Chapter 1319: Ritual

The Prayer Festival officially commenced.

Lamas clad in crimson dharma robes carried enormous copper horns, playing solemn and majestic music. The sound, like the tolling of great bells, pierced the sky, instantly making the surrounding atmosphere dignified and solemn.

The followers of the esoteric sect bowed their heads even lower.

Not long after, monks from Sangha Monastery, dressed in intricate dharma robes, emerged from the rear.

They all held ritual implements in their hands. Some carried a drum with a drumhead as white as jade and a drum body as red as blood, beating it as they walked while chanting incantations under their breath.

The sound of the drums intertwined with the blare of the copper horns, creating a symphony so solemn that even Fatty Xu dared not crack a smile.

Soon after, people dressed in multi-colored clothes came out, singing, dancing, and gesticulating wildly.

Over a dozen lamas carried a large barrel and placed it in the center of the square.

On the other side, an enormous cauldron with a diameter of at least five to six meters had already been placed over a furnace.

Zhang Yi found it quite interesting to watch, but very quickly, the atmosphere on-site took a somewhat strange turn.

Because from outside, suddenly, several hundred monk soldiers escorted over twenty ragged, disheveled individuals towards the center of the square.

Their bodies were bound with heavy chains, and they walked with a limp, the chains clanking and clattering with each step.

"Who are these people?"

Zhang Yi couldn't help but look towards Pagyi Gesang.

"The Prayer Festival... also involves executing prisoners?"

Pagyi Gesang said to Zhang Yi, "These people are captured members of the resistance army. To the public, we claim they are demonic people bewitched by the Demon Kingdom, intending to oppose the esoteric sect."

"Taking advantage of today's occasion to execute them is also part of the ritual."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi, Liang Yue, and the others immediately understood. The situation was exactly as they had guessed.

Sure enough, the Four Great Families and Sangha Monastery were setting a trap here, waiting for the resistance army to come to the rescue.

Among these people, Zhang Yi spotted a few familiar faces.

At the very front of the procession was a woman. She was bound with the heaviest chains, and four monk soldiers with powerful auras, personally wielding vajra pestles, escorted her.

After communicating with Drolma, Zhang Yi already knew her identity.

The second-in-command of the resistance army, Bamo.

She was the woman who led the ambush against the Lord of the Charnel Ground the day Zhang Yi and the others entered the Snowy Region.

In an instant, everything became clear.

This was an open, undisguised scheme.

With their second-in-command about to be executed, if the resistance army didn't come to rescue her, not only would they suffer a heavy loss, but they would also lose the people's support.

But if they came to rescue, the surroundings were undoubtedly already laid with a Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare.

The resistance army coming would only be a futile sacrifice.

Zhang Yi was also somewhat curious, wanting to know how that Snow Mountain Divine Eagle planned to rescue his subordinates.

As those resistance army members were being escorted, curses filled the air around them.

All the followers of the esoteric sect glared at them, gnashing their teeth, picking up anything within reach and hurling it at them.

The followers cursed through clenched teeth, denouncing their betrayal of the esoteric sect, their disloyalty to the Lord of the Charnel Ground and Sangha Monastery.

Soon, they were all brought to the center of the square.

On both sides of the square, execution racks had long been erected using massive tree trunks.

They were tied high up, standing on the square like banners. This was a display, to show people the fate of those who opposed the chieftains and Sangha Monastery.

A High Lama from Sangha Monastery stepped forward, loudly condemning their various actions.

"These resistance army members have already pledged allegiance to the Demons! They do not wish to see the people of the Snowy Plateau Region live happy lives. They have consistently opposed the great Lord of the Charnel Ground and the Khenpo, slandering the chieftains who work hard to defend our rights."

"It is precisely because of the existence of these people that our lives are so difficult now."

"Only by eliminating the resistance army will the Snowy Plateau Region usher in true peace and happiness!"

Amplification equipment carried these words to everyone's ears.

Simultaneously, the copper horns and ritual implements played solemn music, creating a feeling of awe and dread, agitating people's minds and spirits, making them instinctively kneel and prostrate even lower.

Sure enough, influenced by the High Lama, the curses from the crowd grew louder.

They threw the things in their hands from afar, hurling them at the resistance army members hanging on the execution racks.

On the faces of those resistance army members, some wore cold smiles, some were numb, and some were filled with sorrow.

They tried to roar in refutation, but their voices were too weak, blown away by the wind before anyone could hear them.

Next, another series of complicated procedures was carried out.

Amidst the anticipation of the crowd, the Lord of the Charnel Ground finally made his personal appearance.

The moment he appeared, a golden light rose from Sangha Monastery, illuminating all directions, as if a golden sun had ascended from the monastery.

This golden light was warm and gentle, shining on the face of every believer, making them show expressions of rapturous delight.

Many believers were even moved to tears, weeping loudly.

"Lord of the Charnel Ground! Lord of the Charnel Ground!"

"Great Lord of the Charnel Ground! Protect your people! Drive away the bitter cold, make our land bountiful, let us live happily!"

...

The golden light shot straight into the sky, actually dispersing the dark clouds, causing the heavy snow to abruptly stop.

The believers grew even more excited, kneeling on the ground and desperately kowtowing, shouting the name of the Lord of the Charnel Ground.

Even Pagyi Gesang and the others present couldn't help but kneel down.

Faced with such a divine miracle, how could one not be moved?

Zhang Yi remained perfectly calm, but Old You, Fatty Xu, and the others behind him were dumbstruck.

"Th-th-this... this is a divine miracle!"

Zhou Haimei almost knelt down as well.

Fortunately, at that moment, Yang Xinxin spoke in a voice only they could hear, "It is indeed impressive, but the same effect can be achieved using scientific methods."

Hearing this, everyone looked at Zhang Yi, "Zhang Yi, can you do it?"

Zhang Yi shrugged, "I could blast the cloud layer open with cannons."

He was utterly unimpressed by so-called divine miracles.

Upon reaching the Epsilon level, every superhuman would possess mysterious and formidable abilities.

The method used by the Lord of the Charnel Ground was indeed well-suited for being a cult leader; it worked quite well for intimidating people.

The lamas' playing grew louder.

The Lord of the Charnel Ground, dressed in a grand crimson dharma robe and wearing a ritual crown, slowly appeared on the square.

His entire body was enveloped in a soft golden light, making him appear like a deity. Tens of thousands of followers before him roared like a tsunami, shouting his name.

Even Pagyi Gesang and the others prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to even raise their heads to look directly at his face.

"This is the power of religion."

Zhang Yi thought to himself.

These people had lived in the Snowy Plateau Region for decades, subtly influenced. Now, all it took was for the Lord of the Charnel Ground to display a bit of divine miracle, and they would obediently bow down.

Zhang Yi glanced at the Lord of the Charnel Ground, resplendent in golden light like the Buddha, then looked at the enormous, constantly sounding copper horns and the ritual implements made from human skin and bones. A faint, inscrutable smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

So, this is what religion is all about.

Author's Note