Chapter 847: Long Wang Temple

Yanshui River, thick fog, on a small spirit boat.

Water Yama Luo was rowing at the bow, Xie Liu held his sword in his arms, standing at the stern, staring at Mo Hua and the other two with a sullen face.

Ouyang Feng was healing his wounds, Hua Qianqian pressed her lips tightly together, her gaze somewhat uneasy.

Mo Hua, on the other hand, wore a curious expression, looking left, looking right, as if he were on an outing, admiring the scenery on both sides of the river.

Only, it was nighttime, and the fog was thick.

There was not a single bit of scenery around for him to look at.

Mo Hua asked, "Hey, where exactly are we going?"

Xie Liu's forehead twitched.

Mo Hua's relaxed and even somewhat cheerful manner made anger rise in his heart.

As if, among this group, Water Yama Luo was the boatman rowing the boat, he was the sword-bearing guard, and Mo Hua was the young master out on a trip, asking where they were going to sightsee.

Does this damnable little brat have any idea at all of the situation he's in right now?

Not a single clue in his head?

Xie Liu truly wished he could split him open with one sword slash.

But he still couldn't kill him now.

He did indeed need a few hostages, and going to that place required bringing a few living people, just in case.

Xie Liu suppressed the killing intent in his heart and could only, for now, let Mo Hua bounce around in front of his eyes.

Seeing that Xie Liu was ignoring him, Mo Hua turned his head to look at the bow again.

Water Yama Luo was rowing.

Mo Hua stared at Water Yama Luo for a while, then said, "You clearly only have one arm, yet you row the boat quite well. Did you used to row boats for people often?"

Water Yama Luo took a deep breath and said coldly:

"You'd best shut your mouth."

Mo Hua said, "It's so gloomy here. If you all don't talk, don't you find it boring?"

Water Yama Luo couldn't quite understand how this little brat had managed to survive so long in the cultivation world.

From childhood till now, had no one really wanted to kill him?

Water Yama Luo calmed his heart and continued rowing.

Mo Hua, utterly bored, leaned against the gunwale, stretched his hand into the water and trailed it around, hoping to meet a little silver fish in the water and have it whisper him a secret or two.

Ouyang Feng silently watched Mo Hua, sighing in his heart.

A firm Dao heart, possessing calm composure in every great matter, facing upheaval and peril without losing one's head.

Perhaps this was the bearing a person seeking immortality and pursuing the Dao ought to have.

Among three people walking together, there must be one I can learn from.

Although Junior Brother Mo was young, there really was quite a lot on him worth learning from…

Hua Qianqian, off to the side, her eyes also flickered with light, secretly watching Mo Hua, and for some unknown reason, also felt much more settled in her heart.

The group traveled quietly through the thick fog.

Only the sound of Mo Hua's hand splashing the water's surface echoed quietly.

After an unknown length of time, Mo Hua, who still hadn't summoned any little silver fish, felt his heart suddenly sink. He raised his head to look, and saw ahead in the thick fog, a hazy, enormous object faintly appearing and disappearing.

A strange aura slowly spread outward.

"This is…"

Mo Hua's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart involuntarily tightened a few degrees.

Sensing the aura ahead, Water Yama Luo also hesitated for a while. But considering that the matter of the Rouge Boat had already been exposed, and that a large contingent of cultivators from Dao Ting Si was right behind them, with the river vast and misty at this moment, the only place that could truly offer refuge was the spot right before their eyes.

Water Yama Luo gritted his teeth, drove the spirit boat, and continued forward.

After an incense stick's worth of time, the spirit boat drew closer and closer.

The hazy, enormous object within the thick fog also slowly revealed its form.

It was a great temple.

It was a solitary great temple, built out of thin air upon the water's surface, resembling a massive water beast.

Mo Hua put on a "shocked" expression and asked Water Yama Luo somewhat nervously:

"Th-this… what place is this? How could such a huge temple be built on the water?"

Water Yama Luo gave a cold laugh.

Little brat, now you know fear.

What place?

This great temple is the place you, damnable little brat, go to and never return from.

Water Yama Luo thought to himself, while on the surface still maintaining an indifferent look. "You'll know once we go in."

Then Water Yama Luo steered the spirit boat all the way to the front of the temple. Before the temple was a long flight of steps, stretching down from the temple gate all the way to the water's edge.

Water Yama Luo leapt onto the steps and looked back at Mo Hua and the other two.

Mo Hua didn't move.

Xie Liu then pointed his sword tip at him and ordered, "Get up there obediently."

"Get up there and I'll get up there… Uncle Gu's defeated underling, can't beat a Jin Dan, but bullying Foundation Establishment cultivators, you're quite skilled at that…" Mo Hua muttered.

Xie Liu's face twitched.

Seeing that he was about to flare up in anger, Mo Hua immediately leapt up in one bound and landed on the bank.

Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian naturally followed behind Mo Hua.

Last was Xie Liu. He tied up the spirit boat securely, then also went up the steps.

Then, with Shui Yanluo leading and Xie Liu, the Jin Dan, bringing up the rear, they "herded" Mo Hua and the other two, walking along the long staircase toward the interior of the grand temple.

When they reached the temple's front, Mo Hua looked up and saw red walls and golden tiles weathered by countless storms, above the towering gates and soaring eaves, hung a massive plaque.

Upon the plaque, the characters were ancient and unadorned, carved in three large words:

Long Wang Temple.

Long Wang…

Mo Hua's expression was stunned.

He had heard of many divine beasts in this world—true dragons, true phoenixes, qilins, bixie, the Four Sacred Beasts, the Four Fiends, and so on.

But he had always regarded these as ancient legends passed down among cultivators, and until now, he had never seen one with his own eyes.

Yet now, right before him, stood a "Long Wang Temple."

Even if it wasn't a true dragon, but merely a river dragon, it would still be no ordinary thing.

As Mo Hua was lost in thought, Shui Yanluo glanced around and frowned: "Where are the temple guardians?"

Xie Liu extended his spiritual sense, his gaze sharpening. "Moved away?"

Shui Yanluo shook his head slightly. "Unlikely… this is a critical site—how could it be left unguarded?"

Xie Liu gave a slight nod.

Shui Yanluo studied the temple gate again, his gaze darkening. "I have a feeling this temple is different from before—the yin energy and malevolent qi have grown heavier…"

Xie Liu sensed carefully, but since he did not cultivate ocular arts and knew nothing of spiritual soul perception, he felt no anomaly, and frowned:

"At this point, let's go inside first. The mist outside is thick—we can't linger."

"Hmm." Shui Yanluo nodded.

He pulled out a fishbone token, sliced his finger, let a drop of blood fall upon the token, then inserted it into the mouth of the demonic beast bronze statue before the temple, bowing low and intoning respectfully:

"Your servant has arrived, to present the 'offering' to the Divine Master."

The temple door remained still.

Shui Yanluo dared not move.

Xie Liu held his breath.

Only Mo Hua watched the temple door with hopeful eyes.

After a while, it seemed Shui Yanluo's voice had reached somewhere and received a response.

On the fishbone token outside the temple, a flash of crimson light appeared.

The bronze statue, its mouth holding the fishbone, trembled; its eyes emitted a sinister green glow, and then, with a deep, rumbling "Boom—," the ancient gates of the Long Wang Temple slowly opened.

Only then did Shui Yanluo slowly straighten, exchange a glance with Xie Liu, and speak to Mo Hua and the others:

"Go inside…"

"But I warn you," Shui Yanluo's gaze turned hostile, especially toward Mo Hua, "don't try any tricks. If you do, I'd rather destroy that thing than let you live."

"Yeah, yeah." Mo Hua replied dismissively.

He didn't believe Shui Yanluo would ever give up that box.

Shui Yanluo's entire cultivation—especially his transformation of malevolent qi and the Blood Hell Iris Technique—depended entirely on the Water Prison Forbidden Box.

Without the box, he'd never advance another inch in his lifetime.

Moreover, this box was a secret heirloom of the Water Prison Sect's sect master; it likely contained other treasures, just sealed for now.

Shui Yanluo would never let it go…

Mo Hua thought silently.

Then Shui Yanluo led the way into the Long Wang Temple.

Mo Hua followed behind, but before crossing the threshold, he hesitated.

In his sleeve, his palm gripped a Celestial Mechanism Copper Coin.

Mo Hua very much wanted to divine the fortune of this journey.

But he had a premonition—he absolutely must not calculate it; if he did, someone would sense it, and ruin everything.

Mo Hua rubbed the copper coin, suppressing the urge to perform the divination, then tucked it away and stepped slowly forward, crossing the threshold of the Long Wang Temple.

Thus, the group entered the depths of the Long Wang Temple.

Moments later, in the thick mist, a crimson hue emerged.

The gates of the Long Wang Temple slowly closed, like a colossal demonic beast sealing its bloodied maw…

…

On the Crimson Boat.

The battle had largely ended.

The cultivators aboard the Crimson Boat—whether from noble families or sects—had been startled out of their wits when Mo Hua suddenly detonated his device during the Spring Night moment.

Then the fire spread; in their panicked flight, they encountered Dao Ting Si cultivators and had little resistance left.

Dao Ting Si took those they needed to arrest; those who stubbornly resisted received no mercy.

Now, most were handling aftermath duties.

But one person was an exception: Ye Hong.

He had been brought before Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi by Dao Ting Si personnel.

Ye Hong presented a letter, saying:

"A young master took my boat here. Before leaving, he gave me this letter, saying that if I encountered Dao Ting Si inspection, I should hand it to a Gu Diansi—it would clear up any misunderstanding and avoid trouble."

A Gu Diansi…

Xia Diansi glanced at Gu Changhuai.

Gu Changhuai's expression remained calm; he took the letter, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow.

The letter was indeed written by Mo Hua, and it simply stated:

"Uncle Gu, this man's name is Ye Hong; he is Ye Jin's elder sister's father, not a bad person."

Seeing Xia Diansi's expression grow slightly displeased, Gu Changhuai showed her the letter again. After reading it, Xia Diansi nodded, paused thoughtfully, then said to Ye Hong:

"I am aware of this matter. Yet… though you knew nothing of the Crimson Boat's inner workings and were not involved in its schemes, one of the boats in the Crimson Boat fleet does belong to you. You must still accompany us to Dao Ting Si to explain the circumstances, give a statement, and affix a spirit contract to formalize the procedure."

Ye Hong exhaled in relief and bowed his hands.

"Naturally."

"Very well, you may go for now," said Xia Diansi.

"Yes," Ye Hong bowed again, but his expression hesitated, and he asked softly, "Where is that young gentleman…?"

The Crimson Boat had exploded, flames spreading everywhere; Ye Hong searched for a long time but still found no trace of Mo Hua, and he could not help but feel worried.

He did not know the explosion was Mo Hua's doing, so he feared Mo Hua had been caught in the blast.

Gu Changhuai said, "You need not worry—he's probably unharmed."

With Mo Hua's cleverness, if his own array had blown him up, that would be the real oddity.

"Understood," Ye Hong bowed.

He was merely at the peak of Foundation Establishment, born into a third-grade family, and naturally treated Gu Changhuai, a Jin Dan cultivator and Dao Ting Si Diansi, with utmost respect.

As Ye Hong turned to leave, he suddenly encountered someone at the door and froze.

"Xiao Zhisi?"

Xiao Tianquan saw Ye Hong and his gaze flickered with surprise, but he quickly masked it, nodding in greeting:

"Elder Ye."

Gu Changhuai's eyes narrowed slightly. "You know each other?"

Ye Hong replied, "My Ye family is a third-grade clan of Yan Shui City. Xiao Zhisi once stayed there for official business and, by chance, met me several times—we have some acquaintance."

Xiao Tianquan also bowed his hands. "I thank you, Elder Ye, for your hospitality during my stay at your home. Yet…"

Xiao Tianquan's gaze flickered. "Elder Ye, why are you here?"

"This… it's complicated…" Ye Hong sighed. Seeing this was not the time to speak, he added, "Xiao Young Master is on official duty—I won't detain you. If we meet again, I shall properly entertain you as a host."

Xiao Tianquan clasped his fists. "Thank you, Elder Ye."

Their relationship seemed quite cordial.

Gu Changhuai, seeing this, paid it no mind.

Dao Ting Si cultivators officially held separate duties, but privately, some personal ties were inevitable.

After Ye Hong left, Xiao Tianquan reported:

"Xia Diansi, Gu Diansi, everything has been handled."

"The fire has been extinguished. The cultivators who fell into the water have all been rescued—if they couldn't be saved, they were devoured by water demons."

"Those injured by the array explosion have been treated with pills and, along with others, are bound by Spirit-Binding Chains and held aboard the Dao Ting Si vessel. We will verify their identities upon return and decide their fates."

"All key figures have been apprehended and recorded."

"But the Water Yama is missing…"

Xiao Tianquan's gaze grew solemn.

As he spoke, another person arrived at the door.

He wore the robe of a Dao Ting Si Diansi, his aura deep and his steps agile—he was also a Jin Dan cultivator, but his eyes were half-lidded, his face smiling, yet his smile looked hollow, almost unnatural.

This man was Xiao Diansi.

Mo Hua had once given him the nickname "Smiling Tiger."

Xiao Diansi entered the room, exchanged brief greetings with Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi, then said:

"I've inquired and investigated—the ship had a Jin Dan cultivator aboard."

"This Jin Dan cultivator's name is Xie Liu. He was formerly an inner sect instructor at Gui Shui Men, with considerable seniority—he could have been promoted to 'Elder' in a few more years."

"But he grew close to Duan Jin Men and became entangled in a case involving their direct lineage."

"The case was neither major nor minor, but it still brought shame upon Gui Shui Men. Thus, Xie Liu was expelled from the sect."

"Yet, after his expulsion, he secretly continued these dirty deeds."

"Gui Shui Men truly… is unfortunate as a sect…"

Xiao Diansi sighed, eyes half-closed.

Gu Changhuai's expression grew peculiar.

He knew internally that Xie Liu may have done dirty work, but that dirty work had originally belonged to Gui Shui Men—in truth, Gui Shui Men was dirtier.

Yet all were Diansi; publicly, they must still speak formalities.

"This Xie Liu seems to have escaped…"

Xiao Diansi continued, "I interrogated several men under torture and extracted some clues."

"According to them, someone secretly set up an array on the Crimson Boat, which then exploded suddenly, spreading fire everywhere. The Jin Dan cultivator Xie Liu and the wanted 'Water Yama' seized three young cultivators and fled into the depths of the thick fog…"

Gu Changhuai frowned. "Seized…"

He glanced at Xia Diansi; their eyes met, both expressions solemn.

"Xie Liu must be brought to justice; the Water Yama cannot be allowed to escape again. I will go with Gu Diansi to pursue them. Xiao Diansi, please handle the aftermath here," said Xia Diansi.

"Xia Diansi's plan is wise. Yet," Xiao Diansi's eyes narrowed, his emotion unreadable, but his tone carried concern:

"The two of you going may not be safe… Xie Liu is unprincipled, and the Water Yama is cunning and treacherous—neither is easy to deal with."

"Moreover, they are now cornered and fleeing into the fog's depths, suggesting the fog's interior likely harbors a refuge for heretical cultivators—there may even be other Jin Dan heretics hiding there…"

Xiao Diansi added quickly, "Of course, Xia Diansi and Gu Diansi possess profound cultivation and exceptional wisdom and courage—you are among the finest in Dao Ting Si, and naturally unafraid of such heretics."

"But precisely because of this, if either of you were to suffer misfortune, it would be a grave loss to Gan Xue Dao Ting Si. Please be cautious, and think thrice before acting…"

Xiao Diansi had been steeped in Dao Ting Si for many years; other things aside, his skill in speech was evident at a glance.

Xia Diansi said, "Then in Xiao Diansi's view, what ought to be done?"

Xiao Diansi deliberated, "Since it is so, perhaps… I shall go together with the two of you. A lion catching a rabbit still uses its full strength. Three Jin Dan striking at once—Xie Liu and Water Yama Luo, even if they had three heads and six arms, absolutely could not turn the tables…"

Xia Diansi had a few reservations. "But, this Rouge Boat…"

Xiao Diansi said, "The matter of the Rouge Boat has already been settled. Dao Ting Si will send people to take over later; what follows is all trivial matters, and we need not trouble ourselves with them."

"On the contrary, on Xie Liu's side, time is pressing. If we don't pursue now, I'm afraid we won't catch up."

Xia Diansi pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Under these circumstances, it was indeed better for all three to go.

What's more, Xia Diansi understood in her heart that although Xiao Diansi had lowered his posture greatly, in terms of position, everyone was a Diansi. On the surface, she was put in charge out of regard for the Xia family's face.

In reality, she had no authority to issue orders to the other Diansi.

Xiao Diansi had already lowered his posture so much, giving her ample face; it wouldn't be good for her to refuse either.

"Then fine, let us go together and apprehend Xie Liu and Water Yama Luo and bring them to justice." Xia Diansi said.

The moment her words fell, Xiao Tianquan among those present also cupped his fist and said:

"Xia Diansi, this subordinate is untalented, but also wishes to go along."

"You?" Xia Diansi was slightly startled.

Xiao Tianquan said with an air of stern righteousness:

"Water Yama Luo is a man of heinous crimes, one whom everyone has the right to punish. Last time we let him escape, this subordinate has been unable to sleep or eat in peace. This time I will surely bring him to justice. I beg the Diansi to grant my wish."

Xia Diansi glanced at Xiao Tianquan, recalled the words her uncle had instructed her before she came, and nodded, saying:

"Fine, you may go too."

"Yes." Xiao Tianquan cupped his fist.

Gu Changhuai only assumed Xiao Tianquan was eager to earn merit, and did not take it to heart.

On the contrary, Xiao Diansi at one side looked at Xiao Tianquan, a hint of indifference in his gaze, and a hint of hostility as well.

Afterwards, Dao Ting Si prepared a spirit boat.

Gu Changhuai, Xia Diansi, and the Xiao family's Xiao Diansi as well as Xiao Tianquan, rode the spirit boat together, sailing into the depths of the thick fog.

As they traveled, Xiao Diansi, who had been squinting all along with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, turned his head to look at the Rouge Boat—a scene of utter devastation, blood and fire mingled together, not yet burned out—and his eyes opened slightly.

A sea of blood was reflected in his pupils.

Wisps of baleful qi circulated within.

……

In the Long Wang Temple.

Mo Hua and his group were still walking deeper into the temple.

The temple was very spacious, with high walls and flying eaves, quite grand, but along the way it was empty and desolate, a dead silence, not a sound to be heard.

Water Yama Luo and Xie Liu walked on, increasingly feeling something was off.

Even Mo Hua felt a trace of unease rising in his heart.

After walking all the way to a great hall, Water Yama Luo hesitated a moment, stepped forward and knocked on the door, saying:

"Mr. Wu, I've brought the 'offering.'"

There was no response from within the room.

"Mr. Wu?"

Water Yama Luo frowned.

"Where are the people in the temple? Where have they all gone?"

"Mr. Wu, are you there?"

"Mr. Wu…"

Water Yama Luo's voice grew lower and lower, and his mood grew more and more solemn.

Just then, the sound of something dripping arose. Water Yama Luo's expression stiffened; he abruptly retreated several steps, leaving his original spot.

At the same moment, something dropped down from the roof beam and crashed onto the ground.

Everyone looked closely.

It was a blood-drenched corpse.

yifan

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