Chapter 259: Snow Transformation (Second update delivered!)

Ten years had passed since the last time he comprehended the Heavenly Dao. Wang Lin had lived on this street for over thirty years. He had become completely aged, his hair entirely white, and his face covered in deep wrinkles.

Big Ox's mother passed away seven years ago, having fallen ill from grief. Since then, the entire burden of the ironware shop had fallen onto Big Ox. Just like his father before him, he supported the family, deeply loved his wife, and constantly nagged his grown son to learn blacksmithing so he could inherit the trade.

This scene was almost exactly the same as it had been back then; only the people had changed.

However, this situation did not last long. Three years ago, Big Ox's son, Zeng Xiaoniu, was noticed by an itinerant Cultivator from the White Cloud Sect, taken as a Disciple, and went with him to the White Cloud Sect.

That same year, the itinerant Daoist bestowed upon him the name Zeng Wenzhuo.

Big Ox was quite proud that his child was following an Immortal Elder, and he told almost everyone he met. Everyone on the street knew about it.

Wang Lin felt no surprise that Zeng Wenzhuo was noticed by a White Cloud Sect Cultivator. As far back as when Xiaoniu was young, Wang Lin had seen that the child possessed a Spiritual Vein for cultivation, and his Aptitude was several times better than Wang Lin's had been back then.

The only bond Wang Lin formed during his Mortal life in the Capital was with Big Ox's family. This was the cause, and thus, when Xiaoniu was a child, Wang Lin often gave him Medicinal Pills that changed his Physique, thereby resolving the effect of this lifetime.

In this way, Xiaoniu's physical Aptitude naturally grew better and better, and there was nothing strange about him being noticed by a White Cloud Sect Cultivator. Although the White Cloud Sect Cultivator only had Core Formation cultivation, Wang Lin secretly observed his nature, and it was not bad; he was completely different from his Master Sun Dazhu back then.

Therefore, Wang Lin did not interfere and let nature take its course. After all, this was all he could help with. As for Zeng Wenzhuo's future development and path, Wang Lin was no longer concerned.

Once Xiaoniu left, Big Ox hired several assistants. This actually broke his father's rule. According to what his father used to say, their Zeng Family shop sold craftsmanship, and they absolutely couldn't hire others, otherwise, if the skill was learned by someone else, wouldn't that be shooting oneself in the foot?

But clearly, Big Ox did not follow his father's rules. Since hiring assistants, he stopped managing the shop and instead reverted to his teenage habits, spending all day clinging to Wang Lin, watching him make wood carvings.

Having such a middle-aged man serving him daily brought back some of Wang Lin's past memories.

Perhaps because Wang Lin had watched Big Ox grow up since childhood, ever since his mother passed away, Big Ox would bring his wife, prepare the New Year's Eve dinner, and bring it to Wang Lin's place every New Year, treating him like his own father, and the family would gather together.

Big Ox's wife, the daughter of the tailor shop owner, was also a virtuous woman. She understood her husband's intentions, and so, when she saw Wang Lin, her gaze gradually changed, and like Big Ox, she treated Wang Lin as her elder.

In this way, Wang Lin, during his Mortal life in the Capital, experienced a warmth in his later years that he had never felt before. This warmth was very foreign to him, but he did not reject it.

Xu Tao had also changed from a middle-aged man into an old man with slightly graying hair. His status had risen, and he had become the Chief Advisor to the Prince. As for this Prince, he was not the Southern Prince of yesteryear, but the Heir Apparent.

After the Heir Apparent inherited the princely title, his filial piety toward Wang Lin did not decrease; instead, it grew. Most importantly, almost every time, he would personally come, disregarding his status, and bow to greet him.

Over the years, Wang Lin actually admired this Prince quite a bit. After all, this person was a member of the imperial family in the Human Realm, and to achieve this level required considerable perseverance.

Perhaps having experienced a lot, this person gradually understood that there were too many people in this world who could crush him with a single finger, and no one would care.

His reverence towards Wang Lin was nothing more than an attempt to curry favor and ensure his lifelong safety.

That winter, a heavy snow fell—a snow Wang Lin had never seen in his thirty-odd years here. The heavy snow almost enveloped the entire Capital in a thick white veil. The snow piled up on eaves and trees was as deep as the height of a three-to-five-year-old child.

Furthermore, many houses were crushed by the sudden snowfall, and even beggars were frozen to death. Almost every morning, people would discover one or two stiff, huddled corpses in the corners of the capital.

The snow was extremely strange. People who had lived in the Capital for generations often debated it in inns and teahouses. The entire Capital had not seen such heavy snow in several hundred years.

The snowflakes continued, slowly drifting down from the sky, gradually covering the footprints people had just made on the ground. Soon, they would be completely invisible.

The heavy snow forced most shops in the Capital to close. The street Wang Lin lived on was already quite remote, so after the snow fell, hardly a soul could be seen all day long. Everyone was hiding by their stoves at home, keeping warm and waiting for the snowy days to pass.

This snow was indeed strange and suspicious. The moment the first snowflake fell on the first day, Wang Lin detected a faint, almost imperceptible trace of Killing Intent contained within the snowflakes. This Killing Intent was weak, but considering that this snow covered the entire territory of the Four Sects Alliance, the Killing Intent contained within it was virtually monstrous.

The reason for the widespread drop in temperature was precisely this Killing Intent!

This snow did not fall from the clouds in the sky; rather, it appeared silently out of the Void Realm. Otherwise, where would such massive cloud cover capable of dropping heavy snow across the entire territory of the Four Sects Alliance come from?

On the third day of this strange heavy snow, the nine black wooden pillars in the Capital, where Cultivators usually meditated year-round, were suddenly split in half by streaks of massive thunder and lightning descending from the sky. Even the Cultivators inside had no chance to escape and were struck dead by the lightning.

Simultaneously with this incident, all the black wooden pillars in all the cities within the Four Sects Alliance were shattered by this sudden lightning.

Immediately afterward, besides the scattered snowflakes in the sky, countless Jade Slips flew out rapidly from the four directions—east, south, west, and north. These Jade Slips sped through the entire territory of the Four Sects Alliance. Although the Jade Slips were fast, as soon as they encountered a Cultivator with Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation or above, they would immediately land in their hands.

One of the Jade Slips, under Wang Lin's summons, had originally streaked across the sky above his shop, but it immediately flew back, entered the shop, and landed in Wang Lin's hand.

Grasping the Jade Slip, Wang Lin swept it with his Divine Sense and heard a grim voice inside: "All Cultivators within the territory of our Four Sects Alliance, prepare for a great battle! Our four sects—Shuimo Sect, White Cloud Sect, Qingmu Cliff, and Black Soul Sect—will widely open our gates to gather all Rogue, Demonic, and Ascetic Cultivators. Failure to comply will result in consequences!"

Wang Lin remained silent for a moment, then crushed the Jade Slip with his right hand. His body flickered, disappearing from the shop, and when he reappeared, he was already above the Capital.

After appearing, his body suddenly moved, continuing to speed upward. Soon, ten thousand miles above, he found the source of the heavy snow. The snowflakes were appearing silently from the Void Realm here.

Wang Lin stared at the Void Realm for a moment and quickly discovered a clue: in several places within the Void Realm, faint Restriction ripples were emanating. These Restrictions were likely meant for concealment.

If it were other Divine Abilities or Spells, it would still be somewhat difficult for Wang Lin to break them, but since they were Restrictions, he was fearless. He wiped his eyes with his right hand, and immediately, a faint light scattered from his eyes. Staring at the Void Realm, after a long time, he continuously waved his hands. Half an incense stick later, streaks of Phantom Restrictions sped out from his hands.

The Phantom Restrictions landed on a spot in the Void Realm. Gradually, wisps of white Qi dispersed from there, as if ice and snow were being baked. Slowly, the white Qi in that part of the Void Realm suddenly thickened. After a moment, the white Qi gradually dissipated, revealing the true appearance inside.

Wang Lin focused his gaze, and his expression instantly changed drastically!

He saw a massive Rift, about a Hundred Zhang long, appear in the Void Realm ten thousand miles above, and countless snowflakes were blowing out from within these Rifts.

Wang Lin swept with his Divine Sense and saw that within a radius of tens of thousands of miles, there were no fewer than a hundred Restrictions containing such Rifts. This was only within tens of thousands of miles. According to Wang Lin's analysis, there were likely countless such Rifts in the Void Realm throughout the entire territory of the Four Sects Alliance.

What also startled him was that the Rifts seemed to possess a specific suction force targeting Divine Sense, which Wang Lin immediately noticed when his Divine Sense swept past.

Fortunately, his Divine Sense was powerful enough that he broke free with a slight struggle.

Wang Lin pondered for a moment. He did not act rashly but descended, returning to his shop. During his descent, everything he saw was a world of white; the snow was getting heavier and heavier.

Wang Lin returned to the shop, feeling a sense of foreboding in his heart, a feeling that deepened the moment he saw the massive Rifts. He pondered for a moment, then laughed self-deprecatingly. This was the territory of the Four Sects Alliance. There was no need for him to worry about such strange matters; naturally, Cultivators with stronger cultivation than him would handle it.

However, the Rifts in the sky remained like a dark cloud, hanging over Wang Lin's heart.

Just then, Wang Lin's expression suddenly shifted. He looked up at the shop door. After a moment, he heard rhythmic knocking sounds echoing—the interval between each two knocks was exactly the same.

—

There will be one more update later. Fellow Daoists, I've worked hard. How about helping renegade immortal climb from fifth place to fourth? We are only short by a few dozen votes!