Pure Thought Temple faced south and was a distinctive sight in the city. Its greatest features were its cheap admission and sparse visitors.
It was also a pocket of tranquility amid the bustle of the city.
The gates of Pure Thought Temple stood open. The bald young man, Venerable Dragon Subduer, stepped over the threshold and hurried inside. He passed through the corridor and the main hall, soon reaching an unremarkable building. After bowing, he said, "Master Kongchen, Fahe has returned."
Silence lingered inside for a while before a youthful, clear voice answered, "Did you find the Heavenly Dog?"
"I did."
Venerable Dragon Subduer nodded. "However, the Heavenly Dog wasn't killed. A senior captured it alive and apparently intends to keep it as a pet."
"A pet?"
The youthful, clear voice inside said, "Interesting... That Heavenly Dog is no weakling. Although it falls short of you and Yuluo, it rivals an ordinary cultivator at the Fifth Heavenly Pass. Someone actually dares to keep it as a pet? Tell me, which fellow practitioner has such unusual tastes?"
Venerable Dragon Subduer fell silent for a moment. "Master Kongchen, that senior's cultivation is unfathomable. He is a Mortal Immortal."
"A Mortal Immortal?"
Surprise entered the youthful voice, and he immediately asked, "A Banished Immortal, or one of the Reincarnated Immortals and Gods?"
"Well... I don't know either," Venerable Dragon Subduer said in confusion. "Is there a difference between a Banished Immortal and one of the Reincarnated Immortals and Gods?"
"Of course there is. A tremendous difference."
The youth inside sighed. "I have lived for over thirteen hundred years and met eight Mortal Immortals in all. But seven of them were Banished Immortals. Only one was among the Reincarnated Immortals and Gods."
"Eight Mortal Immortals?" Venerable Dragon Subduer exclaimed in shock.
Although he knew