Settling Down at the Desolate Temple

Another elder from the Four Seas Pavilion roared, his face instantly flushing, emitting a dense aura of Blood Fiend Qi, his body swelling as if inflated by a circle.

He became incredibly agile, possessing immense strength. His fists, when striking the Corpse Dogs, left behind deep, scorched fist imprints on them. The lethality of the fiend qi was not to be underestimated!

Amidst flying limbs and blood, these two caravan protectors emanated a fierce, almost frenzied aura.

Occasionally losing control, unable to fully suppress their inner ferocity, they would even pull out the livers of Rotten Wolves and gnaw on them on the spot, appearing less than human!

However, everyone had long grown accustomed to this and wasn't surprised.

Li Qingyun also knew this was the norm for those who cultivated "heretical paths."

His sixteen years of cultivating the "Yang Sha Refining 'Virginity Technique'" had reached a certain level. When he unleashed it, he bore some resemblance to the red-faced elder, his blood surging, greatly enhancing his strength and speed. The Yang Sha aura that ignited around him deterred even wandering spirits.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The caravan guards and other travelers, wielding swords and shooting arrows, with the protection of the Dao Lord's Dharma Idol's pure light, hacked and shot down the Corpse Dogs and Rotten Wolves that dared to charge at them.

Everyone used their own methods, relying on the protection of the Dao Lord's pure light to kill the ferocious beasts and wandering spirits that dared to charge forward.

The deaths of their companions further incited the ferocity of the Corpse Dogs and other spirits, causing them to charge at the caravan indiscriminately.

Several wisps of yin energy also took the opportunity to mix in with the Corpse Dog horde and pounce, but upon contact with the pure light of the Biluo Dao Lord, they ignited like oil on fire. With mournful cries, they were reduced to ashes in just a few moments!

Under the forceful clearing, Corpse Dogs and Rotten Wolves fell in droves, their corpses becoming food for other wolves and dogs.

Amidst the roars and the fight for food, the area was filled with a bloody stench.

As the ferocious beasts and spirits charged, the pure light from the Daoist effigies in everyone's hands gradually dimmed.

The group fought and advanced, with more and more people getting injured.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a burly martial artist let out a scream.

In the midst of the fierce battle, he accidentally stepped out of the protective circle of the Daoist effigy's pure light. A dense mass of black energy suddenly emerged from the darkness, engulfing the large man and carrying him into the night sky!

Screams echoed in the night sky, and amidst a rain of blood, a horrifyingly mangled skeleton plummeted down, its flesh and blood completely devoured!

Cackles!

The sinister laughter of the spirit echoed in the night sky, sending shivers down everyone's spines!

"Beast, die!"

Anger flared in Wang Muyun's eyes, and a surge of fire erupted around her as she struck out.

The Vermilion Dharma Pearl flashed and disappeared into the dense black mass!

Boom!

Flames erupted, and the black energy dispersed.

In that fleeting moment of light, Li Qingyun saw the true form of the black energy: it was an evil ghost with tattered clothes, a green face, fangs, hollow eye sockets devoid of pupils, and crawling maggots!

The Green-faced Ghost clawed at Wang Muyun's Dharma Pearl, repelling it, but its body was ignited by scattered sparks of fire, quickly turning into a blazing torch.

It let out a resentful howl and turned to flee!

"Die!"

Li Qingyun, who had been ready, moved his Thunder Seal. With a thunderous boom, a dazzling bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, exploding amidst the flames and ghostly energy.

Under the thunderous impact, the ghostly energy scattered, and the Green-faced Ghost let out a piercing wail!

However, this ferocious evil ghost did not die completely but rather fled rapidly into the vast darkness.

Its ghostly energy was dispersed, its strength reduced to less than a tenth, making it not a threat for the time being!

This was the first evil ghost the group had encountered!

Wandering spirits, evil ghosts, red-clothed specters, malevolent entities...

This Green-faced Ghost was, in a way, comparable to a cultivator at the Dao Foundation realm.

Yet, in a single exchange, after encountering Wang Muyun, who practiced true fire techniques, and Li Qingyun, who wielded the power of thunder, it was nearly killed!

Of course, the main credit went to Wang Muyun, a highly skilled disciple of Biyou Palace, whose fire techniques were extremely pure and powerful, likely indicating a cultivation level of Qi Refining eighth or ninth layer!

Fighting and moving, relying on the strength of Wang Muyun, Zhao Yifan, Li Qingyun, and the two elders from the Four Seas Pavilion, the group finally passed through the most difficult period.

Finally, the Corpse Dogs and spirits gradually dispersed.

After an unknown amount of time, the group's vision brightened.

In the darkness ahead, a dazzling firelight appeared, illuminating the night sky over the wilderness.

Under the firelight stood a dilapidated desolate temple, perched on a small hill at the intersection of two official roads.

A circle of torches was planted around the desolate temple, and the air was filled with the scent of burning lamp oil.

Layer upon layer of Dao Talismans were pasted on the tattered walls of the desolate temple, exuding an aura of Daoist power that was enough to deter ordinary ghosts and demons. This was a major reason why the desolate temple was regarded as a reliable resting place by merchants traveling from all directions.

Carriages and horses were parked in front of the desolate temple, with guards and martial artists patrolling back and forth with their swords drawn.

Occasional laughter could be heard from inside the desolate temple.

"Thank you for your hard work, two fellow Daoists!"

After seeing the desolate temple, Wang Muyun, whose breathing was a bit weak, nodded to Li Qingyun and the other person. She then took out a pill bottle, swallowed a few Minor Grass Pills, and closed her eyes to meditate on the carriage, no longer speaking.

Zhao Yifan's face was also pale, and his mana was severely depleted. He took out some pills and swallowed them.

Li Qingyun's consumption was actually not that high. He hadn't used much lightning, mainly intervening to save people or resolve crises at more critical moments.

Of course, the big black cat's contributions were also attributed to him. All in all, he felt he had lived up to his identity as a disciple of Lingbao Temple!

Steward Qian, his mind finally settled, stepped forward to negotiate with the other people.

It turned out that the group who had occupied the desolate temple first were mainly over thirty people from the Cai family of Luoshui, with other scattered merchants among them.

"We are from the Four Seas Pavilion's caravan. These two are esteemed disciples of Lingbao Temple. They also wish to rest and stay overnight at the temple. We apologize for the intrusion!"

"So it's Steward Qian, no need for pleasantries!"

"We are from the Cai family of Luoshui County. My young madam went to Lingbao Temple today to burn incense and pray for a child. She is very tired now and is resting in the temple. Please do not disturb her!"

"That's fine, we can rest here in front of the temple. We'll take turns keeping watch..."

The inside of the desolate temple had already been occupied by the young madam of the Cai family and other female attendants. Wang Muyun and Qian Fuguan didn't mind, and Li Qingyun and the other person were even less concerned.

However, when Li Qingyun heard what the Cai family's head guard said, his heart couldn't help but stir slightly.

"The Cai family's young madam went to Lingbao Temple to burn incense and pray for a child. It should be legitimate, but I wonder about that fellow He Xiao..."

He had heard of the Cai family of Luoshui County; their influence was not inferior to that of Marquis Qinghe's mansion.

Luoshui County was relatively close to Maple Mountain's Lingbao Temple, so many prominent families would go there to burn incense, seek talismans, and perform rituals.

The people of the Four Seas Pavilion caravan, after their fierce battle, were also exhausted. Upon reaching the desolate temple, they quickly boiled water, cooked food, tidied up the area, and set up tents or simply spread mats on the ground.

Everyone ate ravenously, replenishing their strength.

The two elder practitioners from the Four Seas Pavilion had particularly astonishing eating habits. They had already returned to their normal human appearances, but their faces were pale, and their auras were weak. Like starving ghosts, they devoured the food and rice.

The caravan even specially slaughtered two lambs. These two enshrined guests directly held basins, drinking fresh lamb's blood like wild beasts, which was quite terrifying.

Li Qingyun also noticed that the elder who had transformed into a half-human, half-fox earlier walked to a corner of the temple wall after the meal and secretly took out a bloody wolf heart, tearing at it and devouring it greedily.

Those who followed the "heretical path" had various sequelae after using extraordinary powers. Drinking beast blood and eating monster meat were considered good; some even needed to drink human blood!

Ordinary people could not touch demonic parts. If contaminated with yin energy or demonic energy, they would be half-dead at best, if not killed outright!