However, in that case, the matter thought of in the afternoon would probably have to be completed ahead of schedule!

Chapter 0005: The Sacrificial Text

At this moment, dusk smoke rose all around, twilight shrouded the land, and a bright moon hung in the sky, casting clear light in all directions, while a spot of red light slowly moved along the southern foothills.

Edward Clark carried a book basket on his back, supporting himself on mountain rocks and green pines, pausing and resting as he made his way along the mountain path.

The night was bitterly cold, and the so-called road through the mountains, though illuminated by the bright moon and aided by the torchlight, was still rugged and full of potholes, making it hard to traverse.

For thirty li before the mountain, most of the way was flat, but only these five li of mountain road ahead were difficult to walk.

By the time he climbed up a high rocky outcrop, the moon was already at its zenith. Heat rose from his head, sweat beaded out, and he had no choice but to rest for a while.

Edward Clark took a sip of water and glanced back in the direction of the The Clark Estate.

In the darkness of night, he could still faintly see a patch of lights at the foot of the mountain, one of which was the most conspicuous—this was probably the Lou Wai Lou, the power center of the The Clark Estate!

Recalling the afternoon, the vicious servant’s overbearing face, and how Grace's worries had come true.

In his previous life, Edward Clark had obeyed William Clark's wishes. Having reincarnated from Earth, he possessed good fortune, so he had not suffered such humiliation. Now, speechless, he could only sneer inwardly.

The three Dao Lords were in harmony with the Great Dao of this world, standing high above. The Dao is order; what is needed is not a world of chaos, or at least, for this world, that is the case.

All things must be in order, operating ceaselessly—only then can those at the pinnacle of the world have room to advance further.

At the beginning, the three Dao Lords had brought about an era of three kingdoms at war, each with their own Dao lineage, each presiding over their own great sect, each vying for fortune. This not only brought devastation to the land and its creatures, but also damaged the Great Dao itself.

Under the backlash of the Dao, the strongest among the Five Emperors, the Azure Emperor and the Yellow Emperor, emerged in response to the times.

The three Dao Lords were wise men, assessing the situation and immediately ceasing their conflict, instead joining forces to establish order. As these measures were implemented, the Great Dao gradually stabilized, and the Azure and Yellow Emperors, who had arisen in response to the times, could no longer rise to power and had to be incorporated into the Heavenly Court system.

In the millions of years that followed, the Five Emperors were gradually completed. Of course, this knowledge is now only known to the highest echelons of the dynasty; the common people know nothing of it. Only when a great calamity arrives and order collapses do these secrets spread.

That aside, with the establishment of the Heavenly Court, the proliferation of living beings, and the growing spiritual energy, order penetrated ever deeper into all aspects of the human world. All things must have life and death to allow for circulation. There is no need for too many immortals who live forever, so the selection by the Immortal Sects became ever more stringent.

In fact, the child examination not only tests literary talent, but is also a competition of each person's fortune and fate. Wisdom, fortune, and aptitude are the three main criteria. Unless one's essay is earth-shattering and moves gods and ghosts, if one's fortune is not strong, the result is still being squeezed out!

The family relies on this point, controlling the allocation of fortune within the clan, so they can take and give as they please, exchanging and distributing resources.

Normally, this is not too unfair, since all are blood relatives within the clan. Moreover, with powerful families in every county and prefecture, a clan that cannot guarantee basic fairness will naturally lose cohesion and often decline within a few generations.

However, Edward Clark is currently only asking to avoid one session, which is still within reasonable bounds in the clan. Normally, it would be nothing more than a three-year delay, but with a great calamity approaching and all old orders on the verge of collapse, should he really trade this precious time and opportunity for so-called family protection?

Let me think, in which year did the Lou Wai Lou burn down in a raging fire?

Edward Clark stopped looking at that pillar of light and continued on his way.

……

Before long, Edward Clark saw, on a flat piece of ground, a large bell hanging from a big tree.

He thought to himself, “According to the rumors, this must be the place!”

Raising his torch for a better look, it was indeed a desolate mountain temple. Seeing this, Edward Clark couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief!

This world is one where Daoist magic manifests openly, with yang energy shining upon the world, and correspondingly, heavy yin energy as well. In bustling places, yang energy surges out of the city, and with the protection of the local earth gods and city gods, there are few ghosts or monsters.

But in desolate, uninhabited places, ghosts and demons run rampant, and no one dares to travel there. Some ancient battlefields are especially so. Mount Beimang has always been a land of a hundred battles, known as the land of the dead, which is not surprising. Of course, this place is far from Mount Beimang—at most, it can be called its outskirts.

Even so, traveling at night was a risky move made out of necessity, as could be seen from the worry in Grace's eyes before she left.

Edward Clark arrived at the place, where the mountain temple stood before a deep, winding valley. In front of the temple was a stone tablet carried by a stone tortoise, the inscription as sharp as a sword.

Bringing the blazing torch closer, he saw the inscription on the stele: “Ancient Wei Battlefield.”

The script was very old, clearly separated by several dynasties, matching the history of previous dynasties he knew from books.

Legend has it that during the Wei era, a famous general, loyal to the country, was wronged and could not clear his name. The entire army died here in battle. Through the ages, it has now become a somewhat famous historical site.

No cold wind blew from the valley, but the calmer it was, the less Edward Clark dared to go deeper. He only glanced at the main entrance, where a broken plaque bore the three large characters “镇谷庙” (Temple of the Valley Guardian).

Entering the mountain temple, he saw that the deity statue inside was damp and weathered, its original appearance unrecognizable, and it was unclear which god was worshipped. Only the incense burner remained intact, of fine quality, but the incense sticks nearby all showed signs of decay, indicating that no one had come to offer sacrifices for at least several years.