Of course those old ancestors were still alive. I had seen that with my own eyes.
But Mo Xuan's suspicions had also left me feeling doubtful.
There were five old guys on the mountain: three from the Mo Family and two from the Gongshu Family. According to Mo Wang, they were trapped inside the temple and could not leave it. The moment they did, they would rapidly age and die. I had also speculated about this before. I guessed it had something to do with that independent space.
For example, that independent space was like a vacuum. Their lives could be "preserved" within it, and they could even cultivate there, continually strengthening their bodies and wills.
But they could not leave that space. The moment they left, their lives would end.
Mo Wang said it was because they had all been cursed—the curse within that temple.
That was why they had created substitute people to replace themselves. The substitute people could handle matters that they could not personally take care of.
But that consumed far too much mental energy, so while the substitute people were powerful, they could not be used without limit. After using them once, they would likely need to rest for a long time.
But was what Mo Wang said true? If it were, was life in the temple really worth Old Ghost's longing? When Old Ghost heard Mo Wang say that he could go up the mountain once this matter was settled, he had been genuinely excited. Old Ghost had always wanted to go up the mountain and live in Half-Step Zen Temple.
Did Old Ghost not know that place was more like a prison? If it was a prison, why was he so happy? Why did he still want to go up the mountain?
I