Chapter 157: Heaven Sacrifice Ritual

He awoke from the inheritance of elite talent.

In a daze, Mu Yi raised his head and looked at the sun slowly rising on the horizon.

A vague feeling surfaced in his heart.

The consciousness of heaven and earth awakened!

After digesting for so long, the consciousness of heaven and earth finally awakened.

This also meant he could begin the heaven sacrifice ritual.

For this day, he had accumulated a considerable amount of sacrificial materials.

"Huu..."

Mu Yi stood on the summit of Kunlun Mountain; the world now changes day by day, almost every day the environment shifts slightly, and Kunlun Mountain, compared to when he first arrived, is like a newly born mountain range.

Just like in myth, it became mystical, and the bloodlines of those legendary creatures seemed to be recovering.

What Mu Yi saw was not just one; under the regulation of the first day, these creatures mostly do not fight each other, but each stays in its own territory, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, inhaling and exhaling the essence of sun and moon, evolving toward higher life forms.

The many treasures placed in the sacrificial cauldron seemed to come alive, with countless radiance emerging from them.

A great cauldron appeared upon Mu Yi's summons.

Someone took a hundred herbs, and illness departed.

The overlord of the old era refused to step down, so someone forged weapons and contended for supremacy across the four seas and eight wildernesses.

The barbarian gods that emerged from the barbaric wastes were likewise; they seemed unwilling to perish thus, wanting to contend with heaven and earth for glory.

A divine-like light burst forth from the Nine Tripods, spreading to cover the whole world.

One after another, Mu Yi placed things into the Nine Tripods, until finally he took out the legendary weapon he had just obtained, the Barbarian Wasteland.

That is the transformation of Jiuzhou, the weighty story of Jiuzhou stretching across ten thousand years.

That is Jiuzhou's vicissitudes, it is Jiuzhou's enduring story spanning ten thousand years.

Thunder rumbled on, endless, the strange beasts and rare creatures on Kunlun Mountain all trembled on the ground; under the might of heaven and earth, only Mu Yi stood tall with head high and chest out on the peak.

Like mountain ranges, strange beasts gathered in groups and herds, running across the land.

As if crossing time, he found himself in the wilderness, with the Gobi desert stretching a thousand li.

Someone observed the heavens and earth's mountains and rivers, and based on the changes of all things, invented the eight trigrams to seek fortune and avoid misfortune, and disaster departed.

Mu Yi sensed the feedback from the void, a feedback from the consciousness of heaven and earth that is hard to describe in words.

Above the firmament, the already lingering heavy clouds became even denser, so much that even the light of sun and moon could not penetrate them.

Thereafter time flew by, and the earth transformed.

Only a few people noticed this divine light; most were unaware, yet inexplicably felt a vigorous renewal.

Only a handful of people sensed this holy light; most were completely unaware, yet inexplicably felt a vibrant renewal.

Within the heavy clouds, purple lightning exploded.

Birds and beasts dominated the land, displaying vigorous vitality.

Mu Yi understood clearly in his heart, his spirit shaken, yet he could not see its true form.

A new sovereign took the stage.

But the next moment, purple lightning struck down, destroying all light and directly blasting these offerings.

The heaven sacrifice ritual formally began operation.

The epic weapon Serpent-Head Whip obtained from Modelos, the legendary material Fallen Soul dropped by a legendary demon, the Mercy of the God of Life obtained from the Earth Mother Goddess's treasury, and the epic marvel Endless Gold Bag obtained from the Wealth Church dungeon…

Even if he saw nothing, Mu Yi still clearly knew of the arrival of the consciousness of heaven and earth.

Mu Yi slowly spread his arms.

Purple epic-tier treasures can only emit some light, while gold legendary-tier treasures can even project illusions within the light.

Purple epic-tier treasures can only emit some light, while gold Legend-tier treasures can even project illusions within that light.

A flood dragon surged within, constantly moving, even more like a school of fish.

Occasionally, a stubborn fellow would challenge the first one, and the first one would tell him with absolute strength what the Kunlun Mountain God represents.

Seeing the great heap of things filling the Nine Tripods, Mu Yi finally stopped his actions, again spread his arms, and set the heaven sacrifice ritual in motion.

Rivers roared, boundless, resembling lakes and seas.

Though the God of Life did not howl to the heavens, his surrounding radiance was also exceptionally bright.

Time flowed by, and the strange beasts gradually drifted away.

Mu Yi seemed to cross time and witnessed the scene of ancient times.

Thereafter, Mu Yi took out the sacrificial offerings he had long prepared from his item bag.

"Roar!" The legendary demon manifested by the Fallen Soul seemed vividly alive, still wanting to wreak havoc, roaring angrily at the firmament.

The originally urgent wind sound also seemed to become tumultuous.

Man sacrifices to heaven, heaven protects man.

In the darkness, someone struck flint to make fire, and the gloom vanished.

Mu Yi, dazed, became engrossed as humanity fully dominated Jiuzhou, when internal strife again erupted in the wilderness, sparking slaughter.

At the moment blades clashed, everything came to an abrupt halt.

Mu Yi's consciousness was once again pulled back to his true body.

Upon opening his eyes, the alternation of sun and moon, the turning of seasons, the cycle of heaven and earth—everything seemed clearly visible.

But when Mu Yi tried to savor it, it was as if he awoke from a great dream; the more he recalled, the blurrier it became.

Only the Nine Tripods before Mu Yi remained magnificent, as if proving that what had just happened was not an illusion.

Mu Yi gazed at the Nine Tripods before him.

Mu Yi gazed at the Nine Tripods before him.

He felt it seemed to become more agile; the originally illusory existence beyond matter gradually became substantial.

It gained a bit more thickness and heaviness.

Afterward, new prompt information appeared on Mu Yi's retina:

"Zongwang Prompt: You completed a heaven‑sacrifice ritual, gaining 100000 points of Universal Experience and 100 points of Heavenly Dao Merit as reward."

"(Heavenly Dao Merit: a merit limited to Jiuzhou; within the world of Jiuzhou it can increase luck value, with a chance to trigger serendipity rewards; the higher the merit value, the greater the chance)."

"(Heavenly Dao Merit can be consumed, strengthening all designated positive effects and weakening all designated negative effects)."

"Zongwang Prompt: You received the feedback of the heaven‑sacrifice from the consciousness of heaven and earth of Jiuzhou; you feel countless mysteries arising in your mind, ancient power temporarily lingering within your body."

Afterward, a brand‑new choice appeared before Mu Yi's eyes:

"Zongwang Important Prompt: Within one hour or less, you must choose two of the following options as your heaven‑sacrifice ritual reward; otherwise the ritual power will vanish and you will randomly receive a related reward:"

"1、5 points of Divinity"

"2、10 points of Free Attribute/2 points of Free Attribute (Transcendent)"

"3、Limited permanent benefit: Innate Spirit (Divine)"

"Innate Spirit (Divine)"

"Your life, stamina, and energy recovery speed gain a constant additional boost; that is, your life, stamina, and energy recovery speed will forever remain above the Transcendent recovery rate (20 points)."

"PS: Any divine effect that reduces life recovery speed or stifles energy recovery is ineffective against this ability; for divine abilities, a resistance check is made (based on the individual's Divinity), and if the check fails, the corresponding reduction spell effect must be suffered."

"PS: I can gallop until the starlight dims! Even the Demoness Queen cannot make me weary!... Damn... there's even the move 'Heart Like Still Water'... You win! — From the Pink Tavern complaint suggestion."

"4、Limited triple inheritance—Responding Dragon's trial, Heaven Punisher's trial, Drought Demon's trial; reward determined by trial evaluation."

"5、Limited inheritance—weapon—Tiger Soul Blade: requires approval from the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor to be drawn from its seal."

"Want them all!"

"This was Mu Yi's first reaction upon seeing the Zongwang prompt information appear on his retina, flashing through his mind."

"But after gradually calming down, Mu Yi's gaze began to wander among the five options."

"In terms of value, the last two options are definitely higher."

"Responding Dragon, Heaven Punisher, and Drought Demon are all powerhouses bearing the title of War God; even in all of Jiuzhou they are top figures, and their trials obviously possess extremely high value."

"But Mu Yi has also undergone trials and knows very well what a trial is like."

"He feels that whether he can withstand the pressure of their aura if he now participates in the trial is uncertain."

"It has no significance for current development."

"Better to rely on the present than on distant officials; the option that can strengthen current strength is Mu Yi's primary pursuit."

"It's not that there are no other opportunities; he might someday directly encounter the true forms of Responding Dragon and the others."

"And the last option especially makes Mu Yi's heart race—the Tiger Soul Blade, a divine artifact famed on par with the Yellow Emperor Sword, given this condition……"

"Mu Yi looked at it and fell silent; obtaining approval from the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor…… This difficulty seems relatively easy at first glance, but to Mu Yi it feels harder than passing the trials of the three War Gods."

"After a moment's hesitation, Mu Yi chose options one and three; attributes and such can always be obtained, and given his long experience, the difficulty of acquiring attributes is relatively low."

"With these five points of Divinity added, he just meets the standard of 【Weak Divinity】; Weak Divinity also allows all attributes to be 1, not much worse than the second option, and he can attempt to build the Heaven‑Human Path, worth a try."

"With the fluctuation of Mu Yi's consciousness, related prompt information immediately refreshed on his retina."

"Zongwang Prompt: Please confirm whether you select 5 points of Divinity and the limited permanent benefit Innate Spirit (Divine) as the reward for this heaven‑sacrifice ritual?"

"Please note, this operation is irreversible!"

"Confirmed!"

"Mu Yi directly confirmed with his consciousness."

"In the next instant, a divine light burst forth from the Nine Cauldrons, enveloping Mu Yi's body."

"You gained 5 points of Divinity! Current Divinity: 11 points!"

"You obtained 【Weak Divinity】"

"You obtained 【Innate Spirit (Divine)】"

"As the divine light faded, Mu Yi began to scan his physical condition."

"The recovery ability greatly increased, a profound improvement."

"It is a strength and safety originating from the body, a feeling of abundant power surging within."

"Mu Yi felt an inexhaustible vigor throughout his body, not an illusion but an actual physical state."

"Mu Yi was eager to try, wondering what it would be like to fully unleash his Inner Qi in combat at this state."

"Previously, full‑force bursts could only last two or three strikes; now…… he seems able to keep bursting continuously?"

"However, compared to the bodily changes, the transformation of Mu Yi's inner Six Paths of Reincarnation is more profound."

"The Asura Path and Hell Path, already in embryonic form, were revolving; the outermost, seemingly illusory Heaven‑Human Path, after swallowing all the power of Divinity, evolved into an embryonic state."

"With the construction of the embryonic Heaven‑Human, Asura, and Hell Paths, Mu Yi felt inspired and poured all his merit into the Six Paths of Reincarnation."

"The speed of the Six Paths of Reincarnation seemed to accelerate silently, growing faster and faster, as if the paths had achieved a subtle coordination."

"In the Hell Path, the blazing fire, bolstered by the Heaven‑Human Path, became even more scorching; the evil spirits such as infant ghosts that were originally hard to purify were instantly severed."

"Pure soul power was poured into the Heaven‑Human Path, vengeful and brutal mental force into the Asura Path, and guilt left in the Hell Path……"

"At this moment the Six Paths of Reincarnation seemed to truly begin existing; Mu Yi felt that as long as he continuously fed enemies into the seal, these three paths would continually perfect themselves in rotation."

"Even after reaching completion, they would begin to nourish the other paths not yet built—Human Path, Animal Path, Hungry Ghost Path—that exist only in concept."

"\"Now? \""

"Mu Yi sensed the call of destiny in the vague, a revelation from heaven and earth, so he followed this feeling."

"The Seventh‑Rank Underworld Divine Position was inherited by Mu Yi at this moment."

"\"Imperial decree: appoint Mu Yi as Underworld Yin Marshal! \""

"A grand proclamation echoed in the void, and a pure, colorless light fell from the void into Mu Yi's body."

Amidst the radiance, a vague fantasy appeared.

Someone sat cross-legged on the lotus pedestal, palms together, chanting the Buddhist sutra with compassionate verification, cleansing the sins deep in the Underworld; someone else held high the hall, iron-faced and impartial, judging the past deeds of countless souls;

Yellow Spring Road, Other Shore Flower, Three Lives Stone, Bridge of Helplessness, Meng Po's Soup… and finally the Reincarnation Platform.

The Reincarnation Platform resonated with the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the Six Paths within Mu Yi began to rotate at a speed beyond imagination, and Mu Yi glimpsed the future path.

"Good!"

"A holy figure raised its head, its gaze piercing through layers of worlds, reaching Mu Yi's finger; a pure white jade-like finger lightly tapped in the void."

"A ray of spiritual light completely merged into the depths of the Reincarnation Barrier."

"At the heart of reincarnation, everything fell into silent stillness."

"Zongwang Prompt: You have glimpsed the truth of reincarnation; the current Six Paths of Reincarnation begin to grow spontaneously, and you have obtained the information to construct the Six Paths of Reincarnation."

"To construct the Human Path required: vast numbers of living people, large amounts of Universal Experience."

"To construct the Animal Realm required: vast numbers of demons, large amounts of Universal Experience."

"To construct the Evil Ghost Path required: vast numbers of evil ghosts, large amounts of Universal Experience."

"Mu Yi blinked, not expecting the conditions for the remaining three paths to be so simple."

"You have obtained the Underworld Seventh Rank Divine Position—Yin Marshal."

"Your faction: Jiuzhou opens the faction mission list for you; you can raise your status in the Jiuzhou Faction by completing faction missions, and increasing your Jiuzhou Faction status will grant you exclusive faction rewards."

"Your knowledge bank underwent an update; you obtained a large amount of Underworld-related knowledge, Scholarship 10."