Chapter 603: A Rainfall

"The fates of all living beings are predetermined. Look at how they are walking on the street with barely visible threads on their shoulders, pulling them toward an unknown path."

"When you see that thread, you will understand the meaning of the Celestial Charm. We do not alter their fates; we merely guide them toward their destined ends."

"The vast heavens and earth remain constant over time, but chaos and separation arise from the hearts of humans."

On a long embankment adorned with peach blossoms and willow trees, with bustling streets on either side, an elderly man sat leisurely by the riverside.

Dressed in simple, coarse cloth, with hair as white as snow, he exuded the gentle kindness that comes with old age.

With a fishing rod in hand, he muttered softly to himself as he waited patiently for a catch.

Rather than talking to himself, it seemed he was conversing with the fish in his basket.

The bamboo basket held a single fish—a plump, five-colored koi of exceptional quality. Not long ago, a wealthy passerby had offered hundreds of taels for it, but the old fisherman had turned down the offer.

"The Celestial Master's cultivation is supreme, nearly reaching the Hallowed One. We look up to you," the chubby koi gurgled, poking its head out of the water and speaking in clear human words.

If one of the palace consorts' maids had seen this, they might have recognized it. This was the same fish that had once swum in the imperial palace pond.

"Hallowed?" The old fisherman sighed and shook his head. "Far from it."

He continued speaking slowly, "Every Great Dao has its limits. The Heavenly Origin for the Great Dao of Chaos and Separation is stronger than all the other Heavenly Origins of Great Daos. However, the price is that it is almost impossible to ascend to the Profound Realm."

This principle was widely known.

Ascending to the Profound Realm through Great Daos with lower entry barriers was much more difficult, while those with easier ascension often came with weaker combat power. Ultimately, the balance of the Great Daos in this world was maintained.

"The Hallowed One appears only once every several thousand years. That no other eighth-realm cultivator can surpass the Celestial Master is already impressive enough," the chubby koi added quickly, its words dripping with flattery.

As they spoke, a thin layer of clouds began to gather in the sky.

"Looks like rain is coming," the old fisherman remarked, gazing upward. "There's something familiar about the scent in these clouds."

"Probably Yao Dengxian's doing," suggested the chubby koi.

The most famous power of the Great Dao of Cloud Dominion was its ability to command wind and rain. When the Golden Dragon held mastery over this Dao, the emperor could offer incense to summon it during times of drought, floods, or unfavorable weather, asking it to change the weather conditions in that area.

However, the Golden Dragon, as a noble and exalted being, could not be summoned lightly. It only intervened in major disasters, leaving minor weather disturbances unresolved, which meant the people still struggled to live comfortably.

Over the past hundred years, with Yao Dengxian in control of the Great Dao of Cloud Dominion, he had secretly intervened whenever weather conditions were unfavorable across the Nine Provinces or at the court's command. His efforts brought about unprecedented harmony in the Yu Dynasty's weather.

However, the court could not publicize his achievements, fearing that people across the land would begin building temples to worship and pray to him.

As a light drizzle began to fall, ripples danced across the water in the bamboo basket.

"It's definitely him," the chubby koi declared confidently. "He must be casting spells to search for the Golden Dragon after its escape. Everything is happening just as we planned. Your calculations are flawless. We will surely succeed tonight!"

"The members of the Heavenly Observers lineage are the ones that can do flawless calculations. We merely observe people," the old fisherman said. "But oftentimes, the hearts of people are even harder to predict than the will of the heavens. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate. Since Yao Dengxian is monitoring so extensively, you should return for now."

With that, he slowly rose to his feet, lifted the fish basket, and tipped it over, releasing the koi into the river with a soft splash.

The people chatting at a nearby teahouse couldn't help but be astonished.

That old man had refused to sell the koi for a hundred taels of silver, yet he just let it go back into the river?

Watching the chubby koi vanish beneath the water's surface, the old man muttered to himself, "We failed eighty years ago. Let's hope that it will be different this time. We don't have anymore time left to set the stage for another attempt."

...

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"We have plenty of time. You can rest for now. Later, the palace attendants will come to help us get acquainted with the banquet arrangements," Wang Xuanling assured.

The convoy, led by the Celestial Golden-Winged Horse, entered the imperial city, escorting the Mount Shu Sect team to the palace. They were dropped off at a grand hall, where Warrior Lao and a group of palace attendants awaited their arrival. With warm greetings, they guided the group inside.

The Qinghong Banquet was scheduled for the evening, but they arrived in the morning to familiarize themselves with the venue, prepare their attire, and rehearse the process—all tasks that demanded considerable effort.

The Qinghong Banquet was a grand occasion. While only a select few would be able to taste the meat of the Qinghong bird, the banquet still hosted imperial family members and countless civil and military officials. As a once-every-twelve-years event, it was taken very seriously.

The winning disciples of the Assembly of Immortal Sects were the stars of the Qinghong Banquet. As such, their preparation was of utmost importance.

As Chu Liang watched the palace attendants bustling about in precise formation, he couldn't help but wonder, "It's just a meal. Does it really take an entire day to prepare?"

"

Haaaaaa

," a palace maid sighed. She then explained softly, "I heard from my seniors that the rules weren't always this complicated. Sixty years ago, one of the victors of the Assembly of Immortal Sects behaved in such an uncouth manner and caused a huge scene at the Qinghong Banquet. Ever since then, disciples are required to arrive much earlier to..."

"Stop talking nonsense," Warrior Lao's voice came from behind. He glared at the maid and said, "What sixty years ago? Don't spread lies. That banquet went perfectly well. There were no ill-mannered people. You must have remembered it wrong."

"Ah..." The maid seemed to suddenly realize something and quickly nodded. "Yes, I must have remembered the wrong time."

"Haha." Chu Liang gave a polite smile.

The maid definitely did not remember wrongly.

Among the last ten Assemblies of Immortal Sects, and likely the next ten to come, no one came close to surpassing

that person

in being called "uncouth."

Speaking of which, Chu Liang couldn't help but feel a little concerned.

His esteemed teacher had mentioned attending the banquet at the palace, but she hadn't returned yet. Could it be that she had already started fighting for the control of the Great Dao of Incinerating Heavens?

Although her opponent was her own father, duels over the control of Great Dao were inherently dangerous. Could she truly be safe?

But no matter how worried Chu Liang was, it wasn't something he could help with.

While he was lost in thought, he was escorted to their temporary resting room. Each room in the palace was lavishly adorned with gold and jade. Each bedroom was huge, nearly half the size of a palace. Even the screen frames were gilded, making the entire place dazzling.

Chu Liang entered the room, opened the window, and saw that a soft rain had begun to drizzle outside.

The rain was infused with dense spiritual qi, and Chu Liang quickly deduced it was Yao Dengxian's doing. He was not actually familiar with Yao Dengxian's techniques. He only knew because the Little Golden Dragon had warned him about this.

As the Dao Master of the Great Dao of Cloud Dominion, Yao Dengxian excelled in manipulating clouds and rain. The Little Golden Dragon had planned to leave five golden scales outside the capital of Yu. Once Yao Dengxian sensed its aura, he would undoubtedly venture out personally to capture it.

This would allow Chu Liang to use the opportunity to sneak into the Spring of Virtue and steal the Golden Dragon's Orb. Even if there were guards, they would likely be the subordinates of the Dragon-Keeping Eunuch, whose cultivation wouldn't surpass the peak of the sixth realm.

With the power of the Blue Dragon's Orb at his disposal, Chu Liang stood a strong chance of success.

After hearing the plan, Chu Liang was quite surprised. For a dragon as small as the Little Golden Dragon, it had come up with a plan that was surprisingly reasonable.

Chu Liang asked two questions. The first one was whether the Little Golden Dragon could escape Yao Dengxian's pursuit and delay him long enough?

The second one was whether Chu Liang is really able to steal the power of the dragon orb after refining the Blue Dragon's Orb.

The Little Golden Dragon's answer to the first question was that he just needed to keep luring Yao Dengxian with his aura. With how big the world is outside, even if he is an Eminent One at the eighth realm. The Little Golden Dragon's answer was that as long as it kept emitting its aura to draw Yao Dengxian's attention, the vast open world would make it difficult for even an eighth-realm powerhouse to catch a True Dragon that could traverse the cosmos.

As for Chu Liang, he would know for himself upon refining the Blue Dragon's Orb and feeling the power of a True Dragon.

If Yao Dengxian detected the Golden Dragon's aura, he would undoubtedly cast spells to search for it, causing rain to fall. That would be when the Little Golden Dragon would start to lure the Yao Dengxian away, and Chu Liang would make his move.

Seeing the rain outside, Chu Liang immediately strode out of his room and, in front of all the palace attendants, walked straight into Jiang Yuebai's room.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Yuebai, who had just sat down, asked as Chu Liang entered.

"I need to take care of something," Chu Liang said. "If anyone asks later, you need to say I've been here the whole time."

Jiang Yuebai immediately understood—he was asking her to provide him with an alibi.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

This was the inner palace, fraught with danger for those who wandered carelessly. She couldn't help but feel worried.

"I'll explain when I'm back," Chu Liang said, not wanting to waste time. Draping a black robe over himself, his figure flickered and transformed into a wisp of wind, disappearing through the window.

This was one of the powers of the Blue Dragon's Orb.

The Blue Dragon, as an ancient True Dragon, had attained the Heavenly Origin, and it had the control of the wind. For Chu Liang, who had now fully refined the Blue Dragon's Orb, he could easily transform into the wind.

"Then you'd better come back soon. If you stay here too long and people think that you are here with me for a long time..." Jiang Yuebai's words trailed off as Chu Liang vanished, leaving her to murmur to herself, "What would they think?"