Chapter 1613: Auspicious Deer

It was June fifteenth. The dragon is soaring in the sky, and all under the heavens are blessed with good tidings.

When the first light of dawn broke through the clouds, a bell rang nine times in a row in the sky of the imperial capital. Then, a whip cracked five times in a row like thunderclaps. The noises spread to every corner of the imperial capital.

There were many generic titles an emperor went by, and one of the general ones was “Nine-Five Supreme”. Hence, this noise was made for the sake of the emperor.

It meant that Chu’s coronation ceremony was about to begin.

Today’s coronation ceremony was different from the past ones though. In the past, the ceremony would take place inside the imperial palace.

On the second day, the emperor would travel to the Altar of Heavens to make an offering to the heavens. It was known as the Sacrifice to Heavens Ritual. It was to pray for the heavens’ blessings and to receive their divine right to rule.

And on the third day, the emperor would travel to the Altar of Earth to make an offering to the earth. It was known as the Sacrifice to Earth Ritual. It was to request favorable weather and freedom from illnesses and disasters.

This time though, the ceremony skipped over the convoluted parts and took place directly at the Altar of Heavens. In other words, the ceremony would be taking place at the same time as the Sacrifice to Heavens Ritual.

Although this latest coronation ceremony felt simplified and even slovenly compared to the past ceremonies, it was one that everyone in the realm was looking forward to, and everyone in the world was paying attention to.

It was because the emperors of Yan, Wei, Qi, Nanjiang, Snowa and more weren’t the only ones who were invited to attend. The warriors of the

wulin

and the heroes of the world were invited as well.

It was because the renowned and acclaimed Chief Libationist would be personally crowning the new emperor and conducting the Sacrifice to Heavens Ritual.

Considering the scale and influence of this coronation ceremony, it was only natural that it was expected and seen by all.

Chu’s Altar of Heavens was located at the outskirts east of the imperial capital. It occupied a lot of space. It had two altars known as Pray to Heavens and Respect the Gods, though Pray to Heavens was the main altar.

The Pray to Heavens Altar had a square outer border and a circular inner border. It was circular up top and square down below. It meant that the sky was round, and the earth was square.

There were eight stone paths stretching toward the east, west, north and south. They were known as the Heaven Climbing Roads. Each road had ninety-nine steps to signify that nine was the ultimate number, and that one was climbing up to the nine heavens.

At the end of the Heaven Climbing Roads was a stone door. It was called the Spirit Door. The four symbols of the Heavenly Enclosure and the Twenty Eight Constellations were engraved on the altar’s surface. It was a representation of the infinite cosmos.

At the center was a stone tablet known as the Sun and Moon Tablet. It meant that the sun and moon were eternal in this enclosure of heaven and earth.

Right now, the Altar of Heavens was surrounded by people. There were commoners, officials, nobles, scholars, even

jianghu

ruffians among them.

Of course, these people were standing at the periphery of the Altar of Heavens. For one, the inner ring could only accommodate so many people. And two, the inner ring was specifically prepared for certain honored guests.

That said, the inner altar area was taller than the outer altar area. The inner altar area was covered in restrictions as well. It allowed those in the outer ring to clearly see and hear what was going inside the inner altar area.

Thang... thang... thang...

It was twelve in the noon when a chime rang three times, and a warm, amiable voice resounded, “The Sacrifice to Heavens Ceremony is about to begin. Honored guests, please enter the altar to witness the ceremony!” The voice was neither loud nor high-pitched; dignified or stern. However, it was solemn and clearly heard by everyone.

“It’s the Chief Libationist...”

“The Chief Libationist has arrived...”

When the voice appeared, everyone outside the Altar of Heavens stood on their tiptoes and looked at the inner altar area with anticipation.

At the same time, a silhouette appeared at the center of the Altar of Heavens and in front of the Sun and Moon Tablet.

Normally, the Chief Libationist was dressed in hemp garments and wore his head loosely. But today, he was wearing a tall hat, a wide belt, and a scholarly robe. He looked refined and sagely.

The moment the Chief Libationist appeared, a white deer riding a cloud galloped down from the sky.

The white deer had two curvy horns that looked like plum blossoms. Its body was slender and flawless white like a jade stone. It had long, slender limbs, and its hoofs were supported by auspicious clouds. It looked beautiful and elegant, noble and mysterious.

When the white deer showed up, what felt like a gust of wind blew past everyone’s face. Their fatigue was immediately swept away.

“Is that... the legendary Auspicious Deer?”

“Horns like plum blossoms, body like jade. It stands on auspicious clouds. Yes, it’s the Auspicious Deer!” Loud, excited murmurs broke out everywhere. Legend had it that there existed an auspicious beast in the world who knew fortune and misfortune and recognized auspiciousness and inauspiciousness. They called it the Auspicious Deer. Its horns resembled plum blossoms, and its body was white and flawless like jade. It was surrounded by auspicious clouds and accompanied by a clear wind. Whenever it descended to the mortal realm, all within its vicinity were blessed with good luck and blessings.

The Auspicious Deer walked up to the Chief Libationist and let out a long bleat. It permeated everyone’s heart like a stream and silenced the entire place in an instant.

“Reverend Floating Cloud of Floating Cloud Monastery has arrived.”

The next moment, the Auspicious Deer opened its mouth and spoke the human language.

When it finished, a Taoist with white hair and beard but a face as perfect as a baby’s descended from the sky. The clouds were vast and stretched from end to end. For a time, only clouds could be seen in the sky and on the ground.

Slowly, the endless sea of clouds condensed into a single cloud and landed beneath the Taoist’s feet. After the Taoist had landed on the Altar of Heavens, he performed a jishou to the Chief Libationist.

The Chief Libationist nodded in response. “Please take a seat, Reverend.”

“It’s Floating Cloud...”

“To think that Floating Cloud would show up in person...”

It was only after the Chief Libationist spoke up that the people were snapped out of their reverie. Once again, loud murmurs broke out of the crowd watching the ceremony from the outer altar area.

Before they could say more, the Auspicious Deer opened its mouth once more. “Turtleman of the Eastern Sea Celestial Sect has arrived.”

What sounded like the roaring ocean waves came from the distant horizon. The next moment, a gigantic turtle accompanied by titanic sea waves slowly made its way toward the altar.

“Ahhhh!!!” Thinking that the sea waves were going to engulf them all, some people cried out in shock and terror.

However, the sea waves passed harmlessly through them. Not only did it fail to hurt a hair on their person, everyone felt cool and refreshed from head to toe.

The sea waves disappeared, and the gigantic turtle slowly shrank in size. It was only then they noticed that a man wearing a woven rush raincoat and a bamboo conical hat was sitting on the turtle.

The man was thin, dark-skinned, and weathered like a fisherman who had endured decades of wind, sun, and sea waves.

However, anyone who had heard of the Turtleman and the Eastern Sea Celestial Sect dared not underestimate him in the slightest.

It was because the Eastern Sea celestial Sect was the greatest sect in the eastern sea, and Turtleman their greatest champion and a famous Sage on the Heavenly Champions Ranking.

Turtleman saluted the Chief Libationist before sitting down beside Taoist Floating Cloud.

“Xuanying Trueman of Purity Sword has arrived.”

Flower petals suddenly scattered like the rain and danced along with the wind. It was like a gust of wind that blew up a forest of pear blossoms and filled the entire world with beautiful colors.

However, the petals were not real petals. They were illusions created from sword qi and sword light. Therefore, the sea of petals were really a sea of sword qi.

It was the Sword of Falling Petals and Colors of Purity Sword, so the newcomer could only be the sect master of Purity Sword, Xuanying Trueman.

The petals were still falling when a handsome-looking woman wearing a white dress landed on the Altar of heavens. She looked to be in her thirties.

The woman was Xuanying Trueman, and she was the sect master of Purity Sword. She was also the only female sect master of the Five Profound Sects.

Xuanying Trueman saluted the Chief Libationist before retreating to the side as well.

“Mister Stream Stepping of the Sea Horizon Pavilion has arrived.”

Taoist Floating Cloud, Turtleman and Xuanying Trueman all made a magnificent appearance, but Mister Stream Stepping simply rode out of the crowd on a blue donkey.