A crimson rain drizzled down from the sky.
The raindrops struck the shattered walls and ruins, making a soft rustling sound.
Formless Mountain's gate had long since become unrecognizable. The once-beautiful peaks had been broken away by more than half beneath that strike.
Only bare foundations remained, looking especially desolate amid the crimson rain.
The ground was filled with kneeling figures.
Whether they were the elders who normally stood high above all others or the inner disciples who thought highly of themselves, all of them lowered their heads and trembled toward the Azure Sea Palace above the heavens.
The Azure Sea Palace hung amidst the clouds, yet it did not waver in the slightest because of the devastation below.
The old Daoist sat cross-legged at its center.
He turned a deaf ear to the disciples' kowtowing below.
It was as though Formless Mountain's life or death meant nothing to him.
After a long while.
The old Daoist slowly opened his eyes, turning his head slightly as his gaze fell upon the young girl below.
Their gazes met.
Jiang Yuechu felt her heart tighten.
That sensation.
It was not the fear of being locked onto by a powerful foe, but the naked feeling of being seen through completely.
It was as though beneath those aged eyes, everything within her, including the secret of the Hundred Demons Compendium, had nowhere to hide.
The old Daoist examined her carefully.
From head to toe, he inspected every inch of her.
There was even a hint of regret in his eyes.
"How many years has it been?"
"Since this old Daoist began sitting here in meditation, watching clouds gather and scatter, watching tides rise and fall, I can no longer remember how many sixty-year cycles have passed."
"This stagnant pool that is the Eastern Territory