Jing Hui stood on the high platform, momentarily stunned by the lyrics.
“White Bone emerges to sweep the eight wastes?”
He turned to look at Chen Zhou.
Chen Zhou stood beneath the stone tree, clad in black robes, his features blurred. A faint death qi swirled around him, making him look like a ghost god emerged from the abyss.
Behind him, Plague Rat, Su Xue, Nie Chaoxi, Jian Huaishuang, Lian, and Wu Gou stood in a line. Their various auras—cold, pure, or violent—intertwined, casting a somber air over the stone forest.
Jing Hui felt a wave of nostalgia. A thousand years ago, when he led the Three Dukes to war, the formation had been just like this.
Duke Wen had strategized, Duke Martial had led the charge, and Duke Wu had communed with heaven and earth.
He had been the one at the very front, shouldering the sky for Tianchi Province.
The sacrificial song continued. Yang Dingding stood tall and straight as a spear.
Behind him, a hundred little demons were arranged in a square formation. They wore armor woven from bark and vines and held weapons made of branches and bone. Their lines were crooked, but every back was ramrod straight.
Yang Dingding strode to the front of the formation and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Attention!”
The little demons puffed out their chests in unison.
“At ease!”
They all stepped out with their left feet.
“Left turn!”
They all turned to the left.
Though a few turned the wrong way, they quickly corrected themselves, staring forward with solemn faces.
Yang Dingding nodded in satisfaction. He turned toward the high platform, dropped to one knee, and clasped his hands in a salute.
“Reporting to Lord Jing Hui! The ceremonial guard is assembled and ready for inspection!”
“Proceed.”
Yang Dingding stood up, turned, and drew his blade.
“Ceremonial guard, forward—march!”
He led the way, holding a large blade carved with the crooked characters for “Goat's Blade.” His steps were rhythmic and powerful.
The little demons followed his rhythm. They were sweating profusely from the effort, but none dared to slacken. Their eyes were fixed on the backs of the heads of those in front of them, terrified of missing a step.
The other little demons watching below were wide-eyed with awe before they erupted into cheers.
“Great!”
“That is amazing!”
“I want to join the ceremonial guard too!”
Beaming with pride, Yang Dingding walked back to the front of the ranks with his hands behind his back, strutting with a swagger.
Then he saw Chen Zhou. He immediately wiped the smug look off his face and bowed respectfully.
Chen Zhou gave a slight nod. Then, a group of little demons brought out the offerings for the Grand Sacrifice. They were all junk.
But behind every piece of junk was a story.
A stone was the first glowing stone an ant demon had found in the underground city; he had cherished it for decades.
A leaf was the first green leaf a mole demon had scavenged from the surface; he had hidden it for centuries, and though it was now dry and brittle, he could not bear to throw it away.
A scrap of cloth was a memento left to a pangolin demon by his mother. He could no longer remember her face, but he remembered the scent of this cloth.
Looking at the eager gazes of the little demons and the mountain of junk on the offering table, Chen Zhou felt a sudden, unexpected stir in his heart.
They were offering him their most precious possessions to thank him for saving their lives and giving them new hope.
Chen Zhou laughed heartily. He strode up the high platform, turned, and sat in mid-air.
The little demons scrambled out of the way, kneeling on both sides with their heads bowed, not daring to look at him.
His black robes fluttered without a wind. Death qi surged from Chen Zhou's body, condensing into a Bone Throne behind him.
Seated upon the throne, he gave a gentle wave of his hand.
The junk offerings on the table vanished, swept into his system space.
In the next second, the system panel began to scroll frantically.
【General Believer +1】
【Shallow Believer +1】
【True Believer +1】
【General Believer +1】
【Shallow Believer +1】
...
The scrolling was so fast Chen Zhou could barely read it; the numbers were jumping wildly.
Several Devout Believers even appeared out of nowhere.
Chen Zhou looked at the numbers, feeling a touch of emotion.
“Rise.”
The little demons looked up, glanced at each other, and slowly stood.
Chen Zhou continued, “This deity has accepted your offerings.”
“From this day forward, you are my followers.”
“I shall protect you, provide you with food and shelter, and give you a safe place to live.”
“You need only do one thing.”
The little demons held their breath, waiting for him to speak.
Chen Zhou said, “Live well.”
The little demons were stunned for a moment, and then their eyes grew red.
Live well.
It was that simple.
But having hidden underground for nearly a thousand years, even “living well” had been an impossible dream.
Every day they opened their eyes, they wondered if they would find food.
Every day they closed their eyes, they wondered if they would still be alive tomorrow.
The little demons could no longer contain themselves. Some wept, some laughed, some knelt to kowtow, and others hugged each other, crying and laughing all at once.
“Long live the Lord!”
“Long live the Lord!”
Their cheers echoed through the stone forest, shaking the cave ceiling until bits of rubble fell.
Standing on the high platform, Jing Hui watched this scene, his own eyes reddening.
He remembered that a thousand years ago, he had said similar words to the people of Tianchi Province.
“Live well.”
“I will protect you.”
But later, he had broken his word.
He had gone mad and killed many people, including those who had trusted and followed him.
The offering table was now empty, every sacrifice taken by Chen Zhou.
But he knew that while those offerings were junk, to Chen Zhou, they were more precious than anything.
Because they were faith.
They were the purest, most sincere hearts of these little demons who had struggled through misery for a millennium.
Wu Gou walked to the base of the stone tree and sat cross-legged. He pressed his palms together and began to chant.
Golden Buddhist light surged from his body, forming a halo that enveloped all the souls of the offerings brought back from underground.
The Mingchan flew above him, vibrating their wings and letting out crisp chirps.
The sacrificial song continued, but the melody changed from stirring to melodious, and then from melodious to ethereal.
Wu Gou's Rebirth Mantra and the Mingchan's sacrificial song intertwined, creating a strange power that echoed through the stone forest.
The souls of the offerings had been hideous, baring their teeth and struggling frantically to break free from the Buddhist light.
But as the song and mantra wove together, they slowly calmed down.
The malice on their faces faded, and their twisted expressions turned peaceful.
Their appearances even began to restore themselves. Missing limbs grew back, shattered faces were mended, and bleeding wounds healed.
They stood there quietly, as if they had just woken from a long sleep.
Jing Hui recognized many of them.
Standing at the very front was a burly man with a broad back, a waist like a tiger's, and a face covered in scars. He looked fierce and menacing.
But Jing Hui recognized him at a glance.
Duke Martial.
Behind him was an army, all dressed in brand-new armor and holding sharp weapons, standing in perfect formation.
Standing within the Buddhist light, Duke Martial looked at Jing Hui with a complex expression before letting out a sigh.
“Jing Hui, it has been a long time.”
Jing Hui's tears instantly began to fall.
“It has been a long time... a long time...”
He muttered to himself, repeating it several times, then suddenly bent his waist and gave a deep bow.
“This old man... has failed you all...”
Duke Martial gave a hearty laugh and replied, “Don't say such things. We know the truth. It wasn't your fault.”
Jing Hui looked up at Duke Martial, his tears flowing uncontrollably.
Duke Martial continued, “Down there all these years, we saw everything.”
“We saw you tortured by the Golden Buddha, saw you go mad, saw you kill, and saw you finally die at the hands of Wan Xiu.”
“We do not blame you.”
He turned to look at the soldiers behind him.
“Tell him, is that not so?”
The soldiers roared in unison, “Yes!”
“We do not blame the Lord!”
“The Lord was a victim!”
“The one who deserved to die was that old beast Wan Xiu!”
Their voices thundered, echoing through the stone forest.
Hearing this, Jing Hui's tears fell even harder.
Duke Martial added, “So don't go putting on that face. After all these years of friendship, do you think I don't know what kind of man you are?”
He turned to look at his surroundings.
“How is Tianchi Province now?”
Jing Hui took a deep breath, wiped his tears, and struggled to calm himself.
“Wan Xiu is dead.”
“Killed by that Lord.”
He pointed toward Chen Zhou.
Duke Martial followed his finger and saw Chen Zhou seated upon the Bone Throne, clad in black robes with a blurred face and swirling death qi.
He was momentarily stunned, then nodded.
“That Lord... is very strong.”
Jing Hui nodded. “Very strong.”
“He avenged me and rid Tianchi Province of its bane.”
“Now, the filth in Tianchi Province has been mostly purified by the extraordinary people under him. It won't be long before life returns.”
Hearing this, Duke Martial broke into a wide grin. The scars on his face twisted with his smile, making him look exceptionally ugly.
“That is good.”
“That is good.”
“Jing Hui, carrying this burden alone all these years must have been very hard, wasn't it?”
“We couldn't help; we could only watch from below, anxious and helpless.”
“But it is fine now. Wan Xiu is dead, Tianchi Province is saved, and you should finally rest.”
Jing Hui shook his head. “It wasn't hard.”
“I just... I failed you all.”
Duke Martial made a gesture as if to strike him. “Still saying such things?”
“Those of us who followed you onto the battlefield gave you our lives long ago.”
“Where we died or how we died doesn't matter.”
“What matters is whether our deaths were worth it.”
He turned back to the soldiers.
“Tell him, was it worth it?”
The soldiers roared, “It was!”
“Following the Lord was a worthy death!”
“To die for Tianchi Province is no loss!”
Duke Martial grinned. “Hear that? Everyone says it was worth it.”
“So stop blaming yourself.”
Looking at the familiar faces, the soldiers who had once followed him through life and death, Jing Hui's tears fell again.
But he said nothing more, only nodding firmly.
Duke Martial turned to his soldiers and waved a large hand.
“Brothers, it is time for us to go.”
The soldiers stood straight and saluted him.
Duke Martial nodded, then turned to look at Yang Dingding.
Seeing Duke Martial looking at him, Yang Dingding trembled with excitement, his eyes reddening.
“Lord Duke Martial!”
He dropped to one knee and clasped his hands.
“Yang Dingding of the Ghost Ram Clan greets Lord Duke Martial!”
Duke Martial looked him over for a moment. “Good lad, you're actually still alive?”
Yang Dingding looked up. “Lord... you still remember me?”
Duke Martial walked over and stood before him. “Of course I remember. When you were little, you even peed on my war robes. How could I forget you?”
Yang Dingding's face turned red, and he scratched his head sheepishly. “That was when I was a child, why must you bring it up now...”
Duke Martial reached out and patted his shoulder, his expression turning solemn. “Yang Dingding.”
Yang Dingding immediately snapped to attention. “Here!”
Duke Martial looked at him and said seriously, “In the future, the Ghost Ram Clan will depend on you.”
“Take good care of them for me.”
Yang Dingding nodded forcefully. “Rest assured, Lord, I certainly will!”
Duke Martial patted his shoulder once more, then turned to Jing Hui.
“Jing Hui, we are leaving.”
Jing Hui looked at him, his lips trembling as he tried to speak, but only two words came out: “Safe travels.”
Duke Martial grinned, turned around, and waved his hand.
“Brothers, let's go!”
He began to walk forward, and the thousands of soldiers followed him with synchronized steps. They did not move fast, but every step was firm, making the ground tremble.
Reaching the edge of the Buddhist light, Duke Martial stopped and took one last look at Jing Hui.
“Take care.”
Jing Hui nodded vigorously. “Take care.”
Duke Martial smiled, then turned and stepped out of the Buddhist light.
With a flash of golden light, his figure dissolved into the air.
The soldiers followed him, one by one stepping out of the light and vanishing.
Finally, only Jing Hui was left standing on the high platform, staring at the empty Buddhist light as his tears flowed.
“Old fellow, walk slowly...”
“I will come to join you soon enough.”
This time, another group of souls regained their forms.
Leading them was an old man with white hair and a thin face, wearing a gray robe and leaning on a walking stick.
Behind him followed a group of people, young and old, male and female, dressed as healers or witch doctors.
Seeing the old man, Jing Hui's entire body stiffened.
“Duke Wu...”
Duke Wu looked at Jing Hui with a stern, solemn face. His voice was aged but full of vigor.
“You old fool, why do you look like this the moment you see me?”
“We told you we don't blame you, so what are you crying for?”
Jing Hui wiped his tears, trying to compose himself.
“I... am not crying.”
Duke Wu snorted. “Not crying? Then why are your eyes red? Fine, fine, no need to explain.”
He turned to look around, his gaze sweeping over the stone forest before landing on the fluttering Mingchan.
After listening for a while, Duke Wu suddenly spoke.
“This 《Ode of the Three Dukes》... why are the lyrics different from before?”
Chan Yi, leaning on his staff, stood at the front of the Mingchan Clan. Hearing Duke Wu's question, he began to tremble with nerves.
He shakily stepped forward and gave a respectful bow.
“In... in response to Lord Duke Wu, I... I was the one who adapted some of the lyrics...”
Duke Wu looked at him, sizing him up for a moment.
“And you are?”
Chan Yi swallowed hard and said cautiously, “I am Chan Yi of the Mingchan Clan. I am... your descendant.”
He looked Chan Yi up and down, then at the flying Mingchan. He listened to the cicada chirps for a moment and slightly closed his eyes, as if calculating something.
After a moment, he opened his eyes and sighed.
“So that is how it is.”
He looked at Chan Yi, an appreciative expression appearing on his face.
“There is no need to be so nervous.”
“You have adapted it well.”
“Everyone is singing it well, too.”
“This is exactly how a sacrificial song should be.”
Rate on N.U.
