Chapter 448 - 444: The Holy Ceremony Begins

Chapter 448 - 444: The Holy Ceremony Begins

The sky dimmed above True Desolate, seemingly alluding to the coming of night. Lanterns hung on the doors of various buildings lit with a golden flame, bringing forth a warm light. This light illuminated True Desolate, giving it a holy and majestic vibe.

A faint radiance of white light emitted from the steps, lighting up all 158 steps that led to the grand temple at the peak of the mountain. The crowd started to gather, but stayed roughly 158 feet away from those stairs. They circulated the temple’s mountain, becoming a sea of bobbing heads and moving bodies. There was no cultivator who flew, all standing within the crowd as if they were mortals.

There was faint chanting coming from certain areas, likely prayers from devout believers of deities within the continent.

Wei Wuyin stood amongst the sea-like crowd, noticing this rapid change as the temple’s mountain became the center of everyone’s attention. The descent of darkness wasn’t due to the solar star above dimming, but a formation that eclipsed the light, allowing night to fall. Since Wei Wuyin arrived here, there was no night.

The solar star above was in a perpetual state of unchanging, always in the same location, always emitting light at the same intensity. Seeing the awed expressions and vividly genuine exclamations of children experiencing night for the first time, Wei Wuyin couldn’t help but warmly smile. The discovery of the mysterious unknown was always fascinating, even more so when it was observed on those innocent faces.

The chanting became louder as the white radiance of the mountain increased. It was as if the light was blessing everyone, feeling warm and gentle caresses on the skin. There was a swaying of shoulders, of bodies, of heads, as the inhabitants of the city started to chant. The language they uttered wasn’t something he was familiar with, not elven or common.

He learned the lyrics, following along to see if it’ll produce any effect, yet nothing happened. After a while, he noticed the temple’s mountain radiance settled. Dozens of silhouette-like figures garbed in hooded robes were standing at the top of the staircase, looking down at the sea of people.

Wei Wuyin looked and noted that these people were all unfathomable, likely the so-called Grand Kings of the human race and Clan Masters of the Nine Great Elven Clans. They were invited to oversee the ceremony, but there were clearly more than nineteen. The rest must be priests or other individuals of high strength.

To think this city could act as a bridge between races. He didn’t feel an ounce of hostility from anyone, not even towards the others.

A figure amongst the hooded silhouettes stepped forward, reaching the edge of the stairs, easily attracting everyone’s attention. There were some who prayed with some extra words, asking for more blessings. He could see many praying with their eyes closed, mouths silently moving, as if wishing for something. This was soon followed by everyone present.

The figure was revealed to be a woman.

Woosh!

With a flick of her hands, she removed her hood and revealed a pair of eyes that seemed to glean no light, being immersed in everlasting darkness. She was blind, but beautiful. Her silvery white hair shone amongst the white radiance, giving her a holy appearance. With her long, braided ponytail-styled hair tied by a tiara of sorts, she gave off a feeling of importance.

The young woman’s fingertips glowed a faint white light that reflected images of various variations and permutations. The nine-colored flood of light was tamed with ease, and she leapt to the second step. Another flood of nine-colored light, stronger than the last, erupted. However, this time, there was Desolate Power within it.

The young woman remained absolutely calm, twirling her fingers like a puppeteer. Her movements were not overt, but contained an exquisite beauty to it that enthralled the mind, making one unable to look away. She wasn’t a beauty by any means, being just slightly pretty, but now she had a distinctive beauty that was hard to resist.

Wei Wuyin observed her actions. He was quite intrigued, realizing her real appearance was hidden by a power that even his current level of Celestial Eyes couldn’t see through. Likely, it exceeded the Mortal Limits. For an ordinary woman to have such a high cultivation, to have such a powerful background, it was highly unlikely her looks were that simple.

If there’s one thing he learned from his lifetime, appearance was attributed greatly to wealth and strength. But natural looks amplified these benefits. He was the best example of that. Even before he entered the cultivation world, others often referred to him as an Immortal’s Descendant, a compliment based on the mystifying and grand looks of fabled immortals. Now? The gazes he received from all genders and races told the truth.

After the young woman handled the desolate power and elemental flood with ease, she took a third step. Wei Wuyin no longer allowed his imagination to run, shooting onto the first step. The flood of elemental power was compressed into a crystal by him, kept in his palm, as he leapt to the next step.

He soon caught up to the young woman after reaching the 16th step. The surge of power was greater, and it seemed the staircase was inspecting his age via lifeforce, exerting a pressure as well.

The young woman softly snorted, shooting off even faster. Wei Wuyin wryly smiled, following along with ease. It seems the old man was right, she was quite fierce. By the time they reached the 50th step, only a few minutes had passed.

But the other nine candidates were struggling, even Ai Juling was fighting fiercely on the 33rd step. The flood of raw elemental energies, the flow of desolate power, and the age-determining pressure was pushing them to their limits.

It seemed a person’s age determined the amount of force they’d feel with each step increasing it. Wei Wuyin wasn’t even fifty yet, so with his strong body, this pressure was utterly insignificant. Even an ordinary World Sea Phase could handle it.

The various elemental energies and desolate power was even easier to handle.

The disparity was becoming so large that the crowd was silent from shock, disbelief, and confusion. Two figures that had no reputation whatsoever were pushing their way through the staircase with utter ease while the renowned, expected contestants, even the dark horse that seemed to eclipse the others unexpectedly, fiercely struggled.

Furthermore, one was exceedingly handsome and the other was downright ordinary with a strange, beguiling charm.

The moment the two reached the 100th step, the others, especially the dark horse in the form of a handsome young man dressed in grey and white, were still struggling on the 50th step and below. Ai Juling’s white eyes were overflowing with Elemental Origin Intent, just stepping onto the 41st step at this moment.

The crowd was shocked!

Wasn’t this too great a difference?!