He seemed to be muttering to himself, yet also questioning the void: "The Eight Views Palace has lain silent for a thousand years, yet today an honored guest comes calling. Since you have arrived, why hide your form?"
Before the words fell, the green-brick floor of the hall surged like a tide, ripples roiling across it; then, a thunderclap abruptly exploded through the void, making the Star Trail tremble slightly.
Where the ripples reached, a sliver of purple light suddenly tore open in the void. That light was the first glimmer from before heaven and earth were divided, breaking forth from boundless nothingness.
A profound hum rang out as skulls suddenly flew from the void, their hollow eye sockets flickering with faint green light. Their jaws opened and closed, clacking, "Crack, crack."
Purple light scattered everywhere, and the myriad skeletons gathered in an instant, condensing into a throne over a zhang tall.
A young man silently settled upon it, clad in a black robe embroidered with gold. His gaze was cold and still, utterly without ripples, fixed directly on Laozi.
Laozi's expression did not shift. From the moment that man appeared, his brow had not furrowed, nor had the corner of his lips risen. It was as though even if the heavens collapsed, the earth split apart, and all calamities burned, they could not shake his heart in the slightest.
After a long while, the visitor spoke, his voice like icy jade striking together. "Supreme Forgetfulness?"
Laozi shook his head, his voice like wind passing through a pine forest. "No, no. Supreme Forgetfulness—yet the Supreme still has feelings."
The young man gave a low laugh and lightly flicked his sleeve. "I am one of the seven Devil Lords beneath Demon Ancestor Rahu, wielding the authority of 'Pride.'"
"Rahu?" Laozi's brows