cover the sky

Chapter 6: The Place of Enthronement

In the desolate and dark space, nine huge dragon corpses lay in a row, while the bronze coffin looked antique yet magnificent, as if it had existed alongside the universe since ancient times.

Several days had passed, but there was still no reliable way to decipher the mysterious signal transmitted by the bronze pattern. They couldn't figure out how to "salvage" it and bring it to the ground.

"It's moving!"

"It's deviating from the orbit and descending!"

At that moment, several space experts in the International Space Station had their pupils suddenly contracted. The Nine Dragons Coffin was deviating from its orbit and descending slowly.

Mount Tai, towering and majestic, was known as the greatest of the Five Sacred Mountains in China and was considered the place where the sun rose and all living things were born in ancient times. Located in the eastern part of the ancient Central Plains, it was surrounded by the Yellow River and the Wen River.

From ancient times, Mount Tai has been a symbol of holiness and spirituality. It has a rich historical heritage that can be traced back to the period of the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns in ancient times when it was regarded as a place near to the gods.

"The sky is too high to reach, but standing on Mount Tai to perform the Fengshan ritual, hoping to be close to the gods."

Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who swept away the six other Warring States, and Emperor Wu of Han, who possessed great talent and strategy, both held the grand Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

Before them, seventy-two emperors in ancient times had held the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, as recorded in the ancient book of the Pre-Qin period, "Guanzi - Fengshan Chapter": "In ancient times, Wu of Huai held the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, Feng yun yun; Fuxi held the ceremony, Feng yun yun; Shennong held the ceremony, Feng yun yun; Yellow Emperor held the ceremony, Feng yun yun; Yao held the ceremony, Feng yun yun; Yu held the ceremony..."

In ancient times, many emperors and kings without exception chose to hold the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the heavens on Mount Tai, shrouding the mountain in a thick mist and emanating an endless mysterious aura.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius traveled back and forth to Mount Tai in search of the relics of the ancient ceremony of offering sacrifices to the heavens, but to no avail, and was unable to answer when his disciples asked him about it.

In later years, some discoveries were made.

In 1931, General Ma Hongkui led his troops to station at the foot of Mount Tai and accidentally discovered a five-colored altar, which contained two sets of jade books sealed with "stone, mud, and golden ropes," and were buried underground.

The reason why all the ancient emperors chose to hold the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the heavens on Mount Tai during the pre-Qin period is still a mystery that may never be uncovered.

After resting for a night at the hotel, Ye Fan and his companions began to climb Mount Tai the next day.

Many of them were climbing Mount Tai for the first time, and only by experiencing it personally could they feel its grandeur and magnificence.

The mountain is divided into three layers of terraced geological structure, like climbing to heaven, facing north and south, and the entire mountain body is open, with a ten-kilometer-long path leading to the vast mountain and extending to the peak.

Whether from a distance or up close, one can feel the majestic atmosphere that stirs one's heart.

In front of the magnificent Mount Tai, one has a strange feeling of being insignificant like an ant, and even the sun, moon, and stars in the sky seem insignificant.

This is a kind of shaking feeling that shakes people's souls.

When the tour guide talked about the various ancient ceremonies of offering sacrifices to the heavens, it made people ponder endlessly, as humans are always full of longing for the unknown and mysterious.

Li Xiaoman walked shoulder to shoulder with Kade, constantly translating and explaining to him, making the American youth increasingly amazed by Mount Tai, and asking non-stop questions.

Liu Yunzhi looked at Ye Fan playfully, then at the two in front of him. However, his obvious expression seemed to be directly ignored by Ye Fan, who was very calm and didn't show any reaction at all, which made him very disappointed.

In fact, Ye Fan didn't even notice him, and he was naturally very calm.

Ye Fan had finished reading the "Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon". He suddenly had a ridiculous idea when he thought about the ancient emperors who all held the sacrificial ceremony here. Was there really a vanished ancient civilization? If so, Mount Tai was undoubtedly a holy place during that period.

But he immediately shook his head, feeling that he had been too bored recently, which led to such absurd associations.

The ancient pines on Mount Tai were lush, and there were many flowing springs and waterfalls, adding a touch of spirituality and beauty to its grandeur. Plus the ethereal clouds and mist, it naturally added a few more mysteries and profundities.

Along the way, there were countless scenic spots and historical sites, as well as cliff inscriptions and stone tablets, which made people marvel.

From the Imperial Palace and Dai Temple where the earth sacrifices were held to the Jade Emperor Peak where the heaven sacrifices were held, it formed an axis of ten kilometers from the underworld, to the human realm, to the heaven.

At dusk, everyone finally reached the top of Mount Tai - Jade Emperor Peak. Overlooking the mountains and looking far away at the Yellow River, it immediately made people deeply understand the true meaning of Confucius' "Climbing Mount Tai and Looking Down on the World".

"Standing at the top, the world is at my feet!" The poet also left such an eternal masterpiece.

At this moment, as the setting sun hung in the west, the peaks of the clouds were lined with a layer of golden light, shining with a dazzling brilliance like precious treasures.

Such a magnificent scenery made people intoxicated.

Suddenly, several black dots appeared in the sky, gradually getting larger, and the sound of thunder and wind came from them.

Nine huge dragon corpses fell from the sky, as if nine black rivers were falling down, and at this moment, everyone on Mount Tai was stunned, their expressions frozen in shock.

Those were actually nine huge dragon corpses, dragging an ancient bronze coffin, descending towards the summit of Mount Tai.

Dragons, legendary beings, stand alongside gods, surpassing the laws of nature. But in this era of scientific development, who would believe that dragons really exist?

Under the shock of the tourists on the mountain, they held their breath and even forgot to shout.

After a brief silence, Mount Tai boiled, and everyone panicked and fled in all directions, trying to avoid the approaching huge dragon corpses.

This was a shocking scene. In the bloody sunset, the nine dragons and the coffin came down and landed on the summit of Mount Tai!

Fearful screams and helpless cries echoed, and everyone fled in a panic.

Although the nine dragons and the coffin did not fall too quickly, their descent still caused a heavy impact on the summit of Mount Tai.

"Boom!"

The nine colossal dragon corpses descended from the sky, like nine black rivers crashing down towards the summit of Mount Tai, accompanied by the deafening roar of wind and thunder. Everyone on the mountain was stunned, staring in shock as the nine dragons pulled a bronze ancient coffin and descended upon them.

Dragons, a legendary creature, stood on par with gods and were above the laws of nature. However, in this day and age of scientific advancement, who would still believe that dragons truly existed?

For a moment, there was silence, and then chaos erupted. The tourists on the mountain ran in all directions to escape the falling dragon corpses, and even forgot to scream.

It was a scene that left people speechless. The nine dragons and the ancient coffin were not falling rapidly, but when they landed on the summit of Mount Tai, they caused the entire area to shake and c***k, causing rocks and dirt to fly everywhere.

The bronze ancient coffin fell onto the mountaintop with a loud "clang", causing the mountain to tremble as if there was an earthquake. Many rocks and boulders rolled down from the mountain, making a rumbling sound as if an army was rushing down.

People were running away in panic, some were hit by the rocks and became bloodied, falling down the mountain and screaming in fear.

When the shaking stopped, Mount Tai became silent again, but it was already in chaos. The summit was shattered, and there were terrifying cracks on the ground. The nine dragon corpses, each hundreds of meters long, lay horizontally on the mountaintop and along the cliffs, like a black steel Great Wall, filled with a shocking sense of power and visual impact.

The ancient bronze coffin, over twenty meters long, was plain and unadorned, with some blurry ancient patterns on it, full of the vicissitudes of time and a mysterious aura flowing from it.