Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Year-End Purge Ritual
Liu Shan paused for a moment, then continued: "What is called the ’Welcoming of the Year’ is actually the process of stripping and sealing the power within the Evil Spirit."
"The Welcoming of the Year starts right after the Year Exorcism Ritual of the previous year. Through arrays, we extract the Power of Origin from the Evil Spirit suppressed by the Stone Buddha and seal it within the Mountain Guardian Beast."
"Only a naturally extraordinary Dragon Breed can withstand such a massive amount of Evil Qi without losing control."
Wu Chang glanced at the Mountain Guardian Beast being kept and asked, "After the Mountain Guardian Beast absorbs enough Evil Qi, what then?"
"Then comes the second step, the ’Age Exorcism’," Liu Shan explained.
Mentioning the Age Exorcism, Wu Chang’s eyebrows twitched, unconsciously associating it with the red envelopes.
However, seeing Liu Shan’s serious tone when talking about the Age Exorcism during the Year Exorcism Ritual, it seemed to have nothing to do with red envelopes.
"Age Exorcism?"
Liu Shan said, "Age Exorcism is selecting the three young Mountain Guardian Beasts that have absorbed the most Evil Qi, cutting them open, and then choosing three robust and vigorous young villagers to consume the Evil Qi-filled Mountain Guardian Beast hearts raw."
"Utilizing their own blood qi to suppress the Evil Qi, that’s the Age Exorcism."
Wu Chang: "..."
Huai Valley Village’s Age Exorcism is undeniably hardcore.
Such Age Exorcism, no wonder the Mountain Guardian Beasts react that way upon seeing Liu Shan.
"After the Age Exorcism, comes the third step, the ’Guarding of the Year’. This step requires the Four-sided Palace Lantern that Wu returned."
"During the Guarding of the Year, the fire from the lantern must be used to ignite a giant bonfire, with the three Age Exorcism participants sitting around it for a day and a night, using the fire to aid in refining the Evil Spirits."
"After that, it’s on to the Year Exorcism. The village will select fifteen villagers to act as Yin Emissaries, wielding locust branches to lash the Age Exorcism individuals until the Evil Spirits are completely dissipated, marked by the vomiting of black ash."
Upon hearing the entire Year Exorcism Ritual process, Wu Chang pondered where the ritual might fail.
First, ruling out the Welcoming of the Year and the Age Exorcism.
Though the Mountain Guardian Beast looks extraordinary, it is ultimately just an ordinary beast, not a divine beast.
Being tamed by the villagers of Huai Valley Village and having undergone multiple Year Exorcism Rituals, it should not be able to resist.
During the Guarding of the Year, the fire and the Year Exorcism array work in conjunction to protect the participants surrounding the fire from dying, surviving the day and night isn’t a problem.
The problem may arise in the final Year Exorcism.
"If during the Year Exorcism, the participants do not vomit black ash, the Evil Qi has not been refined, then what should be done?"
Liu Shan was silent for a moment, then finally said:
"Struggling against demons inevitably means potential sacrifice, those who willingly become Age Exorcism participants are the best young men of the village. If they cannot refine the Evil Qi..."
"They will be thrown into the fire, using the fire to directly refine the Evil Spirits."
Wu Chang followed up, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Liu Shan complimented, "We are just rural villagers and do not understand those Magic Arts and Daoist Techniques. Having you oversee the ritual is the best support."
Wu Chang sorted through the current information, completing the second main quest, "Protect the village and complete the Year Exorcism Ritual" with two approaches.
One way is to achieve the goal by getting rid of the Evil Spirits.
As long as an idea can lure out the Evil Spirits and eliminate them with the Soul Cleansing Banner, it is automatically considered completing the Year Exorcism.
However, whether eliminating the Evil Spirits and completing the Year Exorcism Ritual can be seen as equivalent, he was uncertain.
The other method is to have the Welcoming of the Year, Age Exorcism, Guarding of the Year, and the Year Exorcism all proceed perfectly.
This rigid approach has a relatively lenient task completion judgment.
If the task wording is crucial, the main task is for him to complete the Year Exorcism Ritual, not to eliminate the Evil Spirits for real.
In terms of form, the ritual can be completed without truly posing a threat to the Evil Spirits’ essence.
However, as an instance on the brink of losing control, can either method truly ensure everything goes according to plan?
The entire Huai Valley Village sped up its operations, preparing the Year Exorcism Ritual in just one day.
On that evening, the village prepared offerings, and Liu Shan, accompanied by two elders, recited blessings, worshiping the ancestors.
After the worship, the three young men chosen as Age Exorcism participants emerged from the crowd.
They were bare-chested, wearing only lightweight shorts, with beast-hide headbands on their foreheads.
The villagers formed three circles, like three simple arenas, where the Age Exorcism participants and the selected young Mountain Guardian Beasts fought.
This step wasn’t necessary, but the villagers believed that hunters have an innate suppression over prey they capture themselves, aiding in the refining of the Evil Spirits.
Using agile Body Techniques and superior martial skills, the three men quickly killed the three young Mountain Guardian Beasts.
Liu Shan and the other two elders took the lead, dismembering the beasts amid the cheers of the villagers.
After drinking wine dripped with the beasts’ blood, the three Age Exorcism participants’ eyes subtly turned red, and heat steamed off their skin.
Then they took the hearts of the Mountain Guardian Beasts, tearing into them like beasts, quickly devouring the bowl-sized, black hearts suffused with Evil Qi.
The Welcoming of the Year and Age Exorcism stages thus concluded.
After absorbing the Evil Qi, the three Age Exorcism participants’ complexions suddenly changed, with black mist swirling between their brows and eyes.
Seeing the situation was off, Liu Shan shouted, "Ignite the fire!"
Liu Wei, carrying the Four-sided Age Fire Lamp, hurried to the prepared giant bonfire. Without needing control, the fire from the lamp snaked out like a serpent, igniting the bonfire.
The three Age Exorcism participants formed a pyramid and sat around the bonfire.
Beneath the blaze of the fire, the black mist on their faces eased, and their frowns gradually relaxed.
Seeing everything falling into place, all the villagers breathed a sigh of relief.
Except for Liu Wei.
As the most supportive of advancing the Year Exorcism Ritual and the one who lit the bonfire himself, Liu Wei’s expression was the most awkward.
Liu Wu leaving the village for unknown reasons was something Liu Wei, as the elder brother, could easily guess.
But he didn’t expect that just after Liu Wu left, Wu Chang would return with the Four-sided Age Fire Lamp, and the events of the Chen Family Village sped up the Year Exorcism Ritual to such a degree.
Now, even if Liu Wu returns safely from the Chen Family Village, he might not make it back for the Year Exorcism Ritual’s grand day.
As always being the most aggressive advance advocate, he couldn’t change his stance now to request a delay.
The only thing he could do now was pray for a mishap in the ceremony, delaying it by two or three days, allowing time for Liu Wu to return.
The giant bonfire burned from sunrise to sunset, about to burn for a full twelve hours.
The Year Exorcism Ritual was proceeding smoothly, without the mishap Liu Wei hoped for.
Fifteen robust villagers took their positions, holding locust branches three meters long, their faces painted in black, white, and red, embodying fierce Ghost Emissaries.
Seeing the time was almost up, Liu Wei completely gave up hope for an unexpected event.
However, just as the fifteen Ghost Emissaries raised their branches, waiting for Liu Shan’s command to start the lashing, the three closed-eyed Age Exorcism participants suddenly opened their eyes.
The clarity in their eyes was gone, covered by a misty black fog.
Black qi seeped from their eyes, coated their bodies, and transformed into a tough scale armor. As the trio wailed, their limbs became claws, and sharp teeth grew from their mouths.
Before the villagers could react to what had happened, the three transformed Age Exorcism participants suddenly appeared beside the "Ghost Emissaries."
With swings of their claws, in mere breaths, they sliced the fifteen Ghost Emissaries into forty or fifty pieces.
While praying nearby, Liu Wei’s eyes widened and he gave himself a hard slap.
It hurt, not a dream.
His prayers were answered, and something unexpected had indeed occurred!