How could being a ghost ever compare to the talent of an immortal?

The sound of the actor's singing still lingered in the air. Li Zhouwei stood with his hands behind his back, his index finger resting on his other wrist as he tapped lightly, as though keeping time with the pipa below.

Below, the middle-aged man narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. He still said nothing, only bringing the hand that had been behind his back forward and untying the gourd at his waist.

The gourd was small and delicate. It was unclear what kind of wine or brew it held. The man held it in one hand and took a sip, while his other hand rested at his waist, his index finger placed on the hilt of the middle sword among the six small blades.

With such a casual stance, he looked like a minor official from a neighboring town; someone who tended a small patch of vegetables, finished his duties and farm work, then strolled over here to listen to a tune.

Yet Li Zhouwei did not relax in the slightest. His golden pupils could see five terrifying streams of colored light within the man before him, like a hidden dragon lurking in the abyss. It was dormant within the deep darkness of the great void, submerged in his flawless dharma body. It was perfectly complete and harmoniously unified.

A Grand Daoist Master... A Grand Daoist Master of the [Rainbow Mist] Dao! A great cultivator whose divine abilities have reached perfection!

When cultivators in Jiangnan celebrated the achievement of divine abilities, they often spoke of [Achieving the Five Methods]. Those older and of higher standing would say, [When the Five Methods reach their peak, one can evade the great tribulation]. This referred to the first step toward Fruition Attainment, the very state of perfected divine abilities that the man before him had reached.

This was undoubtedly the highest level of cultivation beneath the True Monarch level. There were only a handful of Purple Mansion Realm cultivators across the world who could reach this state and still walk among mortals. Even within the Supreme Yang Dao lineage, only two among the Three Yuans and Two Zis had achieved it. Of those alive today, only the elusive Zimu was clearly known to have perfected divine abilities... Outside the Supreme Yang Dao lineage, there was also Jiang Boqing, though he belonged to a bygone era long past.

As for the others, whether it was the earlier Chi Wei or the later Si Boxiu, they only completed the five great divine abilities at the very end of their lives. But only they would know how much effect their supplementary methods had, and whether they could truly claim perfection.

The Li Family had never encountered a peak Purple Mansion Realm cultivator with perfected divine abilities and long lifespan still remaining, someone who could still wander the mortal world at leisure. The man before Li Zhouwei was the first. As for the last such figure who roamed freely with perfected divine abilities, he had already become one of the Three Shamanic Daos[1] and Two Zhus[2], the [Jade True Six Nine Void Uniting True Monarch], a figure seated upon the divine altar.

And as for the [Rainbow Mist] lineage, which other family could it belong to?

Mount Luoxia!

Becoming a ghost... is this the Underworld's judiciary making a move? Leaving aside what intentions they hold toward Li Qianyuan, why would they stand behind me? At most, they just want a few more people to break through to True Monarch, so they can preserve some Metallic Essence for themselves!

He had originally been cultivating on the northern shore when he suddenly felt a pull from the unseen, as though fate itself were guiding him. At the same time, a chilling sensation had filled his Shenyang Mansion's energy, carrying the feeling of life hanging by a thread. Left with no choice, he had ridden the wind and silently followed that pull to this place.

Although he had long known the other party would come, and Tianhuo of the Golden Feather Sect had even secretly warned him of a distinguished guest heading south, asking whether he truly intended to remain here... seeing it now, this was truly a figure of immense stature!

Is he here for me, or did he simply come south to take a look?

Why is he moving at such a leisurely pace? I have been at the Purple Mansion Realm for quite some time already! With the speed of divine abilities, I could have made several round trips to the ends of the sea by now! If Mount Luoxia truly intended to keep me inland and have me break through under their watch, why delay like this?

It almost feels as if they want me to leave. They seem reluctant, only coming by when they see I am not going anywhere. But if I truly head out to the outer-sea, what consequences would follow?

His expression darkened, his golden eyes fixed on the man as thoughts churned endlessly within his mind, rising and falling without rest.

They can casually send out a Grand Daoist Master with perfected divine abilities. Just how many Grand Daoist Masters and True Monarchs does Mount Luoxia have?

The Dawn Guest Pavilion was filled with noise and bustle, yet his thoughts remained icy calm. Beside him, Li Zhouluo was drenched in cold sweat.

Li Zhouwei had suddenly arrived using divine ability for no apparent reason, and had secretly arranged for the two of them to be taken away first. Something was clearly amiss.

For a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator to personally make a move, could it be that someone with divine abilities was concealed here?!

He could only set down his chopsticks and exchange a glance with Li Jiangzong before quietly rising. The innkeeper of the Dawn Guest Pavilion, who should have been attending them from nearby, had vanished without a trace. Li Zhouluo let out a silent breath of relief as the two of them feigned having business elsewhere and descended the stairs to the side.

The central seats of the restaurant were the most conspicuous, where every movement would normally draw attention. Yet at this moment, the actor's performance had reached an emotional peak, and no one noticed that two seats had been left empty.

Li Zhouwei lifted his head slightly, listening as the performer above cried out to the heavens, pleading for his kin to be returned, singing, "White bones fill the land, spring chills the blood. Half a river of crimson tears drifts away. I wander alone as a ghost... Father, brothers! Where have the days of old gone? My spirit grows cold... My body is like withered wood, rootless in water. Even ragged clothes cannot shield me. Whose sorrowful soul am I..."

The middle-aged man listened and sighed softly. Two more performers in splendid attire stepped onto the stage, white silk draped at their waists to symbolize riding the clouds. The singing continues, "Invited to immortal peaks, seated upon golden terraces, watching the rosy glow fade from heavenly light. Snow candles and radiant robes shine bright. Are all mortal affairs truly settled? Alas, I am no drifting cloud. Attendants ride qilin steeds through mountain paths, gazing down through profound windows upon the lower realm. Children! How have you come to be ghosts?!"

As Li Zhouwei listened, his tapping hand came to a stop. He said nothing, but those around him began to exclaim, speaking of immortals and ghosts, with some sighing. "If one does not seek immortality, what is there left to live for?!"

Amid the chatter, the old man who had earlier played the demon ghost returned to the stage, his presence fierce as he tempted the audience. "Raise jade palaces, build halls of jade, light gleams upon ghostly winds and blood upon the brow. Three palaces beneath moonlit rain. Gather your nature and you may form a golden rainbow. If there were a path to immortality, would it be yours to claim? I fear instead the flute of wind-blown branches will scatter your mind, and dragon incense will intoxicate you."

The play had reached its most gripping moment. The audience leaned forward, eyes shining as they stared at the stage. They feared the performer might be seduced by the demon, yet also worried the immortals might grow disappointed and abandon him.

The performer burst into lament, and as one side finished singing, the other took over. The melody rose higher and higher, driving the atmosphere to its peak. Everyone set down their cups and chopsticks, falling completely silent as they stared at the stage.

Li Zhouwei's expression gradually grew complex. As he shifted his gaze toward the middle-aged man below the stage, the man was no longer fully focused on the performance. He turned his head slightly, revealing a composed and upright face.

Those phoenix eyes crossed the distance between them and gazed quietly in his direction. Within his originally brown pupils, a wisp of multicolored light burst forth, like a vast and surging vortex of Heavenly Glow swirling within his eyes. In that instant, the distance between them felt both infinitely far and impossibly close.

Sword...

Li Zhouwei felt strands of sharpness from those pupils that pricked his eyes with pain. Though restrained and unexpressed, it seemed ready to soar into the distant heavens at any moment. That sharp aura lay hidden within the Heavenly Glow, like a swimming dragon breaking the surface, revealing only a glimpse of its form.

1. The Three Shamanic Daos refers to Xiukui Dao, Supreme Shaman Dao, and Jade True Dao. ☜

2. The Two Zhus refers to Hengzhu Dao and Azure Manifestation. ☜