Danger in the Dark Night

"Ascension? Biluo Dao Lord of Biyou Palace? The strongest in You Kingdom's history?"

Li Qingyun marveled inwardly, deeply etching the Dao Lord's dharma name into his memory.

He was an unparalleled supreme being!

This was his first time seeing a Daoist effigy of Biluo Dao Lord. He hadn't seen one in Qinghe County before, and the Marquis's Estate didn't enshrine this one either. It seemed he truly wasn't someone ordinary people could invite!

Furthermore, "ascension" was a term he'd only just heard mentioned by a cultivator of this world for the first time, vaguely corresponding to his past life.

Wasn't ascension simply becoming an Immortal? But why was "Immortal" such a great taboo in the Shadowed Domain, something that couldn't even be mentioned?

"Junior brother, don't be envious. Our Lingbao Temple's Dao Lord ancestor is not bad either. Here, take this!"

Zhao Yifan chuckled lightly, taking out a small nanmu wood Daoist effigy from his chest satchel. With a gentle push of mana, he sent it towards Li Qingyun.

"I can see you truly have no experience traveling, junior brother. You didn't even bring a Dao Lord statue when you descended the mountain!"

Li Qingyun nodded his thanks, not bothering to argue.

He took the nanmu wood Daoist effigy and recognized it as one enshrined in Lingbao Temple. Its honored name was Lingbao Chunyang Dao Lord, and he was also the former lord of the Hall of Seeking Offspring.

He infused a wisp of mana into the nanmu wood Daoist effigy, simultaneously chanting:

"Lingbao Temple disciple, respectfully requests the ancestor's divine might!"

Buzz!

The statue of Lingbao Chunyang Dao Lord immediately vibrated with light patterns, emitting a circle of brilliant yellow radiance that enveloped Li Qingyun, the black cat Yuanbao, and the yellow-maned horse beneath him.

What appeared as a clear light to outsiders, in Li Qingyun's "vision," was filled with the majesty of a blazing sun—fierce, powerful, and domineering.

"Our Lingbao Chunyang Dao Lord's divine might is indeed not weak..."

He mused inwardly.

For cultivators, activating a Dao Lord's manifestation involved a clear light, a thought, and then injecting a wisp of mana to instantly summon their divine might.

For mortals to summon a Dao Lord's divine might, it relied on consistent, devout worship and offerings of incense over time, reaching a state where "sincerity moves the heavens."

When a Daoist effigy was needed, one would devoutly focus their mind and chant the Dao Lord's dharma name several times.

Cultivators like Li Qingyun rarely had enough time for their own cultivation, let alone the time for long-term offerings and worship. Naturally, they used a wisp of mana as a catalyst to quickly and conveniently summon a Dao Lord's divine might.

Among these, their own sect's Dao Lord ancestor was the easiest to communicate with and summon.

Just a Dao Lord statue with respectable majesty was worth a considerable sum, at least ten gold.

Li Qingyun was currently short on funds, so he naturally couldn't afford one, but there was no need to tell Zhao Yifan that.

Ordinary people also couldn't afford good Daoist effigies. They mostly carved them themselves from memory or imagination, or bought cheap ones from statue shops.

However, such un-consecrated Daoist effigies, even when enshrined at home and offered incense year-round, rarely manifested spiritual light. They served more as spiritual comfort.

Common people primarily relied on various divine talismans and Dao talismans for peace.

Merchants and travelers who roamed the four seas and were often away from home were mostly not ordinary people and could afford a Daoist effigy.

"Mew..."

As night officially fell, rustling sounds and ferocious, low growls began to emanate from the dense bushes lining the official road.

Corpse Dogs and Rotten Wolves emerged from their hiding places, lurking in the undergrowth and darkness, their eyes like flickering green lamps.

They drooled foul-smelling saliva, their eyes glowing green, restlessly stirring.

As their numbers grew, they began to approach, provocatively probing the edges of the Dao Lord's clear light.

Swish, swish!

From the sizable Four Seas Pavilion merchant caravan ahead, some guards began to act, drawing their bows and shooting arrows that shimmered with talismanic light towards any Corpse Dog that dared to approach and pounce!

A Corpse Dog cried out in agony, shot down by concentrated volleys of arrows. Its body, as large as a small ox and covered in numerous pustules, lay twitching by the roadside.

But the Corpse Dogs and Rotten Wolves were not deterred. They let out low, bloodthirsty roars, becoming even more excited.

Soon, beyond the perimeter of these persistent Corpse Dog packs, more flickering shadows and ghostly qi appeared.

"Bang!"

Li Qingyun's fingers itched to test the power of his Lightning Method. He instantly completed the hand seals and incantation.

A bolt of lightning, as thick as a finger, suddenly flashed across the night sky, striking a Rotten Wolf that had been eyeing him from a distance with lightning speed!

The Rotten Wolf had no time to howl before it tumbled to the ground, emitting smoke and instantly dying!

The thunderous roar, like divine might, made the merchants and travelers ahead and behind them all look over.

At this moment, as Li Qingyun unleashed the lightning, he faintly exuded an aura of thunder. His handsome face and starry eyes, his black hair flowing, made the passing merchants and travelers inwardly praise him!

What an extraordinary and outstanding Daoist practitioner!

"Two esteemed masters, are you disciples of Lingbao Temple? I am Qian Fuguan, the manager of the Four Seas Pavilion's Pengcheng Branch. May I have the honor of inviting you to travel together? There is an abandoned temple about ten miles ahead; it would be safer if we traveled as a group..."

The manager of the Four Seas Pavilion merchant caravan, a plump, fair-skinned middle-aged man in brocade robes, walked towards Li Qingyun and his companion under the protection of guards. He extended a warm invitation with a respectful expression, suggesting they combine forces for the night journey.

At this time, all the merchants and travelers visible on the official road, adorned with Dao talismans and holding weapons and torches, were gathering around the renowned Four Seas Pavilion merchant caravan.

Seeing two distinguished disciples from Lingbao Temple, especially the exceptionally handsome and elegant young practitioner who was skilled in Lightning Method, everyone's expression brightened with joy.

With two Daoist Yuzhen present, this ten-mile stretch of road at night shouldn't pose any problems, right!

The Four Seas Pavilion caravan also had over twenty burly men, among whom were two thin, grey-clothed elders with extraordinary auras.

Li Qingyun's Spiritual Eye swept over them, sensing familiar Sha energy fluctuations similar to the Yang Sha Refining he had almost mastered. However, it was far more powerful than his own had been. These two must have found an unorthodox path to cultivation!

But it was still an unorthodox path, lacking true methods, and the cost of cultivation and spellcasting was immense.

These "gimped" supernatural techniques would damage lifespan and vital energy with repeated use.

In the center of the caravan was a more luxurious and exquisite carriage, its curtains always drawn, obscuring whoever sat inside.

But Li Qingyun could sense a considerable Mana fluctuation from within the carriage; the cultivator inside was stronger than Zhao Yifan!

"Junior Brother, let's travel with them! The temple has ordered that disciples of Lingbao Temple traveling outside should assist mortals whenever possible!"

Zhao Yifan said to Li Qingyun.

"Alright!"

Li Qingyun readily agreed, nodding without further comment.

Zhao Yifan felt pleased and immediately urged his horse to draw closer to the Four Seas Pavilion caravan.

"My junior brother and I will lead the way, you guard the flanks, and I'll trouble the two from Four Seas Pavilion to cover the rear. As for the Daoist friend in the carriage, provide support from the center..."

Amidst the respectful greetings from the Four Seas Pavilion caravan and other travelers, Zhao Yifan slightly raised his head in response and began to arrange things without hesitation.

For the moment, Zhao Yifan appeared to be the most powerful cultivator present, naturally taking on the air of a leader.

"Agreed!"

A calm female voice emanated from the luxurious carriage of the Four Seas Pavilion.

It was a female cultivator!

Li Qingyun remained silent, walking alongside Zhao Yifan, secretly clutching his Thunder Seal, a spell ready to be uttered.

He felt a little excited.

He had just tested his Lightning Method, effortlessly killing a ferocious Rotten Wolf with a flick of his finger, and now he felt more confident.

Rotten Wolves, Corpse Dogs, and the like were common fierce beasts in the wilderness.

They fed on human and animal corpses, becoming tainted with corpse energy, half-undead and half-demonic. They were extremely ferocious; ordinary swords and blades, even when severing their heads, couldn't easily kill them. Ordinary people's weapons could only effectively deal with them if they were inscribed with Dao Talismans.

When he was in Qinghe County, he had honed his courage and skills against these Rotten Wolves with the help of the Marquis's Estate guards. However, killing even one Corpse Dog or Rotten Wolf took considerable effort and required extreme caution to avoid contamination from the corpse or demonic energy, which could make a mortal gravely ill or even kill them.

Unlike now, where he could activate his Thunder Seal and obliterate them instantly and effortlessly!