Chapter 150: 150.Chapter 148: Will of the Nation vs Green Snake Immortal

150. Chapter 148: Will of the Nation vs Green Snake Immortal

Cloud Ridge lies far from the capital, over a thousand li away, but for Ye Qin who possesses cultivation, this is no great difficulty; he threads through mountain forests or wanders along deserted quiet trails.

Cloud Ridge borders Wu Du, so the area is mountainous and the terrain is relatively complex; looking out, strange peaks are fully displayed, the main highlights lying in the characters 'qi' (strange) and 'xian' (hazard).

But near the capital, one finds the terrain high in the northwest and low in the southeast, with five great rivers running through the region; overall the landscape can be described as leaning on mountains and facing the sea, a mighty situation.

The mountains undulate, endless, with thousands of peaks and ridges surging forward, layer upon layer, towering into the clouds, like myriad splendid brocades drifting from beyond the sky; it can be said to be incomparably majestic and spectacular.

The capital gives Ye Qin a completely different feeling; fortunately there are also many mountains and forests around, allowing travel between cities, merely requiring a detour.

The greening between the inner and outer rings is also well done; as long as Ye Qin carefully avoids crowds, he can remain unharmed.

Although the capital's guard is relatively strict, it targets only humans—for example, plainclothes patrols exist everywhere to guard against spies and agents—but there is naturally no defense against animals.

After all, he hasn't yet grown to the size of a giant, so he isn't overly conspicuous; if he were as big as Godzilla, entering the city would naturally cause trouble.

Of course, one still needs to act cautiously, after all this is the capital of a nation.

When Ye Qin arrived at the capital, it was already dusk; layers of evening glow suffused and covered the city's sky, amidst the flow of carriages and horses, rendering a prosperous urban scene of red lights and green wine.

The archaeological center lies near the North Second Ring Road; Ye Qin crawled there all the way, discovering many scenic historic sites nearby, and couldn't help but feel moved.

"Indeed worthy of being a historic capital."

The capital is a capital city, also one of the four great ancient capitals, and the city with the most World Heritage Sites in the world.

Besides the atmosphere of a modern metropolis, there are also many imitation‑ancient buildings around that complement each other and do not appear jarring.

The collision and blend of ancient and modern creates a distinctive atmosphere.

Besides that, narrow hutongs are seen everywhere, along with square courtyards, appearing very tranquil and secluded.

Red walls and green tiles flutter with lingering glow; the upturned eaves resemble a bird about to spread its wings and fly, as if merging into the horizon and soaring into the setting sun.

Ye Qin's winding body passed through a green belt, but then suddenly stopped and he looked back.

"Huh—"

His snake pupils flickered with a hint of doubt, and his bright red snake tongue hung suspended in mid‑air.

"Is this my illusion? Why does it feel like there's a breath of ages."

Ye Qin calmed his mind, released a few strands of mental energy, carefully sensed, and indeed a breath of temporal fluctuation came from not far away.

"Could it be that there are mottled fragments of time nearby?"

I never expected such a great surprise upon entering the capital; as soon as I stepped in I discovered traces of mottled time.

After all, Ye Qin had wandered Cloud Ridge for a long time before and found no fragments of time.

But thinking about it, it's quite natural—after all, this is a historic capital, so the chance of encountering such fragments here should be a bit higher than outside.

The research center can be temporarily set aside; after all, there's no rush there, and it won't grow legs and run away.

So Ye Qin turned his direction, following the sensing of his mental energy, heading southeast.

He has been stuck in the Monster Elixir realm for a long time; perhaps in this mottled‑time fragment he might find a related opportunity?

After all, each time he enters these time fragments he gains a considerable harvest, also a rare experience.

Unfortunately such occurrences are not common; up to now Ye Qin has experienced only three of them.

Zuoci Tomb, Daiwang Village, Wild Temple.

……

The sunset sank, night grew hazy.

Faintly visible not far off is an ancient building surrounded by red walls and gray tiles.

The red exterior walls, worn by wind and rain, have long lost their vivid color; patches of plaster have peeled off, revealing the mottled concrete beneath, and even the gray tiles above show signs of damage.

One can see that this building has been steeped in the river of history for a long time, continuing to the present, so it must contain much time.

Ye Qin looked at the plaque above the gate, boldly written in strong characters—North Summit Empress Temple.

"North Summit Empress, that should be Bixia Yuanjun; in myth she is the daughter of the East Peak Great Emperor. Her full title is 'East Peak Taiheaven Heavenly Immortal Jade Maiden Bixia Yuanjun'."

"I never expected a time fragment to appear here; it seems there has been, or still is, considerable incense."

The gate is now tightly closed, obviously past visiting hours; Ye Qin, taking advantage of the empty surroundings, sneaked in through a gap in the red wall.

Upon stepping inside, an ancient aura rushed over him; the interior was pitch dark with no light at all, seeming uninhabited.

The lofty main hall stands at the rear of the courtyard, the bell‑and‑drum tower in the center, several ancient pines and locust trees upright in the courtyard, their branches lush like a green canopy, faithfully guarding between the halls.

Ye Qin roughly wandered a circuit; inside the temple are enshrined Bixia Yuanjun, Heavenly Immortal Lady, Child‑bestowing Lady, East Peak Great Emperor, Guan Emperor, Medicine King, and other deities.

This is not like an ordinary temple or Daoist abbey that would have monks or Daoists seated in charge.

Normally there should be a dedicated manager, but they do not reside here; they simply come the next day when it opens to unlock the door.

This makes it more convenient for Ye Qin to act; he needs no hiding, and can boldly wander through the halls.

Some dust lies on the floor; normally few people come, it looks cold and deserted, with seemingly low traffic, and even incense and candles are scarce.

That makes sense, since nowadays people revere Buddha and Bodhisattvas, flocking to Buddhist temples, while deities like these are no longer popular.

The Empress Temple's area is not large; he soon finished a circuit, and as Ye Qin extended his mental energy, the breath of temporal fluctuation became ever clearer.

"It must be right here."

After careful sensing, besides the temporal fluctuation aura he detected nothing else; Ye Qin then relaxed, found a secluded corner, and concealed his form.

Although the Empress Temple sees little traffic, he does not know when this foray into the mottled‑time fragment will end.

Time cannot be controlled, so naturally one must consider external factors to avoid being accidentally bumped by humans and causing trouble.

After everything was ready, Ye Qin slowly closed his eyes, finely sensed that wisp of temporal fluctuation, and released his mental energy to slowly merge with it.

As if lifting a layer of mysterious veil, the river of time again began to surge and boil; a wave struck Ye Qin fiercely, enveloping him.

The surrounding scenery rapidly blurred and rewound, as if light flowed backward; the familiar tug of soul and spirit surged again in his heart, and when Ye Qin regained awareness he found himself inside the Upper Clarity Temple.

He slowly opened his eyes; before he could see clearly, in the flash of lightning a chilling sensation came over him, as if the surrounding temperature were affected and suddenly dropped to freezing point.

He had felt this sensation only on that ghost monk before!

Ye Qin's eyes flashed with apprehension and vigilance as he quickly surveyed his surroundings; indeed, he was inside the Upper Purity Temple without doubt.

"What's going on? Could it be that there are guardians here too?"

But clearly, when Ye Qin earlier entered the Goddess Temple, he felt no abnormality, and there was no sign of any guardian inside the temple.

Why did he feel nothing outside, but only after entering the mottled ages fragment did he sense it?

Ye Qin racked his brains, unable to understand where this aura came from; after searching everywhere and finding nothing abnormal, yet when he reached the temple gate, he froze in place.

Seeing the scene not far away clearly, his snake pupils suddenly contracted, turning into a straight vertical line.

He saw that someone was actually standing at the temple gate!

This person seemed about to step into the temple, yet as if blocked by an invisible obstacle, could only pace at the gate.

Ye Qin's scales all over his body slightly opened, his body tensed straight like a bowstring ready to fire; at this moment he was still some distance from that figure.

The figure had its back to him, seemingly wearing a robe?

It felt like a Daoist robe, yet also like a kasaya, very worn and ancient, its original color long indiscernible.

The closer he got to that figure, the more evident the chilling feeling became, and there was also a familiar sensation, seemingly sharing the same source as the earlier ghost monk.

Could it be that—

Is this the guardian inside the Goddess Temple?!

The figure seemed to sense something, slowly turning its head, which once again startled Ye Qin.

A face that should have features was completely blank, with nothing at all!

Even Ye Qin, well‑traveled and knowledgeable, froze for a moment upon seeing a face without features.

The figure touched its own face, and in an instant an aged woman's visage appeared before Ye Qin's eyes, quickly replaced by a youthful child's face, followed immediately by that of a lovely young woman.

The face kept changing—male and female, old and young, joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure all present—like myriad beings staging a grand spectacle.

In the end everything returned to the starting point, reverting once more to that blank face.

If Ye Qin had been doubtful before, now he could be certain: the faceless person, like the earlier ghost monk, was a guardian.

Moreover, he also possessed the will of all beings on him, as well as an incense aura.

But when Ye Qin previously encountered the ghost monk, it was in the mental layer of reality; this time, for some unknown reason, the faceless person actually appeared within the mottled years.

The faceless person silently stared at Ye Qin; although he had no eyes, Ye Qin sensed an extremely icy gaze, as if it had traversed the distance of time and space, landing precisely on him.

This creature seemed to have a tranquil aura, with no fluctuations emanating, yet Ye Qin had a premonition that he was more troublesome than the ghost monk—after all, how could something capable of appearing in a fragment of years be an ordinary nobody?

Like the ghost monk, the faceless person had no intention of attacking; although he couldn't get in, Ye Qin likewise couldn't get out.

The Shangqing Temple had only this one entrance, and the faceless person stood there, completely blocking the way—truly even more troublesome than the ghost monk.

Although Ye Qin had already entered the mottled-years fragment, if he didn't leave, it would be tantamount to entering for nothing.

Moreover, the years fragment also has a time limit; it's impossible to keep draining time with the faceless person here.

Ye Qin sized up the faceless person not far away, confirming he had no intention of leaving; in his emerald snake pupils, a faint golden gleam quickly flashed.

The air instantly gained a solemn killing intent.

His Golden Core rapidly circulated within his body, a hazy aura emanating and rushing toward the faceless person, yet the latter seemed unable to feel this oppressive pressure.

Faced with the enveloping of Ye Qin's powerful spiritual power, his figure stood like an unmoving small hill, with no intention to move.

Soon, gray mist enveloped the faceless person, swallowing his silhouette entirely; during this process, he showed no desire to resist.

Watching the creature shrouded in mist, Ye Qin felt somewhat incredulous—the whole process seemed too easy.

"Just that?"

The faceless person was dealt with so quickly; compared to the earlier ghost monk, the difficulty was simply too low.

One must know that Ye Qin previously had no way to handle the ghost monk; only later, by leveraging the might of his Golden Core breakthrough, did he manage to slay it.

But the next moment, Ye Qin's expression shifted slightly, as if he sensed something; his torch-like gaze fell upon that mass of mist: "No! That faceless person hasn't dissipated yet!"

As if to verify Ye Qin's words.

A faceless visage emerged, now bearing a huge blood‑filled mouth that occupied most of it, constantly sucking in the mist like a bottomless pit.

Soon the thick mist dissipated completely, the large mouth vanished, and it returned to its former featureless appearance.

A flicker of surprise crossed Ye Qin's expression; he had guessed the faceless person wouldn't be easy to deal with, but he never expected his attack to be neutralized so quickly.

This mist was intimately linked to him, even condensing the locus of his spiritual power, yet the faceless person could actually swallow it directly.

Evidently, his spiritual attack inflicted no harm on the faceless person.

"Since my spiritual power has no effect on you, let you try my lightning power!"

Ye Qin focused his concentration; the scale at the center of his forehead flashed with a brilliant purple hue, as if an electric arc swept across, sparks bursting forth in the air.

"Boom!"

Only a thunderclap was heard; a thick lightning serpent surged toward the faceless person with the force to shatter rotted wood, instantly engulfing him.

This strike contained Ye Qin's full strength; in an instant, the entire Daoist temple was illuminated by lightning.

The faceless person was instantly submerged in the sea of lightning; he was probably already split into charcoal.

The purple sea of lightning intertwined, lingering only near the faceless person without affecting elsewhere, showing that Ye Qin's mastery of lightning had reached the pinnacle of perfection.

The thunder rumbled continuously, deafening.

After a moment, the lightning gradually faded, revealing a blurry human silhouette.

Ye Qin's snake pupils twitched slightly; the faceless person remained unharmed, not even a black mark on him, as if the lightning had no effect whatsoever.

His expression gradually turned grim: "How can the lightning have no effect on him either."

Ye Qin immediately found himself in a dilemma.

If this continues, could he be stuck here until the years fluctuation ends, then return to reality—wouldn't that be a wasted trip, squandering this precious fragment of years?

This guardian, indeed, was born to protect the years fragment.

As time passed, Ye Qin's mood grew increasingly anxious; he had exhausted every possible method.

Just like the ghostly monk before, the attack methods had no effect on the faceless person; it was like casting a mud ox into the sea. The faceless person stood like a door god, stationed at the entrance of the Shangqing Temple, not moving at all.

The two remained in a stalemate; the faceless person could afford to wait, but Ye Qin could not. If this continued, it would truly be in vain.

As Ye Qin grew anxious, the sound of trickling water came, like jade stones striking, slightly easing the unease in his heart.

He suddenly recalled that there was still a string of prayer beads in the water channel.

This string of prayer beads was given by Zhi Dun; Ye Qin did not know its use, so he stored it at the bottom of the water channel, intending to examine its possible marvelous utility when he next investigated the fragments of time.

But now he was blocked here by the faceless person, a situation with no advance or retreat; clutching at straws, Ye Qin went to the edge of the water channel and fished up the string of prayer beads.

The sandalwood beads exuded an ancient, simple aura; despite having endured a thousand years without any change, they had gained something extraordinary from the precipitation of time.

I don't know if it was Ye Qin's illusion, but at the moment he fished out the prayer beads, a gaze lingered on him, more precisely on the beads.

He felt the faceless person glance in this direction.

Ye Qin pondered, 'Could this string of prayer beads have an effect on the faceless person?'

When he appeared with the prayer beads, he faintly sensed some change in the faceless person, though he could not describe it.

Yet from the clues the faceless person revealed, it could be discerned that this change was likely caused by the prayer beads.

Ye Qin tried to infuse his mental energy into the beads; the originally plain beads emitted a faint white light.

The soft white light, centered on the beads, continuously spread outward; the faceless person, who had previously stood as steady as Mount Tai without moving, could not help but retreat a small step.

Seeing an opportunity, Ye Qin increased the infusion of mental energy; the white light became ever more brilliant, even covering the original sandalwood beads, like a rising sun.

Under the white light's illumination, the faceless person's form showed a tendency to become transparent; Ye Qin clearly saw the white light pierce straight through the faceless person's body.

His gaze suddenly turned sharp; the scale at the center of his forehead grew darker and darker, and thunder rumbled.

Soon, purple arcs and sparks joined the white light; the two different-colored lights intertwined, filling the interior of the Daoist temple, and surged violently toward the faceless person.

The faceless person, who had previously stood unmoving, finally moved his feet at this moment, attempting to dodge to the side.

Ye Qin would not let him have his way.

Several thick bolts of lightning descended from the heavens, forming a cage that trapped the faceless person while he was unable to deploy a doppelganger.

"Go!"

Seeing that the moment had ripened, Ye Qin threw the prayer beads, which landed accurately on the faceless person.

In an instant, countless faces appeared on the blank features, men and women, old and young crowding together, though their expressions were all filled with pain.

Under the white light's cover, waves of Buddhist chanting emanated from the beads, as if Buddha himself were extending salvation; the faceless person's form gradually dissipated, leaving only the string of prayer beads lying still on the ground.

"Finally resolved..."

Ye Qin felt delighted, never expecting the beads to truly work, but before he could rejoice, he suddenly startled, his spirit falling into a state of high tension.

Because at the moment the guardian disappeared, Ye Qin once again felt an inexplicable sense of being watched!

This was just like when he dealt with the ghostly monk earlier; it seemed as if some existence, from a distant distance, glanced at him.

But that feeling of being watched lasted only an extremely brief moment, flashing by, as if it were merely an illusion.

This feeling was quite similar to a heavenly tribulation—only intimidating, without actually manifesting.

Thunder without rain, yet it makes people anxious.

Ye Qin's expression grew somewhat solemn: 'Is this the scrutiny of heaven and earth? Having dealt with the guardian, just like cultivation, must we now face a spiritual tribulation?'

Ye Qin could not confirm whether his guess was accurate, but for now there seemed to be no danger.

His gaze fell upon the prayer beads.

Ye Qin did not expect that the prayer beads given by Zhi Dun would be of great help this time; without them, the guardian of the Northern Peak Lady Temple would truly be difficult to handle.

But the prayer beads Zhi Dun had previously given him were merely ordinary, with no extraordinary fluctuation; now having this effect, it is likely due to the water channel.

Much as previously guessed, the things fished out from here, although unable to manifest in the real world, can be used as magical treasures in the fragments of time, possessing a certain power!

The water channel possesses the power to turn decay into marvel, enabling ordinary, mundane things to give birth to power!

As the faceless person was eliminated, the white light surrounding the beads completely faded, becoming plain and unadorned; the dark sandalwood beads seemed no different from ordinary ones.

Who would have thought that just now it helped Ye Qin deal with the troublesome faceless person; otherwise, the faceless person would still be blocking the entrance of the Shangqing Temple.

Ye Qin could no longer sense any fluctuation on the beads; he did not know whether the stored energy had been exhausted or if there was another cause.

He carefully placed it back into the water channel; the clear water surface rippled in a circle, and the beads gradually sank, as if merging with the water channel.

Perhaps after a period of rest and recuperation, it will again accumulate energy and should be usable repeatedly thereafter.

Ye Qin's gaze fell upon a shadow not far away; compared to before, the shadow of the ancient bronze sword had become considerably more solid, but to fully recover it would likely still take some time.

For now, matters concerning the beads and the water channel can be set aside; because of the faceless person, Ye Qin has already spent considerable time here and must hurry his exploration.

Having just emerged from the Daoist temple's main gate, he heard birdsong and floral fragrance; the view before him was a lush verdure, refreshing and delightful.

Ye Qin surveyed his surroundings; he was still in the familiar mountains and wilderness.

"I wonder where this time will take me."

Ye Qin shuttled through the mountains and forests, soon sensing a special fluctuation, remarkably similar to that of the Lady Temple earlier.

"It seems to be coming from the southeast..."

At this moment Ye Qin was still exploring the mottled fragments of time; in the real world, the sky had already grown faintly bright, and the speed at which each fragment elapsed differed from the outside.

In the present world, the horizon seemed like a silver jar suddenly shattering, and the liquid inside poured out.

Several rays of rosy light broke through layers of darkness, bringing light to the mortal realm; the somewhat ancient Lady Temple, bathed in the dawning morning light, was tinged with a hint of color, faintly revealing its former splendor.

As the sky grew brighter, the whole city awoke from slumber, the streets and lanes becoming bustling; only the Lady Temple here remained somewhat desolate, with no visitors arriving.

The one in charge of guarding the Lady Temple was Old Man Wang, around sixty years old; he normally handled opening and closing the door, occasionally sweeping the premises; his house was nearby, not far from here, and he could come over each day with a leisurely stroll.

That day after opening the door, he was strolling by the entrance when hurried footsteps sounded from not far away; he saw a group of people walking toward this place, not like ordinary tourists, occasionally scribbling on paper, seeming to have come to handle some matter.

Earlier, Old Man Wang had already noticed that not far away a construction site had begun building and already taken preliminary shape, as if they were going to erect some new structure.

He also did not know whether the arrival of this group had any connection to that nearby construction site.

Just as Old Man Wang was speculating, this group had already arrived at the Lady Temple.

"How come there's still a temple here?"

The leading man frowned, glanced at the design drawings, "This is completely unacceptable; it takes up too much space—it must be demolished here."

It turned out that the construction site Old Man Wang had seen earlier was a large-scale building the government intended to build, named "Eagle's Nest", an internationally open venue that was very important; therefore, the surrounding residential buildings had to be demolished or relocated, and the Temple of the Goddess was also clearly within the planning area.

These people were precisely the construction team sent by the authorities; they came to the site to survey for the next step.

At this point, Old Man Wang couldn't help but exclaim, "What? You're going to demolish the Temple of the Goddess? This is an ancient building left from the Ming dynasty!"

The leading man was unmoved, saying, "What's so special about ancient buildings? There are plenty of them in the capital."

The group walked into the temple and looked around at the surroundings.

"The incense here isn't strong either, and few people come normally; it would be better to demolish it for convenience and relocate elsewhere."

"Indeed, and the building is already quite dilapidated; renovating it again would cost a lot of money."

In just a few words, they had already decided the fate of the Temple of the Goddess.

If the temple were bustling with incense, they might still have reservations, since demolition could provoke public discontent; but given the current situation, even if it were torn down, no one would likely object.

As for the building the authorities are currently constructing, nothing is more important than it—not to mention that this is a Ming-era structure; even if it were older, it would still have to be demolished, because the top-level documents have already been issued and cannot be changed.

This is the will of the nation! (End of chapter)