Old Master Hu Ba exclaimed in shock. Ancient Daxia script differs greatly from modern Chinese script. But whether it was the elder Li Hanguang or the old masters of the Five Immortal Families, each of them had lived for over a thousand years. Such ancient script posed no difficulty for them.
With just one glance, they recognized the characters on the gateway. They also recognized this ancient gateway itself.
This was the Southern Heavenly Gate of the Celestial Court.
However, what truly made them turn pale was not just seeing the Southern Heavenly Gate. It was, the current state of the Southern Heavenly Gate.
Gone was the grandeur and imposing majesty it should have had, the awe-inspiring divine power no longer existed. What they saw instead was ruin, bloodstains, and a thick, unknown black flame.
"...This is the Southern Heavenly Gate?"
Old Master Huang's eyes were filled with disbelief.
Since Old Master Hu San was one of the Northeast Five Families, these old masters had all had the privilege of seeing the Southern Heavenly Gate before.
In their memories, the two pillars supporting the Southern Heavenly Gate were made of the same material as the stones used by Nuwa to mend the heavens, a substance that even immortals and gods could hardly break.
But now, the two pillars were covered in cracks, and the left pillar seemed on the verge of collapse. As if with just a light touch, the pillar would crumble instantly.
"What exactly happened in the Celestial Court?" It was Old Master Zhang who spoke.
He stared intently at the appearing Southern Heavenly Gate, trying to discern some clues from it. But aside from his suspicions, he had another question: Why had the Southern Heavenly Gate suddenly appeared, and why here of all places?
"What is that?"
Just as Old Master Zhang was lost in thought, he caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eye, a figure was emerging from within the Southern Heavenly Gate.
Very soon, as the figure approached the gate, its appearance became clear.
"Hu San!!" Old Master Hu Ba could not suppress his excitement.
The figure was thin and hunchbacked, looking like an old man on the verge of death. His face was covered in wrinkles, and at just one glance, it was obvious he was extremely old.
But at this moment, no one cared about those details. Seeing Old Master Hu San step out of the Southern Heavenly Gate, Old Master Zhang suddenly realized something.
"So that's why the Southern Heavenly Gate suddenly appeared—it was because Old Master Hu San returned from the Celestial Court. But for the Southern Heavenly Gate to descend into the mortal world, it must have been opened by an immortal or deity." Muttering to himself, Old Master Zhang's eyes flickered, his heart filled with joy.
Now that Old Master Hu San was still alive and had returned from the Celestial Court, they could ask him what had happened there.
Immediately, Old Master Zhang and Old Master Hu Ba prepared to step forward and greet him. But just as they took a step,
"Wait, something seems off about Hu San ." Old Master Hu Ba's voice rang out.
Though he was excited, he had noticed that there was something odd about the way Old Master Hu San walked and behaved.
"Old Master Hu San's aura isn't right."
Elder Li Hanguang narrowed his eyes slightly and advised, "It's best not to approach for now. That aura is too strange—it doesn't seem like he's simply injured."
Old Master Zhang had also noticed something. He halted his steps, his previously joyful expression turning into one of confusion, then gradually becoming serious.
"This... doesn't seem like Old Master Hu San. Why does he look more like... a zombie?"
He observed closely. The way Old Master Hu San was walking, it didn't resemble the shaky steps of an elderly man.
Rather, it looked like the staggering movements of someone undergoing a corpse transformation after being infected—his limbs twisted as he walked, and his hands occasionally flailed uncontrollably.
Old Master Zhang and the others were not far from Old Master Hu San. When he had first appeared, they had immediately stepped into the air and approached, and now they were only about a hundred or two hundred meters away.
Immediately, Old Master Hu Ba called out. "Hu San? Is that you, Hu San?"
Though Old Master Hu San's behavior was bizarre, and everyone could tell something was wrong, Old Master Hu Ba—being his sworn brother—still held onto a sliver of hope.
He hoped that the figure in front of them was truly Old Master Hu San.
At the same time, no one dared to get any closer.
The strangeness of Old Master Hu San, the calamity in the Celestial Court, the ruined Southern Heavenly Gate—these consecutive occurrences made everyone too wary to act recklessly.
However, they did not flee either. Everyone present was a master of mortal dust immortality, especially Elder Li Hanguang. Even if they truly had to confront Old Master Hu San, they could suppress him.
Elder Li Hanguang remained silent, staring at Old Master Hu San for a while before suddenly speaking, "Old Master Hu San seems to be muttering something?"
Not only was Old Master Hu San walking strangely, his mouth was also moving slightly, and if one listened carefully, he seemed to be speaking. However, his words were spoken with great difficulty, breaking off intermittently...
The situation remained the same until Old Master Hu Ba called out repeatedly. The eerie Old Master Hu San seemed to have heard the call, and in his once-empty, lifeless eyes, a trace of clarity suddenly emerged.
"Ol... Old Ba..." His speech became momentarily clearer.
"Hu San, what happened to you? Are you injured? What happened to the Celestial Court? Why did your immortal tablet shatter? Why has the Southern Heavenly Gate become like this?" Hearing him speak, Old Master Hu Ba's repressed excitement surged again. He asked a string of urgent questions.
However, Old Master Hu San did not respond. Instead, he simply opened his mouth, as if using all his remaining strength to utter one difficult, fragmented phrase.
Elder Li Hanguang listened. And instantly, his brows twitched.
He recognized the words—this was what Old Master Hu San had been murmuring earlier. But compared to before, when the words were broken up, this time they were much clearer, enough to be understood.
"Hua Gai upon Hua Gai holds the Mysterious Root, Tai Ji enters the palace and must reach the Divine Palace. Wounded stars and solitary signs all hold immortal bones,
Zi-Wu-Mao-You, a cluster of true essence. Heaven's Gate and Earth's Door appear in the divination, above, a child from the heavens descends to the mortal realm."
Elder Li Hanguang organized Old Master Hu San's words and repeated them smoothly.
In the next second, Old Master Zhang showed a look of surprise. "Isn't this the Mysterious Root Chant?"
Elder Li Hanguang nodded, agreeing with Old Master Zhang, and then turned to ask Old Master Hu San, "Old Master Hu San, why are you reciting the Mysterious Root Chant?"
At this moment, Old Master Hu Ba spoke up. "Hu San, why are you reciting the Mysterious Root Chant? Are you searching for a successor before you die? Or is there another reason—are you asking us to find someone with the Xuan Body to inherit your legacy? Hu San..."
The more he spoke, the more urgently he asked. Because Old Master Hu San's condition was visibly worsening. Old Master Hu Ba was growing anxious. If not for the unsettling, dangerous aura radiating from Old Master Hu San, he would have rushed forward to support him and find a way to save him.
But no matter how much he asked, and no matter how many pills he threw over, Old Master Hu San gave no response.
He only kept repeating, with difficulty, the so-called Mysterious Root Chant.
———
Meanwhile, as this was happening above, deep in the ancient forests of Changbai Mountain below, whispers could be heard.
Those were the voices of the ancient great demons, mountain spirits, and wild creatures of Changbai Mountain conversing.
"Grandpa, what are those old men talking about? What is the Mysterious Root Chant?" A little rabbit spirit lay on an old mountain goat's back, speaking in a childish voice.
Her tone was as innocent as a young girl's. Her demon aura was weak. Clearly, she was a rabbit spirit who had only recently begun cultivating into a demon.
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