「Sky Dragon World.」
「Suzhou, Yanzi Dock, Canhe Village.」
"Hahaha! I, Murong Fu, have actually gone mad! I've truly gone mad! In the end, betrayed by all, with only the maidservant Ah Bi left by my side!!!"
In the secret chamber, after Murong Fu finished praying with the "Meditation Method" transmitted by Hongmeng, he seemed to go mad. His profound and potent qi caused the chamber to tremble, and even the entire Canhe Village shook.
He could not believe the future he had seen. But he could not disbelieve it either. Everything seemed too real.
"What happened to the Young Master?"
"Such a terrifying aura! The Young Master has broken through!"
Feeling the commotion, Bao Butong, Feng Bo'e, and the other two Great Retainers were greatly shocked. They hurried towards the place where Murong Fu was in seclusion, their hearts filled with both alarm and joy.
「In the secret chamber.」
"Hm?"
Murong Fu's laughter stopped abruptly.
He felt a change within himself.
"I've broken through? I've actually broken through from Mid-level Grandmaster to Great Grandmaster? How is this possible?"
Murong Fu was extremely shocked. Carefully sensing his own body, he discovered that his qi was exceptionally pure, without the slightest hint of insubstantiality—he was a true and solid Great Grandmaster.
"It's the God of Hongmeng!"
Murong Fu immediately thought of the indescribable great being he had seen during his prayer, who had also given him God's Revelation, showing him the future.
"Is this a god? Truly, divine power is immeasurable, so terrifying! Just praying allowed my cultivation level to advance greatly. If I perform the Sacrificial Method, what kind of terrifying divine grace would be bestowed? If the worship of the God of Hongmeng were to spread across the world, allowing every person in the entire world to bathe in the divine light of the God of Hongmeng… perhaps one really could become a fairy or deity, immortal and eternal!"
Murong Fu's eyes were filled with an intense gleam—the desire for everlasting life, immortality, and ascension to divinity.
No one could resist such temptation.
Murong Fu walked out of the secret chamber. Feeling the sunlight falling from the sky, he shook his head vigorously, feeling as if he had awakened from a dream.
"Congratulations to the Young Master! Your martial skills have reached great heights, you are invincible in this world, and the restoration of Great Yan is at hand!"
Deng Baichuan, Gongye Gan, Bao Butong, and Feng Bo'e, the Four Great Retainers, came forward excitedly, bowing and offering their congratulations.
"Invincible in this world? Restoring Great Yan?"
Previously, Murong Fu would have been ecstatic, but now it suddenly felt tasteless.
He had just received God's Revelation and seen the future. His father, Murong Bo, had not died. Thirty years ago, he spread false news that led to the bloody battle outside Yanmen Pass, intending to provoke a war between Liao and Song. Then, he faked his death and hid in Shaolin, plotting in secret. All his meticulous planning and profound efforts—what was the result? Wasn't he still converted by others, living out the rest of his life before an ancient Buddha with a green lamp? He himself was even worse off; despite practicing martial arts diligently for many years, he still couldn't compare to those two lucky fools, Duan Yu and Xu Zhu. His cousin was abducted by Duan Yu, and in the end, he himself went completely mad, with only Ah Bi remaining by his side.
Of course, with the God of Hongmeng, he believed that the ending would definitely be different. Under absolute power, reclaiming his country and becoming Emperor wouldn't be too difficult!
But after witnessing the limitless divine power of the God of Hongmeng and the boundless expanse of the Myriad of Realms, his obsession with restoring his country faded.
"Imperial ambitions and dominance turn to dust in a blink; becoming a celestial being is what is truly eternal!"
Murong Fu's eyes revealed another kind of ambition; he wanted to leave this world, to ascend to higher realms, to see more distant vistas.
He wanted to become a celestial or divine being, to become a Divine Envoy of the God of Hongmeng, or even to ascend to the Ascending God Country and achieve eternal Dao.
As for the throne? Heh! Could it be as appealing as being a Divine Envoy?
The divine right of kings. Understand?
His power and status would directly surpass that of the Emperor. All he needed to do was preach on behalf of the God of Hongmeng and make sacrifices, instead of managing all sorts of trivial matters.
When the divine glory of the God of Hongmeng completely enveloped the land, and the world became an Earthly Divine Kingdom, that would be the day he ascended to godhood.
"Young Master, are you alright?"
Bao Butong and the others suddenly felt their hair stand on end, and a chill ran down their spines.
The Young Master, who had always been obsessed with restoring his country, was now saying imperial ambitions turned to dust in the blink of an eye and talking about becoming divine? Could it be that he had suffered cultivation deviation and gone mad?
"Follow me in prayer to the supreme, ancient, and great God of Hongmeng. After you finish praying, you will understand!"
Without offering explanations, Murong Fu ordered emphatically.
"Yes!"
Bao Butong and the others opened their mouths but said nothing.
They would wait until after the prayer to speak. However, they had already reached a conclusion in their hearts:
The Young Master had indeed suffered cultivation deviation. He had lost his mind!
"Open Up Chaos, who shall dominate?"
"Hongmeng is boundless, the beginning of Heaven and Earth!"
"Hongmeng is limitless, the end of all things!"
Murong Fu prayed devoutly.
Bao Butong and his three companions exchanged glances, further confirming their suspicions.
But since Murong Fu was their master, they did not dare to defy him and followed in prayer.
"Open Up Chaos, who shall dominate?"
...
The prayer, consisting of only a few thousand characters, was quickly finished.
Murong Fu still looked devout and fervent.
Bao Butong and his three companions exchanged another glance, filled with shock.
"Did you all see that?"
"We did!"
"An indescribable, great presence!"
"Eh, my cultivation level has broken through! I've become a Grandmaster?"
"Me too!"
Startled exclamations arose. Bao Butong and his companions were even more shocked; after just one prayer, they had broken through from the Innate realm to become Grandmasters.
This was too terrifying.
"This is the grace of the Upper God. As long as one devoutly worships and spreads the faith on behalf of the Upper God, attaining fairyhood or godhood, ascending to God's kingdom, and achieving eternal life is not impossible!"
Murong Fu came from behind. Seeing that Bao Butong and his three companions had also received divine favor, his heart trembled even more at the grandeur and terror of the God of Hongmeng.
It seemed he wasn't an isolated case; everyone who prayed received divine grace.
And such rich divine grace was truly terrifying.
There were countless legends of divine spirits.
Yet this was the first time he had seen such a generous divine spirit.
Of course, it was also the first time he had seen a divine spirit manifest.
"Congratulations, Young Master, for receiving the attention of the divine spirit, attaining fairyhood or godhood, and achieving eternal life!"
Bao Butong and the other three joyfully offered their congratulations. Their previous doubts had vanished instantly after witnessing the greatness of the God of Hongmeng; they couldn't wait to pray a few more times.
Murong Fu nodded with satisfaction, then his expression became serious as he instructed,
"Deng Baichuan, Gongye Gan, you immediately gather everyone in Canhe Village to worship the Upper God, to pray to the Upper God!"
"Yes, Young Master."
"Bao Butong, Feng Bo'e, you immediately prepare the altar. Ready the three sacrificial animals, six livestock, and five grains. The altar needs..."
Three sacrificial animals: ox, sheep, pig.
Six livestock: horse, ox, sheep, chicken, dog, pig.
Five grains: rice, millet, proso millet, wheat, beans.
Murong Fu listed the requirements and details for the altar from the "Sacrificial Method" and repeatedly emphasized, "This is a sacrifice to the Upper God; there must be no mistakes!"
"Yes, Young Master, we guarantee the completion of the task."
The Four Great Retainers did not hesitate at all, their expressions fervent, and immediately went to prepare.
Watching the four depart, Murong Fu's eyes twinkled with a light called ambition.
"I don't know how many followers the Upper God has, but in the Myriad of Realms Chat Group, I, Murong Fu, must be the Upper God's favorite child. The first sacrifice cannot be careless; the first impression given to the Upper God is of critical importance. But I cannot delay. Otherwise, other members will precede me in making their sacrifices."
He was well aware of the difference between first and second.
People will only remember the first, not the second.
The Upper God must surely think the same way.
He aimed to be the first in preaching, the first in sacrifice.
"The three sacrificial animals, six livestock, and five grains are just common offerings. Even if I am the first to sacrifice, it's hard to stand out... Exotic birds and rare beasts are decent sacrifices, but I can't find them in a short time. Perhaps I can offer up all the martial arts secret books from Huanshi Water Pavilion. Even though these martial arts secret books are nothing to the Upper God, they are still my most precious treasures. Right, Manduo Mountain Village's Lang Huan Jade Cave still has many secret books; after all, my aunt and the others don't need them, so they might as well be offered to the Upper God."
Thinking of Manduo Mountain Village, a sudden inspiration flashed through Murong Fu's mind.
The "Sacrificial Method" mentioned that pure Maidens of Destiny or Maidens of Great Fortune were superb sacrifices.
He had received God's Revelation from the Upper God and had glimpsed the future.
His cousin Wang Yuyan was indeed a Maiden of Destiny.
"And Ah Zhu could count as a Maiden of Great Fortune, just right to be sacrificed to the Upper God as well."
A flash of excitement sparkled in Murong Fu's eyes; after all, he didn't have much affection for Wang Yuyan.
Besides, in the future he saw, his cousin ultimately ended up with that fool Duan Yu.
If so, isn't it better to send her to heaven to serve the Upper God?
He could receive divine favor, and his cousin could also ascend to God's kingdom and partake of Nature's blessings—killing two birds with one stone.
"Such an opportunity is one mortals might not encounter in a hundred lifetimes; my aunt will surely not refuse, besides... she has no right to refuse!"
With that in mind, Murong Fu immediately led his men towards Manduo Mountain Village.
...