Chapter 467: The Celebration Begins

The bells chimed, countless guests arrived, and people stood packed around the altar. All eyes were on Lu Yang, who was dressed in ceremonial robes and wore a solemn, dignified expression.

Lu Yang walked step by step towards the altar, and those around him instinctively made way.

No one knew that at this very moment, Lu Yang was locked in an internal struggle.

"Come on, let me do it!""Are you reliable, Immortal Fairy? Perhaps I should take over!""I, this immortal, have been worshipped for eons; I know the procedure better than you!"

After some internal conflict, Lu Yang was successfully compelled to relinquish control of his body.

The Immortal Fairy ascended the altar, which was carved from white jade. Her steps were steady and powerful, as if she had walked through eons, emerging from ancient times and carrying the weight of history.

"Who is this person? He looks so young!" The elder generation attending the ceremony were momentarily stunned when they saw Lu Yang ascend the stage; he didn't match anyone they knew.

"I heard he's Lu Yang, the youngest disciple of Daoist Buyu. He's been making big waves recently; some say he's invincible at the Golden Core stage, the foremost among the younger generation."

"Invincible at the Golden Core stage?"

This title carried immense weight. The Golden Core stage held a crucial position in the entire cultivation system. To dominate and be called invincible at this stage meant boundless future achievements!

"That doesn't sound right. Even if he's invincible at the Golden Core stage, he shouldn't be on the altar."

"Rumors outside say Daoist Buyu intends to cultivate this young disciple. He even made him acting sect leader, entrusting him with organizing such a grand celebration."

"External rumors aren't reliable. In my opinion, it's because that old rogue Buyu doesn't dare show his face and pushed his young disciple to the forefront."

"That sounds like something old rogue Buyu would do."

"To achieve so much at such a young age, his fortune is immeasurable! I wonder if this Lu Yang has someone he fancies. My family has a few girls of suitable age and decent talent."

"But he's old rogue Buyu's youngest disciple, isn't he?"

"Forget it then."

*Dong—*

As the Immortal Fairy ascended the stage, the chime bells rang, "ding-dong, ding-dong." The sound was ancient and grand, transporting people back a hundred thousand years.

What the Fourth Elder and his disciples played was the sacrificial music of the Dao Seeking Sect.

As a Confucian cultivator, the Fourth Elder was skilled in music. His flute playing could attract a hundred birds to worship him, a skill he used in his youth to attract countless young women.

The altar was dedicated to three tall statues covered with red cloth. The First Elder cast a spell nearby, pulling off the red cloth to reveal the true appearance of the three statues.

They were the Innate Daoist, founder of the Dao Seeking Sect; Heavenly Venerable Guiyuan, founder of the Immortal Gate; and Sea Daoist Han, ancestor of the sect's revival.

These three held special significance in the Dao Seeking Sect; they were known as the Three Ancestors of the Dao Seeking Sect. When Lu Yang acknowledged his master, it was witnessed before the spirit tablets of these three.

The Immortal Fairy held a jade tablet. With her hands clasped, left hand above, palms facing inward, she performed three bows towards the spirit tablets.

Below the altar, Yunzhi watched the Immortal Fairy perform the rigid bows and nodded in satisfaction.

Logically, even if Lu Yang became the acting sect leader, he wouldn't be qualified to represent the entire Dao Seeking Sect in performing the sacrifice.

However, the one standing on the altar was not Lu Yang, but the Immortal Fairy.

As one of the Five Ancient Immortals and the possessor of the Immortal Dao Fruit, for her to pay respects to the Three Ancestors of the Dao Seeking Sect, the question shouldn't be whether she was qualified enough, but whether the Three Ancestors' destinies were strong enough to receive such homage.

The Immortal Fairy lit the incense and candles. Amidst the curling smoke, she recited the eulogy, her clear voice resonating throughout the Dao Seeking Sect.

"Oh, holy spirits, born in remote antiquity... With reverence, we offer silk, sacrificial animals, grains, and various goods..."

The eulogy was written by the Fourth Elder at Lu Yang's command, who in turn had been ordered by the Immortal Fairy.

As the most learned person in the entire Dao Seeking Sect, the Fourth Elder unhesitatingly took on the important task.

The Immortal Fairy could tell at a glance that the eulogy written by the Fourth Elder was exceptionally skillful—many words she didn't recognize, and even the ones she knew were awkward to pronounce.

After the eulogy was recited, the Immortal Fairy smiled, feeling content.

That was satisfying.

Previously, others had always worshipped her. Today, it was finally her turn to worship someone else.

As the acting sect leader and guest elder, her act of paying respects to the Three Ancestors of the Dao Seeking Sect was also reasonable.

"Our sect has prepared various activities. Everyone, please enjoy the food and fun, and rest for a day. The finals will begin tomorrow."

The celebration process planned by Lu Yang was: Celebration begins, guests enjoy activities, finals begin, and then the closing ceremony.

The righteous path's goal was to use this final competition to find ancient cultivators who had scattered their cultivation to rebuild it.

However, Lu Yang believed that solely based on performance in the competition, it would be difficult to discern whether an opponent was an ancient cultivator. So he proposed holding activities during the celebration to observe the participants' behavior, combining this with their performance in the competition to make a judgment.

As soon as this idea was proposed, it received the approval of Emperor Xia and the other sect masters.

Many cultivators responsible for observation were planted within the Dao Seeking Sect. Some were sent by the imperial court, others by immortal sects; all were sycophants, most adept at reading people.

The Dao Seeking Sect side found it difficult to find sycophants, so they didn't send anyone.

After the sacrifice concluded, a group of veteran cultivators still showed great interest in Lu Yang. Elder Sikong and Lu Baqian were among them, as they were all close Daoist friends.

"I heard this junior has extraordinary combat power. He supposedly disgraced the four great immortal sect masters and injured them quite severely."

"That must be a rumor. For someone at the Golden Core stage to have such combat power, not even an immortal reincarnation could achieve that."

"You can't say that. With the Great Era upon us, any kind of genius could emerge; it's not strange. Haven't you heard that in ancient times, some were born to transcend tribulations, had unmatched cultivation, and eventually achieved immortality?"

"There's some truth to what you say, but I still feel there's something not quite right about this matter."

"Look, Qiu Jin'an and the others are right there. Why don't we ask them?"

"Let's go ask."

Cultivators act decisively, doing what needs to be done.

Qiu Jin'an and the other three had grim expressions; they were looking around for Daoist Buyu.

When the matter of "The Legend of the Dao Seeking Sect—Lu Yang Chapter" reached their ears, they immediately knew it was the handiwork of that scoundrel Daoist Buyu.

After a month and a half of recuperation, all four had recovered from their injuries. Yang Ding's hair had grown back, and Master Jiesha's hair had returned to normal. Everything was as it had been.

"Fellow Daoist Qiu, I heard Lu Yang beat the four of you. Is that true?" The elders approached Qiu Jin'an and the others, asking quite directly, their faces clearly showing they wanted to enjoy the show.

The faces of the four collectively darkened. They didn't know how to respond.

"It's true, but..." Qiu Jin'an nodded helplessly. Just as he was about to explain, Lu Baqian interrupted him.

"Fellow Daoist Qiu, that's where you're wrong. A loss is a loss. It's normal to win and lose in cultivation. How can you defend yourself?"

As a mighty figure at the Tribulation Transcending stage, Lu Baqian's words carried great weight.

"Exactly, exactly! Old Qiu, you always say cultivators should be open and honest, brave enough to admit their shortcomings. How come your own words don't apply to yourself now?"

"This attitude isn't beneficial for your future cultivation."

Everyone spoke, one after another, growing increasingly enthusiastic. They had finally gotten a chance to mock Qiu Jin'an and the others, and they couldn't possibly miss it.

Unable to bear it any longer, Qiu Jin'an gave Luo Hongxia a look. Luo Hongxia understood. She pulled out the Light-Confining Treasure Box, which emitted a brilliant light, drawing everyone into it.

Adjusting cultivation levels required mutual consent, but simply drawing people inside was something Luo Hongxia could decide on her own.

"Attack!"

Inside the treasure box, Master Jiesha was the first to act. Qiu Jin'an and the other three provided cover, soundly defeating the group of elders.

The second update will be at eleven.(End of chapter)