Four Gods Ceremony

"Xiao Ye?"

Listening to the report from below, Luo Tianshen was slightly taken aback before quickly realizing something. He shook his head with a laugh.

He had not expected his grandson to express his dissatisfaction in such a peculiar way. Of course, there was also a strong possibility that the boy simply wanted to torment him a little.

That temperament was nothing like his mother's.

But that was for the best. If he truly grew up to be like Luo Yuwei, that would be the last outcome Luo Tianshen wanted to see. His mother's fate...

Had not been a good one.

And...

"Since he made such a joke, does that mean Xiao Ye has begun to accept us?"

Thinking of that possibility, Luo Tianshen smiled. Though the greater likelihood was that the little fellow was about to leave and wanted to cause him some trouble.

But even if there was only a tiny bit of affection behind those words he had said to Luo Li, if he truly wanted to get closer by giving these old bones of his a hard time, Luo Tianshen would be overjoyed.

What he feared most was the indifference that remained in Bai Ye's heart. Whether it was love or hatred, even resentment toward what had happened back then would be far better than utter unconcern.

What he least wanted to see was Bai Ye having nothing in the Luo God Clan that could bind him here.

Without ties, there would be no longing.

Of course, by the Luo God Clan, he only meant the royal family, of which only two remained.

Luo Tianshen asked for nothing from the others, nor did he have the right to ask.

He had already lost too many rights when it came to Bai Ye. Thus, all he wanted was a grandson, not a prince of the Luo God Clan. That was all.

Consider it the lingering wish of an old man nearing the end of his life.

Luo Tianshen sat before his desk, contemplating the matter.

Since Bai Ye had personally intervened, how could he, as his grandfather, possibly do nothing?

Moreover, some of the advantages and disadvantages Luo Li had pointed out had indeed struck a chord with him.

Not to mention that over the years, Luo Li had rarely made such willful requests...

She was only sixteen, an age when she should have been carefree. Whenever Luo Tianshen thought of this, his heart ached without end.

In his life, he owed nothing to the Luo God Clan. Yet toward his granddaughter and daughter, he bore an indelible guilt.

His guilt toward his daughter had extended to his grandson. These siblings were debts Luo Tianshen would never be able to repay in his lifetime.

Still, he had to make improving the siblings' relationship his priority. That way, when the day truly came for his life to end, they could support one another.

And this time, Bai Ye had actually obediently delivered an opportunity right into his hands. Such a chance was rarer than one in ten thousand years.

"I recall that the Four Clans Ceremony should be approaching."

Under the candlelight, Luo Tianshen's smile grew brighter, wrinkles appearing across his aged face.

All the good opportunities had arrived at once.

He had thought of a fine idea.

"Four Gods Ceremony? What is that?"

Bai Ye looked at Luo Li, who sat across from him, in confusion. Early in the morning, she had brought up a term he did not know well. He had no idea what she intended.

"There are Four Great God Clans in the Small Western Heaven Realm, and the Luo God Clan is one of them. The Four Gods Ceremony is a ritual established long ago. It is a grand occasion for the younger generation of the Four Great God Clans and is extremely important."

Luo Li explained it in an even tone, her expression unchanged.

"So?"

Bai Ye looked at her doubtfully.

Luo Li lowered her chin slightly and hesitated for a moment.

"Grandfather wants you to attend this Four Gods Ceremony with me."

"No chance."

Bai Ye had expected something like this and rejected it immediately.

"I'll be leaving the Small Western Heaven Realm in a couple of days. Whatever the Luo God Clan attends has nothing to do with me."

"He said he wants you to stay two more days. The Four Gods Ceremony will be held seven days from now."

Bai Ye smiled and shook his head, clearly unwilling to discuss it.

"You can't leave. Grandfather has shut down every Teleportation Spirit Array in the clan. They won't be reopened until the day of the Four Gods Ceremony."

Bai Ye narrowed his eyes, and the smile on his face gradually vanished.

"Is he threatening me?"

Luo Li shook her head. "He simply thinks you will gain something by attending the Four Gods Ceremony."

"Gain something?"

"The ceremony is held in a secret realm at the very center of the Small Western Heaven Realm. It contains the accumulated remnants left behind by the Four Great God Clans over the years."

"I don't need it."

Bai Ye stared straight at her, his eyes calm and unruffled.

"He knows. He only asked me to convey one sentence." Luo Li's tone had been exceptionally level from the start, as though she were merely repeating Luo Tianshen's words.

"Your mother once came here. After investigating deep within, she left swiftly. No one knows why."

Bai Ye frowned slightly. "When?"

"Ten years after she left the Luo God Clan."

Ten years later...

When exactly had that been?

"What did she take from there?"

"Nothing, but... she seemed to have gained something."

In her twenties, she had ventured deep inside, found nothing, yet seemed to have gained something.

Tsk, the old ones really were the craftiest.

If it had been anything else, he could have laughed it off. But as long as it concerned his mother, he had to be more cautious.

His mother could not have entered that place without reason. At the time, she was already the Saintess of the Yan Tian Sect. He did not know how far she had cultivated the Yan Tian Scripture, but there was certainly something suspicious about it.

He could not ignore such a suspicion.

To be honest, Luo Tianshen had truly piqued his curiosity with this move.

Besides, the teleportation array was also a major issue. He had ways to make Luo Tianshen abandon the idea of sending him back to the Bei Cang Continent, but after coercion came temptation.

The latter was the key to victory.

He had been completely played.

Then, as though remembering something, he looked at Luo Li before him with an odd expression.

It had taken him this long to realize it.

"You're awfully talkative today."

"I'm just delivering a message."

Luo Li's voice was cold, and her pretty face revealed no flaw.

"Heh. What did he promise you?"

Even if she was only delivering a message, Luo Li did not need to come personally. Xi Yu could have done the same.

Clearly, this girl had been promised some benefit.

Luo Li's blue eyes flickered, and she quietly shifted her gaze away.

Bai Ye sneered at the sight. "Go on. What are the terms?"

"Obtain the Luo God Clan's token."

After a moment of silence, Luo Li finally spoke.

"What is that?"

"Within the secret realm, the Four Great God Clans have each placed their tokens in the ruins left behind by their respective clans. Only by retrieving the token and returning it to the Four Gods Platform can this Four Gods Ceremony be considered complete."

"One for each clan. Sounds simple enough."

At Bai Ye's words, Luo Li lowered her eyes, a rare trace of disappointment appearing on her face.

"The Luo God Clan has failed to obtain its token for two consecutive ceremonies."

Bai Ye frowned slightly, then understood the reason.

They were being targeted.

The Four Gods Ceremony was held once every three years. In other words, the Luo God Clan had been humiliated for six years.

"But you're only at the Heaven Merging Realm." Bai Ye sensed the fluctuations of Luo Li's spiritual energy. "And you haven't even stabilized your Heaven Merging Realm cultivation yet."

The empowerment of the Spiritual Road could indeed make up for the more than a year she had been unable to cultivate, but after crossing several realms in a row, some things still required time to stabilize.

"I will get it." Luo Li's voice was cold.

"Because you're going to the Northern Azure Spiritual Academy?"

"Because I am the Young Clan Leader of the Luo God Clan."

Looking at Luo Li's resolute tone, Bai Ye narrowed his eyes. He seemed to understand the responsibilities this girl had borne over the years.

Fortunately, those heavy responsibilities did not seem to have crushed her. Instead, they had constantly driven her forward.

"I understand. Tell me the specific rules."

Luo Li's brows relaxed instinctively, making her look slightly gentler, though her voice remained as cold as ever.

"You agree?"

"They've got me by the throat. Do I have a choice?"

Luo Tianshen truly knew exactly what he wanted.

And there was a strong chance that the old man had guessed he cultivated the Yan Tian Scripture, yet he had not asked a single question. He really knew how to hold it in.

"The Four Gods Ceremony is a ritual of the Four Great God Clans, but only those of the younger generation under eighteen may enter the secret realm to compete."

"Question: why eighteen?"

Bai Ye interrupted at the right moment.

"Because after turning eighteen, most clan members will head to the battlefield. They have witnessed brutal slaughter. If they were placed in the same secret realm, it would no longer be competition, but war."

After hearing Luo Li's explanation, Bai Ye nodded to show that he understood.

Having received his signal, Luo Li continued. "The secret realm contains ruins belonging to every clan. The tokens of the god clans are located within the ruins belonging to their respective clans. Once a token is obtained, one may proceed to the Four Gods Platform."

At this point, she hesitated slightly.

"The tokens from the previous two ceremonies were brought to the Four Gods Platform by the Blood God Clan."

There it was. They really were being targeted.

But he understood the general rules now. There was only one final question.

"The participants this time are..."

"You and me."

"...That's all?"

"That's all."

Seeing this girl's utterly unchanged expression, his eyelid twitched.

Maybe there was something he had not understood.

"Is there a limit on the number of participants?"

"No."

In other words, only Luo Li and he would enter the secret realm for the Luo God Clan, while the other three great god clans might send any number of people.

Then the Luo God Clan would most likely be targeted by others as well.

Hiss. Had Luo Tianshen lost his mind?

Or was Luo Li about to be abandoned? But even if she were being abandoned, it should only happen after choosing him.

Judging by this arrangement, Luo Tianshen intended to abandon both Luo Li and him.

Tsk. Nothing more to say. The Luo God Clan was finished, beyond saving. They might as well be destroyed already.

And this girl still looked completely unconcerned. Who knew what she was thinking?

Unless...

Luo Tianshen had another plan.

The purpose of this Four Gods Ceremony was not simply to obtain the Luo God Clan's token and reclaim the shame left by the younger generation over the past six years.

It was more likely for something else.

For example... Luo Li.

If he did not agree, Luo Li would be the only Luo God Clan participant in this Four Gods Ceremony. Talk of abandonment was clearly a joke. Given Luo Li's importance to the Luo God Clan, there was only one reason Luo Tianshen dared to do this.

He was confident that at this grand gathering of the Four Great God Clans in the Small Western Heaven Realm, Luo Li could perfectly display the bearing of the Luo God Clan's next Clan Leader. He wanted the older generation and the younger generation alike to see clearly what qualified Luo Li to hold her current position.

Whether her excellence truly matched that position.

Looking at it from another angle, if Luo Tianshen truly had such plans, then whether Luo Li obtained the token or not at the Four Gods Ceremony, she would certainly go to the Northern Azure Spiritual Academy afterward.

First, after appearing before the Four Great God Clans, Luo Li would have a peaceful environment in which to cultivate.

Second, was this conspicuous act not meant to ensure that, during her years at the Northern Azure Spiritual Academy, the Luo God Clan would remember that it still had such a dazzlingly talented and gifted Young Clan Leader?

Therefore, going to the Northern Azure Spiritual Academy was already an unchangeable fact.

But what Bai Ye was more curious about was what gave Luo Tianshen such confidence that Luo Li could, by herself, break through the defenses of the entire Four Gods Ceremony and display her brilliance.

Just because she had only just reached the Heaven Merging Realm?

What a joke.

Eighteen was a dividing line. At that age, reaching the Three Heavens Realm was an inevitable standard.

For the prodigies of the other three great god clans, the strongest among them should at least have broken through the barrier of the Heaven Transforming Realm. With all sorts of extraordinary methods at their disposal, fighting above their level would be no difficult task.

Luo Li?

On what basis?

Still, that was not something he needed to worry about. His only goal was to find the traces his mother had left inside.

He guessed it might be related to the Yan Tian Scripture. As for this spiritual art that balanced his mental state, he had to take it seriously.

Or perhaps his mother had asked Luo Tianshen to bring him back to the Luo God Clan not merely to let him know that he still had a Mother Clan.

At such a coincidental point in time, if he thought more deeply about it, could it be that his mother had wanted him to take part in the Four Gods Ceremony? Was that why all of this had happened?

There was something in the Four Gods Ceremony that he needed—or rather, something he needed to see.

He could not make it out clearly yet. Only by entering the secret realm would he gain anything.

"I have no other questions. I'll go to the Four Gods Ceremony with you."

Bai Ye nodded at Luo Li, agreeing to it.

No matter how he looked at it, he had to make this trip into the secret realm.

Luo Li nodded in response, then rose directly to her feet, indicating that she wished to leave.

This time, she had not brought Xi Yu along and had come alone, so she left quickly and decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

Bai Ye watched her departing figure and fell silent for a moment.

Actually, he guessed that Luo Tianshen had another purpose in doing this.

He wanted to know whether Bai Ye would protect Luo Li properly if she were alone.

It seemed that the conflict at the exit of the Spiritual Road had given him some confidence. He had begun to consider such things.

"He's really lost his mind."

Bai Ye shook his head and picked up the book beside him.

He might as well read.