The sun shone brightly.
Weeds swayed in the wind like the rolling waves of a turbulent sea.
A carriage from Chentang Pass traveled along the official road, escorted by two columns of soldiers. Wherever they passed, the grass and trees turned withered and yellow.
Fear covered the soldiers' faces, and bloodstains could be seen all over their robes.
They dared not look directly at the carriage. The source of the eerie phenomenon seemed to lie within it, and from time to time, they could hear a woman's hurried coughing.
"Whoa~~~"
The horses stopped before the upward mountain path.
A cold wind swept past.
The horses transformed into paper horses. Then, a middle-aged Daoist emerged from the carriage, followed by two yellow-crowned Daoist boys of thirteen or fourteen.
"Master, the yin energy at Five Lights Temple is incredibly heavy—heavier even than at Qianyuan Mountain."
"Speak less."
The Daoist let out a long breath and said in relief, "Five Lights Temple is at the mountaintop. Let us hope no further disaster arises."
"Daoist Priest Qingfeng."
The commander led his horse forward. "Chaoge is only two days away. Why must we stay at Five Lights Mountain? Could it be that Madam Yin..."
Daoist Priest Qingfeng stroked his beard. "Lord Li, look behind us again. Even if Madam Yin can endure until Chaoge, we will not."
The commander turned back, and his face immediately went pale.
Countless reddish eyes were visible amid the grass, staring fixedly at them. At the same time, the yin energy from the remains of wild beasts by the road surged. Before long, they too would turn into Weak Ghosts.
"Daoist Priest Qingfeng, Li Feng failed to understand the situation. Please forgive me."
Li Feng was only a little over thirty, yet the fear in his eyes could not be concealed. After all, evil entities had assaulted them endlessly along the way, leaving them no chance to catch their breath.
Daoist Priest Qingfeng explained, "Madam Yin remains unconscious. We must use the... evil entities of Five Lights Temple to suppress the unborn child in her womb. Otherwise, forget two days—even tonight, something terrible will happen."
Li Feng frowned deeply. King Zhou was personally attending the festival, and Li Jing had already arrived in Chaoge half a month earlier. Otherwise, how could they have ended up in such a sorry state?
"Do not worry. There are fellow cultivators from Qianyuan Mountain in Chaoge. This journey will certainly be dangerous but safe in the end."
Daoist Priest Qingfeng took out a yellow talisman. Yin fire ignited upon it, and it turned to ash. The smoke and dust transformed into birds and vanished in another direction.
"Master, will Immortal Venerable Taiyi attend Empress Nuwa's festival two months from now?" the younger Daoist boy could not help asking.
"Mingshui, this matter carries great implications. Even if Immortal Venerable Taiyi does not come, a True Disciple from Golden Light Cave will come to meet us."
Li Feng asked in confusion, "Daoist Priest, which immortal master from Golden Light Cave will it be?"
Mingshan and Mingshui were about to speak when Daoist Priest Qingfeng snorted coldly. "Do not speak nonsense. Golden Light Cave is not a place you may discuss."
After hesitating for several breaths, Daoist Priest Qingfeng said, "Golden Light Cave is where Qianyuan Mountain's True Disciples reside. The child in Madam Yin's womb is also an appointed disciple and has even alerted the Immortal Venerable long ago."
As he spoke, violent coughing came from within the carriage.
Dense yin energy rushed toward them.
Daoist Priest Qingfeng exhaled a stream of pure qi, and the two paper horses immediately became lifelike.
He hurriedly called for the Daoist boys to lead the paper horses up the mountain.
"Mingshan, Mingshui, I heard that a senior brother is near Chaoge and has considerable ties to the Third Young Master. His name is unknown, but the Immortal Venerable once mentioned him and called him..."
Mingshan interjected, "Corpse Daoist."
Li Feng silently repeated the name a few times. He must be a man of immense supernatural power.
The mountains were low, and before long, the convoy could see the gates of the temple.
The moment they entered Five Lights Temple, the previously clear weather suddenly turned overcast and rainy. Fine rain shrouded the mountaintop, and the yin energy surged.
Daoist Priest Qingfeng's gaze fell upon the several temple priests who had come to welcome them.
All the temple priests were ordinary mortals. Only the man standing at the front had dark, scar-covered skin. He clearly possessed no cultivation, yet his true nature could not be discerned.
Cough, cough, cough.
The damp environment of Five Lights Temple seemed to worsen Madam Yin's coughing.
Daoist Priest Qingfeng forcibly suppressed his stray thoughts, urgency rising within him. If they could not suppress that ghost fetus soon, then... people would definitely die!
"Daoist Priest, General, please come inside."
"Miaoyin Temple Master has been delayed by other matters, so I, Yang He, will receive you."
Yang He deliberately mentioned his name, hoping to see Daoist Priest Qingfeng's reaction. Yet the latter merely nodded politely.
He could not figure out whether the Corpse Daoist Initiate counted as an unregistered resident at Qianyuan Mountain.
The Corpse Daoist Initiate's household registration had been obtained in "Ghost in the Stone," several years after "Ghost Lotus." If he played the Corpse Daoist Initiate, would that cause a conflict?
Yang He secretly considered how to test Daoist Priest Qingfeng when the latter said, "Just prepare a few clean guest rooms for us."
"As a precaution, this old Daoist will set up a formation within Five Lights Temple!!"
"Mingshan, Mingshui, circle the temple a few times and inspect the feng shui. Determine the location of the formation core, and evacuate the worshippers in the temple as well."
"Yes!"
Yang He also sensed that something was wrong. Spiritual Vision revealed a great number of demons and monsters lurking outside the temple.
Moreover, the Skin Pouch Dharma Robe he wore had begun to show abnormalities. If Pupil Ghost had not been suppressing it, the skin pouch might have turned into a ghost again!
Just as expected!
No matter where Nezha went, disaster was sure to follow!!
"Still, fortune and misfortune went hand in hand."
"Pupil Ghost needs only nine more ghost eyes to advance to the Hungry Ghost stage. Five Lights Temple is bustling now, so gathering enough materials for its advancement should be easy."
"It is just that I need to send the Daoist boy to Five Lights Temple to wade into this mess."
Yang He's thoughts raced.
He suspected that because the Daoist boy's background differed due to the timeline, it might adapt to some extent. This opportunity might verify his theory.
Li Feng assumed Yang He had been intimidated by the display and said gravely, "Attendant Yang, please notify the temple master for me. The situation truly is urgent."
"Yes, I was just about to."
Yang He had just been about to say more when his Spiritual Vision surged again.
Spiritual Vision: 115.1 points
His scalp went numb. Ignoring Li Feng, he turned and headed toward the East Hall.
If he truly intended to play the Daoist boy and come to Five Lights Temple, he had to understand the current situation. Would Nezha truly cause... the Living Immortal to lose control?
Heat had already begun rising within Yang He's body.
He inadvertently reached a corner. After taking only a few steps, a vast shadow enveloped him, and the distinctive scent of incense flooded his nostrils.
"Looks like I still need to switch to my main account!!"
Crack, crack, crack.
Yang He's neck turned one hundred and eighty degrees. Before dying, he saw an indescribable evil entity—a Living Immortal formed from layers upon layers of skin—smiling.
Although the Living Immortal's appearance was utterly horrifying, a strange thought still arose in him: it was as though the Buddhas of this world ought to look exactly like this.
Your role, "Temple Priest," has died. The role-playing tale has ended.
The corpse fell to the ground.
By the time Li Feng noticed something was wrong and rushed over, the Living Immortal had already vanished into thin air.
Inside the East Hall.
Miaoyin stared at the lotus throne in sheer terror. The Living Immortal had vanished, replaced by a temple priest's corpse in an appalling state.
"No, that is impossible. I-It-It... is it really going to become an immortal!!!"
The temple priest's limbs had been pierced by rivets, while his face had twisted into the shape of a broad laugh.
Several lines of text were carved into the wooden plaque beneath the lotus throne.
Meditating Temple Priest attained nirvana as a Living Immortal at the age of seventy-two. He underwent a total of three hundred and forty-two burnings at the stake and was confined in the East Hall after going mad.
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