The Celestial Masters' Mansion's Grand Ceremony, the Outer Lineage's Heavenly Master Attacks

The world outside is getting more chaotic every year.

The Great Sheng the demonic path has unexpectedly given rise to a group of exceptionally talented young people.

Some of them were born into humble circumstances, while others came from unconventional backgrounds, yet they rose to prominence like wildfire in a chaotic world, becoming renowned in their respective regions.

A demon prince emerged from the "Ten Thousand Demons Ridge" in the north. It is said that when he was born, ten thousand demons roared together, and before he was even thirty years old, he had already cultivated to the Seventh Realm of Union with the True.

His demonic eyes could confuse people's minds, and he once single-handedly slaughtered three Daoist sects, earning him a fearsome reputation throughout the world.

The ghost girl of the "Hundred Ghosts Gorge" in the Southern Border was able to communicate with the underworld at the age of seven. Now, at only twenty years old, she has already reached the Peak Stage of the Seventh Realm. She is accompanied by several thousand-year-old ghost kings. No righteous cultivator who encounters her can escape unscathed.

There is also the "Demon Dragon Crown Prince" of the East Sea, who was originally a dragon who attained enlightenment. He was fierce by nature and also inherited the secrets of the underwater realm, so his cultivation level was approaching the Eighth Realm.

In the Western Regions, there is a rogue cultivator known as the "Faceless Guest." Legend has it that no one has ever seen his true face, and with just a short flute, he can command evil spirits within a thousand miles.

These people came from different backgrounds and had different identities, but they all rose to prominence during this era of the Great Sheng of demonic cultivation. Each of them possessed extraordinary talent and dominated the world like a constellation of stars.

However, the Celestial Master’s Mansion of Mount Longhu doesn't have a single outstanding young genius.

The elders of the manor often sighed about this. Over the past hundred years, the Celestial Masters' Mansion has suffered a decline in talent. Not to mention competing with these demonic prodigies, even the middle-grade Daoist sects down the mountain are more confident than them.

If it weren't for the millennia-old incense offerings and the prestige of the patriarch, it would probably have been trampled to pieces long ago.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away from Longhu Mountain, in a desolate wilderness, there stood a dilapidated Daoist temple that had been abandoned for many years.

The temple's statues were dilapidated, the roof leaked air, and even the memorial tablets were missing a corner.

But in this small temple, a very dim oil lamp was lit tonight.

A young man with a full head of white hair knelt before a prayer mat and kowtowed three times to the row of dusty ancestral tablets in front of him.

He had a young face and snow-white hair, but his brows revealed a sternness that was far beyond his years.

He was also wearing a Daoist robe from the Celestial Masters' Mansion, but the style was extremely old, washed until it turned gray, and the dragon pattern embroidered on the cuffs had long since faded.

This person's name is Xie Changming.

Xie Changming slowly rose, gazing in the direction of Longhu Mountain, and murmured to himself, "My lineage has been suppressed by your eldest disciple's lineage for ten thousand years. Now, it's time to return."

He suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with sorrow and mockery, "The Celestial Master’s Mansion of Mount Longhu is no longer the same Celestial Masters' Mansion revered by the four lineages it once was. Do you people even deserve to occupy Longhu Mountain? I, Xie Changming, will seek justice for my master and all the patriarchs of the past."

After saying that, he stepped out of the dilapidated temple.

Under the moonlight, his aura surged like a tide, revealing him to be at the Eighth Realm, the Heavenly Master Realm.

If there were any outsiders here, they would be so shocked they wouldn't be able to speak.

A down-on-his-luck Daoist priest, who had wandered into the mountains, actually cultivated himself into Celestial Master.

He was not a member of the lineage of the chief disciple of the Celestial Masters' Mansion, but rather a long-forgotten successor of the Fourth Lineage.

The Celestial Master’s Mansion of Mount Longhu was founded by a lineage of disciples from four different schools.

First disciple, second disciple, third disciple, fourth disciple.

However, later on, the eldest disciple's lineage gradually grew stronger and took control of the Celestial Masters' Mansion. Under the pretext of "cleaning up the sect," they squeezed out the other three lineages one by one.

Today, apart from the eldest disciple's lineage, the other three lineages have either lost their lineage or become wild Daoist priests who can't even live in a Daoist temple.

Xie Changming is the only remaining successor of the Fourth Lineage.

He carried his sword, descended the mountain, and headed towards Longhu Mountain.

White hairs fluttered gently in the night breeze, like a restless snowflake.

He knew that this trip back was not for pilgrimage, but for collecting a debt.

A few days later, the Celestial Master’s Mansion of Mount Longhu held its ancestral worship ceremony, which takes place once every thirty years.

This grand ceremony differed from ordinary worship. It did not worship the Three Pure Ones or incense, but rather the "Heavenly Master Divine Seal" left behind by the First Celestial Master.

This seal was left by the first Celestial Master before his ascension. Legend has it that the first Celestial Master's cultivation was so profound that he had surpassed the Eighth Realm and entered the Ninth Realm, which people only dared to look up to.

The divine seal he left behind is equally powerful. If one can make it recognize its master, one can obtain the complete inheritance of the first Celestial Master.

Unfortunately, since the first Celestial Master, the Celestial Masters' Mansion has been passed down for thousands of years, and no one has been able to make the divine seal recognize its master.

Some say that the original divine soul imprint has long since been lost.

Some say that it is because later generations lacked virtue and could not gain his approval.

Regardless, this divine seal was always enshrined in the highest Patriarch Hall of Longhu Mountain, becoming the most important sacred object of the Celestial Masters' Mansion.

That morning, the entire mansion was solemn.

The disciples of the Celestial Masters' Mansion donned their most solemn robes, and the incense in each hall burned exceptionally brightly.

Lord Zhou Xuanzhen, accompanied by several True Immortals, personally presided over the grand ceremony in the Patriarch Hall.

The hall was filled with the sounds of Buddhist music and the bright light of candles. The Celestial Heavenly Master Divine Seal was enshrined on a nine-tiered jade platform, covered with yellow silk. Sixteen disciples stood around it, holding their breath in hushed tones.

Chen Du was also there, still wearing that worn-out Daoist robe, bent over, working with several old servants to place incense and candles and sweep the steps outside the hall.

The sounds of drums, chants, and incense burning blended together. Like the other servants, he was respectful and quick-witted, blending into the crowd without attracting anyone's attention.

As the ceremony reached its most solemn moment, Lord Zhou Xuanzhen to use incense to activate the divine seal and perform the "Seal-Knocking Ceremony," which takes place only once every thirty years.

Just then, a cold, deep snort suddenly came from outside the hall.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was extremely abrupt.

Immediately afterwards, all the instruments stopped playing.

Zhou Xuanzhen turned around abruptly, his face ashen. "Who dares to disrupt the ancestral worship ceremony?"

A white-haired youth carrying a sword approached from the plaza outside the palace gate.

He wore an old Daoist robe that had been washed until it was gray, the dragon patterns on the cuffs had faded, but the aura he exuded was like that of an ancient beast that Lie Dormant for thousands of years, slowly revealing its fangs.

All the disciples involuntarily retreated, and even the ever-burning lamp in the hall seemed to be pressed down.

Xie Changming, he finally came.

Moreover, it was chosen to take place during the ancestral worship ceremony, on the most solemn day of the Celestial Masters' Mansion, climbing step by step, ascending the stairs.

Chen Du remained standing in the corner, broom in hand, motionless as if he were frightened.

But his eyes narrowed very, very slightly in the shadow cast by the broom.

Zhou Xuanzhen stared coldly at the uninvited guest.

This white-haired youth wore an old Daoist robe and had an ancient sword at his waist. He had no trace of incense or fire on him, and instead looked like a lonely soul that had walked out of the desolate mountains and wilderness.

But it was this very "wildness" that sent a chill down his spine.

He shouted sternly, "Who exactly are you? Today is the ancestral worship ceremony of the Celestial Master’s Mansion of Mount Longhu. How dare an outsider trespass!"

The white-haired youth stopped, standing precisely at the bottom of the last stone step in front of the hall.

He raised his eyes, looked at Zhou Xuanzhen, and then glanced at the elders behind him. A slight smile appeared on his lips, a smile that carried a hint of mockery and also concealed a resentment that had been suppressed for many years.

"An outsider?" he spoke slowly, his voice clear yet echoing. "My name is Xie Changming. My ancestor who opened my lineage is Xie Yuanzhen, the fourth grandmaster of the Celestial Master’s Mansion of Mount Longhu."

Although my Fourth Lineage has been away from the mountain for many years, it is still ultimately a branch of the Celestial Masters' Mansion. Today's grand ceremony is to worship the first Celestial Master and to offer sacrifices to the Heavenly Master Divine Seal. Is there anything wrong with me returning to kowtow a few times?"

These words shocked everyone present. The lord of the manor and several elders changed their expressions at the same time.

The Fourth Lineage? That Fourth Lineage, trampled into the dust, forgotten for so many years?

There are still descendants alive?

Moreover, how dare they swagger back to Longhu Mountain and appear at the ancestral worship ceremony?

Xie Changming seemed to have anticipated their reaction, and reached into his sleeve to take out three items.

The first one is a bronze token with a corner missing. The style is the same as the ancient one from Tianshi Mansion, except that there is an extremely ancient word "Thank you" engraved on it.

The second item was a yellowed scroll with fresh ink, containing a secret sacrificial text passed down through the Celestial Masters' Mansion's Mansion.

The third thing was the sword on his back. He slowly drew the sword; the blade was dark, but the hilt was engraved with Celestial Master Sword pattern of intertwined dragons and tigers.

"Are these three things enough to prove my identity?" Xie Changming sheathed his sword, his voice low but clear. "If you all feel it's not enough, I can also demonstrate my lineage's 'Celestial Master Demon-Subduing Sword Technique' in front of everyone. However, I'm afraid the music in the hall is too loud and will disturb the ancestral master's peace."

Zhou Xuanzhen's face turned ashen; he knew that everything the white-haired youth had produced was genuine.

Especially that bronze token, which was clearly a token jointly established by the four lineages when the sect was founded.

This young man could never possess such a skill unless he was a true disciple of the Fourth Lineage.

For a moment, he was at a loss for how to respond.

To acknowledge him? That would be tantamount to publicly admitting that the Fourth Lineage still has a successor, and that this person's intentions are not good.

Deny it? The evidence is irrefutable, and all the disciples in the hall are watching. If he denies it outright, he will only appear guilty.

The elders exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with unease.

Their lineage has held the top position in the Celestial Masters' Mansion for nearly ten thousand years, and suppressing the other three lineages has long been an open secret.

Over the years, they have considered eradicating the problem completely, but the descendants of the three branches are like weeds, impossible to completely eliminate.

Later, I could only let them be and stopped paying attention to them.

Unexpectedly, these weeds have grown into towering trees and have even returned to the mountain in a grand manner.

Chen Du was still sweeping the floor in the corner. He paused for a moment, then continued sweeping slowly, as if he hadn't heard anything.

Only he himself knew that what was about to happen would be even more exciting than the ancestral worship itself.