Demon God Temple (Part 2)

A group of them chased into the rear courtyard and saw the Golden Python plunge headfirst into the corridor.

"Why is there a corridor here? When we came to investigate earlier, we didn't see another way in here."

The tall woman from the Ten Thousand Flowers Sect frowned and abruptly stopped.

"This temple is only so large. You must have overlooked it," Qin Ye said blandly. "Decide for yourselves whether to go in. My magic artifact shows that it is hiding here and has not fled."

Ma Jingxuan stood at the entrance to the corridor as well, while the other two followed her lead. She pondered for a moment.

"Since we have chased it this far, giving up now is hardly an option. But this place is somewhat strange. It ran inside yet did not keep moving; there may very well be a trap."

"Junior Sister Ma is right." Qin Ye nodded. "Let's send talismans in to test it first."

At once, everyone began probing it, employing one method after another.

Lin Xin stood behind the wall, listening to their movements, and nodded slightly.

"Not rashly charging in, stopping in time when victory is within reach, resisting temptation instead of pressing forward recklessly—Qin Ye is a capable man."

At this moment, the blood essence from the two demons he had killed earlier began to churn. His Foundation Establishment cultivation slowly rose, and he casually glanced at his status.

'Returning Origin Art—Foundation Establishment Realm, Layer Two. (Completion: 6%)'

It had risen from the previous 4% to 6%. Killing the two demons was one factor; there was also the feedback of soul power from the Nether Prefecture, along with his own cultivation during this period. The three combined.

After all, now that his Dragon King Dao Foundation had formed, his aptitude was no longer as poor as before. Even without slaughtering, as long as he cultivated in seclusion for fifty or sixty years, he could break through to the next layer.

Drawing back his attention, he saw that the youngsters had begun entering the corridor one after another.

Lin Xin frowned. He did not show himself. He sensed the other two auras fluctuate as well, as if they too were somewhat concerned.

After everyone entered, muffled bang bang sounds of combat soon came from inside, before rapidly falling silent.

More than half an hour passed, yet the tiny temple had become utterly still.

Lin Xin frowned. Soon, he saw a white-clad figure drift lightly down into the courtyard. It was the woman among the two expert guards, apparently someone from the Ten Thousand Flowers Sect.

She wore a white veil, and her watery blue eyes stared worriedly at the corridor. She held a three-pronged spike in her hand as she stood in the courtyard.

"This seems to be a formation."

The other man walked out slowly, his expression equally solemn.

"And a nested chain formation at that! It cannot be underestimated."

He paused. "That demon lured them inside, perhaps intending to catch them all in one net. We must break the formation as quickly as possible."

"Junior Brother Luo, are you versed in formations?" the woman asked softly.

"I know a little," the man said with a light laugh.

"Then I must ask Junior Brother Luo to act. Otherwise, if something happens to my niece inside, I fear I will be powerless to protect her. That would be troublesome." The woman made her request gently.

"Rest assured, Senior Sister Huo! Leave the formation to me." The man strode forward with complete confidence.

At this moment, the woman looked toward Lin Xin's direction.

"Fellow junior brother over there, why not come out and lend a hand?"

She had actually discovered Lin Xin's position.

Lin Xin was also startled. Though he had not deliberately concealed himself, for her to discover him so easily showed that she had some skill.

After giving it some thought, he slowly stepped out. He cupped his hands toward the woman without saying anything, then leaned against a wall and waited for the man to break the formation.

The man glanced at Lin Xin. Noticing that Senior Sister Huo did not pay the other man any heed this time, his mood immediately improved. He then refocused and carefully walked to the corridor, taking out a talisman.

With a hiss, the talisman ignited, its yellow flame swaying faintly in the breeze.

"Go!"

He suddenly scattered the talisman in all directions. One talisman instantly became dozens, flying around the corridor. Burning yellow talismans plastered the walls, the ground, and the pillars of the temple.

The talismans were strange as well. They burned exceptionally slowly, as though they were not paper, but rather made of some tough, oily leather.

Gusts of wind swept past. The man took out another green talisman from his sleeve, bit the tip of his tongue, and smeared a little blood across it.

"Spirit Opening!"

He tossed the talisman into the air.

The green talisman immediately transformed into a streak of green light, shooting out abruptly and vanishing into the corridor.

Lin Xin had never seen this kind of formation-breaking method before. Although he too had sensed a formation inside the corridor, he had never considered using talismans to break it. He had always drawn talismanic patterns and used one formation to counter another. Yet this method of using talismans to destroy formation nodes was far more effortless, and worth learning from. Its principles were much simpler as well.

Standing to one side, he watched with great interest.

Soon, a faint humming vibration spread out.

Four layers of overlapping, translucent dark formation patterns suddenly appeared at the corridor entrance.

The man turned and smiled at Senior Sister Huo.

"I have manifested this formation. There are four layers in total; we only need to break them one by one accordingly."

"Junior Brother Luo, you are truly skilled." Senior Sister Huo smiled faintly, a trace of natural allure vaguely seeping through from beneath her veil.

"It is also thanks to Senior Sister Huo guarding this place that I can break the formation safely." The man's gaze wavered before quickly settling. After a modest remark, he turned back and continued.

He knew that Huo Yinqi of the Ten Thousand Flowers Sect possessed extraordinary strength and excellent talent, and was at precisely the age to seek a Dao Companion. She had once declared that what she valued most was neither appearance nor background and wealth, but ability—skill worthy of her admiration.

If he were fortunate enough to win the beauty's favor...

Huo Yinqi did not have an ordinary background. Not only was she the granddaughter of the Ten Thousand Flowers Sect's Grand Elder, her father was also the Heaven-Spanning Demon King of Transformation Cave. If he could become her Dao Companion, he would never need to seek resources everywhere again. He would possess the treasured arts of two great sects, able to have whatever he desired.

Ever since Luo Song had learned Huo Yinqi's name along the way, he had racked his brains to court her favor, while keeping himself in check so she would not feel that he had no limits.

This was the perfect opportunity to prove himself. He exerted every ounce of his ability, striving to leave the best possible impression in Huo Yinqi's eyes.

First, he pointed one hand at the formation patterns at the corridor entrance. Ripples immediately trembled and spread outward in circles like water ripples.

Then he took out a talisman and carefully observed the changes in the formation patterns.

Time passed second by second. Soon, nearly half an hour had gone by.

"Senior Sister, there is no need to worry. This formation only traps enemies and has no power to harm people. With so many people inside, a single Golden Python demon could not possibly defeat Junior Brother Qin and the others," he explained, afraid Huo Yinqi might grow worried and impatient.

"I understand. I am merely worried that there may be traps or other demons lying in ambush inside." Huo Yinqi spoke softly. She could not help glancing at Lin Xin beside her, only to see him leaning against the wall, actually resting with his eyes closed.

With a sharp smack, the Surname Luo Man suddenly sent out a talisman.

The first layer of formation patterns dispersed directly.

Delight flashed through his eyes as he continued to the second layer.

Huo Yinqi also relaxed slightly. At least they were no longer as helpless as before. Now that they had found a breakthrough, it should be much easier to handle.

Sure enough, before long, the second layer of formation patterns dissipated as well.

The Surname Luo Man bit the tip of his tongue again, smeared blood over a talisman, and quickly dyed the newly drawn talisman blood-red.

Then he fiercely pressed it onto the third layer of formation patterns.

The third layer of talismanic patterns that had been blocking the corridor slowly melted away.

The Surname Luo Man was overjoyed. He drew out another talisman, preparing to press forward in one burst and completely break the formation.

But the moment he took out the talisman and saw the final layer of formation patterns, his expression froze. The faint smile that had just appeared on his face instantly stiffened.

On that final layer of formation patterns was a clearly written character—or rather, a complex script formed from several characters fused together. Read separately, it was—Dustless Mountain.

"Dustless Mountain..." The Surname Luo Man's hand trembled. He had never expected that a random mission would lead him into trouble with Dustless Mountain.

Dustless Mountain was a Demon Race force. To the various sects, it was neither large nor powerful, yet it was exceptionally difficult to deal with. The Also Snake Cave Master there possessed the Snake Shedding Heaven Flipping Great Art and had escaped the pursuit of experts many times, his arrogance soaring to the heavens. He could be called a great demon of his generation.

Most importantly, this force was like a band of highwaymen in the cultivation world—and vicious bandits at that! They killed without blinking, devoured flesh and blood, and repaid even the slightest grievance.

Furthermore, they relocated swiftly and appeared and disappeared like ghosts, making them difficult to capture.

The only tolerable thing about this bandit force was that as long as outsiders did not provoke them, they would not seek trouble without cause. Thus, over time, the experts of the various sects simply stopped paying them any heed.

Yet he had not expected to encounter them here.

Twice, the Surname Luo Man tried to stick the talisman on it. It was clearly only the last layer of talismanic patterns; as long as he struck it, he could break the formation and save the people inside. Yet no matter what, he could not bring himself to act. Once this formation was broken, the other side would certainly immediately learn what had happened here and rush over at top speed.

"Junior Brother Luo? What is it?" Huo Yinqi asked from behind him.

The talisman in the man's hand rose and fell several times. In the end, he turned around and gave Huo Yinqi a bitter smile.

"Senior Sister Huo, this formation was set by Dustless Mountain..."

"Dustless Mountain..." Just as he had expected, Huo Yinqi immediately frowned. "How could such a minor mission involve Dustless Mountain?"

After pondering for a moment, she raised her head again, seeming to have made up her mind.

"So what if it is Dustless Mountain? Breaking the formation and saving them takes priority. Junior Brother Luo, please continue."

A trace of cold severity faintly entered her voice, carrying the force of a nail driven into wood.

"Senior Sister Huo... this... the aura of the person breaking the formation will be stirred up by the formation in an instant and transmitted to the person who set it..." The Surname Luo Man began to shrink back. He wanted to pursue Huo Yinqi, but not at the cost of gambling with his own safety.

"Junior Brother, are you afraid?" Huo Yinqi frowned. "Precisely because it is Dustless Mountain, we should act even faster. We do not know what they are plotting, nor do we know how those youngsters inside are faring."

"But... that is Dustless Mountain!" The Surname Luo Man ultimately cowered and did not dare act again.

"Is Dustless Mountain very formidable?" Lin Xin walked over and slowly spoke.

"The Also Snake Cave Master is a great demon of his generation, ranked thirty-fifth on the Great Demon List. His savage aura reaches the heavens—do you think he is formidable or not?" The Surname Luo Man rolled his eyes at him. He did not even know this; who knew what backwater this foolish greenhorn had crawled out of.

"The Central Prefecture is ultimately where the human race is strongest, isn't it? Can the Demon Race really be that powerful?" Lin Xin asked skeptically. "I have only recently arrived in the Central Prefecture and do not know much. Could you explain the situation with Also Snake Cave in detail?"

"Also Snake Cave has two great protectors under its command. If those two protectors came, all we could do would be flee in panic, let alone if the Cave Master came personally!" The Surname Luo Man said impatiently. "It is said that both great protectors possess strange divine abilities, capable of seizing a person's soul without form. Forget experts of the same level—even those a level stronger than them would not dare be careless."