"Amitabha. This humble monk greets the honored guests." His eyes swept over the crowd when he welcod them all with a warm smile on his face. "Fifty years have passed since the Gate of the Eternal Body last opened."
His voice seed to be so gentle to hear that everyone felt like listening to it in silence.
It felt like he was preaching Dao itself.
"Every 50 years we get to see new faces in the crowd who co to celebrate the glorious years of our temple and join us in the fateful adventure through the Great Domain our founding abbot left us." His withered eyes landed on the statue behind him as he said those words.
"Although many entered,. Few returned. Fewer still understood. While the treasures and benefits may seem alluring, be mindful of the dangers it brings as well."
Even though he warned everyone, he knew in his heart that no one would listen to him and sighed inwardly.
"Indeed, no treasure can surpass the value of one's life." Just as the people in the crowd below were exchanging confused yet uncaring looks among themselves, a thunderous, hearty voice echoed in the air.
"Who was that?!"
"Have they finally arrived?"
Once again, the focus of everyone gathered turned towards the sky, where dark clouds had started to gather.
"The power to manipulate the weather itself—is it soone in the soul formation realm?" Soone in the crowd pointed, but no one was there to confirm his guess.
Crackle!
BOOM!
A bolt of thunder gathered in the clouds and struck sowhere in the air and exploded in several small serpentine bolts that dispersed all around the area, revealing a robust middle-aged man leading a group of young n and won on a floating cloud that shimred with lightning sparks.
"Who are they?"
"What did you even learn about this event before you decided to join it? Or did you just co here for the free lunch?" The guy looked at the person beside him with disdain and created distance between them with a cold snort.
And yet he still chose to clarify his doubts.
"That man is the First Elder of the Wind and Lightning sect."
"One of the three greatest sects?!"
"This is one of the rare occasions when the three greatest sects gather in one place."
The cloud itself seed to have wind of its own, pushing the air around it and moving towards the plaza.
Seeing the man, a smile appeared on Abbot's aged face. "Ah, Donor Lei Ji." His wrinkles stretched as his smile widened.
"Abbot Liang, you embarrass with your politeness. I am the junior here." You could hear the respect in the man's tone.
While the crowd below looked at the scene in shock and astonishnt, the abbot rely smiled and shook his head.
"I see you have reached the pinnacle of the Golden Core Realm. It should be any day now."
Under his praise, the middle-aged man only laughed sheepishly, but before he could say anything, his smile turned into a frown and his eyebrows twitched.
Suddenly a sweet scent filled the atmosphere, overpowering the scent of the incense stick.
"It appears we arrived later than I had hoped." A bell-like voice drifted along with several lotus petals. Thousands of petals spun through the air, carrying their fragrance.
When the petals touched soone, they directly exploded in a puff of glittering gas before washing away.
Everyone, including Abbot Liang and Elder Lei Ji, turned their heads towards a huge lotus flying through the air as if it had appeared from the void.
"The Illusionary Lotus Sect." Soone muttered from the crowd. "The three great sects have finally gathered."
"Wait, didn't they cut themselves off from the world ten years ago?"
"Yeah, I heard they called all the disciples back to search for sothing."
"Your news is outdated; there was a demonic cultivator who entered one of their cities. There were reports that he intended to use a demonic energy eruption to destroy the city.
"Woah! That would have destroyed the land along with those living in it."
While talking about the past events, these cultivators looked back at them and muttered under their breath.
"They look so beautiful."
Standing on top of the lotus that was blowing illusionary lotus petals like confetti were 6 won. One of them, the woman standing in the front, was the elder who was leading their group.
Five of them were wearing robes that were patterned with shifting lotus petals. They were moving around the clothes slowly.
"I hope Abbot Liang can forgive for my tardiness. The woman walked off the lotus and stepped into the air. Wherever she stepped, right under her bare feet a small lotus would appear.
While she walked towards the jade platform where the abbot and the representative of the Wind Lightning Sect were standing, the lotus landed in front of the crowd, right beside the disciples of the other two sects.
"I never knew the sect only accepted won disciples."
"They do not, but inherently won are better at using illusions than n."
At the sa ti, on the jade platform, the elderly abbot welcod the veiled woman, dressed in a silver-pink gown-like dress. Even as she walked, she appeared to be illusory, as if she was there yet not real at the sa ti.
"I see you are as dramatic as ever, Elder ng Shui." Elder Lie Ji snorted coldly at the sight of the woman. "If only you had placed the sa effort in coming here on ti."
Hearing the cold sarcasm in his words, Elder ng Shui did not flinch or stop. She walked past him as if he never even existed. "Abbot Liang, you seem younger and younger each day."
"Oh-ho, oh-ho." Abbot Liang Chen laughed heartily as he heard the sly praise from the young woman. "This old monk is just counting his last days, donor ng Shui."
"What an ass-kisser." Lei Ji muttered under his breath, but his voice was clearly heard by everyone on the jade platform.
"Oh, Elder Lei Ji. Didn't see you there." ng Shui turned around and gasped in shock, "Looks like you have a better grasp of the Dao of illusion than you even fooled . Would you like to join our sect? I can ask the matriarch to make you the first elder there too if you like."
Hearing the jab, Elder Lei Ji's face darkened. "It looks like the last defeat has left your mories; would you like to go at it again?"
"Sure~" As she was about to agree to his words and flare her cultivation, a cough echoed in their ears.
Cough!
They turned to look at Abbot Liang Chen, who was looking at them with his sa smile, but his eyes were closed. "Please don't make things difficult for this poor monk."
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