mesbooks Chapter 274 Sealing Heaven and Offering Sacrifices to Ancestors
Chapter 274 Sealing Heaven and Offering Sacrifices to Ancestors
Chapter 274 Sealing Heaven and Offering Sacrifices to Ancestors
The enthronement ceremony is an unparalleled grand event marking the ascension of a new emperor to the throne, a ceremony to confer titles upon Heaven and offer sacrifices to ancestors. Ordinary people would likely never witness such a spectacle in their entire lives, as the lifespan of cultivators far exceeds that of ordinary people. The grand occasion of a new emperor's ascension is something most people would never see in their lifetime.
The entire Southern Tang Kingdom spent nearly half a year preparing for this day before it was finally ready.
……
Outside the capital, on Dragon Head Mountain.
Longshou Mountain is the most majestic mountain outside the capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty. It is also a place where powerful dragon energy gathers, and is known as the "Mountain of Dragon Rise".
Lin Fei's ascension ceremony will be held on this Dragon Head Mountain.
Early that morning, hundreds of thousands of people had gathered outside Longshou Mountain to watch the enthronement ceremony. The people were excited and whispering among themselves.
"You know, we might not witness a new emperor ascending the throne even once in several lifetimes. This is truly a feast for the eyes!"
"That's right! I heard that our new emperor has invited many masters from all over the world to participate in this enthronement ceremony. The four major sects of Taoism and the three major Buddhist temples are among them. Even ordinary people like us are proud to be invited!"
"I heard that even the most unorthodox sects have sent people here. I wonder what our new emperor is up to, that he would even invite those unorthodox people!"
……
The people outside Dragon Head Mountain were buzzing with discussion, and could only speculate about the enthronement ceremony in secret. Without an invitation, they wouldn't even be able to ascend Dragon Head Mountain.
At the foot of Dragon Head Mountain stood tens of thousands of imposing silver-armored soldiers, completely surrounding the mountain. Anyone who dared to take a step up the mountain without an official invitation would be doomed.
While the soldiers of the Southern Tang Kingdom were generally not as elite as those of the Northern Han Kingdom, these silver-armored soldiers were the elite of the Southern Tang army, known as the "Dragon Soaring Army." Even the lowest-ranking ordinary soldiers in the army possessed the cultivation level of the Body Tempering Realm, making them no less capable than the elite black-armored soldiers of the Xiang family of the Northern Han Kingdom.
Tens of thousands of Longxiang soldiers stood majestically at the foot of Longshou Mountain. Although ordinary people could not climb Longshou Mountain, simply seeing these imposing soldiers was already a rare sight.
Meanwhile, the martial arts practitioners and representatives of aristocratic families who had received official invitations from the Southern Tang Dynasty walked through the Dragon Cavalry guarding the mountain and headed up Dragon Head Mountain.
The Dragon Head Mountain was packed with people. Representatives from the four Taoist sects, the three Buddhist temples, the four major sword sects, the four major gangs, and even the eight evil sects all came, making it an unprecedented spectacle.
At the very center of the crowd stood a magnificent and enormous altar for worshipping Heaven. This altar was where Lin Fei was about to perform the ancestral rites and ascend the throne of the Southern Tang Dynasty. The invited guests were scattered around the altar.
Amidst the noisy crowd, an old man slowly walked to the altar and loudly addressed the guests below: "The ceremony for the new emperor's ascension to the throne is about to begin. All guests, please be quiet!"
The old man's voice wasn't very loud, but it seemed to possess a strange magic that instantly silenced everyone below.
It should be noted that these guests who came to observe the ceremony were all sent by major sects and aristocratic families. Not only were their cultivation levels high, but they were also of considerable status. However, anyone with a discerning eye was filled with apprehension towards the old man on the stage.
"It's actually this old fellow. Even he's been asked to leave the mountain?" A middle-aged man from Divine Sword Manor looked at the old man on the stage with a wary expression.
"It seems that the new emperor of Southern Tang has great ambitions and wants to establish his authority in front of the world!" The guest from the Peerless Sword Sect beside him said with a sneer.
The old man on the stage is Du Qingmu of the Du family, a top expert at the Celestial level, ranked eleventh on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking.
Although this enthronement ceremony was a grand event for the Southern Tang Kingdom, grandmasters at the Celestial Realm would never attend in person; at most, they would send their disciples. Therefore, Du Qingmu's appearance at the Celestial Realm immediately stunned everyone. No one dared to act presumptuously before this Celestial Realm grandmaster.
Seeing that the crowd had quieted down, Du Qingmu continued, "I am Du Qingmu. I believe that you have all heard of my name, so I will not introduce myself again. First of all, on behalf of the Southern Tang government, I would like to thank you all for gracing us with your presence and for traveling from afar to participate in the enthronement ceremony of the new emperor of our Southern Tang Kingdom."
Du Qingmu began with a series of polite words before getting to the point, saying to the guests below, "Now, the enthronement ceremony officially begins. Please, new emperor, perform the Heaven-Sealing and Ancestor-Offering Ceremony!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Fei, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, slowly walked onto the sacrificial altar.
Lin Fei was already exceptionally handsome and imposing, and with the addition of this dragon robe, he looked even more radiant and extraordinary.
Seeing Lin Fei ascend the altar, Du Qingmu turned aside to acknowledge his status as a subject. Even though he was a Grandmaster of the Celestial Realm, he was ultimately a subject of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Today's enthronement ceremony was for Lin Fei, and even someone of Du Qingmu's status and cultivation would not do anything to overshadow the main character.
Seeing this, the guests below were even more astonished—what kind of methods did this new emperor of the Southern Tang have that made the famous Celestial Master willing to serve him and show his submission?
After Lin Fei stepped onto the altar, he walked straight to the prepared memorial tablets for Heaven and Earth without looking to the side.
Du Qingmu handed an incense stick to Lin Fei, who respectfully bowed three times to the ancestral tablet, placed the incense stick before it, and loudly proclaimed: "Heaven above, earth below, and the spirits of the ancestors of Southern Tang before me. I, Li Longyuan, today offer sacrifices to Heaven and my ancestors, formally assuming the throne of Southern Tang! May Heaven and Earth have mercy, and may my ancestors protect me. From now on, I will dedicate myself wholeheartedly to bringing blessings to the people of Southern Tang and upholding the imperial position of Southern Tang throughout the world..."
Lin Fei spoke at length, and although he had prepared these words beforehand, they truly came from the bottom of his heart.
Before this, he had no particular interest in the throne of the Southern Tang Dynasty and had no intention of taking it on. It was only because Li Yu's health was truly failing that he reluctantly accepted the throne.
But now that Lin Fei has ascended to the throne of the Southern Tang Dynasty, he is determined to create an unprecedented golden age, elevating the Southern Tang to a level never before seen under his rule!