Most strange of all, every snowflake falling upon Yaotai Mountain—whether it landed on the ground or upon the mountain range—held its clasped palms in salute toward the same direction before melting. Whether that direction was where the Immortal Palace stood, no one knew. Yet everyone knew that even if it was not, ever since Yaotai Mountain had risen to fame, that direction... had become it.
Jade chrysanthemum snow fell thick enough to blot out heaven and earth, covering the wilderness and mountains. Within the heavy snow, several thousand, perhaps tens of thousands, of Daoist sect cultivators stood silently in midair, their eyes burning as they stared at Yaotai Mountain and awaited the opening of the Yaotai Gathering. These cultivators were no different from those three hundred years ago. Though they clearly knew this was an arrangement of the Immortal Palace, for the sake of survival and cultivation, they had no choice but to gather here and wait for an opportunity.
Yet among these cultivators, one mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator stood apart from the rest! He was handsome and tall, his face bearing an air of calmness and confidence. Rather than looking toward Yaotai Mountain, he occasionally gazed at distant Nascent Soul cultivators, as though searching for something. From time to time, some Nascent Soul cultivators noticed his gaze and gave him a slight nod.
This cultivator was named Zhi Chengzi, a native of Quyun Pavilion in Yanzhou. More than five hundred years ago, he had already entered the ranks of Nascent Soul cultivators. Several centuries earlier, Zhi Chengzi had also come to Yaotai Mountain to attend the Yaotai Gathering. However, Zhi Chengzi possessed a knack for seeking advantage and avoiding harm. Back then, at the banquet hosted by True Lord Huode, he had first raised his cup in salute to