Chapter 1363: The Grand Ceremony

At the summit of the main peak, clear springs flowed.

Upon the celestial platform above the clouds, precious fragrance drifted in waves, and auspicious lights shimmered in thousands of strands.

Golden tables and jade plates were laid out with countless delicacies, celestial fruit, and fine jade nectar.

The Spiritual Infant cultivators were led onto the celestial platform, where they exchanged greetings and congratulations.

Qin Sang had given instructions in advance, so Mu Yifeng was also led onto the celestial platform and given a seat.

Among the many Spiritual Infant cultivators, Mu Yifeng answered every question calmly, neither servile nor arrogant.

Dongyang Bo’s quiet departure had been beyond everyone’s expectations.

Seeing Qingyang Temple’s attitude toward Mu Yifeng, the Spiritual Infant cultivators could tell there had to be some connection between them. Out of consideration for Qin Sang, they did not probe further and put away their various thoughts.

Jingyu had spared no effort and personally came forward to receive the guests on Qin Sang’s behalf.

Only the main seat remained empty. Soon, Devil Lord Tongyou actually arrived in person as well. After their initial surprise, the Spiritual Infant cultivators rose to welcome him.

As time passed, more and more cultivators gathered inside Qingyang Temple.

Below the main peak, the crowd was packed shoulder to shoulder. Regardless of cultivation level, everyone was served spiritual fruit and fine wine, drawing waves of praise.

The auspicious hour had arrived. The bell rang once more, one peal after another without pause, its deep and resonant sound spreading out of Qingyang Temple.

For a moment, heaven and earth fell silent, and the void seemed clear and bright. Only the lingering bell chimes echoed on.

Below the main peak, countless cultivators fell silent and looked up. On the celestial platform, the Spiritual Infant cultivators also stopped speaking and turned their eyes toward Jingyu.

Jingyu walked beside the main seat, looked around in all directions, and circulated her true essence. Her voice rose above the bell chimes. "We respectfully invite Qin Sang, temple master of Qingyang Temple!"

A faint stir passed through the crowd, but it immediately quieted again.

The celestial platform trembled. From the core forbidden ground, a bridge of clouds suddenly stretched out, leading straight to the celestial platform on the main peak.

In the next instant, everyone only felt their vision blur, and a figure appeared out of thin air on the bridge of clouds.

He was as handsome as a youth, dressed in a simple azure Daoist robe. His bearing was calm and detached, and he looked at the crowd with a faint smile. It was none other than Qin Sang.

On the celestial platform, the Spiritual Infant cultivators gave fist-and-palm salutes from afar.

Qin Sang gave a slight nod and stepped toward the celestial platform. At the same time, Li Yufu and the others had somehow arrived at the main peak.

All the disciples of Qingyang Temple had gathered. Shangguan Lifeng had also come slightly down the mountain.

There were Golden Core cultivators such as Li Yufu, Shangguan Lifeng, Mei Gu, Zhao Ying, and Tan Yi’en.

There were also Demonic Core Realm demonic beasts such as Chilei, the old macaque, the white crane, and the white cat, who had been brought over to help support the scene.

The disciples ascended the mountain slightly and waited quietly below the celestial platform, looking up at the bridge of clouds. Everyone looked fervent, sharing in the glory.

Qin Sang looked straight ahead and walked leisurely amid the tolling of the bells. On his body, a faint, barely perceptible fluctuation seemed to be brewing.

The Spiritual Infant cultivators were the first to notice Qin Sang’s little display, and their smiles deepened.

But as Qin Sang drew closer and closer, the smiles on a few people’s faces gradually faded.

That fluctuation was sword will. Qin Sang seemed to have transformed into a sword. With every step he took, the sword will grew stronger by a fraction.

This sword will represented Qin Sang’s own understanding of the Sword Dao, the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, and the Seven-Yin-Soul Killing Array. It did not rely on the external power of a spiritual sword and was incomparably pure.

The first to lose their smiles were the sword cultivators. They understood what astonishing attainments Qin Sang had reached in the Sword Dao.

Over the past ten years, Qin Sang had refined a Corpseflower Blood Amber, and his cultivation had advanced greatly.

More importantly, he had comprehended his art and gained deeper insights, especially in the Seven-Yin-Soul Killing Array. After years of accumulation, everything had burst forth, and he had mastered the sword array!

Now, even if he activated only the high-grade Golden Sinking Sword to execute the sword array, its power surpassed what he had displayed with the Wandering Sword before.

Qin Sang had once considered waiting until he broke through to the middle stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm before holding the ceremony, shocking the world in one stroke. But even he was not certain how long it would take him to break through.

Besides, he would need to focus on secluded cultivation afterward and would not have the energy to deal with outside trivialities.

Qingyang Temple’s name was already known to everyone. There was no point in delaying it any further.

In any case, with his attainments in the Seven-Yin-Soul Killing Array, nobody would dare to underestimate him.

The sword will emanating from him was transformed from the Seven-Yin-Soul Killing Array, causing the Spiritual Infant cultivators on the celestial platform to widen their eyes one after another.

By the time Qin Sang stepped off the bridge and ascended the celestial platform, only a small handful of people, such as Devil Lord Tongyou and Lu Boyuan, could still maintain their composure. But even in the depths of their eyes, a wary look had surfaced.

If one said that most of Qin Sang’s great reputation in the past had come from external objects such as the devilish banners, devilish flames, and the Wandering Sword, then now, they truly acknowledged Qin Sang himself!

The other Spiritual Infant cultivators all looked solemn, as though facing a great enemy. If Qin Sang drew his sword, they had no confidence they could block it!

The bells stopped after eighty-one chimes, and Qin Sang happened to arrive at the peak of the celestial platform.

He raised his head to gaze at the firmament. His expression did not change, but there was a trace of reminiscence in his eyes.

Qingzhu, Wandering Man, Daoist Jixin, Ming Yue... One familiar face after another flashed through his mind.

The carefree days in Qingyang Temple, the journey through countless hardships and dangers with Wandering Man, Qingzhu’s final words among the peach blossoms...

Scene after scene, event after event, remained vivid in his memory. At last, he had reached this step and fulfilled the last wish of an old friend. At the same time, he would also leave a brilliant mark upon this world!

Qin Sang sensed Wandering Man’s true spirit. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes, and the sword will that had brewed to its peak erupted all at once!

Amid countless cries of shock, an illusory sword shadow emerged from his body and slashed toward the void!

For a moment, the clouds changed color. The void evolved into a sword array, and countless rays of sword light roamed through it, flickering between brightness and darkness. The changes were endless and unfathomably mysterious, as though it had transformed into the sword domain of primordial chaos.

Every Spiritual Infant cultivator looked solemn, staring fixedly at the sword array.

The low-level cultivators below the mountain could not help covering their eyes after just one glance. The sword light stung their eyes, making tears stream down their faces.

When the sword array’s transformations reached their extreme speed, it suddenly shifted from motion to stillness. The sword light withdrew inward, leaving behind only two ancient, simple characters: Qingyang Temple!

The great characters formed from sword light slowly descended.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One side of the main peak’s mountain wall was flattened. The mountain did not tremble, and no dust rose, yet the two great characters were forever carved there!

Li Yufu’s eyes were filled with excitement as he led the disciples in kneeling. "We pay respects to the temple master!"

Afterward, Jingyu gave a fist-and-palm salute. "Congratulations to Temple Master Qin on founding your sect!"

The Spiritual Infant cultivators congratulated him in unison. The countless cultivators below the mountain offered their congratulations as well.

"Congratulations to Temple Master Qin on founding your sect!"

"I have inherited the last wish of a senior and established Qingyang Temple. Knowing my own limitations, I feel deeply humbled and apprehensive... Thank you, fellow Daoists, for coming to witness the ceremony!" Qin Sang turned around and returned the greeting in thanks. Then his gaze fell on Li Yufu and the others.

The Spiritual Infant cultivators knew the ceremony had not yet reached its end. Recalling the sword will Qin Sang had just displayed, they patiently continued watching the proceedings.

In the immortal cultivation world, there were many formalities involved in a sect-founding ceremony.

If all the formalities were done, even several more hours would not be enough to complete everything.

Qin Sang did not want to waste time on too many cumbersome rites. He admonished the disciples for a while, then ordered them to kowtow before the spirit tablets of Wandering Man and Qingzhu. With that, the ceremony was nearly over.

Finally, Qin Sang swept his sleeve, and eighty-one Beast King Banners flew out.

"Thank you, Temple Master, for bestowing these treasures!" Li Yufu and the others each took command of the Beast King Banners and demonstrated the banner array’s transformations before the crowd.

In an instant, black smoke surged below the celestial platform, and the souls of Cloud Beasts roared, striking fear into the soul.

Fortunately, the souls of Cloud Beasts could be used to replace demonic beasts. Otherwise, it really would not have been suitable to display this before everyone.

The banner array transformed endlessly. This was only a demonstration, so its full power was not revealed, but it still caused the Spiritual Infant cultivators to look over in surprise.

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