Fortunately, Chixulong and the others were experienced and wouldn't spill any secrets about the Devil Sect just because they were locked up. Otherwise, the leader Chu would have to consider silencing them for good.
Leader Chu sent someone to call for Lu Yang and the other two to come to the Yanjiang Branch for a formal initiation ceremony. As for those foolish ones, they would stay in jail for ten days to cool off.
Leader Chu lounged in a jade chair, glancing at the three standing before him. He praised, "Your idea for a barbecue shop is good. Keep it up; it's a way for us to connect with the officials."
He dismissed the attendants, who were all novice members of the sect, untested and unworthy of knowing the sect's secrets.
"Let's go, I'll take you to pay respects to the Immortal."
Leader Chu led the three to another floating stone. The buildings on this stone were ancient, crumbling under the test of time. The dim light felt heavy and oppressive, and walking through the ruins gave a sense of walking through history.
Even someone as knowledgeable as Meng Jingzhou couldn't tell which era these buildings belonged to.
This was definitely not from the Great Xia Dynasty's ten-thousand-year history!
Meng Jingzhou was secretly shocked; these buildings had to be at least a hundred thousand years old!
"Could it be from the Dayu Dynasty?" he wondered.
Historical records said that the last emperor of the Dayu Dynasty was debauched, leading to the dynasty's collapse and chaos. The ancestors of the Meng family and the Xia Emperor rose up to seize power in the Central Plains.
The Wenda Sect was established twelve thousand years ago, during the height of the Dayu Dynasty when it was at its peak and no one could challenge its status.
At the end of the ruins, there was a statue about four meters tall, looking just like the one Meng Jingzhou had seen at Qin Yuanhao's house. The face was blurry, dressed in a long robe, and it was hard to tell if it was male or female. It was the Immortal.
Leader Chu held up three lit incense sticks and bowed deeply to the Immortal. Then he turned to the three and said, "Meditate for half an hour to clear your minds."
These incense sticks were special. Just smelling them gradually calmed their restless hearts.
Clearing one's mind was basic training for the three of them. Seeing them settle down so quickly, Leader Chu nodded slightly.
Even with the help of the incense, their speed was impressive. Most practitioners of the devil path were restless and focused on external skills rather than inner peace, so these three were truly rare.
It seemed they had received some opportunity somewhere.
If he had known earlier that the three had such opportunities, Leader Chu would have tried to take advantage of it. But these three were different; they were the focus of the leader's attention, and he didn't dare to act against them.
Half an hour later, the three awakened and, following Leader Chu's instructions, went through the steps to pay respects to the Immortal.
After the complicated rituals, they officially became followers of the Immortal Sect.
Leader Chu, hands behind his back, said, "Before joining our sect, you may have only known that we are the Immortal Sect, worshiping the Immortal. Becoming a follower can extend your life, but you probably know very little about the Immortal."
The three nodded; they knew nothing about the Immortal, only that he was the only immortal they had ever heard of.
Leader Chu spoke respectfully, "The Immortal's very existence is a taboo. He has lived as long as the heavens and earth, witnessing the rise and fall of the world. Even if his physical body is destroyed and his spirit decays, as long as someone remembers him, he can resurrect and live forever!"
The three were taken aback, unsure how much of what Leader Chu said was true or false.
As long as someone remembers the Immortal, he would be immortal? Such a thing had never been heard of, even in myths!
This kind of miraculous ability certainly deserved to be called "immortal."
Leader Chu continued, "In ancient times, he achieved immortality through battle, thriving on slaughter. To please the Immortal, we must cause bloodshed and chaos in this world, leading to the deaths of countless people. This is the first step; the later steps are beyond your level to know."
"Countless deaths?!" Meng Jingzhou was shocked. How many people would have to die for that? It was unimaginable!
"Is it too much? Not at all." Leader Chu shook his head. Most people reacted similarly when they heard that number, but if they calmed down and thought about it, the Central Plains were vast. A million people seemed like a lot, but if you spread it out, it was just one in a few thousand.
"Do you know how many people die each year from the burdens of life? How many are driven to suicide by unbearable pressure? How many die from illness each year? How many die from poor medical care? How many unclaimed bodies does the Great Xia Dynasty discover each year?"
Leader Chu sneered, "Do you know? Of course, you don't, because the Great Xia Dynasty doesn't dare to release the real numbers!"
"If we don't resurrect the Immortal, who will protect the vast Central Plains? Once the ancient monsters awaken, the death toll will be far greater."
"Is the ancient era really that terrifying?" Lu Yang felt a chill in his heart.
Leader Chu didn't respond and motioned for the three to follow him.
He walked around the Immortal's statue, through a ruin, and said, "This ruin dates back to ancient times and has decayed over the years. Ten thousand years ago, the founder of our sect discovered this place and learned of the Immortal's existence."
"The Immortal has existed for so long that people have forgotten the protector of the world. It was the founder who brought the Immortal back to the world!"
"The founder replicated the ruins and preserved them at various strongholds. This is one of them, and it's been here for ten thousand years."
Meng Jingzhou thought to himself that this was a replica of an ancient relic, no wonder he couldn't tell. Very few things from ancient times had survived.
Leader Chu stopped in front of a stone wall. "This is it. This is the scene of the ancient sacrificial rites."
The first thing that caught their eye was the Immortal with arms outstretched on the stone wall. In his arms were countless spheres of various sizes, some surrounded by rings, the purpose of which was unclear.
Each sphere had a small figure kneeling on it, holding up offerings to the Immortal.
"What are these spheres? Why do people stand on them?" Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu were confused and puzzled.
Lu Yang's pupils shrank as he saw the mural; the spheres resembled planets from his past life, and the rings were like meteor dust.
Leader Chu slowly explained, "These are called planets. In ancient times, there was no Central Plains. All races lived on these planets."
"At the end of the ancient era, an unknown existence refined all the planets into what we now call the Central Plains!"
At this revelation, all three were shocked!
(End of Chapter)