The Holy Mountain is as high as three arrows, and it is the highest place in Dragon City and the surrounding six towns. The gray mountain rock rises from the sea of green trees, and the walls are like knives, and the situation is precipitous, like a stone giant standing in the middle of the forest. Dots of pale green and silvery-white, dotted on the rock crevices and convex stones, are some rock plants such as fairy wood and edelweiss. The midday winter sun covers half of the rock wall and darkens the other half, and the winding hiking path looms in light and shadow, and the light of metal and blades flickers like a luminous ribbon wrapped around the mountain. The mountain road rises to more than halfway up the mountain, and when it reaches the place near the peak, it hides in the vast mist, almost invisible, and occasionally you can see birds shuttling in the mountain mist, and the vigorous wings are spread out, and then disappear into the haze.

The majestic and resplendent Xianglong Hall stands proudly on the top of the holy mountain, so that the people who look up under it can't help but have a heart of reverence. This granite structure is nearly 1,000 years old, built by the Holy King Yugu over a period of several years, and after its completion, the monks of the Iron Fist Temple were appointed as the eternal guardians of the sacred mountain and the Xianglong Temple. Over the millennium, the temple has been renovated many times, and the building materials have been replaced from the earliest wood to later granite to protect it from wind and rain, and the temple has grown in size and ornate. Later generations added a huge dragon-shaped stone sculpture of soaring posture outside the temple gate, and later this golden sculpture also became one of the symbols of the Xianglong Kingdom. However, the temple was not open to the public, and commoners were not allowed to enter the temple, and even nobles had to go through the cabinet to approve it. Some kings or envoys from other realms may be invited by the Dragon King to the top of the sacred mountain to admire the majesty of the temple, which is seen as a great deal of sincerity and friendship.

A section of the mountain road under His Royal Highness Xianglong is a 999-layer staircase paved with granite, and climbers must climb the steps, one step at a time, and walk slowly. The so-called haste is not reached, and if you cross several levels, your heart will not be sincere, and any prayers and requests will not be answered.

When the team finally reaches the top of the mountain, the time will come to an end, and the time of the tree will begin. It was lunchtime, and everyone from the king to the subjects came hungry to show their sincerity.

Dazai Zhuoxuan of the Rite Pavilion and Xun Zhou, the Grand Elder of the Iron Fist Temple, presided over a simple but necessary ceremony, first praying to the god of the earth, reciting some passages in the Sutra of Tranquility in unison, and then led by Long Zixing The important ministers of the court entered the temple, facing the statue of the god of the earth in the main hall of the temple, and the dragon god would examine the hearts of the worshippers, and the disguised piety would lead to calamity. There have been many instances of this in history where pagans kneeling down here were killing themselves.

The northwest corner of the hall goes out, is the viewing platform, there is an altar on it, and the worship ceremony is placed on it. At the end of the dragon worship ceremony, there is a procedure in which the dragon king himself kneels before the altar and asks the dragon god to examine himself, whether the achievements of the year's governance can satisfy the dragon god, whether the faith of the boxers is strengthened and maintained, or whether it is declining, the dragon god will make a decision, and the results will be revealed in the coming year. There are also dragon kings who have committed mistakes, but on this day they offer sacrifices and sincerely repent, or they can be forgiven by the dragon god and will not be punished. Those who could not satisfy the dragon god on the day of worship, even if they were in the prime of life, often abdicated after one or a few years, and the throne was handed over to their brothers and heirs, which was an inevitable measure to protect the authority of the dragon family. Monks often say that the god of the earth is generous and sincere, and he should avoid misfortune and eliminate disasters. The people of the Long family felt this the most.

The observation deck is semi-circular with a parapet at the arc, and beneath it is a steep cliff and a spectacular forest of floating clouds, covered with thick layers of fine sand. The central altar, which is five feet high, one foot wide and two feet long, is also made of granite, and the officials of the Rite Pavilion bring the rites one by one and place them on it. The ritual was the same as usual, divided into three categories: pigs, cows, sheep and horses, each with their head taken and placed on a large square plate, the second was wheat, soybeans, corn, rice and potatoes, each with a deep bowl of goldenrod, and the third was vegetables including radish, celery, cucumber, eggplant, garlic and lettuce, which were served in a large dish. Boxers are proud of their hands, ploughing is proud, and the creator of the world creates hands and people to encourage labor. The hands are in the field for the plow, and the hands are in the battle, for the fist. The god of the earth blesses all living beings on the earth, and the better the crops produced in the field, the more it proves that the gods are gracious and the kings are wise.

Zhuo Xuan recited "Ode to My Spirit Dragon" on the viewing platform, "Ode to my Spirit Dragon, the supreme god." Give me a fist to open the earth and open the sky. Praise the Dragon, Allah of the earth. Give me a field, feed the people to plough. Ode to the spirit dragon, the source of blessings. Give me peace, and bliss remains. The text is long, and the ultimate goal of praising the way of tranquility is to build a world of bliss free from strife and sickness, and as long as everyone abides by the teachings and studies the way of peace, one day they will reach the glorious shore.

Except for the elder-level monks of the Iron Fist Temple and the officials of the Rite Pavilion, the rest of the people watched the worship ceremony outside the observation platform. The day of worship belongs to the dragon god and the dragon king, and all actions in front of the altar have nothing to do with the ministers. However, this time the Dragon Day is different from the past, the Dragon Monarch himself is sick and unable to complete the hike, and the prince participates as the future Dragon Monarch, but the kingdom has nothing to do with the crown prince in the past year. What judgment will the dragon god make, and what kind of blessings will he bring?

Thinking of this, Long Zixing knelt in front of the altar, a little panicked in his heart. He had always followed his father to the holy mountain and waited in the temple for his father to complete his worship, but now he would be alone and present this sacrifice to his god.

The last step of the festival is for the dragon to kneel on the viewing platform, and everyone else must exit and close the temple door, where only the dragon king needs to face the dragon god alone, and recite peace in his heart to wait for the review.

Will the dragon god show his true face? Will the dragon god perform miracles in front of me? Will the dragon god ask me? Will I get a response when I open my mouth?

No matter what the dragon god said, it was a secret between the dragon king and the dragon god, and his father never mentioned the relevant details to him. In the future, he will not be able to tell his son these details.

He knelt here, closed his eyes, bowed his head and recited: "The spirit, the origin of all things." The first spirit of heaven and earth is born, so heaven and earth are safe. Since the spirit is born, the heavens and the earth walk, so all things are peaceful. This is the way of tranquility too. Wherever the Tao goes, it is bliss. The realm of bliss, heaven and earth are calm, what the country wants, and what the king wants. Solid and secure, so it is also ......"

This is the scripture that he has been taught since he was a child, it is the result of God-given wisdom, and this is the "way" that he will embark on. The way to govern the country and the country, the way to the peace of heaven and earth, everything my heart wants and wants is here. As he chanted, he felt his surroundings become ethereal. This is the top of the holy mountain, in such a good weather, living here can overlook most of the scenery of the royal capital, can look at the immaculate sea, the dragon bite bay is only the size of a palm in this place. Vast and far-reaching, this is all the kingdoms of the Dragon Monarch. Vast and far-reaching, this is the vision that Long Jun should have. Vast and far-reaching, this is the mind that Long Jun should have. It's vast and far-reaching, and that's the ultimate I'm looking for.

He could feel the mountain wind flowing around him, around the altar, around the observation deck, around the entire holy mountain, that ethereal wind was everywhere. He could hear the loud noise coming from the Floating Cloud Forest below. The sound of dead leaves falling to the ground, the sound of squirrels scratching on the branches, the sound of crested eagles flapping their wings over the forest. Forest streams murmur like music, mountain geckos lie on rocks waiting for their prey to approach, bees fly away from their hives to nearby flowers, ants line up to carry their newfound meals, dozens of singing and dancing birds rejoice in freedom, and spotted mud snakes lurk in small swamps formed by fallen leaves and rain......

And it's just a forest. Beyond his world, there were many living worlds that he had never touched so deeply. He couldn't help but praise the Creator of the world. He was grateful to be one of them, to touch all living beings and to experience the infinite mysteries.

He knelt down for a long time, detached his thoughts from the scriptures in his mouth, and wandered around the holy mountain, inside and outside the forest, around the king's capital, and everywhere he went, it was wonderful. He felt like a bird, the wind rushing through his ears and wings, sometimes through the clouds, sometimes close to the fields, sometimes over the waves, sometimes resting on the rock faces. It was a novel experience that he had never had before.

He even heard a mellow and beautiful voice from the clouds: "Follow my God, obey my heart, and wherever you go, you will see peace."

After reciting the scriptures, he opened his eyes and found himself still kneeling in front of the altar on the observation deck, with all the gifts on the table and the fine sand still under his knees. Can my god be pleased with me?

Obey My God, that is the will.

He stood up and shook off the sand stained on the golden robe of the Nine Dragons, and the door to the hall was closed, and he could not open it unless he spoke. The mountains and clouds are gray and white, as if they are close at hand. He made his way to the west side of the observation deck, which was surrounded by a circular fence, and the evergreen pines and cypresses of the forest, covered like clouds, stretched like a green sea on the side of the mountain. Looking into the distance, beyond the city wall is a yellow-green field, where the column of smoke rises from the hut for lunch, like a gray finger, pointing to the blue sky above. The dodo pierced through the clouds around it and headed towards the field like an arrow.

and his heart went away to the wilderness. Obedience to my heart is my will.

He took out the clairvoyance from the bag around his waist and put it over his right eye, and the distant landscape was immediately magnified into view, and it was within reach. He saw oak trees with their leaves still dying, farmers pruning their leaves, old men fishing by the stream, children chasing and playing outside the farmhouse, and a mill.

It was that place, the wind wheel turned slowly, and the yellow clothes fluttered outside the vines. Be obedient to my heart.

His heart was full of joy. The mountain breeze brushed his face like a gentle touch from her, and he still remembered the touch between his fingers. Such a sweet memory.

With a pair of shears, she was pruning the vine's excess leaves, which he knew would rob too much of nutrients. She looked back, as if looking in his direction, which he couldn't be sure.

The one I gave her was better than this one, and if she held it up and put it over her eyes and looked up at the top of the holy mountain, she would be able to see me. Be obedient to my heart.

And she did. She put down the scissors, untied the embroidered bag from her waist, felt the clairvoyance inside, put it over the eye, and looked at the holy mountain, the direction where he was.

He smiled. It's a truly happy smile. She could see him smiling, just as he could see hers smiling.

Even though we are so far apart, there is still a way to look at each other. There is still a way to connect hearts and minds. Now you know who I am. I have never wanted to deceive, I hate deception, what I do, what I think, is what my heart wants. Be obedient to my heart.

In this way, my heart will be at peace. The dragon god taught me, the teacher taught me, and the father taught me, which is the way of peace. Now my heart is at peace, I obey my God, I obey my heart.

He waved at her, I see you. Then she also began to wave her hand, waving it as if eagerly, and the expression on her face ceased to be cheerful, and seemed to have become anxious. There was something strange about him. Even though you can look at each other in pairs, you still can't communicate with words.

It's a pity. But it won't be long before I make it up. When I ascend to the throne, I will take my Dragon Guardian, my Sky Crown, and my Cloud Boots, and head to the Wine Mill again. Then we will make our dreams come true. Unfortunately, she couldn't read what was going on in his mind, and she was still waving her arms at him, saying something out of her mouth.

What did she want to say? Unfortunately, I couldn't hear the melodious voice of the yellow warbler.

But he heard another voice. A wind that blows from behind, as soft as a spring breeze and as cold as a north wind. The skin under the golden robe of Nine Dragons shuddered.

Before he could look back, he heard an unfamiliar voice. "Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I don't want to be like this. It's a pity. The voice was low and hoarse. He turned back.

A man wrapped in shadows, not so much a human being as a shadow of a person, the air around him flowing unrealistically, making him look hazy, his face hidden in shadows. Blurry, and cold. The chill he exuded was almost palpable. You don't need to feel it with your skin, you can see the coldness of death just by using your eyes.

"Who are you?"

"I have come to enlist you, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, on the orders of the Dragon God. The shadow struck him on the shoulders like the wind, and the clairvoyance in his hand fell to the ground, and his steps were pulled back again and again, and the strength of his arms seemed to be drained, and he could not move.

He barely had time to think before the wind* retreated to the edge of the cliff, and he felt the guardrail in his back, and the force of the collision made him painful. But the wind didn't stop there, and the shadow increased its strength, grabbing the hem of his Nine Dragons golden robe, and lifting him up. In the struggle, his cloud-walking boots kicked the clairvoyant, and the gift from his father from overseas rolled down the cliff.

He felt himself flying, but not like the bird he had imagined. He felt himself soaring off the ground, over the guardrail, but not as free as he had imagined. He felt a huge thrust, a wind that he simply could not stop. Shadows, wind. Be obedient to my heart.

He saw the sky, the guardrails, the rocks, the clouds, and the mist, falling rapidly. The shadow watched him fall, and in an instant it became very distant from him. She saw all this, and he realized then, and she was reminding him that she was so anxious and worried about him.

It's too late. But even he knew it then, he couldn't resist the tremendous power of the shadows and winds.

The dragon god has recruited me. He was desperately aware of this. The whole world plummeted before his eyes, and then, vanished.