Ye Hong appeared.
He wore ceremonial robes embroidered with twelve emblems and a crown with twelve tassels, strings of white jade beads swaying gently before his eyes.
Each step fell to a specific rhythm. Behind him followed nine elders of the imperial clan, carrying ritual implements such as jade tablets, black jade discs, and ceremonial scepters.
Black Mountain stood beside the viewing stands, his eyes widening at the sight.
He quietly asked Red Wind beside him, "How many Spirit Stones... would that robe cost?"
Red Wind glanced at him. "You couldn't afford it even if we sold you."
For once, Black Mountain did not argue. He merely nodded thoughtfully. "Oh... what if we threw you in too?"
Red Wind: "..."
Throw in your fucking mother!
The Heaven-Worshipping Platform had ninety-nine steps.
Every nine steps, Ye Hong paused while a ritual official loudly recited a passage of the sacrificial address.
It was nothing more than things like "receive Heaven's mandate, nurture the people, secure the realm," lengthy and tedious.
Si Chen found the spectacle rather boring.
He was more interested in something else.
When Ye Hong stepped onto the first step of the Heaven-Worshipping Platform, specks of light suddenly appeared in the sky within Si Chen's sight.
At first, there were only a scattered few, like fireflies on a summer night.
But as Ye Hong climbed step by step, those lights multiplied, converging from every direction.
Gold, silver, and pale white mist-the three forces intertwined, surging and roiling like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, pouring into Ye Hong atop the Heaven-Worshipping Platform.
Ordinary cultivators could not see any of this.
Most could only feel the surrounding Spiritual Energy trembling slightly.
But Xie Changsheng's Dao Eyes saw it.
The scene reflected in his eyes was exactly the same as what