parentshiftbook Chapter 294 The Appearance of a God, Indescribable
Chapter 294 The Appearance of a God, Indescribable
Chapter 293 The Appearance of a God, Indescribable
The once solemn and majestic Dongshan Imperial Mausoleum is now shrouded in an unprecedented and strange atmosphere.
A majestic and imposing Temple of Heaven, entirely constructed of white marble, stands before the imperial mausoleum.
The Temple of Heaven has nine levels, towering into the clouds. Each level is carved with images of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and countless mythical beasts and birds from ancient legends. Dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, and kui oxen are so lifelike that they seem ready to burst from the stone at any moment to guard the center.
This is the place where the old emperor spent countless efforts to hold that earth-shattering ceremony of becoming a god.
The area around the Temple of Heaven was already packed with people, clearly divided into distinct groups.
On one side is the Western Continent forces, led by the Church of the Seven Gods.
The three angel kings, "Star Forger" Obrien, "Eternal Darkness Witch" Selene, and "Judgment Blade" Algernon, sat high on a specially set-up viewing platform. Their expressions ranged from indifference to amusement to majesty, and the fluctuations of laws emanating from their bodies distorted the light, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at them.
Behind them stood four angels from different churches, and further behind them were envoys from various countries, including the man named Churt, Bishop Anne, and the old knight from the Church of War.
Their faces mostly carried a sense of smug disdain and a feeling of impending historical turning point.
In their view, this was not an initiation ceremony, but a meticulously planned funeral.
On the other side are the local forces led by the Dasheng Dynasty.
Prime Minister Moon Chi-in looked solemn with a furrowed brow, followed by a number of officials who looked bewildered and uneasy. Even more eye-catching were the three martial arts masters from the Capital Grandmasters Association: Ao Jinshan, Dugu Bo, and Yue Mengzhu.
Their auras were as deep and solid as a mountain, their sharp eyes fixed on everything in the arena, their blood and energy hidden yet giving people a sense of oppression as if a volcano was about to erupt.
Whispers could be heard throughout the crowd of officials.
"So that's how it is! His Majesty spent the nation's resources building nine dungeons, all for—to become a god?!" Someone exclaimed in sudden realization, their voice filled with shock and disbelief.
"Becoming a god? Is that really possible? Would Westerners be so kind as to come and witness the ceremony?" Many more people were filled with deep doubt and worry.
"Whether it's possible or not, the Angel King of the Seven Gods Church has personally come to force the emperor to abdicate. Rumors say that the Western gods have awakened. His Majesty has probably been forced into a desperate situation and has no choice but to take this risky move to try and seize that last chance." Some people also saw the helplessness and tragedy in the situation and spoke in a heavy tone.
All eyes were finally drawn to the long, white marble staircase leading to the top of the Temple of Heaven.
"The auspicious time has arrived!"
"Thump—thump—!"
The desolate yet grand bugle calls and solemn bell and drum sounds rang out simultaneously. The imperial guards, carrying banners, axes, golden maces and other ceremonial implements, marched slowly from both sides of the spirit path of the mausoleum with uniform steps, solemn and majestic.
The musicians played ancient and mysterious sacrificial music, the sound reverberating throughout the surrounding area.
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, the old emperor appeared.
At this moment, he wore a twelve-crown crown and a black robe with twelve dragon patterns. With steady steps, he stepped onto the long white marble staircase.
Sunlight shone on his aged yet still upright body, the gold and silver threads on his dragon robe reflecting a dazzling light. Pearls obscured his face, making it impossible to see his expression. Only each step he took seemed to carry the weight of the entire empire.
On the Western viewing platform, the delegates' eyes gleamed with anticipation and excitement, as if they could already see the scene of the ceremony failing, the backlash coming, and the old emperor's soul being scattered.
Moon Chi-in and others clenched their fists so tightly that their nails almost dug into their flesh, their tension and anxiety almost overflowing from their chests.
The old emperor's steps were slow, but exceptionally firm.
He finally reached the top of the Temple of Heaven and stood atop the central altar, which was inscribed with many strange runes.
Without the slightest hesitation, he slowly raised his hands, forming an ancient and extremely complex hand seal, and chanted an obscure and difficult-to-understand sacrificial text.
As he chanted, a hazy yet majestic light began to emanate from his body.
"Buzz—!"
As if responding to his call, the nine enormous tombs beside the imperial mausoleum, each as large as a mountain, trembled simultaneously.
On the surface of the tomb, countless strange runes, which were originally hidden and were cast from gold, silver, jade, and even unknown metals, suddenly lit up.
The light grew brighter and brighter, eventually transforming into nine enormous pillars of light, each a different color, incredibly thick, and containing immense energy. These pillars burst through the clouds and shot straight into the heavens.
Nine beams of light converged in the sky, causing the wind and clouds to change color, and the sun and moon to lose their light.
A colossal, complex vortex, beyond human comprehension, slowly took shape in the sky, emanating a chilling pressure that sent shivers down one's spine.
The entire Dongshan area was fluctuating violently, as if it could not withstand the sacred power that was about to be born.
Such a scene undoubtedly signifies the official commencement of the ascension ceremony!
The old emperor in the center of the altar began to undergo visible changes in his body.
His hunched body gradually straightened, his dry skin regained its luster, and his cloudy eyes emitted a golden divine light that seemed to be real.
A terrifying aura, far surpassing his peak and transcending mortal life, swept out like a storm, causing him to transform from a human being into a higher, inhuman, divine being.
Gradually, his form began to blur, and he was shrouded in endless radiance and runes. In the distance, a supreme majesty like that of a god looking down on all living beings began to emerge!
Upon witnessing this scene, even the representatives from both sides, who had initially been confident of victory, froze their contemptuous and expectant smiles, replaced by overwhelming shock and awe.
Because they clearly sensed that the aura emanating from the old emperor at this moment, that leap in the essence of life, that inhuman sense of holiness, had some similarities with the seven gods they worshipped.
Some grotesque and indescribable horrors belonging to the true form of God began to emerge, which they knew deeply but dared not speak of!
If it weren't for the fact that everyone present was a highly skilled individual with unwavering resolve, merely witnessing the old emperor's transformation would likely have caused their spirits to completely collapse, and their bodies to undergo uncontrollable mutations under the radiation of divine power, turning them into twisted monsters. "This old fellow—he actually—has the potential to become a god." Cold sweat beaded on Churt's forehead.
"What a terrifying aura! This Eastern Emperor has already begun to intrude into the realm of the gods." Bishop Anne subconsciously clenched the Libra emblem on her chest.
"Fortunately—the 'uniqueness' to godhood has already been taken by the gods, and there is absolutely no way it could have ended up in the Eastern Continent. Otherwise, given the foundation and state this person is currently displaying, if he had obtained the uniqueness, he might have actually succeeded!" The angels felt both fear and relief.
Just as the ritual power reached its peak, and the old emperor's transformation was about to cross a critical point, Prime Minister Moon Chi-in, who had been on edge, flashed a resolute look in his eyes and suddenly sent out the pre-arranged signal with his mental power!
"Let's do it!"
Almost simultaneously with the signal being sent, "Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Several earth-shattering roars came from the direction of the nine large tombs.
At the core of three of the large tombs, chaotic energy turbulence suddenly erupted, and the pillars of light that shot into the sky suddenly twisted, dimmed, and even broke off one of them.
It is clear that the core internal structure was deliberately detonated and destroyed!
"There's an assassin!"
"It's a rebellion by traitors!"
"Someone has disrupted His Majesty's promotion ceremony!"
The officials who had been arranged beforehand shouted in panic at the opportune moment, and the scene instantly descended into chaos, as if some kind of accident had really happened.
"I knew those foreigners were up to no good; it was definitely them!"
"No wonder you wanted to attend His Majesty's ceremony; you had such ulterior motives! Did you really think that we, the warriors of the Great Sheng Dynasty, wouldn't dare to risk our lives!"
"If it comes to the worst, we'll just have to fight!"
The crowd was instantly agitated, and even the Westerners were somewhat bewildered by the scene.
They really didn't do anything.
"Pfft!"
On the altar, the old emperor's surging aura suddenly froze, like a punctured balloon, and then rapidly declined.
The radiance on his body faded rapidly, the transformation process was forcibly interrupted, and he was struck as if by a heavy blow. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of golden blood, his body swaying precariously. The divine aura that had just been condensed receded like a tide. Although he did not immediately perish, his aura had weakened to the extreme, clearly indicating that he had suffered an unprecedented severe injury.
He barely managed to steady himself, his once sharp and divine eyes dimming, his face filled with resentment and indignation. Gazing at the incomplete, gradually dissipating vortex of laws, he let out a long sigh filled with regret and weakness:
"Throat—Fate—Fate is so! Defying fate will only result in—+loss."
He took a few breaths, his gaze "laboriously" sweeping over the crowd below, whose expressions varied, especially those of the representatives from both sides. His voice carried a hint of "stubbornness" and "unyieldingness":
"Once I have recovered my strength, I will definitely—reunite the power of the Nine Tombs, and perform the ritual again. Next time—I will never let such villains succeed again!"
His words, like a final declaration, echoed over the gradually calming Dongshan Imperial Mausoleum.