Volume One: Youthful Encounters in Subtle Times Chapter 112: The Appearance of the Sage at Tianmen Town

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Everyone’s attacks were directed at the Daoist, yet he remained utterly composed, as though none of it concerned him. Just as the attacks were about to strike, the Daoist merely reached out and seized them. In an instant, they all transformed into a mass of energy and flew into the Heavenly Gate beside him, which was enveloped by the sword formation. No one noticed that after the sword formation absorbed that energy, its operation quickened considerably.

Seeing their attacks so effortlessly neutralized, everyone froze for a moment. None of them understood how he had done it, but they finally gained a clear sense of the Daoist’s strength. It seemed he had indeed stepped into that legendary realm.

Li Hongxiao asked those around him whether they had any way to deal with the situation, but not one of them could offer a concrete solution.

One man, thoroughly exasperated, demanded, “Are we really going to stand by and watch him destroy the Heavenly Gate?”

Everyone present was waiting for the Heavenly Gate to open the path to ascension. Yet they were completely helpless against the Daoist and could only watch as he took control of the gate, unable to guess what arrangements he was making.

That was how things appeared to everyone else. But in Li Yu’s eyes, the scene was entirely different.

After transmitting a message to Li Yu, the Daoist transformed his divine arts and techniques into a seed, leaving it upon the lake of Li Yu’s heart. Through that seed—and through the Daoist’s eyes—Li Yu saw a scene utterly unlike what the others perceived.

In Li Yu’s vision, the surrounding space spread outward from the Daoist, forming a world centered upon him. Within that world, all the spells and techniques launched against the Daoist were in truth merely clusters of energy. As the center of this world, the Daoist could transform every spell and technique back into energy and use it for himself.

The Heavenly Gate was no different.

Perhaps the others could not perceive the subtleties of the sword formation, but in Li Yu’s eyes, what he saw was something called the passage of time.

Nothing in this world could withstand the passing of time or the erosion of the years. Even objects from the immortal realm could not escape the laws of time.

This was the Dao, an eternal and unchanging law. Even true immortals would eventually meet their end. Such was the decree of Heaven.

Under the assault of the sword formation known as the Sword Formation of Passing Years, bluish-green rust had already begun to appear upon the bronze gates of the Heavenly Gate. The change was plain for all to see.

The Daoist watched the transformation with his own eyes and thought, Can you truly endure this without showing yourselves? If you do not act soon, I will really destroy the Heavenly Gate.

After he questioned Heaven and all living beings in his heart, a voice came from the universe and entered the lake of his heart directly.

“Why must you go so far? What benefit would destroying the Heavenly Gate bring you?”

It was an aged voice, one that seemed to have endured the countless vicissitudes of the mortal world.

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The Daoist replied, “Do you not know what this Heavenly Gate represents? Was my choice truly wrong?”

Another voice emerged.

“When we left this Heavenly Gate behind, one reason was that we truly could not destroy it. But another was that we could not determine whether it had been constructed later by those immortals. We could not destroy everyone’s hope of ascension for the sake of only one possibility. We did not believe we had the right to do so.”

The Daoist continued to uphold his position.

“I understand your actions. But times have changed, and people are no longer what they once were. To open this final Heavenly Gate, the people of today no longer treat the inhabitants of Heavenly Gate Town as human beings. They regard them as livestock raised for their own purposes. They have also forgotten their duty to guard the gate. All they think about now is how to open it and ascend through it. They do not care whether this gate is truly the only opportunity, nor will they seriously consider whether the gate left behind is a chance for ascension—or a door through which catastrophe will enter the mortal world.”

After the Daoist finished speaking, no answer came from the sky. It was as though even those voices had fallen silent, contemplating how much truth and reliability his words contained.

Old Luo hid within the void as he watched the Daoist’s every move. He thought he understood the Daoist’s purpose, yet in the end he still could not determine what the man truly intended.

If the Daoist meant to destroy the Heavenly Gate, then this was the perfect opportunity. He could destroy the gate while preserving his own life. With his strength, escaping would be effortless.

What Old Luo could not understand was why the Daoist seemed to be waiting when victory was already within his grasp. If he was waiting, what exactly was he waiting for?

Elsewhere, Li Zhonghong watched the Daoist’s fearless composure before approaching the Li family’s ancestor, Li Hongxiao.

“Ancestor, I believe we can take the final step.”

At first, Li Hongxiao did not understand. Li Zhonghong then stepped closer and transmitted his message.

“The Great Accomplishment City Lord is still in the City Lord’s Manor. We can have him use the Five Sacred Edicts of Heavenly Gate Town to summon the Sages.”

This was the greatest secret of the City Lord’s Manor in Heavenly Gate Town. In the past, the Sages had left the edicts behind both to suppress outsiders and as the sole key capable of summoning the spirits of the Sages. To use that key, however, one had to draw upon the geomantic power of Heavenly Gate Town.

That was why Zhang Helun had been left in charge of the City Lord’s Manor. They had been guarding against precisely such a situation.

Originally, only the city lord knew this secret. But one member of the Li family had once infiltrated the center of Great Accomplishment’s authority by changing his identity, thereby obtaining the opportunity to take office in Heavenly Gate Town. Much of the Li family’s knowledge of the town had come from him.

Naturally, for him to enter Heavenly Gate Town and become its city lord, he had to abandon his identity as a member of the Li family. Once his term ended, his mission was complete. Though he returned to the Li family, he could no longer cultivate its techniques, and he gradually vanished from the family’s power struggles.

The branch descended from Li Zhonghong was one of the beneficiaries of that arrangement.

Before coming here, he had already coordinated with Zhang Helun after making plans to open the Heavenly Gate. Zhang had remained in the City Lord’s Manor so that, should anything unexpected occur, he could summon the spirit of a Sage and turn the situation around.

Now was the time to make use of him.

Li Hongxiao nodded approvingly after hearing this.

“Well done. Hurry and make the arrangements. We must act quickly. If we delay any longer, something may change.”

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After receiving his orders, Li Zhonghong withdrew. He flew to one side, took out an instant communication token, and entered his message into it before crushing it with force. The advantage of this kind of token was that so long as one half remained unbroken, the other half would display all the information contained in the shattered token, allowing the message to be delivered instantly.

Thus, Zhang Helun received the order at the same moment. After reading the message, he sighed helplessly.

“I never thought you would truly take this step. In that case, do not blame me.”

When he finished speaking, Zhang Helun inserted the formation pivot in his hand into the array platform beneath his feet. He then poured his spiritual power into it. The entire platform lit up, and under the influence of the formation pivot, it slowly began to operate. Before long, a dazzling beam of light shot from the platform into the heavens.

Five-colored radiance appeared in the sky above Heavenly Gate Town. It spread everywhere, showering the entire town in its glow. At the same time, the resonant sound of great bells filled the air. If one listened carefully, it was accompanied by the music of silk and bamboo instruments—exquisite and soothing to the soul.

Everyone stared at the strange phenomenon, unable to understand what was happening. Yet they could feel that after it appeared, the Great Dao within their bodies—which had long been stagnant—had begun to circulate on its own.

What did this signify?

It signified that these phenomena came from the Dao of the mortal world—or perhaps even from the Dao inherent to Heavenly Gate Town itself. Only now was it truly beginning to reappear.

The Daoist felt the fluctuations of the Great Dao and watched as figures gradually emerged from illusion into reality. An excited expression appeared on his face, and he thought to himself, At last, you are coming out.

The Five Sacred Edicts suspended above Heavenly Gate Town grew fainter as the figures became increasingly solid. When the five figures finally stepped completely into reality, the edicts vanished altogether, and the Five Sages descended once more into the world.

After arriving in Heavenly Gate Town, the five first glanced at the people below. With a single look, they saw through countless things. Then they shook their heads in disappointment and turned their gaze toward the Netherworld Sea.

There, they found the Netherworld Beast trembling in hiding, too frightened to move. One of them seemed to recall something and smiled faintly.

“It has grown to such a degree.”

A woman dressed in white covered her mouth and laughed.

“It has always feared you most. Even though it had not yet awakened its intelligence back then, its fear of you had already been rooted in its soul.”

The middle-aged man who had spoken earlier wore a cyan-steel sword at his left waist and a red wine gourd at his right. He said, “I did nothing to it in those days. I merely struck once with my sword and brought the Netherworld Sea here. Who could have imagined that would frighten it so badly? We can only blame its own cowardice.”

Another middle-aged man, a book fastened at his waist, glanced at the people of Heavenly Gate Town, then at the Heavenly Gate itself. His expression was disappointed and cold.

“Is this the Heavenly Gate Town we wished to protect?”

An old monk whose hair had been completely shorn away replied, “The laws of Heaven turn in cycles, and karma never fails. Though we severed the Heavenly Gate’s karmic ties back then, wherever there are people, there will be karma. It cannot be stopped.”

The last of them, an old Daoist with graying hair, sighed.

“If that is so, then we should follow the will of Heaven, allowing it to proceed according to the forces of nature and fulfill its original nature.”