Annual Sacrifice!

Annual Sacrifice!

A heavy snow had fallen last night, turning heaven and earth into a vast expanse of white. Gu Family Village was blanketed in silver as well.

In the morning, the villagers of Gu Family Village used brooms to sweep the accumulated snow aside, clearing paths for travel. The snow had brought the temperature down, and every villager was wrapped in thick cotton-padded coats.

Gu Shaoshang had gotten up early as soon as the snow stopped and cleared the courtyard. After taking the Replenishing Pill, his father Gu Jiu slept longer than usual. Only after Gu Shaoshang finished cooking did he get up, rubbing his sleepy eyes and yawning.

"Shaoshang, the clan will hold the Annual Sacrifice at noon today. The whole clan will bow before our ancestors, and we'll eat together at noon as well!" Gu Jiu stretched lazily and yawned again and again.

"I know. It's not like this is my first time attending!" Gu Shaoshang swiftly served his father food.

"This year is different. I heard that after the Annual Sacrifice, your granduncle will bring out the Talent Stone to test the Talent Physiques of the clan's youngsters! You can't take it lightly!" Gu Jiu shot Gu Shaoshang a sidelong glance.

Gu Shaoshang nodded and finished his meal in a few bites. "If I gain it, I am fortunate. If I lose it, it is fate! Martial arts don't depend solely on Talent Physiques!"

Gu Jiu sighed and shook his head. "Ah, you! You have no idea how important it is! Legend says that a peerless expert a thousand years ago awakened the talent of a First-Grade Dragon Tortoise! He was also born with one of the Ten Great Sacred Bodies, the Indestructible Black Tortoise Body! His defense was unmatched beneath the heavens! Even experts a whole major realm above him couldn't harm him! He swept through the world without an equal! In the end, he established Black Dragon City, which has stood tall on the Vast Continent for a thousand years!" Gu Jiu spoke wistfully, his face full of reverence.

"Ask all the heroes under heaven—who could rival him! What magnificence and dominance!" Gu Jiu slapped the table and rose, overcome with excitement.

"...Father, don't get so worked up!" Gu Shaoshang's mind went blank with exasperation. "I'm going to practice my boxing!" Unable to take it any longer, Gu Shaoshang fled once more.

The Gu Family Ancestral Hall had stood for more than six hundred years. It had been renovated and rebuilt several times, and it was the largest building in Gu Family Village.

Gu Shaoshang arrived before the ancestral hall early. Most of the clansmen had yet to come; only Gu Ji was directing a group of burly men as they bustled about.

"Move the great cauldron toward the center!"

It was an ancient, towering three-legged bronze cauldron, forged at enormous expense by Gu Family Village. It weighed ten thousand jin by itself, and it had been filled with iron sand, bringing its total weight to more than forty thousand jin!

"Hey!"

Eight burly men had hemp ropes tied around their arms and pulled with all their strength! Most of the men in Gu Family Village's Hunting Team were martial artists at the third or fourth stage of the main foundation, each possessing several thousand jin of strength. Yet even they flushed red as they tried to move the forty-thousand-jin cauldron!

"Move aside!"

Gu Ji impatiently waved his hand, sending the men away. He walked up to the cauldron with grunts, wrapped his arms around one of its legs, and his blood and qi surged around him like battle banners flying high!

His blood surged! Veins bulged! Gu Ji unleashed his immense strength, and the massive cauldron trembled before slowly rising! Cradling it in his arms, Gu Ji carried it to the front of the ancestral hall!

"Good!"

"A Life Establishment martial artist really is formidable!"

"He has over forty thousand jin of strength! Truly powerful!"

The men clicked their tongues in praise, all deeply impressed.

Gu Shaoshang watched silently.

"A Life Establishment expert has around forty thousand jin of terrifying strength, but once Xingyi Quan reaches the Grandmaster Realm, it will far surpass that! After practicing the Tiger Form Divine Connection Technique, it can even approach two hundred thousand jin! By then, I'll be able to sweep aside all Life Establishment martial artists! Even a Qi Sect Realm expert might not be impossible to... fight!" Gu Shaoshang recalled the Silver Wolf King from two days ago. If his Internal Martial Arts had reached mastery, he could have killed it with a single punch!

"Shaoshang!" His cousin's voice came from afar.

Gu Shaoze smiled and lightly punched Gu Shaoshang in the chest. "Not bad! You actually killed the Silver Wolf King! I was shocked when I heard about it! Hurry up and tell me what happened!"

A crowd of youngsters, big and small, gathered around Gu Shaoshang and clamored, "Tell us!"

"Shaoshang!"

"How powerful was the Silver Wolf King?"

Gu Shaoshang gave a bitter smile. Seeing that he could not refuse, he could only give them a brief account. Naturally, his flying knife strike had merely been "a lucky coincidence"!

The enormous bronze cauldron stood directly before the ancestral hall gates. More than a thousand clansmen stood in neat formation. The clan chief, Gu Yu, stood at the very front, while Gu Xuanzhen, Gu Xuanwu, and other elders stood behind him.

The emperor sacrificed to heaven, while nobles and commoners honored their ancestors! As the head of a clan, one bore the weighty duty of ancestral rites. No matter how lofty one's status, one could only stand below the ancestors. Even Gu Xuanzhen, a high-ranking court official, could not overstep this.

Gu Shaoshang stood behind his father, Gu Jiu, amid the crowd. There were too many people, and even with Gu Shaoshang's eyesight, he could not see the front clearly. He only saw Clan Chief Gu Yu light three thick incense sticks, each as wide as an arm, then stride toward the massive cauldron. Several men followed behind, holding bronze trays laden with the three sacrificial animals and the Five Grains.

Gu Yu climbed the wooden steps to the top of the bronze cauldron and planted the incense sticks there. The men behind him arranged the three sacrificial animals and the Five Grains upon the high platform before the cauldron.

"Music!"

"Honor the ancestors!"

The thunderous sound of gongs and drums rang out, rising and falling nine times.

Gu Yu stood solemnly before the cauldron and spoke in a resounding voice.

"Kneel before the ancestors!"

More than a thousand clansmen dropped to their knees in unison, perfectly aligned.

"First bow to the ancestors, for passing down our bloodline and granting us life and nurture!"

Everyone kowtowed!

"Second bow to the ancestors, for enduring hardship to establish our foundation!"

Everyone kowtowed again!

"Third bow to the ancestors, for protecting our sons and preserving us in this world!"

Everyone kowtowed a third time!

"The rites are complete! Rise!"

Gu Yu shouted loudly, and the crowd answered in unison!

Gu Shaoshang rose to his feet, praising inwardly, The ceremonial address in this world is surprisingly brief and incisive!

"Haha!" Gu Yu laughed heartily. "Today is the first day of the new year. Eat and drink to your hearts' content! Bring out the feast!"

Tables were swiftly carried over and arranged, while women quickly brought dish after dish of food. Children ran and skipped about before eagerly scrambling to the tables.

"Haha!"

Everyone laughed merrily.

In the spacious clearing, more than a hundred tables were covered with food and wine. The clansmen ate meat in great mouthfuls, drank deeply, and laughed with abandon!

Gu Shaoshang and the other youngsters sat in a corner, cheering and loudly playing around! Children of poor families grew up early; only on the day of the Annual Sacrifice could they play as wildly as they pleased!

Gu Shaoshang and Gu Shaoze exchanged smiles, then each circulated the Primordial Python Star Devourer Record. Their stomachs became like bottomless pits as they ravenously ate and drank! The other youngsters were dumbfounded!

"Have you two never eaten before?"

"Heavens! You're eating that much?"

"Hurry and grab some! Otherwise, they'll eat everything soon!"

The youngsters suddenly came to their senses and began wolfing down food. Unfortunately, they still could not compete with the two brothers, who seemed to be cheating. Half the dishes on the table vanished into their stomachs!

Gu Shaoyou, who had just returned from the toilet, stared wide-eyed at the completely cleared table and let out a miserable cry!

"I didn't even eat breakfast! Ah! Ah! You two bastards!"

Gu Shaoshang felt as though his stomach had become a black hole, with an appetite more than ten times that of an ordinary boy his age! He ate half again as much as Gu Shaoze, who also practiced the Primordial Python Star Devourer Record! Tiny yet ceaseless streams of warmth spread through his body, and Gu Shaoshang could even feel his bones, tendons, and muscles slowly growing stronger!

"This feeling of constantly becoming stronger is wonderful!" Gu Shaoshang clenched his fist, and immense satisfaction filled his chest!

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