“Alas...”
He gazed at the Disciple before him for a long time.
Suddenly, the old Daoist let out a long, melancholic sigh.
The sigh carried unwillingness, regret, and helplessness.
“Master, what’s wrong?”
The young Daoist boy beside him, hearing the sigh, quickly scurried over, blinking his big eyes and looking at his Master somewhat nervously.
The old Daoist shook his head at the question.
“Sect Leader.”
A middle-aged Daoist beside them also sensed something was amiss and immediately walked towards them.
Upon reaching the Sect Leader, he softly called out.
The old Daoist looked at the middle-aged Daoist and spoke with a lack of vigor.
“How many times have I told you, call me Senior Brother, don’t call me Sect Leader.”
Biluo Temple was so desolate now; he didn't like others calling him Sect Leader anymore.
He still preferred his Disciples to call him Master, or Senior Brother, as such titles felt more intimate.
The middle-aged Daoist quickly corrected himself, “Senior Brother.”
The old Daoist nodded slightly, then slowly stood up, beckoned to the middle-aged Daoist, and headed towards the back mountain.
The middle-aged Daoist quickly followed.
A moment later, the two arrived at the back mountain.
From the back mountain, looking out, the world outside was vast, making one feel a sense of grandeur.
“I used to love the scenery here. Whenever I saw such a vast world, I believed I would surely succeed in Cultivating the Dao and be able to revitalize Biluo Temple.”
The old Daoist looked at the scene before him, his eyes filled with reminiscence, a smile on his lips.
However, beneath his hunched body, there was no longer any heroic Qi, only the Qi of old age.
“Senior Brother, with your ability, you will definitely be able to revitalize our Biluo Temple!”
The middle-aged Daoist quickly spoke upon hearing this.
The old Daoist coughed and then waved his hand, his face full of loneliness and reluctance.
“Senior Brother, I have lived for two hundred and thirty years now. This is already an extraordinary grace from the heavens, allowing this old Daoist to live for so long.”
“Now, my Cultivation is incomplete, and my time is almost up. I fear I will ascend soon.”
“I have come to terms with life and death, but I truly cannot rest assured about Biluo Temple.”
As the old Daoist spoke, his expression was complex and filled with reluctance.
Back then, his Senior Brother had also handed this Daoist sect to him in this manner, hoping he could restore the name of Biluo Temple.
However, despite his countless efforts, he had never found the way.
Now, among Biluo Temple, those with a bit of Cultivation were only him and his Junior Brother.
As for the other Disciples, none had even entered the Dao.
If this continued, Biluo Temple would sooner or later become no different from those Daoist sects in the mortal world.
“Senior Brother!”
The middle-aged Daoist’s face instantly changed color upon hearing this.
The Senior Brother before him was the pillar of their Biluo Temple; once he passed away, Biluo Temple would likely...
Thinking of this, his heart became incredibly anxious.
The old Daoist, however, waved his hand, “To think of how formidable our Biluo Temple once was, with every Disciple possessing profound Daoist cultivation.”
“If it weren't for the great tribulation of heaven and earth back then, where all of Biluo Temple fought to the death to resist it, our Biluo Temple would not have fallen to its current state.”
The old Daoist sighed softly.
He had only heard about how Biluo Temple was in the past.
Just hearing about the prosperous state of the Daoist sect filled him with longing.
If he could witness such a glorious era, he would die without regrets.
“Senior Brother, I can no longer hold on. From now on, the burden of Biluo Temple will likely fall upon you, Junior Brother.”
“Senior Brother is incompetent, making you bear the burden of Biluo Temple. Do not blame Senior Brother.”
The old Daoist said this, turning to look at his Junior Brother and speaking earnestly.
Now, among all of Biluo Temple, only he and his Junior Brother had some Daoist cultivation.
Thus, this burden could only be handed to his Junior Brother to bear.
If he could, he also wished he could bear the burden of Biluo Temple and shelter his Junior Brother from the wind and rain.
But...
“Senior Brother!”
The middle-aged Daoist before him immediately became anxious.
Ever since he entered the Daoist sect as a child, he had followed his Senior Brother. Now, hearing his Senior Brother's words, his heart was instantly burning with anxiety, and sweat immediately soaked his Daoist robes.
“No, Senior Brother, is there no other method to extend your life?”
“Senior Brother, if you leave, how can I, your Junior Brother, bear the burden of revitalizing Biluo Temple?”
“You also said that the great tribulation of heaven and earth from back then has not ended and will reappear in the future. If you leave, what will happen when that great tribulation comes?”
“Once we cannot cope with this tribulation, then perhaps lives will be devastated, and this world will no longer be the world it is now!”
The middle-aged Daoist before him was incredibly flustered, constantly recalling some ancient texts within Biluo Temple, trying to find a method to extend life.
The old Daoist sighed at this, reaching out and placing his hand on his Junior Brother’s shoulder.
Back then, when this burden fell upon him, he was also as fearful and anxious as his Junior Brother.
He also felt that he could not bear the burden of Biluo Temple.
However, back then, when he saw the hopeful gaze of his Senior Brother, he still gritted his teeth and agreed.
It was for the sake of not disappointing his Senior Brother and not wanting Biluo Temple to decline like that.
But he had tried for so long, and it seemed to have no effect.
“Junior Brother, the burden of Biluo Temple can only fall upon you, but you don't need to worry too much.”
“Senior Brother recently browsed ancient texts and found and learned a method of fortune-telling.”
A smile appeared on the old Daoist’s face at this moment.
The middle-aged Daoist was startled upon hearing this, “Fortune-telling? Senior Brother, I heard that if a fortune-telling method reveals heavenly secrets, it will incur heavenly wrath.”
“I am already near death, so what if I incur heavenly wrath?”
The old Daoist shook his head, “I have already decided. I will perform a divination then, to calculate a future for you and Biluo Temple, which will surely lessen your burden.”
The old Daoist’s words struck the middle-aged Daoist like lightning, and then the middle-aged Daoist quickly spoke.
“Senior Brother, if this fortune-telling method is so powerful, why don't you perform a divination to see how you can extend your life?”
At this moment, he was still worried about his Senior Brother’s health.
If his Senior Brother was fine, then Biluo Temple would also have hope.
The old Daoist smiled upon hearing this, “I suppose I can only perform this divination once. If calculating my own fate doesn't work, wouldn't that be a waste of this opportunity?”
“Giving this opportunity to you and Biluo Temple will lead to greater vitality.”
He had already decided. If he were to calculate his own fate with this divination, he might die at the very moment the calculation was finished.
Therefore, leaving this divination for his Junior Brother would ensure that it could be effective.
“Senior Brother...”
The middle-aged Daoist stood stunned upon hearing this, his face filled with hesitation and reluctance.
“Senior Brother, if you don’t perform this divination, will you live a little longer?”
At this moment, he seemed to realize something.
His eyes widened, staring intently at his Senior Brother.