Pill Demon was the big exception. From the very beginning, he hadn’t said a single word. It was as if he hadn’t heard or seen anything that had transpired.
As all eyes came to fall upon the scene, Ye Yuntian gave a slight smile. “Oh?” he said, a strange note in his voice. “Elder Brother An, Junior Brother doesn’t really understand what you mean. Would you mind clearing up my confusion?”
“Ye Feimu wasn’t the only person to step foot onto the peak of the mountain,” replied An Zaihai calmly.
Ye Yuntian laughed loudly. “Oh, so that’s the protocol you were talking about, Elder Brother An. Junior Brother would of course never overlook such a matter. However….” He was only half-way finished speaking when suddenly, a booming sound erupted from the screen depicting the world from the Celestial Land.
When the booming sound appeared, it was obvious that it was coming from within the Celestial Land itself. The entire Celestial Land was shaking, and the nexus of it all was none other than Violet East Mountain. Immediately, all of the spectators looked over.
Even Ye Yuntian’s words were immediately drowned out by the boom.
No one noticed, but Pill Demon’s eyes suddenly emitted an unprecedented glow, and a smile slowly spread out across his face. It was a smile of satisfaction, filled with emotion and contentment.
Back in Meng Hao’s world of illusion, he continued to reside in Eastern Emergence County. Three more years passed. Meng Hao was currently ninety-nine years old, and had once again returned to his Master’s grave. He looked at the gravestone, and his face filled with emotion.
“Heaven and Earth are just resting places for the myriads of living creatures. Time represents the passage of hundreds of generations of passing travellers.” A smile broke out on Meng Hao’s face. Life is a journey, every turn of which is filled with new scenery. This path that he tread now contained his mark. Whether the mark was shallow or deep didn’t matter. That was because, it was his choice.
“Maybe my path hasn’t even arrived.” He shook his head. Perhaps in the future he would realize what his purpose in life was. For the moment, he still didn’t know. Since he didn’t know, he wouldn’t force himself to choose. When traveling, it is never possible to know what unfathomable things might occur. That is what makes it beautiful.
A carefree smile broke out on Meng Hao’s face. When it did, his white hair became black. His crooked frame straightened. His features were no longer ancient, but once again filled with the vigor of youth.
He took a deep breath, then looked at the gravestone and dropped to his knees to kowtow a third time!
The kowtow of Sunset Gazing!
With this kowtow, Karma was finalized, and the Master and apprentice relationship solidified. If you do not sever the bond, then neither shall I….
With this kowtow, Eastern Emergence County began to turn translucent behind Meng Hao, and then disappeared.
With this kowtow, the entire world around him began to disintegrate, leaving behind only the grave.
With this kowtow, a roaring sounded out between Heaven and Earth. Everything began to fall apart. Meng Hao… opened his eyes, and the world vanished. He saw the sky once again, the world of the Celestial Land. And there he stood on the peak of Violet East Mountain.
He looked off into the distance, and then took a step forward. As he did, ripples like that on the surface of water spread out. His body melted away. When he reappeared, he had left the world of the Celestial Land, and was now standing on Eastern Emergence Mountain, outside of the pill furnace.
His appearance garnered much attention, including a dark glare from Ye Feimu, and a cold smile from Ye Yuntian!
Everything was quiet for a moment, and then Ye Yuntian’s cool voice echoed out.
“Just now I wasn’t able to finish speaking. Elder Brother An, two people did step onto the peak of the mountain. However, when that happens, the resulting decision is not made by those two people, but rather, by you, me and the other Violet Furnace Lords, as well as all the Furnace Lords. We make the final decision. That is the protocol for the raising of a Violet Furnace Lord. Does this explanation suffice, Elder Brother An?” Ye Yuntian smiled. An Zaihai, on the other hand, said nothing. He merely flicked his sleeve.
“According to Sect protocol, because two people stepped foot on the peak of the mountain, it requires a decision to be made on our part. Whoever receives the most support will become the Violet Furnace Lord. I am Violet Furnace Lord Ye Yuntian. Please, will all Fellow Daoists of the Violet Fate Sect bear witness today? I believe than Ye Feimu is more qualified than Fang Mu. As such, I select Ye Feimu.”
“Violet Furnace Lord Chen Xuyang selects Ye Feimu!”
“Violet Furnace Lord Shen Long selects Ye Feimu!”
“Violet Furnace Lord Yuan Daoming selects Ye Feimu!”
“Violet Furnace Lord Ma Feifeng selects Ye Feimu!”
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