One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

Longhu Mountain, late at night.

The moon was bright and the stars were few; the mountain breeze swept through the pine forest, creating a sound like waves crashing.

Inside a side room of the Celestial Master's Mansion, several young Taoist priests on night duty were dozing around a stove, where a kettle was bubbling and steaming.

Snapped.

A spark exploded and hit the young Taoist priest Rongshan in the face.

Rongshan woke up with a start, rubbed his eyes, and was about to complain when the wooden board beneath him suddenly trembled without warning.

Boom-!

A dull, loud thud was heard.

The kettle on the stove shook violently, splashing out boiling water with a hissing sound.

"What's going on? Has the earth dragon turned over?"

The junior apprentice next to him jumped up in a panic, not even bothering to put on his shoes.

Before Rongshan could answer, a second loud bang followed.

Thump—!

This time, even the window paper was shaken and buzzed.

Rong Shan's expression changed drastically, and he pushed open the door and rushed into the courtyard.

The moment he looked up, he froze on the spot.

From the direction of the back mountain, a dazzling golden beam of light, like a sharp sword piercing the sky, instantly tore through the dark night.

That golden light was not an illusion, but rather Qi that had been condensed to its ultimate form.

Around the beam of light, the clouds were shattered, and even the air itself was distorted and rippled with visible force due to the high temperature.

"That's... the forbidden area in the back mountain?"

"What terrifying Qi! Has some peerless demon been born?"

"Quickly! Go and inform Master!"

The once quiet Celestial Master's Mansion was instantly thrown into chaos.

Not only the Taoist priests of their own sect, but also the various extraordinary individuals and heroes who had gone up the mountain in advance to participate in the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony were awakened by this earth-shattering commotion.

Several figures swiftly flew over the roof of the west wing.

"That's the Golden Light Mantra? No... what Golden Light Mantra could shoot up hundreds of feet high?"

The speaker was a middle-aged man in a suit. He stared intently at the beam of light, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"This oppressive aura... could it be that the Celestial Master is practicing his martial arts?" someone nearby speculated.

"Impossible! Although the Celestial Master's Qi is vast, it emphasizes balance and harmony. This Qi... is too violent, it's practically like..."

The middle-aged man swallowed hard. "It's like trying to carve a hole right through the world!"

The noise grew louder and louder, and some people couldn't contain their curiosity and were eager to try their luck towards the back of the mountain.

"Stop right there, all of you!"

An old yet deep voice, not loud, but clearly penetrated into everyone's ears.

The front yard, which was originally as noisy as a vegetable market, suddenly became quiet.

The main hall doors slowly opened.

Zhang Zhiwei, wearing a large Taoist robe and with his hands tucked into his sleeves, slowly walked out.

His face was expressionless, but his half-closed eyes reflected the golden light soaring into the sky in the distance.

"Master!"

Zhang Lingyu pushed through the crowd and strode forward, her face pale.

"Over there in the forbidden area behind the mountain... could the seal have loosened? This disciple is willing to lead a group to investigate!"

Zhang Zhiwei didn't look at him, but simply turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

Those whose gaze swept over him subconsciously lowered their heads, and those who originally wanted to join in the fun quietly took a few steps back.

"Spirit Jade," Zhang Zhiwei said calmly.

"Disciple is here."

"Issue my decree. Tonight's events are an internal rehearsal of the Celestial Master's Mansion. Everyone, return to your rooms to rest. No noise or discussion is permitted."

"Anyone who dares to step into the back mountain, whether a disciple or a guest, will be immediately expelled from Longhu Mountain."

Zhang Lingyu paused for a moment, then looked up at her master: "But Master, that Qi..."

"Go back to your room."

Zhang Zhiwei interrupted him, his tone becoming more forceful.

Zhang Lingyu trembled, dared not say another word, and bowed his head in greeting: "Yes."

With the Old Celestial Master's suppression, the originally restless crowd, though full of suspicion, could only obediently disperse.

Before returning to their rooms, everyone couldn't help but turn back for a few more glances at the golden light that still showed no signs of dissipating.

Once the courtyard was empty again, Zhang Zhiwei slowly turned around.

His originally straight back seemed to hunch slightly the moment he turned around.

He sighed, took a step, and walked towards the source of the golden light.

……

The back mountain is a forbidden area.

This is an absolute forbidden zone of Longhu Mountain. Normally, apart from the Celestial Master himself, even his personal disciples are not allowed to approach.

The stone steps leading into the depths of the forbidden area were covered with moss, clearly indicating that no one had walked on them for a long time.

The further you go in, the greater the air pressure becomes.

The ancient trees on both sides were blown outwards by the violent flow of Qi, and their trunks made cracking sounds as they could not bear the weight.

The pebbles on the ground seemed to lose their gravity, suspended in mid-air, and then were pulverized into powder.

Zhang Zhiwei walked very slowly.

With each step he took, a faint golden light would illuminate the ground beneath his feet, counteracting the overwhelming pressure in the air.

Finally, he arrived at an ancient cave dwelling.

The cave was originally sealed off by a huge stone door, which was covered with dense purple talismans.

But at this moment, all the talismans blessed by the Celestial Masters of past generations had burned to ashes and scattered away.

The heavy stone door was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and the terrifying golden light burst forth from these cracks.

call……

Zhang Zhiwei stopped and stood about ten steps away from the cave entrance.

The strong wind tousled his gray hair and beard, and his Taoist robe fluttered wildly in the wind.

The old master, who was revered as the pinnacle of the supernatural world and above all living beings, looked at the dark cave entrance with an extremely complex expression on his face.

There's nostalgia, helplessness, a hint of barely perceptible guilt, and even... a touch of the trepidation of a child who's done something wrong facing their parents.

He reached out and straightened his collar, which had been ruffled by the wind, and then patted off non-existent dust from the hem of his Taoist robe.

Then, Zhang Zhiwei clasped his hands together and raised them above his head.

Both knees are bent.

puff.

This Celestial Master, who commanded the Zhengyi Alliance, actually knelt down completely in front of that cave entrance.

This kneeling was done without any hesitation or reluctance.

The sound of knees hitting the ground was exceptionally clear in the howling wind of the night.

Zhang Zhiwei took a deep breath, his voice hoarse, yet filled with a resolute determination:

"Junior brother."

No one responded to him.

Only the golden light emanating from the cave seemed to intensify, stretching his shadow very long.

Zhang Zhiwei remained kneeling, his head bowed deeply, his forehead almost touching the ground.

"The remnants of the Jia Shen rebellion have risen again, and the Quanxing demons are stirring. Huaiyi's grandson... Zhang Chulan, has also gone up the mountain."

When the words "Huaiyi" were mentioned, the violent golden light in the cave suddenly stopped for a moment, and then an even more terrifying shockwave erupted, blowing Zhang Zhiwei's Taoist crown off and causing his white hair to fly wildly.

Zhang Zhiwei did not use his Qi to resist, letting the wave of energy crash into him, his body only swaying slightly.

He remained kneeling, his voice rising a few decibels, carrying a hint of desolate pleading:

"I'm getting old, senior brother. There are some things I can't do, and shouldn't do, because of this Celestial Master's robe."

"Now that the situation is about to descend into chaos, even the rats hiding in the gutter want to come out and get a share of the spoils. If no one is there to keep them in check, I'm afraid Longhu Mountain will not be able to maintain its last bit of peace."

"Junior brother..."

Zhang Zhiwei raised his head, and his eyes, which were usually half-open and half-closed as if they saw through everything in the world, were now bloodshot.

He bowed again before the dark entrance.

"Senior brother, I beg you... to come down from the mountain!"