The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 353 - 222 The Mysteries of Mystical Sect

Chapter 353: Chapter 222 The Mysteries of Mystical Sect

Atop the manuscript were details of the national sacrificial rites.

During his time at Hua Mountain, Yan Jiuling had briefly mentioned his speculations, and now, they were more explicitly detailed in the manuscript.

As a Confucian scholar with some knowledge of the Mystical Sect, though not an expert, Yan Jiuling often approached matters from the standpoint of Confucian classics.

That was the "Zhou Rituals."

"What is meant by ’rituals’?" Broadly speaking, it is all the systems and protocols in the operation of the Human Dao.

Thus, rituals are the comprehensive narrative of all matters, the foundation for the operation of the state.

"Rituals" are not unchanging. Once the nation descends into chaos or no longer fits with the times, the collapse of ritual and music will cause calamities within the Human Dao.

The earlier manuscripts were somewhat abstract, perhaps baffling to the layman who would need years of learning to understand.

But through the eyes of his past life, Li Yan found them much clearer to comprehend.

The so-called "rituals" also encompass production relations, hierarchical systems, and distribution of interests. Whenever the production relations do not match the productive forces, problems naturally arise, triggering transformations.

The "Zhou Rituals," originally known as "Zhou Officials," were divided into Heavenly Officials, Earth Officials, and the four season officials—spring, summer, autumn, winter. Later, Confucianism extended the meaning of "rituals," and "Zhou Officials" naturally became the "Zhou Rituals."

Then, going back further, were there no "rituals" during the Xia and Shang dynasties?

Of course, there were!

"Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of the Five Emperors" mention that Yao commanded Shun to take over the government, to "reform the five rituals." Shun ordered Bo Yi to manage the ancestral temples, to "preside over the three rituals."

Therefore, Yan Jiuling proposed an idea that the concept of the state emerged because of "rituals," conceived in antiquity and formed during the "Three Generations."

Naturally, these are all publicly known history.

To trace the origins of the Mystical Sect, one cannot do without seeking the sources.

The origin of "rituals" began with the worship of deities, stemming from the Witchcraft of the Ancient Tribes. Like the Mystical Sect today, it involved divination regarding certain phenomena, avoiding taboos, and exorcising them.

Later on, it gradually developed into various rituals for auspicious, ominous, military, guest, and festive events. The "ominous" rituals are what we now refer to as funeral affairs, which gave rise to occupations within the Mystical Sect such as porters, paper mache masters, and yin-yang masters.

This is the very foundation of the Mystical Sect system.

The reason why an orthodox sect is called "orthodox" is that they control the "rituals" of the era, such as the Taixuan Orthodox Sect’s control over state sacrificial rites, while Confucianism and Mixed Religions oversee the rituals of government officials and state institutions.

A calamity within the Human Dao is a change in "rituals!"

Every social revolution involves covert struggles within the Mystical Sect.

In ancient times, for instance, Witchcraft ruled the world, and the Sealing God battle was likely the final struggle of Witchcraft, which then gradually faded away.

Many signs indicated that early in the Zhou Dynasty, efforts were made to erase Shang "rituals," to relocate the stubborn people of Yin, destroy Yin City, fill the graves of Shang, and eliminate human sacrificial rites.

Subsequently, with the decline of Zhou rituals, warlords fought for dominance. As dynasties changed, the Mystical Sect also evolved, resulting in the current situation.

All these things can be found in historical records.

What truly shocked Li Yan were two doubts and speculations raised by Yan Jiuling.

One doubt came from the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," which records many exotic beasts and describes gods living among humans, with shamans and kings as one entity.

They were commonly titled "Emperor."

In the current age, such rarities are referred to as Heavenly Spirit Earth Treasure, but they are nowhere near as plentiful as before.

What happened in between?

The other doubt concerns the Zhou Dynasty and Shang.

During the Xia and Shang era, despite no specific records, it is known that they worshipped "God," a fusion of the ancestral deities and heaven, with human sacrifices.

After the Zhou, "God" gradually blurred into "heaven."

Since then, divine authority declined, and the gods became distant.

Based on the timeline, Yan Jiuling speculated two key moments.

The battle of Sealing God,

And the Great Flood!

After the Great Flood, Divine State no longer had an "Emperor"!

Before the sealing of the gods, Divine State revered Ghost Gods and practiced human sacrifice. After the sealing, divine authority was gradually suppressed by Imperial Power.

The so-called Sealing God might not have meant "imperial ennoblement."

But rather "prohibition"!

In conclusion, Yan Jiuling mocked himself in the manuscript, considering these thoughts as wild and chaotic, not even daring to share them for fear of ridicule from his peers and elders for appearing mad.

Yet to Li Yan, they were utterly shocking.

Ancient fangshi groups excavated Sealing God relics, summarizing them into the "Eternal Immortal Vault," each method bloody and brutal, necessitating demon god sacrifices.

These demon gods, all suppressed under Luo Feng Mountain.

Could they be the deities sealed during the battle of Sealing God?

And what of the mysterious "Ascenders"?

Could they be related to this ancient history?

For a moment, Li Yan felt dizzy and overwhelmed.

He had an inexplicable feeling that he might have touched upon the true secrets of the Mystical Sect.

"Master Li."

Just then, a timid voice interrupted his thoughts; it was a servant girl from the Yan residence who had arrived at the study unknowingly.

Her eyes filled with awe, the girl said, "The banquet is ready, and guests have arrived at the mansion. The master invites you to the front hall for dinner."

"Oh."

Li Yan rubbed his slightly swollen temples and followed the servant girl out of the courtyard. Noticing that the sky was already darkening, he realized it was dusk.

"Hahaha, good news..."

Even before reaching the front hall, he could hear hearty laughter.

Entering the hall, he saw a banquet table prepared inside.

An array of foods was on display, rich and varied, looking very sumptuous.

Apart from Yan Bo Nian, there was another man seated at the table.

The man was in the prime of life, robust and broad-shouldered, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and piercing eyes.

Dressed in a dark brown jacket and brown short coat with an open collar, revealing bronzed skin, he wore black coarse cloth trousers tucked into black wraps around his legs, and feet shod in heavy leather boots caked with mud and dust.

His face showed signs of exposure to the elements, as if he had traveled a long distance.

Most importantly,

There was no strange odor about him.

He was a master of alchemical martial arts!

Instantly, a sense of vigilance arose in Li Yan’s heart.