Chapter 538

As the sky gradually brightened.

The people in the Mountain God Temple were both relieved and joyful; they had finally survived a very dangerous night. If it weren't for Li Yi's presence, Old Liu believed that they would likely have ended up like those before them, disappearing mysteriously and dying in this wilderness.

And after last night's events, everyone was especially respectful toward Li Yi, believing him to be a high person who knew magic. As long as he was there, the ghosts and monsters in the mountain forest would not dare to approach.

"Daoist Priest, it's dawn. Should we continue our journey? If we are late, I'm afraid we won't be able to pass the Three-Way Junction ahead, and then we'll have to stay another night in the wilderness. With the Daoist Priest's abilities, you naturally don't need to worry, but we are mere mortals and dare not take such risks."

After everything was packed up, Old Liu respectfully came to Li Yi's side to ask.

The others also looked at Li Yi with eager eyes, hoping that this Daoist Priest would travel with them. In this way, the rest of the road would definitely be very safe, and they wouldn't have to worry about any accidents happening.

Li Yi slowly opened his eyes, ending a day of cultivation, and said: "You want me to protect you for a leg of the journey?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare, I just want to follow the Daoist Priest for a stretch of the road and bask in your glory." Old Liu said hurriedly.

Li Yi looked at the statue in the temple and said: "Speaking of which, there is a part of me to blame for the danger you encountered last night. Very well, since I have no fixed abode anyway, I will travel with you; we'll see where we end up."

As soon as these words were spoken, the scholar Lu Yue and the other travelers were all overjoyed.

"The Daoist Priest is benevolent; I am deeply grateful." Old Liu bowed politely.

"No need for such courtesy. Since everyone is ready, let's set off." Li Yi stood up, patted his Daoist robe, and without any delay, walked straight out of the Mountain God Temple.

At this moment, the morning sun was rising, clouds and mist were swirling in the mountains, and the green mountains in the distance were rolling. With every breath, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered toward him, making his body feel comfortable and his spirit refreshed.

Although the cosmic energy here was average, as long as there was no pollution, the speed of cultivation would not be slow.

It was just that Li Yi had not yet opened the fourteenth meridian point and could not absorb the metal energy of heaven and earth into his lung meridian. However, after a night of cultivation, he had made some progress, though it still required time to hone. Still, he wanted to have some contact with the practitioners of this world to see what their cultivation methods were like and whether they could be of help to him.

As Li Yi stepped out of the temple.

Old Liu hurriedly told the others to keep up and not fall behind.

Li Yi's pace was vigorous, his posture light. Although he was just walking down the steps, he gave people the feeling that he could soar into the air at any moment, possessing an indescribable sense of agility. But when walking on flat ground, his pace was like a dragon or a tiger, and his gaze held a great majesty that made people look upon him with awe.

Yesterday evening, everyone hadn't seen clearly, but in the daylight, they realized what kind of demeanor and extraordinary presence this Daoist Priest before them possessed.

The group walked down the mountain along the mountain path. On the way, there was truly no danger at all; they didn't even hear the cornering of any wild beasts in the mountains.

"Old Liu, look at that mountain."

Suddenly, the scholar Lu Yue saw something, his expression changed, and he hurriedly walked a few steps faster to pull Old Liu in front, pointing to a mountain peak not far away: "That mountain shouldn't have looked like that yesterday, right?"

Old Liu cast his gaze over, and then he was startled, a look of horror appearing in his eyes.

He saw that the perfectly fine mountain peak had somehow developed a crack in the middle. The gap ran through the mountain body, neat and straight, as if it had been sliced open by some divine weapon. Moreover, the crack extended all the way from that mountain peak to the foot of the mountain, and finally, it actually aligned with the Mountain God Temple behind them.

"That mountain peak must have been split open by lightning when the Daoist Priest Tai Yi was subduing demons and monsters last night." He was very certain, yet he said with a bit of fear: "The rumbling sound last night was the movement of mountain rocks rolling down. No wonder that after the Daoist Priest took action, no ghosts or monsters were seen. Having seen this scene, who would dare to stay there?"

Lu Yue looked again and was also shocked: "From that mountain top to the Mountain God Temple, although it looks close, it's at least ten miles away. Can he split a mountain from such a distance? Is he really human?"

Old Liu also remained silent. He had never encountered such an outrageous thing in his life; today, he had truly seen it.

And as the group descended the mountain, they arrived on the main road.

Although it was a main road, it was easy to lose one's way while walking on it, because the ancient trees on both sides of the road were lush and green, and wild grass was everywhere. With their line of sight blocked, you couldn't distinguish east, west, north, or south. Occasionally, when encountering a fork in the forest, you wouldn't know where it led.

There were no signposts or markings on the road.

To successfully pass through this area, an experienced guide was indispensable. Passing travelers only needed to pool some money to hire someone like Old Liu to lead them safely out of here and avoid the risk of getting lost. Of course, there were also bold ones who didn't hire anyone and waded through it themselves, but whether they could successfully walk out was unknown.

At this, everyone stopped talking and just buried their heads in the journey.

Because talking made it easy to disrupt breathing and waste energy. If they couldn't keep up later and fell behind, no one would be willing to stand in place and wait for you.

It had to be said that the people of this world truly had good stamina. They walked over ten kilometers without anyone stopping, and even the two women didn't say they were tired.

"The ancient trees here reach the sky, the mountain ranges are rolling, and spiritual veins are hidden. I don't know how many monsters have been nourished here. Although it is somewhat dangerous for ordinary people, it is very suitable for me to collect wood energy here." Li Yi was sizing up the surrounding environment, making marks in his heart, perhaps to be used later.

They walked for another stretch.

At this time, everyone was a bit tired.

But Old Liu shouted: "We are about to pass the Three-Way Junction ahead. Once we pass that, we will enter the territory of Xinzhou. Everyone, put in some effort, don't rest, and let's pass through while the sun is high at noon."

Everyone's spirits lifted, and they hurriedly quickened their pace.

Although they had heard that the Three-Way Junction was dangerous, it was their first time passing through, and no one knew what the situation ahead was like. But since the guide here said it was bad, there must be a reason. Although they had the Daoist Priest leading the way, they still didn't want to encounter any strange things. After all, the Daoist Priest was a high person, but they were not.

Li Yi also saw the so-called Three-Way Junction at this moment.

It was indeed dangerous.

A main road suddenly narrowed and entered the mountain forest, and the surrounding light instantly dimmed. Moreover, the middle of the road was surrounded by three large mountains, which made the road winding and tortuous, making it impossible to see the situation ahead clearly. Besides that, the main road split into two, and there were many forks on the left and right sides.

Each of those forks led into the dense forest; some were shortcuts around the mountain, and some were unknown ancient paths.

Entering them by mistake, it was easy to get in, but hard to get out.

"Woo-woo!"

Gusts of damp, cold wind blew from the mountain stream, and strange sounds were constant.

Fortunately, it was daytime. If it were night, once startled, and running without choosing a path, who knew where one would end up.

However, just at this moment, the older woman in the group, while walking, suddenly felt her body go limp, as if all her strength had been drained away. Her eyes rolled back, and she fell straight to the ground. The young girl walking beside her hurriedly tried to support her, but it was to no avail.

Soon, the older woman was lying on the ground, unconscious.

"No, no, it's bad, she's fainted." The young girl hurriedly called out.

Old Liu, Lu Yue, and the other two travelers in front stopped one after another and looked back.

Old Liu's expression changed, and he hurriedly turned back to check, immediately saying: "This lady has heatstroke; if it's not handled well, it could be fatal."

"How can there be heatstroke in such a cool mountain stream?" A traveler on the side said with some surprise: "Could it be that she's possessed?"

"Heatstroke has two types: heat-stroke and cold-stroke. I won't be mistaken. This lady has caught cold-stroke. She was walking in a hurry earlier, and she was sweating. Now, being hit by the cold wind of this mountain stream, with cold and heat clashing, the sweat vapor is trapped in her body and can't get out. She will immediately collapse to the ground. This illness is very urgent; if she doesn't get medical treatment, she will die very quickly."

Old Liu said: "The year before last, I saw several travelers who also reached the Three-Way Junction. Because they were thirsty, they drank a few mouthfuls of spring water from the mountain stream. The cold air hit them, and they immediately collapsed and became unconscious. Although they were carried out of here by others, they breathed their last not long after entering the Xinzhou territory."

"Then do you have a way to save her?"

The scholar Lu Yue asked hurriedly: "We can't just watch this lady die in this wilderness. When traveling, it's not easy for everyone."

Old Liu shook his head and said: "I don't know the method of treatment. There is another guide, Old Gen, who knows how to treat it, but he left this area with a team two days ago. It's not easy to run into him."

"It's nothing, her blood and energy are just blocked. Once it's cleared, she'll be fine." Suddenly, Li Yi walked back. His eyes were glowing, and he sized her up slightly.

"Daoist Priest, do you know how to treat her?" Old Liu said with pleasant surprise.

Li Yi said: "I don't know medicine, I just learned a few small spells and practiced some martial arts. But illness is something that seems complicated but is actually simple; it's nothing more than a deficiency of blood and energy or a blockage of blood and energy."

As he spoke, he extended a finger and then channeled his blood and energy, a wisp of invisible blood and energy wrapping around his fingertip.

Then he flicked his finger, and this wisp of blood and energy entered the woman's body.

Nourished by this wisp of blood and energy, the woman's meridians were instantly cleared, her blood and energy became vigorous, and a mouthful of turbid air was spat out from her mouth. She soon opened her eyes and regained consciousness.

"Thank, thank you, Daoist Priest, for saving my life." After the woman woke up, she immediately regained her strength and said with great gratitude.

"You really should thank the Daoist Priest; otherwise, you would never have been able to walk out of this Three-Way Junction and would definitely have ended up as a pile of dry bones by the roadside." Old Liu sighed with emotion.

Traveling is just this arduous; encountering a minor emergency illness means dying outside, unable to survive at all.

Li Yi just smiled: "It's fine as long as you're okay. I used a wisp of blood and energy to clear all your meridians and left that wisp of blood and energy in your body. From now on, as long as you don't encounter any danger, I guarantee you'll be free of all illnesses and live a long life."

"There is actually such good fortune?" Everyone was envious upon hearing this.

The woman felt amazed, but she truly felt a warm current wandering through her body. She, who had been weak and powerless just a moment ago, was now full of energy, as if she could walk another twenty miles without any problem.

Li Yi was just about to say something when his eyes suddenly saw wisps of invisible energy from these people gathering toward him.

"This is..."

He was a bit curious and reached out to try to grab it, but he couldn't touch it.

This wisp of energy was not essence, nor was it spiritual energy; it was more like a power of belief.

Although this power of belief was very weak, after gathering on Li Yi's body, it seemed to have a mind of its own. The surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth was attracted by this power of belief and poured into his body on its own.

Such a scene was somewhat similar to the Mountain God statue he saw in the Mountain God Temple.

"This is just the belief of five or six people added to my body and there's such a change. If it were the belief of thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of people, what would happen?" Li Yi's expression froze. He seemed to have inadvertently touched upon the cultivation method of this world.

Moreover, this cultivation method must have a system; that statue was the best proof.

"Perhaps I should go to a more prosperous place with more people to see."

He then had some ideas.

Because the more people there are, the more opportunities there are to obtain belief, and the more powerful the power of belief becomes.

It's just that how to obtain the power of belief still needs to be studied further.

After curing the woman, the group continued their journey.

Although the Three-Way Junction was dangerous, with Li Yi leading the way, plus Old Liu as the guide, they didn't encounter any danger. It took about half an hour to successfully pass through this mountain stream.

And after leaving the mountain stream, the further they went, the flatter the terrain became.

Gradually, they walked out of the wilderness, and at the same time, other travelers began to appear on the main road. They were gathering from other mountain paths and were all heading in the same direction.

With human presence, the tense mood of the group relaxed significantly; at least they didn't have to worry about encountering mountain monsters anymore.

However, they hadn't walked far.

A boundary marker stood by the main road, with the two characters "Xinzhou" written on it, but Li Yi didn't recognize the characters; this was learned from the scholar Lu Yue.

And a few dozen meters in front of the boundary marker, there was also a small temple.

"That is the Earth Temple of Xinzhou. After worshipping the Earth Temple and offering incense, you will have entered the territory of Xinzhou. My job as a guide can be considered complete." Old Liu showed a smile at this moment.

The Earth Temple was not big, but there were quite a few people sitting nearby.

There were merchants passing by resting their feet, and there were also guides waiting for work. Besides that, there were herbal tea stalls and noodle stalls on the left and right.

The group came to the Earth Temple, took three free incense sticks, and after lighting them and offering them sincerely, they paid the remaining money to Old Liu according to the previously agreed price.

However, Li Yi stood in front of the Earth Temple at this moment, looking at the statue inside.

The incense in front of the statue was flourishing, and the statue was emitting radiance. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth nearby gathered and did not disperse. Vaguely, a human figure emerged.

At this moment, the mud statue seemed to come alive, a pair of eyes staring at Li Yi, seemingly sizing him up.

"Belief... incense... statue? So that's how it is." Li Yi was lost in thought.

Offering incense is actually just a form, but the belief generated by people in the process of offering incense is very important. After the statue obtains it, it can gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on its own, and under the nourishment of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the statue has cultivation and strength.

But, a statue is just mud; even with the addition of belief and the gathering of spiritual energy, it shouldn't be possible to manifest a human form.

Unless there is a soul residing on the statue, only then can it obtain the addition of belief and cultivate to become strong.

Thinking of this, Li Yi suddenly showed a smile, because he could now be certain that his father must be living very well in this world, because a Soul Realm Evolver crossing over, if he couldn't find a physical body, could completely parasitize a statue, use the belief of all living beings to maintain the survival of his soul, and then absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen himself.

Therefore, this is a place very suitable for soul cultivation.

"Where did this wild Daoist come from? Entering my temple, neither offering incense nor kneeling, what is the meaning of this? Could it be that you are eyeing my incense? Get out quickly, otherwise, I will detain your soul."

Suddenly.

At this time, someone suddenly shouted, and then an illusory figure slowly drifted out from the statue.

That person looked like a middle-aged man, wearing a wide robe, with a sallow complexion, eyes wide with anger, and very majestic.

"The soul obtains the addition of belief and the gathering of spiritual energy; it really can achieve detachment from the physical body and exist in heaven and earth for a long time." Li Yi's gaze flickered at this moment: "This cultivation method is indeed very special and unique."

As he spoke, he also attracted the attention of others nearby.

Many people thought this Daoist was crazy, actually talking to the statue.

Because in the eyes of ordinary people, they couldn't see that Earth God; after all, souls, belief, and spiritual energy—these things can only be seen after opening one's spiritual perception.

"Actually still babbling here, not putting me in your eyes at all. I'll give you wild Daoist a lesson, let you know how powerful I am." This middle-aged Earth God was furious. He grabbed with his hand and took a whip from his waist.

That whip was condensed from some kind of evil energy and combined with the essence of the sun and moon, emitting radiance, looking very extraordinary.

The Earth God waved the whip in his hand and lashed at Li Yi.

This whip was called the Soul-Striking Whip; it did not hurt the physical body, but specifically hurt the human soul.

Ordinary people hit by this whip would definitely have their souls severely damaged, either becoming unconscious or becoming foolish and dull, beyond medical help.

But the next moment.

Something that shocked the Earth God happened. He saw a ball of red mist energy rising into the sky from Li Yi's body. The Soul-Striking Whip hit it as if it had encountered a raging fire, and in an instant, it actually started to burn.

That red mist energy was extremely hot, burning along the Soul-Striking Whip toward his hand. Before it even got close, his palm was scorched black.

"This, what kind of spell is this?" The Earth God was terrified, hurriedly dropped the whip, and retreated repeatedly.

"What a weak god, can't even withstand a wisp of heart-fire energy." Li Yi said.

However, his heart-fire energy was the most effective against souls, Primordial Spirits, and the like. A practitioner's Nascent Soul would be burned to ashes by a wisp of heart-fire energy, let alone a small, minor god.

What a weak god?

The Earth God was both shocked and afraid: "Wild Daoist, stop being fierce. This is the territory of Xinzhou, where there are countless gods worshipped. If you dare to take action, I guarantee you won't live past tonight."

"Not much ability, but a big mouth. After being worshipped for a long time, you really think you are a high-and-mighty god? You are just a dead soul lucky enough to move into a statue, and after obtaining the addition of belief, you've become a bit of a climate. Today, I'll also give you a lesson, so you can learn how to be a human." After Li Yi finished speaking, a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

Rumble!

A clap of thunder sounded on flat ground. In an instant, a streak of silver lightning fell from the sky and accurately struck that Earth God statue.

The statue shattered and collapsed violently, becoming a pile of mud.

Others nearby were startled by this.

They looked at the Earth God statue, then looked at the sky, all looking at each other in dismay, not knowing what had happened.

"It's that silver lightning again..."

Only Old Liu, the scholar Lu Yue, and the other few companions who were traveling together knew some of the reasons after seeing this scene.

They all looked at Li Yi.

They didn't understand why this Daoist Priest wanted to use lightning to destroy the statue in the Earth Temple.