"Heaven-Guide Venerable is dead, what's the big deal...?"
Old Ox kept walking, scoffing, "These ancient folks act like they've never seen death before—so noisy my head's about to explode... Heaven-Guide Venerable is dead? Heaven-Guide Venerable is dead!"
Unable to help himself, he shouted at the top of his lungs, forgetting to call for Quinn, Kai, and the others, and rushed out of Wind-Splendor Pavilion. Outside, the commotion hadn't died down: some people were weeping, some stood in shock, others ran to confirm the news, and when they did, collapsed helplessly to the ground, dazed and lost.
Old Ox's heart was in chaos, sensing that the ancient sages attending the assembly had suddenly lost their backbone.
He stared blankly at the noisy, panicked crowd outside. When Heaven-Guide Venerable was alive, this place was a thriving era in the midst of reform. But now, with news of his death, everyone suddenly turned into headless flies.
The prospect of an imminent golden age suddenly dimmed.
The death of a great leader was a devastating blow to the people of this era.
Old Ox was bewildered: "How could he just die? How could he die like this? Impossible, right? Is this some kind of joke? This joke has gone too far..."
Footsteps sounded behind him. Quinn, Kai, and Venerable Skysoar approached, their faces just as bewildered. Inside the building, they had heard the crying and chaos outside; the news of Heaven-Guide Venerable's death hit them like a thunderbolt.
Quinn and Kai were time-travelers to this era and had only interacted with Heaven-Guide Venerable once, but their impression of him was excellent.
They held Heaven-Guide Venerable in high esteem, believing him to be a world-shaping ancient leader who would lead the postnatal beings into a new age.
Their evaluation of Heaven-Guide Venerable was extremely high, but such a young leader, just waiting to realize his lifelong ambitions, suddenly died—Quinn and Kai couldn't accept it.
Venerable Skysoar found it even harder to accept.
Quinn and Kai hadn't interacted much with Heaven-Guide Venerable, but she had grown up on his legends. Later she met him, and he cared for her like an elder brother, giving her much encouragement.
After she opened the Six Directions Treasury, she turned to researching the nonexistence of time, aiming to prove it with divine arts. Although Heaven-Guide Venerable didn't think her research would succeed and felt she'd gone astray, he still treated her extremely well.
Heaven-Guide Venerable's death hit her hard.
Her face pale, she staggered forward. Quinn whispered, "Follow her, let's see what's going on!"
The three immediately followed Venerable Skysoar. Ahead, crowds filled every corner of the auxiliary palace; people were lost in grief, and even demigods in the sky looked on.
"How could Heaven-Guide Venerable suddenly die?"
Kai whispered, "Someone of his level can't be killed by mere divine-ability practitioners. Only a demigod or ancient god could do it."