Out of nowhere!
Everyone felt utterly bewildered. Immortal Guan had simply stood there, offered a few reflections, and before he had even said anything, heavenly lightning had struck him dead?
No one knew why. Had the Heavenly Dao settled the entire account for his past indiscretions of speech in one stroke? Or had he seen something this time that he should never have seen?
Nor did anyone know the origins of his mysterious Daoist lineage. Had he used some method he should not have used? The old immortal had intended to perform his Golden Basin Mouth-Washing; surely he would not defy the world's taboos at a time like this?
All they knew was that, in his final moments, the old immortal had stared straight ahead, as though something momentous lay before him!
Countless guests stood ahead of him. Naturally, no one thought he had been looking at a particular person. More likely, he had been gazing toward the Unseen within the void...
The scene descended into chaos. Several Daoists of sufficient standing rushed over and erected a barrier, shutting out the idle onlookers who merely wanted to watch... A birthday celebration had become a funeral. The affairs of the world were unpredictable indeed, to have come to this.
Hou Niao stood farthest away, with no idea what had actually happened. To his eyes, the old immortal had probably climbed into the pavilion, offered a few reflections, then gazed ahead and entered a trance of divination. After that, there was no after.
A respected old man who had wanted to wash himself clean and come ashore had reached the end of his life just like that. Even with his lowly cultivation, Hou Niao could feel the matchless power conveyed by that tribulation lightning. There could be no saving him!
He had