I was the Heavenly Emperor in ancient times

Chapter 12 Sacrifice
The day for the sacrifice to the Emperor arrived as scheduled.

On this day, most of the people of the Ximu clan went up Kunlun Mountain.

The procession, in a grand and imposing manner, transformed into a long dragon along the Kunlun Mountain path, which resembled a heavenly road, slowly making its way up the mountain.

Most of these people were dressed in a primitive and wild style, full of ancient customs and atmosphere.

Ordinary people might just cover their private parts with a piece of coarse hemp, or perhaps put a piece of leather on top for warmth. Some people would wear a piece of jade or a necklace made of wolf teeth.

There were also people carrying a musical instrument made of pottery, or perhaps a leather drum.

He walked along, beating a leather drum and playing musical instruments.

The entire process of climbing the mountain was filled with the flavor of ancient witchcraft and primitive wilderness, but at the same time it also carried an indescribable sense of sacredness and solemnity.

Today, the eldest mother of the Ximu clan is a woman who possesses the status of a shaman or high priest.

She walked at the front, dressed in a clean linen robe with a deerskin shroud adorned with star-studded gauze over it, wearing a grass crown and a mask.

Behind her, more than thirty men and women carried a three-zhang-tall log step by step up the mountain; that was the sacrificial log used to worship the emperor.

It seems.

The ceremony still maintains the oldest method of burning wood to worship heaven, only it is more complex and solemn.

For the Ximu clan, this was the grandest spectacle they could accomplish by exhausting all their resources and mobilizing the entire clan.

I don't know how long it took.

The long procession of worshippers finally reached the mountainside.

At this time, the dense fog that had recently begun to blanket the summit of Kunlun Mountain also blocked their path.

Because of this tree, it might not be so easy for them to climb to the top of Kunlun Mountain and see the being called the Emperor in the future.

However, under the guidance of the Great Mother, the sacrificial procession eventually passed through the mist and entered the altar on the mountain.

The great mother knelt on the altar.

He was saying something with his eyes closed, while everyone else was far away.

The First Mother seemed to be confiding in the Emperor, telling him that they had arrived.

"Get ready to start!"

After standing up, the matriarch addressed the others below.

While the others prepared for the sacrifice, the Great Mother stood on the altar, observing her surroundings.

The earth beneath our feet piled up layer upon layer, eventually squeezing the Kunlun Mountains out from the depths of the earth, transforming them into a pillar connecting with the sky.

Standing here, the grandmother felt as if she could touch the clouds in the sky if she raised her hand.

in fact.

When she was first drawn here by that light, the Great Mother felt as if this place was the connection between heaven and earth.

Even if there is nothing here, it can't help but evoke a strong sense of worship and faith in heaven and earth.

Not to mention now.

The wondrous peach tree transformed into a giant canopy overhead, while boundless clouds spread down from all sides to the foot of the mountain, turning this place into a mysterious fairyland.

Before the Great Mother had even begun to do anything, she felt as if she were being watched by the will of Heaven at the center of the world; at this moment, she felt as if she had been chosen by the heavens.

but.

She looked up at the shadow in the jade beneath the sacred tree.

Although the shadow inside hadn't opened its eyes, the Great Mother sensed that it seemed to have begun to notice her.

In the Great Mother's view, the ceremony had already begun at this very moment.

The sun rose to the very top of the Kunlun Mountains.

The light shone like a straight pillar onto the altar, while the surrounding clouds swirled slowly like a vortex.

The Great Mother had the tall sacrificial tree that had already been erected set ablaze, and then danced around the giant tree on the altar.

Simultaneously.

He began to sing a song praising the emperor in that desolate tone and language.

The man dressed in animal skins frantically beat the leather drum, the oldest musician played a long melody, and the Great Mother's body swayed along with it.

She walked barefoot on the stone bricks of the altar, as if stepping on the beat of a drum, her body spinning as if playing a melody to the rhythm of the drum.

The fire on the sacrificial wood burned brighter and brighter.

When the sunlight reached its scorching peak and refracted at an unusual angle onto the sacred stone behind the altar, the stone emitted a dazzling divine light, as if another sun had appeared on the mountaintop.

"The Emperor has awakened!"

"emperor!"

"Kneel down, all of you."

"The Emperor has arrived..."

Amidst shouts and cheers.

The being inside the divine stone opened its eyes, revealing a double pupil that only appears in myths and legends.

A bluebird flew down from the divine tree, bathed in the sunlight, passed through the tree's canopy, and arrived at the Great Mother's side.

Around the altar.

Everyone witnessed this scene, saw this ancient sacrificial ceremony, and saw the myth return to the earth.

The Great Mother could no longer sense anything around her.

Her gaze was fixed on the divine stone under the peach tree, and finally shifted little by little to the blue bird that resembled a phoenix.

The bird, the divine bird, stood on the altar, its wings spread.

Its enormous figure, several meters long, and its beautiful posture dazzled everyone.

But what the Great Mother noticed at that moment was the eyes of the bluebird, which were double pupils exactly like the Emperor's.

"Chirp!"

The bluebird flapped its wings, and a feather fell from a great height.

At this moment, the sunlight shone into the air, and the dust particles in the air looked like golden wisps of silk. The feathers of the bluebird passed through these golden wisps and gradually fell onto the Great Mother's body, merging into her body.

At this moment, the Great Mother began reciting incantations according to the ritual procedure.

And it began to accept the power of the bluebird.

Then, a deafening chorus of exclamations gradually spread from the altar to the distance.

In the eyes of all the people of the Queen Mother of the West's clan, they saw one witch mark after another appear on the Great Mother's body.

It is incredibly mysterious and full of power.

Her figure grew taller and more perfect, from a human perspective.

But then...

As she gained a deeper and deeper acceptance of the Bluebird's power, her appearance began to deviate from the human form.

The Great Mother grew layers of feathers, and eventually she transformed into the legendary half-human, half-bird feathered being.

Even more thorough.

Finally, she transformed into a bird.

She mimicked the bluebird's sharp cry, and like a bird, she soared into the sky.

Everyone was stunned.

"what happened?"

"Fly...fly...it really flew."

"Like an eagle soaring in the sky."

"The Great Mother has also turned into a bird, and the Great Mother can fly."

Everyone first looked up, and then many people couldn't help but stand up and follow the figure of the big woman to the open area by the lake.

They gazed at the shadow of the great mother bird that had transformed into, their vision growing ever more distant.

The expression on his face gradually changed from shock to anticipation and longing.

Then, it transformed into boundless associations.

"Where is the Great Mother flying off to?"

"Go to the top of the sky?"

What's in the sky?

"Yes, what does it look like up in the sky? What kind of scenery is there up there?"

The human desire to fly may have taken root in our blood the moment our ancestors raised their heads to look at the sky.

Unfortunately, that's not something they can do unless they can also transform into birds.

At this moment, each of them wished they could sprout wings and follow behind the Great Mother, flying up into the sea of ​​clouds to explore the mysteries of the heavens.

However, after the shock, cheers, and anticipation...

Everyone discovered a very important problem.

The Great Mother turned into a bird and flew away. Doesn't this mean that they have lost the Great Mother forever?
Now everyone was anxious.

"Will Grandmother be coming back?"

"They're not not coming back, are they?"

"What should I do?"

even.

The image of the Great Mother transforming into a bird and disappearing into the clouds suddenly transformed into another scene in everyone's mind.

The Emperor opened a gap in the sky and imprisoned the Great Mother in the clouds.

It's like locking a bird in a cage.

Finally, one person knelt on the ground and shouted the Emperor's name, begging the Emperor to let the First Mother return.

Immediately afterwards, everyone else knelt down as well, calling out a name to the sacred stone and the beautiful bluebird high above.

"emperor!"

"Your Majesty, let the First Mother return!"

"We cannot live without our Great Mother."

The Great Mother, transformed into a bird, flew in the sky for an unknown amount of time, feeling incredibly exhilarated, as if she wished she could fly like that to the ends of the earth.

But she quickly realized that all of this was a gift from the Emperor.

She flew back to Kunlun and emerged from the clouds.

From her vantage point, she heard the shouts of her people.

"Grandmother is back."

"The Great Mother has flown back."

"The Emperor has released the First Mother."

To others, the clouds appeared to have split open, and the Great Mother, transformed into a bird, flew out from within. That was the feeling.

It was as if the Emperor had opened a heavenly gate and released the birds that had been imprisoned inside.

The Great Mother slowly descended from the heights, gradually transforming from a bird back into a human form, and walked from the light towards the lake on the mountaintop reflecting the sea of ​​clouds.

But looking up from below, she appears to be descending from endless light within the clouds.

Standing atop the mountains in the light, descending from the clouds, overlooking everyone else.

at this time.

Everyone spread their arms and began to kneel and worship the Great Mother.

He shouted, "Witch!"

At this moment, the shaman they spoke of was no longer a mortal, but a different concept altogether.

The witch is between humans and gods; she is the spokesperson for the supreme emperor, and the keeper and communicator of the laws and order of heaven and earth.

Thus, the first shaman of the ancient wilderness was born.

She originated from the Ximu clan.

After the Great Mother landed on the ground, she came before the Emperor again, grateful for everything he had given her.

She even changed her name in front of the emperor.

It's called: "Great Li!"

She was no longer the Great Mother of the Ximu clan; she was merely a bird that carried messages for the Emperor.

With a letter in its mouth, it travels between the heavens, Kunlun, and the earth.
-
The matriarch was overjoyed, and the entire Ximu clan rejoiced.

Nobody noticed.

Two people who did not belong to their tribe arrived here with the large crowd.

The female priestess and nun of the Hanhuang clan once again found the person who had betrayed them before, and threatened and bribed him to bring the two of them to participate in this sacrificial ceremony.

They were disguised as two shepherdesses and were kneeling in the crowd.

The priestess and nun witnessed this miraculous ceremony, watching the divine stone shine brightly as if the sun were descending upon the world.

finally.

She also witnessed firsthand the sacrificial practices of the Ximu clan, and saw how the Ximu clan's chief matriarch obtained power from the Emperor.

Watching the Great Mother of the Western Mother Clan transform from a mortal into a shaman, flying in the sky like a deity, and then descending to earth on clouds, where she was worshipped and kowtowed to by everyone.

The nun couldn't help but speak up, asking the priestess beside her.

"did you see it?"

The priestess stared straight ahead, her eyes unwavering: "I see it."

The woman said something useless, but she couldn't help wanting to say something.

Her face flushed with excitement, and she felt as if a cat was tickling her heart.

She wanted this power, she craved this power.

She wanted to obtain this power at any cost.

As for the priestess, her gaze was completely fixed on the figure in the jade beneath the sacred tree.

She was absolutely convinced that it was the embodiment of heaven.

What peach tree, what shaman of the Ximu clan, what bluebird.

Everything originates from him; he is the supreme being in this world, the one she and all the witches of the Hanhuang clan have been searching for and yearning for for countless years.

After the sacrificial ceremony ended, the Ximu clan members gradually dispersed, and no one was left to guard the place.

Because the summit of Kunlun Mountain is no longer safe.

Rumors circulated throughout the Western Mother Kingdom that this eerie, misty place could transport people to another world, from which they could never return.

However, the priestess and the nun secretly stayed behind on the way down the mountain, planning to return to the mountain after the long procession of the Western Mother Clan had completely passed.

Night falls.

The bright moon leaps up to the treetops.

The mist that had initially surrounded the sacred trees and jade on the mountaintop gradually contracted, completely enveloping the entire summit of Kunlun.

Although the priestess and the nun hurried up the mountain, they were eventually overtaken by the fog.

In this unusual fog.

Although the two tried their best to stay together, they eventually lost their way.

The first to lose her way was Nuwa.

"The priestess!"

"Where are you?"

"Can you hear me? If you can, please respond."

The nun had been quietly following behind the priestess, but in the blink of an eye, the priestess disappeared.

The woman was a little nervous and hurriedly called out the other person's name, but there was no response.

There wasn't even an echo above the high mountains and sea of ​​clouds; it was as if a force could devour even sound, then engulf your five senses, and unknowingly consume everything about you.

Although Nuwa was in charge of the conquests of the Hanhuang clan, she could be considered a warrior.

However, faced with this power and extraordinary event that no ordinary person could withstand, she still felt immense panic.

"How to do?"

"How to do?"

"If only I had the power of the great geese of Ximu."

This time.

Although she got lost, she didn't completely lose her mind and senses like she did last time.
Stumbling and falling, filled with a yearning for power, she once again recalled the scene she had witnessed when she first arrived at the foot of Kunlun Mountain.

The Ximu clan came here because they discovered a divine stone on a distant mountain peak that shone like the sun and stars.

She came here because she had heard the legend, but the first thing she saw was the sacred tree standing on the mountaintop.

Finally, she gradually approached the sacred tree through the mist.

finally.

She stood before the thick trunk of the sacred tree.

"Sacred Tree!"

The woman stepped forward, stretched out her hand high, and gently plucked a peach branch.

But the moment she plucked the peach branch, Nuwa's vision blurred for a moment.

Everything around him disappeared.

This image came to mind.

She looked up, but what she saw was not the sacred tree.

It is a divine stone beneath a sky full of stars.

She stood beneath the stars, atop the mountains.

Place your hand on the sacred stone.

A pair of eyes were watching her from above, and for the first time, she clearly saw the Emperor within the divine stone.

In an instant, a mix of emotions, including trembling, fear, and anticipation, overwhelmed her.

"The Emperor is watching me!"

Then, a powerful force surged into her body.

She felt that she was no longer an ordinary person, as if she had become one with heaven and earth, sun and moon.

That feeling was irresistible to her.

This is the memory hidden deep within this sacred tree, the most beautiful recollection of the moment it was born.

And the other side.

The priestess walked through the mist, parting ways with the nun and heading down another path.

At the edge of the thick fog, the altar and the sacred stone gradually appeared.

She stepped forward, replacing the drake from the daytime, and walked before the Emperor.

The Emperor had not yet closed his eyes, and was looking at the priestess from within the jade.

"Emperor!"

"Do you remember me?"

The priestess knelt before the emperor, but for some reason, a strong sense of resentment welled up in her heart. Was it only on this night that she could replace the great geese?

The emperor asked her, "Why have you come here again?"

The priestess said, "I want you to grant me the power of a geese."

Faced with this situation, Li Jun was also somewhat unsure of what was going on.

"Is it for?"

"Still not giving it to me?"

At this moment, he used the Bluebird's supernatural powers.

He actively used this power, unlike his later self who was somewhat flustered and disorganized, constantly being driven from one place to another due to crises, using the power of the Bluebird to avoid disasters, and making frequent moves.

Although he was unable to move on this sacred Kunlun Mountain, he rarely encountered anything that could be considered dangerous.

"Chirp!"

The bluebird cried out, and a glimmer of light appeared in Li Jun's eyes.

He immediately noticed a tiny root protruding from between the priestess's hair strands. It was almost impossible to notice without careful observation; she had been parasitized by the roots of the demon tree.

"When?"

"It's too late!"

Just as Li Jun chose the Great Mother, the Priestess seemed to have been chosen by this eerie peach tree without anyone noticing.

If someone possessed both the power of the Bluebird and the power of the Divine Tree, Li Jun didn't know what the consequences would be.

Even from a fleeting glimpse, it's clear that this isn't a good thing.

Terrible.

In the end, Li Jun refused the priestess's request.

"No!"

Li Jun looked down, while the priestess looked up at him.

His face was full of loneliness and disappointment.

(End of this chapter)