Where You Hide, There Nezha Is

Nezha grunted, and the skin pouch actually began to steal the pupil ghost's yin qi.

However, the two ghosts couldn't stop the skin pouch's ghostification.

The three yang fires sharply diminished.

His breathing became weak. If he didn't take countermeasures, the Temple Priest persona would likely meet the same fate of being exposed and dying.

Yang He's attempts at the Inner Elixir Art all ended in failure. As if possessed, he activated the Blood Refining Three Hearts Method, using the skin pouch as a yin artifact to refine.

"Huh? Is this working?!"

The Blood Refining Three Hearts Method was a crude artifact refining technique, yet it was exceptionally effective against the skin pouch.

The skin pouch's ghostification halted and began to transform into an evil yin artifact. However, his blood was consumed at a visible rate, causing his heartbeat to pound like a drum.

Through this, Yang He also managed to understand the information about the skin pouch ghost.

[Skin Painting Ghost]

[Suffered the torture of flaying in life. A ghost born from resentment qi attached to a skin pouch, it constantly seeks living people to skin.]

"Cough, cough, cough."

Yang He couldn't help but cough repeatedly, his mouth dry from excessive blood loss.

Unlike the Daoist Initiate with the corpse-severing immortal body, the Temple Priest was, after all, just an ordinary mortal and couldn't withstand the torment of the three ghosts within his body.

Miaoyin saw Yang He escape the burning, and she didn't find it strange, only a little regretful.

"Yang He, what a shame."

"Whether your luck is good or bad, you were fortunate enough to survive the fire ritual but didn't achieve the Living Immortal. From now on, serve the Living Immortal like me."

Yang He asked hoarsely, "What is a Living Immortal?"

"Yang He, you're new to the temple and don't understand. Immortality is the Living Immortal. It is the immortal object worshipped by our Five Lights Temple throughout the generations. Outsiders covet it greatly, but none have ever managed to touch it."

Miaoyin gave Yang He a pill, and the generated medicinal power suppressed his injuries.

"Each Temple Priest only gets one chance at the fire ritual. Alas."

She no longer paid attention to Yang He and shifted her focus to the other Temple Priests. After all, there were still seven or eight people struggling desperately.

Yang He glanced at Xuanzhao outside the door and tentatively drew external yin qi into his body.

Since Xuanzhao showed no reaction, Yang He no longer hesitated. Before long, the pupil ghost derived its first yin meridian from the remnants of the fire ritual.

The skin pouch yin artifact was successfully refined.

[Skin Pouch Dharma Robe]

[A low-grade yin artifact refined by Yang He. Originally a nascent Skin Painting Ghost, its resentment qi has not dissipated. Wearing it can conceal yin qi, but it also requires constantly enduring the erosion of resentment qi.]

Yang He noticed that the Skin Pouch Dharma Robe was only a thin layer on the surface of his body. Even if he removed it, he wouldn't become a flayed person with exposed flesh and blood, though his skin would inevitably be dark and covered in scars.

He sat leaning against the wall. With the pupil ghost present, the drawbacks of the Skin Pouch Dharma Robe were not obvious, with only a faint yin coldness circulating among his organs.

Yang He remained composed, watching as the Temple Priests successively turned into charred corpses, burned to death alive.

Miaoyin's expression was solemn; she had not yet seen a Living Immortal born.

"Impossible. There should be at least one or two Living Immortals. If the East Hall isn't suppressed by a Living Immortal, something big will happen sooner or later."

"I fear that before Stone Crone can deliver, the Five Lights Temple will suffer a calamity."

With the enhancement of his spiritual vision, Yang He's senses were sharp. He could hear Miaoyin's murmuring and immediately felt that the Five Lights Temple was in a dire state.

After an unknown amount of time.

Daylight was about to break through the horizon.

Suddenly, something unusual happened in the hall. Miaoyin's chest heaved violently. Two charred corpses were seen sitting cross-legged and no longer moving.

Flames flickered between the eyebrows of the charred corpses. To onlookers, it was simply a heavenly auspicious sign.

Yang He, however, found it inexplicably strange.

Each of the two charred corpses sealed a ghost face within them. While not as terrifying as the one within Elder Xuanzhao, the nascent form of a Living Immortal was already evident.

Yang He suspected that the Five Lights Temple was a ghost-nurturing ground for an immortal of the Jie Sect.

He recalled that the Jie Sect advocated teaching without discrimination and that its disciples had committed many immoral acts. The death of a few dozen people could indeed be considered merciful.

"Yang He, give me a hand and help me wipe the filth off the Living Immortal."

"Okay."

Yang He's injuries no longer hindered his actions. He used his robe to wipe away the filth bit by bit, revealing skin with a bronze-like texture.

His expression was one of astonishment. A living person had transformed into a divine statue overnight.

"Yang He, this is how Living Immortals are. They only come alive at midnight. Look, Elder Xuanzhao has also transformed into a divine statue and abstains from grain."

Xuanzhao outside the door stood motionless in the morning sun, also exhibiting a bronze-like texture.

Xuanzhao's appearance was solemn, and his every movement carried an undisguised eeriness. As the morning sun rose, it made the Living Immortal appear like a reborn Buddha.

Yang He's clothes were involuntarily soaked with cold sweat.

What terror would the Nuwa divine statue unleash after its consecration?

Yang He's scalp tingled. Facing the horror of the Ghost in the Stone firsthand, he wondered about the purpose of festivals for the people's blessings. It seemed more like a gathering of demons!

He regretted his earlier decision not to pry more information from Li Feng.

Perhaps he could have figured out the plot direction of this bizarre version of Investiture of the Gods.

"Someone!"

Miaoyin called over a dozen Temple Priests, instructing them to move the Living Immortals to the various halls. She repeatedly emphasized that the Living Immortals must not be defiled.

Yang He noticed that most of the Temple Priests had not undergone the fire ritual.

Upon seeing his appearance, the ordinary Temple Priests became respectful, and they obeyed Miaoyin's every word, as if she represented the Living Immortals.

"Yang He, come with me. From now on, you'll be staying in the side room of the East Hall."

Miaoyin explained, "Ordinary Temple Priests who come into contact with the Living Immortals meet a dead end. Only attendants like you and I can communicate with them."

"But you must remember, unless absolutely necessary, do not go out at night."

Yang He swallowed. "Do the Living Immortals harm people?"

"More than just harm."

Miaoyin said no more and continued, "There are seven attendants in total at the Five Lights Temple. It's fine for them not to leave the temple. Yang He, you can ask the Temple Priests to bring you food anytime."

As they spoke, the two arrived at the eastern hall.

The hall's doors and windows were tightly shut.

Through his pupil ghost, Yang He saw that there were at least two to three hundred Living Immortals with ferocious faces inside.

The Living Immortals were all seated on lotus platforms. Among them, over a dozen Living Immortals were covered in rivets, seemingly forcibly fixed to the platforms with chisels.

"Usually, nothing happens. When the Living Immortals awaken, they are merely cultivating in the temple."

Miaoyin stopped in front of a separate room. "You can stay here. We'll talk about it when Empress Nuwa's stone statue arrives."

Yang He nodded, naturally pleased.

His pupil ghost was only three yin meridians away from reaching the perfect stage of a weak ghost. With the dense yin qi in the Lore World, he should reach it soon.

Yang He pushed open the door to the side room. Inside were some ordinary furnishings.

"Oh, right."

Miaoyin added, "Recently, Madam Yin from Chentang Pass will be staying at the Five Lights Temple for a few days. I heard a Daoist from Qianyuan Mountain is accompanying her."

"Yang He, be careful. Don't anger the immortal disciples."

With that, he hurried away.

Yang He's expression was uncertain. As expected, the Lore World couldn't remain peaceful forever, and Nezha couldn't just stay quietly in his mother's womb.

He could already foresee how much trouble was coming his way.

"Cultivation."

"Anyway, I've already earned enough from this role-playing."