Arrival

The cold wind blew fiercely amid steady falling rain, a heavy mist hanging low between heaven and earth. Thunder, long dormant within the ink-black rain clouds, rumbled with muffled, low groans. Li Tongya rode the wind, streaking through the sky like a shooting star. Beneath his feet, the mountain forests swayed relentlessly in the downpour, fallen leaves and branches scattering into the air. Expressionless, he shuttled through the storm. The raindrops beside him, stirred by his immortal foundation, Vast Sea, transformed into more than a dozen pale-green flood-dragons that coiled and circled around him. “Mount Bianyan.” Gazing into the far distance, his slightly narrowed eyes held a somber gloom. The scenery before him flickered between light and shadow; the undulating mountain ranges seemed like a crafty viper twisting and winding. Li Tongya had attained Foundation Establishment more than a decade ago and had always been calm and lucid. Yet after riding the wind for merely half a day, he actually felt a muddled, drowsy haze stealing over him. Clearly, only a few hundred li remained to Mount Bianyan, yet Li Tongya flew slower and slower. The path before his eyes splintered into dozens of diverging trails. Forcing down his rising anger, he thought to himself: “I wonder how many divine abilities of the Purple Mansion masters have been clashing against one another over the course of these few hundred li...” Just as he fought fiercely to stabilize his mind, the Xuanzhu talisman seed within his sea of qi acupoint blazed with brilliant light. A cool stream of qi welled up from his Shengyang Mansion and swirled in his mind, instantly restoring absolute clarity. “This is...” All the grogginess and distracting thoughts were cast from Li Tongya's mind. Overjoyed, he sensed the direction of Mount Bianyan, closed his eyes tight, drew in his spiritual sense, and shot straight toward his destination. The dense fog of Mount Bianyan never dissipated throughout the year, intertwining among the mountains. Now, under the torrential rain, heaven and earth had cleared, making the place feel even more bleak and deserted. Guided by intuition, Li Tongya touched down among the mountains. He slowly opened his eyes and extended his spiritual sense. Up ahead, what met his eyes was a field of ruins. Rain poured mercilessly, splashing up faint pink droplets of diluted blood. Before him hung a plaque broken into three pieces, its gilded characters stark and glaring: “Zhenhui Daoist Temple.” ———— In the Great Void beyond Li Tongya's sight, nine colored lights stood suspended in empty space. Some were heavy as mountains, some surged restlessly, and some brimmed with vibrant vitality, each distinct as their radiances interlaced in the void. The lights of their divine abilities intertwined, each beam tugging the situation in a different direction. As the divine abilities constantly collided, they produced ripple after ripple of distortion in the void. As Li Tongya drew closer to Mount Bianyan, the Purple Mansion masters continuously formed hand seals. Finally, unable to hold back any longer, one of the masters clasped his hands behind his back and sneered, saying: “It is one thing for you all to exert your pull—after all, you merely wish to seize a few more portions of gold nature and destiny, which is understandable enough. But if an accident happens and that little snake survives, causing the Wrathful Mahasattva to realize something is amiss and reincarnate elsewhere, that is not an outcome any of us can afford to bear!” “Heh!” No sooner had he spoken than another Purple Mansion master chuckled mockingly and retorted: “Changxi, oh Changxi, it seems being unable to refine a lifebound divine ability and having to watch helplessly has truly frustrated you to no end, leading you to spout such pointless nonsense!” “You!” Master Changxi clearly did not get along with this master. Still, none who reached the Purple Mansion realm were fools; he was not easily provoked. Showing a hint of anger on his face, he held his tongue. Yet the other master refused to drop the matter, chuckling: “Fellow Daoist Chuting proved his Dao with a lifebound divine ability and sprouted a second immortal foundation less than fifty years after his breakthrough. Meanwhile, you have cultivated in early Purple Mansion for a hundred years and still fall short of a junior. How laughable.” Master Changxi actually laughed instead, replying simply: “Fellow Daoist Chuting possesses extraordinary talent; naturally, I cannot compare. With critical matters at hand, I will not bicker with you. Just watch out for your Guoling Peak, lest it tumble into the sea one day.” “Heh... When Duanmu Kui was alive, you were as meek as a quail. Now that Duanmu Kui is dead, you come out to stir up trouble...” The master sneered. Master Changxi cast him a cool glance and countered: “Never mind me. If you had cultivated Fool Driving the Mountain and heard that Fit for Emperors and Kings had been ruined, you would probably be frightened into dispersing your cultivation to start over.” “Haha.” The master chuckled, even showing a trace of agreement, and finally fell silent. The rest of the masters watched quietly until a clear voice suddenly spoke: “Fellow Daoists, he is flying too fast.” The masters formed hand seals in silence, and several nodded and eased their arts. Yet to their surprise, Li Tongya was not hindered in the least. Instead, after a momentary pause, he closed his eyes and flew straight for Mount Bianyan. The remaining figures were all taken aback. The clear voice spoke once more: “Fellow Daoist Chuting! Rein in your divine ability!” Those who could ascend to the Purple Mansion realm possessed top-tier intellects; by seeing who benefited, it was immediately obvious whose doing it was. At once, their gazes turned toward Xiao Chuting. Clad in white robes with a white jade fishing rod resting on his shoulder, enveloped in pale-blue light as he rode the colored radiance, Xiao Chuting remained outwardly impassive, though inwardly he was alarmed. “I already eased my divine ability... This is definitely not my doing! Could it be someone else... the one on Mount Dali? Or the Xiuyue Sect?” Scanning his surroundings, Xiao Chuting's thoughts ran deep. Finding himself inexplicably made the target of all eyes, he showed no panic; instead, he immediately realized this was a golden opportunity to borrow a greater name. In a gentle voice, he said: “A senior has intervened; this is not Chuting's doing.” The masters all froze and exchanged glances, suspicion and astonishment flashing across their faces. Someone whispered: “To render all our efforts useless, what other Purple Mansion master in Jiangnan could be so domineering? Surely it cannot be Fellow Daoist Shangyuan?” “Shangyuan is a sword immortal, not a shaman immortal. How could it be him? What is more, the Xiuyue Sect has always been aloof, proud, and detached from the world. Why would he step in to do such a thing?” Watching Li Tongya speed directly toward Mount Bianyan, one of the masters pinched his fingers in divination and muttered: “At this pace, the timing is actually just right. Once the Wrathful Mahasattva devours the small snake, the large snake will arrive at the temple right on cue.” “Does that not mean they will do battle right inside this temple?” As the two masters exchanged words, the owner of the clear voice—evidently holding higher status—paused briefly before cutting in, asking softly: “Fellow Daoist Chuting, could you tell us which senior intervened?” “Fellow Daoist Tianyuan,” Xiao Chuting smiled faintly and replied, “it is truly difficult for Chuting to say.” Xiao Chuting's ambiguous reply left the gathered masters in an awkward silence for a brief moment. Soon, someone spoke up to ease the tension, chuckling: “As long as the Wrathful Mahasattva possesses the vessel, that is enough; we need not ask for too much... After all, traversing the Great Void to steer destiny exacts a heavy toll. Having it take place in this temple is fine as well—no need to wait any longer. Let us resolve the Mahasattva swiftly and return to report on our missions...” “Indeed.” As this person spoke, several masters immediately chimed in with agreement. One even smiled bitterly: “Those of us who have only recently advanced to the Purple Mansion realm cannot compare to the seniors who can wander the Great Void in spirit for extended periods. If our divine abilities and cultivation suffer damage, the Wrathful Mahasattva might even escape.” At these words, the masters all looked silently toward Master Tianyuan. A full breath passed before the clear voice answered: “Very well.” Silence fell across the Great Void. The clear voice spoke no more. The nine colored lights quietly looked down upon Mount Bianyan below, waiting for the opportune moment.