Chapter 28

Time flew by, and more than a month passed in the blink of an eye. The New Year of the Eastern old calendar was approaching, and the Yin clan city became incredibly bustling. Except for those clan members who were entrusted with secret missions and could not leave their posts, all other Yin clan members, regardless of what they were doing outside, hurried back as quickly as possible.

Hundreds of thousands of blood servants were busy inside and out, cleaning the Yin clan city until it was spotless. Red couplets with gold outlines were pasted on every door, and red lanterns, as numerous as the stars in the sky, hung from every door and beam of the entire city.

The Yin clan city, which usually had a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere, had recently taken on a few more vibrant colors. However, the bright red, which represented auspiciousness and celebration in the East, appeared particularly glaring under the crimson light of the blood mist barrier.

Yin Xuege also ended his cultivation and joined the various preparations and busyness for the New Year with a radiant smile. At this moment, his status was vastly different from over a month ago. His authority and treatment were on par with the elders of the 'Di' generation. Eight major stewards from the four major power halls always followed him closely, and a large number of Yin clan experts and warriors accompanied him as guards. With just one word from him, countless people would be busy all day long without a moment's rest!

For eleven years, Yin Xuege had never felt such a sensation. Everyone treated him with great respect and awe. Everyone would instinctively lower their gaze and lower their voice and tone in front of him, and everyone would greet and bless him warmly when they saw him.

This unfamiliar warmth made Yin Xuege think of many things. At the tender age of eleven, a hint of沧桑 (cang桑, meaning沧桑, which can be translated as "沧桑" or "the vicissitudes of life") and maturity had already settled in his eyes. His state of mind had changed significantly in just a few short days. The sense of power expansion brought by absorbing twenty drops of Duke's essence blood was gradually eroded by the bits of沧桑 and heaviness.

His heart became clear and round, and Yin Xuege deeply understood one thing from the clan members' change in attitude—power is everything!

On the eastern side of the Yin clan ancestral temple, a bronze bell weighing twelve thousand pounds was struck with a resounding boom. The deep and resonant bell sound traveled for hundreds of miles. Inside the Yin clan city, all clan members put on formal ceremonial robes and, according to their seniority and status, formed neat rows and marched towards the ancestral temple.

After 108 bell strikes, more than a hundred thousand Yin clan members stood neatly on the square in front of the ancestral temple.

Dozens of senior figures of the 'Tian' generation of the Yin clan lined up in front of the ancestral temple. They wore dark gold-red ceremonial robes and purple-gold headbands. Their attire strictly followed the ancient Eastern etiquette, even the small pendants on their waistbands were ancient Eastern jade with a history of thousands of years.

In the center of these Yin clan elders, Yin Tianjue, with a smile, had his hands in his sleeves, looking down at the neatly lined-up clan members below. The vast square was silent, and no clan member dared to make a sound.

As time passed, the drum tower on the western side of the ancestral temple suddenly resounded. A giant drum with a diameter of twelve meters was struck by two burly men holding huge bone mallets. The deep, resonant, and heart-penetrating drum sound slowly rose. Yin Tianjue straightened his face, turned around without a word, and pushed open the temple door made of black ebony, which was two feet thick.

The auspicious moment had arrived, and the annual ancestral worship ceremony of the Yin clan officially began!

With a long 'creak,' the two temple doors, each twenty meters high and twelve meters wide, opened wide, and a cold, chilling air burst out from the dark temple. This cold air instantly swept across the entire square, and countless clan members standing solemnly shivered simultaneously.

The sound of 'whoosh' continued, and countless torches and braziers inside the dark temple lit up one after another. The dark red firelight illuminated the several-mile-wide Yin clan ancestral temple, and faint, low wooden fish sounds and chanting could be heard from deep within the temple.

Led by Yin Tianjue, a group of 'Tian' generation elders entered the temple in solemn formation. Yin Tianjue's direct younger brother, the second supreme elder of the Yin clan, Yin Tianmie, stood tall at the temple entrance, unfolded a blood-red scroll with great authority.

"Yin Di Feng!"

A young man standing in the row of 'Di' generation elders bowed to Yin Tianmie, took a few cautious steps forward, and slowly walked up the steps to the temple entrance, entering the temple.

"Yin Di Lan!"

A man with three strands of willow-like whiskers and an ancient appearance smiled modestly, bowed to Yin Tianmie, and quickly entered the temple.

One after another, the names of Yin clan members were called out by Yin Tianmie, and one after another, they entered the temple. They were all qualified to enter the temple, offer incense to the ancestors of the Yin clan, and participate in the ancestral worship ceremony. Although participating in the annual ancestral worship ceremony did not bring any practical benefits to the clan members, it represented their status in the Yin clan!

If you could enter the temple to participate in the New Year's ancestral worship, you were a core member of the Yin clan. Even if you were from a collateral line, as long as you could enter the temple every year, no one would dare to look down on you!

On the contrary, even if you were from the main line, even if you were Yin Tianjue's biological son, if you were suddenly deprived of the right to enter the temple for ancestral worship in a certain year, your life in the Yin clan would undoubtedly be very difficult! Other clan members would look at you with strange eyes, and the followers who had previously attached themselves to you might immediately change their allegiance!

The blood demon clan was a race that valued practical benefits the most! The annual ancestral worship ceremony contained far more than just the ceremony itself!

There were more than five thousand 'Di' generation clan members, but only 258 of them had the right to enter the temple to participate in the ancestral worship ceremony!

All Yin clan members had a clear idea of this list. They roughly knew who had the right to enter the temple today. They also knew which few people who previously did not have the right to enter would be honored today, and which few people who had the right to enter in the past few years would be deprived of the right to worship the ancestors this year due to some mistakes.

What shocked the Yin clan members present was that after the last 'Di' generation elder was called by Yin Tianmie to enter the temple, Yin Tianmie unexpectedly called out a name that no one expected—'Yin Xuege'!

Yin Xuege, standing at the back of the square, mixed in the row of children, was stunned. Countless clan members on the square looked at him simultaneously, their eyes filled with shock, fear, and disbelief. How could Yin Xuege, a mere child, have the right to enter the temple today?

Even if he was a Day Walker, with boundless potential, and had the right to enter the temple, he should not be called after so many 'Di' generation elders and before so many elders!

The Yin clan members in front of Yin Xuege subconsciously moved to the sides, making way for a path straight to the temple.

Taking a deep breath, Yin Xuege, with a clear mind, smiled with understanding, slightly raised his head, and took steady, unhurried steps towards the temple entrance.

"Yin Xuege, this is what you deserve!" Yin Xuege looked firmly at the temple entrance, not even glancing at Yin Tianmie, and slowly passed by him, entering the temple.

A faint, mosquito-like voice suddenly sounded in Yin Xuege's ear: "Yin Xuege! Your mother, Yin Huangwu, is my direct descendant. In other words, you are a direct descendant of the Yin Tianmie line. Work hard, and if you have any needs, just go to the Xuan Yin Palace. The entire Xuan Yin Palace is your support!"

Yin Xuege's face twitched slightly. He turned to look at Yin Tianmie, nodded slightly, and then walked into the temple.

Until today, Yin Xuege only knew that he had the status of a direct descendant of the Yin clan and that Yin Huangwu was his mother. He knew nothing else about his background. Now he learned that Yin Huangwu was from the Yin Tianmie line, a direct descendant of Yin Tianmie.

The Yin clan had nine 'Tian' generation elders, and the main line of the Yin clan was divided into nine branches. Each branch had a palace in the Yin clan city, and the Xuan Yin Palace was the core stronghold of the Yin Tianmie branch. 'Xuan Yin Palace' also referred to all the people and forces of the Yin Tianmie branch.

If the rewards and promises given by Yin Tianjue over a month ago represented the overall recognition of the entire Yin clan, then the silent transmission of sound by Yin Tianmie today represented the support of the 'Xuan Yin Palace' branch of the Yin clan for Yin Xuege!

From now on, Yin Xuege truly had a force within the Yin clan that he could rely on, a force that could protect him when he was weak.

Following a black stone path, Yin Xuege took steady steps towards the temple hall a hundred meters away. The Yin clan elders and senior figures, including Yin Tianjue, stood neatly in front of the temple hall, their eyes drooping, their mouths closed, and their minds focused in silence.

Yin Xuege chose a position at the outermost side behind the elders and stood there, mimicking the elders by squinting his eyes and not saying a word. The atmosphere inside the temple was particularly oppressive, and even Yin Xuege's mind was blank, with no other thoughts.

Behind him, the high and long voice of Yin Tianmie calling out names echoed, and one by one, the core members of the 'Wu' generation of the Yin clan slowly entered. Only 127 members of the 'Wu' generation had the right to enter the temple. These 'Wu' generation members did not hold any actual positions in the clan; most of them were in the golden stage of power enhancement and spent most of their time in seclusion for cultivation.