Entering the Temple

Xu Yu made no attempt to hide the killing intent in his eyes. The spirit sword beneath his feet gave a soft hum, and invisible Sword Qi crisscrossed the area within a hundred meters. The many Mythic Walkers present all felt a deadly threat, as though sharp swords had been laid across their throats.

Even the Yellow Wind Little Sage, secretly hiding a thousand meters away, had all his fur standing on end and dearly wished he could flee on the spot.

Yet the curiosity in his heart ultimately suppressed his instincts. The Yellow Wind Little Sage lowered his body and continued observing the commotion before the Mountain God Temple.

Silence reigned before the Northern Yin Mountain Temple. None of the Mythic Walkers affiliated with the Four Great Megacorporations dared step forward to refute him, and no one even dared ask about the Mountain God Tablet.

Had it been earlier, the Four Great Megacorporations might not have wanted to provoke the Investigation Bureau, but they would not necessarily have feared it either.

The Yinshan Investigation Branch might have the Federation government at its back, but the Four Great Megacorporations were no pushovers. Their influence spanned the entire Federation rather than being confined to a single city or town, and they even had connections in the Federation's upper council.

As long as they had the rules on their side, the Four Great Megacorporations might not have been unable to contend with the Investigation Bureau.

But the situation was now completely different. Those who could enter the Yin Mountain Realm at this moment were all elite confidants of the Four Great Megacorporations, and more or less all of them knew that the Yinshan Investigation Branch had sealed off the entire Yin Mountain City in order to carve up the resources of this new region.

The present Yin Mountain City was a cage that allowed entry but forbade exit, and the Investigation Bureau, possessing the greatest force, controlled everything.

If they had not feared the Four Great Megacorporations overturning the table, the Investigation Bureau could have monopolized the Yin Mountain Realm.

Under such circumstances, no one dared disregard the threat from the Investigation Bureau.

After a moment of silence, a captain from Cloud Palace Group finally stepped forward. With a smile, he said to Xu Yu:

"Since Captain Xu Yu has spoken, how could we possibly refuse to comply?"

As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere immediately eased.

"Precisely, precisely!"

"Since the Investigation Bureau is willing to share information about the Northern Yin Mountain Temple, we should naturally abide by the rules as well."

The tension in the air immediately relaxed. Xu Yu narrowed his eyes slightly at the sight and nodded in satisfaction.

"Since that is the case, please make yourselves at home."

As he spoke, Xu Yu rode his flying sword away in a streak of light, showing no intention of entering the Northern Yin Mountain Temple himself.

For a time, only the exploration teams from the Investigation Bureau and the Four Great Megacorporations remained. Both sides looked at one another, and quite a few Mythic Walkers eyed the other side with hostility.

During the earlier exploration, there had been no shortage of teams that had fought fiercely over Mythic Materials.

Though both sides had deliberately held back from killing, injuries had been unavoidable.

Many of the exploration teams had especially been victims of the Yellow Wind Little Sage. They all believed the other side had secretly made a move and snatched away the Mythic Materials beforehand, so naturally they could not stand the sight of one another.

Still, the Investigation Bureau was the first to break the deadlock. A burly man, built like a Flesh Mountain, walked out from the crowd and smilingly said to the Mythic Walkers of the Four Great Megacorporations:

"This is your first time at the Northern Yin Mountain Temple, everyone. Since that is so, please go first."

The Mythic Walkers of the Four Great Megacorporations immediately felt their hearts tighten, instinctively sensing that something was wrong.

If the Northern Yin Mountain Temple truly held something good, why would the Investigation Bureau voluntarily offer up such treasure?

Yet as they looked at this Flesh Mountain, no one dared voice a refusal. This man before them was one of the Investigation Bureau's two Scavenger Fifth Rank Mythic Walkers.

There were many reasons one might become Scavenger Fifth Rank. For example, one might lack a suitable Mythic System Diagram, encounter problems with the Mythic Materials integrated into one's body, or choose better Mythic Materials that caused the remaining traits to reject one another, ultimately preventing completion.

Although Scavenger Fifth Rank had lost the qualification to advance and, in some respects, was even inferior to many Scavenger Fourth Rank walkers who steadily followed the Mythic System Diagram, their strength still far exceeded everyone present.

Combined with the many members of the Investigation Bureau, the Four Great Megacorporations could only passively accept.

"Zhao Yang, you try it."

A captain from the Four Great Megacorporations' ranks gave an order to one of his members.

The Mythic Walker named Zhao Yang was only Scavenger Third Rank, but under his captain's command, he could only grit his teeth and walk toward the main gate of the Northern Yin Mountain Temple.

He slowly reached out and pushed open the gate. Everyone eagerly looked inside, but all they saw was a deep, boundless darkness.

No matter the angle, they could not see the true scene within the gate. Only Zhao Yang, standing at the entrance, seemed to have seen something.

Suddenly, Zhao Yang's expression changed drastically, and he blurted out:

"How is this possible?"

The next instant, Zhao Yang's body flew backward several dozen meters and slammed into the ground. He clutched his chest, which looked as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer and deeply caved in.

The other Mythic Walkers immediately stepped forward to inspect him. A female Mythic Walker dressed in white raised her hand, where a faint green radiance glimmered before transforming into life force that flowed into Zhao Yang's body.

"His entire body appears to have been crushed by a heavy object, with multiple fractures. His soul has also suffered a violent impact. He must be sent out of the realm for treatment."

The Flesh Mountain from the Investigation Bureau snorted coldly and shoved aside the people around him.

"There's no need for such trouble."

As he spoke, he extended a broad hand. His knife-like nails sliced open his palm, and blood carrying an exotic fragrance immediately dripped into Zhao Yang's mouth.

Zhao Yang instinctively gulped down the blood. His many fractures and life-threatening wounds began healing at a rapid pace, and he himself woke from his unconsciousness.

However, the Flesh Mountain clearly had no intention of fully healing Zhao Yang. Seeing him awaken, he withdrew his right hand, and the wound on his palm immediately closed as Mythic Factors circulated through it.

"Kid, tell us the conditions for entering this Northern Yin Mountain Temple."

A flash of relief at having survived a calamity passed through Zhao Yang's eyes as he answered:

"After I opened the gate, I saw two vicious ghost gods standing at the entrance, questioning me: 'Did you waste grain or destroy crops while you were alive?'

"Before I could answer, those two ghost gods told me to receive punishment.

"Then I felt an irresistible force strike me. When I opened my eyes again, I was already lying here."

Everyone wore astonished expressions.

"Did you waste grain or destroy crops while you were alive? What kind of special condition is that?"

"And what is the standard for wasting food? Does casually throwing away food count as wasting grain, or do even a few grains of rice left in a bowl count?"

"If they really follow a strict standard where leaving a few grains of rice counts, can anyone meet the condition?"

Zhao Yang himself shook his head blankly. On the Investigation Bureau's side, however, quite a few people revealed thoughtful expressions.

The Flesh Mountain's gaze was like lightning as it swept over the many Mythic Walkers present.

"Who else is willing to try?"

No one from the Investigation Bureau responded. Instead, a Mythic Walker from the Four Great Megacorporations' ranks stepped forward with an excited expression.

"I'm willing to try!"

Everyone followed the voice and saw that the speaker was a gaunt old man who looked sixty or seventy years old.

Someone in the crowd seemed to recognize him and immediately burst out laughing. "Money Miser, with that body of yours, you want to enter the Mountain God Temple? Aren't you afraid you'll die right here on the spot?"

The Flesh Mountain frowned slightly, looking at the gaunt old man with a hint of suspicion.

The gaunt old man bowed to the Flesh Mountain, then smiled confidently.

"Please rest assured, sir. My family was poor when I was young, and I had a large appetite. In order to save every grain of food, I ate every grain of rice and every portion of vegetables. I would never waste even the tiniest bit.

"Even after I was fortunate enough to become a Mythic Walker, I never changed this habit. When it comes to thrift, no one can compare to me."

A Mythic Walker in the crowd could not help muttering, "You call that thrift? You're a dignified Scavenger Third Rank Mythic Walker, living in a detached villa, yet you make your family eat leftovers every day.

"At the last company gathering, you actually packed up all the leftover dishes from the banquet and took them home. Your whole family spent more than half a month eating food from over a dozen tables. Being stingy doesn't mean being stingy like you!"

Upon hearing the others' complaints, the Flesh Mountain's eyes instead lit up. He reached out and patted Money Miser on the shoulder.

"I didn't expect the Hundred Ghosts Consortium to have a talent like you!"

"Rest assured. As long as you can obtain the Mountain God Tablet, I can give you whatever you want.

"Even if you want a longevity-extending medicine, I can apply to the higher-ups for it."

Money Miser said awkwardly, "Sir, I'm only thirty-five. I have no use for longevity-extending medicine."

The Flesh Mountain froze. His eyes widened as he looked Money Miser up and down in disbelief.

Scavenger Realm Mythic Walkers possessed all kinds of abilities. Although the vast majority could not surpass the lifespan limit of two sixty-year cycles, slowing their aging was generally not a problem.

Money Miser looked like a gaunt old man in his sixties or seventies. Among Mythic Walkers, people would believe he was a hundred years old.

The Flesh Mountain tried to say something, but in the end swallowed most of his words, leaving behind only two.

"Good luck!"