358: Chapter 358 Listening to the Night Rain at the Red Dust Inn, Heavenly Secrets Backfire and Shatter the Star Plate

Night in Chunyu City always seemed to arrive exceptionally early.

Along both sides of the streets and alleys, dim yellow oil-paper lanterns were lit one after another.

A misty drizzle began to fall again at some unknown moment, like silk threads, shrouding this Mortal city in a hazy mist of smoke and rain.

The bluestone road was washed bright by the rain, reflecting the mottled lights and the hurried shadows of passersby.

Zhou Wannian walked with his hands casually behind his back.

His pace was steady and calm.

His green robes fluttered slightly in the night wind, exuding a sense of free-spiritedness that blended into the night without attracting a speck of dust.

He did not use any rain-avoidance techniques.

He allowed the fine raindrops to land on his shoulders, only for them to quietly slide off the moment they touched the fabric, repelled by an invisible and gentle force.

Invulnerable to all laws, untouched by a single leaf.

Walking through this Mortal World in a Realm he had sealed down to only the most basic physical instincts actually gave him a more genuine sense of groundedness.

The shops on both sides of the street were closing up one by one.

The night watchman's gong echoed from deep within the alleys, accompanied by the drawn-out cry of "The weather is dry, beware of fire."

It was filled with the rich atmosphere of the mundane world.

Zhou Wannian walked past the closed wooden doors of various establishments.

Finally, his footsteps stopped in front of a small two-story building named "Yuelai Inn."

The inn's sign was somewhat old, swaying slightly in the wind and rain with a faint creaking sound.

In the main hall, only a few candles that were about to burn out remained, casting a dim halo of light.

A shop assistant was dozing off on the counter, saliva wetting his sleeve.

Zhou Wannian stepped over the threshold.

He walked to the counter and lightly tapped the wooden table twice with his long, fair fingers.

"Knock, knock."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally crisp.

"Who is it... in the middle of the night..."

The assistant rubbed his bleary eyes and lifted his head with great impatience.

But when he clearly saw the guest in green robes standing before him with a casual posture yet an exceptionally profound Aura, the complaint at the tip of his tongue was forced back down.

Those who scraped by in Chunyu City all had a discerning eye for judging people.

Though the person before him was dressed simply,

the composure he showed—as if he wouldn't even blink if the sky fell—was definitely not something an ordinary Mortal could possess.

"Guest, are you staying the night?"

The assistant quickly put on a smile and asked with a bow.

Zhou Wannian nodded slightly.

His expression was as calm as water.

"A quiet, premium room."

He casually pulled a piece of broken silver from his sleeve and tossed it gently onto the counter.

To a supreme existence like him, who could pinch out a top-grade Spiritual Vein with a flick of his hand, this Mortal gold and silver were merely creations of a momentary thought.

"Right away! This way upstairs, guest! Room Heaven No. 3 is the quietest; open the window and you can see the night view of the Yunlan Mountain Range!"

The assistant pocketed the silver and eagerly led the way.

They went up to the second floor.

He pushed open the wooden door.

The room wasn't large, and the furnishings were very simple.

A wooden bed, a square table, and a solitary lamp.

But in Zhou Wannian's eyes, this simple dwelling was much more pleasing than the Nine-Colored Glazed Palace of the Taihao Immortal Realm.

He dismissed the assistant.

He walked to the window.

He reached out and pushed open the carved wooden window.

A gust of night wind, mixed with the fragrance of rain and soil, blew against his Face.

Outside the window was the pitch-black Yunlan Mountain Range.

Who could have imagined that just a few hours ago,

deep within that mountain range, a Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse and thousands of overbearing evil Sect elites had just perished.

And the instigator was currently standing by the window of this drafty inn, listening to the night rain with a lazy expression.

Zhou Wannian leaned one hand on the windowsill.

His gaze was profound.

"The sound of rain in this Mortal World is actually several degrees more pleasant than the Sanskrit chants of the Great Dao."

"No schemes, no Karma."

"Only the pure nature of birth and destruction."

He turned around.

He did not sit to Cultivate, nor did he breathe in Spiritual Qi.

Instead, he very naturally lay down on the somewhat hard wooden bed with his clothes on.

He pulled the thin cotton quilt over himself.

Amidst the pitter-patter of the spring rain,

this True God of creation who had sealed his own supreme cultivation,

closed his eyes,

and entered a true, Mortal sleep.

...

While Zhou Wannian was sleeping peacefully,

the Xuantian Taoist Sect, far away in the central region of the Qingping Realm, had already erupted into chaos.

Inside the Ancestral Hall, the lights were bright.

The atmosphere was suppressed to the freezing point.

Sect Master Sect Master Tianshuzi, a top powerhouse at the Late Nascent Soul Stage,

was currently pacing back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, his Face so gloomy it looked as if it could drip water.

Below him stood over a dozen core Elders of the Xuantian Taoist Sect.

Every single one of them had a cultivation at the Peak Golden Core Stage or higher.

But at this moment, these Elders who usually commanded awe in their respective regions were all holding their breath, not daring to make a sound.

"Is there still no news from the Tianji Pavilion?"

Sect Master Tianshuzi stopped pacing and swept his cold, sharp gaze downward.

In the center of the hall, a deacon Disciple responsible for communications trembled all over.

"Re... Reporting to the Sect Master, Elder Tianming has already activated the 'Taiyi Heaven-Peering Formation'."

"He is putting all his effort into deducing the Karma of the incident in the Southern Region."

"But... but it seems he has encountered immense resistance; the star plate is rotating exceptionally slowly."

Hearing this, Sect Master Tianshuzi's brow furrowed into a tight knot.

"Resistance?"

"Li Batian was only at the Early Stage Nascent Soul; even if the one who killed him was some Soul Transformation old monster, there shouldn't be zero traces before the Taiyi Heaven-Peering Formation!"

"Let's go!"

"Follow me to the Tianji Pavilion to see for ourselves!"

Sect Master Tianshuzi waved his sleeve and transformed into a brilliant streak of light, shooting straight into the sky.

Seeing this, the other Elders also sacrificed their Magic Treasures and followed closely behind.

Xuantian Taoist Sect, Tianji Pavilion.

It was situated atop the highest solitary Peak of the Sect.

This place was closest to the firmament, making it the best location to receive the power of the stars and deduce the Luck of the Heavenly Dao.

At the top of the solitary Peak was a massive white jade platform spanning a thousand feet.

Upon the platform were engraved dense and incredibly complex astral Formation runes.

This was the Taiyi Heaven-Peering Formation.

In the very center of the Formation,

hovered a simple and ancient star plate emitting a faint green light.

This star plate was named the "Zhou Tian Instrument."

It was a supreme treasure of the Sect passed down for ten thousand years in the Xuantian Taoist Sect, claimed to be able to calculate five hundred years of the Qingping Realm's past and future.

At this moment,

the Zhou Tian Instrument was spinning rapidly.

It emitted bursts of heart-palpitating humming sounds.

Directly beneath the star plate,

sat a withered old man with white hair and beard, as thin as a skeleton.

He was the Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion of the Xuantian Taoist Sect, Elder Tianming.

An extraordinary person whose cultivation had reached the Middle Stage Nascent Soul and who was proficient in the arts of divination and deduction.

Elder Tianming's hands were frantically forming Seals.

Streams of pure magic power, like a river breaking through a dam, were injected into the Zhou Tian Instrument above.

His wrinkled old Face was currently covered in pea-sized beads of sweat.

His eyes were tightly shut, and his brows were locked in a deathly frown.

It was as if he were enduring some unimaginable pressure on his Divine Soul.

"Open for me!"

Elder Tianming suddenly bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of crimson Origin essence blood, spraying it directly onto the Zhou Tian Instrument's Formation diagram.

A bloody light flared up.

The rotation speed of the Zhou Tian Instrument instantly increased tenfold.

On the star plate, countless light spots representing Karma and destiny began to violently intertwine and collide.

Sect Master Tianshuzi arrived at the edge of the platform with the group of Elders just in time.

Seeing Elder Tianming not hesitating to burn his Origin essence blood for the deduction, everyone's hearts sank to the bottom.

This meant that the variable in the Southern Region was terrifying to an extent beyond their imagination.

"Junior Brother Tianming, have you seen anything?"

Sect Master Tianshuzi lowered his voice and asked solemnly.

Elder Tianming did not pay him any mind.

All of his mind and spirit were already immersed in that boundless river of destiny.

He followed the last remaining thread of Karma from Li Batian's death, tracing it upstream.

He saw that blood cloud that blotted out the sun.

He saw that massive bone warship.

He saw Li Batian's despairing and terrified Face.

Then,

he attempted to see clearly the existence that had acted to erase all of this.

He desperately brushed aside the mists of destiny,

trying to glimpse that sliver of unknown truth.

"Deeper..."

"Let me see exactly which sacred being dares to touch the Foundation of my Xuantian Taoist Sect..."

Elder Tianming's Primordial Spirit roared, frantically approaching the end of that thread of Karma.

Finally,

amidst the endless falsehood and blurriness,

he saw a flash of green.

It was the hem of an extremely ordinary, washed-out green robe.

Just as he tried to move his gaze further up to see the person's Face, or even the technique used to erase the warship with one blow,

an inconceivable disaster crashed down.

It wasn't a force of counterattack.

Rather,

it was a pure, absolute rejection of the low-dimensional by the high-dimensional!

An indescribable absolute mass that exceeded the carrying capacity of the Qingping Realm's Heavenly Dao!

In the ten-thousandth of a second that Elder Tianming's Divine Sense touched that corner of the green robe,

he felt like a moth trying to peer into the internal structure of the sun.

"No—"

From deep within Elder Tianming's Primordial Spirit came a shrill scream of ultimate despair.

He saw a great terror!

He saw a supreme abyss that transcended life and death, transcended Reincarnation, and even transcended the concept of the Universe!

"Bang!"

In reality,

Elder Tianming's withered body, which had been sitting cross-legged, violently lurched backward.

His tightly closed eyes snapped open.

But within the sockets,

there were no longer any eyeballs.

Only two crimson pillars of blood, like fountains, surged out wildly!

Blood gushed from his seven orifices.

His old Face was distorted to a terrifying degree, filled with an unspeakable, extreme fear.

"Must not look..."

"Must not think..."

"Must not speak..."

Elder Tianming was like a madman, rolling in agony on the white jade platform, his hands clawing desperately at his own Face, leaving behind deep, bone-revealing bloody gashes.

And above him,

the supreme treasure said to calculate all heavenly secrets, the Zhou Tian Instrument,

emitted a mournful cry of being overstrained.

"Crack!"

Right from the center, a huge crack split open, running through the entire star plate.

Then,

under the horrified gazes of Sect Master Tianshuzi and the others,

it exploded!

It turned into a sky full of dim star-iron fragments, scattering and covering the ground.

"Junior Brother Tianming!"

Sect Master Tianshuzi turned pale with fright and quickly stepped forward to Elder Tianming's side.

He pressed a palm against Elder Tianming's chest, and surging Nascent Soul magic power was continuously injected, attempting to stabilize the other's collapsing Primordial Spirit.

"What on earth happened?!"

"What did you see?!"

Sect Master Tianshuzi questioned sharply, a massive wave of shock rising in his heart.

Even the Zhou Tian Instrument, passed down for ten thousand years, had exploded!

Just what kind of Heaven-Defying power was this?

Elder Tianming gripped Sect Master Tianshuzi's wrist tightly, his fingernails even digging into Sect Master Tianshuzi's flesh.

His hollow, bleeding eyes stared straight up at the pitch-black night sky.

His voice was raspy, filled with endless despair and trembling.

"Sect Master..."

"Stop investigating..."

"Stop... immediately stop all investigations..."

"That is not an existence we can afford to provoke..."

"That is... an ultimate taboo... from beyond dimensions..."

After saying those words,

Elder Tianming suddenly spat out a large mouthful of black blood mixed with fragments of internal organs.

His Middle Stage Nascent Soul cultivation, in that moment, dissipated frantically like a deflated balloon.

His Primordial Spirit had completely withered under the backlash of that single, fleeting glimpse.

His head slumped to the side.

He breathed his last.

The Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion of the Xuantian Taoist Sect,

A powerhouse of the Middle Stage Nascent Soul,

Had died on the spot simply because he caught a glimpse of the hem of Zhou Wannian's green robes.

Even his Primordial Spirit failed to escape.

The entire white jade platform

Was deathly silent.

A cold wind howled.

Sect Master Tianshuzi knelt on one knee, looking at the wretched state of Elder Tianming, who had died with his eyes wide open.

His hand, which held the corpse of his fellow Sect member, actually began to tremble violently and uncontrollably.

The dozen or so Elders surrounding him were even more pale, feeling as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

An unprecedented haze and fear

Enveloped every corner of the number one Sect of the Qingping Realm.

"Sect Master..."

One of the most senior Peak Golden Core Elders broke the silence with a trembling voice.

"What... what should we do now?"

"Li Batian's grudge... shall we still avenge it?"

Revenge?

Sect Master Tianshuzi slowly stood up.

That once majestic Face was now covered in a deathly pallor.

He looked at the shattered remains of the Zhou Tian Instrument on the ground.

Revenge? With what?

An existence that causes death just by looking at them—was that something a bunch of frogs in a well like them could contend with?

"Pass down my command."

Sect Master Tianshuzi's voice was terrifyingly raspy, each word sounding as if it were squeezed through his teeth.

"Seal all information regarding today's events at the Tianji Pavilion. No one is permitted to breathe a word of it. Violators shall have both their body and spirit extinguished!"

"Furthermore."

He took a deep breath, suppressing the uncontrollable trembling in his heart.

"Strike the Sect Suppressing Bell nine times and activate the Xuantian Mountain-Sealing Grand Formation."

"All Disciples outside the Sect must return within three days."

"From this moment forth, the Xuantian Taoist Sect shall Seal its mountain for a hundred years!"

"Within these hundred years, no one is allowed to step a single foot outside the mountain gates!"

As soon as these words were spoken,

The Elders all shuddered.

Seal the mountain for a hundred years!

For the number one Sect currently in its prime, this was no different from cutting off its own arms.

But in the Face of Elder Tianming's tragic death,

No one dared to raise any objection.

Survival is always more important than Face.

"And one more thing."

Sect Master Tianshuzi turned his head, looking toward the Southern Region.

A flash of struggle crossed his eyes, eventually turning into deep reverence.

"Go to the Sect's treasury."

"Take three stalks of Ten-Thousand-Year Purple Rhyme Dragon Emperor Ginseng, ten bottles of Taiyi Condensed Dew, and... that half-step Soul Transformation rank protective Dao Artifact, the 'Black Tortoise Shell'."

The Elders turned pale with shock.

"Sect Master, those are the core Foundations of our Sect!"

"What are we taking those things for?"

Sect Master Tianshuzi gave them a cold look.

His tone was heavy and humble.

"I... will personally go to the Southern Region."

"To Chunyu City."

"Not to demand accountability,"

"But to... apologize!"

"To plead for the forgiveness of that supreme existence!"

Having angered a taboo existence capable of obliterating a Middle Stage Nascent Soul through mere backlash,

If they could not appease the other party's wrath,

The Xuantian Taoist Sect, and even the entire Qingping Realm,

Could potentially be turned into cosmic dust with a single thought from that person.

The night wind was shrill.

Within the Xuantian Taoist Sect, nine heavy and mournful bell tolls slowly echoed,

Announcing the submission and fear of this number one Sect.

...

Meanwhile, in the distant Southern Region,

Chunyu City.

Yuelai Inn, Heaven Grade Room Three.

The sound of night rain was constant.

Zhou Wannian lay on the simple wooden bed.

His breathing was long and steady; he was sleeping soundly.

He knew nothing of the chaos in the Xuantian Taoist Sect, nor of Elder Tianming's tragic death.

He was even less aware that the strongest expert in the Qingping Realm was currently rushing toward him in fear and trepidation, bringing the Sect's entire Foundation to apologize.

Of course, even if he did know,

He wouldn't have any emotional reaction.

For an idle man who had sealed his own supreme cultivation just to have a good night's sleep in the Mortal World,

No matter how big the matter,

It could not compare to a peaceful, dreamless night of sleep.

The next day.

Early morning.

The rain had stopped.

Chunyu City had been washed clean and fresh, and the air was filled with the cool fragrance of earth.

The faint light of dawn filtered through the carved wooden window, spilling onto the inn's square table.

Zhou Wannian slowly opened his eyes.

There was no gathering of Spiritual Qi, no breathing of divine light.

Like the most ordinary Mortal, he gave a long stretch.

He sat up.

He put on a pair of cloth shoes that had been washed until they were faded.

He walked to the window.

He pushed open the wooden window.

He took a deep breath of the cool morning air.

A satisfied, faint smile curled at the corner of Zhou Wannian's mouth.

Zhou Wannian's tone was steady, carrying a hint of lazy nonchalance, as he spoke softly to himself.

"A good sleep."

"Although these mundane bedboards are a bit hard, one sleeps soundly on them."

"It's much more interesting than lying on the River of Time acting like a divine statue."

He turned around.

He pushed open the room door.

He slowly walked down the wooden stairs to the first-floor lobby.

The inn's waiter was wiping the tables and chairs with a rag, preparing to welcome the new day's guests.

Seeing Zhou Wannian come downstairs, the waiter quickly straightened up and put on a professional, flattering smile.

"Guest, you're awake? Did you sleep well last night?"

"Would you like me to prepare some breakfast for you?"

Zhou Wannian nodded slightly.

His expression was calm.

"A bowl of white porridge, two fried dough sticks."

"And a side of pickles."

He walked to a table by the street and sat down very casually.

This was the morning he had arranged for himself.

No need to absorb the essence of the sun and moon.

He only needed the simplest of grains.

In a short while,

The steaming white porridge and golden, crispy fried dough sticks were brought out.

Zhou Wannian picked up a dough stick, dipped it into the rice water of the porridge,

Put it in his mouth, and chewed gently.

The primitive satisfaction brought by carbohydrates made his brow relax.

As he ate his breakfast,

He watched the bluestone street outside as it gradually became lively.

Early vendors began to hawk their wares.

Farmers carrying firewood hurried past.

Everything was so ordinary, so full of the breath of life.

However,

This tranquility did not last long.

Just as Zhou Wannian was about to finish his last mouthful of white porridge,

From the other end of the street,

There suddenly came a very noisy sound of horse hooves and shouting.

"Out of the way! Everyone get out of the way!"

"The Wang Family is conducting business. All bystanders must withdraw!"

Accompanied by the crude shouts of dispersal,

A group of Martial Artists dressed in fine silks and riding tall horses aggressively broke through the morning market crowds.

The vegetable stalls were ruthlessly overturned, with leaves scattered all over the ground.

The Mortals were so frightened that they fled to the eaves on both sides of the street, angry but not daring to speak.

Surrounded by this group of Martial Artists,

An extremely luxurious carriage, pulled by two pure white unicorns, slowly approached.

The carriage stopped at a crossroads not far from the Yuelai Inn.

From the carriage,

Stepped a Young Master dressed in expensive purple robes with a jade belt around his waist.

He fanned himself with a folding fan.

His expression was arrogant.

His eyes held a high-and-mighty, insufferable pride.

This was the eldest Young Master of the Wang Family, the number one cultivation Family in Chunyu City, Young Master Wang Teng.

A Prodigy with a cultivation of the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Stage, on whom the Family placed great hopes.

Young Master Wang Teng walked to the center of the street.

His haughty gaze swept over the Mortals hiding under the eaves with disgust.

Then, he circulated his True Qi and spoke in an extremely loud voice that echoed throughout the street.

"Listen up!"

"A supreme powerhouse from the Xuantian Taoist Sect is about to descend upon our Chunyu City today!"

"The City Lord has issued an order, and the Wang Family is tasked with clearing the street!"

"From now on, no Mortals are allowed to linger on this main street!"

"If anyone offends the carriage of the Immortal Sect's powerhouse, they shall be killed without mercy!"

As his voice fell,

The Mortals on both sides of the street immediately broke into a terrified whisper.

The Xuantian Taoist Sect!

That was the very heavens of the Qingping Realm!

Lowly Mortals like them usually had to kowtow even when meeting a Qi Refining Stage Loose Cultivator.

Now, a powerhouse from the Xuantian Taoist Sect was actually descending?

This was simply a major event that Chunyu City hadn't seen in a century!

The Mortals were so scared they scrambled away, fleeing the street and ducking into remote alleys.

The originally noisy morning market

Became empty and deathly silent in less than half a stick of incense's time.

Only the overturned vegetable stalls remained, looking messy in the wind.

Young Master Wang Teng looked at the cleared street and closed his folding fan with great satisfaction.

"Very good."

He turned his head, and his gaze happened to land on the Yuelai Inn by the street.

He just happened to see

That young man still sitting in the inn's lobby by the window.

Wearing a faded green robe.

Very leisurely and methodically drinking his last mouthful of white porridge.

The entire street had been cleared.

Everyone had run away in fear.

This poor scholar actually dared to sit there and eat breakfast so openly?

Young Master Wang Teng's brow immediately furrowed into a deep scowl.

He felt that his authority had been severely challenged.

"You, the pauper in the green clothes!"

Young Master Wang Teng pointed his folding fan, his tone extremely cold and carrying an unquestionable dominance.

"Are you deaf or blind?"

"Didn't you hear this Young Master tell you to scram?"

In the inn's lobby,

Zhou Wannian put down the coarse porcelain empty bowl.

He pulled a piece of rough straw paper and very casually wiped the corners of his mouth.

Then,

He slowly turned his head.

His eyes, as deep as an ancient well, looked across half the street to quietly watch the overbearing eldest Young Master of the Wang Family.

On that handsome and easygoing Face,

A faint smile appeared, tinged with a bit of helplessness.

Zhou Wannian's tone was steady, as if he were reasoning with an ignorant child.

He spoke lazily.

"The Great Dao leads to the heavens; each takes their own side."

"I eat my breakfast, and you receive your guest."

"This street is so wide."

"Is that powerhouse you're receiving some kind of crab that walks sideways, needing the whole street to get by?"