These were the princes and princesses of the imperial clan, although not all of them. They were only a small group who represented the whole.
In front of that group were two old men whose hands were tucked into the opposite sleeves of their voluminous robes. They were stooped over, and didn’t seem very impressive, and yet there was something very sinister about them.
Beyond the two old men, at the very end of the hall, were two thrones, one large and one small. The large throne was completely golden in color, and was of course the dragon throne. Sitting upon it was a middle-aged man wearing imperial robes and an imperial crown.
Although it was impossible to make out his features clearly at first, there was something grand and noble about him; his appearance, coupled with the chanting roar of the dragons, made him truly seem like the most paragon entity in all creation!
This god-like figure was none other than the reigning Arch-Emperor!
Bai Xiaochun was shaken. Although he couldn’t make out the expression on the face of the Arch-Emperor, he could sense the man’s eyes. They seemed to contain stars and heavenly bodies, and were the type that would leave a person’s mind reeling to simply gaze upon them.
However, that sensation quickly passed as his gaze was drawn to the smaller throne. Although that throne was smaller, it was actually placed on a higher level than the Dragon Throne itself!
It was pitch-black, and seemingly ordinary in all aspects. It was empty at the moment, but everyone in the square, including all of the ministers and generals of the imperial court, were all looking at it!
That throne… belonged to the Grand Heavenmaster!
Even as everyone stared at that black throne, one of the stooped old men called out in a piercing voice, “Grand Heavenmaster, your presence is requested!”
As his voice rang out, the clouds above seethed, and the enormous dragon that had been so curious about Bai Xiaochun in the past suddenly lowered its head. Then it roared, a roar that suppressed the call of the nine dragons down below as, at the same time, the Grand Heavenmaster mysteriously appeared on the black throne!
Everyone present was shaken, even the heavenly dukes. Simultaneously, they all averted their gazes, clasped hands, and bowed.
“Greetings, Grand Heavenmaster! Greetings, Arch-Emperor!”
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Chapter
774: Your Majesty, I Snatched A Deva Soul!
The thousands of people gathered outside of the hall clasped hands in formal greeting, their voices ringing out to shake heaven and earth.
Inside the hall, the second prince and the other members of the imperial clan didn’t dare to reveal a trace of defiance, and also offered formal greetings.
Only the Arch-Emperor himself didn’t join in. His hands tightened onto the arms of the dragon throne for a moment, but then relaxed.
As for Bai Xiaochun, he was measuring up both the Arch-Emperor and the Grand Heavenmaster.
“So, this is the Arch-Emperor?” he murmured to himself. “Doesn’t seem like much when compared to the Grand Heavenmaster.”
The echo of the voices lasted for a moment before fading away. As for the Grand Heavenmaster, he sat on his throne, face completely expressionless, seemingly there only to observe the ancestral sacrifices, and not inclined to speak at all.
The Arch-Emperor let the moment stretch out for a bit, then looked at the two stooped, sinister old men, and nodded slightly.
Having been given this vague order from the Arch-Emperor, the two old men exchanged a glance, and both of them could see in the other’s eyes that they were fearful of the Grand Heavenmaster’s reaction. After a moment, one of them turned to face the square outside of the hall and began to recite the sacrificial invocation. As his words echoed out, they seemed to contain a bizarre resonance which caused the clouds up above to churn into the form of a vortex.
As the vortex spun and grew larger, the enormous dragon from earlier vanished.
The strange portents didn’t provoke a reaction from the crowd, as though they had been expecting all of this. However, it was Bai Xiaochun’s first time witnessing the event, and he couldn’t help but stare in shock. Gradually, the vortex grew so large that it covered all of Arch-Emperor City.
As it did, it was possible to see something inside of the vortex, an enormous river….
Bai Xiaochun held his breath in shock as he realized that the river inside the vortex was emanating a powerful aura of death….
“The Underworld River!” he murmured. By this point, despite the fact that Bai Xiaochun was all the way up in the sky in the imperial palace, he could actually hear the droning sound of the common people down in Arch-Emperor City, offering expressions of worship and praise.
Because the vortex was so enormous, it was possible to see the Underworld River very clearly, even the flowing water which made it up.
The aura of death which flowed out of the vortex gradually filled the entire area, leaving Bai Xiaochun feeling quite shaken. It was a very shocking sight. It almost looked as though an enormous eye had opened up, allowing everyone to peer through it to view the Underworld River. At the same time, it was as if that eye were looking out at all creation in the outside world.
It was a very strange sensation, the likes of which Bai Xiaochun had never experienced before.
Even as Bai Xiaochun stared in shock, the old man finished the sacrificial invocation. As he uttered the concluding words, he waved his sleeve.
“Let the ceremony begin!”
His words rang out like the sounding of a bell, and as they did, shocking rumbling sounds could be heard from the vortex. It was almost as if an enormous, invisible hand had slapped the Underworld River, causing a huge wave to rise up. It was a frothy wave composed of countless souls… which then poured through the vortex!
It was in spectacular and magnificent fashion that a rain of souls began to pour down!
Endless numbers of souls began to fall onto Arch-Emperor City…. They covered everything, and most importantly of all, they all seemed to be sleeping! Even if a deva soul appeared, it would also be in a state of slumber, and could be grabbed by whatever hands were lucky enough to reach it!
A cheer rose up from Arch-Emperor City as the excited commoners sprang into action, hoping to benefit from the favor offered during the ancestral sacrifices.
The guards in the imperial palace reached out to grab falling souls, as did Mistress Red-Dust and the other powerful people like her.
The heavenly dukes, heavenly marquises, and even the government officials all did the same. Of course, to them, in this collecting of souls during the ancestral sacrifices, what was most important was not the number of souls harvested, but the type. Anyone who managed to get a deva soul would be benefiting from an incredibly good omen.
However, deva souls didn’t always appear during the ancestral sacrifices, only every so often.
The scene playing out caused Bai Xiaochun to gasp. He looked around with a strange light gleaming in his eyes, and even anticipation; now was the time for him to carry out his plan. Afterward, it was likely that the nobility and aristocracy would hate him even more than they already did.
“Well, I can’t worry about all that. They never liked me to begin with. Even if I didn’t go through with this plan, they would eventually make another move against me.” Gritting his teeth, he leaped into the air, trembling with both excitement and nervousness.
When Bai Xiaochun took to motion, the Grand Heavenmaster’s eyes opened just a crack to look at him.
It only took a moment after Bai Xiaochun flew up into the air that he reached out and grabbed one of the descending souls!
It was a Foundation Establishment-level soul….
As soon as his hand closed around it, his eyes went wide, and he gasped. An expression of disbelief filled his face, but it quickly turned to joy. He even threw his head back and laughed uproariously.