[/expand]

There were already more than ten Chosen who came to a stop when they saw Meng Hao. They had come to the conclusion that someone might have come to this place before them. But when they caught sight of Meng Hao, their thought process was turned on end.

“He’s....”

“He looks young, but from the feeling he gives off, he seems have existed from ancient times all the way until now! Who is he?!”

“Look at his robes! They’ve obviously passed through countless years of time. Just look at them! He obviously didn’t just put on some random tattered robes as a disguise. Those clothes rotted away while he was wearing them!”

“Could it be... could it be that he’s the Dao Protector of this Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple!?”

“That archaic air about him is something you can’t fake. It’s definitely real!”

It really was true that the feeling Meng Hao gave off was not that of a cultivator belonging to their current age. By now, the elder members of the various sects and clans from the Ninth Mountain and Sea were arriving. When they saw Meng Hao sitting cross-legged in front of the ancient temple they couldn’t help but gasp.

“This man’s ancient aura is exactly the same as that of the ancient temple! Could it be... that he really is a Dao Protector?!”

“I once heard a story that in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, when those four other Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temples were unsealed, there were always strange aspects to them. In one, a person like a Dao Protector appeared!”

“But he... looks too young! What if he got here before us and is just trying to pull a fast one on us!?”

Various comments could be heard. Some people were shaken and some were suspicious. As for the Chosen, they were very intelligent people, adept in the arts of scheming. After all, one could not rely on latent talent alone to become an outstanding Chosen.

Although they had received a bit of a shock, they quickly began to look closely at Meng Hao, and strange gleams could be seen in their eyes.

Meng Hao’s expression was the same as ever, but inwardly he was shocked. When he heard their discussions, his heart began to thump with eagerness, and then a bit of a bashful expression appeared deep in his eyes. After a moment, though, it turned serious, and his dispassionate gaze swept over the crowds.

His tattered robes rippled despite the lack of a breeze, and the ancient aura grew stronger. As he intentionally caused the music of the great Dao to grow stronger, Meng Hao slowly began to speak in a very ancient-sounding voice.

“The Immortal Ancient has been unsealed and the great Dao has descended. In this place of legacies, you must decide which path is the correct one.... Cultivators of the junior generation, step forward.... I... have been waiting for you for quite some time....” He lifted his right arm and then flicked his sleeve. However, the flicking of his sleeve caused nothing to happen.

The crowds looked around cautiously, eyes flickering. Seeing that nothing untoward was occurring, Taiyang Zi snorted.

“You’re an impostor!” he said, striding forward. “A deceitful mischief-maker!” However, he only made it three steps before he suddenly stopped in place and stared with unprecedented shock at something up ahead of him.

When the crowds saw this happen, their eyes flickered. Fang Xiangshan took a step forward, as did Fang Yunyi and Fang Donghan. After three steps, all of them trembled and stopped in place, then began to pant as they stared at something up ahead.

A strange gleam could be seen in the eyes of Zhao Yifan from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto. He, along with Wang Mu and Song Luodan from the Song Clan, all stepped forward. They also stopped after only three steps.

Li Ling’er’s eyes flickered as she stepped forward, along with Ji Yin, around whose body swirled Ji Clan Karma. They were followed by Fan Dong’er from the Ninth Sea Godworld.

Eventually, all of the Chosen stepped forward, as well as their Dao Protectors. Only Zhixiang remained behind as she stared in shock at Meng Hao sitting there cross-legged in front of the temple. She blinked a few times in disbelief and then... almost laughed. [1. By way of reminder, Meng Hao helped Zhixiang in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. She then said that the new Demon Immortal Sect would owe him a favor]

By now, just about everyone had stepped forward. As soon as they passed into the three hundred meter area surrounding the temple, they experienced the same shocking vision Meng Hao had seen when he first visited this place.

It was a vision of a grand square made of green limestone. Countless figures practiced cultivation, and on a tall altar, an old man was giving a sermon about the Dao. His voice was impossible to hear clearly, but when he waved his sleeve, a huge “Immortal” character appeared.

A river of stars flowed through the sky, and the moon and sun rose and set. People plucked stars from the sky and stamped onto the ground to extract spirits. A rumbling battleground could be seen, and people gained Dao enlightenment. One man rose to his feet laughing, and his body grew unimaginably large until only a toe was visible. The rest of his body... couldn’t be seen.

Everyone was shaken by what they saw. They almost felt as if they had been transported back into ancient times, and it left their minds spinning. What they saw in the end was a figure sitting cross-legged in front of them, a person that looked... like Meng Hao!

Before they could look closely, the vision faded away and everything returned to normal. Everyone was breathing heavily. Even Taiyang Zi trembled as he looked over at Meng Hao. Now he didn’t dare to speak in the same way he had before.

Now, it seemed obvious to them that when Meng Hao had flicked his sleeve earlier, it wasn’t that a divine ability hadn’t manifested. Instead, it was a Daoist magic that was too profound for them to understand.

The people in the crowd exchanged glances. They didn’t want to believe, but the shocking images they had just witnessed felt too real.

A random female disciple clasped hands and bowed deeply to Meng Hao. “Senior... are you... the Dao Protector of this place?”

Having heard her question, everyone looked expectantly at Meng Hao. As for Zhixiang, a strange expression appeared on her face.

The Chosen were completely focused. They might have received a shock just now, but their eyes glittered exactly as they had before. Zhao Yifan looked closely at Meng Hao, and the glow of swords could be seen in his eyes.

Fan Dong’er’s expression was tranquil, but a sharp gleam could be seen in her eyes as she looked from Meng Hao to the temple behind him.

Ji Yin had an icy look. He said nothing as he stood there, and yet a strange pressure radiated off of him, and Karma swirled around him the same as ever.

The were all looking at Meng Hao. Meng Hao was now the center of attention of all the Chosen of the sects and clans of the Ninth Mountain. Many of the people who looked at him did so with narrowed eyes.

“I am not the Dao Protector of this Daoist rite temple,” said Meng Hao, his voice quavering. “I am merely the groundskeeper.” A look of reminiscence appeared on his face, something he had learned from the crazy old man in the temple hall.

HIs words instantly caused many people to inhale sharply.

“The groundskeeper? I heard a story once that in many ancient places like this, the most powerful people aren’t the Dao Protectors, but rather, the unassuming groundskeepers!”

“I heard the same thing....” Even as people discussed the matter, an arrogant looking young man stepped out, a dark expression on his face. He wore splendidly decorated garments, and a crown. The power of the stars seemed to swirl around him as he walked out from the crowd.

“That’s the Quasi-Dao Child from the Church of the Emperor Immortal!”

“I heard that he once killed a false Immortal! Of course, he got injured in the process, but that’s something an ordinary Spirit Realm cultivator could never do!”

More discussions buzzed as the young man walked in Meng Hao’s direction. He was followed by dozens of disciples of the Church of the Emperor Immortal, as well as several old men who had sealed their cultivation bases. All of these people wore cold gazes and clearly didn’t believe anything that Meng Hao said.

“I don’t care if you’re a Dao Protector, a groundskeeper, or even if you’re just running a scam. Step aside! I’m going into that temple!”

As they neared, Meng Hao’s face darkened. He raised his hand, and even though there was no wind in the area, his clothes rippled. Shockingly, the Black White Pearls appeared in his hand, transforming into an ancient, archaic power that spread out in all directions.

Meng Hao then recalled how the old man on the boat had looked all those years ago, and mimicked the same look. His eyes filled with an archaic aura as he looked at the young man from the Church of the Emperor Immortal.

“Stop right there!” he said coolly. The Black White Pearls emanated a brilliant glow, and in the blink of an eye, Meng Hao seemed to radiate an intense archaic will.

The Quasi-Dao Child from the Church of the Emperor Immortal stopped in place, his face flickering. Then he stared dead on at Meng Hao.

The people who were following him, and in fact, everyone present, were all staring at Meng Hao. Each and every one of them weren’t sure what to make of Meng Hao, and didn’t want to rashly attempt to make a move against him.

“The Immortal Ancient has been unsealed, but that does not mean just anyone can enter and be enlightened regarding this Daoist rite temple. Any who are capable of achieving their Dao may approach.”

The Quasi-Dao Child from the Church of the Emperor Immortal hesitated. As he looked at Meng Hao he got the feeling that he was filled with some mysterious energy, although it was difficult to be sure about the matter. He looked back at the others in the crowd, and saw that they had similar expressions.

Nobody said a word. Currently, they sky was growing dark, and the moon had appeared. Suddenly a wind began to blow, and whimpering sounds could be heard. Darkness began to stretch out across the land. It was at this point that Fang Donghan chuckled coldly and stepped forward. His energy surged, and intense power rose up from his cultivation base.

“It doesn’t matter who you are. It’s time for you to give me some feedback on my combat skills!” He sped up, and was just on the verge of attacking Meng Hao, when Meng Hao muttered something to himself. The sky was getting dark, and the whimpering of the wind had given him an idea. He suddenly glared at Fang Donghan.

He rose up from his cross-legged position, instantly attracting the attention of all the onlookers. Many of them were skeptical about the whole situation, and didn’t quite believe he was telling the truth.

Even Fang Donghan’s eyes widened. Superficially, his actions seemed impulsive, but he was actually a very cautious person.

As everyone looked on, Meng Hao suddenly threw his head back and laughed uproariously.

“An incorrect path.... Has the legacy been cut off...? Too many years have passed since that war....” He continued to laugh, and soon the laughter was tinged with madness.

“They’re all dead! The land is shattered! The river of stars is cut off....” Suddenly, he seemed to be weeping, and began to pace back and forth.

“Cut off! I can’t suppress the living, I can only suppress the ghosts....

“Gone, everything’s gone....”

His words seemed to provoke a reaction from his surroundings. The wind became cold and strong, and the sound of a weeping woman could be heard drifting about. The land trembled, and everyone’s faces flickered as complete darkness fell. It was at this point that....

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“Save me, I want to go home.... Paragon, save me. Save me, Paragon....” Dismal voices rose up from the ground, and a shocking coldness filled the air. Black hair roiled out from the well inside the temple. The vines drooped down and began to swing back and forth. The sounds of weeping and laughing filled the air.

The only faint light that could be seen was from the bronze oil lamp’s flickering flame.

When you added in Meng Hao’s voice, it all turned into a terrifying scene that would make anyone’s hair stand on end. All of the Chosen who had doubted Meng Hao before were now completely shocked. Fang Donghan’s scalp went numb, and he immediately backed up. The Quasi-Dao Child from the Church of the Emperor Immortal gasped, and staggered backward in astonishment.

Meng Hao continued to weep and laugh in front of the temple, feeling very pleased with himself.

Chapter 812: I’m the Groundskeeper