Chapter 156: The Divine Revelation Ceremony

Ning Xiu glanced at the map and discovered that the nearest oasis city was called Black Gold City.

If nothing unexpected happened, there should be a branch of the Moon Wheel Temple located there.

By noon the next day, Ning Xiu finally caught sight of the city.

Unlike ordinary cities, the walls of Black Gold City were constructed from black rock. Seen from afar, they resembled yellow earth stained with blood. Above the city gate, three large, golden characters were meticulously carved.

They radiated an aura of sternness and bloodshed.

"Black Gold City..." Muttering the name softly, Ning Xiu smiled and walked slowly toward the city gate.

Near the entrance, a dozen soldiers clad in dark-black light armor were holding long spears and shouting loudly at the passing travelers entering the city.

For ordinary people, the most precious resource in the desert was the oasis.

For cities established against oases, such as Spring Water City and Black Gold City, one of their most vital sources of income was levying entry taxes on the travelers entering their gates.

However, Spring Water City primarily relied on merchant trade and therefore did not place as much emphasis on the entry tax. Black Gold City, due to its geographical location, was destined never to become a trade distribution center, leaving it with no choice but to ruthlessly exploit passing travelers all the more.

It was currently noon, arguably the hottest time of the day. Fully armed in their heavy gear, the guards were already sweltering, so their tempers were naturally far from pleasant.

Unceremonious curses and shouts spilled from their mouths, their long spears waving as they ceaselessly urged the travelers at the gate to pay their entry taxes.

Ning Xiu frowned slightly. To ensure that his subsequent plans proceeded smoothly, he had long since altered his appearance. Naturally, he did not wish to draw unnecessary attention over such a trivial matter. Shaking his head inwardly, he prepared to pay the fee and enter the city.

"Three coins of silver! Those entering, hurry up!"

A soldier barked the command without even glancing at Ning Xiu. However, before his harsh words had completely faded, his gaze happened to catch the crimson moon emblem on Ning Xiu's chest, and his expression changed drastically.

The ugly words that were about to escape his lips were instantly swallowed back down. He withdrew his long spear, bowed, and said, "May the brilliance of the Moon God be with us."

Ning Xiu quickly recovered, paused his movements, and echoed the greeting.

"May the brilliance of the Moon God be with us."

With that done, Ning Xiu cast a calm glance at the soldier, brushed past him, and walked into the city on his own accord.

Watching Ning Xiu's retreating figure, the soldier reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead, a trace of lingering fear showing on his face. He turned around and respectfully said, "My lord, the divine revelation ceremony in the city will be held the day after tomorrow."

In the distance, Ning Xiu slowed his pace. He had not expected to stumble upon such unexpected intelligence. Nodding slightly, his figure gradually vanished into the crowd.

"Damn it, that was almost a disaster. Good thing I reacted fast." The soldier watched as Ning Xiu disappeared completely from his sight, only then letting the heavy stone in his heart drop. "If superiors found out I had offended a temple acolyte, it would be a miracle if I wasn't killed."

The Moon Wheel Temple maintained a strict hierarchy, divided into ordinary believers, formal believers, acolytes, and envoys, with branch masters and the grand master standing even higher.

The so-called acolytes referred to those believers who practiced martial arts, and the sand bandit leader happened to belong to this tier.

Having received such a scare, the soldier reined in much of his temper, no longer daring to curse randomly at the passing travelers. If he offended an ordinary martial artist, backed by the City Lord's Mansion, there was still room for maneuver, as ordinary people seldom dared to cause trouble. But the moment the matter involved the Moon Wheel Temple, everything changed entirely.

The martial arts of these acolytes might not be profoundly high, but the significance behind them was vastly different.

He knew very well that while the Lord of Black Gold City could run roughshod across this desert, compared to the Moon Wheel Temple, he was nothing more than an insignificant bug that could be crushed at any moment.

When the Moon Wheel Temple first established its branches, the city lord mansions of numerous cities that attempted resistance were destroyed overnight. That Black Gold City remained safe and sound was not due to its own strength; before a colossal behemoth like the Moon Wheel Temple, everyone was equally fragile.

To live a long life, one had to understand that some things in this world simply could not be provoked!

.......

"Divine revelation ceremony..."

Hearing these four words, the scene that had transpired back at the "Pixiu" temple instantly surfaced in Ning Xiu's mind.

It caused his blood to begin to boil faintly.

Before coming here, Ning Xiu had carefully estimated the strength of the Moon Wheel Temple. In his view, if it was merely a branch temple, there should not be any existence capable of threatening him.

Yet now, the sudden and unexplainable introduction of this so-called "divine revelation ceremony" added an element of uncertainty to the entire affair.

It now seemed that the sand bandit leader had likely been summoned by the Black Gold City branch of the Moon Wheel Temple and was hurrying toward this place when he happened to cross paths with Ning Xiu.

Along the way, Ning Xiu noticed many believers of the Moon Wheel Temple.

He discovered that whether they were ordinary believers or acolytes, they all wore uniform moon-white robes, making them very easy to identify, distinguished only by the different emblems worn on their chests. This was also why the gate guard had not instantly recognized Ning Xiu's identity.

From this perspective, that sand bandit leader's brain might genuinely have been somewhat defective.

Ning Xiu shook his head in helpless resignation. Secretly, he knocked out a temple believer, dragged him into a secluded alley, and changed into his clothes.

Then, he headed in the direction of the temple.

"May the brilliance of the Moon God be with you."

Hearing the voice from beside his ear, Ning Xiu halted his steps, turned to look at the young man behind him, and returned the greeting in kind.

This greeting of the Moon Wheel Temple was truly annoying; along the way, Ning Xiu had heard it so many times his ears were practically growing calluses.

"My name is Yu Wenxiao. May I ask how this brother is addressed?" The young man looked at Ning Xiu and asked.

"Ding Mu."

"Brother Ding, are you also here to participate in this divine revelation ceremony?" Yu Wenxiao inquired.

Ning Xiu nodded. Toward this young man who had suddenly appeared before him, he harbored inward vigilance. After all, he was not a member of the Moon Wheel Temple and knew very little about its internal affairs, leaving him vulnerable to exposing flaws at any moment.

"Could Brother Yu be here for the same reason?" Ning Xiu asked.

"Such a grand event—naturally, I could not miss it. I heard that several temple envoys are coming here in person to preside over the ceremony this time. For the Black Gold City branch to receive such high honor, we, as branch acolytes, should feel immensely proud," Yu Wenxiao said, looking at Ning Xiu with a smile.

"Alright, let's hurry along, or else all the easy tasks will be claimed by others," Yu Wenxiao said, striding forward.

"Mhm."

Ning Xiu nodded and quickened his pace to follow.