A short while later, the Immortal God with an ancient Barbaric Totem painted across his face returned and bowed to the two of them. "The Daoist Master invites you inside."
Meng Qi let out a "heh," said nothing more, and entered the sea of Auspicious Clouds hand in hand with Gu Xiaosang.
Did the Heavenly Dao Monster or Demon Buddha Ananda really dare to meet him now?
Or had the Purple Heaven Palace made other arrangements, with "him" planning to strike through what the Daoist Master had left behind?
Or was this merely the instinctive reaction of a phantom imprint?
Auspicious aura rolled like waves as the clouds parted. Before Meng Qi and Gu Xiaosang appeared a palace seemingly wrapped in chaos, with a hidden purple hue and an archaic, primitive design. The Five Virtues and Five Elements had transformed into Divine Beasts and Immortal Birds that clustered around it. Above the main entrance hung a plaque inscribed in Dao Patterns with two large characters:
"Purple" and "Heaven"!
Each character contained ten thousand laws; each could form an entire book. Their meaning ran deep.
At that moment, the main gate stood wide open, revealing a spacious, shadowy inner hall. Rows of candles burned eternally, illuminating the darkness.
The ancient Immortal God with the totem on his face silently walked ahead, guiding Meng Qi and his wife up the steps and into the great hall. He then bowed solemnly toward the front and said, "Reporting to the Daoist Master, the two guests have arrived."
Meng Qi raised his eyes. His gaze pierced through layers of candlelight and gloom. At the end of the hall, on the elevated main seat, the meditation mat sat empty. There was no Daoist Master anywhere!
"The Daoist Master is here?" he asked doubtfully.
The ancient Immortal