Chapter 1716: Sacrificing to Heaven

Soon, Wang Wuxie led a group of disciples to welcome the imperial procession. Zu'an carefully observed and saw that, in addition to Wang Wuxie, all the peak masters of the Righteous Sun Sect were present, clearly showing no hint of negligence.

However, members from the other eight Daoist sects were not present. Zu'an didn't know if they had already departed or what the situation was, and it was difficult for him to ask for details with so many eyes on them.

Upon seeing Wang Wuxie, Zhao Hao showed considerable warmth towards him. After all, Wang Wuxie was the Imperial Advisor and the leading figure in the Daoist sects, and the two had been acquainted for many years.

Soon, Wang Wuxie led the group to the Reception Hall, located halfway up the mountain. He then reported that the altar and other necessary arrangements had been completed at the Golden Summit.

Zhao Hao nodded with satisfaction. He then instructed everyone else to wait in the Reception Hall while he proceeded to the Golden Summit to conduct the Heaven Worship Ceremony.

The Heaven Worship Ceremony is a means to communicate with Heaven. Theoretically, only the Emperor and Empress possess this qualification; other officials ascending would, on the contrary, "contaminate" the sacredness of the ritual.

Of course, his primary concern was to prevent Prince Qi from acquiring the divine essence of the Heaven Worship Ceremony. He didn't want the common people to believe that Prince Qi had also received heavenly authorization.

However, Bi Qi immediately expressed his concerns. "Your Majesty," he said, "this might pose a security risk."

Zhao Hao smiled and said, "With civil and military officials stationed both up and down the mountain, what security risks could there be? Furthermore, the Imperial Advisor will be accompanying me."

At this point, Zhang Zijiang and Wang Bolin from the Imperial Forest Army also stepped forward to claim credit. "Your subordinates have already thoroughly inspected the Golden Summit and all other locations in advance," they reported, "and everything is normal."

Hearing this, everyone looked at Wang Wuxie again. He had been quite respectful to the court over the years and was a renowned master, so it was difficult to object further.

Soon, Zhao Hao, led by Wang Wuxie, set off for the Golden Summit.

Of course, although he did not bring other officials with him, he was still accompanied by Eunuch Wen, a group of Embroidered Uniform Emissaries led by Zhuxie Chixin, and his imperial bodyguards.

After they departed, Zu'an finally located Xie Daoyun in a corner. He quietly approached her and asked what had transpired in the past few days.

Seeing him return safely, Xie Daoyun visibly relaxed. Knowing what he wanted to ask, she quietly replied, "For some reason, the Daoist secret realm didn't open at its scheduled time, and the Emperor's arrival was also earlier than anticipated."

"Those from the Daoist sects were concerned that remaining on Purple Mountain would lead to suspicion of their motives," she continued, "so they left beforehand. Now, only members of the Righteous Sun Sect remain on Purple Mountain."

Zu'an was greatly astonished. "The Daoist secret realm hasn't concluded yet?" he asked.

Generally speaking, the flow of time in secret realms differs from that in the real world. Time typically passes much faster in secret realms; in some, many years might elapse while only a few months pass outside.

Chu Chuyan and the others had entered the secret realm many days ago; logically, they should have emerged by now.

"Don't worry, Big Brother Zu," Xie Daoyun comforted him. "Miss Chu and Miss Pei are both highly cultivated and have always been clever and resourceful; they will surely be safe."

Zu'an forced a smile, but he remained troubled.

Meanwhile, Zhao Hao ascended to the Golden Summit, following Wang Wuxie and chatting with him along the way. However, the latter seemed somewhat timid and hesitant, prompting Zhao Hao to lament, "You seem to have become much duller. The days we fought side by side are still vivid in my memory, yet I didn't expect us to grow distant now."

Wang Wuxie replied, "A ruler is a ruler, and a subject is a subject. The Emperor is destined to be solitary."

Zhao Hao's thoughts were touched. He sighed and said nothing further.

Soon, they arrived at the Golden Summit, where a high platform had already been constructed. All preparations for the Heaven Worship Ceremony were complete.

Upon reaching the Golden Summit, Zhuxie Chixin's gaze sharply swept across the area. He found that the Golden Summit had been largely cleared, with only a few Righteous Sun Sect disciples responsible for the Heaven Worship Ceremony and no other idle personnel present.

He let out a sigh of relief. Nevertheless, he still arranged for the imperial guards and Embroidered Uniform Emissaries to take up positions at key points around the Golden Summit, keeping the Emperor protected at a distance in the center.

Next, Wang Wuxie led Zhao Hao to a massive brazier. Zhao Hao threw a torch into the brazier to light it. The brazier was filled with various precious elemental stones, rare medicinal herbs, top-grade minerals, and other such items.

Wisps of fragrant smoke slowly rose from the top of the brazier. They gathered without dissipating, rising straight towards the heavens, thus conveying humanity's reverence to the divine.

Following this, Zhao Hao knelt before the tablet of the August God of Heaven and the various other divine tablets on the high platform. He expressed his deepest reverence.

Although he was unrivaled in the world, he still harbored profound awe for heavenly matters.

One must know that legends of immortals had been passed down through generations. Although no one had seen a true immortal for thousands of years, he still held a glimmer of longing and hope in his heart, wishing that one day he could ascend to the immortal realm.

When he knelt, no one else on the Golden Summit dared to remain standing. They all similarly knelt and bowed in respect.

Next, a Righteous Sun Sect disciple brought a jade basin filled with clear mountain spring water. After Zhao Hao washed and dried his hands, he took the incense from nearby and performed the three-incense ritual before the divine tablets on the high platform. He then received the precious offerings, such as silk and jade, prepared by Wang Wuxie, and ascended the high platform step by step to present them to the tablets of the various gods in heaven.

This high platform was exceptionally sacred. Throughout the entire realm, he was the only one qualified to ascend it; everyone else stood guard around the platform from a distance.

Zhuxie Chixin scrutinized his surroundings. For some reason, he felt a persistent sense of trepidation today, yet he couldn't pinpoint what was amiss. He could only secretly pray that no misfortune would strike today.

But what one fears most often comes to pass. Suddenly, a deafening explosion reverberated, and the entire high platform erupted in a dazzling blaze, as if a mushroom cloud had risen. Explosions echoed throughout the Golden Summit, and the Embroidered Uniform Emissaries and imperial bodyguards, caught completely off guard, suffered heavy casualties.

"Your Majesty!" Zhuxie Chixin was greatly alarmed, as the epicenter of the explosion was clearly the high platform where the Emperor had been. In that very instant, the Emperor was engulfed by flames, and Zhuxie Chixin could no longer detect his presence.

Although the Emperor's cultivation was profound, in such an earth-shattering explosion, who could guarantee his safety?

At this moment, in the Reception Hall halfway up the mountain, the assembled officials had been respectfully waiting. However, since the Emperor was not present, they were merely putting on a show and secretly chatting via spiritual energy transmission.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Even the tiles of the entire Reception Hall began to fall continuously, and dust billowed everywhere.

Many people instinctively cried out in alarm. Zu'an, meanwhile, swept away several falling tiles and tightly shielded Xie Daoyun beside him.

After a moment, everyone rushed out of the Reception Hall. They looked towards the direction from which the explosion had come.

They saw flames soaring into the sky from the Golden Summit, accompanied by thick plumes of smoke. Everyone's expressions changed: "Your Majesty!"

Led by Bi Qi and others, they all rushed towards the mountain summit.

Zu'an looked at the situation on the Golden Summit and suddenly had a thought. Earlier, Yun Jianyue had mentioned that Gold Token Agent Seven was investigating a batch of missing gunpowder that had disappeared near Purple Mountain, likely hidden by a prominent figure from the Righteous Sun Sect. It turned out it was used here.

Zhang Zijiang and Wang Bolin, who had been cheerful moments before, now had ashen faces. They murmured to themselves, "It's over, it's over!"

They had been entrusted with the duty of coming to Purple Mountain in advance to investigate and eliminate any potential dangers. Now, with such a colossal blunder, it would undoubtedly result in the severe misfortune of their families being confiscated and exterminated.

At this moment, angry shouts suddenly came from another direction. It turned out that Bi Qi and the other officials were blocked by a formation, and they angrily questioned the Righteous Sun Sect disciples about what they were doing.

The Righteous Sun Sect disciples said nothing. After activating the formation, they all disappeared.

Xie Daoyun gasped in dismay, exclaiming with deep regret, "Oh no, this is the Righteous Sun Sect's mountain-protecting formation! Although I noticed it before, I never imagined it would be used in this manner."

Zu'an patted her hand to offer comfort. This indeed wasn't her fault; who could have imagined that the upright Righteous Sun Sect would use their mountain-protecting formation to cut off communication between the Emperor and his civil and military officials?

He looked towards the Golden Summit, thinking, "No wonder Wang Wuxie seemed strange earlier." It turns out he intended to make a move against the Emperor.

However, his audacity was far too great. Although his cultivation was high, how could he be a match for Zhao Hao? He wondered who else was assisting him this time.

And with such a large quantity of gunpowder, he wondered if it could kill that old man, Zhao Hao.