"Isn’t that so? This ti, the people from the external divisions will all return, and there will be a lot more people."
"The Saint Heir is also returning this ti. It seems like he hasn’t co back for a long ti."
"I heard that today the Hall Master will summon the Divine Master’s avatar, and we will be able to gaze upon the Divine Master’s heavenly countenance again!"
"Really?! That’s fantastic."
"By the way, doesn’t the fog seem thicker today than usual?"
"Eh, now that you ntion it, it does seem thicker..."
Dugu Qianye listened to these people as they talked, watching them go crazy over the so-called Divine Master. This was the effect of brainwashing!
Before long, Shen Xingzong and the four Hall Masters had all arrived. They ascended the altar and addressed the crowd below, "Today, here, we welco the students who have won the competition among the four great empires! You are the future of the Xuanyue Continent, the hope of the Xuanyue Continent. Today the Divine Master will project his presence onto our Holy Sea City, personally bestowing upon you rewards. Now, we invite the students of the four empires to ascend the altar."
The words were neat and to the point, devoid of flowery language. The students from the four empires climbed the altar step by step, led by the disciples of the Divine Temple. The students from the Mors Empire, although curious and wanting to know what the ’Yellowstone Fiend’ referred to by their leader was, as well as what brainwashing entailed, managed to control themselves quite well, not letting any flaws show.
It wasn’t easy to harbor ulterior motives in front of the five Phantom Venerables.
Reaching the first level, everyone was normal, but upon getting to the second level, people from the other three countries all seed sowhat erratic, as if trapped in so Phantom Realm, and they stopped moving. Seeing this, the students from the Mors Empire also stopped, pretending to see the sa scenes, the details of which had already been explained to them by their leader.
Dugu Qianye chuckled inwardly at the sight of the actors from the Mors Empire below.
"They’re quite convincing! I never realized before that they were such good actors."
"Why don’t you take care of the students from the other empires?" Jiang Yu asked through the Skeleton Earring, observing the events outside and inquiring of Dugu Qianye.
"Why should I? Wouldn’t that be telling the Divine Temple that I’ve tampered with your work? Besides, if they truly had firm convictions, they wouldn’t have been brainwashed."
Dugu Qianye glanced over and saw that neither Cang Jin nor Lin Feng were fooled; they looked puzzled when they saw everyone stopping.
After a while, the people from the other empires regained consciousness, presumably because the brainwashing had ended, as they looked towards Shen Xingzong with eyes full of excitent and fervor.
Dugu Qianye signaled to Jiang Yu to dissipate the Spiritual Mist to prevent it from being detected by the avatar of the Divine Master.
Shen Xingzong was satisfied to find that only two or three people had not been brainwashed. He went to the top level, placed a box on the altar, on which an incense burner had already been placed, opened the box, and bowed three tis to the beads inside. Others followed suit, bowing likewise as they watched Shen Xingzong perform the ritual.
After bowing three tis, everyone rose and found that the beads in the box emitted a dazzling radiance that almost forced everyone to close their eyes. When the light subsided, they saw a dignified and noble woman dressed in magnificent attire appear above the altar, standing beside Shen Xingzong. On closer inspection, one would realize that it was but an apparition.
"The Divine Master." Everyone knelt down to worship her. Shen Xingzong and the four Hall Masters also bowed deeply as a mark of respect.
The Divine Master regarded the students of the four empires with amusent at their devout expressions, though the faith absorbed by the Yellowstone Fiend was not as plentiful. She glanced at the altar, lifted her right hand slightly, and said, "Please rise, everyone."
Many people were seeing the Divine Master’s true face for the first ti and couldn’t help but steal glances after getting to their feet.
"Heavens, how can soone be so beautiful!" soone couldn’t help exclaiming.
"Impudence!" Seeing that person’s disrespect towards the Divine Master, an adherent of Shen Xingzong struck out with a palm of Phantom Power.
"That will not do," the Divine Master said softly and then, with a wave of her hand, dispersed the Phantom Power from Shen Xingzong.
The individual had just walked a fine line with death and collapsed to the ground in fright. The Divine Master directed a stream of Divine Power toward him, gently enveloping him. After a mont, the person recovered physically, though he was still ntally shaken.
"One must not lightly injure another’s life," the Divine Master rebuked Shen Xingzong.
"Yes. Your disciple was reckless," replied Shen Xingzong, as if truly recognizing his mistake.
Seeing the Divine Master protect disciples of the Divine Temple so, everyone felt that the Divine Master was indeed kind-hearted.
With Shen Xingzong admitting his error and the Divine Master not pursuing the matter further, she addressed the students from the four great empires below, "I’ve learned of your deeds from the Hall Master. You all are talented young individuals, and the future of the Xuanyue Continent will depend on you."
As she spoke, she ford seals with her hands, and white orbs of light spread from her hands, flew to the students from the four great empires, circled around them, and then entered their bodies.
"You are all gifted individuals. What you just received was the Blessing of the God, which will help you accelerate your cultivation. This is your reward," the Divine Master said, her voice seeming to hold a srizing power, "Of course, having enjoyed these benefits, you also take on the responsibility that cos with them. From now on, the upkeep of this world’s peace and stability is in your hands."
"Yes. We will surely follow the teachings of the Divine Master," ca the uniform reply, almost making Dugu Qianye think they had rehearsed it.
"If that is the case, you must strive hard and cultivate well in the future. I also hope that one day, I can see you on the Continent of Light," said the Divine Master, her shadow gradually fading away.
"We respectfully send off the Divine Master," everyone bowed again to see off the Divine Master.
Shen Xingzong ca forward to collect the box from the altar and turned to address those below, "In 8 days’ ti, we will have our Divine Temple’s grand sacrificial event, which occurs once every ten years. I now sincerely invite the students from the four nations to stay and spend this sacred festival with us. During these days, you are free to cultivate in the Phantom Sea Domain or to explore around. Should you have any needs, speak with the responsible disciples, and they will assist you. I hope everyone has a pleasant ti here."
After Shen Xingzong finished speaking, he left with the four Hall Masters. The entire event lasted less than an hour.
"So brief," soone murmured in discontent, "it ended before I even got to savor the experience."
Of course, the only ones bold enough to complain were those few from the Mors Empire who feared neither heaven nor earth.
After Fen Jian descended from the altar, Dugu Qianye followed him away from the platform. Before leaving, she glanced over at the people from the other three nations. Those who had been brainwashed were now excitedly discussing their newfound perception of the Divine Temple and the Divine Master, seemingly having completely forgotten themselves.
Dugu Qianye returned to his courtyard with Fen Jian, and after removing his mask, he was Baili Xie once more.
"I didn’t expect it to be so simple," Dugu Qianye said, feeling a certain disappointnt in his heart.
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