Chapter 2390 - Ancestral Blood Baptism
When the two sword ships appeared in the airspace of the Infinitum Swordsea, the nova-source-filled ocean began wildly rippling. Countless people chanted 'Lin Feng' in one single thunderous voice. The voice of the powerful cultivators even formed booming shockwaves. The sea shook from the volume of the sound, causing wild waves to form. Tianming could feel the passion behind their welcome ceremony.
"First in the minor reges mundi ranking!" That would be his sobriquet in the time to come. Seeing all the passionate looks shot his way and comparing them to the demeaning looks cast his way when he had first arrived, Lin Xiao and Dongshen Yue were completely overwhelmed.
"Brilliant! Just brilliant!" Lin Xiao couldn't help himself. Patting his grandson on the shoulder, he said, "Goudan would be proud if he sees this in the afterlife."
"Yeah!" Tianming looked at all the people cheering for him and felt just as pumped. The two divine astralships pierced into the Infinitum Swordsea, casting quite a lot of water into the air that splashed into the dense crowd. Even then, none of them avoided it.
"The hero has returned after fighting for the glory of the clan!"
"Lin Feng’s number one! He's invincible!"
The door of the black ship opened up and let people out as the cheers went on. Tianming stood in the very front, right in the spotlight. Everyone stared at him as their blood passionately pumped. From the expressions of elation and joy, Tianming could tell that his reputation in the clan had completely turned for the better.
"From now on, I'll no longer be the son of a sinner! I'm the symbol of their glory instead!" On that aspect, the Swordgod Lin Clan had proved genuine. Many of them were able to let go of their preconceptions of him being a sinner's son after he fulfilled his oath to them. That was incredibly important, as what they thought of him was also related to the trajectory of the clan's future. Through his efforts, the traditionalists had gained a renewed foothold in the clan!
The people near the ship parted to make way for Tianming and the rest. "Please enter the Myriadsword Mausoleum!"
That was the ancestral grounds of the Lin Clan. The first time Tianming had been there, it was as a prisoner. Lin Wuyi had sentenced him to death by kneeling. But now the disciples invited him into the mausoleum of their own accord. The girls behind him still felt rather nervous about the whole thing.
"Let's go!" Dongshen Yue pushed them and Tianming ahead. With what their entire family had achieved, they could hold their heads high when greeting the ancestors within.
"The second patriarch is amazing! He used the Sword in the Forest to slay a divine wonderian, obtaining the recognition of the sword. The souls of our ancestors must’ve forgiven him for what happened in the past!"
"I suggest we take him back into the council to inherit Ku's will! The grand restoration of our clan is upon us!"
"Second Patriarch, we need you!"
The voices hadn’t been planted by Lin Xiao and the rest. People were calling for him to step up of their own accord. The glory Tianming had brought back made the perfect conditions for that to naturally happen.
"Not only is the second patriarch powerful, he managed to raise an incredible grandson like Lin Feng! His contributions to the clan are endless! I believe the ancestors would accept him back into the fold!"
"Let the second patriarch be our present, and Lin Feng our future! Only then will we have hope!"
Taking the top rank and unleashing the Sword in the Forest had compounded to become something that completely won over many disciples of the clan. More and more people joined the cheering.
"Second Patriarch, please return to the council!" Similar calls echoed throughout the entire place. It was the will of the clan itself! The momentum was such that Lin Xiao's return was almost an inevitability. He watched the scene with teary eyes, blankly staring at the young faces as he passed through; he had no words to express what he felt in his heart. All he could do was hold his hand like a sword and point it at his chest.
"Everyone, quiet down! Lin Feng will receive a baptism in the mausoleum and accept his merit points. As for the second patriarch, the council will give all of you a satisfactory answer!" Lin Xiong's loud voice reverberated across the whole area.
"If the second patriarch doesn’t get back in the council, we won't leave!"
"That's right!"
Those were the people who had supported Lin Xiao in the past. Their voices had only been suppressed by those who would mock them back then. But now, they were finally able to speak their feelings without fear of repercussions.
Tianming and the others entered the Myriadsword Mausoleum amidst incessant cheering. When he had first been there, there were a hundred thousand astral gods that could squish him like a bug. This time, he could take on astral gods himself. He entered and saw around three hundred thousand astral gods, which meant that the clan considered this ceremony even more important than worshiping the ancestors! Even more clan members had returned to the Infinitum Swordsea to attend it.
"The baptism ceremony will be carried out by Lin Jie, the lord of the Hall of Discipline. As for the merit points, your Uncle Xiong will be the one to award you with them," Lin Xiao said.
"Lin Jie?" Tianming tried hiding a snicker.
"Lin Feng, you really showed them!"
"You did well, young one!"
"We’re proud of you!"
"It's insane how you got the first place on the minor ranking! You even got there by using ebons with taixi divine eyes as stepping stones!"
The elite cultivators of the Lin Clan were much more even tempered than the cheering crowd outside. They didn't yell and shout praise, but their contented looks were enough for Tianming.
There was a time when these people looked at me in a cold, demeaning manner. Right as Tianming basked in the stark contrast of the treatment he got, he heard a strict voice coming from ahead. "Disciple Lin Feng, step forward!"
Tianming looked up and saw a man with a sword-shaped nose and white eyebrows. He stood tall like a sharp sword, exuding a domineering aura. He was Lin Jie, the lord of the Hall of Discipline and the second strongest person in the clan. He was still at his peak.
Tianming inwardly chuckled as he approached the podium ahead of him. You look calm on the surface, but how vexed must you be feeling inside, I wonder. Soon, he stopped ahead of Lin Jie and said, "Greetings, Lord of Discipline."
"Good." Lin Jie kept his face expressionless. He turned and addressed the three hundred thousand astral gods.
"On account of Lin Feng's outstanding performance during the minor reges mundi ranking event, the council has decided to instate him as a swordgod disciple!"
The crowd applauded at the proclamation. "Well deserved!"
"Kneel!" Lin Jie said to Tianming.
Tianming wouldn't give Lin Jie a reason to cause him trouble in a situation like this. He already knew that Lin Jie would be the one that felt the worst about everything, followed closely by Lin Xiaoyun and Lin Wuyi. They stood there like fools and clapped along with the other astral gods. Their expressions were incredibly interesting to behold, with their lips twitching from time to time. They didn't even dare to meet his gaze. The people around them knew all about the conflict they had with Tianming, as well as all the demeaning things they had said about him. The gazes constantly urged the two of them to run off and find a hole to hide in. It was utterly unbearable! It was almost as if their faces were being slowly skinned by Tianming with a dull knife.
When Tianming's face was the last thing they saw in the projections from the Oldgod Domain, it came to be known that he had obtained first place in the rankings. Lin Xiaoyun had audibly cried out when he saw that, and Lin Wuyi had fallen off her chair. That was already embarrassing enough, yet they had no choice but to watch him being baptized in a sacred ceremony now, one that used the blood of the ancestors! The ceremony had nothing to do with the swordheart, though, and wouldn’t boost his cultivation in any way at all.
"Bathe in the blood of the ancestors and bask in understanding of the divine intent of the sword. From now on, you’ll be a member of the Lin Clan in flesh and spirit, in life and in death, never forgetting your soul as a swordsman even in your future reincarnations!"
It was an incredibly serious ceremony. Nothing about it was disgusting. The blood of the ancestors were just another type of their astrons, so it felt like tiny astrons rolling off his body. It felt like he could hear the countless voices of the clan's ancestors. He didn't really mind the ceremony at first, and merely thought it a formality, yet when their blood flowed across his body, he felt his own blood even more.
"The Swordgod Lin Clan...." Tianming had come to think of this place as his home for real. His relatives and loved ones were there, where he was safe and protected. He could love those he loved. It was also the place where the blood of his ancestors flowed. His heartbeat pulsed as he seemed to see the ancestors of yore appear in a flash of sword light before him. Tianming forgot the flow of time as he remained kneeling.
"The baptism is complete! Rise!" Lin Jie beckoned.
Tianming swiftly stood up and turned around, looking ahead with a burning gaze. The pressure of the three hundred thousand seniors no longer scared him. Lin Jie held his arm, gave him a look, and announced, "From now on, Lin Feng is a true disciple of the Swordgod Lin Clan! He’s a paragon that all our disciples should strive to emulate! He stands for their dignity and faith! Do you know what your duty is?"
Tianming smiled. "I do! I’ll strive to ensure that all of the disciples of the clan learn to get a spine and slaughter a path of blood while going against the current! We will never submit! We will never be at the beck and call of others like pigs and dogs!" he said in an even louder voice. Many people were completely flabbergasted. That was akin to humiliating Lin Jie to his face in such a public setting! It was far too direct. In essence, what he said amounted to: I don't need someone like you to teach me to be a good swordgod disciple!
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