Chapter 238: 法会开场

Just now, holding the mooncake and seeing the bright moon reflected in the basin, was perhaps one of the few peak moments for Emperor Yuande since he began seeking immortality in his later years. Never before had he so tangibly held a gift of immortal destiny in his hands.

Even when he witnessed auspicious signs descending from the heavens on New Year's Eve, it was merely a glimpse of a hundred flowers blooming in the garden, visible but out of reach. The mooncake, however, was something tangible, that could be seen, touched, and eaten.

The moment the mooncake dissolved without a trace in the water, Emperor Yuande felt a momentary blankness and confusion in his heart.

“This… I… this… what am I to do? What am I to do?”

At this moment, the old emperor, uncharacteristically, showed confusion before his ministers. He looked at the basin, which showed no cloudiness at all, not even a speck of mooncake residue.

He had a feeling that once the mooncake entered the water, it was truly gone.

Emperor Yuande looked at the old eunuch nearby.

“Did I not grasp it?”

Seeing the emperor look at him, the old eunuch on the side felt a chill of dread. He repeatedly whispered, “This old servant does not know, this old servant truly does not know…”

“I didn't grasp it… I didn't grasp it…”

Emperor Yuande looked at his still slightly trembling right hand. Then, as he regained his composure, he suddenly looked at the Grand Minister of Rites in the hall.

Yan Chang, who had also been dazed, was startled awake, feeling as though ice water had been poured over him, chilling him to the bone. He feared the emperor's wrath might turn on him.

“Minister Yan, do you only have one mooncake?”

At this moment, how dared Yan Chang speak the truth? Even if he did, he couldn't conjure another mooncake. He could only frantically hold his ceremonial tablet, kneel, and kowtow.

“Your Majesty! This was a gift from an immortal; to have even one such item in the world is rare. How could your humble servant have kept any, or dared to keep any more?!”

Seeing that the Grand Minister of Rites' words were sincere enough, and that he had indeed just presented the immortal's gift of the mooncake, truthfully, if in his position, few would have been able to offer that mooncake.

Looking at the court ministers, all were silent. Even the censors who usually advised against the ritual ceremonies said nothing. Emperor Yuande's gaze swept around the room before returning to Yan Chang.

Seeing the other man prostrate on the ground as if he had committed a grave error, the repressed anger in Emperor Yuande's heart had nowhere to vent. It took him a long time to suppress his irritation.

“Minister Yan, rise. You have truly presented the immortal's mooncake. I bestow upon you one hundred taels of gold and a set of imperial paintings and calligraphy scrolls. Regarding the Water-Land Dharma Assembly, Minister Yan and the esteemed ministers of the Ministry of Rites will need to exert more effort…”

“As Your Majesty commands!” “As Your Majesty commands!”

Yan Chang rose, and he and several ministers from the Ministry of Rites accepted the decree. They all inwardly breathed a huge sigh of relief. The rewards were not important; not being punished was the greatest fortune.

“Court dismissed.”

After saying this, Emperor Yuande stood up, and the old eunuch at his side loudly announced,

“Court dismissed!”

As the old eunuch was about to quickly follow the emperor's departure, he saw the emperor narrow his eyes and glance at him and the area in front of the throne, instantly understanding the unspoken instruction. He gestured to two junior eunuchs nearby, pointing at the bronze basin.

“Pick it up and carry it. Don't spill a single drop!”

“Yes, sir!”

Two junior eunuchs stepped forward, lifted the bronze basin, and carefully followed the imperial procession out.

Among the ministers in the hall, some exchanged glances, others peered curiously. Some approached Yan Chang to greet him, while still others, particularly the censors, cast a cold glance at Yan Chang before leaving directly.

On the twentieth day of the eighth month, the new round of imperial examination results had already been announced in the various prefectures of Dazhen. However, in the capital region, the grandest event was naturally Emperor Yuande's seventieth birthday, which also marked the beginning of the impressive Water-Land Dharma Assembly.

Before this day, cultivators from Mount Yuhuai had already arrived in the capital region, either riding the wind or clouds. Now, in the outskirts of the capital, there were an uncommonly large number of at least twenty to thirty genuine immortal cultivators present.

However, everyone already knew the ritual's procedure beforehand: none would appear during the first few days.

Early on this day, many ordinary citizens with free time, and others who had gathered in the capital from various parts of Dazhen simply to watch the spectacle, all rushed towards the east side of the city.

The enormous ritual platform was extremely prominent. It was already taller than many buildings within the capital city of the capital region, and in the open area of the ritual site on the east side of the city, there were even fewer structures that could rival the main platform.

Ji Yuan, like many others drawn to the excitement, followed the crowds heading towards the east side of the city. By the time he arrived, the area in front was already packed shoulder to shoulder.

“Hey, hey, hey, don't push!” “Where's the Emperor? Has he gone up to the platform yet?”

“I don't know, the imperial guards have blocked it off over there. Maybe he hasn't gone up yet?”

“Oh, this platform is too high! We can't see what's happening up there at all!”

“Yeah, we'll only be able to see the masters going up to the stage later.”

“What's there to see about that?” “It's fine, it's nine days long, and those smaller platforms aren't as high.”

“Hey, hey, stop chattering, look over there! Are the masters coming?”

“With so many strange appearances, it must be them!”

Ji Yuan ambled from left to right, then back again. In truth, it was chattering everywhere, and there was no ideal vantage point. On a day like this, flying into the air would certainly be inappropriate, and there were no tall towers nearby to get a better view. He found himself somewhat inexplicably envious of the 'participants'.

At this moment, the ten-meter-high platform was cordoned off by a large contingent of imperial guards bearing spears and halberds, preventing the common people from approaching within sixty meters of the platform. Meanwhile, the masters who had gathered from various parts of Dazhen were approaching from all four directions.

Emperor Yuande's imperial edict stated that all sorts of individuals, regardless of their background—Buddhist monks, Daoist priests, Confucian scholars, or commoners, from all walks of life—were welcome, as long as they were masters of their craft. Consequently, the number of participants was genuinely large, and they were of all kinds.

Some were monks, some were Daoists. There were countless others in strange costumes with peculiar hair colors. Nor were there a few who resembled dwarves or were as burly as giants.

At this moment, upon seeing this group of 'masters and highly skilled individuals', the common people immediately grew excited. However, there wasn't much reverence in their excitement.

“Look, look! That one over there, his face is painted like an opera performer. Is he a master too?”

“What's so special about that? Look at the one to the west, with so many iron rings pierced through his face! And that one, his hair is like a bundle of knives…”

“Over there, over there! That master has real skill!”

“Oh my, it's true! What a master, with such a large snake wrapped around him!”

While the common people were discussing, the officials from the Directorate of Astronomy and the Ministry of Rites on the high platform were also observing the various masters below from the edges.

Yan Chang looked at these strange people, unable to resist rubbing his forehead. He only felt a little better when he saw an old beggar and a young one in one of the groups.

Once all the masters had taken their positions, Yan Chang exchanged nods with some of his colleagues, then gave the next instruction to the guards.

The officials slowly retreated to their respective positions on the high platform. Numerous highly skilled imperial guards stood at the edge of the platform. Almost simultaneously, they channeled their internal energy, puffed out their chests, inhaled deeply, and bellowed.

“All masters, please ascend the platform!”

The guards unleashed their powerful shouts. The sound waves rolled out in all directions, and many of the masters below felt their ears ringing from the shock. Some walked proudly, others with a hint of trepidation, as they all proceeded towards the platform.

Emperor Yuande, seated at the center of the platform's upper level, couldn't help but stand up. He looked towards the various masters ascending from the other three directions, and the rest of the ministers also rose with him.

“Minister Yan, do you think the immortal who danced with a sword under the moon will be among them?”

“Uh, this… your humble servant truly does not know!”

Yan Chang dared not say much in response to the emperor's question. The emperor didn't actually expect an answer from him; he was merely alleviating the tension brought on by anticipation.

Once all these 'masters' had ascended, Emperor Yuande's expression immediately shifted from eager anticipation to disappointment. He then sat back down in his seat.

For a long time afterward, Yan Chang and officials from the Ministry of Rites read out various matters concerning the Water-Land Dharma Assembly. It was inevitably rather lengthy, and many 'masters' grew drowsy.

“Anyone who disrespects the rites or attempts to pose as a true master will be executed immediately!”

Two imperial guards with profound internal cultivation at the side stood up and loudly repeated the decree.

“Anyone who disrespects the rites or attempts to pose as a true master will be executed immediately!”

Instantly, many 'masters' woke up.

Yan Chang, holding the imperial edict with a yellow background, read aloud,

“May Dazhen's empire last forever! May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years!”

The surrounding imperial guards and attendants roared in unison. The assembled court officials and imperial relatives also chimed in simultaneously.

“May Dazhen's empire last forever! May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years!”

The masters on the platform, feeling the piercing gazes of the many guards and recalling the etiquette they had been instructed on earlier, also shouted along.

“May Dazhen's empire last forever! May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years!”

On the ritual platform, waves of sound surged. The imperial guards below also roared together, enveloping the area around the platform in a thick, solemn atmosphere. Even many common people couldn't help but shout along.

Ji Yuan stood in an outer position, his hands clasped behind his back, looking up towards the sky above the ritual platform. What he saw, naturally, was the aura of humanity.

‘Dazhen still possesses considerable foundation. Even with Emperor Yuande beginning to make foolish decisions, its destiny is far from exhausted.’

Amidst this surge of sound, at each of the four corners of the platform, bare-chested strongmen stood before large bronze gongs, hammers in hand. They channeled all their strength and suddenly swung their hammers.

“Clang!”

The gong's deafening sound announced the beginning of the Water-Land Dharma Assembly.

Following this was the even more lengthy 'ritual cultivation' phase. The various masters on the platform either sat cross-legged or gestured wildly, each in their own way praying to the heavens for blessings upon Dazhen and the emperor. They were not permitted to leave until the end of the day.

The emperor himself and the ministers then departed, some returning to the palace, others to their residences. In any case, what truly mattered was observing which masters, through their cultivation over the remaining eight days, would prove to be genuinely skilled.

The emperor also knew that there were certainly many who were merely pretending to be masters. What he wished to see, naturally, were true masters with supernatural abilities.

Among the crowd of masters, the old beggar held the hand of the young beggar, casting a cold glance at some peculiar presences among the four or five thousand 'masters'. Then he lowered his head to look at the platform surface.

At the moment the aura of humanity surged, lines of calligraphy, like iron strokes and silver hooks, gradually appeared on the platform surface. Silently and imperceptibly, they used the aura of humanity to grasp the vital energies of all the 'masters', drawing them down beneath the aura of humanity and largely obscuring their spiritual senses.

“Rumble…”

The sky had become overcast at some unknown point. Thunder flashed within the clouds, yet no rain fell. The oppressive heavenly might made everyone on the platform, whether mortal or demonic, feel profoundly uneasy.

High above the clouds, eight flood dragons were circling. This lightning and dark cloud formation was not only a draconic magical ability, but largely influenced by the vital energy emanating from the high platform.

The flood dragons high in the sky channeled their sight to pierce through the clouds and look down. On the ritual platform below, which appeared as small as a pastry, an inscrutable calligraphic text glowed brightly.

“Crack… Boom…”

A bolt of lightning struck down from the clouds, hitting one of the bronze gongs at a corner of the platform directly. The strongmen and guards nearby scrambled away, and those 'masters' who were closer felt even more terrified.

Some of the common people watching around the platform, seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder, also quickened their steps to return to their homes. After all, there was nothing more to see for the day.

For some unknown reason, the departure of the common people brought an even greater sense of unease to the numerous evil practitioners and unorthodox individuals on the platform.