Zhang Yu sensed the aftermath of the strike. Though it had looked immensely destructive, it had actually done little damage to the terrain. Instead, it had combed through the entire earth vein and restored it to its proper place, naturally breaking the warding array.
With the great array broken, there were no further obstacles for him and Daoist Zhan Kong. Yet they did not advance at once, for a figure had appeared atop the great black rock shaped like a fish's spine.
It was a tall, gaunt cultivator with slightly sunken cheeks. He sat cross-legged there, a neat beard beneath his chin and his hair gathered into a topknot. His upper body was bare, while his lower half was draped in a crimson robe. A bamboo staff stood beside him, its top wound with a fluttering tassel of purple dragon whiskers.
Under the sunlight, his upper body was covered in countless tiny holes, a sight that made one's scalp crawl.
Yet the intact portions of his body possessed skin as white as jade, smooth and firm, gleaming with an uncanny luster that sharply contrasted with his black hair.
The moment Zhang Yu saw the man, he recognized him as Guan Liang, the former Guardian of Rectitude of Guardian of Rectitude Palace. He looked exactly like the figure in the painted images, though his outward bearing was entirely different.
The Guan Liang depicted in those images had seemed upright and awe-inspiring. Records of his words showed him to be stern and unyielding, exceptionally rigid, and on poor terms with many fellow cultivators. But the man before them exuded a cold, sinister air, his pupils filled with strange evil.
A cultivator's aura did not change easily, especially that of a Profound Venerable. One's past aura represented one's past experiences, understanding, and the