Chapter 1647: Trouble (I)

Daoist Zhuang's pupils dilated.

He knew exactly who the man in the sky was. That face had haunted him countless times and left him so terrified he could never enter meditation. Few in Changxiao Gate knew it better than he did.

It was Li Zhouwei.

Back then, when he and his fellow disciples had joined forces to surround and tried to kill him on the lake, Daoist Zhuang had not only gotten a good look at his face, but had also wounded him with his arts, coveted his treasures, and cursed him to his face. Count them all together, and he had earned himself enough offenses to die several hundred times over.

Thud...

The old man beneath the main seat slowly sank to his knees, unable to tear his eyes away. Even with everything unfolding before him, his mind remained a complete blur.

What's... Happening...

From Daoist Zhuang and the Changxiao Gate elder stationed here, to the members of the small families and relatives of the gate's disciples seated at the banquet, not a single one of them had ever imagined such a scene. None of them had imagined that the White Qilin would one day stand before their mountain gate. Even now, seeing it with their own eyes, they still found it impossible to believe!

The White Qilin? Why is the White Qilin here? Visiting a friend... Visiting a friend at Changxiao Gate? What?

Their bewilderment was only natural. Changxiao Gate had enjoyed peace for far too long, and Yue State's unwritten rule of stopping short of total war had endured for just as long.

For centuries, every conflict had been fought through proxy struggles in the outer-sea. How often had battles ever reached a mountain gate? And when they did, it was only after every Purple Mansion Realm cultivator on one side had already fallen!

What kind of joke was this? Changxiao Gate still had a living Grand Daoist Master!

Though no one dared say it openly, in this era of the Azure Pond Sect's decline and the fading of Supreme Yang, Changxiao Gate's claim of being the foremost immortal gate was hardly an empty boast. Across all of Yue State, there truly wasn't another force that could stand shoulder to shoulder with it!

Then... What is this? If he isn't here to visit a friend...

Drip...

The night was silent, and the lamplight soft. Wine slowly trickled across the table, reflecting the kaleidoscope of colors shining from the sky. The sound of each drop striking the floor rang out with startling clarity. In that instant, everyone lowered their heads and looked toward Daoist Zhuang at the main seat.

Then he must be here for revenge.

Daoist Zhuang stared blankly into the sky. His body had gone limp against the main seat, yet his neck remained rigid, leaving him frozen like a statue. His pupils were dilated to their limit. Every trace of expression had vanished from his face, leaving only despair.

The divine ability descending from the heavens gave them no more time to think.

Everything happened too quickly for anyone to react. Daoist Zhuang's legs were still limp beneath him, yet the night sky had already been overtaken by an endless expanse of white. A boundless radiance flooded every person's vision until nothing else remained, only infinite white.

Boom!

The formation overhead was as fragile as an eggshell, dissolving into nothing beneath the white radiance. Yet the light continued descending like a gentle breeze, brushing across every face without causing the slightest harm.

The entire pavilion beneath their feet shuddered violently as every formation pattern went dark at once. Everyone on the platform broke into cold sweats. Some lost control of their bladders, and others burst into tears, yet all of them were frozen where they stood. They remained completely unharmed, bound within the surging Radiant Light and utterly unable to move.

The grand formation, famed for its boundless mystics and ranked among the finest Foundation Establishment Realm formations, was nothing more than a joke before a divine ability. The heavenly light above was like a colossal beast. With nothing more than a breath, it swept away the formation below, yet still held back its strength, as though afraid of crushing the entire marketplace beneath its feet.

"Hm?"

Only then did the young man in the sky shift his gaze slightly, finally noticing the Daoist below. Like a deity looking down upon the mortal world, he looked at him from an immense distance.

The next instant, boiling heavenly light surged into Daoist Zhuang through all seven of his orifices. He failed to endure even for a heartbeat. His body, tempered over countless years and imbued with Radiant Fire, suddenly swelled before exploding without warning.

Boom!

Boiling Radiant Fire erupted outward. His blood ignited into roaring flames, spraying through the air before raining down in every direction. The people nearby were struck speechless. Their robes were soaked beneath them, and all they could do was tremble where they stood, not daring to lift their heads.

The colossal flying vessel descended from the sky. Armored soldiers poured into the marketplace, charging through every street without restraint. Footsteps thundered from all directions, yet beneath the flashing white radiance overhead, the cultivators on the platform dared not move. They remained rooted to the spot in stunned silence.

Yet all of the white radiance continued surging upward, leaving them trapped where they stood. The countless streams of white light that had previously fallen like rain now flowed back into the sky, converging at a single point.

Dragon banners and phoenix carriages swept through the sky as rolling clouds of brilliant colors blanketed the entirety of Helin Prefecture. The winds churned and the clouds roiled, revealing only a fragment of the colossal object concealed within.

A Heavenly Gate, covered in profound patterns and spanning the heavens.

————

Changxiao Gate.

The mountains towered majestically, their slopes crowded with palaces. Billowing white mist surged and danced through the air. Two radiant white vases stood before the profound palace at the summit, pouring out dense spiritual energy that cascaded down the stone steps. Yet chaos had erupted within the golden palace atop Changxiao Mountain.

White robes embroidered with golden patterns fluttered through the air, while colorful banners whipped wildly in the wind. Elders and guest cultivators darted frantically across the mountain peaks, their faces filled with either terror or fury as anxious shouts rang out everywhere.

"Gate master!"

The magnificent robes of the sect master appeared even more imposing beneath the colorful light, yet the old man's face was pale with terror. Trembling uncontrollably, he stood frozen atop the mountain while cultivators knelt all around him, every eye fixed upon him.

"Gate master!"

The cultivators surrounded him, their faces burning with indignation as they shouted over one another.

"The Li Family has always ruled through demonic means, and now they're at the Purple Mansion Realm level... They actually dare provoke our glorious Orthodox Dao!"

"What outrageous arrogance! Do they think our Changxiao Gate is some ordinary gate? This is the Grand Daoist Master's Dao lineage! How dare he run wild here?!"

"Gate master, please invite the Daoist Master out of seclusion and subdue that demonic fiend!"

Every face burned with righteous anger. Only Master Baibin, the gate master himself, looked utterly distraught. His pupils were dilated, and he seemed not to hear a single word they were saying. His hands and feet had gone ice-cold, and his entire body shook uncontrollably.

The Li Family has marched an army here... They can't possibly have come just to destroy a single marketplace!

His gaze remained fixed on the countless streaks of escaping light overhead. An overwhelming sense of dread gripped his heart as he vaguely noticed the colorful clouds rising ever higher.

The immense divine ability had already reached its limit. The entire plain lay exposed beneath it. Everywhere the colorful clouds spread, cultivators and mortals alike looked up in horror. Under the gaze of tens of millions, nothing remained but endless fear and unease.

"What is he trying to do?"

Before the eyes of countless millions, the heavenly gate came crashing down, wreathed in surging purple flames and heavenly light, as it slammed directly down on the majestic Changxiao Mountain Gate with its countless immortal pavilions!

As the divine ability descended, an overwhelming force of suppression swept over everything like collapsing mountains and surging seas. The cultivators hovering timidly around the mountain gate could no longer maintain their flight. One after another, they plummeted from the sky like countless falling comets, sending white streaks raining down upon the earth.

The entire Changxiao Mountain Gate was bathed in multicolored light as brilliant silver radiance spread across the sky. Changxiao Gate's mountain-protecting formation activated of its own accord!

[Heavenly Rite Brilliance Spirit Formation]!

Covered in profound patterns, the spirit formation emerged from the great void and enveloped the entire Changxiao Mountain Gate. However, before its radiance could even reach its peak, the heavenly gate came crashing down.

BOOM...

The deafening impact echoed throughout the entire mountain range. Disciples tumbled from the mountainsides in every direction. Only then did true panic set in as they flew about like headless flies. Amid the endless uproar, brilliant white light spread relentlessly across the grand formation...

Master Baibin collapsed onto the ground, his heart turning ice-cold. The furious curses ringing around him abruptly fell silent, replaced by stunned murmurs of disbelief.

"They... They're trying to destroy Changxiao Gate! How is that possible..."

"Where is the Grand Daoist Master?!"

Master Baibin's mind went blank. As gate master, he understood better than anyone what Daoist Master Changxiao's attitude had always been, and that realization only deepened his terror.

Forget the Grand Daoist Master. We don't even know where Daoist Master Chengyan is... Even if he is still within the gate... Could he really stand against the White Qilin and Zhaojing working together?!

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