Devouring Baiyue

In ancient times, Emperor Yao abdicated to Emperor Shun in this very place.

Sacrifices had all manner of rules. For example, the method Zhang Xu had once used to summon the Household God—every rule corresponded to the power of ghosts and gods, calling upon them to lend their aid.

At Li Qi's level, summoning ghosts and gods required no sacrifice at all. With a single decree, countless ghosts and gods would appear to run errands for him.

The main reason was that sacrifices at this stage had pierced through the truth of ritual. Thus, they could be far more free and unconstrained. It was like understanding the principles behind a chemical formula: one no longer needed to add ingredients step by step, but could formulate them according to the properties of different materials to achieve the desired result.

But no matter what, the fundamental elements remained the same. No matter how they changed, those basic elements were still components of a sacrifice.

And among those basic elements, "symbolism" was an indispensable link in sacrificial ritual.

Even language itself was originally a symbolic system expressed through sound.

The "written characters" attached to language directly "referred" to certain things.

Writing itself was an exceedingly direct system of "symbols."

When the word "apple" appeared before one's eyes, why could one think of the fruit called an "apple"? One could even think of its taste, fragrance, and the like.

It was because language and writing symbolized the fruit known as an apple, allowing people to comprehend the meaning within.

This was also the power brought by writing and language. In a sense, the power of incantations and talismans depended on this to take effect.

Symbols were things or actions to which meaning was attached.

The result of expression had to make the other party