Chapter One Hundred: The Consecration of the Ten Thousand Gods

In the City of the Gods, on the Divine Canon Platform, the Divine Emperor of the Purple Dragon emerged to greet the myriad deities of the Heavenly Court, then swayed his mighty and imposing dragon form and returned with overwhelming majesty to the Golden Sea of Fortune, where he continued his slumber to recover.

Below the platform, the countless gods of the divine race, having learned the Purple Dragon’s identity, no longer clamored. Instead, they looked toward Nanluo with reverence, their resolve to serve the divine race growing even firmer.

The first investiture ceremony of the Heavenly Court, that vast and sacred rite by which the gods were enfeoffed, after many twists and turns, was finally about to begin.

Nanluo stood at the center of the Divine Canon Platform and walked slowly up to the central altar of sacrifice to Heaven.

Lord Miaoyan, solemn and radiant, followed behind him and ascended the altar together with him.

The altar of sacrifice to Heaven was forged entirely from divine gold. On its four walls were carved reliefs of all living things, and upon the altar rested a golden imperial decree.

Before the altar stood a golden divine cauldron nine zhang high, in which nine sticks of golden divine incense, each nine zhang and nine cun in length, were planted.

For a state, the great affairs are sacrifice and war.

The grand sacrificial ceremony first created by the Heavenly Court was incomparably vast and sacred, destined to be passed down for all ages and revered by later generations.

Lord Miaoyan, clad in a robe of destiny woven in gold, stepped slowly to the side of the altar of sacrifice to Heaven, facing Nanluo and the millions of gods below the Divine Canon Platform. With solemn authority he cried aloud, “The sacrificial rite to Heaven: nine bows to Heaven and Earth.”

“Bow!”

At Lord Miaoyan’s command, the nine sticks of golden divine incense in the cauldron were lit of their own accord, releasing wisps of golden divine smoke that drifted up toward the nine heavens and down over the boundless ancient lands.

Nanluo, crowned with a golden divine diadem and robed in gold, lowered himself first toward the altar with grave and reverent composure.

Lord Miaoyan followed him, bowing with equal reverence toward the altar of sacrifice to Heaven.

The millions of gods below the platform rose together, solemn of expression, and, following Nanluo, bowed respectfully toward the altar.

What a grand and magnificent sight it was, this unified bow of countless gods to Heaven and Earth; what a sacred and unrivaled spectacle!

Through ancient and modern ages, from the farthest reaches of memory into the future, only the divine race could accomplish such a vast and exalted sacrificial rite.

After the nine bows, Nanluo rose, and the millions of gods below the platform rose with him.

All nine sticks of golden divine incense in the cauldron had burned completely away; clearly Heaven and Earth had accepted the divine race’s offering.

When the divine race sacrifices to Heaven, it is naturally seeking favor from Heaven and Earth.

If all nine sticks of incense burn to ash, it means Heaven and Earth have granted the request. If they fail to ignite or fail to burn completely, it means Heaven and Earth have refused, or only partially granted, the divine race’s petition.

Fortunately, the golden incense offered by the divine race had been entirely accepted by Heaven and Earth.

The divine race’s founding of the Heavenly Court and enfeoffment of the myriad gods had thus received Heaven’s assent and would surely proceed without hindrance.

Seeing this, Nanluo walked slowly to the altar of sacrifice to Heaven and took down the divine register enshrined there.

Indeed, that golden imperial decree was the legendary Register of the Gods.

The Register of the Gods was originally a heavenly book, possessing the power to enfeoff the myriad gods, and thus naturally should belong to the divine race.

As for how the divine race’s Register of the Gods later fell into the hands of the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, that involves the grudges between the Immortal and Divine paths.

That tale will not be told here; it shall be discussed another time.

Standing upon the altar of sacrifice to Heaven and holding the Register of the Gods aloft, Nanluo was clearly about to invest the gods in Heaven’s stead.

The Twelve Divine Lords on the Divine Canon Platform, seeing Nanluo raise the Register of the Gods, instantly understood that he intended to enfeoff the gods in Heaven’s name. Facing him, they immediately knelt upon the ground, awaiting the divine decree.

As the Twelve Divine Lords knelt below, the millions of gods upon the platform likewise turned toward Nanluo and knelt respectfully to the earth.

In an instant, between Heaven and Earth, only Nanluo remained standing, holding the Register of the Gods.

Lonely and noble, supreme and unmatched.

With a soft sound, Nanluo opened the golden imperial decree with both hands and unrolled the Register of the Gods, preparing to invest the gods in Heaven’s stead.

His pair of golden eyes looked calmly upon the divine offices he had already written, and his voice of authority spread through the City of the Gods.

“By mandate of Heaven and fortune’s decree, I hereby appoint Nanluo as the Divine Emperor, lord of the Heavenly Court, ruler over the boundless divinities of the Heavenly Court, holder of supreme authority over the sun, moon, stars, and constellations, shepherd of all living beings across the ancient lands, and recipient of the highest and most exalted divine rank.”

The millions of gods below the platform were not the least surprised by Nanluo’s investiture. In one voice they cried out in praise, “We pay respects to the Divine Emperor. May Your Majesty live forever and never perish!”

“I appoint Lord Miaoyan as the Heavenly Venerable of Destiny, to serve as the prime minister of the Heavenly Court and assist the Divine Emperor in ruling the boundless divinities, with a rank above the highest class.”

Lord Miaoyan, now Heavenly Venerable Miaoyan, trembled with emotion and bowed reverently to the ground. “Miaoyan humbly thanks the Divine Emperor and bows in gratitude to Heaven and Earth.”

Boom!

Within the Golden Sea of Fortune where the Purple Dragon Divine Emperor resided, the aura-image of Heavenly Venerable Miaoyan instantly凝ated.

From this day forth, Heavenly Venerable Miaoyan was a god of the Heavenly Court and could enjoy its fortune.

Afterward, Nanluo successively enfeoffed the gods of the divine race, appointing them all as Heavenly Venerables, each with a rank above the highest class.

Boom! Boom! ...

Each time Nanluo enfeoffed a god, the Golden Sea of Fortune of the Heavenly Court would manifest the corresponding aura-image of the enfeoffed deity.

According to the hierarchy of ranks, from the highest above-class position to the lowest ninth class, the Golden Sea of Fortune of the Heavenly Court produced an aura-image corresponding to each.

After enfeoffing the gods of the divine race, Nanluo began to enfeoff the vassal clans such as the Black Tortoise Clan.

Indeed, the Black Tortoise Clan was a vassal clan of the divine race, while the divine race stood as the suzerain clan over the myriad tribes of the Northern Wasteland.

Though powerful, the divine race lacked the means to control every corner of the Northern Wasteland, and the strength of the countless tribes there was not to be underestimated.

If the divine race were to directly annex the territories of the Northern Wasteland’s myriad tribes, they would surely rise in rebellion.

By then, war would rage across the Northern Wasteland. Even if the divine race ultimately conquered it, what they would obtain would be only a shattered, broken wasteland.

Clearly, that did not serve the divine race’s interests.

Yet neither could the divine race allow the tribes of the Northern Wasteland to continue occupying their lands independently, or else how could the divine race govern the Northern Wasteland?

In this situation, Nanluo proposed the system of vassal and suzerain clans.

The divine race would occupy only five hundred domains and five hundred waters of the Northern Wasteland, while the rest would still be held by the myriad tribes.

However, the tribes of the Northern Wasteland must pay tribute to the divine race once every ten thousand years, and in return the divine race would be obligated to protect them.

After intense debate, the myriad tribes of the Northern Wasteland ultimately accepted Nanluo’s proposal, acknowledged the divine race as their overlord, and became its vassals.

“I appoint Xuantianwu as the Black Tortoise Water Lord, to govern the Black Tortoise Clan and its territories, with a rank of first class.”

“I appoint Shatianba as the Sky-Overlord Shark Lord, to govern the Sky-Overlord Shark Clan and its territories, with a rank of first class.”

“I appoint Kui Tianlei as the Thunder Lord of the Kui Clan, to govern the Kui Bull Clan and its territories, with a rank of first class.”

Among the nine clans of the Northern Wasteland, only the clan chiefs of the Black Tortoise Clan, the Sky-Overlord Shark Clan, and the Kui Bull Thunder Clan were granted first-class rank; the chiefs of the remaining six clans were only of second class.

Nanluo’s investiture was highly meaningful, practically an open division of the nine clans of the Northern Wasteland.

Among the nine clans of the Northern Wasteland, the Black Tortoise held supremacy.

Xuantianwu was first-class rank, and the chiefs of the other eight clans should, in principle, have all been second class.

Yet Nanluo instead appointed the Sky-Overlord Shark Lord and the Kui Bull Thunder Lord to first-class rank, clearly intending to support them in open opposition to Xuantianwu.

This also indirectly revealed that the Sky-Overlord Shark Clan and the Kui Bull Thunder Clan had already taken refuge with the divine race, and with Nanluo.

Xuantianwu’s expression remained calm, though his eyes grew dark as he looked at the Sky-Overlord Shark Lord and the Kui Bull Thunder Lord, bowing and giving thanks to Nanluo alongside them as they accepted the divine seals bestowed by him.

The grand enfeoffment ceremony lasted a full day and night before it finally came to an end.