Alan's face was calm, but his heart was uneasy.
Although he is not a member of the Holy Spirit Society, his soul is a traveler from another world.
In essence, he is similar to the evil spirit from outer space, so much so that Fengyue mistakenly thinks he is one of their own.
The ancestral altar seems to have the function of testing faith and identifying souls.
When it is my turn to worship at the altar, will I be mistaken for an evil spirit from outer space?
In addition, Alan was also a little worried about Fengyue's situation.
If she possessed a trial participant, she would probably not be able to pass the ancestor worship ceremony.
In the worst case scenario, if she is caught in public by Mr. Aardman, how can she protect herself?
What if Fengyue asks me for help, or gives me away after being arrested?
Alan's heart was churning.
At this time, Aardman opened the roster.
"The ancestor worship ceremony begins now!"
"When I call your name, go to the altar and kneel down to pay homage to your ancestors!"
The first person to be named was Aslan from the Blue Dragon Family.
He walked to the altar and knelt down in worship.
At the same time, the altar radiated a circle of soft light, covering Aslan.
Under the illumination of the light curtain, a hazy shadow vaguely appeared on Aslan's body.
The onlookers couldn't help but change their expressions when they saw this.
What does this phantom mean?
Does it symbolize that Aslan is possessed by the so-called "evil spirit from outer space"?
"You are a bunch of unsophisticated people. Stop making a fuss!"
Mr. Aardman explained ungraciously.
"This phantom is nothing but the projection of the soul of the ancestor worshiper."
"Look carefully. When Aslan kneels down to worship the altar, his soul projection also kneels down synchronously."
"It shows that his body and soul are in harmony."
"On the other hand, if he is possessed by an evil spirit, the soul and body are not originally matched, so it is impossible for them to be perfectly synchronized and coordinated."
After Aslan knelt three times, a hazy light and shadow rose from the altar, vaguely the image of a blue dragon.
“The vision on the altar reflects the faith of the worshippers.”
Mr. Aardman went on to explain.
"Aslan's idol is the Blue Dragon Ancestor in his imagination. It is compatible with his own Blue Dragon bloodline, so there is no problem."
"You should have noticed that Aslan's faith projection is very vague, which shows that he is not a true religious person."
"His attitude towards the ancestor who founded the blue dragon lineage is only at the level of respect, and he has not yet reached the point of sincerely worshipping his ancestor as a god."
"This is a common phenomenon for warlocks."
"But you have to be careful!"
Mr. Aardman emphasized.
"In the eyes of the evil god and his fanatics, a sorcerer like Aslan is a typical 'unbeliever'!"
“If the Wall of Heresy is unsealed and rebuilt, the souls of the warlocks represented by Aslan will be stuck on the wall after death, and they will never be freed!”
There was total silence.
Aslan stood up and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Mr. Aardman, do I pass the test?"
The adamantium golem nodded, opened the roster, and put a check mark under his name.
The ancestor worship process for the other three dragon vein sorcerers was uneventful and they all passed the test.
Next it was the turn of the sorcerer from the Silver Moon Monastery to come forward and pay homage to the ancestors.
"Teacher, your faith...is it okay?"
Alan asked Baihu Wuzun in a low voice.
"No problem." Shiva was not panicked at all. "The three silver moon gods worshiped by the monastery, as well as the four red moon gods worshiped by the Beast Cult, are all legal beliefs recognized by the City of Origin."
"Legal faith...?"
This was the first time Allen had heard such a statement.
Master Shiva nodded and explained in a low voice: "Because the kingdoms of the Three Silver Moon Gods and the Four Red Moon Gods are all built within the Bloodline Galaxy."
"In the Twin Moon God System, the souls of believers return to the Kingdom of God after death. They are both petitioners and ancestral spirits that can be meditated and integrated by future generations of sorcerers. There is no conflict of interest, so it will not be banned by the ancestral court."
Alan suddenly realized.
The gods of the Silver Moon and Red Moon were originally “racial gods” that only “beastmen” would worship.
Similar to Annan, the "God of Titans and Giants", Behemoth, the "Beast God", and Tiamat, the "Mother of Dragons".
In recent years, both the Silver Moon Monastery and the Beast Cult have been improving their doctrines, showing a tendency towards idealization and universalization.
For example, the natural attributes of "Insect Queen" Rhea are emphasized, rising from a simple insect-like ancestor to the height of "agricultural goddess" in charge of "famine" and "harvest".
For example, Fruka, the mother goddess of the tiger people, derives the authority of freedom, love and revenge.
Despite this, the core members of the Silver Moon Monastery and the Beast Cult are still sorcerers with bestial blood and have not abandoned their ancestral traditions.
The kingdoms of the Silver Moon and Red Moon gods are still built in the Bloodline Galaxy, and they have made no attempt to draw a clear line between themselves and the Ancestral camp.
As long as this bottom line is not crossed, Origin City can tolerate the existence of the Churches of the Silver Moon and Red Moon Gods .
However, there was still one problem that Allen couldn't figure out.
"The City of Origin has turned a blind eye. Why don't the major families in the Warlock World recognize the legitimacy of the Twin Moons Faith?"
"The fact that there is no conflict of interest between the City of Origin and the Twin Moon God System does not mean that there is no conflict of interest between the Warlock Family and the Church below..."
Master Shiva smiled bitterly.
"It's like someone has two dogs at home, and they only give them a piece of meat bone every day. Do you think the two dogs will fight?"
Alan was speechless.
By this time, Baker and Hogg had passed the test.
The next turn came to Master Shiva, who also completed the ritual successfully.
Mr. Aardman ignored the phantom of the "Tiger Mother" projected on the altar, flipped through the roster and put a check mark under Shiva's name.
Next up is Tigress Leni.
Her soul detection was fine, but the faith projection was unexpected.
As a disciple of the Cat Academy, Hu Niu's idol is not the goddess Freka, but the phantom of a man.
It looks very similar to Allen himself.
Feeling the strange looks from everyone, Alan wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
After Renee finished worshipping the ancestors, she felt relaxed and returned to Alan humming a little tune.
"Silly girl! Are you out of your mind?" Allen couldn't hold back his anger and growled at her, "Ancestor worship is for you to express your respect for your ancestors. Why are you visualizing my image? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't have much respect for my ancestors. You can't let me lie to them, right?"
Renee protested aggrievedly.
"Mr. Aardman said that you can just imagine the person you admire the most. It doesn't have to be an ancestor or a god."
"I've been thinking about it, and I can't find any other idols worth worshipping except you, so..."
"Forget it, forget it, your brain is hopeless!"
Alan interrupted her, but he couldn't help feeling moved.
He was the only sorcerer left in the Silver Moon Monastery who had not yet offered sacrifices to his ancestors.
With a nervous mood, Alan waited for his name to be called.
However, unexpectedly, Mr. Aardman skipped over him and read out Sonia's name.
Alan retreated back to Renee, feeling vaguely uneasy.
Sonia was born into a human-demon cult and could barely be considered a follower of the "Queen of Lust".
However, her faith was far from firm.
This is normal. After all, to the devil, religious beliefs without practical benefits are not worth mentioning.
In contrast, Helen had more respect for his demon ancestors.
Shiva watched her worshipping her ancestors and whispered to Alan:
"There is a saying that the Lord of Hell worshipped by the Human Demon Cult is actually Yu Tianxing, one of the seven masters of Origin City."
"The Abyssal Will revered by the Demons Family is Yuan Tianhong, another patriarch of the Origin City."
Alan's heart moved, and he asked back:
"If that's the case, could the Three Silver Moon Gods and the Four Red Moon Gods also be the incarnations of the various clan leaders of Origin City?"
Master Shiva was stunned for a moment and wanted to refute, but he was unsure.
Since the "holy light" of heaven, the will of hell and the abyss may all be the incarnation of the master, the gods of Silver Moon and Red Moon may not be fictional idols.
If Alan's speculation is true, the gods worshipped by the Silver Moon Monastery and the Beast Cult are essentially the leaders of the Holy Demon Royal Family, and the Origin City will certainly not interfere with their missionary work.
However, the seven great masters, as the representatives of the warlock class and second only to the Saint Demon Ancestor, have changed their appearances, acted as gods, and collected the faith and wishes of believers. What is their purpose?
Do they want to be deified?
If this is true, wouldn't it be a betrayal of the warlock class he came from and the camp of the ancestors?
Allen and Shiva were vaguely aware that beneath the calm surface of the Holy Demon Ancestral Court, there seemed to be an extremely dangerous undercurrent surging.
Next, Mr. Aardman called on all the members of the Beast Worshipping Cult to come forward and pay homage to their ancestors.
Caroline and her daughter, Bettin and Taffman, and Nora all passed the test successfully.
After offering sacrifices to the ancestors, Spanna blinked her big watery eyes and raised her hand to ask a question to the adamantine golem.
"Mr. Aardman, I have something to ask you."
"I am a believer of the 'Worm Mother' Rhea. After I die, can my soul escape the shackles of the 'Wall of Heresy' and rest in peace in the kingdom of my Lord?"
"Little girl, you have a good idea, but it's unrealistic."
Aardman grinned and sneered.
"When we talk about the 'Wall of Heresy', we must first clarify a concept. What is 'heresy'?"
"Well...it depends on who holds the right to define 'heresy'." Spanna answered seriously, "If we let the Beast Cult define it, the Silver Moon Monastery would be the number one heretic, and vice versa."
"Smart girl, you see things very clearly!"
Mr. Aardman smiled approvingly.
"Nonbelievers simply do not worship God themselves, but pagans actively spread heresy and incite people to join paganism, thus stealing business from orthodox churches and undermining their foundation."
"So, in the eyes of the self-proclaimed orthodox followers of the evil god, those without faith are certainly hateful, but heretics deserve death even more."
"Unfortunately, the believers of the Red Moon and Silver Moon gods are all heretics designated by the Ancient Evil God."
"After you die, not only will your soul not be able to escape the shackles of the Wall of Heresy, but it will also be doubly tortured!"
Spanna stuck out her tongue and retreated back to her mother in shame.
Next came the elemental sorcerers of the Randolph family to come forward to pay homage to their ancestors.
Am, Phil and Sean passed the test successfully.
When it was finally Pamela's turn, something unexpected happened.
When the blonde girl tried to kneel before the altar, she was bounced back by the golden barrier.
There seemed to be some powerful will preventing her from kneeling.
Then, a distorted shadow appeared on Pamela's body.
Compared with her original form, it looks extremely strange.
Anyone with normal vision could see that the weird soul projection did not match Pamela's beautiful appearance!
What does it mean that the body and soul don't match?
Alan's heartstrings couldn't help but tighten.
Mr. Aardman also looked alert.
Two beams of magic light shot out from the gemstone-carved eyes and locked onto Pamela.
"Little girl, there's something wrong with you!"
Aardman's voice was deep and murderous.
"In past ancestor worship ceremonies, I have uncovered many evil spirits from outer space lurking among the trial participants."
"But even the most twisted evil spirit is not as weird as you!"
"If you don't want to suffer, answer me honestly, what kind of monster is your true form?"
"Monsters? Evil spirits? Or... evil spirits?!"
"Mr. Butler, I don't understand what you are talking about."
Pamela still looked proud, as if she didn't know whether to live or die.
"As for why my soul is different from that of ordinary people... Sorry, this is my privacy, you'd better not ask."
"You just need to know that I'm not some evil spirit from outer space."
"hehe……"
The adamantium golem was amused by Pamela's attitude.
"I have never seen anyone as arrogant as you in my life!"
"Little girl, I want to kill you without any effort. I really can't understand where you get the confidence to be so arrogant in front of me!"
Pamela shrugged, turned to an empty chair near the altar, and called out:
"Your Highness! My current situation is all because of you!"
"Can you bear to stand by and watch coldly, and refuse to come out and clarify the truth for me?"
The resentful question echoed in the empty hall.
Everyone's attention, including Aardman, immediately focused on the empty chair.
Alan noticed that the golden emblem painted on the back of the chair was shining like a scorching sun.
That is the mark of Yuan Tianguang, the seventh lord of Origin City, and also the holy emblem of the Church of Holy Light.
Pamela's call still echoed in the air.
A golden light appeared on the empty chair.
A slender figure slowly emerged.
Her black hair is draped over her shoulders and her skin is whiter than snow.
The mask covered his face, revealing only a pair of golden eyes.
"Your Highness, why are you here..."
Aardman bowed to Yuan Tianguang with confusion in his eyes.
Yuan Tianguang stood up calmly and looked at Pamela deeply.
His gaze returned to the butler, and he said calmly, "Pamela was a relative of mine in my previous life. When I first awakened, I gave her a portion of my blood essence, so her soul is different from that of an ordinary person."
Aardman nodded suddenly.
A sorcerer at the master level can separate a strand of his soul, like a fragment of the godhead, and integrate it into the essence of his bloodline.
When Pamela merged with Yuan Tianguang's blood essence, it was equivalent to merging part of his memory, thoughts and even soul.
When offering sacrifices to the ancestors, her soul projection was actually the product of the fusion of her own soul with a trace of Yuan Tianguang's soul.
So it doesn't look natural.
By fusing Yuan Tianguang's blood and soul, Pamela's talent can be elevated to the level of a clan leader, but she also has to take huge risks.
If Pamela's willpower is not strong enough, her soul will be assimilated by Yuan Tianguang's will during the fusion process.
Whatever Yuan Tianguang likes, she will like unconditionally.
She would unconditionally hate anything that Yuan Tianguang hated.
Completely losing one's own personality is like reverting to being possessed by a demon.
Judging from Pamela's arrogant attitude, she doesn't seem to be assimilated into the gentle Yuan Tianguang.
Of course it's a good thing for her.
It is somewhat of a pity for some people who dislike her spoiled temper.
After clarifying the matter for Pamela, Yuan Tianguang looked at Alan calmly, then turned to the butler and said:
"Mr. Aardman, Alan Panthers was also a good friend of mine in my previous life. Let's skip the ancestor worship for him."
Aardman hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Since he is an old friend of His Highness Guang, it is only right that we make some special arrangements for him."
He flipped through the roster and put a check mark under Pamela and Alan's names.
Alan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
If the Altar of the Ancestors can identify that Pamela's soul is abnormal, then theoretically, it is also possible to detect that her own soul is not original.
Yuan Tianguang's just one sentence saved him from the crisis.
While I am grateful, I also have doubts.
Alan couldn't recognize his true face through the mask.
But listening to his conversation with Pamela, and the sense of familiarity, reminded him of someone.
"Your Highness Guang, in your previous life, were you an old classmate of mine at the Warlock Academy?"
Alan asked tentatively.
"It's not important." Yuan Tianguang sighed, his tone desolate, "The reincarnation of the Saint Demon, looking back on the memories of countless past lives, in comparison, the life in this life seems too dull."
"My life at the Warlock Academy is already a blur in my memory. I can barely remember you and Pamela."
"Alan, I am optimistic about your potential. I hope you won't let me down."
Without waiting for Alan to reply, he disappeared into thin air.
There was only an empty chair left behind.
Alan felt a chill in his heart.
Judging from the tone of the other party's speech, it is indeed not the same Ingres as before.