Amidst the radiance, a figure in a white robe slowly emerged.
The middle-aged man had handsome features and a refined, scholarly air, exuding a powerful aura. Atop his head sat an emerald-glazed crown; a golden cloud-brocade robe shimmered with radiant light around him, bound at the waist by a Nine Stars Sun-and-Moon sash, and on his feet were white-cloud slippers.
His eyes were deep, his gaze seeming as though it could pierce through all things.
Waves of mysterious pressure swept across the heavens, carrying the vast majesty of the celestial firmament—heavy, awe-inspiring, and absolute! Yet to Li Guanqi’s senses, its raw strength was not overwhelming, amounting at most to the early Mahayana realm.
Still, Li Guanqi could understand why. For an immortal of the Immortal Realm to project his power downward, an enormous price had to be paid. To still maintain such crushing pressure and aura was already no small feat.
The immortal lowered his gaze, his placid eyes sweeping over the crowd below as though he were thoroughly satisfied.
Spiritual radiance flared across the great demonic beast's body, and the two figures gradually consolidated into a hundred-zhang colossus.
"Ah! The immortal! He has manifested! The immortal truly has appeared!"
"This time, it must be because our devotion was sincere enough to move the immortal!"
"The immortal grants his blessing! The immortal grants his blessing! Begone, misfortune!"
"Ah... retreat, retreat, retreat!"
A clamor erupted. Standing high above in the vault of heaven, the immortal nodded impassively, his gaze casually sweeping across Li Guanqi and pausing for a faint fraction of a moment.
With just that single glance, Li Guanqi felt his entire body stiffen, as if every secret he harbored had been laid bare. His sea of consciousness, his dantian, and his entire body felt thoroughly scrutinized.
Meng Wanshu experienced the same. Her body trembled faintly, cold sweat beading upon her forehead and dripping down.
Yet that suffocating pressure vanished just as quickly as it had arrived. Narrowing his eyes, Li Guanqi whispered, "I'm fine."
Meng Wanshu nodded, relaxing her frame slightly, not daring to betray the slightest hint of tension.
Looking upon the mass of people kneeling below, the immortal's lips curled up slightly, and he spoke in a warm, gentle voice. Low and resonant, his words sounded directly within the minds of all present.
"I am of the Seven Treasures Pavilion, a disciple under Venerable Dingjin. My name is Cizhi."
Before his voice had even faded, another chorus of respectful chanting arose from below, accompanied by the dull thuds of foreheads striking stone. The man smiled faintly, watching the scene with serene eyes, allowing the mortals to kowtow and plead to their hearts' content.
"Children of the mortal dust, I descend to this world in immortal majesty, bearing benevolence and compassion in my heart. Listen closely, people of the mortal realm, for I shall bestow upon you the most supreme blessings and endless grace. Therefore, at every new and full moon, as you walk toward the light and attain peace and health, remember my name well."
As soon as his voice fell, every common mortal in the streets began crying out the name of Venerable Cizhi in utter frenzy. The sheer fanaticism struck even Li Guanqi with profound shock; countless people had bloodshot eyes, thrusting their arms into the air and shouting the name of Venerable Cizhi at the top of their lungs.
Li Guanqi kept his brows tightly furrowed. If anyone had claimed before that an immortal would descend, he would never have believed it. Yet now everything lay right before his eyes—he had witnessed the descent of an immortal with his own sight!
The sacred, majestic, and solemn presence exuded by the figure could not be faked. Moreover, that ethereal, immortal energy drifting about him was undeniably real, clearly marking this as an immortal's projection.
Li Guanqi did not know what kind of price had to be paid or what realm of cultivation was required to breach the barrier between the mortal and immortal worlds. Yet he had encountered many cultivators who practiced invoking an immortal's name, and those summoned immortals could only impart a negligible sliver of strength. An immortal like this Venerable Cizhi had to be on a vastly different level even within the Immortal Realm!
Seeing the frenzied populace, the smile on the man's face deepened, fine crinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes as he spoke softly once more.
"The Immortal Realm is boundlessly vast and wondrous. If you can follow my teachings, endure hardship, and accumulate merit in the mortal dust, you shall taste the supreme joy of the celestial paradise in your next life. I know that the mortal world is rife with trials and suffering, but so long as you hold faith in your hearts and devoutly follow my steps, you may avert calamity and enjoy blessings."
The moment these words were spoken, both the common mortals and the cultivators throughout the entire city erupted into boiling excitement. Their gazes burned with fanaticism, as though they were his most devout disciples.
Driven to the peak of fervor, the believers began pulling out whatever coins and wealth they carried, holding them high above their heads.
"Venerable Cizhi, I beg you to show mercy and save my child! I am willing to offer everything I have!"
A gaunt woman with sunken cheeks clutched an infant in swaddling clothes. She was hoisted above the crowd by an equally emaciated man, while she used every ounce of her strength to lift the swaddled baby high over her head.
The infant's face was sallow and withered, cheeks hollow, and its breathing was so faint that it clearly had little time left to live. A few scattered bits of silver and copper coins rested atop the baby's blanket. Though the woman's arms trembled violently, she persevered with all her might. Tears welled in her bloodshot eyes as she gazed up at the immortal's projection with desperate longing.
Venerable Cizhi lowered his gaze, his seemingly warm eyes sweeping over the woman with a faint smile. With a flick of his finger, a speck of spiritual light resembling a firefly shot straight into the infant's glabella. In an instant, the baby's complexion began to recover.
Its breathing grew steady and strong, its brow relaxed, and whatever hidden ailment had plagued it was clearly purged away.
"My child, I have felt your faith."
Seeing the infant restored to health, the woman burst into tears, embracing the man beside her. Holding their child, husband and wife kowtowed repeatedly, their foreheads bleeding after only a few strikes against the ground.
Seeing this, the mortals across the city went even wilder!
Yet Li Guanqi muttered silently in his heart, *Just now, in his eyes... there was disgust!*
The phantom pressed his hands downward, and the entire city instantly fell silent. In a calm voice, he said, "Remember, every drop of water and every grain of food carries my grace. My descent into this realm has consumed much of my immortal power. Open the sacrificial altar of Qixian Pagoda. Cast the sacrificial offerings into the tower; once I have absorbed their strength, I shall bestow blessings upon the entire city."
As the words fell, the black tower began to expand continuously until it stood a full hundred zhang tall, its massive ground-floor gates reaching an astonishing sixteen zhang in height!
All twenty-two gates swung open, each wide enough to accommodate more than thirty grown men standing shoulder to shoulder. Looking through the entrance, Li Guanqi saw a massive formation roughly sixty zhang in diameter etched into the center of the ground within Qixian Pagoda. It seemed that the livestock and other offerings were meant to be thrown directly into the formation.
Liu Qin, the dean of the academy, stood beneath the black tower with a reverent expression, his voice ringing out deep and solemn.
"Let the sacrificial ceremony begin! Proceed in an orderly fashion! Depart immediately after casting in your offerings!"
Before he could even finish speaking, the crowd surged forward in a mad rush, clutching chickens, ducks, and geese, with some even driving pigs and leading oxen. Everyone was desperate to be the first to cast in their offerings, making Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu stand out conspicuously as they remained rooted in place.
Li Guanqi said in a low, grim voice, "Come on, let's follow them inside and see what's really going on!"
Chapter 947