Upper Spirit Heaven.
The sky stretched vast and hazy, its banks of clouds like city walls.
Iron-gray cloud qi unfurled and coiled high above, constantly taking the shapes of savage beasts before falling as cold air and raindrops. They battered the expansive dark-blue plains, withering the vegetation to yellow and coating the ground with frost.
This was Lingsa Grotto-Heaven. Natural scenery abounded, while traces of the mortal world were scarce. Most numerous were the evil spirits that darted about and transformed, resonating from afar with the enormous Dharma Form outside the grotto-heaven.
[Ten Thousand Evils Beast-Demon Dharma Form]
On the stone mountain closest to this Dharma Form, dense incantation scripts could faintly be seen pouring down, weaving an impenetrable Netting. At its very center stood a Great Spirit.
True Person Spirit Sacrifice, the Great Silver God, Yelü Tan.
This ancient ancestor of the Yelü Clan wore a solemn expression, his heart beating rapidly. Though there was no one around him, it felt as though countless gazes had descended upon him. The sensation of being watched chilled him all over, even stirring fear in his heart.
A Bronze Altar stood before him, bearing offerings of cattle and sheep. All were monsters, plainly intended for sacrifice.
Fresh blood flowed along the etched grooves, spreading into a small pit before him and gathering into a Blood Pool that reflected his face.
The gleaming blood rippled as though stirred by wind, yet everything around him was perfectly still. Yelü Tan understood something then. He bowed. "Upper Spirit Grotto-Heaven respectfully welcomes the Venerated Deity."
All remained silent and still.
Yelü Tan waited a little longer, but detected nothing unusual. At last, unable to contain himself, he straightened-only to find that his reflection in the Blood Pool remained motionless.
The reflection watched him, seemingly smiling, and