Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 91 - 89 Open the Cage Door, Release the Owl God! (Please Subscribe)

Chapter 91: Chapter 89 Open the Cage Door, Release the Owl God! (Please Subscribe)

On Bird Beak Slope, various colored banners unfurled in the wind, and the mountain mist mixed with incense ash and paper money howled past, making it almost impossible for people to open their eyes.

Even though the time for the great sacrifice had been postponed to noon, the sky above Beimang Mountain remained exceedingly gloomy.

Furthermore, it was the fifteenth day of the seventh month, typically the Ghost Festival when the Ghost Gate opens wide.

Unintentionally, what seemed to echo in everyone’s ears were no longer the sounds of the wind, but rather the sobbing wails of ghosts and howling of wolves.

Inside the Royal Mausoleum, within that majestic and imposing Enjoyment Hall,

The main sacrifice of the "Corpse Sacrifice" ceremony had begun.

Everything was strictly carried out according to ancient rites, under the arrangement of these three subordinates of the Prince Mansion—the Ritual Officer, Jishan, and the Ceremonial Place.

Several birds, commonly seen on Beimang Mountain, perched nonchalantly on the beams above, closely monitoring every move of the people below.

From time to time, one would take flight to relay messages to Mountain Lord Wang waiting outside.

The "corpse" seated on the sacrificial altar was none other than Zhou Jingyuan, the Princely Heir of Luoyang, whom Wang Yuan had once met.

He was dressed in a five-clawed Dragon Robe befitting a prince, with a regal dragon on his front and back and another on each shoulder.

In all of Great Yan, aside from the Emperor’s robes, this garment was held in the highest esteem.

According to the rites of sacrifice, ten days prior, Zhou Jingyuan had undergone the "Divination of the Corpse" ceremony and, as the selected "corpse," gained the approval of his ancestors.

Two days before, he completed the "Rites of Purification," during which he could not listen to music, attend funerals, drink alcohol, eat meat, or consort with prostitutes.

He had to discard all distracting thoughts and calm his mind to communicate better with his ancestors.

The rituals today were much more elaborate than those Wang Yuan had experienced before.

"Prince offers the wine—!"

Trembling with trepidation, Zhou Jingyuan received the fine liquor, served in a jade container by his own father, the king.

First, he poured some onto the ground, using the fragrance of the wine to attract the terrifying ancestor residing underground, then took a sip for himself before placing the remainder on the altar at his feet.

"Princess Consort offers the wine—!"

Next, he repeated the process with the offering from the Princess Consort Yi...

After the triple offerings were complete, though everyone knelt and bowed deeply before him, not a hint of pride could be seen on Zhou Jingyuan’s face.

Instead, he glared fiercely at his younger brother—the Second Prince, Prince Dechang Zhou Jingxiang—who knelt not far in front of him, grinding his teeth in anger.

"Good for you, Zhou Jingxiang! You truly are a fine brother to me!

Others think you’re just a reincarnated green-haired tortoise, but who knew you had such schemes, boldly using your own Princess Consort to whisper sweet nothings into that old codger’s ear, just to send me to be the ’corpse.’

Just you wait; once the old fool breathes his last and I ascend to the throne, I’ll turn every man in Luoyang City into your ’sworn brother’!"

Though the Prince was vengeful in his heart, even he was unsure if he would ever see that day come to pass.

"Play the music! Begin the dance!"

As the Ritual Officer’s call resonated,

All male descendants of the Yi lineage began to dance to the Bronze Music, performing the "Four Tribes Music" and "Heavenly Music."

Stamping feet, swinging hips, clapping hands, turning left, turning right...

They invited their ancestors to descend to this place with grand music and dance to enjoy the offerings.

Perhaps the previous memorials of the Ceremonial Place had taken effect.

The Luoyang King, after being severely admonished, ultimately didn’t disgrace himself by having those young girls dress in thin gauze dresses to perform the dance for Yili King.

This also spared Wang Yuan from creating further killings.

...

Meanwhile, at the periphery of Bird Beak Slope.

All roads had already been strictly guarded, with no outsiders allowed to enter or exit.

To this day, the Vassal Kings had already lost the right to mobilize troops from their own vassal states; therefore, most of the forces enforcing the blockade were household guests and house servants raised by the Prince Mansion.

Each of them carrying guns and knives, they looked ferocious and malevolent, yet it was unknown how many of them also held the side job of "Mountain Bandits."

Others were Tomb Guardians drafted from Daling Village.

However, after suffering consecutive losses, the Wang Family was stretched thin with manpower; they had even stuffed many adolescents into their ranks.

Moreover, from the elderly to the children, anyone in the Wang Clan capable of moving had come to Bird Beak Slope.

According to past practice, after the sacrifice, the Luoyang King would usually bestow rewards, and no one wanted to miss out on such an opportunity for easy gain.

However,

As Wang Yunhu patrolled the area, his brows were tightly furrowed. Today should have been a much-anticipated grand day, yet he inexplicably felt anxious.

Moreover, he noticed that a strange atmosphere had begun to spread among the clan members gathered together.

Many were whispering secretly.

As soon as he looked their way, they would stop talking; when he looked away, they would continue.

In the past, such treatment was only available to the Fool of the main branch, but now it has been his turn.

Only back then it was spoken openly, yet now it’s whispered in the shadows, infuriating him even more.

"That bastard Cui Tong!"

Wang Yunhu, who understood where the problem stemmed from, felt an itch in his teeth from hate but was powerless against that man who had vanished without a trace.

During this time, just as "Strategist Bei" Lang Qi had divined, "On the eighteenth day, blood will reach the heavens!"

Although these twelve days no longer required him to descend into the tomb, the days before the great sacrifice in Daling Village remained tumultuous with unending calamities of blood.

And the place with the most deaths was precisely around the residence of Master Ge.

The methods of death were weird and varied; some choked to death while eating, some fell to their death while repairing their homes, and some drowned while fetching water...

These inexplicable ways of death were even more maddening than the bloody means of a violent end.

In fact, neither the effectiveness of "Dead Man’s Treasure" nor "Life-Saving Money" were as domineering as the Rashamon Bone.

Even though Master Ge, relying on the realm of the Red Seal Mage, withstood the backlash of the Rashamon Bone for a short time and even had his Qi Fortune greatly enhanced,

the Wang Family clansmen living nearby fell into horrible misfortune one after another.

This further confirmed the reality of the "Killing Banquet" that Cui Tong had spoken of.

Suddenly, the talk of the Clan Leader consulting a Devil Path Priest swirled around ferociously.

As a result, the authority of Wang Yunhu, the Clan Leader, also began to crumble.

Especially for those families without a backbone, while they professed respect on the surface, everyone was in fact fearful for their own safety.

After all, once the main line of descent that had continued for two hundred years collapsed, they were immediately decimated without mercy. Wouldn’t the same fate befall them?

Consequently, they began to act timidly and no longer dared commit their lives wholeheartedly for the good of the clan.

As morale wavered, the Wang Family’s bond that constrained the Owl God Tomb—the "Golden Cage Prison Bird Formation"—was on the verge of collapse at any moment.

No, it should be said... it was about to break.

At the head of Bird Beak Slope, atop the very peak that pointed straight from the bird’s beak.

Wang Yuan, Huang Wu, and Lady Peach Fairy had already been waiting here for a long time.

Having abandoned the identity of Cui Tong, Wang Yuan naturally wouldn’t hang around these kinfolk any longer.

Especially in such bleak weather, it was very easy to... be struck by lightning if he was with them!

Looking over everyone on Bird Beak Slope, probably no one was more unfortunate than them.

However, by leveraging the myriad of birds dispersed throughout the mountain, he had everything around the Royal Mausoleum at his fingertips.

Chirp chirp chatter...

After listening to reports from five or six flocks of birds, a thought finally struck him:

"The sacrificial dance of the Yi King’s descendants has begun, the Wang Family clansmen’s hearts are scattered, and Old Taoist Ge, who has been hiding, is also about to make a move.

It’s time!"

Therefore, he placed a brazier and an incense burner in the center of the Dharma Altar, lit three sticks of incense, and threw down forty-nine pieces of paper money.

He took out an ancient yellow paper inscribed with red characters.

This was the very Taoist Contract that Wang Huchen, the Wang Family ancestor, had used to bet the entire clan’s life on creating the "Golden Cage Prison Bird Formation," secretly preserved by the main branch.

Even Wang Yunhu was unaware of its existence.

And the reason why the main line had continued in single lineage for two hundred years was precisely because they bore the strongest force of the Dharma Contract, carrying the heaviest burden.

Wang Yuan pricked his fingertip, dripping seven consecutive drops of fresh blood down the front of the Dharma Contract, and then linked these seven droplets together into one with a talisman that resembled a key.

Then he threw the Dharma Contract into the brazier, watching as it slowly turned to ash.

At this moment, the Owl God Tomb, weakened by its own reflection, faced a reversal in power compared to the other two forces.

And the trick of the Fishing Man was to give and take in turn!

Wang Yuan looked up at the curling green smoke rising from Bird Beak Slope and smirked.

With his right hand shaped like a sword, he slashed downward fiercely as he shouted:

"An announcement to my ancestors, I, Wang Yuan, by the name of the eldest grandson of the Wang Family’s main branch, hereby unlock the Owl God Tomb today.

Imperial Decree: Golden Cage Prison Bird Formation, Cage Door, open!"

By his side, Huang Wu, Lady Peach Fairy, and the accompanying large black dog had already run behind the stakes that marked the nodes of the array.

Suddenly, a strange wind rose abruptly from the Dharma Altar and ferociously swept toward Bird Beak Slope.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths later.

Crack—!

A snapping sound seemed to echo by his ear, and the already-teetering "Golden Cage" due to disheartened hearts instantly disintegrated.

The next moment.

In the hearts of all the Wang Family clansmen, a tremendous sense of dread rose simultaneously.

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