Old Woman Climbs the Mountain

"I'd better wait in the temple. I'll have to trouble you to make another trip, Divine Lord!" Chen Ming said.

"Then wait here, Fellow Daoist. I'll be back in a moment."

Seeing that Chen Ming remained unmoved, Golden Light Divine Lord had no choice but to circulate his mana and transform into a streak of golden light. Drifting away, he left the Taoist Temple in the blink of an eye and departed Cuiping Mountain.

Chen Ming sneered. "He sure ran fast!"

While they had been speaking just now, Chen Ming had already secretly cast a spell. The mist silently gathered, turning into deadly poison, with countless venomous insects hidden within.

The moment Golden Light Divine Lord fell out with him, he would immediately strike and keep him here.

Who would have thought that Golden Light Divine Lord would be so alert and decisive? Rather than falling out with him, he instantly fled.

Since he had not shown any hostility, Chen Ming naturally would not deal a killing blow.

He would simply see whether the man was sincere—whether he truly went to fetch the Spiritual Item and Magic Art, or whether he was merely putting on an act while plotting something else!

Golden Light Divine Lord, transformed into a streak of golden light, flew to the foot of Cuiping Mountain, where he suddenly spotted an old woman with a head full of white hair.

The old woman walked with faltering steps, carrying a bulging bundle on her back, yet she steadily made her way toward the mountaintop, one step at a time.

Cuiping Mountain had nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Mountain Climbing Stone Steps. For the old woman, climbing them was more than difficult—it was practically fatal!

Sensing the Incense and Fire Qi on the old woman, Golden Light Divine Lord's mouth watered.

Unfortunately, the incense on her was directed toward the Taoist Temple atop the mountain. Even if he extracted it, it would not be easy to refine.

Unwilling to accept this, Golden Light Divine Lord calculated with his fingers, and a wave of alarm rose in his heart.

"This old woman is merely a mortal. How can she be entangled in such immense karma—and all of it is calamity qi!"

Even though Golden Light Divine Lord had cultivated a Divine Dharma Body, he did not dare calculate any further, afraid that if he delved too deeply, it would cling to him as well.

"That Xuan Mingzi has hidden the Taoist Temple within the mist. When this old woman reaches the summit, she'll likely return empty-handed. What a pity for the Incense and Fire Qi on her!"

After a brief thought, his brows relaxed. A point of Golden Light flew out, transforming into a Talisman that landed on the old woman's back.

The Talisman had no great use. It would merely make it easier for the old woman to climb the Mountain Climbing Stone Steps, allowing her to see where Chen Ming's Taoist Temple was!

Golden Light Divine Lord had calculated it perfectly. Once the old woman saw the Taoist Temple, the Talisman would dissipate at just the right time, leaving behind not the slightest trace.

"You managed to seize Ling Yangzi's territory, so you must have some skill. You want to hide your tracks and cultivate here? I'll make sure you get tangled up in trouble!"

"I'd like to see whether you can bear the karmic calamities upon this old woman!"

As a cultivator of the Divine Path, Golden Light Divine Lord might have been somewhat lacking in strength, but he had plenty of underhanded methods and wielded them with ease.

After quietly finishing all this, the golden light paused, then vanished over the horizon at astonishing speed.

Long after he had left—

The old woman climbing the mountain suddenly stopped.

The bundle on her back turned cold, an icy chill piercing through her from her back to her chest.

"Who was spying just now?"

The old woman murmured as her mind raced.

She was only a mortal and could not detect Golden Light Divine Lord's traces.

Yet the waves of frigid yin qi emanating from the bundle she carried continuously reminded her that someone had been lurking in the shadows just now.

"They must have left."

Suddenly, the old woman felt a warmth arise within her body, as though withered wood had met spring and regained its vitality and strength.

The Mountain Climbing Stone Steps before her became much easier to climb all at once.

Golden Light Divine Lord's Talisman had taken effect.

Afraid that this burst of strength might vanish at any moment, the old woman took a deep breath and hurried up the mountain, not daring to stop for even a single step.

By the time she reached the summit, the sky had already darkened.

All she could see was mist, a vast expanse of pale white.

"Where has the Taoist Temple gone? There is a true Spirit Tree cultivator within it. If I cannot find it, what am I supposed to do?"

The old woman had endured endless suffering and hurried here without rest, all so she could see the Spirit Tree and make her plea.

Her heart had always held onto a single breath, refusing to let go.

Only then had she endured the bone-piercing chill from the bundle and the vitality forced forth by Golden Light Divine Lord's Talisman.

Her body had long been riddled with holes. If not for the obsession in her heart binding her soul, her essence, qi, and spirit would have scattered long ago, and she would have died.

Yet after climbing the stone steps and reaching the mountain, she could not find the Spirit Tree.

The old woman could no longer hold on. She burst into loud sobs, and with this cry, the last breath sustaining her was about to dissipate.

Just then, the Talisman Golden Light Divine Lord had left on her reached its limit and exploded apart. A wisp of golden light shot out, flashed before the old woman's eyes, and vanished completely without leaving a trace.

As the old woman wiped away her tears, golden light suddenly flashed before her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw the Taoist Temple faintly appearing and disappearing within the mist.

"The Taoist Temple is in the mist!"

The old woman's eyes widened in delight. Her breath rose again, and she got to her feet and entered the fog.

When she stepped into the fog, all she could see was another vast expanse of white.

Old Woman simply closed her eyes. Thinking of the Taoist Temple she had just seen, she felt her way forward.

Bang!

Old Woman crashed into a wall.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself already standing before the Taoist Temple.

Keeping one hand on the wall, she circled around it and finally reached the gates of the Taoist Temple.

Yet the Taoist Temple's gates were tightly shut.

Having gone through all these twists and turns, Old Woman did not dare enter directly. Instead, she untied the bundle from her back and held it tightly against her chest.

With a thud, she dropped to her knees before the Taoist Temple gates and cried aloud:

"This Old Woman knows there is a Spirit God and a true cultivator within the temple. I have come today with but one wish—I am willing to pay any price!"

Old Woman shouted three times, then remained kneeling, kowtowing without cease.

Inside the Taoist Temple, Song Yu and Wang Xiu had long since sensed the commotion.

"According to the Temple Master's instructions, we should send her down the mountain," Song Yu said softly, glancing at Wang Xiu.

Wang Xiu fell silent for a moment. "I know you are kind-hearted and pity her."

"But our own situation is like this. What say do we have?"

"We should hurry and send her away. At most, give her some mortal gold and silver. Perhaps that may ease her difficulties."

As Wang Xiu spoke, he moved to open the gates and send Old Woman down the mountain.

Song Yu also knew what mattered. He took some gold and silver and followed Wang Xiu over.

Whether it was Old Woman climbing the mountain and knocking on the gates, or Song Yu and Wang Xiu's actions, Chen Ming sensed it all with perfect clarity.

Golden Light Divine Lord could calculate that Old Woman was burdened by trouble. Though Chen Ming possessed no divination Supernatural Ability, his Spiritual Sense still felt something In the Dark.

"Old Woman's trouble is no small matter, yet there is something strange about her being able to reach this place!"

"Song Yu and Wang Xiu have decent temperaments. They know the weight of things and did not go against my instructions. After observing them for a while longer, I can pass on some Magic Arts to them. They may yet prove useful!"

A flash of azure light flickered through Chen Ming's eyes, and he discovered something was wrong!

"What is inside that bundle of hers? Such heavy yin energy! This Old Woman's mortal body has already been riddled through by yin energy, yet she has not died. Her will is truly this steadfast!"

By then, Song Yu and Wang Xiu had opened the Taoist Temple gates.

Seeing the gates open, Old Woman hurriedly kowtowed heavily again. "This Old Woman has come to make a plea. I beg you, exalted true cultivator, save my daughter's life!"