On the third day of the preaching assembly, Wang Yang's influence blazed like the sun at its zenith.
Not a single stockade leader was absent. Even the Junior Ritualists of Cheng Stockade and Xiang Stockade had brought their assistant shamans to bow before him. The area around the altar was packed so tightly that not a drop of water could have passed through. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a dark sea of heads, all tilted upward, gazing fervently at the figure on the altar as though he were the only light between heaven and earth.
Clad in leather armor, the Holy Guards formed layer upon layer of ramparts around the altar, their long sabers pointing diagonally toward the heavens, their edges flashing with a piercing chill beneath the blazing sun-
"Our god above! May the Divine Envoy live forever!"
"Our god above! May the Divine Envoy live forever!"
Countless tribespeople raised their arms along with the Holy Guards' blades, merging into an undulating tide. Their immense cries piled upon one another like ten thousand thunderclaps, shaking the earth faintly beneath their feet and buffeting the clouds overhead. Even the distant mountain forests seemed to awaken, sending back rumbling echoes amid gusts of wind! It was as though heaven and earth themselves were answering this heart-stopping power!
The Tribal Chiefs and elders attending for the first time were frightened out of their wits, their faces drained of color. Even Xiao Baoyue, who had witnessed plenty of "grand spectacles" over the previous two days of preaching, could not keep her heart from pounding.
At the very pinnacle of this frenzy, as heaven and earth trembled and the multitude verged on madness, Wang Yang slowly raised his right hand and curled his fingers inward, as though gathering