Chapter 536

Li Yi did not look at the statue of the god in the temple for long. In his view, this statue was too weak. That level of cosmic energy did not pose any danger to him and was not worth too much attention. Therefore, this world was the same as previously judged; the danger level was not high.

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

"I am Tai Yi, a wandering Daoist. The sky 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 everyone."

Li Yi spoke, and at the same time performed a salute. Although he did not look like a Daoist priest, he was a genuine cultivator of the Dao.

Old Liu was suspicious and uncertain, but he hurriedly returned the salute: "Daoist, you are too polite. I am the guide for this area, and everyone calls me Old Liu. In this wilderness, ghosts and monsters appear, and only this Mountain God Temple enshrines a Mountain God that can protect the safety of passersby. We were also delayed on our journey, and with the continuous rain and early nightfall, we stopped here to rest. Being able to meet the Daoist today is truly our good fortune; how can there be any disturbance?"

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

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

If it were a monster from the wilderness, it would definitely not dare to enter the temple through the front door.

Because there is a statue of a god staring from the front, 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 with big strides.

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

He was puzzled, but his heart remained vigilant.

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

Old Liu turned and said again. 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 was not polite either. 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 dare to spend the night? Do the windows need to be sprinkled with incense ash to ward off evil?"

"Listening to the Daoist's accent, you should not be a local. This area is the intersection of three continents, with many mountains and few main roads, and the imperial court is hard to manage, so monsters often appear. Take the mountain forest ahead, for example; ten years ago, I heard there was a Mountain Lord. There is also a mountain grave area over there; other guides have seen ghosts appearing there. There is also that forest, where foxes, snakes, and rats have all gained power. The most evil place is the Three Mountain Road. I heard that every night, a few roads can appear out of thin air on the Three Mountain Road. If someone unfamiliar rushes in, they will never come back."

Old Liu said: "Therefore, people passing through this area like to hire a guide to take them around the taboo places and safely walk out of here. I won't hide it from you, Daoist, I have been a guide here for more than ten years, and in these ten years, I have never made a single mistake. What do I rely on? Nothing but caution. If I lead the way, I will never take dangerous paths, and I set off at the hour of the Dragon and leave the area at 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 focus on hurrying, and miss this place, you will definitely enter the Three Mountain Road 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, his tone changed, and he asked: "I don't know which famous mountain the Daoist cultivates in, which high-level expert you follow, and where you are going now?"

"I cultivate the Dao with an Immortal Aunt at Dao Court Mountain. Now I plan to travel around the world and look for a relative; I have no fixed destination," Li Yi said.

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

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

"Only cultivating for a year? Then, Daoist, have you learned any magic?" Suddenly, the young scholar immediately leaned over with interest and hurriedly said: "By the way, Daoist, I am Lu Yue, a student going to Fengzhou to study."

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

"I didn't expect the Daoist to be a high-level expert. I pay my respects," Lu Yue said, hurriedly standing up and performing a respectful salute upon hearing this.

"I can't be considered a high-level expert, just an ordinary person," Li Yi shook his head and said.

Old Liu on the side was also suspicious. Could it be that he really had the good fortune today to meet a high-level expert who had attained the Dao?

At this time, another man on the side gathered some courage and said: "Daoist, I heard that after some people learn magic, they can turn stones into gold, so they don't have to worry about food and drink for a lifetime. Daoist, can you show us a magic spell so that those of us who are ignorant can open our eyes?"

"You are talking about the Art of Turning Stones into Gold. That is a very powerful major magic spell; I don't know it," Li Yi shook his head.

"Turning stones into gold, you really dare to think. You greedy guy, go aside. Is the Daoist's magic something you can see? If you annoy the high-level expert, be careful that he turns you into a stone and stands you there, suffering 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 who were traveling.

That person shut his mouth sullenly after being shouted at.

Li Yi suddenly looked to the side again and asked: "Why are there two more people hiding behind the statue of the god and not daring to come out?"

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

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

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

Afterwards, he immediately stood up and walked toward the back of the statue of the god.

Not long after.

Old Liu brought the two women out.

One woman was a woman in her early thirties, and the other was a girl of eighteen or nineteen. They were travel-worn, 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 could not help but light up suddenly.

They didn't expect this suddenly arrived Daoist to be so tall and handsome. No wonder he was considered a monster from the wilderness. Such an appearance, appearing in the wilderness, indeed easily makes people suspicious.

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

The two women hurriedly returned the salute, then sat aside without saying a word, with a bit of shyness. However, their eyes looked over here from time to time, seemingly very curious about Li Yi.

"It is not easy for women to go out. As a guide, I must send them safely out of this area. Monsters in the wilderness are a small matter on the road; what I worry about most 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 now. If you are tired from traveling all day, go and rest. I will keep watch at night, but don't sleep too soundly. If there is any movement, I will wake everyone 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 said with a yawn, feeling somewhat tired.

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

Although everyone wanted to see Li Yi perform magic and open their eyes, seeing that Li Yi had no such intention, they simply stopped nagging. It was better to sleep early, get up early tomorrow, and keep their spirits up for the journey.

Seeing that they had all rested.

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

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

"Sure enough."

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

Although he didn't trust Li Yi, the Daoist, very much, he still humbly asked for advice.

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

"Then I will have to trouble the Daoist."

Old Liu said, taking off a gourd from his waist: "Daoist, the night air is heavy. 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 to say, easy to say."

He was not greedy for someone else's pot of wine; only by accepting the item would others feel at ease.

Old Liu was indeed much more at ease. He then got up and went to the side room to take a few bundles of dry firewood that had been prepared earlier, intending to sit by the fire for the whole night.

"Daoist, you should rest first. I will watch first, and if there is anything, it won't be too late to trouble you."

Li Yi was not sleepy, but he did not refuse the other party's kindness. He just stood up, moved away from the fire, found a quiet corner to sit down, and then closed his eyes, regulating his blood and energy, trying to find the location of the fourteenth major acupoint to lay a good foundation for his next step of cultivation.

After all, coming to this world for cultivation was also one of his main goals. Soon.

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

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 had fallen asleep with peace of mind, and even Old Liu had started to doze off.

However, at midnight.

A thin and small figure suddenly darted out from the nearby mountain forest and, attracted by some kind of aura, came to the outside of this Mountain God Temple. The figure wandered around, facing the door sprinkled with incense ash, never daring to get close, 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

It was just that 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 bulge, seemingly breathing. Its breathing frequency was very strange; as Lu Yue exhaled, it inhaled, and as Lu Yue inhaled, it exhaled, repeating this over and over, as if it were breathing and exhaling.

And Lu Yue, who was sleeping, was clearly sleeping by the fire, but in his daze, he felt cold to the bone, with an indescribable chill.

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 aura of the weasel and became restless.

Suddenly.

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

At this moment, wisps of aura were flowing away 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 is somewhat evil. Human essence is the foundation of the human body. If it is lost severely, the light will cause illness, and the heavy will cause a short life.

But the advantage is that cultivation progresses very quickly, because human essence can nourish the soul and flesh. If the quantity collected is large enough, it can really gain some power. The Heaven and Earth Essence Collection Method that Li Yi cultivates has a similar cultivation method, but what he collects is not human essence, but the essence of heaven and earth.

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

Swish!

The stone flew with a burst of heart-fire energy.

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

Afterwards, the heart-fire energy permeated, and the weasel's body was immediately ignited. In an instant, its flesh and blood were burned out, leaving only a beautiful piece of fur.

"Return it to its owner."

Afterwards, Li Yi grabbed through the air, and a burst of essence was extracted from the burned flesh and blood, and then hit into the body of the scholar Lu Yue.

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

Lu Yue, who had felt very cold before, felt an indescribable warmth in his body at this time, and he fell into a comfortable sleep as if he had returned to his bed.

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

He thought tonight would pass peacefully.

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

"Help, help, who will save me?"

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

It was strange to say.

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

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

Looking at the situation of the fire in front of him, he was afraid he had 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 not hold on after less than half a night?

But when everyone heard the crying drifting in from outside, they were all scared pale.

"Old Liu, this, what is crying outside? It shouldn't be a human, right?" The scholar Lu Yue asked in horror.

"You scholar are not stupid, knowing that the one crying for help outside is not a human. This is a ghost in the mountain, leading people into the mountain. Don't leave the Mountain God Temple; once you walk out, you won't be able to come back," Old Liu said very solemnly. He then looked at the Daoist not far away.

The Daoist is steady; he is 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 sharp eyes, he immediately saw a hole in the window. At the hole, a weasel skin was hanging. The skin was shiny and much larger than ordinary skins.

He approached and reached out to take it.

Only to see that there was no bone or flesh 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 truly has real skills." Old Liu was both surprised and happy, understanding in his heart that it must have been the Daoist who took action.

Because there was not even incense ash at this window, it had nothing to do with the Mountain God.

Just as he was about to go and express his gratitude to the Daoist.

Suddenly.

At the hole in the window, Old Liu suddenly saw a strange and creepy eye peeking in from outside the window. 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 shocked and screamed, hurriedly retreating.

The others were also startled by this sudden scream.

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

Old Liu did not speak, just retreated blindly, staying as far away from the window as possible, for fear that the fierce ghost outside would pounce in and kill him.

But just at this moment.

Bang! Bang.

The tightly closed temple door suddenly heard a knocking sound, and the force was very great. The thick temple door was shaken violently by the knocking, as if it would fall down at any moment.

(End of chapter)