Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Within the radiance, a white-robed figure slowly took shape. The middle-aged man had handsome features and a refined air, radiating a powerful presence.

He wore an emerald-green glass guan, a golden cloud-brocade robe that shimmered with light, a belt adorned with the sun, moon, and nine stars, and white cloud-treading boots. His gaze was unfathomably deep, as though it could see through all things.

Wave after wave of inexplicable pressure swept across the sky, thick and majestic, as though it carried the vast authority of heaven itself. Yet, in Li Guanqi’s estimation, the pressure was not that strong. At most, it was comparable to the early Mahayana Realm.

He could understand why. Sending a projection down from the Immortal World must have cost the immortal dearly. The fact that his projection could still exert such pressure was impressive enough.

The immortal lowered his gaze, casually surveying the crowd below, looking satisfied. The great beast’s body shimmered with light before both figures coalesced into a giant a hundred zhang tall.

“Ah! The immortal! He’s appeared! The immortal has truly come!”

“This time, our sincerity was so profound that it touched the immortal’s heart.”

“Immortal’s blessing! Immortal’s blessing! Calamity, begone!”

“Ah… begone, begone, begone!”

Voices clamored from every direction. The immortal standing in the sky nodded calmly, his gaze drifting idly over the crowd before pausing briefly on Li Guanqi.That single glance made Li Guanqi’s entire body go rigid. It felt as though every secret he held had been laid bare. From his sea of consciousness to his dantian, nothing escaped those eyes.

Meng Wanshu felt the pressure too. She trembled slightly, and cold sweat rolled down her forehead.

But the suffocating pressure came and went just as quickly. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and said softly, “We’re fine.”

Meng Wanshu nodded and allowed herself to relax a little, careful not to show any signs of unease.

The immortal looked down at the sea of kneeling people and smiled. His expression was gentle, and when he spoke, his low, warm voice seemed to resonate in every mind.

“I am Cizhi, a disciple of Venerable Ding Jin of the Seven Treasures Pavilion.”

Before he had even finished, reverent chanting of his name rose from below, punctuated by the thud of foreheads against the ground.

Cizhi smiled faintly and calmly watched the mortals kowtow and pray. “Children of the mortal world, I descend bearing immortal might, my heart filled with compassion and mercy. Listen well, people of the mortal realm. I shall bestow upon you boundless grace and the most exalted of blessings. Therefore, on every new and full moon, as you walk toward the light and find peace, remember my name.”

The moment his words fell, every commoner in the crowd screamed his name in a frenzy. Their fervor bordered on madness, unnerving even Li Guanqi. Many chanted his name over and over, their eyes bloodshot and their arms stretched toward the sky.

Li Guanqi’s brow remained furrowed the whole time. He wouldn’t have believed it if someone had told him an immortal could descend to the mortal realm before today. But now, the evidence stood right in front of him. Cizhi’s sacred, majestic, and solemn aura could not be faked, nor could the ethereal presence surrounding him, dense with immortal energy. There was no mistaking it. This was a projection sent down by an immortal.

Li Guanqi didn’t know what kind of price the immortal had paid, or what level of power was required to breach the barrier between the mortal and immortal realms. He had encountered cultivators who used the technique of invoking an immortal’s name before, but those summoned immortals could only leave behind a negligible trace of power.

Cizhi was on an entirely different level. Even within the Immortal World, his strength had to be incredibly high.

The man’s smile widened as he looked at the frenzied crowd, faint creases forming at the corners of his eyes.

He spoke again in a gentle voice. “The Immortal World is vast and wondrous beyond measure. If you follow my teachings, endure hardship in the mortal world, and accumulate virtue, you shall taste the supreme joy of the immortal realm in your next life. I know the mortal world is full of suffering and tribulation. However, as long as you hold faith in your hearts and follow my path with devotion, you shall be spared disaster and blessed with good fortune.”

His words sent the entire city into an uproar. Commoners and cultivators alike boiled over with fervor, their eyes burning with the zeal of fanatical believers. At the height of their fanaticism, they began pulling out every coin they had and raising them high above their heads.

A gaunt woman with sunken cheeks held a swaddled infant in her arms. An equally thin man lifted her above his head, and she ‌raised the infant as high as she could. “Venerable Cizhi, I beg you, have mercy and save my child! I’m willing to give everything I have!”

The baby’s skin was sallow, its cheeks hollow, its breathing faint. It was clearly on the verge of death. A few pieces of broken silver and copper coins lay tucked against the infant’s body, and even though the woman’s arms shook, she refused to lower them. Her bloodshot eyes welled up with tears as she looked hopefully at the immortal’s projection.

Cizhi lowered his gaze. His seemingly gentle eyes passed over the woman, and a faint smile crossed his face.

He flicked a finger, sending a mote of spirit light no brighter than a firefly into the child’s brow. Color returned to the baby’s face almost at once. His breathing grew steady and strong, his brow relaxed, and the hidden ailment vanished without a trace.

“My child, I have felt your faith.”

The woman cried tears of joy and embraced her husband. The couple kneeled together with the baby between them and struck their foreheads against the ground again and again. After only a few kowtows, blood was already trickling from their foreheads.

The commoners of the city went wild at the sight.

But Li Guanqi murmured inwardly, Just now… there was disgust in his eyes!

The projection pressed both palms downward, and the entire city fell silent.

Cizhi said calmly, “Remember this. Every sip of water you drink and every morsel of food you eat bears my grace. Descending into the mortal world has cost me a great deal of immortal power. Open the altar within Qixian Tower and cast your offerings inside. Once I have absorbed the power they contain, I shall bestow my blessings upon the entire city.”

The black tower expanded until it stood a hundred zhang tall. The enormous doors on its first floor were sixteen zhang tall. All twenty-two swung open at once, each wide enough for more than thirty adults to stand shoulder to shoulder.

Peering through the doorway, Li Guanqi spotted a massive array about sixty zhang across in the center of the tower’s ground floor. All livestock offered as sacrifices would be thrown directly into it.

Dean Liu Qin stood beneath the black tower, his expression deeply reverent. His voice boomed across the crowd. “The sacrifice begins! Come forward in order! Cast in your offerings and leave at once!”

Before he could finish, the crowd surged forward as one. Some carried chickens, ducks, or geese, while others drove pigs or led cattle. Everyone scrambled to be the first to cast in their offering.

Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu stood perfectly still, which made them rather conspicuous. Li Guanqi said in a low voice, “Let’s go. Follow them in and see what’s going on!”

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