Chapter 536

Li Yi did not look at the statue in the temple for long. In his view, this statue was too weak; that level of cosmic energy posed no danger to him and was not worth much attention. Therefore, this world was the same as he had judged before: the danger level was not high.

Afterward, his gaze shifted to the few people in the temple.

"I am Brother Tai Yi, a wandering Daoist priest. The day is late, and passing by this place, I saw firelight in this temple, so I came to borrow a place to stay for the night. I hope I haven't disturbed anyone."

Li Yi spoke and also performed a salute. Although he didn't look like a Daoist priest, he was a genuine cultivator of the Dao.

Old Liu was suspicious but hurriedly returned the salute: "Daoist, you are too polite. I am the guide for this area; everyone calls me Old Liu. In this wilderness, ghosts and monsters haunt the place, and only this Mountain God Temple enshrines a Mountain God that can protect travelers. We were delayed on our journey, and with the continuous rain and early nightfall, we are resting here. It is our good fortune to meet you today, Daoist; how can you talk of disturbance?"

"Daoist, come in quickly and warm yourself by the fire. It's damp and cold outside; be careful not to ruin your health."

He invited Li Yi into the temple while observing to see if this strange man was a real Daoist priest or a monster in disguise.

If it were a monster from the wilderness, it would never dare to enter the temple through the front door.

Because the front door has the statue watching, which can deter those things in the mountains and forests. Even if there are monsters harming people, they would only avoid the statue and sneak in through windows, back doors, and other places.

"Thank you." Li Yi nodded and walked into the temple in large strides.

Seeing this scene, Old Liu breathed a slight sigh of relief. Clearly, the person before him was not a monster but a genuine Daoist priest. It seemed the field mouse in his arms had smelled the aura of an expert and was afraid of being subdued as a demon or monster, which was why it was shivering. But... what was up with that incense that wouldn't light?

He was puzzled but remained vigilant in his heart.

"Alright, it's fine, it's fine. Everyone, close the doors and windows. At this hour, I estimate no other travelers will come to rest. Take out the incense ash and sprinkle it; don't be lazy."

Old Liu turned and said. After he finished speaking, he invited Li Yi to sit by the fire and thoughtfully moved a wooden stump to serve as a stool.

"Daoist, please sit."

Li Yi did not stand on ceremony. After sitting down, he asked: "Are there many ghosts and monsters in this area? Do you need the protection of the Mountain God Temple to stay the night? Do you need to sprinkle incense ash on the windows to ward off evil?"

"Listening to your accent, Daoist, you shouldn't be a local. This area is where three continents meet; there are many mountains and forests but few main roads, and the imperial court finds it hard to manage, so monsters often haunt the place. Take that mountain forest ahead, for example; I heard a Mountain Lord appeared there more than ten years ago. There is also a mountain graveyard over there; other guides have seen ghosts haunting the place. And that forest—foxes, snakes, and rats have all gained power. The most evil place is the Three Mountain Path; I heard that every night, a few more paths appear out of thin air. If someone unfamiliar drills in, they will never return."

Old Liu said: "Therefore, people passing through this area like to hire a guide to take them away from taboo places and safely walk out of here. I don't mean to boast, Daoist, but I have been a guide here for more than ten years, and I have never made a mistake in these ten years. What do I rely on? Nothing but caution. If I lead the way, I never take dangerous paths, and I start at the hour of the dragon and leave the area by the hour of the rooster, never stopping in between."

"If we are delayed like today, it doesn't matter; we come to this Mountain God Temple to spend the night and continue our journey tomorrow, and nothing will happen. Although the location of this Mountain God Temple is a bit remote, for us guides, it is one of the few good places in this area. If you are not a local, you wouldn't know there is a Mountain God Temple here. If you only care about rushing, you will miss this place, and you will definitely enter the Three Mountain Path at the hour of the dog. At that time, I'm afraid it's easy to get in but hard to get out."

He talked eloquently, telling some of his own stories, but when he reached the end, he changed the subject and asked: "I don't know which famous mountain you cultivate on, Daoist, which expert you follow, and where you are going now?"

"I follow an Immortal Aunt at Dao Court Mountain to cultivate the Dao. Now I plan to wander the world and find a relative; I have no fixed destination," Li Yi said.

"Dao Court Mountain?" Old Liu repeated, not knowing this place, but the name didn't sound like it was made up on the spot, so he continued to chat: "You must have been cultivating for some years, Daoist."

"I have been cultivating for less than a year," Li Yi said with a smile.

"Only one year of cultivation? Then have you learned any magic spells, Daoist?" Suddenly, the young scholar Lu Yue became interested and leaned over, hurriedly saying: "By the way, Daoist, I am Lu Yue, a student heading to Fengzhou to study."

Li Yi said: "I have learned three major magic spells and hundreds of minor ones. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't dare to walk in this wilderness alone; otherwise, I would have been fed to the jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards long ago."

"I didn't expect you to be an expert, Daoist. I pay my respects," Lu Yue said, hurriedly standing up and performing a respectful salute.

"I'm no expert, just an ordinary mortal," Li Yi shook his head.

Old Liu on the side was also suspicious. Could it be that he really had the good fortune to meet an enlightened expert today?

At this time, another man on the side gathered some courage and said: "Daoist, I heard that some people who have learned magic spells can turn stones into gold, so they don't have to worry about food and drink for a lifetime. Can you show us a magic spell, Daoist, so that we ignorant people can broaden our horizons?"

"You are talking about the Stone-to-Gold Technique; that is a very powerful major magic spell, and I don't know it," Li Yi shook his head.

"Stone-to-Gold, you really dare to think. You greedy guy, go aside. Is the Daoist's magic spell something you can see? If you annoy the expert, be careful he turns you into a stone and stands you there, exposed to the wind and sun for a lifetime."

Old Liu shouted, not wanting others to annoy this Daoist. Although he couldn't see what skills this Daoist had, it would be easy for him to handle the few of them traveling.

After being scolded, the man shut his mouth sullenly.

Li Yi suddenly looked to the side and asked: "Why are there two people hiding behind the statue who dare not come out?"

Old Liu's expression flickered, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Those two were hiding so well, without any movement, yet they were seen through at a glance. This Daoist really had some skills.

"Daoist, those are two women. Earlier, when they saw you walking this way, they thought you were a bad person, so I let those two women hide," Old Liu said immediately: "I was busy chatting with you, Daoist, and forgot about this matter for a moment. I am truly sorry; it almost caused a misunderstanding."

Afterward, he immediately stood up and walked behind the statue.

Not long after.

Old Liu brought the two women out.

One woman was a woman in her thirties, and the other was a girl of eighteen or nineteen. They were dusty, their faces smeared with incense ash, their heads disheveled, and their expressions were cautious and very nervous.

"Greetings, Daoist." When they saw Li Yi, their eyes suddenly lit up.

They didn't expect this suddenly arrived Daoist to be so tall and handsome. No wonder he was thought to be a monster from the wilderness; such an appearance, appearing in the wilderness, was indeed easy to make people suspicious.

Li Yi smiled slightly and nodded: "I am Brother Tai Yi, greetings."

The two women hurriedly returned the salute and then sat aside without a word, with a hint of shyness, but their eyes looked toward this side from time to time, seemingly very curious about Li Yi.

"It's not easy for women to go out. As a guide, I must send them safely out of this area. Monsters in the mountains are a small matter; the most worrying thing is that human hearts are unpredictable," Old Liu said while adding firewood to the fire.

"That makes sense," Li Yi replied.

Old Liu said: "Guests, it's not early anymore. If you are tired from traveling all day, go and rest. I will keep watch, but don't sleep too soundly. If there is any movement, I will wake you up immediately."

"With you keeping watch, I can rest easy. Daoist, I won't disturb you anymore; I'm going to rest first," the scholar Lu Yue yawned and said, somewhat tired.

The other two accompanying guests closed the doors and windows, spread out dry grass by the fire, and lay down to sleep.

Although everyone wanted to see Li Yi perform magic spells and broaden their horizons, seeing that Li Yi had no such intention, they simply stopped talking about it. It was better to sleep early, wake up early tomorrow, and keep their spirits up for the journey.

Seeing that they were all resting.

Old Liu asked cautiously: "Daoist, do you think it's peaceful here tonight?"

Li Yi looked around and sensed the surrounding aura. He smiled: "Not peaceful."

"As expected."

Old Liu's heart sank: "I had a bad premonition when the incense in the Mountain God Temple went out earlier. Daoist, how do you think we can survive this night?"

Although he didn't fully trust this Daoist, he still humbly asked for advice.

"Just sleep as usual. Meeting is fate. If any monsters from the wilderness come to disturb us, I will take action myself," Li Yi said.

"Then I will have to trouble you, Daoist."

Old Liu said, taking off a gourd from his waist: "Daoist, the night air is cold, this pot of rice wine is a tribute to you; I hope you don't mind."

Li Yi smiled slightly and did not refuse, reaching out to take it: "Easy, easy."

He wasn't greedy for someone else's pot of wine; only by accepting it would others feel at ease.

Old Liu felt much more at ease. He then stood up and went to the side room to get a few bundles of firewood he had prepared earlier, intending to sit by the fire for the night.

"Daoist, you go and rest first. I'll watch. If there's anything, it won't be too late to trouble you, Daoist."

Li Yi wasn't sleepy, but he didn't refuse the other party's kindness. He just stood up, moved away from the fire, sat down in a quiet corner, closed his eyes, adjusted his blood and energy, and tried to find the location of the fourteenth major acupoint, laying a foundation for his next step of cultivation.

After all, coming to this world to cultivate was one of his main purposes. Soon.

The Mountain God Temple quickly became quiet, and the sky outside became completely dark. From time to time, mountain winds blew, drifting in wisps of damp and cold air.

Old Liu shrank his body and added a few more pieces of firewood to make the room warmer.

In the first half of the night, everything was fine.

Everyone fell asleep peacefully, and even Old Liu dozed off.

But at midnight.

A small, thin figure suddenly darted out from the nearby mountain forest and, attracted by a certain aura, came outside this Mountain God Temple. The figure wandered around, never daring to approach the door sprinkled with incense ash, but finally stopped at a window.

Because there was no incense ash sprinkled at this window.

Soon, the figure bit through the window paper and poked half its head in.

It was actually a weasel.

!. Read

This weasel stood at the window, looking at everything in the temple. It didn't come in or leave, just stared gloomily at the sleeping scholar Lu Yue, and then its belly began to heave, seemingly breathing. Its breathing frequency was very strange; every time Lu Yue exhaled, it inhaled, and every time Lu Yue inhaled, it exhaled, repeating this over and over, as if it were breathing and exhaling.

The sleeping Lu Yue felt cold to the bone, an indescribable chill, even though he was sleeping by the fire.

But he wanted to wake up, yet his eyelids were very heavy and he couldn't open them no matter what.

Old Liu was dozing off and didn't notice, but the field mouse in his arms smelled the weasel's scent and became restless.

Suddenly.

Li Yi, who was exploring the acupoints in his body, felt an unusual aura and opened his eyes. His eyes were very bright, appearing particularly striking in the dim temple, and he saw some unusual things.

At this moment, wisps of aura were flowing out from the sleeping Lu Yue and falling into the mouth of the weasel by the window.

"Is this stealing human essence to cultivate?" Li Yi's expression flickered: "Is this the cultivation method of monsters in this world?"

However, this cultivation method was somewhat evil. Human essence is the foundation of the human body; if it is lost severely, it leads to illness in the mild case and premature death in the severe case.

But the benefit is that cultivation progress is very fast, because human essence can nourish the soul and flesh. If the amount harvested is enough, it can really gain some power. The Heaven and Earth Essence Harvesting Great Law that Li Yi cultivates has a similar cultivation method, but what he harvests is not human essence, but the essence of heaven and earth.

He then picked up a stone from the ground and threw it casually.

Swish!

The stone flew with a burst of heart fire energy.

The weasel stealing human energy at the window had just reacted when its head was pierced by the stone.

Then the heart fire energy spread, and the weasel's body was immediately ignited. In an instant, its flesh and blood were burned away, leaving only a beautiful fur.

"Return to the owner."

Li Yi grabbed through the air, extracted essence from the burned flesh and blood, and then struck it into the body of the scholar Lu Yue.

Although this essence was insignificant to him, it was a stroke of good fortune for an ordinary person, enough to strengthen his body and cure all illnesses.

Lu Yue, who had felt very cold before, now felt an indescribable warmth in his body, as if he had returned to his bed, and slept comfortably.

After solving this matter, Li Yi continued to close his eyes to visualize the Divine Martial Performance Diagram and explore the acupoints in his body.

He had thought tonight would pass peacefully.

As a result, another hour passed, and in the dead of night, everyone in the temple heard a sound drifting in from all directions.

"Help, help, someone save me."

It was a woman's voice, sounding resentful and miserable, with a hint of crying, making people feel pity.

And it was strange to say.

As soon as this sound appeared, everyone in the Mountain God Temple woke up simultaneously. No matter how comfortable they had been sleeping before, at this moment, they were immediately alert, as if there were a magical power in this sound that made people unable to resist.

"I fell asleep." Old Liu, who had been dozing, stood up in shock. He had intended to keep watch but didn't know when he had fallen into a daze.

Looking at the situation of the fire, he had probably slept for at least two or three hours.

"Damn it."

He slapped himself hard, feeling that his body was not as good as when he was young; otherwise, how could he have failed to hold on after only half the night?

But when everyone heard the crying drifting in from outside, their faces turned pale with fright.

"Old Liu, what... what is crying outside? It shouldn't be a person, right?" the scholar Lu Yue asked in terror.

"You scholar aren't stupid; you know the one crying for help outside isn't a person. This is a ghost from the mountains, luring people into the mountains. Don't leave the Mountain God Temple; once you walk out, you won't come back," Old Liu said very solemnly. He then looked at the Daoist priest not far away.

That Daoist priest was steady, still resting with his eyes closed at this time.

Fortunately, nothing happened in the first half of the night.

Wait.

Suddenly, Old Liu looked around, and with his sharp eyes, he immediately saw a hole in the window, and a weasel skin was hanging at the hole. The skin was shiny and much larger than an ordinary skin.

He approached and reached out to take it.

He saw that there was no bone or meat inside the skin, only a layer of black ash, as if it had been scorched by fire, but strangely, the skin was not damaged at all.

"That Daoist priest really has true skills," Old Liu was both surprised and happy, knowing in his heart that it must have been the Daoist priest who took action.

Because there wasn't even incense ash at this window, it had nothing to do with the Mountain God.

Just as he intended to express his gratitude to the Daoist priest.

Suddenly.

At the hole in the window, Old Liu suddenly saw a strange and creepy eye peeking in from outside. Vaguely, he seemed to see a woman's pale face.

"Ghost!"

Even though Old Liu had been a guide for more than ten years, he was still startled by this and retreated in a hurry.

The others were also startled by this sudden scream.

"Where... where is the ghost?" the scholar Lu Yue asked, trembling.

Old Liu didn't speak, just retreated blindly, staying as far away from the window as possible, fearing that the evil ghost outside would pounce in and kill him.

But at this moment.

Bang! Bang.

The tightly closed temple door suddenly heard a knocking sound, and the force was great. The heavy temple door was shaken violently, as if it could fall at any moment.

(End of chapter)