Chapter 64: Barbarian God’s Welcoming Ceremony

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“I’ve already discussed with the cultivators of the Feathered Tribe,” Lu Xuan began. “You all should stay in the Feathered Tribe’s village for a few days. Once everything is settled, someone will escort you back to the Great Yan Dynasty.”

Hearing his words, the citizens of Dayan expressed their heartfelt gratitude. After some time, they left with the members of the Feathered Tribe.

“The Demon King of the Panjiang Country colluding with the barbarians suggests treacherous intentions. However, we need not intervene…” “The diplomatic aspects should be left to the Feathered Tribe. How they handle it will undoubtedly align with the thoughts of Panjiang Nation’s ruler.”

The barbarians, using the power of their temple, came from their homeland to Panjiang Nation, intending to conspire with the Demon King to invade the Feathered Tribe.

Although the immediate crisis was averted, the subsequent diplomatic issues were expected to be contentious.

Lu Xuan stretched lazily, exhaling a turbid breath, “The faith power of the barbarians is indeed filled with malevolence…

Though he could refine it with his Golden Core, this primitive belief was both useless and distasteful, so Lu Xuan spat it out.

At that moment, he uttered a soft “huh” and soon, his expression turned curious.

“What’s wrong?” Cheng Lingzhu noticed his expression.

“There’s someone who wants to talk to me,” Lu Xuan replied, a smile forming on his face.

The next day.

News spread among the barbarians that the newly awakened Barbarian God had revived. The barbarians were preparing for a grand ceremony to welcome their deity.

In the Great Yan Dynasty.

Inside the Imperial Study.

“Your Majesty.”

A robed elder hurried in, bowing respectfully.

The Emperor of Great Yan, Su Yuan, who was reviewing documents, put down his pen and pulled over a chair and asked, “What brings you here, Minister

Shang?”

The Prime Minister of Great Yan, Shang Xinyu, spoke, “News from the south. Our scouts report that the revived Barbarian God has awakened and a grand ceremony to welcome him will be held in three days.”

He paused for a moment, “I fear this is not good news for our nation.”

The demon barbarians revered sacrificial practices, with many of their activities linked to such rituals.

The demon barbarians’ decision to hold the Grand Deity Welcoming Ceremony was not merely a celebration but a strategy to gather faith to restore the Barbarian God’s strength.

Upon learning of the barbarians’ actions, Minister Shang Xinyu immediately sought an audience with Emperor Su Yuan to discuss the matter.

Emperor Su Yuan pondered for a moment before speaking, “Recently, the Head of the Sancai Academy attempted to capture the world’s talents to sacrifice to the Confucian fate for his own achievement. Just as he was about to succeed, a Saint manifested, bestowing a light of merit three thousand Zhang high, thwarting his ambition. Was that the case?”

“Exactly as Your Majesty described,” Shang Xinyu replied, though puzzled why the Emperor would ask this.

“There’s no need to worry then,” Su Yuan’s face broke into a smile. “Minister Shang can rest assured, the barbarians’ plan will come to naught.” “What does Your Majesty imply?” Shang Xinyu was perplexed. Su Yuan responded, “Let this matter be. Just wait for the good news.”

Shang Xinyu was left baffled. He felt the Emperor was being cryptic.

He understood what ‘cryptic’ meant. In the early days of the Great Yan Dynasty, officials often spoke ambiguously, a custom inherited from ancient traditions. Emperor Su Yuan had once fiercely criticized this practice, lambasting several ministers and labeling such behavior as ‘cryptic,’ detrimental to communication and administrative efficiency.

Shang Xinyu knew that the young Emperor once studied under an enigmatic master and had likely learned much from him, including the term ‘cryptic.’

Three days later.

On the sacred mountain of the barbarians.

A vast square, teeming with members of the barbarian tribes.

The barbarians, consisting of twelve major tribes ruling over the vast lands of Nanling, had sent their elites to the sacred mountain for the ceremony.

The square was overcrowded; even a selection of elites from each tribe resulted in tens of thousands of barbarians gathered.

Lu Xuan and Cheng Lingzhu were also present.

Lu Xuan, disliking the crowd, chose not to stand amongst the barbarian throng.

Atop the square, a colossal statue of the Barbarian God stood, intricately detailed and lifelike.

Given the aesthetic and artistic capabilities of the barbarians, such a high-level sculpture was beyond their ability. Lu Xuan knew without a doubt that they must have captured craftsmen from human or demon territories to create it, likely consuming the master sculptor upon completion as a celebration of the statue’s unveiling.

At that moment, Lu Xuan and Cheng Lingzhu were seated atop the head of the Barbarian God’s statue, waiting to witness the spectacle.

A priest blew a special horn made of ox horn, producing a deep, ancient sound that seemed to emanate from a bygone era, imbued with a desolate and solemn aura.

“Thud, thud, thud…”

The sound of beast-skin drums echoed through the air, thunderous and reverberating across the skies.

The drums were beaten eighty-one times, resonating with primal energy. At the central platform of the square, Jiao Wushuang frowned. Until this moment, Pi Shan and others had not appeared. Of the four strongest tribal chiefs of the barbarians, only he was present.

“Mo He Ye Sha, Mo He Ye Sha…

Chanting the deity’s name in an obscure dialect, Jiao Wushuang invoked the divine presence. The gathered barbarians joined in, their voices merging into a powerful chorus.

Suddenly, a wind arose, and darkness descended over the square. An immense, intangible presence seemed to envelop the area, plunging it into shadow. In mere moments, the place was engulfed in darkness, the sun disappeared, and no light remained, rendering visibility nil.

In this darkness, it felt as though monstrous beasts lurked, their gaping maws ready to consume them. Fear gripped the hearts of the barbarians, pushing them to the brink of an abyss. Just as despair set in, a light emerged ahead.

On the platform, a hazy figure appeared, radiating a soft, endless light. When the barbarians saw this figure, their hearts settled. The figure’s radiance grew brighter, dispelling the cold darkness and bringing light back to the land.

“Mohe Yesha! Mohe Yesha!”

Someone started chanting the deity’s name. Soon, every barbarian joined in, their voices rising in unison.

The appearance of the Barbarian God symbolized the history of the barbarians. In the ancient past, the Barbarian God created them, guiding them out of confusion and darkness into the light.

Tens of thousands of barbarian elites looked up at the figure of light on the platform, their eyes filled with reverence. The atmosphere of the Grand Ceremony reached its zenith.

At this critical juncture, a discordant voice arose, “Why do we, the barbarians, who contend with the heavens and battle the earth, with iron in our bones and straight spines, need to worship the Barbarian God?”

Pi Shan, Lu Jiang, and Xi Ming, leading their tribal members, approached the platform, their presence challenging the ongoing ritual..