Chapter 186.2 - The Grand Ceremony Begins |
….
In the depths of the Savage Wasteland, two thousand miles deep, a Bloodthirsty Lion stared at a Wild Fang Dog. Suddenly, it let out a roar, pushed off with its four paws, and its massive body leaped forward like lightning. It pounced towards the Wild Fang Dog, causing the ground where its four paws stood to explode.
The eyes of the Wild Fang Dog flickered with a corroded and rusty gaze. Despite facing a much stronger opponent, the Bloodthirsty Lion, it didn’t flee. Instead, it let out a mournful howl and charged at the opponent like a wolf.
The two collided. Blood splattered, and the Wild Fang Dog was sent flying, with a large piece of flesh torn from its back by the Bloodthirsty Lion. Immediately, the Bloodthirsty Lion landed and swiftly leaped again, attacking once more. The Wild Fang Dog only managed to roll over before one of its legs was bitten, instantly shattering it.
But at that moment, the Wild Fang Dog suddenly shook its head, and the fangs at the corner of its mouth pierced fiercely into the Bloodthirsty Lion’s neck.
“Roar…” Under the severe injuries, the Bloodthirsty Lion let out a fierce roar and stomped one of its hind legs onto the Wild Fang Dog’s abdomen.
After delivering this blow, the Bloodthirsty Lion fell to the ground, blood spraying from its neck. It let out two low roars in unwillingness before losing its breath. The Wild Fang Dog, with rapid breaths, had blood trickling from its mouth and nose, showing that it was also nearing its end.
Just then, a silver figure darted out and stood beside the Wild Fang Dog.
If Qi Bei were here, he would surely recognize her as Huan Ying’s beast form. The icy green light in her pupils stared at the Wild Fang Dog. With a chilling and ruthless swipe of her claws, she tore open the beast’s body. A silver sphere floated out and instantly shot into Huan Ying’s brow.
After half an hour, she opened her eyes, feeling that her aura had become much stronger than before.
“Just a little more, and I will reach the fourth level,” Huan Ying thought to herself as she swiftly moved forward at a rapid speed.
At that moment, she spotted a two-headed lizard in her field of vision.
“It’s you,” Huan Ying said. The silver bead on her brow suddenly shot out and stopped in front of the two-headed lizard.
The two-headed lizard seemed to have found the most exquisite food in the world and swallowed it in one gulp.
Huan Ying chuckled coldly. This was the Beast God Pearl she had condensed during her second level in the beast form. She discovered that by implanting the Beast God Pearl into the body of a wild beast and controlling it to defeat stronger opponents, the power of the Beast God Pearl would rapidly grow. Once it returned to her, she could utilize its power to quickly enhance her own strength.
Huan Ying was currently at the third level, and her attacks had already reached the strength of a top-tier Earth-ranked expert. As for her speed and explosive power, they far surpassed that of an Earth-ranked expert. Once she reached the fourth level, she would be able to directly contend with Heaven-ranked experts.
“Young master, you must stay safe. When I reach the fourth level, no matter what happens, I will definitely come find you,” Huan Ying thought to herself as she followed the two-headed lizard deep into the wilderness.
….
Golden Leaf Imperial City, midnight.
Normally, at this time, the entire city would become incredibly quiet except for a few special streets. But today was different. The massive city was still awake, bustling with activity.
Golden Leaf Imperial Road, which usually had moderate foot traffic, was now crowded with people at this midnight hour. The reason being that today marked the beginning of the Nord Family’s 800th-year grand ceremony. As soon as it hit midnight, it was considered the start of the next day, and the Nord Family’s grand ceremony began precisely at this hour.
At this moment, the Nord Family Mansion was brightly lit. Various ceremonial objects were placed on the beams, rooftops, and some large trees. They were positioned at elevated places because it was believed that only this way could the ancestral spirits be summoned.
Kurt Nord appeared particularly spirited today, his face glowing with a red complexion. The wrinkles on his face seemed to have smoothed out, and his eyes shone brightly. His voice was as resounding as a drum.
The enormous courtyard accommodated over 10,000 Nord Family descendants, while more than 10,000 others had to stand on the streets outside. These Nord Family juniors, wearing black ceremonial robes, became a sight to behold, attracting countless onlookers with various intentions.
After Kurt Nord delivered his powerful speech, he began to kneel and pay respects to the departed ancestors. This was the first step.
This first step alone would take until dawn. The kneeling ceremony of nearly 30,000 Nord descendants would take so long, and the ancestral temple could only hold so many people. They had to enter in waves based on their generation, and with over 20,000 individuals, it would take four hours to complete. Naturally, the direct line of descendants took precedence, with the family head leading the way.
Kurt Nord was the first to kneel and pay respects. He alone entered the ancestral shrine and knelt before the rows of ancestral tablets. After performing the nine kowtows, tears shimmered in his old eyes.
“To all the ancestors above, insignificant descendant Kurt bows in reverence. The Nord family’s descendants have come to pay their respects after twenty years have passed. Whether the Nord family will perish or flourish, it depends on this moment. I seek the blessings of the ancestors…” Kurt murmured, memories flashing before him, filled with heartfelt emotions. Regardless of success or failure, he had no regrets in this lifetime.
“In the 800-year grand ceremony, we sacrifice to the heavenly ancestors, offering fresh blood and heads as tribute. Are the ancestors pleased?” Kurt stood up, straightening his back. The tears in his old eyes had dried up, replaced by an overwhelming aura. He turned around and stepped out. His presence alone sent shivers down people’s spines.
Next came the elders of the Nord family, followed by Raymond’s generation, and then Qi Bei’s generation.
After the direct line of descendants paid their respects, it was the turn of the peripheral branches spanning the eight series that had dispersed within the Golden Leaf Empire and other countries over the past 800 years.
By the time the sky brightened, the entire ceremony of paying respects was finally completed.
However, keen observers noticed something peculiar—Qi Bei Nord had not made an appearance throughout the entire ceremony. It was truly a puzzling situation.
After the ceremony, the ancestral tablets were brought out, and the Nord family proceeded to the ancestral tomb, where the sacrificial altar had already been set up, awaiting the commencement of the grand ceremony.