The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 341 - 153: The Water and Land Ritual, Begins

Chapter 341: Chapter 153: The Water and Land Ritual, Begins

March 3, the Water and Land Ritual Assembly.

The much-anticipated day, at last, had arrived.

From all corners, be it Northern Zhou, Daqian, the Western Regions, Beiyuan, and even Japan beyond the East Sea, people, both overtly and covertly, were paying attention to this day, focusing on the ritual held in Northern Zhou’s Divine Capital.

For this ritual would set the future patterns of Northern Zhou, a major part of the Central Plains Nine Provinces, and possibly even influence the patterns of the entire world.

Perhaps Feng Tianming had not anticipated that a performative event such as the Water and Land Ritual Assembly could have such profound implications and sway so many forces and warriors. But did he truly not anticipate it?

Now, back to the matter at hand.

Regardless of how far-reaching its future influence might be, nothing had yet happened at present.

No matter how many sensitive nerves this Water and Land Ritual Assembly might touch, no one slated to appear had arrived just yet.

The full name of the Water and Land Ritual Assembly is "Sacred and Profane Water and Land Universal Salvation Grand Assembly", where Water and Land refer to the realms where all beings receive their retributions—the three realms of water, land, and air. Among them, the realms of water and land carry particularly heavy suffering, hence the name.

However, Water and Land are not the main focus; the Grand Fast is. It involves offerings to the "Three Jewels" of Buddhism: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and equally benefits all beings, including hungry ghosts. The Grand Fast aims to alleviate the suffering of innumerable beings across the Six Paths, eliminate the painful karma of ghosts, allowing them to relinquish their ghostly forms and be reborn in Heaven.

Put simply, it’s about inviting ghosts to a feast, and after they’ve eaten their fill, urging them to go and be reincarnated.

This Water and Land Ritual Assembly aimed to liberate and guide the souls of soldiers who had died at Kuocang Pass over the past decades.

The venue for the ritual was set up in the plaza in front of the Imperial Palace. Typically, such a ritual would be held at famous temple sites or Buddhist sacred places, but the Esoteric Sect had been away from the Central Plains for hundreds of years—where would they find a famous temple in the Central Plains?

Moreover, since this was essentially a performance, why not hold it in front of the Imperial Palace? It could also utilize the Great Formation surrounding Northern Zhou Imperial City—the Nine Dragon Sky Array.

The Nine Dragon Sky Array of the Northern Zhou Imperial Palace was the foundation of the Northern Zhou state, gathering the Dragon Vein of the Northern Land and possessing endless might. It was with this Array that Northern Zhou managed to continue the Dragon Vein from the fading Great Zhou and sprout anew.

Having said so much, it was time to begin.

In front of the Imperial City, a Magic Altar had been constructed over several days by thousands of craftsmen.

Many Esoteric Sect monks, carrying ritual drums and cymbals, and surrounded by banners and precious covers, slowly approached, escorting an old monk draped in a Purple Gold Kasaya and wearing a Virochana Crown.

This old monk was none other than Zuicheng, who had been secretly residing in the Imperial Palace as a high-ranking practitioner of the Esoteric Realm for the past two months. Now, in his splendid Purple Gold Kasaya and Virochana Crown, he truly looked dignified and divine.

As he approached the Magic Altar, the monks holding the ritual drums and cymbals stopped, lining up on either side.

Monk Zuicheng chanted the Buddha’s name: "Amitabha."

Then, he sat down cross-legged directly below the altar, landing on a golden lotus that miraculously appeared out of nowhere.

Afterwards, this lotus slowly ascended, carrying Zuicheng towards the center of the Magic Altar.

During this process, Heavenly Falling Golden Flower and Earth Bursting Golden Lotus manifested, with true divine sounds filling the air. Monk Zuicheng, seated on the golden lotus, appeared as a true Buddha incarnate, causing many onlookers and lower-tier martial artists to kneel and pray devoutly.

This alone planted the seed of faith in many hearts.

"This truly is... one might say almost like a deity," Qing Yu admired this scene from atop a towering mountain outside the Divine Capital.

Although involved in the previous two battles in the Divinity Realm, Qing Yu, relying on his keen mind and agile maneuvers, had perfectly avoided the major conflicts without even catching a glimpse of them.

This was also Qing Yu’s first time witnessing the awe-inspiring power of a warrior at the Divinity Realm. It was undeniable, the few techniques displayed by Monk Zuicheng already seemed to surpass the range of ordinary humans in Qing Yu’s eyes.

"A warrior of the Divinity Realm indeed stands extraordinary," Qing Yu remarked after saying this. He then pushed his "Heavenly Son’s Qi Observation Skill" to its limit, intently peering towards the scenes unfolding in the Divine Capital.

Although this might alert others to his gaze, given that many others stronger than Qing Yu were also watching Zuicheng, unless the monk was incredibly petty, he wouldn’t bother about a distant, harmless ’ant’ like Qing Yu.

He didn’t have any spare energy to focus elsewhere anyway because the enemies he was waiting for had arrived.

Logically, the Water and Land Ritual Assembly could last as briefly as seven days or as long as forty-nine days, but Zuicheng’s adversaries wouldn’t give him time to gather followers and expand the religious influence.

They had specifically waited for today, for the commencement of this assembly, wishing to expose the big fish and catch all members of the Esoteric Sect in one go.

Now, the big fish had appeared, and those hidden observers struck.

Another set of divine chants eerily arose from thin air, originating from the same source as the earlier sounds yet completely incompatible. As the chants passed, the golden flowers and lotuses dissipated, and an immense, invisible force descended from the sky, heavily pressing on the hearts of all below.

"Monk Xin Wen from the Great Zen Temple’s Moke Courtyard, having arrived, why not show yourself?" Zuicheng, with a boost of energy, swiftly dissipated the invisible force and called out loud.

"Unexpectedly, the Esoteric Sect seems quite informed about the matters of my Great Zen Temple, indicating early ambitions to invade the Central Plains," came an echoing, hollow voice.

Accompanying this voice, a middle-aged monk wearing a gray robe and holding a string of rosewood Buddhist beads appeared out of thin air, as if he had always been standing there.

"Amitabha, Master Xin Wen, as the head of the Moke Courtyard of the Great Zen Temple, your reputation is well-known even to a humble monk like me residing overseas; how could there be any talk of harboring early ambitions?"

Zuicheng smoothly responded, "Besides, we of the Esoteric Sect also hail from the Central Plains, having left for overseas hundreds of years ago only. An invasion narrative hardly holds. We too are people of the Central Plains; how could there be talk of us invading our own land?"

"People of the Central Plains, is that really so? Centuries have passed. The old Great Zhou is long gone, replaced by a new dynasty. Even someone at the Divinity Realm couldn’t endure such an extended period. You were born overseas, raised overseas, and have become one with the local area; how can you still claim to be from the Central Plains?" Xin Wen questioned.

What was strange was that both were high-ranking monks, yet their conversation contained no cryptic jargon nor did they debate Buddhist teachings, which was completely unexpected to the observers.

After all, Buddhists were most skilled at eloquent and convincing oratory; in terms of verbal argument, perhaps only the long-extinct School of Logics could compare.

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