A Challenge from the Mahayana Demon King

With the help of the system, he had now fully mastered the essentials of divine path cultivation.

Next, he needed to establish a connection with his own idol inside the temple.

This process was quite profound, somewhat similar to a Wi-Fi connection from his past life.

Although this was his first attempt, Lin Xiaoyao was as skilled as a veteran, showing no signs of unfamiliarity; perhaps this was because he possessed the realm of a Saint.

About three thousand li west of the Feathering Sect's main headquarters lay a small city known as Sui County.

Sui County was not large, but it was situated at a vital crossroads.

Jingyang Ridge, located within its borders, was particularly famous.

About two years ago, a tiger demon had been wreaking havoc and poisoning the lives of the people.

At the most critical moment, it was slain by a celestial sword that had descended from the nine heavens.

At the time, hundreds of people in the county had witnessed this scene with their own eyes.

Naturally, the people were deeply grateful to the master of that celestial sword.

Later, wealthy families in the county provided funding, and with the full support of the local government, a temple was built for that immortal.

From the day it was completed, the incense had been endless; not only the people of Sui County, but also passing merchants and mountain hunters vied to pay their respects.

It was said to be extremely efficacious.

At this moment, through the connection to the idol in the temple—via Wi-Fi... bah, he meant the connection—Lin Xiaoyao took in everything at a glance.

The temple was located at the foot of the small hill known as Jingyang Ridge.

The tiger demon had been eliminated, and although today was neither the first nor the fifteenth of the lunar month, the weather was clear, and there was an unexpectedly large number of people going to offer incense.

At the temple entrance, there were even more vendors selling various incense sticks, paper money, and prayer items, hawking their wares to the pilgrims. The constant sound of shouting made the place appear extremely lively.

Lin Xiaoyao did not pay it much mind.

He was curious about what people would pray to him for.

Thinking about it, it was actually quite interesting.

Lin Xiaoyao calmed his mind to listen.

However, he hadn't listened for long before the smug smile on his face froze.

A moment later, his expression grew increasingly dark.

It was no wonder Lin Xiaoyao was speechless.

The things the pilgrims were praying for were simply too bizarre.

Praying for the safety of one's household was normal.

Blessing the elders in the family with long life was also quite fine.

Even scholars about to take their exams coming here to pray for good results and to land on the golden list was something he could understand.

Though he certainly wouldn't pay any attention to it.

Hmph, dreaming big, aren't you? Before I transmigrated, even I had to cram and study desperately whenever exams came around. And you? You think you can just come to a temple, light a stick of incense, and expect to do well?

Where in this world is there such a good deal?

But while it was a pipe dream, such prayers were still considered normal.

However, the wishes of some of the people that followed truly left Lin Xiaoyao speechless.

For instance, a certain auntie—no, it should be a certain middle-aged woman—actually ran over to pray for his blessing, saying she hoped to be thirty years younger.

Lin Xiaoyao: "???"

Fine, it's not like my system space lacks such pills, but we aren't related or acquainted. You light a stick of incense and come here to ask for a wish like that—isn't that a bit excessive?

Do you take me for a fool or a sucker!

What left Lin Xiaoyao most speechless was a thick-browed, big-eyed man who came to pray, saying he had been on several blind dates only to be rejected by the ladies because his feet smelled.

He wanted to ask him to cure it.

Lin Xiaoyao: "..."

Lin Xiaoyao was furious on the spot and nearly couldn't resist striking him dead with a bolt of heavenly lightning.

This was truly going too far.

There were also quite a few people coming to pray for children.

Lin Xiaoyao didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

His initial curiosity had long since vanished, and he felt completely dispirited.

He decided to sever the connection and ignore these fellows.

However, just then, his pupils suddenly constricted, and he halted the action of disconnecting from the statue.

For no other reason.

Lin Xiaoyao had noticed an old man among the pilgrims.

The old man wore a square cap and a pale green robe; his hair and beard were long, his gait was steady, and he appeared to be in high spirits.

At a glance, he seemed to be over seventy, yet he also looked to be in his sixties.

His temperament was particularly unique; he seemed quite scholarly, yet he exuded an indescribable aura of pressure.

He should have been an otherworldly figure, yet he hid among the pilgrims, appearing completely unremarkable.

This was no ordinary concealment technique; it carried a hint of the Daoist principle of "following nature."

Unfortunately, he might have been able to fool others.

But coming here, in front of Lin Xiaoyao, he was merely showing off his meager skills before an expert.

This was actually a Great Vehicle-stage Demon King.

Lin Xiaoyao was somewhat surprised. Having transmigrated to this world for over a decade, he had always kept a low profile within his sect and never provoked any big shots from the outside world, so this was his first time encountering a being of the Great Vehicle level.

And it was a great demon at that!

With such profound and remarkable cultivation, it was no wonder he dared to come to his temple.

But what was his purpose in coming here?

Lin Xiaoyao felt quite curious.

Provocation? Revenge?

After all, due to the incident two years ago, quite a few members of the demon race had died at the hands of the Locust Wood Immortal Sword.

Lin Xiaoyao was curious.

But he was not afraid.

For one thing, although this was his temple, even the appearance of the statue had been sculpted by the common people according to their own imaginations.

It was a far cry from his actual self.

Therefore, he was perfectly hidden behind the scenes.

What could this little old man do about it?

Moreover, although a Great Vehicle-stage Demon King was powerful enough to make the entire Feathering Sect face a formidable enemy, to him, it was nothing extraordinary.

He was confident and composed, so instead of rushing to sever the connection with the statue, he waited leisurely, hiding behind the scenes to observe what the other party intended to do.

The old man followed the pilgrims to the front of the statue.

To Lin Xiaoyao's surprise, he did not commit any rude acts; instead, he cupped his hands in a respectful salute and offered a stick of incense.

"This..."

Lin Xiaoyao was stunned for a moment.

Could it be that the other party had no hostile intentions, and he was just being overly suspicious?

But this thought had barely surfaced when, as the incense was offered, he saw a strand of extremely pure and astonishing demonic energy rising in curls along with the blue smoke from the incense.

Subsequently, that demonic energy established a subtle connection with the aura of the entire temple.

"Hmph, so he's here to test me."

Lin Xiaoyao chuckled.

As a Great Vehicle-stage Demon King, let alone ordinary mountain spirits or water monsters, even a local deity or city god ordained by the Heavenly Court would not be able to withstand a bow from him.

At best, they would lose years of their life; at worst, their souls would be scattered directly.

In fact, as a Saint, his own situation was even more exaggerated.

Looking across the world, no one could withstand a bow from him.

It was just that Lin Xiaoyao had always been very careful about this point.

A Saint governs the laws of heaven and earth; his bow could be something others could not bear, but at the same time, as long as he wished, he could make the recipient feel nothing at all, with no impact whatsoever.

To use an inappropriate metaphor, the subtlety of application lies in the heart; that was the principle.

Everything would proceed according to his will!

And here, the Great Vehicle-stage Demon King's incense and bow were clearly ill-intentioned.

Or to put it bluntly, he was simply provoking and testing him, just in a more subtle and less intense way.