Chapter 91: Entry Ceremony

The Meng family members nearby were abuzz. This was the first time in the Meng family’s history that one of their own had joined Yuanchu Mountain, naturally filling them with immense pride.

“Ranked first? Joined Yuanchu Mountain?” Meng Xian姑 felt boundless joy upon hearing this. “Good, good.” She repeated the word twice, then smiled and slowly turned to walk towards her residence.

Many thoughts surfaced in her mind at that moment. There were the teachings from her family ancestors during her childhood, and the memories of her fallen Godfiend companions from the many years she fought at Anhai Pass after becoming a Godfiend.

“I am worthy of the Meng family ancestors. Now, the Meng family has successors hundreds of times more outstanding than me,” she mused. “And to my old comrades, a descendant of my Meng family has entered Yuanchu Mountain. He will be far more powerful than all of us in the future. I believe he will slay far more demon monarchs than we ever did.” Meng Xian姑 smiled, walking step by step towards her small courtyard.

At Yuanchu Mountain, Meng Chuan, Yan Jin, Zong Sha, Li Ying, Ji Yuantong, Yan Chitong, and twenty-one other new disciples, attended by a group of servants, patiently awaited the start of the grand ceremony after finishing breakfast.

“Fellow junior disciples,” the elder man surnamed Wang said with a smile, “The initiation ceremony is about to begin. Please follow me.”

“Let’s go!”“The initiation ceremony is starting!”“We’re finally officially joining Yuanchu Mountain!”

All twenty-one disciples were excited and expectant. Yan Chitong was the most cheerful, running back and forth barefoot. As Yan Chitong was indeed very young, everyone regarded him as a junior brother.

The group moved very quickly, ascending the mountain path of the main peak.

“A long time ago, the initiation ceremony was held in the main hall, ‘Chonghuang Hall’,” the elder man surnamed Wang said, leading the way. “However, for the past few centuries, it has been held at Crimson Blood Cliff.”

“Why did the location change?” Yan Chitong asked.

The elder man surnamed Wang paused in silence before replying, “You will know shortly.”

At Crimson Blood Cliff, there was a vast open space beside a steep cliff. Many Godfiends had already gathered in this area. Meng Chuan, Yan Chitong, and the other twenty-one new disciples stood respectfully to the side, waiting.

“A’Chuan,” a familiar voice called out.

Meng Chuan turned in surprise and saw Liu Qiyue. After not seeing her for over half a year, Liu Qiyue’s demeanor had changed slightly; she seemed more vibrant, and her aura was stronger.

“Qiyue,” Meng Chuan greeted her with a smile.

“We agreed to cultivate together at Yuanchu Mountain,” Liu Qiyue said, smiling. “You’re finally here.”

“Yes,” Meng Chuan nodded. “Oh, by the way, my father and Uncle Liu have both returned to Dongning Prefecture. If you need to send letters in the future, just send them directly there.”

Liu Qiyue nodded, then urged him, “After the initiation ceremony, you’ll be able to choose your own cave dwellings. My cave dwelling is on Jingming Peak. There are two vacant dwellings there, so if you choose quickly, pick Jingming Peak.”

“I’ve noted that,” Meng Chuan said, nodding. He was naturally happy to live on the same mountain peak as Liu Qiyue.

While they were chatting, successive 'clang, clang, clang' sounds of a bell began to ring. The bell chimed nine times, its mellow sound reverberating far and wide.

“The initiation ceremony is about to begin,” Liu Qiyue told Meng Chuan, then immediately moved to the side to stand with her fellow disciples. The twenty-one new disciples were gathered in one designated area.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.*

Three figures descended. In the center stood an old man with white hair, clad in a purple robe. Flanking him were King Donghe and Elder Yi.

“Greetings, Mountain Lord!” Nearly three hundred Godfiends standing on either side respectfully bowed, including some, like Liu Qiyue, who had not yet become Godfiends. Meng Chuan and the other twenty-one new disciples also bowed in greeting, then straightened up.

“Today is an auspicious day,” the purple-robed, white-haired elder said with a smile. “It’s the day our new disciples are initiated into Yuanchu Mountain. Every year, seeing new disciples join brings me great joy.”

All the Godfiends listened attentively.

“Twenty-one new disciples,” the purple-robed, white-haired elder said, looking at Meng Chuan and the others with a smile. “This is Crimson Blood Cliff, the place where every Godfiend of Yuanchu Mountain leaves an image when they complete their training and descend the mountain for service.”

As he spoke, the purple-robed elder waved his hand. A cliff face next to Crimson Blood Cliff immediately glowed, and countless figures of Godfiends appeared on its surface. Each of them was full of vigor and spirit! Some were clad in armor with war blades on their backs, others wore robes with swords at their waists, and some carried bows and quivers. Their faces were filled with smiles, and their eyes gleamed with fighting spirit.

“Yuanchu Mountain disciples, as long as you can pass through the Nine Profundity Cave, you can descend the mountain and embark on the battlefield,” the purple-robed, white-haired elder explained. “These images represent a total of fifteen thousand two hundred seventy-one Godfiends. All of them dedicated themselves to protecting humanity and fighting against the demon race. Among them, eleven thousand nine hundred sixty-eight died on the battlefield, and most of their remains were never recovered. The remaining three thousand-plus Godfiends, though they lived out their lives peacefully, each fought throughout their entire lives.”

“These are the Yuanchu Mountain Godfiends who devoted their entire lives to fighting the demon race. In addition to these, our human race also has numerous Godfiends from Black Sand Grotto-Heaven and Two World Island, as well as many ordinary Godfiends among the outer disciples. They all fought in battles too.”

The purple-robed elder pointed at the figures. “In the future, I will also be one of these ethereal images, and you too will be among them.”

Meng Chuan and the others gazed at the images. Over ten thousand Godfiends stood like an army, each full of vigor and spirit. Yet, they all died. They sacrificed their lives for humanity.

“Yuanchu Mountain has nine rules. The first is: never betray humanity. You must remember, dare to betray humanity… and all Godfiends will unite to slay you!” the purple-robed, white-haired elder said solemnly, then continued, “Now, new disciples, light your soul lamps.”

The twenty-one disciples stepped forward. Other Godfiends carried over individual soul lamps.

“Drip a drop of blood onto it,” a Godfiend instructed Meng Chuan. Meng Chuan extended his finger, and his true essence easily pierced his skin. A drop of fresh blood fell onto the wick of the soul lamp. With a soft hiss, a crimson flame ignited on the wick, and the soul lamp was lit.

All twenty-one disciples lit their own soul lamps.

“Send them to the Soul Lamp Hall,” the purple-robed, white-haired elder instructed. The Godfiends carrying the soul lamps immediately took them to the Soul Lamp Hall. When Godfiends fought abroad, sometimes they died with no news of their demise returning. Only when a ‘soul lamp’ in the Soul Lamp Hall extinguished would people know that the individual had died.

Following this, Godfiends carried robes, tokens, and other items, presenting them to each new disciple. Meng Chuan and the others respectfully received them. Meng Chuan’s azure token bore the characters ‘Meng Chuan’; this was his identity token.

“I, Meng Chuan, am also a disciple of Yuanchu Mountain now,” Meng Chuan thought, looking at the dense array of ancestral ethereal images, feeling even prouder to be a disciple of Yuanchu Mountain.

After the initiation ceremony, Meng Chuan and the other new disciples went to choose their cave dwellings.

“Each disciple can choose any one cave dwelling,” a Godfiend said with a smile, standing before a model of a mountain range. “The cave dwellings are spread across thousands of surrounding peaks, free for you to choose. Each dwelling comes with ten servants; you only need to focus wholeheartedly on your cultivation, and let the servants handle other mundane matters. Choose quickly,” he added, “there are still thousands of cave dwellings unoccupied.”

All twenty-one disciples had changed into their disciple robes and carefully examined the models of the various peaks.

“I’ll choose one on Dongtan Peak,” Yan Chitong said, being the first to point to a cave dwelling on a mountain model.

Meng Chuan glanced around and found Jingming Peak. Jingming Peak was among the taller peaks, and only two vacant cave dwellings remained. “I’ll choose Jingming Peak, this dwelling here.” He and Qiyue had long made plans.

“Snowdrift Peak, the mountaintop,” Yan Jin said. The cave dwellings on Snowdrift Peak were all empty because they were a bit too remote.

“I’ll also take Jingming Peak,” Princess Li Ying said.

“Thunder Roar Peak,” Ji Yuantong said, pointing to a dwelling.

The twenty-one disciples quickly chose their cave dwellings.

“Have you all chosen your cave dwellings?” a woman in green robes walked in and said calmly. “Come, it’s time to choose your Godfiend cultivation methods.”

The disciples followed the woman in green robes.

“When you were in the mortal world, you only laid the foundation for becoming a Godfiend; you were not true Godfiends,” the woman in green robes explained. “Passing the Life-and-Death ordeal and forging a Godfiend body—that is when you truly become a Godfiend. Godfiends are also categorized into grades. Mid-grade and low-grade Godfiends are the most common; outer disciples who accumulate merit and pass the Life-and-Death ordeal typically cultivate mid-grade or low-grade Godfiend methods, as their aptitudes are generally weaker, and they are older, making it unlikely for them to achieve high-grade Godfiend status.”

“However, Yuanchu Mountain disciples must choose a high-grade or even a super-grade Godfiend cultivation method.”

“If you fail to become a Godfiend within ten years, you will be expelled from the inner sect.”

The woman in green robes chuckled, “Of course, you all have great potential to be chosen. Usually, out of a hundred disciples, only a handful, about three to five, are expelled.”

The new disciples secretly sighed in relief. Clearly, their innate talent and aptitude generally allowed them to achieve high-grade Godfiend status.

“Throughout humanity’s history,” the woman in green robes continued, “we have accumulated twelve super-grade Godfiend cultivation methods and twenty-seven high-grade Godfiend cultivation methods. You need to carefully consider which one to choose, as your chosen Godfiend cultivation method will determine the path of your entire life.”