Chapter 308: Summoning the God in My Name
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Lu Chao Chao was never one to hesitate.
With her short legs, she shook off her attendants and sneaked into the desert.
Summoning a god was a grand affair in the Southern Kingdom.
Each summoning required the Grand Priest to perform divinations, determining the most auspicious day and time to increase the chances of divine descent. Sacrificial offerings had to be gathered in advance. Before the ritual, one must bathe, change into ceremonial attire, burn incense, and pray with utmost sincerity.
The process was intricate, taking an entire month of preparation for the whole family.
Take the Ming Family, for example.
The head of the Ming Family led all its members, including every branch and descendant—over three hundred in total—to kneel in reverence at the ancestral hall.
Behind them, the elderly were carried in due to illness. Even newborn infants were placed upon prayer mats—none could be absent.
The altar was laden with dried fruits, fresh flowers, and countless offerings of chicken and duck. The air inside the ancestral hall was solemn, the attire of the attendees formal and elaborate.
All knelt with the utmost reverence.
At the very front, the head of the Ming Family, Ming Xian, chanted the complex and profound words of the ritual.
After a long while, he raised his hands high.
“We, your devout followers, humbly invite the High God Xian Ting to descend upon this world.”
“We, your devout followers, humbly invite the High God Xian Ting to descend upon this world…”
The entire assembly repeated the plea three times.
Nothing happened.
A strange silence fell over the ancestral hall. Hundreds of people, their eyes filled with hope, slowly watched that hope fade into despair.
Ming Xian slumped onto his prayer mat, his face full of dejection.
“It failed.”
“The summoning failed.”
“Why? The Ming Family has worshipped the God of Life for a thousand years, yet in the past decade, he has neither descended nor bestowed his blessings.”
“Have we done something wrong?”
The Ming Family’s strength had been waning. If this continued, they would soon be expelled from the ranks of the Seven Great Clans.
Their position was hanging by a thread. Second Elder Ming Cheng had already begun advocating for abandoning their faith to protect the family’s standing.
Ming Cheng stood up, his face dark, dusting off his knees with an expression of fury.
“Another failure! Do you still have anything to say for yourself?”
“Ten years! The Ming Family has not successfully summoned a god for ten years!”
“If we do not change our faith, we will be cast out from the Seven Great Clans!”
“The God of Life has remained silent for over a decade. He is likely already dead. Ming Xian, will you drag the Ming Family to ruin? Will you let our centuries of legacy be destroyed in your hands?”
Ming Xian, the patriarch and father of Ming Lang, was a devout believer.
His gaze remained unwavering. “The God of Life has not perished!”
“His divine lamp still burns.”
“The Ming Family has thrived under the blessings of High God Xian Ting for a thousand years, rising from obscurity to become a noble clan of the Southern Kingdom. We must not be ungrateful! We cannot abandon our god just because we have failed to summon him for a decade!”
Ming Cheng scoffed.
“You only know how to flatter the gods. But does your flattery bring divine descent?”
“Father only passed the patriarch’s position to you because of your sycophantic ways,” Ming Cheng sneered, jealousy flashing in his eyes.
“If he knew you would lead the Ming Family to ruin, would he not regret it?”
Ming Xian met his gaze firmly. “Father was never biased.”
“If you do not believe in Xian Ting, how can you lead the Ming Family? We owe our existence to the God of Life!”
“Faith is useless if our god no longer responds! The Ming Family will perish if we continue like this!”
“I propose that we abandon our ancestral worship and devote ourselves to a new god!” Ming Cheng shouted.
“Very well! If you insist on forsaking our faith, then leave the Ming Family! The Ming Family has worshipped Xian Ting for generations, and that will never change!” Ming Xian’s face was red with anger, veins bulging on his forehead as he confronted his younger brother.
Ming Cheng smirked. “The Ming Family is on the verge of collapse. Who would want to stay?”
“If anyone wishes to follow me, I will lead them to a brilliant future! Those who would follow me, step forward.”
Ming Xian’s heart sank.
Ming Cheng had come prepared.
Indeed, many stood up, bowing deeply toward the patriarch. “Forgive us, Family Head. The God of Life is gone.”
One by one, people rose, their departure leaving Ming Xian pale as a sheet.
He clenched his fists, his jaw tight, suppressing his rising fury.
“Family Head, forgive us.”
“Family Head, forgive us…”
Even the most talented young heirs defected. Ming Cheng’s eyes glowed with triumph.
“Ming Ting, you are the Ming Family’s most gifted disciple. Come with your uncle!”
“With Ming Lang as the patriarch’s son, you will never have a future. But I can give you everything you desire.”
“The God of Life will not descend again!” Ming Cheng enticed him with eager eyes.
Ming Ting hesitated, ambition flickering in his gaze.
Ming Xian stumbled forward. “Ming Ting, you know I have never suppressed anyone!”
“I have always treated you and Ming Lang equally!”
“But our god no longer blesses us!” With that single statement, Ming Xian’s last shred of hope crumbled.
“Hahaha! Stay and rot in your stagnant faith! I will lead our people to a new dawn!”
Ming Xian stood frozen, watching his family fall apart.
The Ming Family was finished.
Their era was over.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao…
Bathe and change? Her hands were covered in dirt, her face streaked like a messy kitten.
Offerings? She clutched a chicken bone and casually tossed it into the desert.
Auspicious timing? She didn’t even consider it.
Standing in the vast, endless desert, the little girl lowered her gaze and whispered softly.
She raised her tiny hand.
“In my name, I summon the blessings of the God of Life upon this land! Purge the foul aura and restore peace to the world!”
The still desert trembled. A ripple spread outward as countless grains of sand swirled around her.
Back in the Southern Kingdom…
The Ming Family members were about to step out of the ancestral hall when suddenly—
The divine statue of the God of Life, untouched for years, erupted in dazzling radiance!
The light illuminated the entire ancestral hall as if it were midday!
Ming Xian, lost in despair, widened his bloodshot eyes in disbelief.
All at once, every single member of the Ming Family turned back in shock.
“A-a god… the god has appeared!!!”