The Sacrificial Ritual (献舍, Xiàn Shě) is a forbidden ritual that summons a spirit to possess the summoner's body, in return for fulfilling the summoner's wishes.
Description[]
The ritual seems to involve an array drawn in human blood, a request for a vicious spirit to fulfill a request, and a self-inflicted wound that will not heal unless the summoner's wishes are fulfilled. If the summoned spirit fails to fulfill the request of the summoner after an unknown period of time, the summoned spirit's soul is destroyed, never to reincarnate.[1]
The consequences for the summoner are the destruction of their own soul.[1]
Use[]
No more than four people had been confirmed to successfully perform the ritual prior to Mo Xuanyu.[1]
Summoning of Wei Wuxian[]
Wei Wuxian awakens surrounded by an array drawn in blood. To his dismay, though Mo Xuanyu left a letter detailing his abuse at the hands of his family, he had forgotten to write down his final wishes. Wei Wuxian then discovers four cuts on his arms, representing the number of people upon whom Mo Xuanyu desired vengeance. The cuts will continue to open until Mo Xuanyu's wishes are fulfilled, or else Wei Wuxian will forfeit his soul.[1]
Wei Wuxian initially suspects that Mo Xuanyu actually wants to wipe out his entire family,[1] he tries to embarrass Mo Xuanyu’s family in front of the young disciples of the Gusu Lan Clan as serviceable revenge instead. Unfortunately, this fails.[2]
The condition set by the ritual is accidentally fulfilled when the Demonic Left Arm is set loose in Mo Village, killing Madam Mo, her husband, Mo Ziyuan, and A-Tong – all of whom happen to be the people whom Mo Xuanyu wishes killed. Wei Wuxian is thereby freed from the threat of having his soul destroyed.[3][4]
Golden Carp Tower[]
When Wei Wuxian's identity is exposed at Golden Carp Tower, Jin Guangyao confirms that Mo Xuanyu once saw Wei Wuxian's manuscripts. As a result, he could have relied on his memory to conduct the ritual.[5]
Guanyin Temple Aftermath[]
In the aftermath of the Guanyin Temple incident, Wei Wuxian speculates that even if Mo Xuanyu had seen the ritual in Jin Guangyao's treasure vault, Nie Huaisang likely reminded him of the ritual or provided him with the details necessary to conduct it.[6]
Web Series Divergence[]
In the Web Series, rather than continue to resemble Mo Xuanyu, Wei Wuxian's body transforms back to resemble his original form. He is therefore required to wear a mask to avoid recognition by those he met in his previous life.[7] In addition, Mo Xuanyu also wants Jin Guangyao dead along with his family.[8]