Chapter 217: Countless Others

Rainwater Commandery, dark clouds gathered.

A heavy storm was about to arrive in an instant.

Looking at the weather, many civilians in Rainwater Commandery quietly walked out of their houses and put away the clothes hanging outside.

"What's that?"

Suddenly, a voice sounded out. It was one of the residents of Rainwater Commandery. They looked up and saw that the dark clouds in the sky were suddenly torn apart. A vibrant rainbow appeared in the clouds, landing far away.

Before they could get an answer, bright motes of light appeared in the distant sea of clouds. This time, they saw it clearly, those were several figures that appeared among the clouds, resembling celestial beings.

The faces of the people turned pale, and without hesitation, they began to gather their clothes. Someone even left their clothes behind, rushing back into their homes and closing their doors tightly, not daring to take another look!

Those figures that appeared among the clouds were naturally not legendary immortals, but rather great cultivators from the foreign lands.

These great cultivators normally cultivated in the mountains and rarely ventured out. However, they came here now, it was obvious that something major was happening here.

Those civilians dared not look. Actually, even if they did, they would not be able to discern the identities of those great cultivators, let alone know which sect they belonged to.

But in reality, these great cultivators were all existences whose fame shook the world.

If they could see that white lotus blossoming among the clouds, they would know that a certain eminent monk from Buddhism had arrived,

And more than one of such remarkable individuals came today.

The black clouds were torn asunder by countless streams of light, erasing any sign of impending rain.

They had come from various places. Now that they gathered here, they were proceeding towards that Sublime Bright Mountain.

When everyone did not dare to look at those formidable figures in the sky, a secluded little tavern hidden in a narrow alley was pushed open by someone.

A middle-aged man who seemed to be wandering aimlessly opened his mouth to yell, "Do you still have any of that sorghum wine?"

Hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar voice, the elderly tavern shopkeeper who was sitting behind the counter opened his eyes slowly. Only then, did those bunched up wrinkles relax a little, but his vision was still cloudy. The old man looked at the middle-aged man before him, unable to see clearly.

"Who is it?"

His voice was very old, like the tables and chairs in the tavern, weathered by countless years, and had become mottled with age.

The middle-aged man laughed and scolded, "Your sorghum wine is so terrible. So many years have passed, could there be a second person who likes it other than me?"!

The old shopkeeper immediately burst into laughter. Hearing this, he already knew who the visitor was. He hurriedly tottered over and poured a large bowl of sorghum wine, carried it over, and placed it in front of the middle-aged man. Finally, he got a clear look at the middle-aged man and was immediately taken aback, "How come you haven't aged a bit?"

The wine bowl in his hand trembled and quite a bit of the liquor spilled out. Fortunately, the middle-aged man was quick to react, snatching the bowl and catching the spilled sorghum wine. He then took a sip, the taste of the alcohol the exact same. The middle-aged man smacked his lips and grinned, "How could I not have aged? It's just that drinking your wine slows down aging."

The old shopkeeper returned to his senses and just chuckled to himself as he said, "I've figured it out too, you're probably not an ordinary person. I don't care who you are either, as long as you enjoy my sorghum wine. It's a family recipe, but for some reason, it seems a bit off since it was passed on to me. All the other alcohols sell pretty well, but only you seem to love this one."

The middle-aged man smiled and did not speak. He just drank the alcohol in silence.

"You haven't been here for a decade or two, why did you think of coming to take a look now? Don't say that you have cravings for my sorghum wine, you only drink one bowl every time, I won't believe it."

The old shopkeeper's face full of wrinkles bunched up together. No one could tell whether he was angry or not.

The middle-aged man smiled and looked at the half-empty wine bowl as he said, "I was passing by, or perhaps not. I wanted to take a look, but now, I've lost interest again. So, after finishing this bowl, I'll have to head back."

The old shopkeeper asked doubtfully, "What do you do, exactly? I've seen you many times, but I can't quite figure it out."

The middle-aged smiled and said, "I'm a teacher."

The old shopkeeper furrowed his brow, "Doesn't seem like it. You're different from all the other teachers I've met. You don't have that aura."

The middle-aged man became interested and asked with curiosity, "So, tell me, how can I be like those teachers you mentioned?"

"Hard to say." The old shopkeeper tilted his head. He poured himself a bowl of sorghum wine too. After taking a sip, he frowned slightly, it indeed tasted bad.

The middle-aged man laughed it off.

The old shopkeeper did not say anything either, he just forced himself to finish the remaining half-bowl of wine.

The middle-aged man also finished his remaining half-bowl of wine. He smiled as he looked out of the window, lost in thought.

......

......

Daoist Master Ironcloud walked out of the main hall. He did not see that young daoist genius, but he knew that he was still on this mountain.

The appearance of Yun Jianyue made him cautious. He was naturally not scared of Yun Jianyue, but afraid of that Temple Master behind Yun Jianyue.

That was one of the most terrifying existences in the Dao society.

"Go and find those people."

Daoist Master Ironcloud said this to those daoists before he headed towards the mountain. It seemed like he was heading to the observatory?

But actually, that was not the case.

Daoist Master Ironcloud walked past the observatory and arrived before the stone wall. After confirming there was no one around, he took the key out of his bosom and opened the mechanism before inserting the key.

The stone wall slowly parted towards both sides, revealing that dark entrance.

Daoist Master Ironcloud walked in.

Then, the stone wall closed, leaving no trace behind.

Soon, Daoist Master Ironcloud's expression changed slightly, because he sensed another aura in here.

There was a hint of sword qi.

For years, he had been the only one going in and out of this place, so he knew it was impossible for anyone else to be inside. Even if someone could discover this place, there was absolutely no way for them to enter.

There was only one key used to open the stone wall and it had always been in his possession. It was impossible for someone else to have come into contact with it before.

And most importantly, there were no sword cultivators in the entire Sublime Bright Sect.

A foreboding premonition welled up in Daoist Master Ironcloud's heart. He looked towards a certain spot where countless spiritual herbs used to be placed. At this moment, it was empty.

Those herbs were some of the precious natural treasures of the Sublime Bright Sect, but they were mpt particularly important to Daoist Master Ironcloud. What he cared about most was the piece of paper he had hidden underneath the cushion.

He took a few steps and arrived before that cushion.

Then, Daoist Master Ironcloud's expression became extremely gloomy.

Because he could completely tell that the cushion in front of him had already been moved by someone.

Which was also to say that...

Daoist Master Ironcloud waved his sleeve and the cushion scattered into dust. Unfortunately, apart from the cloud of smoke and dust, there was nothing else to be seen.

The piece of paper was gone.

Daoist Master Ironcloud's sank to the lowest point.

......

......

Three young people stood on that hidden path, exchanging many words.

Yun Jianyue asked, "Are you guys going down the mountain?"

Yu Xiyi glanced at him and said, "Can't you tell?"

But, Chen Chao shook his head and said, "Since this Fellow Daoist is already here, that means I can't leave anymore."

Chen Chao's objective of coming up the mountain had not been achieved yet. His previous descent down the mountain was merely to avoid attention temporarily. He had never thought about giving up. His goal was never to take away the so-called natural treasures from this place.

Yun Jianyue sighed and said, "The Sublime Bright Sect is a major sect within Daoism, it has its own legacy and has weathered countless storms over the years. But this time, the storm is huge. What surprised me was that the storm originated from your hands."

Chen Chao said, "When you've done something wrong, you must pay the price. This principle applies no matter where you are."

"But what is it that you want?"

Yun Jianyue looked into Chen Chao's eyes, as if trying to see from his eyes what this young man wanted to do. Chen Chao did not shy away, his gaze remaining very resolute.

Chen Chao did not speak.

In the next second, a gust of wind suddenly swept through the mountain.

A thunderous roar came from the sky.

"Thief, hand over your life!"

The entire Sublime Bright suddenly began trembling.

An overwhelming pressure descended from the sky, causing the wild grass on that hidden path to instantly snap and grovel on the ground, looking rather miserable.

Daoist Master Ironcloud's figure appeared in the sky, his daoist robes billowing, looking very imposing.

A pervasive murderous intent filled the sky and everything around.