Chapter 885: Holy Might Ceremony

The moment he saw this rag doll, Xu Qing was expressionless, but waves began to rise in his heart...

He recognized this rag doll.

It was a birthday gift his brother gave him when he was young, in Wushuang City.

Later, in that catastrophe, he, only six or seven years old, held this rag doll, crying in the blood rain, calling for his father, calling for his mother, calling for his brother...

Afterward, he passed out.

When he woke up, the rag doll was gone!

The meaning contained within...

"He sent this item, the purpose is for me to ponder..."

Xu Qing was silent!

There were some things he knew he was also confused about, such as the memory in the purple crystal that didn't match his own memory when he fought against the Red Mother in the Jiyue Domain...

In the picture, the palm falling on his head slapped down without any pause!

But in his own memory, there was no blood on the palm, but he fainted on his own!

And for example, this rag doll that had disappeared and was now sewn and pieced together after bleeding!

Why did it shatter?

For a long time, Xu Qing closed his eyes!

He didn't take that rag doll, just left it lying alone at the door...

Time passed, the night wind blew, rolling up the dust on the ground and sprinkling it on the rag doll!

The chill in the wind also invaded from all directions, and together with the wind, it made the rag doll that was sewn and pieced together seem to be shivering!

Just like back then, in the slums, the young boy shivering in the cold winter!

A day passed!

When there were only twelve hours left before the ancestor worship, all the princes and ministers were choosing to bathe in their respective residences!

This was the etiquette of ancestor worship!

Regardless of whether they possessed the qualification to go to the Ancient Emperor Star with the Emperor, they all had to do this!

Because ancestor worship was divided into internal and external!

Formal inside the Ancient Emperor Star, watching outside the Ancient Emperor Star!

And they needed to wait at the Ancestral Temple three hours before the ancestor worship time, at the moment of sunrise!

And the Ancestral Temple didn't exist on weekdays!

Only three hours before the ancestor worship, it would appear in a specific area outside the Imperial Palace, as if revealed in time!

Eight hours later, in the night, Xu Qing left the mansion!

After stepping over that rag doll, he paused and looked down!

After a while, Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and walked away!

He calculated the time and arrived at the Ancestral Temple exactly when it appeared!

Although the sky was pitch black, at this moment, it was also mixed with colorful brilliance!

A vast and magnificent temple was revealed from time, standing to the east of the Imperial Palace!

Xu Qing was not the first to arrive. To be precise, everyone stood solemnly here at the same time!

As a Heavenly King, Xu Qing naturally stood at the very front!

Zhenyan King was by his side!

Behind the Heavenly King were the Heavenly Marquises, followed by all the ministers, thousands of them, yet silent!

All gazes gathered at the very front!

There, six figures appeared from the void!

It was precisely the Emperor and the princes who had obtained the qualification to accompany.

Today's Emperor was dressed more luxuriously and solemnly than ever before, and his majesty was even more so!

Behind him were the First Prince, Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, and Twelfth Prince!

Although Ning Yan had always been in seclusion, for such an important day, even if it was a more important cultivation, he had to attend!

And regardless of him or the other few princes, their attire was also different from usual, all gorgeously extraordinary, quite ceremonial!

It was just that what surprised everyone was that beside the Twelfth Prince Ning Yan, there was actually a fifth prince!

That was the Tenth Prince.

He could stand here, naturally, it was specially permitted by the Emperor to participate. Before this, there was no imperial decree!

But regarding the matter of the princes, others couldn't say much. Xu Qing's status as Imperial Tutor could ask, but in the current situation, he didn't have the heart to ask!

Until more than ten breaths later, under everyone's gaze, the Emperor's gaze swept over the ministers!

At this moment, the Emperor seemed to have some emotional difference from usual!

In the past, no color could be seen in his eyes, but at this moment... there seemed to be some waves within!

As if, he took one last look at the ministers, looked at this landscape, looked at the human race, and also looked at the Great Emperor statue in the distance!

Then, the Emperor took a deep breath. Regardless of his expression or his eyes, they returned to their usual state, and he turned around!

As the five princes bowed and retreated, he looked at the Ancestral Temple and took a step, walking toward the Ancestral Temple.

Until he walked more than ten feet away, the five princes behind him followed solemnly!

In these last three hours, according to the etiquette of ancestor worship, the Emperor had to sit cross-legged in the Ancestral Temple to calm his heart, waiting for time to pass. The princes permitted to worship ancestors together needed to accompany him by kneeling behind him in the Ancestral Temple, waiting for sunrise!

Inside and outside the Ancestral Temple, in these three hours, it was completely silent!

Even the Emperor was incomparably quiet at this moment!

As time passed bit by bit, the night sky slowly faded, and the horizon seemed to have flames burning, forming a sea of fire, burning the night!

Until the next instant, crimson spread, as if a giant capable of supporting heaven and earth had reached out and lifted the veil of the night sky!

Thus, the glow shot in all directions in an instant, covering the sky and earth, sprinkling on the human world!

"Time for worship has arrived."

At this moment, there was an impassioned singing sound that spread throughout heaven and earth!

Outside the Ancestral Temple, from Heavenly Kings down to small ministers, all knelt down at this moment!

"Imperial Star opens."

Accompanying this sound were also bursts of magnificent bell music, forming a solemn sound that echoed!

In the glow of the sky, the dragon formed by the human race's luck swam in the light, circling the sky of the Imperial Capital, spitting out bursts of auspiciousness!

At the same time, the shadows of human sages also formed in the sky, bowing together toward the direction of the Imperial Palace!

What they were worshiping naturally wasn't the contemporary Emperor, but... the Ancient Emperor Star!

The next instant, the Ancient Emperor Star shone. Amidst the rumbling sound, it actually rose into the sky, getting bigger and bigger in everyone's eyes, and the sense of shock also rose!

On this star, the thick mist that originally existed churned violently, actually turning into seven colors, becoming a rainbow, spreading toward the Ancestral Temple!

Finally, it connected with the Ancestral Temple.

The seven-colored mist became a road, and also a bridge!

The Emperor in the Ancestral Temple walked out at this moment, rose into the sky, first stepped on that seven-colored mist bridge, and walked at the very front!

Behind him, the five princes followed with lowered heads, ten feet behind!

Then, Zhenyan King had a deep meaning in his eyes, walked forward, and a group of Heavenly Kings stepped on the seven-colored mist bridge at the same time!

Xu Qing was among them, his expression always solemn!

And behind them were the Heavenly Marquises, and the ministers were divided into many batches according to their rank, with ten-foot intervals between front and back, walking on the rainbow bridge!

Looking from afar, in this respective silence, thousands of people moved forward, headed by the Emperor, slowly approaching the Ancient Emperor Star!

At this moment, the common people in the Imperial Capital, as well as many cultivators who were not qualified to come to the Ancestral Temple, looked up one after another, looking at this incomparably solemn scene for the human race!

At the same time, there was a singing sound that broke the silence of heaven and earth, stating one name after another!

"Zhenyan King, Zhencang King..."

These names, as the people on the seven-colored mist bridge moved forward, were constantly emitted!

Not all Heavenly Kings were inside, nor were all Heavenly Marquises called, and as for the ministers behind, naturally it was the same!

Until after the ninety-ninth name was called, the sound paused!

"The above-mentioned people have obtained the qualification to enter the Imperial Star and witness the ancestor worship ceremony!"

As this sentence echoed, it was the moment the Emperor's figure walked to the end of the mist bridge. He didn't pause in the slightest, stepped into the Ancient Emperor Star in one step!

Then, the five princes walked in one after another, followed by all the princes and ministers whose names were called!

And when everyone including Xu Qing who possessed the qualification walked out of the mist bridge and stepped into the Ancient Emperor Star, the Ancient Emperor Star shook violently, the mist churned inside, and it was vaguely visible that a vast altar had risen on this star!

At the same time, the formation of the human Imperial Capital was also fully opened at this moment, focusing on this place for key protection!

As for those who were not qualified to enter the Ancient Emperor Star, they stood solemnly and worshiped on the mist bridge!

"They will witness the ancestor worship here!"

As for that altar that rose on the Ancient Emperor Star, it was getting bigger and bigger at this moment, and also clearer, finally rising in the mid-air of the Ancient Emperor Star!

It became the Altar of Heaven.

"Here... is the Ancient Emperor Star!"

Under the Altar of Heaven, all the entrants who possessed the qualification appeared there at this moment. Xu Qing looked at the four directions instinctively, muttering in his heart!

He first felt the incomparably thick power of luck, as well as the fluctuations of the royal bloodline from all directions!

Heaven and earth changed color at this moment, wind and clouds surged!

And here, besides the fluctuations of luck and royal bloodline, there was also astonishing spiritual energy!

The degree of its thickness had approached the extreme, turning into streams of spiritual energy, flowing in the void of this Ancient Emperor Star, like spiritual dragons, incomparably dazzling!

But Xu Qing didn't have time to observe more. The ancestor worship ceremony had already begun!

The singing sound echoed!

"The Emperor dons armor!"

Ancestor worship was the etiquette of the Emperor. Thus, under everyone's gaze, the Emperor walked forward, and the glow gathered from all directions, forming a coarse hemp old robe on his body!

"Since ancient times, emperors have received the mandate of heaven, masters of heaven and earth, so take the imperial crown, drop the worry-free shoes, and return to heaven and earth!" The sound rose again!

The Emperor closed his eyes, the imperial crown on his head flew up on its own, and his own worry-free shoes also turned into nothingness!

Illusory shadows gathered from the luck, and their hands took it!

In this way, the Emperor had no obstruction on his head and no hindrance under his feet, walking forward!

"Burn the incense of human luck, ancestors come to taste!"

In front of the Emperor, the luck gathered again, forming a giant tripod, and three sticks of incense appeared out of thin air, falling into the Emperor's hands, and he solemnly placed them into the tripod!

The next instant, the incense sticks burned, and the curling smoke rose into the sky!

For a time, the sky roared, the clouds rolled, and there was lightning shining. Vaguely, it seemed as if multiple illusory gates appeared!

These gates floated in heaven and earth, as if piercing through one alien space-time boundary after another!

At this moment, black energy emitted from the gates, as if some inexplicable existences felt the incense of luck and wanted to turn into demons and ghosts, breaking through the gates!

But just as these gates rumbled and trembled, more terrifying auras suddenly emitted from the depths of the Ancient Emperor Star under this Altar of Heaven!

Their appearance was incomparably domineering, circling all directions, forming a vast pressure like the sea, and even more bursts of murmurs that could not be heard clearly echoed in all directions!

This murmur possessed heaven-shaking meaning. The moment it was emitted, heaven and earth trembled!

Except for the place where the Altar of Heaven was located, everything in the four directions, including those illusory gates, all collapsed and shattered in this terrifying murmur, becoming spiritual rain, sprinkling on the star, turning into nourishment!

This scene made Xu Qing, who was watching the ancestor worship ceremony for the first time, have waves in his heart!

And the Emperor, after lighting the incense, didn't pause in his footsteps at all, following the steps in front, walking toward the highest point of the Altar of Heaven, not fast or slow!

Behind him, the five princes including Ning Yan also had coarse hemp clothing formed by luck, taking off their crowns and dropping their shoes, walking barefoot!

Walking onto the Altar of Heaven! ===== CHAPTER 886 =====

Their appearance was incomparably overbearing, circling in all directions to form a pressure as vast as the sea, and there were even bursts of indistinct murmurs echoing in the surroundings!

This murmur possessed a heaven-shaking intent; the moment it spread, the heavens and earth trembled!

Except for the place where the Altar of Heaven stood, everything in the four directions, including those illusory doors, completely collapsed and shattered amidst this terrifying murmur, turning into spiritual rain that sprinkled upon the stars and transformed into nourishment!

This scene caused Xu Qing, who was observing the ancestral sacrifice ceremony for the first time, to feel waves in his heart!

As for the Human Emperor, after lighting the incense, his footsteps did not pause in the slightest; he walked along the stairs ahead toward the highest point of the Altar of Heaven, neither fast nor slow!

Behind him were the five Imperial Princes, including Xiang Ningyan, each wearing coarse hemp garments manifested from luck, with crowns removed and shoes off, following barefoot!

Walking up the Altar of Heaven!