Chapter 29: Taking Shelter in the Abandoned Temple

The other elderly retainer of the Four Seas Pavilion let out a thunderous roar. His face instantly flushed crimson, his entire body radiating a dense, ferocious blood-and-killing aura, his frame swelling a full size larger as if inflated.

He moved with explosive, bounding leaps, his strength immense as an ox. Every punch that landed on the corpse-dogs left a deep, scorched, caved-in fist-print on their bodies — the destructive power of that killing aura was not to be underestimated.

Amid flying severed limbs and spraying blood, the two elderly retainers of the merchant caravan surged with killing aura, their forms resembling madmen.

Occasionally losing control, unable to fully suppress the savagery in their hearts, they even tore out the hearts and livers of rotting wolves and gnawed on them raw, right then and there — utterly inhuman.

Yet the others had long grown accustomed to this sight and showed no surprise.

Li Qingyun understood as well — this was the norm for those who cultivated the Unorthodox Path.

Back in the day, his sixteen years of Yang Blight Refinement "virgin body cultivation" had reached a certain level of mastery. When unleashed, it bore some resemblance to that red-faced elder — blood and qi surging through the whole body, strength and speed both greatly amplified, and the Yang Blight aura igniting across his frame, enough to keep wandering spirits from daring to approach.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The merchant caravan guards and other travelers swung blades and loosed arrows, sheltered by the divine radiance of the Dao Lord's effigy, cutting down the corpse-dogs and rotting wolves that dared charge at them.

Everyone brought their own methods to bear, relying on the protection of the Dao Lord's radiance to slay the fierce beasts and wandering spirits that dared to rush them.

The deaths of their companions stirred the savagery of the corpse-dogs and ghost creatures, who began hurling themselves at the traveling party without restraint.

Several streaks of yin energy seized the opportunity to mix in among the corpse-dog pack and lunged forward — but the moment they touched the radiance of the Azure Sky Dao Lord, they ignited like oil meeting flame. Amid shrill, wailing shrieks, they burned to ash in moments.

Under the relentless assault, the corpse-dogs and rotting wolves fell in droves, their carcasses becoming food for the surviving wolves and dogs.

Amid the roaring and fighting over the remains, the air was thick with the stench of blood.

Through the onslaught of fierce beasts and ghost creatures, the divine radiance from the Dao Lord effigies in everyone's hands gradually began to dim.

The group fought and advanced simultaneously, with injuries mounting steadily.

"Ahhh!"

Suddenly, a powerfully built wandering warrior let out a scream of agony.

In the heat of battle, he had carelessly stepped outside the protective circle of the Dao Effigy's radiance. A dense mass of black energy surged out from the darkness, enveloping the man and sweeping him up into the night sky.

His screams rang out across the night sky, and amid a shower of blood, a mangled skeleton plummeted down — every scrap of flesh and blood had been devoured without a trace.

Cackle, cackle, cackle!

The ghost creature's sinister laughter echoed through the night sky, sending chills crawling through everyone's hearts.

"Vile creature — die!"

Fury flashed in Wang Muyun's eyes. The fire energy around her erupted violently as she raised her hand and struck.

The vermilion Dharma Pearl flashed with brilliant light and plunged into that dense mass of black energy.

Boom!

Sparks of fire scattered, and the black energy dispersed.

In that fleeting instant of light, Li Qingyun caught a glimpse of the true form within the black energy — it was a malevolent ghost clad in tattered rags, with a blue-green face, protruding fangs, hollow eyeless sockets crawling with maggots.

The blue-faced ghost swiped its claws in a direct clash against Wang Muyun's Dharma Pearl, sending the pearl flying — but in doing so, its body was ignited by sparks of fire energy, and it quickly became a blazing torch.

It let out a howl of hatred and turned to flee.

"Die!"

Li Qingyun, who had long been poised and ready, activated the Thunder Seal. A thunderous boom split the air, and a blinding bolt of lightning crashed down from above, detonating amid the fire and ghost energy.

Under the thunder's blast, the ghost energy scattered in all directions, and the blue-faced ghost let out a wretched, agonized wail.

Yet this ferocious evil ghost did not die outright — it fled desperately into the vast darkness of the night.

Still, its ghost energy was thoroughly shattered, its power reduced to less than a tenth of what it had been. For the time being, it posed no further threat.

This was the first true evil ghost the group had encountered.

Wandering spirits, evil ghosts, red-robed entities, sinister apparitions…

This blue-faced ghost was, in some respects, comparable to a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Yet in a single exchange, it had run into Wang Muyun — who cultivated a true fire technique — and Li Qingyun — who wielded the might of thunder — and had nearly been slain outright.

Of course, the credit belonged primarily to Wang Muyun of Biyou Palace. Her fire techniques were exceptionally pure and formidable; she was in all likelihood at the eighth or ninth layer of the Qi Refining Stage.

Fighting and advancing all the while, relying on the combined strength of Wang Muyun, Zhao Yifan, Li Qingyun, and the two elderly retainers of the Four Seas Pavilion, the group finally endured through the most grueling stretch of the journey.

At last, the corpse-dogs and ghost creatures gradually dispersed.

After some time — no one could say exactly how long — a brightness appeared ahead.

In the darkness before them, a dazzling blaze of firelight emerged, illuminating the wild night sky.

Beneath the firelight stood a dilapidated abandoned temple, rising atop a small hill beside the crossroads where two main roads met.

Ringing the temple was a circle of torches, and the air was thick with the smell of burning oil.

The crumbling walls on all four sides of the temple were plastered with layer upon layer of Daoist talismans — old ones beneath new ones — emanating a solemn aura of Daoist power that was enough to deter ordinary ghosts and demons. This was the main reason the temple had become a reliable resting point for merchant travelers passing through from north and south.

Before the temple gate, numerous carts and horses were parked, with guards and wandering warriors patrolling back and forth with swords at their sides.

Occasionally, the sounds of laughter and conversation drifted out from inside the temple.

"You've both worked hard, fellow cultivators!"

Upon catching sight of the abandoned temple, Wang Muyun — her aura somewhat weakened — gave Li Qingyun and his companion a nod, then took out a pill vial, swallowed a few Minor Herb Pills, and settled cross-legged on the carriage with eyes half-closed to meditate and recover, saying nothing more.

Zhao Yifan's face had also gone pale; his Dharma Power consumption had been quite severe. He took out a pill and swallowed it.

Li Qingyun's own consumption had actually been minimal. He had unleashed thunder only a handful of times during the journey, mainly intervening at critical moments to rescue others or break through encirclements.

Of course, the big black cat's contributions had also been credited to him — all things considered, he had more than lived up to the name of a Lingbao Temple disciple.

The steward Qian, his nerves finally settling, stepped forward to negotiate with the others already present.

It turned out that those who had taken shelter in the abandoned temple ahead of them were primarily the Cai Clan of Luoshui — a group of over thirty — along with a scattering of other travelers.

"We are with the Four Seas Pavilion merchant caravan. These two are elite disciples of Lingbao Temple. We also need to rest and spend the night here — sorry to impose on everyone!"

"Ah, Steward Qian — no need for formalities!"

"We are the Cai Clan of Luoshui County. Our young mistress visited Lingbao Temple today to offer incense and pray for a child. She is very tired and resting inside the temple — we ask that everyone please refrain from disturbing her."

"Of course. We'll rest out here in front of the temple and take turns keeping watch through the night…"

The interior of the temple had already been taken by the young mistress of the Cai Clan and the other women of her party. Wang Muyun and Qian Fuguang had no objections, and Li Qingyun and his companion cared even less.

What did catch Li Qingyun's attention were the words of the Cai Clan's head guard, which stirred a faint ripple in his thoughts.

"The young mistress of the Cai Clan went to Lingbao Temple to pray for a child — that should be legitimate enough. I wonder what that fellow He Xiao was up to…"

He had heard of the Cai Clan of Luoshui County — a family whose influence was no less than that of the Marquis of Qinghe's Manor.

Luoshui County town was relatively close to Maple Mountain and Lingbao Temple, so many wealthy households would go to Lingbao Temple to offer incense, request talismans, and commission ritual ceremonies.

The Four Seas Pavilion merchant caravan and the others had fought their way through the night and were utterly exhausted. Upon reaching the abandoned temple, they quickly set about boiling water, cooking food, arranging the grounds, and pitching tents or simply spreading mats on the ground.

Everyone wolfed down their food, replenishing their strength.

The two Unorthodox Path elders of the Four Seas Pavilion ate with particularly alarming ferocity. They had returned to their normal human appearance, but their faces were pale and their auras listless — like starving ghosts, they gulped down food and drink in huge mouthfuls.

The merchant caravan had also specially slaughtered two lambs. The two retainers clutched the blood basins and drank the fresh lamb's blood in great gulps, like wild beasts — a rather unsettling sight.

Li Qingyun also noticed that the elder who had earlier half-transformed into a half-human, half-fox form slipped away after dinner to a corner of the temple wall, where he quietly produced a blood-soaked, reeking rotting wolf heart and devoured it with ravenous, tearing bites.

Those who cultivated the Unorthodox Path and unleashed transcendent power always suffered various aftereffects — drinking beast blood and eating demon flesh was considered mild. Some even had to drink human blood.

Ordinary people could not touch the parts of ghosts and demons at all. Coming into contact with yin energy or demon energy meant death — or at the very least, losing half one's life.