Lotus Avatar stood beneath the Suppression Mountain Sword, his hands hanging at his sides. Beside the mountain-sized giant sword, he seemed tiny, yet a surging sword intent periodically welled up from within him. He was like an peerless blade sheathed in its scabbard—once drawn, it would surely shake heaven and earth.
Lotus Avatar's hollow gaze swept over the empty sky below the mountain. Everything within sight could become a sword. No one knew how long passed before he pointed a finger forward. The clouds parted, and a gentle breeze stirred; everything seemed just as it had always been.
"What a fine way to carry the Dao in the sword! Once a sword is drawn, the myriad laws follow. What a fine Lord of Nine Central City!" A hearty laugh rang out.
A doorway seemed to open in the void. A man dressed in golden robes stepped out, accompanied by a graceful woman in green.
"Palace Master Jin Hong, forgive me for failing to welcome you sooner." Lotus Avatar's thoughts stirred, and the sword intent that had taken the form of a gentle breeze and drifting clouds dispersed.
"May I ask whether Palace Master Jin Hong and Daoist Green Calyx have come on business?" Lotus Avatar already knew why they had come, but asked anyway.
"Daoist Wuming, as you guard Nine Central City, you must have heard about the news from Luo Yang Prison—that the renegade Saint of Alchemy, Dongfang, has fled there—before I did," Jin Shique said with a smile.
"I've heard a little," Lotus Avatar replied with a nod.
"The renegade Saint of Alchemy, Dongfang, once inflicted enormous losses on the Celestial Court. If we cannot capture or kill him, it will be a severe blow to the Celestial Court's authority. What do you think, Daoist Wuming?" Jin Shique