, slowly rising from the heavy, dark earth.

This was not the first time Fu Juemin had ridden this Gu Diao on a night patrol.

But before, he had always just flown a lap over the outer city and its suburbs to satisfy his whim. Tonight, however, he was thinking of taking a tour of the Imperial Palace in the inner city.

The cold stars were few, and the night mist was like a veil of gauze.

Besides the slightly strained flapping of the Human-faced Gu Carving’s wings, the only sound in his ears was the whistling wind.

The farther one was from the ground, the more one could sense one’s own insignificance.

In his past life, Fu Juemin had a fear of heights, but in this life, he no longer felt it. This was likely because his success in the Martial Dao had tempered his spirit to be sufficiently resilient.

With his current True Strength, he could achieve a brief moment of levitation if he pushed it to its limits.

But he couldn’t ascend to any significant height.

The Gu Diao was fast. Before long, it had flown from the outskirts of the inner city into the forbidden confines of the Imperial Palace.

Under the veil of night, the ancient, towering Imperial Palace was like a silent, colossal beast lying dormant in the profound darkness.

The Imperial Palace of the former dynasty covered a vast area, with several sections brightly lit.

The Profound Banner Helers, the Purple Banner Jiasu Clan, and the Red Banner Tula Clan—the Upper Three Banners—occupied the southern, western, and northern corners of the Imperial Palace, respectively. They had built their own Banner Race residences around the original palace architecture.

In addition, various other powers, large and small—remnants from the former dynasty like the concubines of the harem and the Eunuch Guards—also shamelessly resided within.

They weren’t considered part of the proper Nine Banners. Officially, they were affiliated with the Royal Banner, and their status was slightly higher than that of the average Lower Five Banners families. However, they were always looked down upon by the Upper Three Banners. For instance, Toad Palace, which Fu Juemin had encountered before, was considered nothing more than "down-and-out paupers" in the words of Helu.

The Royal Banner’s Wuhuan Jin Clan still lived where the emperors of the old dynasty had resided. However, it was said that only one person with the direct imperial bloodline of the former dynasty remained—the eight-year-old Wuhuan Che.

One master, and all the rest were servants and slaves.

In the very center of the Imperial Palace stood nine tall towers. The main one was the Thousand Blessings Tower, and the other eight auxiliary towers each represented one of the eight banners under the Royal Banner.

After nightfall, the auras of the few Great Demon Fiends suppressed beneath the Imperial Palace grew stronger. A miasma of condensed Demon Qi rose into the air, obscuring the moon in the sky and making it hazy.

Fu Juemin counted them. There were five auras in total: one beneath each of the Profound, Purple, and Red Banner residences, one beneath the Imperial Palace Main Hall, and one located right at the Thousand Blessings Tower.

The Thousand Blessings Tower and the eight auxiliary towers were connected by iron chains. Prayer flags fluttered violently, and the sound of copper bells chimed endlessly in the wind.

Fu Juemin stared at the black colossal tower and urged the Gu Diao beneath him to fly toward it.

But the Gu Diao turned its head. The woman’s face, with its disheveled hair, was filled with terror and grievance. Perhaps it had also sensed the aura of the Great Demon beneath the tower, as it absolutely refused to get any closer.

"Useless thing."

Fu Juemin berated it under his breath, then closed his eyes and activated [Yao Ling].

Invisible feelers of Perception seeped through the void and into the tower, floor by floor, room by room. As they delved into a space deep within the tower’s peak...

Fu Juemin gradually "saw" a withered and tranquil figure, like a clay statue. Before he could get a clear look at its face, the figure, sitting cross-legged in the void, suddenly opened an eye—

SWOOSH—

It was as if a giant, blood-red eye had snapped open in Fu Juemin’s mind, followed by a second, a third, a fourth... and around that giant blood-red eye, countless more eyes of normal size sprouted, packed densely together.

Hundreds, thousands of blood-red eyes stared fixedly at Fu Juemin, unblinking, bizarre and terrifying.

SNAP!

His Perception abruptly cut off. Fu Juemin’s right hand, at some unknown point, had come to rest lightly on the hilt of the Exorcism Saber hanging from his waist.

He stood on the Gu Diao’s back, his expression calm as he faced the tower, which had now plunged into "darkness." He watched it quietly for a moment.

Then, he lowered his gaze and urged the Gu Diao beneath him, "Go."

It turned and sped away toward the side of the Imperial Palace.

On the left and right sides of the Imperial Palace were the Heaven and Earth Altars. The Celestial Altar was for sacrificial rites, while the Earth Altar had a colossal, sky-piercing Buddha statue.

The giant Buddha was ninety-nine zhang tall and built entirely of stone. It was said that the Buddha’s face was modeled after Emperor Qianming.

Fu Juemin rode the Gu Diao and landed on the head of the giant Buddha. This spot was quite far from the center of the Imperial Palace, but it was quite close to the residence of the Purple Banner Jiasu Family, one of the Upper Three Banners.

It was even higher than the distant Thousand Blessings Tower, making it the highest point in Yingjing City. The view from here could cover the entire Imperial Palace.

Standing on the Buddha’s head and looking down, the night was like a sea, and the lights of the city were like boats.

The high winds blew at the hem of Fu Juemin’s long robe. The Human-faced Gu Carving stood huddled to one side. Fu Juemin sat down cross-legged in the center of the Buddha’s head and glanced once more toward the Thousand Blessings Tower.

"Master of Concealing... Sang Luo..."

Fu Juemin retracted his gaze, reached out to gently stroke the blade of the Exorcism Saber on his lap, and murmured to himself.

A moment later, he closed his eyes. Deep within his Consciousness, the outline of that multi-headed, multi-armed Dharma Form seemed to have become clearer than before.

.......

WHOOO—

The desolate sound of a horn echoed across the vast, open Earth Altar, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

At the foot of the sky-piercing giant Buddha, whose upper body was shrouded in clouds, the various families of the Lower Five Banners gathered at the Earth Altar.

At this very time, on this very day, the quinquennial Wuchen Grand Competition officially began!

The green, blue, white, ochre, and gray banners fluttered, arrayed on the five sides of the Earth Altar. But this competition was different from those in the past. In addition to these five banners, a huge "Spirit" banner with a Profound background and silver characters had been raised.

Beneath the "Spirit" banner, Fu Juemin leaned back in a tall, red sandalwood Taishi Chair, speaking casually with a few people beside him.

"So, you’re saying that for the Wuchen Grand Competition, no one from the Royal Banner or Upper Three Banners attends the skills competition for Concealing Martial Tributors?"

"Yes."

Mu Feng replied respectfully from the side, "The Royal Banner and the Upper Three Banners are usually at the Celestial Altar, led by the Wuhuan Jin Clan bloodline, performing a Magic Sacrifice to the heavens."

Fu Juemin looked thoughtful and nodded slightly.

The Grand Sacrifice at the Celestial Altar had not yet begun, so the competition at the Earth Altar was naturally still in the preparation and entrance phase.

Fu Juemin looked up and saw the Banner Races from the Lower Five Banners that he had yet to subdue. Their gazes, veiled and unveiled, were all directed his way.

It was all because Fu Juemin’s "Spirit" banner was too ostentatious.

Normally, according to tradition, the clans of the Five Banners should have gathered under their respective Banner Lords.

But he had subdued the Nine Families of the Lower Five Banners, and a third of the Banner Race Patriarchs were now seated around him, like stars surrounding the moon. His prominence was unmatched.

Stares that were curious, cold, or resentful stabbed toward him like awls. Fu Juemin paid them no mind, instead meeting their gazes and sweeping his own across them one by one.

The five Banner Lords of the Lower Five Banners all looked scheming and somber; there was nothing interesting to see there. Fu Juemin’s gaze only paused for a moment as it swept past one person.

"Hong Huan."

"Your subordinate is here."

Hong Huan strode forward and knelt respectfully on one knee before Fu Juemin. "What are your orders, my lord?"

"Do you see that man?"

Fu Juemin lifted his chin, pointing toward a bald, burly man under the Blue Banner not far away. The man had thin braids wrapped around his neck, and his fierce gaze met Fu Juemin’s without flinching. Fu Juemin said in a flat tone, "This man has already attained Heart Intent. If any of you face him on the stage, you can concede directly."

"Yes."

Hong Huan nodded respectfully.

But when he raised his head, his gaze toward the burly man burned with fervor. He licked his lips subconsciously, looking eager for a fight.

Seeing Hong Huan’s reaction, Fu Juemin guessed what he was thinking and couldn’t be bothered to say more.

After his second ’Concealing’, Hong Huan had rarely met his match within the Lower Five Banners. His confidence was at an all-time high lately, so it might be good for someone to take him down a peg.

After waiting for a while longer, with the horns blowing one blast after another, the competition still showed no sign of starting.

Fu Juemin was getting bored. He turned and asked Mu Feng, "Have the Demon Officials entered the formation?"

Mu Feng replied, "They are on their way to make preparations."

Hearing this, Fu Juemin slowly stood up and commanded coolly, "Take me to see."

Mu Feng understood immediately. He nodded and led Fu Juemin away from the competition grounds.

Once the two were out of sight, they mounted two swift horses and galloped down a tree-lined avenue within the Earth Altar.

Before long, Fu Juemin could vaguely see the outlines of several enormous carriages in the distance.

Each carriage was drawn by at least six fine horses harnessed abreast, as if carrying something colossal. The carriages themselves were tightly covered with thick, specially-made black cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside.

A flicker in his eyes, Fu Juemin urged his horse toward the carriages.

Before he got close, he saw a familiar figure from a distance standing by a carriage, apparently about to lift the black cloth to inspect something.

A glint in his eye, Fu Juemin raised a hand, aimed it at the figure from afar, and gave a gentle pull backward through the air—

NEIGH!—

An unseen force yanked one of the fine horses. Its body lurched violently to the side, and it reared up, letting out a series of neighs.

The figure on the horse, caught completely off guard, let out an involuntary cry of surprise.