pappabearbooks Chapter 359 The Moon Goddess Descends
Chapter 359 The Moon Goddess Descends
The masked man stepped down from the platform and stopped in front of the group of kneeling boys and girls.
He raised his hands, his voice still carrying that peculiar echo: "Now that you have offered your sincerity, you may receive baptism at the sacred pool. After baptism, go to the main hall. The Moon Goddess will descend there to bless you and make you true disciples of the Holy Church."
The boys and girls kneeling on the ground all raised their heads, their eyes filled with excitement.
Some people were so excited they were trembling, some had tears in their eyes, and some were tightly holding the hands of their companions.
"Thank you, Your Excellency! Thank you, Moon Goddess!"
The masked man turned around and walked deeper into the cave.
Everyone quickly stood up and followed behind.
Qin Mu led the three women at the very back of the group, walking at a leisurely pace.
After passing through several white corridors, a pool of water came into view.
The pool was not large, only a few feet in circumference, and the water was milky white with a faint fluorescent glow.
The surface of the pool was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the small patch of starry sky overhead.
The pool is surrounded by white stone railings, with crescent moons carved on the railing posts.
A peculiar fragrance filled the air, sweet like osmanthus or gardenia, which made one drowsy after smelling it for a while.
Qin Mu stood by the pool, looking down at the milky white water, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
He smelled the scent of drugs in the pool—hallucinogenic, capable of making people delirious, weak-willed, and easily manipulated.
He raised his right hand without making a sound, and flicked his fingers lightly inside his sleeve.
An invisible stream of true energy overflowed from his fingertips, transforming into a thin, transparent shield that enveloped his entire body.
He flicked the strings three more times, and three protective shields landed on Zhao Qingxue, Jiang Zhaoyue, and Yun Luan respectively.
The protective shield was extremely thin and faint, like an invisible veil, clinging to their skin without them feeling anything.
Zhao Qingxue turned her head and glanced at him.
Qin Mu shook his head slightly, signaling her not to speak.
The masked man stood by the pool, facing the group of young men and women.
"Remove your outer garments and enter the pool for baptism. The waters of the sacred pool will wash away the impurities from your bodies, purify your souls, and allow you to meet the moon goddess in your purest form."
The young men and women looked at each other, hesitating for a moment.
Immediately, people began to loosen their belts. One, two, three, and soon everyone had taken off their outer garments, wearing only their inner garments, and entered the pool one after another.
The milky white pool water reached above their knees, above their waists, and above their chests.
They closed their eyes, clasped their hands together, and their lips moved slightly, as if they were chanting something.
The fireflies in the pool grew brighter and brighter, enveloping them in a hazy white light.
Their expressions gradually shifted from tense to relaxed, from relaxed to bewildered, and from bewildered to infatuated.
Some people had a slight smile on their lips, as if they were having a sweet dream.
Tears welled up in some people's eyes, as if they were experiencing a deeply moving experience.
Some people trembled all over, as if something had struck their soul.
The masked man stood by the pool, watching the changing expressions of the young men and women, and nodded slightly.
Qin Mu stood at the back of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the figures floating in the pool, his face expressionless.
The eyes of those young men and women were gradually losing focus, like lamps being blown out by the wind.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the masked man raised his hands.
"The time has come; leave the pool."
The boys and girls slowly opened their eyes and walked out of the pool.
Their eyes were unfocused, as if seen through a thick fog, making everything blurry and indistinct, unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
Their movements became sluggish, as if something was holding them back, and every step felt like walking on cotton.
Some people started to sway as they walked, and only managed to stand steadily by holding onto their companions.
The masked man nodded in satisfaction and turned to walk deeper into the cave.
The boys and girls followed behind, their steps unsteady, like a group of puppets on strings.
Qin Mu followed at the very back with three women.
His gaze fell on the backs of the group of young men and women, on their unsteady steps, on the increasingly thick fog, and the cold light in his eyes deepened.
After passing through the last corridor, a grand hall came into view.
The palace gate was made of white jade, three zhang high and two zhang wide, with a huge bright moon carved on the lintel.
The masked man pushed open the palace door, revealing a brightly lit interior.
The ground was paved with snow-white stone slabs, so shiny they could reflect a person's image.
Countless glass lamps hung from the ceiling, their candlelight flickering gently within the lampshades, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day.
At the end of the main hall is a high platform.
A white jade chair stands on the high platform, but there is no one on it.
A huge portrait hangs on the wall behind the platform.
The painting depicts a woman wearing a snow-white robe and a white jade mask. She holds a full moon in one hand and hangs at her side with the other, just like the statue outside the hall.
The masked man walked up to the high platform, stood beside the white jade chair, and faced the crowd.
"kneel."
The boys and girls all knelt down, their foreheads touching the cold stone slab.
Their bodies were still trembling slightly, whether from the cold or excitement, it was hard to tell.
Qin Mu stood at the entrance of the main hall, his hands behind his back.
His gaze swept across the high platform, over the empty white jade chair, over the huge portrait on the wall, and finally landed on the figures wearing white masks and standing with their hands at their sides on both sides of the hall.
Those figures remained motionless, like lifeless statues.
The hall was very quiet, so quiet that you could hear the faint sound of the candles burning, and the rapid breathing of the young men and women kneeling on the ground.
Everyone is waiting.
Waiting for the person sitting on the white jade chair to appear.
The masked man stood on the high platform, slowly raising his hands and looking up at the open skylight in the roof of the palace.
His lips moved, and a string of strange syllables escaped from his throat, low and slow, like an echo from the depths of the earth.
"Om Mani Hum Soha"
"The moonlight shines upon the world, and all evil cannot invade it—"
"The Moon Goddess has descended upon this place—"
With each word he read, his voice rose a notch, causing the candlelight in the hall to flicker violently.
The young men and women kneeling on the ground trembled, their foreheads pressed against the stone slabs, not daring to raise their heads.
Outside the skylight on the roof of the palace, the night sky suddenly changed.
A fierce wind howled and rushed into the hall, causing the glass lamps to sway violently and the candlelight to flicker erratically.
The clouds were blown away by the wind, revealing a full moon.
Moonlight cascaded down like a waterfall, passing through the skylight and falling straight onto the white jade chair on the high platform.
The moonlight condensed into a silvery-white pillar, enveloping the entire platform in a cool, almost sacred light.
A figure slowly descended through the skylight.
She descended following the moonlight, her white robes fluttering in the wind like butterflies.
Her long hair cascaded down to her waist, without any hairpins or ornaments, only the moonlight flowing over it.
She wore a white jade mask, identical to the one on the statue outside the hall, revealing only her eyes.
Those eyes were bright, like two cold stars bathed in moonlight, revealing no emotion.
She landed on the white jade chair and slowly sat down.
The hem of her dress cascaded down from the chair, spreading across the snow-white stone slab, like a pure white flower in full bloom.
Everyone knelt down in unison, their foreheads touching the ground, their voices trembling with excitement.
"The Moon Goddess descends—Long live the Moon Goddess—"
The woman raised her right hand, palm down, fingers slightly spread.
The moonlight flowed through her fingertips, like tiny, silvery-white threads.
Her voice rang out.
It was ethereal and melodious, like wind chimes gently tinkling in the night breeze, or like a clear spring flowing gently from a crack in the rocks.
Each word carries a unique rhythm, as if it came from beyond the heavens, untouched by any dust.
"I am the Moon Goddess, the Lord of the Moon. I illuminate the world with my moonlight and protect all living beings. Those who believe in me will have eternal life. Those who do not believe will fall into Avici Hell."
Her gaze swept over the people kneeling on the ground.
"Now that you have entered the Holy Church, you are my people. I will bless you, remove calamities, and protect you in peace."
The boys and girls kneeling on the ground trembled with excitement; some began to cry, some murmured to themselves, and some raised their hands high.
Qin Mu stood at the entrance of the main hall, his hands behind his back.
His gaze fell on the figure in white, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
He did not kneel.
He never knelt from the moment he entered the hall.
He used some means to make himself and the three women behind him invisible to everyone present.
It's not invisibility, it's something simpler.
Let their gazes slip past him, like water flowing over a stone, leaving no trace.
With his current strength, achieving this would be effortless for him.
Zhao Qingxue stood behind him, gripping the Frost Moon Sword tightly in her hand.
Her gaze fell on the figure in white, on the white jade mask, and on those eyes as cold as stars.
Standing beside Qin Mu, Jiang Zhaoyue looked at the lofty "Moon Goddess" and felt a strange, inexplicable feeling welling up inside her.
That voice was too perfect, so perfect it seemed unreal.
Yunluan's hand rested on the hilt of the sword, her knuckles turning white.
Her gaze was like a knife, scraping across the white-clad figure inch by inch.
On the high platform, the moon goddess began to bestow blessings.
She raised her right hand, her fingertips drawing silvery arcs in the air.
Those arcs lingered in the air, like strands of silver thread, weaving together a complex, incomprehensible pattern.
The pattern slowly descended, landing on the heads of the kneeling boys and girls.
They were jolted, then erupted into an even more frenzied cheer.
"Moon Goddess, have mercy! Long live the Moon Goddess!"
Some people began to take off their clothes.
The grayish-white coarse cloth outer robe was taken off, revealing the snow-white inner shirt underneath.
A man in white stepped forward and handed them brand-new, pure white robes.
With trembling hands, they accepted the white robe, draped it over their shoulders, and fastened the belt.
From this moment on, they were officially disciples of the Moon Goddess Cult.
Yunluan turned her head slightly and lowered her voice, saying, "Your Majesty, do you require my assistance?"
Qin Mu shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the white-clad figure.
"You are no match for her."
Yunluan's pupils contracted slightly.
Her hand paused on the hilt of the sword for a moment, then slowly released it.
She didn't ask why, nor did she ask what level of cultivation that person had reached.
If His Majesty says we are no match, then we are definitely no match.
A slow smile curved Qin Mu's lips, and the light in his eyes brightened even more.
"Let's take another look. It's quite interesting, isn't it?"