"No!"
A bunch of bratty kids who haven't even grown their hair, how dare they want to see him?
However, Ming Shenshi coldly asked again, "Why do they want to see this Shenshi?"
"Several Divine Maidens and Sacred Sons wish to enter the Enlightenment Chamber."
"You handle it." Upon hearing this, Ming Shenshi impatiently waved his hand at the divine attendant.
Seeing this, the divine attendant immediately and obediently withdrew.
If one were to ask who was the most untouchable person in the Central Domain Divine Temple nowadays, it wouldn't be the Great Divine Master, but rather this Ming Shenshi.
The Great Divine Master was in seclusion year-round, rarely appearing except during the Winter Moon Festival.
As for Ming Shenshi, after the Divine Maiden of the Divine Hall, Rong Shenshi, perished, he became the foremost figure below the Great Divine Master, governing the entire Central Domain Divine Temple.
Moreover, Ming Shenshi was narrow-minded and ruthless. Any divine attendant or female slave who displeased him met a grim end.
Ming Shenshi clearly paid no mind to his reputation among the divine attendants. He turned around, his gaze sinisterly fixed on the two half-dead figures on the ground.
"I'll give you a chance. As long as you obediently comply, I won't make things difficult for you." A willing sacrifice was what the Wood God would prefer.
"Hmph!" Ximen Hongchun spat out a word with all his might, his usually cool face now etched with mockery. "You wish!"
In his dictionary, there was no such word as "obediently comply"!
"Very well! I'll see just how thick your skins are!"
Ming Shenshi was utterly enraged. He picked up the whip beside him and was about to lash them again. However, at this moment, there was another knock on the door from outside.
"What is it?" Ming Shenshi asked angrily.
The divine attendant outside cautiously entered, "Reporting to Shenshi, the eldest daughter of the Donglin City Lord's mansion requests an audience. This is her gift to you."
Ming Shenshi's anger subsided considerably. He looked up and saw the divine attendant holding a wooden tray with a pot of spirit plant on it.
The spirit plant had clearly developed some sentience, its branches bent like the divine attendant.
Ming Shenshi nodded with satisfaction. "As expected of her daughter. She's more sensible than those juniors."
"Take the gift and put it away. This Shenshi will go and meet her now." Ming Shenshi urged the divine attendant. Seeing that the divine attendant had put the gift away but had not left, he frowned and asked, "Is there anything else?"
The divine attendant glanced at the two bloody figures in the room and hesitated before asking, "The Divine Maidens and Sacred Sons of the Four Great Divine Temples have all arrived. If the Divine Maidens and Sacred Sons don't appear, will there be any issues?"
"What issues could there be?" Ming Shenshi sneered. "Keep a close eye on these two. If they escape again, none of you will live."
"Yes!" The divine attendant was so terrified that he immediately knelt on the ground.
Ming Shenshi was very pleased with their fear of him and walked out of the room with a loud laugh.
"Divine Maiden Bai, look quickly, isn't that Donglin Huang?" Han Bei exclaimed, seeing a familiar figure standing outside the Chongming Pavilion. "How can she enter the Divine Temple at this time?"
According to the unwritten rules, the Divine Temple was under strict lockdown during the Winter Moon Festival.
Bai Shengyi took a look. It was indeed Donglin Huang. Shortly after, a person dressed in a green robe emerged, followed by more than ten divine attendants.
"Is that Ming Shenshi?" her gaze shifted slightly.
It was no wonder that the divine envoys of the Central Domain Divine Temple held a status equal to the divine masters of the Four Great Divine Temples. This divine envoy's cultivation was no less than that of the Divine Master of the Eastern Divine Temple.
Bai Shengyi preliminarily estimated his cultivation to be around the late stage of Deity Transformation to the early stage of Mahayana.
At this moment, she couldn't help but sigh, fortunate that she hadn't thought of directly stealing the Divine Wood Heart from the Divine Temple. Given the situation, the Great Divine Master's cultivation was likely even higher than hers.
After all, due to the influence of the Sui Xing Divine Fire, she had quietly advanced to the mid-stage of Mahayana.
"It is Ming Shenshi." Wu Qun said enviously, "Who is that woman? She is actually being received by Ming Shenshi?"
Wu Qun wanted to look closer, but then the divine attendant in front of the Enlightenment Chamber indifferently urged them, "You may enter now. You are only allowed to stay in the Enlightenment Chamber for one hour. If you exceed the time, you will bear the consequences."
After speaking, the divine attendant turned and left.
"After all, we are Divine Maidens and Sacred Sons. How can this divine attendant be so..."
Before Yue Jun could finish speaking, Wu Qun covered his mouth, then realizing his action was inappropriate, quickly let go.
"Ah Yue, don't say such things in the future," Wu Qun said, uncharacteristically putting away his boastful demeanor and earnestly admonishing the other three. "The divine attendants of the Central Domain Divine Temple are different from those of the Four Great Divine Temples."
Yue Jun frowned slightly. He had a bad temper, and if it weren't for the Divine Wood Heart, he would have likely erupted long ago.
"Let's go, we'll enter first."
Bai Shengyi said, and was the first to enter the Enlightenment Chamber.
Upon entering, her gaze was drawn to two scrolls hanging on the wall.
"Is this... the legendary Divine Tree?" Han Bei couldn't help but raise his voice, the echo reverberating within the Enlightenment Chamber.
"Divine Tree?" Bai Shengyi looked at the verdant, luxuriant, ancient towering tree depicted on the scrolls, lost in thought.
Seeing that Bai Shengyi didn't even know about the Divine Tree, Wu Qun's sense of superiority surged again. He couldn't help but say, "It is said that Xianrong City enjoys spring all year round because it is blessed by the Divine Tree. The Winter Moon Festival is also held to pray to the Divine Tree. As long as the Divine Tree bestows its blessings, it will protect our entire Green Rong to flourish and ensure a prosperous year."
"Can you all be quiet?"
An impatient voice came from not far away.
Wu Qun's smile vanished. He only then realized that four people were already seated in a corner of the Enlightenment Chamber, two men and two women.
They were the Divine Maidens and Sacred Sons of the Northern Divine Temple and the Southern Divine Temple.
"You all came to the Enlightenment Chamber so early?" Wu Qun frowned tightly. According to the rules of previous years, the Enlightenment Chamber would only be open to Divine Maidens and Sacred Sons after all the Four Great Divine Temples had arrived.
This year, their Western Divine Temple and Eastern Divine Temple had only arrived today, and they had come immediately. By all rights, they should have been the first to arrive.
Bai Shengyi had already noticed the four people in the corner. What was interesting was that one man and one woman were wearing green robes. She knew that all the Divine Maidens she had seen so far wore only white.
"What? We can't come?" The green-robed Sacred Son who spoke first snorted, "Who's to blame if you yourselves arrived late?"
"Sacred Son Wu Qun, Ming Shenshi opened the Enlightenment Chamber early this year," the green-robed Divine Maiden explained softly.
"No need to explain in detail to them. It's laughable if some people, who are participating in the Winter Moon Festival for the second time, don't even know this," the green-robed Sacred Son said pointedly.
Wu Qun: "You—"
"Brother Qun," Yue Jun grabbed Wu Qun and said softly, "The spiritual energy in the Enlightenment Chamber is so dense. My spirit plant can barely control itself."
"Let's go cultivate first," Wu Qun glanced at the green-robed Sacred Son and took Yue Jun to another corner, far away from those four.
Bai Shengyi and Han Bei naturally followed behind him.
"Sister, where is your spirit plant?" Yue Jun looked at Bai Shengyi's front and blinked his eyes in confusion.
The three of them each had a spirit plant in front of them.
Yue Jun's was a green plum blossom, the one that had been adorning his hair as a hair accessory. Wu Qun had a slender wood maple in front of him, and Han Bei held a morning glory vine in his hand.
Dense spiritual energy swirled around the spirit plants and then continuously flowed into them. The spirit plants, like people, stretched their leaves and branches, contentedly absorbing the abundant spiritual energy in the Enlightenment Chamber.
Yue Jun's question attracted the attention of the other two.
Bai Shengyi, holding the restless Qingmeng Vine, said calmly, "My spirit plant saw so much spiritual energy for the first time and fainted."