With a creak, the tightly shut main gates of Little Cold Mountain Temple were slowly pushed open from within. A succession of monks in uniform bright-yellow robes emerged and formed into two lines. Meng Zhao nearly laughed aloud.
That was because none of these monks were Human Clan members. They were all from the Hundred Clans, strange and grotesque in appearance, yet dressed as monks. Their heads were completely bald, and special prayer beads hung around their necks, giving them an utterly incongruous look.
The leader was the tallest among them. His head was bald as well, while two sharp, curved horns grew from either side of his forehead, shaped like scimitars and glinting with chilling light. Though he did not resemble an orthodox monk very closely, he bore some resemblance to the battle-protecting guardians of the Buddhist faith from myth and legend.
He was a member of the Bull Demon Clan. Though his cultivation was merely at the Grandmaster realm, the depth of his aura and the pressure he exerted on everyone present were something even some Great Grandmasters might not possess.
Meng Zhao saw clearly that aside from this Bull Demon Clan member's exceptional gifts and extraordinary bloodline, another crucial reason was that he and Little Cold Mountain Temple behind him had formed an almost mutually inclusive relationship. Near Little Cold Mountain Temple, he naturally possessed Timeliness and Earthly Advantage, allowing him to surpass the limits of his own cultivation.
In other words, he had incorporated every stone and grain of dust in Little Cold Mountain Temple into his cultivation, treating the temple as a small world. Although he was not as free of limitations as a true Great Grandmaster, he could still unleash combat power approaching the Great Grandmaster level through this special cultivation secret art.
This