However, while the people of Xiushui Village were earnestly conducting their sacrificial rites, they were unaware that at this very moment, the entire Tomb Mountain was quietly undergoing a transformation.
Only Li Zhanying, who had been observing from a distance, noticed this change.
As the people knelt and bowed in mourning for their ancestors, a faint white light suddenly appeared outside the entire mountain!
All the smoke from the incense gathered into this layer of white light, which then swiftly transformed into a giant hand, slowly reaching out to gently touch the tops of the heads of those on the mountain.
In an instant, Lin Xiao seemed to sense something. His head lifted slightly, but after hesitating for a moment, he did not look up. Instead, he continued to bow his head, remembering his ancestors in his heart.
Subsequently, Li Zhanying saw that the giant hand, after touching the heads of the villagers, turned into a formless mist and quickly drifted towards Xiushui Village.
It eventually dispersed gently into every corner of the village.
Seeing this, Li Zhanying was quite shocked.
Could this be... the manifestation of the ancestors?
He had never believed in such things.
After all, if ancestors truly manifested, why had his powerful mother, who had passed away a thousand years ago, never appeared during any of the critical moments facing his country?
Li Zhanying had always known that death was final.
The so-called spirits of the dead were merely comfort for the living or warnings.
The grand royal sacrifices conducted every year were merely deceptions for ordinary people.
All decisions were made by the living, who exhausted their brains to achieve the best results possible.
However, witnessing the scene before him, Li Zhanying began to have doubts.
Could it really be that ancestors could manifest?
But no one could provide him with an answer now.
He had forgotten that those who had passed were once alive.
Every person stands on the shoulders of their predecessors to reach higher peaks.
The foundation had already been laid, so how could one continue to expect the predecessors to take steps for the descendants?
The path forward was for the living to walk on their own.
After the collective worship of the ancestors, it was time for each family to individually honor their own relatives.
Lin Yun and Lin Xiao, as usual, were led by Lin Dayou to kneel and bow in front of their mother's grave. Lin Dayou then shooed them away, sitting down with a loving expression in front of their mother's grave, taking out some of her favorite snacks from his bosom, and began chatting privately with his wife.
Lin Yun and Lin Xiao were used to this.
The brothers, linking arms, ran over to their grandparents' side, giving their parents some space.
Meanwhile, in the Lingxian Sect.
Liao Pantou, nestled in his room, also took out a stick of incense and placed it in the exquisite incense burner on his table.
He had not worshipped his ancestors for many years.
His hometown had long since disappeared into the annals of time, now existing only in his memory.
If it weren't for the atmosphere of the village below today, he might have even forgotten to light an incense for his ancestors.
After cultivating for so long, he had almost forgotten that he too had been born from his mother's womb.
He had long forgotten what his parents looked like.
Looking at the rising smoke in front of him, Liao Pantou thought: I wonder if you can receive this incense. If so, don't dawdle; hurry and reincarnate. Your son is now quite prosperous, living a very good life. If you have the ability, bless me to become an immortal soon and travel the world.
Thinking of this, Liao Pantou couldn't help but smile wryly.
If his parents truly had the ability to bless him to become an immortal, they would have attained enlightenment and ascended long ago.
He then left the incense table, sat at the desk, and took out the storage ring and storage bag he had scavenged from the Nascent Soul cultivator.
He had not had the chance to give these items to Lin Xiao before.
He planned to wait until tonight's New Year's Eve dinner to give them to him.
At this time, inside Mo Yuanjiao's room.
General Mo was burning incense with Mo Yuanjiao, offering a sacrifice to the north.
After the solemn ritual, the father and son began to have lunch.
Of course, the main person eating was General Mo, with Mo Yuanjiao and Mo Que accompanying him.
On the battlefield, General Mo always ate and lived with his soldiers, so Mo Que had always dined at the same table with him and Mo Yuanjiao, with no distinction of seniority.
At the dining table, Mo Yuanjiao barely touched his chopsticks but continuously praised their Lingxian Sect to his father.
General Mo was too lazy to respond, treating it as a simple meal.
However, he had to admit that the sect his younger son had joined was indeed quite good.
His siblings in this generation had also joined the three major sects, but he had never heard of their elders being invited into the sect for a visit.
Provided they had passed the Heart Trial.
Speaking of the Heart Trial, General Mo recalled how he was pulled into the Heart Trial by a huge force after being awakened by the peach blossom tree at the mountain pass yesterday.
It felt as if he had lived an entire lifetime within it.
From rebirth to old age.
When he awoke from this dream, he thought a lot of time had passed, but according to his son and Mo Que, he had only been inside for a moment.
Thinking about the extraordinarily real life he experienced, General Mo couldn't help but feel a sense of awe towards the sect.
Reflecting on his choices in the dream, combined with his son's constant descriptions of the sect's members' character and conduct, he had a certain understanding of the sect's atmosphere.
Looking at Mo Yuanjiao, who was still excitedly talking, General Mo felt that his younger son might have found a very promising sect.
It was from Mo Yuanjiao that General Mo learned that not all immortals and immortal sects were as arrogant as the three major sects.
It seemed that cultivating immortality did not necessarily mean abandoning the mortal world.
Adhering to the principle of eating in silence, General Mo only set down his bowl and chopsticks after finishing his meal and said to Mo Yuanjiao:
"Yuanjiao, I wonder if the sect leader has time. I would like to visit him and have a brief chat."
Upon hearing this, Mo Yuanjiao was very pleased that his father wanted to talk to the sect leader! It meant he was interested!
However, considering Lin Xiao's busy schedule, he did not immediately agree,
"Father, my sect leader is a bit busy. I don't know when he will be free. Let me ask him tonight."
General Mo nodded warmly:
"There's no rush. He can meet me whenever he has time. By the way, have you informed the sect about my visit? I would like to do some sightseeing tomorrow."
Hearing that his father wanted to tour around, Mo Yuanjiao's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously:
"Of course, I told the sect leader about this half a year ago. He already said that as long as it's not a restricted area, you can visit anywhere you like!"