Chapter 1849: Regret Messing With Her

Chapter 1849: Chapter 1849: Regret Messing With Her

As soon as they left, Han Yan took out the book "Eight Gates Divine Formation" and, holding it against the sword casting heart method carved on the sword, immersed himself in studying it.

...

"What on earth happened for even the ancestral hall to catch fire? How exactly are you all guarding it?" In the Long Family residence, Family Head Long Aoli furiously roared at the guards kneeling below.

"We also don’t know what happened. It suddenly caught fire. We beg for the Family Head’s mercy, we beg for the Family Head’s mercy." The frightened guards knocked their heads forcefully on the ground, their foreheads becoming bloody and mangled.

"Family Head, please calm your anger. The ancestral hall has been around for too long, and with candles burning year-round, coupled with the current dry weather, it’s hard to avoid a fire. It can’t entirely be their fault, after all, this isn’t the first time." The steward advised.

"Thankfully it was discovered in time, otherwise, the destruction of the ancestors’ tablets would make it hard to cleanse my heart’s anger even with your deaths." Long Aoli gave those people a deadly glare and scolded, "All of you, leave the Long Residence, and replace them with others to guard the ancestral hall. If there’s any more negligence, it’ll be a death sentence."

The Long Family Ancestral Hall has nearly a hundred thousand years of history, so a few accidents in between are inevitable. This time doesn’t set a precedent, so although he was angry, he didn’t think much further. Besides, with the god-worship ceremony about to take place and countless things at hand, he couldn’t focus all his attention on this matter, and thus, did not investigate further.

"Thank you for the Family Head’s mercy." The guards took it as a grand amnesty, heavily knocked their heads again, and then retreated.

Long Wudang let out a long sigh of relief upon seeing this and quietly glanced at Long Wucuo. Earlier, after rushing to the ancestral shrine with his men and seeing the situation, Long Wucuo immediately ordered his attendants and guards back. The time was too short, so he wasn’t sure if Han Yan had succeeded.

Having stirred up such big trouble just now, he didn’t dare to ask, only seeking answers from observing Long Wucuo.

Afterward, everyone dispersed.

Once back in his own courtyard, Long Wudang perked up his ears to eavesdrop on the happenings at Long Wucuo’s side. Unfortunately, he didn’t hear a single sound throughout most of the night.

It seems she really did fail. Long Wudang silently cursed his misfortune; whether Han Yan succeeded or not was none of his concern, what worried him was the Ten Thousand Ants Devouring Heart Pill.

"I’ve done all I could, even set my own ancestral hall on fire. She shouldn’t blame it on me anymore, right? Though, given how unreasonable that woman is, she just might hold me accountable, alas, what should I do?" Caught in inner conflict, Long Wudang was unable to fall asleep.

Oh, if only I hadn’t set sights on An Xiaxin back then, if only I hadn’t gone to Huayu City, indeed, rashness is the devil. A single slip, and I’ve provoked this jinx, a single slip and I’m on her pirate ship, a single slip and... as he tossed and turned, Young Master Long deeply regretted once more.

...

In the morning, when the first rays of sunlight pierced through the darkness and spilled over the vast expanse of earth, the sonorous and desolate sound of a horn echoed from the towering spires of the Heavenly Sun Temple.

In the enormous plaza in front of the temple, large enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, stood a high altar spanning a hundred feet around, appearing particularly solemn and majestic in the golden morning light.

Today is the official day of the god-worship ceremony.

A Priest in a light gold priest robe, so old that his teeth seemed on the verge of falling out, was chanting the obscure and incomprehensible rites in a hoarse voice.

According to temple law, based on the differences in cultivation and divine position, priests’ robes come in vastly different colors.

The Divine Priest wears a black priest robe, embroidered with white cloud patterns to signify cultivation level, while the highest rankers of the twelve divine temples, including the Heavenly Sun Temple and the Huayu Temple, wear white robes during formal occasions, commonly known as White Robed Chief Priest among the people.

Upon reaching the level of Divine Heart Priest in cultivation, they wear blue robes with red cloud patterns as indicators of their cultivation level. Chiefs of the Five Great Divine Temples, like the Life God Temple, are top-level powerhouses of this rank and don red robes for formal occasions, known as Red Robed High Priest among the populace.

The next higher level is the Divine Soul Priest, wearing a purple robe with silver cloud patterns representing cultivation level, and the elite among them, recognized by Han Yan, are the Twelve Divine Guardian Priests; they don silver robes during formal occasions as a mark of their status.

As for the gold priest robe, only the Lord Divine is qualified to wear it.

The reason for such clear distinctions in attire is primarily because temple priests focus mainly on divine sense cultivation, making it less straightforward to discern power levels as with swordsmen on the Holy Court Continent; thus, attire differentiation makes it easier to reflect hierarchical status among priests.

Clearly, this ancient toothless priest wasn’t the Chief Priest; instead, following temple law, a temple official presiding over grand ceremonies could don a light gold priest robe to signify solemnity, granting him such distinctive honor.

Below, hundreds of thousands of citizens prostrated themselves on the ground, chanting in low voices. Even Han Yan couldn’t understand what that old man was chanting about, let alone the commoners. They probably just hummed along aimlessly, but their expressions were deeply devout. If told to die for the temple now, they’d likely ascend mountain of swords or plunge into boiling oil without refusal.

At this time, Han Yan, also wearing a white priest robe, sat alongside the other twelve chief priests, receiving the worship and reverence of the hundreds of thousands of citizens below. Although this was her first experience at such a scene, Lady Mu had witnessed many events on the Holy Court Continent, showing not even a trace of unease, her every move exuding dignified grace, earning admiration from the likes of Sikong Qinglan and Shen Yuhe behind her. It was their first time participating in such a grand ceremony, and the sight of the devout citizens below filled them with priestly pride, faces flush with excitement and bodies trembling.

Not far off, Long Wudang, sporting panda eyes, looked pathetically at Han Yan, his worries twisted his insides. Until now, he hadn’t seen the slightest abnormality on Long Wucuo, clearly pointing to Han Yan’s failure. Given Han Yan’s typical unreasonable nature, he feared it might be blamed on him.

Blame it on me then, he resigned himself, even if it meant another severe beating. The problem lay not in merely being beaten, but in the Ten Thousand Ants Devouring Heart Pill, a deadly poison, notorious for the sheer agony and horror of its effect, just from hearing the name.

Yet with the god-worship ceremony’s prominence, his guilty conscience prevented him from daring to meet Han Yan. He had no opportunity to plead and could only wait for the ceremony to conclude before seeking a chance.

"Heavens, please let Han Yan not mention any incidents, or I’m doomed." Long Wudang took another stealthy look at Han Yan, silently praying.

The toothless old priest continued to chant quietly on the stage; meanwhile, the citizens below grew increasingly devout, nearly prostrate on the ground with all five points touching, while Han Yan was beginning to get a bit impatient. With no faith in the temple whatsoever, she felt sleepiness sneaking in.

"The ritual is complete. Stand up." Finally, the old priest completed the last line of the incantation and addressed the crowd below.

Han Yan breathed a long sigh of relief; it was finally over.