A river of stars flowed through the sky, and the moon and sun rose and set. People plucked stars from the sky and stamped onto the ground to extract spirits. A rumbling battleground could be seen, and people gained Dao enlightenment. One man rose to his feet laughing, and his body grew unimaginably large until only a toe was visible. The rest of his body… couldn’t be seen.
Everyone was shaken by what they saw. They almost felt as if they had been transported back into ancient times, and it left their minds spinning. What they saw in the end was a figure sitting cross-legged in front of them, a person that looked… like Meng Hao!
Before they could look closely, the vision faded away and everything returned to normal. Everyone was breathing heavily. Even Taiyang Zi trembled as he looked over at Meng Hao. Now he didn’t dare to speak in the same way he had before.
Now, it seemed obvious to them that when Meng Hao had flicked his sleeve earlier, it wasn’t that a divine ability hadn’t manifested. Instead, it was a Daoist magic that was too profound for them to understand.
The people in the crowd exchanged glances. They didn’t want to believe, but the shocking images they had just witnessed felt too real.
A random female disciple clasped hands and bowed deeply to Meng Hao. “Senior… are you… the Dao Protector of this place?”
Having heard her question, everyone looked expectantly at Meng Hao. As for Zhixiang, a strange expression appeared on her face.
The Chosen were completely focused. They might have received a shock just now, but their eyes glittered exactly as they had before. Zhao Yifan looked closely at Meng Hao, and the glow of swords could be seen in his eyes.
Fan Dong’er’s expression was tranquil, but a sharp gleam could be seen in her eyes as she looked from Meng Hao to the temple behind him.
Ji Yin had an icy look. He said nothing as he stood there, and yet a strange pressure radiated off of him, and Karma swirled around him the same as ever.
The were all looking at Meng Hao. Meng Hao was now the center of attention of all the Chosen of the sects and clans of the Ninth Mountain. Many of the people who looked at him did so with narrowed eyes.
“I am not the Dao Protector of this Daoist rite temple,” said Meng Hao, his voice quavering. “I am merely the groundskeeper.” A look of reminiscence appeared on his face, something he had learned from the crazy old man in the temple hall.
HIs words instantly caused many people to inhale sharply.
“The groundskeeper? I heard a story once that in many ancient places like this, the most powerful people aren’t the Dao Protectors, but rather, the unassuming groundskeepers!”
“I heard the same thing….” Even as people discussed the matter, an arrogant looking young man stepped out, a dark expression on his face. He wore splendidly decorated garments, and a crown. The power of the stars seemed to swirl around him as he walked out from the crowd.
“That’s the Quasi-Dao Child from the Church of the Immortal Emperor!”
“I heard that he once killed a false Immortal! Of course, he got injured in the process, but that’s something an ordinary Spirit Realm cultivator could never do!”
More discussions buzzed as the young man walked in Meng Hao’s direction. He was followed by dozens of disciples of the Church of the Immortal Emperor, as well as several old men who had sealed their cultivation bases. All of these people wore cold gazes and clearly didn’t believe anything that Meng Hao said.
“I don’t care if you’re a Dao Protector, a groundskeeper, or even if you’re just running a scam. Step aside! I’m going into that temple!”
As they neared, Meng Hao’s face darkened. He raised his hand, and even though there was no wind in the area, his clothes rippled. Shockingly, the Black White Pearls appeared in his hand, transforming into an ancient, archaic power that spread out in all directions.
Meng Hao then recalled how the old man on the boat had looked all those years ago, and mimicked the same look. His eyes filled with an archaic aura as he looked at the young man from the Church of the Immortal Emperor.
“Stop right there!” he said coolly. The Black White Pearls emanated a brilliant glow, and in the blink of an eye, Meng Hao seemed to radiate an intense archaic will.
The Quasi-Dao Child from the Church of the Immortal Emperor stopped in place, his face flickering. Then he stared dead on at Meng Hao.
The people who were following him, and in fact, everyone present, were all staring at Meng Hao. Each and every one of them weren’t sure what to make of Meng Hao, and didn’t want to rashly attempt to make a move against him.