Crash!
The gaunt old man had just finished speaking when dark clouds suddenly gathered around a Hanging Peak in the distance. Lightning flashed and thunder roared within them, and a heavy, oppressive aura spread outward.
An illusory image extended from the Hanging Peak, covering a hundred li in every direction, faintly threatening to become solid.
"Oh?" The gaunt old man raised an eyebrow. "What fortunate timing. Someone is actually about to face the Tribulation of Void and Reality? As expected of a Grotto-Heaven left behind by the master of a Way. What a fine place, rich in spiritual energy and thick with Fortune."
The long-haired man said, "He was once the finest of his generation, ahead of everyone at every turn, but someone has overshadowed him these past few years. He set everything else aside and entered seclusion in the Hanging Peak Blessed Land to seek an opportunity. If he can break through his bottleneck today, it must be because the Eight Sects are about to reunite and the Daoist Order's Fortune has surged."
"Oh?" The gaunt old man gave him a half-smile. "So Senior Brother is determined to succeed this time?"
The long-haired man chuckled and looked at him with a meaningful gaze. "In this age, three people have each comprehended a Way, and the thousand-year Tribulation draws near. Surely one of them must succeed?"
The gaunt old man froze. His smile stiffened.
"Three?"
"I believe I lack only one of the Three Talents, and I will soon make up that final piece. I am still a step ahead of the other two." The long-haired man spoke almost to himself. He watched the Flat Peach tree swaying violently beneath the lightning and Tribulation clouds, then sighed.
"The wind is rising..."
Whoosh...
A fierce wind sprang up around Chang'an.
Clouds