The Strange Phenomenon and the Sword Swap

"Brother, is it possible for a sacrificial ceremony to be repeated?"

"I don't know either, after all, I'm not an expert in this area!"

"I've participated in sacrificial rites several times, and I've never seen anything like this before!"

"It seems the direction of the sacrificial ceremony is now towards Father's side?"

King Liu Mai of Liang, King Liu Ming of Jichuan, King Liu Pengli of Jidong, King Liu Ding of Shanyang, King Liu Bushi of Jiyin, and others were positioned on the periphery.

It wasn't that they were of low status, but rather that the new emperor and others had come specifically to pay their respects, and they couldn't very well overshadow their masters by forcibly placing themselves before the court officials.

The five kings exchanged glances and whispered amongst themselves.

The new emperor came to pay homage to his ancestors, but it seems inappropriate for him to worship at the tomb of the King of Liang.

However, they couldn't bring it up, since it was based on the sacrificial procedures in ancient books, except that the Liang King's tomb was built in the direction directly opposite, which created a slight conflict.

They can accept worshipping either Emperor Gaozu or King Liang, since both are ancestors, and kneeling a few more times is fine.

Watching the new emperor kowtow to the Prince of Liang, the five men had strange expressions, but they could only suppress them.

"His Majesty is a man who listens to advice; this is truly a blessing for our Great Han!"

Liang Gongwang and others whispered among themselves, while Zhang Xuezhou and Sima Tan also murmured amongst themselves.

Zhang Xuezhou possessed the secret order handed over by Wei Qing, and he would never utter a word that would violate the rules.

In entrusting him with a new mission, the emperor ordered him to get closer to Sima Tan and try to learn more of his talents during the sacrificial ceremony, so that Sima Tan's position might later belong to Zhang Xuezhou.

Zhang Xuezhou was completely immune to the new emperor's empty promises; after all, he wasn't a young man like Sang Hongyang, and had already passed the age of being swayed by grand promises.

But he did get things done, using this secret order to communicate with Sima Tan from time to time.

As it happened, Sima Tan was also happy to get close to Zhang Xuezhou, hoping to become more familiar with the special aura contained within Zhang Xuezhou's body.

The two of them were each fulfilling their needs, and they rarely separated for several days in a row.

At this moment, Zhang Xuezhou praised him in a low voice, and Sima Tan's face also showed great joy.

"Your Majesty's humility is a good thing; it's a sign of a wise ruler!"

Sima Tan spoke in a low voice repeatedly.

As he turned to talk to Zhang Xuezhou, the new emperor also glanced at him casually.

This prompted him to quickly urge Sang Hongyang, Guo Sheren, Han Yan, and others to step forward and follow along in the worship.

"According to the rites, it seems that subjects only need to worship from a distance of three zhang (approximately 10 meters), but is this really the proper way to perform sacrificial rites in this desolate place?"

Zhao Zhou felt there was something wrong with the sacrificial ceremony, but he couldn't say that it was wrong for the new emperor to have people burn incense and worship.

He ultimately chose to acquiesce.

With Zhao Zhou, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, tacitly approving, the officials of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, including the Grand Musicians, Grand Sacrificers, Grand Stewards, Grand Historians, Grand Diviners, and Grand Physicians, dared not raise any objections.

Moreover, this group of people was no different from Zhao Zhou, with many of them being replaced. They were rushed into performing the sacrificial ceremony in just a few days. Although they had read many classic texts along the way, they were still somewhat unfamiliar with this kind of business.

As the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices all showed slight changes in expression, a sound resembling a dragon's roar came from the depths of Fengxize.

Before Sang Hongyang, Guo Sheren, Han Yan, and the others could even perform the sacrificial rites, they felt a tremor in the earth, a faint rainbow appeared, and a light drizzle began to fall under the sunlight.

"Auspicious omen, Your Majesty! This is a divinely auspicious sign!"

The sacrificial ceremony was supposed to be held properly, but it started raining. The ground even seemed to be sinking. This surge of earth energy was out of season, so Zhao Zhou had no choice but to proceed despite the difficulties.

In sacrificial rituals, no matter what happens, as long as the Grand Master can concoct a sufficient reason, it is considered an auspicious sign.

Zhao Zhou tried to come up with a reason, but couldn't come up with anything convincing.

He had no choice but to urge the new emperor to perform the sacrificial rites for the auspicious sign again, lest the auspicious signs be missed.

"You want me to perform the sacrificial rites? I will. Don't rush me like this!"

The new emperor is having a bit of a headache, but there's a good thing about the chaos.

This sudden strange phenomenon attracted the attention of many people. Seeing Human Dynasty stick an incense stick into the sacrificial altar, the new emperor knew very well that the other party had taken advantage of the chaos to switch swords.

He turned to face them, then slightly obscured the view, before gesturing for Guo Sheren and the others to step back.

"Heaven and earth are in harmony, and I alone yearn for it; thus, I revere the Purple Altar..."

The new emperor's voice rang out as he read.

Upon reciting it once more, the new emperor sensed something unusual, a feeling he had never experienced before.

As his gaze passed through the rainbow, he saw a hazy figure wielding a sword fighting a gigantic, snow-white creature.

The colossal creature resembled a dragon without horns, and a snake with four legs. Its massive body emanated boundless Yao Qi, and its head swayed back and forth as if trying to break free from some kind of restraint.

Then came the sound of thunder, and bolts of lightning struck down from time to time, slamming heavily onto the other party.

"Could that be our ancestor?"

The new emperor recited the words aloud, his eyes fixed on the scene in the dim light.

Without the aid of lightning, it would be easy for a giant to crush a human.

"How exactly did they kill the other person?"

The strange phenomena in the rainbow glow are not continuous, but rather like frames that flash by from time to time.

A crucial segment is missing from these images, but the new emperor saw the original Crimson Sky Sword.

The Crimson Sky Sword was plunged into the giant's neck, continuously drawing its blood, while its ancestor chanted something incessantly.

"No wonder this sword twists like a dragon or snake. But how was our ancestor able to grow stronger with each defeat thanks to this sword?"

As the new emperor tried to see more, the sacrificial inscription he was reciting was already coming to an end.

As he felt a slight pang of regret, he saw the faint light from the rainbow drift and fall towards the altar.

"Oh no, this is terrible!"

Although he didn't know what the rainbow was for, the new emperor could guess that these glimmers of light were likely related to the Crimson Sky Sword.

He was somewhat eager to witness what effect the glimmer of light would have on the Crimson Sky Sword, but having just had Guo Sheren change the sword, he had no Crimson Sky Sword to display at this moment.

"Could it be that I abandoned the true Crimson Sky Sword and obtained a fake one instead?!"

The new emperor felt as if his heart was being torn apart, wishing that everything would slow down just a little bit.

Even if it's a quarter of an hour slower, at least he can test and verify the situation.

Now placed before the altar is a high-quality replica of the Crimson Cloud Sword forged for him by Princess Yangxin. This sword contains no demonic Essence Blood, nor has it been bound by the rituals and incantations of Emperor Gaozu.

"It's all over! It's all over!"

The new emperor kept thinking about it.

His plan succeeded, and he even had the help of the auspicious signs brought about by the abundance of earth energy.

However, his fake sword swapped for the real one, which likely caused the true Crimson Sky Sword to miss its fortuitous opportunity to awaken.

"After all the calculations, it seems we've actually lost money. What kind of mess is this?!"

The faint light fell before the altar, then transformed into fine drizzle that drifted down.

The new emperor reached out and felt that the rainwater was no different from ordinary rainwater.

But somehow he felt that something was missing.

The rainbow-colored drizzle did indeed cause him some trouble.

However, now is not the right time to ponder this aspect.

The time had come for him to consecrate the sword, retrieve it, and officially use the fake Crimson Sky Sword to solidify his imperial legitimacy.

"My ancestors' spirits protect their descendants; I will surely wield the sword to carry on their will and safeguard the Great Han Dynasty!"

The new emperor offered sacrifices with utmost respect.

He reached into the box and opened it, only to find that the longsword inside had been replaced with the one that Princess Yangxin had secretly forged.

The blade of this sword is slightly reddish, and the runes engraved on the blade are no different from those on the Crimson Sky Sword; even the pendant is exactly the same.

But this sword is straight and very hard.

The new emperor reached for the sword, then held it up with both hands, finally pointing it to the sky with his right hand.