The torrential rain stopped abruptly, ceasing in an instant.
At this mont, in a five-star hotel in East Sea City.
"Still no leads." Li Xiaosang sighed softly. "This trial mission from headquarters is too strange. An Evil Cult... Where in East Sea City could we even find a trace of one?"
Beside her, Zhang Tiandong, who had a crush on her, chuckled.
"Xiaosang, isn’t the Security Chief at the East Sea City branch your godfather? I heard he’s about to be promoted to General Manager for the entire city... Why not ask him for so help?"
Before Li Xiaosang could speak, another mber frowned and said:
"That’s not a good idea. This mission is a trial from headquarters. We can use outside help, but if that help cos from within the company, it’s a violation... If headquarters finds out, we’ll all be disqualified."
"True." Zhang Tiandong sounded a little disappointed, then imdiately asked, "In that case, Xiaosang, besides people from the branch office, do you know anyone else in East Sea City who could help us?"
Li Xiaosang shook her head.
"Not really... Hmm, I’ve t Director Ji from the Inspectorate a few tis. I heard his son’s birthday is in two weeks. Let’s use that as an opportunity to pay him a visit."
After a mont’s thought, she added:
"Oh, right, in a few days I might have to make a trip to the shantytown to see an old acquaintance. When I do, you all can..."
"We’ll go with you, of course!" Zhang Tiandong said with a cheeky grin. "It doesn’t matter if we put the mission on hold. It’s not like we have any leads anyway..."
Li Xiaosang frowned, about to refuse, but when she glanced out the window, she froze.
"What is that?"
The three of them walked to the window and stared at the sky, completely astonished.
......
In another large apartnt in the city center.
"Since you don’t have school today, you’re staying right here at ho and focusing on your Cultivation!"
Ji Bochang smacked his son on the back of the head and glared.
"This Old Master tutors you every day, and you still haven’t stepped into the Jade Tower realm to beco a Martial Artist! You’re a disgrace!"
Ji Boduan clutched his head resentfully and mumbled a bit. Then, as if rembering sothing, he said:
"Oh right, Dad, my birthday’s in two weeks, isn’t it? It’s my last birthday before I turn eighteen! I want to invite a bunch of people, can I?"
Ji Bochang shot him an exasperated look.
"’My last birthday before I turn eighteen’... Leave it to you to co up with that one!"
After a mont’s thought, he waved a hand dismissively.
"Do what you want, but you have to have the party at ho. East Sea City... hasn’t been safe lately."
"Aweso!" Ji Boduan practically jumped for joy, his face beaming. "Let’s see, who should I invite? Four-Eyes from my class, Brother Quan, Big Tiger from the next class over... Oh yeah, Dad, I even took on a little brother!"
SMACK!
It was another rciless slap from Ji Bochang.
"You’re just a little twerp, and you’re already taking on followers?"
Ji Boduan retorted indignantly,
"My follower might not talk much, but he seems like a good guy. Most importantly—*most* importantly—he’s on good terms with Yanbing Mountain... By that logic, even Yanbing Mountain will have to call ’Big Bro’..."
"Fine, fine, fine. Do what you want. Invite whoever you want. It’s *your* birthday, not mine..."
Ji Bochang’s voice suddenly cut off.
The torrential rain outside had stopped at so point.
He instinctively glanced outside toward the horizon, his face filling with astonishnt.
"What is that??" Ji Boduan also stood up, staring in a daze.
In the sky.
In the skies above East Sea City.
A colossal, illusory peach tree blotted out the Celestial Vault for ten thousand miles. Its trunk swayed, wreathed in visions of Weapons and warhorses!
There were also vast phantoms of Celestial Soldiers and Generals, as well as farrs shouldering hoes, foot soldiers, and rchants. One group was above the great tree, the other below it.
The sound of Unending prayer mingled with the weeping of Immortals. The River of Yellow Springs, filled with buried bones, smashed through the Ghost Gate, surging and roaring!
Within the Yellow Springs, Immortal Corpses rose and sank. Gods and demons wailed in agony, mortals struggled for their lives, and emperors were humbled!
The thunder of war drums echoed, as if from The Beginning of Ancient Tis!
All these visions originated from East Sea City, blossoming across the Celestial Vault and stretching for thousands of miles!!
Yan Jiangxue walked out onto the Celestial Platform. As she looked up at the unfolding visions, her heart sank for no reason, then began to pound violently.
"This is..."
The girl paid the sensation no mind, her face a mask of utter disbelief.
’A true vision of Ancient Tis? Or sothing else?’
The peach tree swayed, Celestial Soldiers stood in formation, mortals prayed, the Yellow Springs raged, immortals wept and gods howled... the Red Dust was filled with the sorrow and suffering of war...
’If this is a true vision of Ancient Tis... doesn’t that an this is what Ancient History was actually like?’
As she took in one scene after another, the girl grew more and more alard, more and more lost in a trance.
Eventually, lost in her trance, Yan Jiangxue found tears streaming down her face.
With tears welling in her eyes, she smiled as if waking from a long and profound dream.
"So, that’s how it was."
......
Sothing was happening in East Sea City.
The vision, stretching for ten thousand miles, was imasurably vast. It didn’t just cover East Sea City; it blanketed the entire Langya Province. There was no hiding it!
Celestial Humans took notice, Earth Immortals focused their senses, and even True Immortals cast their gazes toward it!
"East Sea City..." An Immortal frowned, gazing from an unknown, imnse distance. "The vision is originating from the shantytown? Could the rumors of that ultimate ruin be true? It’s already generating phenona before it’s even opened?"
On Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Celestial Master glanced at the violently trembling Three-Five Evil-Slaying Sword. He stepped out of the Celestial Master Hall once more and walked to the summit.
At the summit, the Old Peach Tree radiated with a pulsing Immortal Light. Nearby, the younger peach tree—one that had long been dead—sprouted a single new bud!
"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" The Celestial Master’s expression was one of sheer astonishnt. He clapped his hands and burst into loud laughter.
Then, with a look of reverence, he began to chant:
"Praise be! Supre Profound Clarity, Fusheng Lu Xuan Heavenly Venerable!"
The Immortal Light on the Old Peach Tree intensified, and the bud on the smaller tree grew even greener.
And at this very mont, in all corners of the world.
With the exception of the unshakable Longque Technology, powers like Sakata Heavy Industries, Aotao Organism, and even Celestial God Pharmaceutical and the Giant Bear Group from the West Continent, and Ancient Gene,
as well as ancient Daoist Lineages, thousand-year-old clans, and even the Federation Military!
All at this mont turned their gaze toward the shores of the East Sea!
Driven by greed, an undercurrent of sches began to surge, each power with its own agenda.
The winds, the winds, the winds!
On the shores of the East Sea, a great wind was rising!!
......
Just as these undercurrents began to swirl among the great powers,
the entire shantytown descended into chaos.
Countless people spilled out onto the narrow streets, staring blankly at the celestial vision, their eyes drawn to the roots of the giant, illusory peach tree.
The roots were centered right here, enveloping the entire shantytown as if it were the very Source of the phenonon.
Before long, the vision slowly faded, but motes of light, like a rain of celestial radiance, began to drift down, ethereal and pure.
anwhile, inside the wooden house.
Qing He Daoist was dumbfounded. Wu Datong was dumbfounded. Qi Tiansheng was dumbfounded.
But no one was more stunned than Lu Xuan.
They weren’t fools. They knew exactly what had caused this phenonon.
"Fusheng Lu Xuan Heavenly Venerable..." Qing He Daoist muttered. He instinctively glanced at the dazed youth on the bed before looking away, dismissing it as a re coincidence.
Then, he turned sharply to the equally stupefied Qi Tiansheng, his voice grave.
"To think that the Ancient Ancestor of Dragon Tiger Mountain is so mighty... I was discourteous before."
With that, he clasped his hands and bowed.
Lu Xuan couldn’t help but fidget.
’Generally, when chanting the true na of one of the Immortals and Buddhas, a more intense phenonon implies one of two things: either the being is incredibly powerful, or they are incredibly close...’
’And since all Immortals and Buddhas have vanished from this world, it can only be the forr. For a phenonon this terrifying and world-shaking, just what kind of being must the Fusheng Lu Xuan Heavenly Venerable be?’
’Rembering the phenonon that had occurred when he chanted the na of his own Venerable Guangcheng, Qing He Daoist suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to crawl into a hole.’
anwhile,
Qi Tiansheng had also snapped out of his daze. He looked around blankly, his face a mask of shock and disbelief.
After a long mont, he shook his head and stamred,
"I... I don’t know what’s going on either. In previous years, during spring, when the peach blossoms blood, even when all the Great Daoists on Dragon Tiger Mountain chanted this venerable na together, nothing like this ever happened... Could it be?"
Qi Tiansheng grew excited, his breathing quickening.
"Could it be that with the world’s reawakening, the Profound Clarity Celestial Venerable has also awakened and responded to my prayer?"
Lu Xuan fidgeted again.
Qing He Daoist, Qi Tiansheng, and the other few Little Daoists didn’t notice him. Only Wu Datong shot him a strange sideways glance.
Wu Datong’s mind started racing. ’If I rember correctly,’ he thought, ’that Daoist Monarch from back then—the one I suspected was Lu Xuan in disguise—called himself Profound Clarity...’
’Supre Profound Clarity... Fusheng Lu Xuan...’
Wu Datong’s expression grew even more peculiar.
.
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