214: Sacrificial ceremony, receiving gifts

Midnight Gao Sou mobilized the entire Great Love Sect to arrange the sacrificial ceremony.

To welcome the Three Great Sects and other major and minor forces, he specially sought out a Spirit Peak, and then found spiritual wood and other building materials, entrusting a specialist to construct a new grand hall.

Jiang Yezi and other Elder players carefully calculated for a while, then still mustered the courage to speak to Midnight Gao Sou, trying to persuade him:

"Sect Master, our Great Love Sect's treasury is almost empty.

"Before, when you had your Breakthrough, it already consumed a lot, and later, when we were defending, we spent a lot more.

"I think for this sacrificial ceremony, couldn't we just use our Great Love Sect's main hall?"

Midnight Gao Sou stood with his hands behind his back, a proud expression on his Face:

"Jiang Yezi, I am now a Golden Core, not a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. How can I continue to use the same pomp and circumstance as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator?

"If this were to spread, wouldn't others look down on me? Thinking that my Golden Core is very weak, on the same level as Foundation Establishment?

"If they look down on me, they look down on the Great Love Sect. At that time, there will only be more overt and covert attempts to test us and make things difficult for us, with endless schemes. When calculated carefully, it's better to expend resources and hold a grand ceremony."

Jiang Yezi and the others exchanged glances.

What Midnight Gao Sou said did indeed make sense, but it was also a fact that the Great Love Sect's reserves were almost depleted.

To prepare a grand ceremony for Golden Core Cultivators was not as simple as just building an altar and placing some flowers and fruits. It required maintaining high-quality incense, and even placing Heaven And Earth Treasures to gather Spiritual Qi. Furthermore, various spiritual foods prepared by culinary Dao Cultivators were absolutely essential.

These were hard requirements. And for the sake of the Golden Core Cultivators' Face, there also needed to be some high-quality spiritual ores, spiritual wood, or other treasures, specifically used to pave floors, walls, pillars, and even to decorate according to auspicious feng shui positions.

There were countless miscellaneous expenses, easily emptying the Great Love Sect's reserves.

"I know our Great Love Sect's recent expenses have been a bit high, but as long as the ceremony is held, and we receive gifts from other forces, and then completely annex the entire Great Jiang Imperial Dynasty, all expenses will be acceptable."

Midnight Gao Sou waved his hand, a confident expression appearing on his Face.

Jiang Yezi and the others exchanged glances, but in the end, they couldn't refute him.

Who told him he was a Golden Core? Whatever he said, went... A few days later.

It was suitable for sacrifices, ground-breaking, and travel.

It was indeed a good day for a sacrificial ceremony.

Midnight Gao Sou led the Great Love Sect members in preparing everything. A new grand hall had been newly constructed on a Spirit Peak, with the core being the altar for sacrifices. Around it was a vast space, along with some jade tables and chairs. Spiritual melons and spiritual fruits had already been prepared, and incense was lit, a fragrant aroma wafting, calming the mind and Qi.

Midnight Gao Sou sat alone in the main seat, holding a small jade cup filled with spiritual wine, a sweet aroma diffusing.

His thoughts were a bit unsettled. His spiritual consciousness spread out, observing all directions.

Ordinary Disciples of the Great Love Sect were not allowed into the grand hall and remained outside the Spirit Peak, each curiously looking in all directions.

Jiang Yezi and the other Elders were chosen as attendants and were allowed into the Spirit Peak, standing by at all times. At this moment, they too had curious expressions.

They were all curious about who would attend this sacrificial ceremony.

Soon, a convoy approached from afar, with about several hundred attendants, pulling carts of congratulatory gifts. Leading them was an Immortal Foundation expert, old and decrepit, appearing extremely humble before the Great Love Sect Elders, deliberately bending his waist a few times.

"Li Family of Qiyun Peak, Changqing Commandery, congratulates the Immortal Master."

The newcomer was extremely respectful, setting down the congratulatory gifts, bowing towards the grand hall, yet not daring to step inside. He merely followed a Great Love Sect Elder to the prepared plaza, where he stood, without even a seat.

Theoretically, Changqing Commandery had been directly ceded to the Great Love Sect by Great Jiang, and thus the Li Family of Qiyun Peak also became a subordinate force of the Great Love Sect; they had no choice but to be respectful.

Subsequently, other Families and Sects from the four commanderies of the Great Love Sect came one after another to offer congratulations, presenting increasingly generous gifts. Everyone was utterly respectful, not daring to act presumptuously, and not one expressed dissatisfaction with their seating.

After the four commanderies came other Families and Sects from within the Great Jiang Imperial Dynasty. These individuals did receive seats, albeit on the periphery, but it was still considered a courtesy. Many Clan Chiefs and Sect Masters even prostrated themselves in gratitude to the Immortal Master for granting them seats.

However, not a single force from the other three nations came.

Midnight Gao Sou frowned slightly. He vaguely sensed that the sacrificial ceremony was not so simple; these forces must have been instructed by the Three Great Sects. Who came first, who came later, and who didn't come, all were calculated.

Those who came first were from his own sphere of influence. Those who came next were from the sphere of influence tacitly conceded to him.

As for those who didn't come, that was a reminder from the Three Great Sects: do not meddle with these forces.

"Indeed, achieving Golden Core means you're at the table, with the right to participate in the division of power."

Midnight Gao Sou drank his wine and sighed, "It seems I'll have to interact more with other Golden Core Cultivators in the future. Whatever decisions are made, they must be discussed in advance. It's always better for everyone to share the benefits than for Golden Core Cultivators to fight amongst themselves."

Just as Midnight Gao Sou was contemplating.

Suddenly, streaks of light appeared in the distance, and bursts of immortal music resounded.

Everyone looked towards the source of the light.

They saw seven immortal boats arriving from the clouds, wreathed in Immortal Qi, with over a thousand Cultivators treading the air as escorts.

Midnight Gao Sou's eyes widened.

Although their Great Love Sect had become a Golden Core Sect, it couldn't keep up in all aspects. Let alone immortal boats, they didn't even have the most ordinary flying shuttles. For long-distance travel, they still had to rely on the teleportation arrays set up in the various cities of Great Jiang.

The flying boats stopped outside the Great Love Sect. A person treading the air at the very front cupped his hands and said:

"Si Qianyuan of Heshui Prefecture, on behalf of my Sect Master, I present seven flying boats as a congratulatory gift, wishing the Immortal Master an early Major Achievement of divine Gongfa and the shattering of the Golden Core to form an Infant!"

The next moment, the seven flying boats hovered beside the Great Love Sect. The Cultivators within them all stepped out into the air, cupping their hands in salute, allowing the flying boats to slowly descend.

Midnight Gao Sou's eyes lit up.

As expected of Heshui Prefecture! The gifts they sent were truly substantial!

He hurriedly called Jiang Yezi to usher Si Qianyuan and the others into the hall, then suddenly remembered something and asked Si Qianyuan:

"May I ask where your esteemed Sect's Immortal Master is?"

Si Qianyuan bowed respectfully and said:

"Recently, Yao Beasts have been rampant in the mountain range, and my Immortal Master truly cannot spare the time. I hope the Immortal Master will forgive him."

Midnight Gao Sou frowned slightly.

Si Qianyuan then presented a gift list. It turned out that the flying boats were all fully loaded with heavy gifts.

Midnight Gao Sou's brows finally relaxed into a smile.

At this moment, streaks of light once again arrived from afar.

These were not flying boats, but individual Cultivators treading the air. The leader had an air of an Immortal, and a gentle breeze blew around him. As the Cultivators of the Great Love Sect were touched by this wind, they immediately felt their entire bodies lighten, and even the circulation of their Cultivation Technique became much more natural.

"This old man, Xiao Baoshan of Qingling Sect, congratulates the Immortal Master."

Xiao Baoshan waved his hand, took a step, and the next moment appeared directly in front of Midnight Gao Sou. He found a seat for himself, sat down, reached for a wine cup, and took a deep drink.

Midnight Gao Sou frowned.

At this moment, Xiao Baoshan waved his hand, and more than a dozen storage rings floated out.