Sage of Humanity-Chapter 708 - 706: What Sin Have I Committed

Having left the Imperial Heaven Sect, Huang Liang headed north.

The further he traveled, the more uneasy he felt—a premonition of an impending disaster seemed to loom in the darkness.

Looking northward, it was as if a bloody light soared to the sky, and the wails of wronged souls arose. Several times over a few days, he cast divinations, each foretelling a great catastrophe.

What on earth had happened in the north…?

Before his master had passed away, he had clearly sensed something, but at that time, the elderly master was on the brink of death and had no time to explain things in detail before he departed this world.

If it weren't for that, Huang Liang wouldn't have insisted on making the trip to the north.

Because in that direction, only a place like Sky Ravine could have caught the attention of his master.

Unlike ordinary cultivators from the Soaring Dragon World, those from a powerful sect like Huang Liang's knew some secrets.

Sky Ravine had appeared eight hundred years ago; it seemed to have no effect on the Soaring Dragon World, but the influence was subtle. Under this subtle influence, the upper limit of cultivators in the Soaring Dragon World was continuously lowered, from the Divine Sea to the True Lake, from the True Lake to the Cloud River…

Perhaps there would indeed come a day when there would no longer be any cultivators in the Soaring Dragon World.

Early on, when Sky Ravine had appeared, someone from the Divine Sea Realm in the Imperial Heaven Sect had divined a prophecy—"a calamity will descend upon the world once a millennium passes."

Regrettably, that elder only had time to convey the prophecy but could not elaborate more before he perished.

However, for eight hundred years, that divination had been passed down within the Imperial Heaven Sect. Each generation, only the Sect Master and a few top elders were privy to it.

Counting the time, although it hasn't yet been a millennium since the appearance of Sky Ravine, it's already close enough. Could it be… the time to confirm that prophecy has arrived?

If that were true, it would be a real catastrophe for the Soaring Dragon World.

Yet, to this day, no one in the cultivation world of the Soaring Dragon World understood what exactly the mysteriously emerged Sky Ravine was.

If a disaster were to come, how would the Soaring Dragon World resist? And what exactly is the catastrophe indicated by the prophecy?

That's why he wanted to see it with his own eyes, to have a clear understanding.

"Hmm?" Huang Liang suddenly turned his head to look in one direction, where in a pavilion sat a man in a blue shirt, earnestly studying a scroll, seemingly engrossed.

With just one glance, the world seemed to consist only of the man in the blue shirt, and Huang Liang seemed to hear the clear sound of recitation thenceforth.

The image of the man expanded infinitely in his view, filled with an atmosphere of righteousness, towering like a celestial being.

"That is…"

Huang Liang immediately changed his course, flying towards the pavilion. As he drew near and landed, he bowed respectfully, "Huang Liang of the Imperial Heaven Sect pays respect to Senior Liu."

If other cultivators from the Soaring Dragon World saw this scene, they would probably be startled.

Huang Liang of the Imperial Heaven Sect was the Sect Master; in terms of status, position, or cultivation, he was among the top of this world.

There are very few people in this world whom he would address so respectfully as a senior.

And the man holding the scroll in blue was certainly one of them.

Haoran Academy, Liu Tianyi.

His status in the Haoran Academy was equivalent to Huang Liang's master, Li Sa.

When Huang Liang was still very young, he had accompanied Li Sa to meet Liu Tianyi, and despite many years passing, he still dared not forget and recognized him at first sight.

While bowing, Huang Liang pondered; it was said that Senior Liu's lifespan was nearly at its end. He had spent many years quietly cultivating in Haoran Academy. Now, he had appeared here—could it be…

"I have been friends with your master for many years; in our youth, we even had a few matches. Later each of us led the Imperial Heaven Sect and Haoran Academy for many years, neither conceding to the other. But ultimately, I won—he did not live as long as me, hahaha." Liu Tianyi put down the scroll he was holding and laughed heartily, appearing very pleased.

Huang Liang showed surprise and said solemnly, "Senior summoned me here just to tell me this?"

It made no sense that he would encounter Liu Tianyi here on his journey northward; nor did it make sense that he would have discovered Liu Tianyi so easily. Clearly, the encounter was deliberate.

His master had died, and naturally, he did not want to hear any disparaging talk about him, even if it came from Liu Tianyi.

Liu Tianyi glanced at him indifferently and said, "Don't take it to heart. In fact, for people like your master and myself, death may not necessarily be a bad thing; sometimes, it's living that is the most painful."

A cultivator's life pursuit is what? Nothing more than higher realms, stronger cultivation—climbing one peak after another, experiencing one vista after another. Whether it's Li Sa or Liu Tianyi, both are rare geniuses in the Soaring Dragon World every hundred years. Individuals like them should not have been limited to the Cloud River Realm. Yet, due to the constraints of heaven and earth, they still could not find the path ahead.

If one doesn't know there's a path ahead, it's fine.

But there is indeed a road ahead, not only a road but also a long and broad one.

For ordinary cultivators at the Cloud River Realm, there might not be much sentiment, but for Li Sa and Liu Tianyi, although they were alive, their lives were filled with agony.

Huang Liang lowered his gaze, considering how his master had secluded himself over the years, making it difficult to meet even for him, his direct disciple. Even when they did meet, he could not feel any joy from his master, only a heavy air of gloom and silence.

He knew Liu Tianyi was not merely offering consolation.

With any hostility dissipating from his heart, Huang Liang lowered his gaze and spoke, "Senior's lesson is well taken." He then asked, "Senior has come out of seclusion; could it be you are also headed north?"

Liu Tianyi nodded, "I have a premonition, and I must take a look before I can feel at ease."

"Has Senior perceived something?"

This was the most perplexing aspect for Huang Liang, he knew that individuals like his own Reverent Master and Liu Tianyi, were in fact bearing a portion of Soaring Dragon World's destiny within them. Thus, even if their cultivation was restricted to the Cloud River Realm just like other cultivators, their true strength was far stronger than what anyone in the Cloud River Realm could comprehend, and they could sense things beyond the notice of ordinary people.

Before the Reverent Master passed away in meditation, he clearly noticed something, had Liu Tianyi sensed anything?

"Hard to say... not sure!" Liu Tianyi shook his head.

Hard to say implied there were some things he couldn't disclose, not sure meant Liu Tianyi himself hadn't actually noticed anything useful, just a vague feeling that there was some anomaly in the north.

Huang Liang was momentarily scratching his head in frustration, thinking to himself, why are you, a learned man, playing word games with me?

He felt it wasn't appropriate to ask further.

"Then, Senior here, are you waiting for me?"

"Waiting for you is just incidental, mainly I'm waiting for that old immortal," Liu Tianyi replied.

"That old immortal..." Huang Liang's eyelid twitched, the only person who could be referred to as the old immortal by Liu Tianyi, aside from his own master, was probably one other person.

Could it be...that person had left seclusion?

As he thought this, a voice like the tolling of morning bells and evening drums reached his ears, "Long time no see, layman, you're still the same old self."

The voice was loud but not ear-piercing, striking a chord in Huang Liang and causing him to lift his head. He saw a gaunt figure strolling toward him in the distance, at first glimpse still far away, but in the blink of an eye, halfway there, and with another blink, already before him.

Shrinking Earth to Inches!

Huang Liang was shocked, rumor had it that this was a secret technique cultivators could practice only when they reached the True Lake Realm, and he had never imagined he would witness it with his own eyes.

The newcomer clearly couldn't be from the True Lake Realm, but still, he had mastered this secret technique.

These elders, terrifying in their age, bearing great destiny on their shoulders, each and every one of them was truly formidable.

"I pay my respects to the Grandmaster!" hurriedly, Huang Liang bowed in salute.

The emaciated, bald monk before him looked as though he was just skin and bones. Older by many years than his own master Li Sa, he was the oldest person in the entire Soaring Dragon World. How could Huang Liang dare to show anything but respect in front of such a figure?

For a moment, he felt sentimental, usually others would call him senior and bow to him, but today, of the three present, he was the youngest and of the lowest status.

"I don't believe in Buddhism, I'm not any kind of layman, don't talk nonsense, old monk," Liu Tianyi expressed his displeasure.

Fa Hua wore a smile, "Buddha is in the heart, whether one believes or not, what does it matter?" Turning his head toward Huang Liang, he asked, "Are you the young boy who used to be by Benefactor Li's side?"

Huang Liang promptly replied, "Yes, that's me."

Fa Hua nodded, "In the blink of an eye, it's been more than a hundred years. Benefactor Li has ascended to the Pure Land, congratulations are in order."

What's there to congratulate, Huang Liang couldn't help but chuckle bitterly to himself, feeling that his views somehow didn't align with those of the two seniors?

Liu Tianyi snorted, "Old monk, before you left, I did a divination for you. Looking at it now, your brow is shrouded in darkness, death is clinging to you, I'm afraid you don't have long to live! Did you prepare the matters for after your death with your disciples before you left?"

Fa Hua's smile grew even broader, his long eyebrows trembling, "If that's to happen, it would be my fortune, but as for the matters after death... coming into the world with nothing, leaving with nothing, without regrets in life, why bother with what's left behind? On the contrary, layman, knowing the danger of this journey, why bother coming?"

Liu Tianyi chuckled, "If this old immortal can come, why can't I?"

Fa Hua sighed, "In the end, there must still be someone to watch over this world."

"That need not be me," Liu Tianyi waved his hand, "Children and grandchildren will have their own luck, why worry so much?"

Fa Hua fell silent. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

As the two spoke, Huang Liang stood to the side with lowered eyebrows, like a quail without a nest in the harsh winter...

He could not interject, nor did he dare to interject.

Why did I think of journeying north? What karma have I accrued?

"Shall we go? What are you waiting for?" Liu Tianyi spoke.

"Let's go," Fa Hua nodded.

Then, both turned their gazes toward Huang Liang, who stood by attentively, his eyes following his nose and his nose following his heart.

Huang Liang jolted, immediately Insightful of the intentions of the two old seniors, and quickly summoned his Flying Spirit Artifact, throwing it before him and said, "Please, Seniors!"

Being of the lowest status, who else but himself should handle the task of weapon control for the journey? Surely, he couldn't expect the two seniors to do it?

He never imagined that one day, he, the Sect Master of the Imperial Heaven Sect, would be ordered about like this, and yet, he dared not voice any complaints.

Liu Guang sped up, rushing towards the north at breakneck speed.