Chapter 248: Rites of Heaven and Earth

At noon, Xie Jinhuan followed the envoy procession to the Altar of Heaven and Earth outside the city.

The Altar of Heaven and Earth counts as a temple of the Zhuji Sect; it does not enshrine various deities, but rather the Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother. Inside there are no statues or the like, only a nine-tiered Bai Shi circular platform.

At this moment, offerings had already been arranged beneath the Altar of Heaven and Earth: pigs, cattle, and sheep—all three sacrificial animals were complete. Over a hundred shamans in strange costumes and wearing god-and-demon masks were making preparations.

On the outer viewing platform were envoys from the Western Regions and Mobei. Among them were envoys from a few fence-sitting small states; Xie Jinhuan had even crossed paths with them at Empress He's birthday banquet. As for the braided-haired foreign envoy, he had met him once on the way over; after making a few inquiries, he learned it was Tuoba Zhe, the National Preceptor of the Shajie Kingdom.

Although the title "National Preceptor" sounds quite domineering, the Shajie Kingdom is merely a small state with a population of no more than a million, so Tuoba Zhe was naturally half a transparent figure among the envoys.

Great Qian and Northern Zhou are evenly matched in power; the viewing position is in the middle. Fang An'guo, the Northern Zhou Minister of Rites accompanying the envoys, was at that moment explaining to the foreign envoys:

"This Altar of Heaven and Earth was built after the Human Emperor unified the world. The first Grand Shaman was Wu Ancestor Zhu Man. Over the subsequent thousands of years, although it was renovated and rebuilt several times, its location and layout have never changed. Our current position is where the ancient Human Emperor observed the rites..."

Zhao Ling, serving as diplomatic ambassador in her capacity as the Eldest Princess, was dressed far more splendidly than usual. She wore a pale gold palace gown and a vermilion hairpin. Her face, radiating national prosperity and people's peace, displayed to the fullest extent the demeanor befitting a princess of a flourishing age.

Since this was merely a formality, Zhao Ling did not listen to the Northern Zhou officials' nonsense about showcasing the great nation's heritage. Standing beside Xie Jinhuan, she asked curiously:

"What's wrong with Qingmo?"

Linghu Qingmo had also followed over, but at this moment she was not standing right in front; instead, along with Feiji, Yang Dabiao, and other attendants, she was observing and waiting on the outer perimeter of the ritual platform.

Xie Jinhuan felt this was because, on the way over just now, he had walked with Mo Mo. In the cold weather of deep winter, he had kindly helped warm her hands, which had scared Mo Mo so much she dared not come close. Facing the landlady's inquiry, he simply said:

"Perhaps because we're wearing clothes of the same color; standing together might cause misunderstandings."

"Sigh..."

Zhao Ling had no words for this best friend who couldn't climb a wall. After a moment's thought, she felt she should provoke this shut-in a bit. For this reason, she moved close to Xie Jinhuan and began recounting the amusing incidents from the parties these past few days:

"It's a pity you weren't here last night. I called Wang He over to drink together. Zisu was there too. At that time, I had the two of them play the 'Flying Flower Order' game; the loser would take off one piece of clothing..."

"Hmm?!"

Xie Jinhuan had originally been listening casually, but upon discovering they were playing such a wild game, his gaze naturally turned over:

"Playing that big? Who lost?"

"The two were evenly matched; in the end, both stripped completely naked. That scene was huge..."

They whispered to each other.

Meanwhile, on the outer perimeter of the viewing platform, Linghu Qingmo held her sword and fulfilled her duties. Her peripheral vision caught her best friend and boyfriend huddled together, chatting and laughing with great intimacy. Her expression naturally grew strange. She gazed curiously from afar and even tried to lean in to listen, but unfortunately, the distance was too great and she could hear nothing, so she gave up.

???

Zhao Ling saw this scene and was stunned, thinking to herself—So generous? You don't even fight when someone snatches your man; you probably really want to be the youngest wife...

Seeing that this best friend showed no aggression at all, Zhao Ling had to abandon the idea of goading her. Amid such idle chatter, the ritual activities at the Altar of Heaven and Earth were fully prepared. A shaman wearing a fire-bird mask stood atop the Altar of Heaven and Earth and began beating a large drum. The shamans below, serving as assistants, also began chanting in unison.

"Boom... boom... boom..."

"Woo-ah-wa~~..."

Xie Jinhuan had witnessed the Wu Sect's musical foundation in Luo Jing. He found his emotions stirred, producing feelings of solemnity and even tears welling up; he was not surprised in his heart.

But as the ritual continued, the originally clear sky slowly began to blow with a gentle breeze. Then white mist started to gather above the Altar of Heaven and Earth, vaguely forming a mirage.

The mirage was a towering palace complex resembling the Heavenly Palace, its scale so vast it seemed not of this world. Within it, auspicious beasts and spiritual birds ran about. On the central structure shooting straight into the sky, the two characters "Beiming" were faintly visible.

Xie Jinhuan looked up to observe the mirage, feeling this should not be a place that exists in reality. A doubt arose in his heart:

"How is this produced?"

Ye Hongshang also stood beside him, carrying a small umbrella and gazing, responding offhandedly:

"The Wu Sect is the most ancient sect in the present age; its lineage has never been cut off to this day. What it is best at is the art of divine prayer. The Gu Du Pai's individual illusion techniques are merely a branch of the Zhuji Sect's divine prayer art. The scene in the sky is not a mirage, but an illusionary realm. Using large-scale illusion techniques, it makes the common people believe they see the immortal realm. On the battlefield, it can even make both friendly and enemy troops see thousands of heavenly soldiers, terrifying the enemy and boosting one's own morale..."

"Oh..."

Xie Jinhuan realized it was an illusion technique, nodded slightly, and treated it as watching the Zhuji Sect perform magic tricks.

However, the tribal envoys coming from the northern grasslands, upon seeing the legendary "Beiming Immortal Palace," were no different from beholding their ancestral deity manifesting. Many directly knelt on the spot to show respect to their ancestors and the Beiming God.

As for the soldiers on guard duty on the outer perimeter and even the minor clerks accompanying them, most believed there were gods three feet above one's head. To them, the Zhuji Sect shamans were the messengers of the gods. Seeing the magnificent scene in the sky, their eyes also showed awe.

Normally, such ritual activities would last for two quarters of an hour. In the sky would appear illusions of the Beiming Immortal Palace and the Beiming God, along with various auspicious signs foretelling favorable weather, national prosperity, and peace.

But halfway through the ritual, an abnormal change suddenly erupted in the sky.

Xie Jinhuan had been watching the mirage in the sky, but as he watched, he discovered the clouds and mist drifting in the air were gradually dyed blood-red. A sinister wind began to rise around, and the solemn atmosphere of the Altar of Heaven and Earth turned gloomy and oppressive.

The scene of the mirage also rapidly changed from a magnificent palace to ruins engulfed in flames. Then, an illusion of a red-haired female demon appeared above the Altar of Heaven and Earth.

The red-haired female demon had a human face and a snake body. Her entire body was bathed in blood, emitting demonic qi that shot to the heavens. Yet her face was that of Empress Dowager Gu. She waved her claws and fangs in the sky, emitting a sinister laugh:

"Hahaha..."

"?" The scene transition was too sudden, causing everyone in the entire Altar of Heaven and Earth to freeze for an instant.

Zhao Ling had been observing seriously, but upon discovering a evil god suddenly appearing in the sky, and one that looked like Empress Dowager Gu, she couldn't help but wonder at the Northern Zhou imperial court's intentions. She tilted her head and said in a low voice:

"What does this mean? Intimidating us?"

Xie Jinhuan felt that this method of harming the enemy by a hundred while harming oneself by ten thousand should not be intimidation, but rather a live broadcast accident.

And the facts were exactly as he expected. Before the many envoys could react from their confusion, Fang An'guo, the Vice Minister of Rites, rushed forward and shouted anxiously and angrily:

"What are you doing?! Stop it quickly..."

The shamans above and below the Altar of Heaven and Earth clearly sensed something was wrong, but the main shaman had already stopped the incantation. He looked left and right on the spot, yet the scene in the sky continued.

Tuoba Zhe, the Shajie Kingdom envoy, and even several foreign envoys from the grasslands, turned deathly pale and screamed in terror:

"This is a divine oracle, a revelation given by the Beiming God..."

"The nation will perish by red; a demon approaches Zhou lands. This must be because we angered the Beiming God..."

Meanwhile, the soldiers and attendants waiting on the outer perimeter, upon seeing such a terrifying abnormality, fell into chaos:

"There's a monster..."

"Run quickly..."

With a few people leading the way, the gathered hundred-plus envoys and even the crowd on the outer perimeter immediately erupted into turmoil. Horses were beaten wildly, and people scattered in panic. In an instant, the entire Altar of Heaven and Earth exploded into chaos.

Seeing this scene, Xie Jinhuan instantly realized that someone was secretly causing trouble, slandering Empress Dowager Gu.

Although this was merely a public opinion offensive, with the imperial court sacrificing to Heaven and Earth while envoys from all nations observed, such a serious accident meant the Zhuji Sect and Empress Dowager Guo could not escape blame, and rumors would surely spread across Northern Zhou.

If handled calmly and the situation contained in time, this predicament might be irretrievable but would not necessarily worsen.

However, Northern Zhou's crisis management was a complete makeshift operation; Fang Anguo, the Vice Minister of Rites leading the delegation, should have remained calm in the face of danger as the foreign affairs minister, yet he abandoned the many foreign envoys to rush frantically to the base of the Altar of Heaven and Earth, shouting blindly, giving no orders to the accompanying officials, causing his subordinates to become headless flies.

The Wu Sect shamans of Beiming Sect responsible for the sacrifice could not conceal the heavenly illusion, so they sought the culprit, yet they also had to explain matters to the Ministry of Rites, leaving them overwhelmed.

Then the entire Altar of Heaven and Earth descended into chaos, and under the guidance of someone with ulterior motives, it turned into a stampede that was completely irreversible.

Linghu Qingmo, Yang Dabiao, and others had originally been puzzled by the strange phenomenon in the sky; discovering the surrounding commotion, they immediately led their team toward the viewing platform to provide support, but were blocked by the chaotic crowd and could not get through.

Realizing something was wrong, Xie Jinhuan quickly put his arm around Zhao Ling's shoulder and pushed through the panicked, fleeing crowd:

"Someone is secretly causing trouble. Return to the caravan first; I will go find the person responsible."

Zhao Ling herself was also a martial artist; having received the Divine Gift of the Hand of the Storehouse and consumed a Pill of Vigor, although her strength did not match Xie Jinhuan's, she was far from a fragile lady of a thousand gold. She was not panicking now, simply following him outward:

"Let it be chaotic. After all, it is Empress Dowager Guo's trouble; why do you care?"

Xie Jinhuan could not well explain that Empress Dowager Guo's matter was his matter, so he simply explained for the moment:

"This is likely the Chiwu Sect causing trouble, and it is certainly related to the affair at Lishan..."

The two had communicated only a few sentences when Ye Hongshang, floating nearby, based on the flow trajectory hidden within the sky illusion, locked onto a three-story watchtower on the northeast side of the Altar of Heaven and Earth:

"The person is hiding inside the watchtower."

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan immediately looked toward the indicated direction, but unexpectedly, the opponent seemed to have been staring at his movements from beginning to end!

In the instant he turned his head to look, the red-haired female demon who had dyed half the sky red vanished like smoke, and Ah Piao's reminder followed:

"She ran."

"Damn..."

Xie Jinhuan knew the opportunity was fleeting, so he immediately picked up the Landlady and flew toward the watchtower, stepping on the heads of the crowd.

Zhao Ling was somewhat puzzled by this, but still snatched a sword from the surrounding soldiers:

"The person is over there?"

"Yes, trying to escape..."

Xie Jinhuan flew at full speed toward the watchtower, but after advancing only a few zhang, he saw the windows on the watchtower burst open; a figure leaped down and flashed away toward the wilderness, so he immediately increased his speed.

However, Fang Anguo, the Vice Minister of Rites whose mind was still a tangled mess, perhaps because the illusion had dissipated, suddenly became clear-headed at this moment and began to shout from afar:

"Everyone, do not panic! Quickly return to the viewing platform; all soldiers and even the shamans must obey orders, be sure to protect our friendly nation's envoys, and wait for the Taichang Temple for reinforcements... Princess Changzhu, you must return immediately; that side is dangerous... Quick, quick, block them, absolutely do not let anything go wrong..."

The shamans responsible for the main sacrifice, and even the military officers maintaining order, finally heard the correct orders and found their direction; they hurriedly protected the foreign envoys who were like headless flies and chased after Xie Jinhuan and the other two:

"Princess Changzhu, there are certainly thieves causing trouble here; your body is worth a thousand gold, do not risk it..."

Xie Jinhuan had just rushed out when he discovered that people from the Northern Zhou imperial court were blocking him from all directions, wanting to protect his safety, leaving him speechless in his heart.

But strangely, everyone's reaction and orders were quite normal; he could not determine who was secretly controlling the situation, so he could only bypass the imperial court military officers surrounding him and chase the person fleeing from the watchtower...

(End of this chapter)