Chapter 180 Temple Clearance

In many people’s minds, someone who has cultivated the Heavenly Light Force to the level of the blazing sun, merged their consciousness, and achieved spiritual travel must have a remarkable background.

Because this is not their domain, and normally the people of the New Life Path cannot even travel in spirit! Even the old man riding on the four-tusked white elephant showed surprise, staring at Qin Ming’s back again and again.

The silver-haired girl had a graceful figure, and as she walked, she created ripples of divine halos. She was watching closely, feeling quite surprised.

Many people were stunned, but after they came to their senses, they all shook their heads.

“Even if a young master were to come in person, it would most likely not work; going in like that would be tantamount to going to one’s death.”

“Yes, no one ever comes out of the temple alive!” The group of people looked serious. It was rare for an extraordinary person to break into the temple, but their fate was unlikely to be good either.

Because the owner of this place is truly terrifying. A great figure once commented that this place can be called a death trap, a temple of certain death from which there is no escape.

Qin Ming entered the temple, where the ground was covered with withered branches and fallen leaves, as if no one had been there for many years. This was not some kind of spiritually constructed, empty place.

This is a genuine ancient building complex, very old and decaying, with an overwhelming sense of antiquity and decay, yet it still stands strong. Whenever the night fog rolls in, it descends upon this place.

As Qin Ming arrived, golden light surged from the ground, filling the courtyard and even the withered leaves and the creaking windows in the night wind were tinged with the golden glow.

All around, the carvings on the courtyard walls were transparent. Were they gods or demons? They were all glowing, some flying in the sky, some descending to hell, with different expressions, some joyful, some ferocious, and all emitting a grand sound.

It was as if a large group of ghosts and gods were chanting scriptures to Qin Ming, with dense symbols blooming from the surrounding courtyard walls and flying towards him.

“Is this the local master, starting to weigh me?” Qin Ming stopped.

Then he saw that the gods and demons had increasingly vivid and lifelike expressions, as if they had all come back to life and were about to step out of the walls. The scriptures they recited also became tangible.

The symbols they spoke formed golden chains that extended from the courtyard wall, wrapping around Qin Ming. In the distance, a large group of Wu Yangjue who had followed them all stared intently at this scene.

Those who knew what was going on couldn’t help but sigh, “This is quite a high-level treatment. They’re being pulled into the God-Locking Diagram right away to discuss the Dao with them.”

Many people have heard of it; some call the wall a picture of gods discussing the Dao, while others call it a picture of demons descending upon the world.

Those locked inside the wall either succeed in their philosophical debate and eventually break free, or their main consciousness is instantly burned to ashes by the golden chains.

“Xiao Wu, the person you know is a bit reckless,” the three-eyed youth said, shaking his head.

Because he had already seen that Qin Ming was already close to the wall, and he didn’t even have the strength to struggle? The others were also surprised. Wasn’t this a young ancestor? He seemed a bit “weak”.

An old man spoke up: “The tests in this place have little to do with cultivation level. They are mostly related to talent and pioneering spirit. It depends a lot on innate ability. This place is optimistic about those who can overcome obstacles in the future.”

So what if he’s a young master? In reality, he’d probably be too old to even walk. Even if he cultivated his Heavenly Light Force to the level of a terrifying sun, he’d still have no chance here.

“Huh?!” Suddenly, people noticed something unusual. The tall, upright figure hadn’t disappeared into the wall; instead, it was slowly moving, looking at one shimmering, lifelike carving after another. The figures on the wall were dimming, retreating, and dissipating.

As Qin Ming approached, he carefully examined the drawing.

The chains in the wall did not touch him; they were blocked by the blazing light emanating from his body, and instead burned in the opposite direction, causing all the divine chains to snap.

“Why are all those carvings hidden, regardless of the Dao?” In the distance, some were surprised and many were astonished. He didn’t even enter the wall, but instead burned away the figures on those carvings? A top-tier anomalous golden-winged roc, radiating intense light, said, “If you are strong, all the strange phenomena around you will speak for you and defend the scriptures for you.”

Many people felt a chill upon seeing it; this old roc was of great importance and might very well be a real golden-winged bird in reality.

Some even speculate that it is most likely the ancient Peng bird from the Tianpeng Dojo in the Kunlun Giant City, renowned throughout the ten directions.

An old man dressed in feathered robes nodded and said, “Fellow Daoist is right. The true meaning contained in his Heavenly Light Force is probably extremely extraordinary. He has already spoken up for him and helped him expound the scriptures.”

People realized that those who ventured into the temple must have developed a special kind of “heavenly light energy,” which was beneficial for road construction. This involved testing one’s talent and aptitude.

Ming, quite extraordinary indeed. Now, I thought he was an old man whose body was mostly buried in the mountains, and he was very dignified. There was nothing new for him to show. Yet, the old man sitting on the four-tusked white elephant spoke up: “Who says he must be a young ancestor whose lifespan is exhausted? What if he is a young successor? That might be closer to the truth.”

Many people didn’t quite believe it when they heard this.

Because the path to rebirth is too age-dependent; it truly is a case of the older you get, the stronger you become. It requires time to hone your skills. How could an old man who isn’t famous possibly travel with the Heavenly Light Force? The young man with a golden horn on his head said, “Well, let’s just keep watching. As long as he’s a newcomer, the later trials will probably be very difficult for him, because this path itself has reached its end and is difficult to expand further.”

Qin Ming walked around the courtyard wall. The ghosts and gods retreated, and all the patterns disappeared. He tentatively sensed the remaining emotions in the place and heard a deafening roar.

That was the sound of the entire temple complex, all the ancient buildings connected as one, like the resounding clang of a great bell, threatening to shatter the night. Qin Ming immediately stopped, not daring to continue; the temple seemed like a massive, living thing! He entered the second courtyard, where the blue bricks were cracked, weeds grew in the gaps, and several old trees swayed in the night wind, their yellow leaves falling—a scene of utter desolation.

As he arrived, a large incense burner, almost half a person’s height, lit up, illuminating the entire courtyard. Inside the bronze incense burner, three thick incense sticks burned like torches, their smoke rising straight into the sky.

The large amount of incense ash that had accumulated in the bronze incense burner was now floating up, filling the entire courtyard, and breaking down into countless grains of ash.

“There really is an afterlife, haha! I’m reincarnated with my innate wisdom, and in this life I will become a near-immortal!” A dark figure shouted joyfully from a grain of ashes.

“Unbelievable! After dying of old age, I have come to a brand new world. I am advancing triumphantly and am about to become a god!” In another grain of ashes, an old, dark figure appeared solemn and smiled.

The young man roared.

“Thinking back to my past life, I wasted my entire existence, yet here I’ve been given a second chance. Becoming an immortal is no longer a dream!” From another grain of ashes, a seemingly crazed Qin Ming sighed. Were all these ashes filling the bronze furnace, these countless shadowy figures, the obsessions of the dead? “May the world re-emerge.”

An old man’s face appeared on a stick of incense and said, “Heaven and earth are the furnace, and all living beings are ashes. Do you think you are special? Go and walk through the furnace first. To talk about breaking through the ten realms is too grand. What do you mean by breaking through the ten realms?” Soon, Qin Ming learned that the old man’s face matched him with ten very bright and special ashes, each containing the remains of deceased living beings.

“Hmm, it’s actually an extraterrestrial demon, daring to invade our realm?!” a young man in white shouted.

Just as Qin Ming approached a grain of ash, he saw a celestial sword slashing down, tearing through the sky of the ash world.

He was startled. Could he really withstand such a sword? In a short while, he realized that his own golden glow, which illuminated everything, dispelled the sword light. The opponent’s immortal sword was not as powerful as he had imagined.

“Who am I? Where am I? I… had a long dream?” The white-robed youth opposite him had a complicated expression, as if he had just woken up from this speck of ashes.

He then said, “I am a disciple of the Pure Land School. I died in the temple, but now that I have regained consciousness, I would like to have a discussion with you.”

Soon after, the sun blazed overhead, and the intertwining and violent collision of consciousness and spiritual light caused this ash world to dissipate. The white-robed youth revealed a relieved smile, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Qin Ming, and then vanished completely.

Next, Qin Ming, this extraterrestrial demon, broke through nine realms in succession.

His expression was solemn. The people who died in the temple were all extraordinary. The ten debates, from the Pure Land to aliens, to giant beasts, to formless monsters, and strange plants, all took him a lot of effort.

He didn’t know that this was the best among the incense burners, a gifted individual specially selected for him by the owner of this place.

“So fast, he’s already passed through the second courtyard!” In the strange town, many people floated in mid-air, gazing towards the temple.

“I’m sure he’s not a newcomer. He’s probably someone from another path who has practiced the Heavenly Light Force, but that’s just an early-stage protective technique.”

Some people didn’t believe that a newcomer could so easily pass two trials. Qin Ming entered the third courtyard and saw a blue ox sitting cross-legged under a ginkgo tree.

Golden leaves fluttered down from the tree. The old ox patted the empty space in front of it and said, “Come, let’s discuss the Dao.” After Qin Ming sat down, the old ox began to moo incessantly, making it impossible for anyone to understand.

“Are you deliberately making things difficult for me?” Qin Ming looked at it.

“All things have a spirit, the Great Dao is formless. I am expounding the Dao and revealing the Dharma. Do you understand?” the old ox asked. Qin Ming gently flicked his wrist, using the power of heavenly light to construct a zither, and then began to play.

He first played a piece: Ascending the Immortal Pavilion.

Suddenly, a scene seemed to appear: climbing the tower and gazing into the distance, a vast river stretched for thousands of miles, the sunset glowed with fiery clouds, waves rolled like golden sand, and a dragon soared into the heavens. The old ox stared blankly; what kind of bird sound was that? It couldn’t understand it at all.

“Do you understand my way?” Qin Ming smiled. Then he played another piece: The Butcher’s Skill.

The music, imbued with his golden essence, painted a picture, revealing its unique celestial radiance, which the old ox saw this time. “Eyes!” It understood, stood up abruptly, moved its hooves, and revealed its massive horns.

Then it saw a knife, which resonated with the music, making a clear, ringing sound, and quickly plunged into its flesh, beginning to dismember it.

With a whoosh, Qin Ming entered the fourth courtyard… Then, unstoppable, he passed through eight levels and arrived directly at the courtyard where the most magnificent main temple was located.

People! Upon arriving here, those outside could no longer see anything; the thick fog obscured their vision. Yet, they were all awestruck; someone had actually passed through eight checkpoints and was now facing the temple. Qin Ming stood in the courtyard, gazing into the depths of the dark, enormous palace, and felt a sense of awe.

Suddenly, the ancient building began to glow and shine.

It was all because the walls of the palace were covered with inscriptions, the characters soaring like dragons and dancing like phoenixes, unrestrained and flamboyant, covering the once solemn and sacred hall.

Qin Ming immediately confirmed that this must be the scripture left by that patriarch. He felt a powerful celestial light surging there, like a vast ocean about to burst out of the temple! “That patriarch was truly audacious, actually inscribing scriptures in such a place in someone else’s most important location!” Qin Ming sighed inwardly.

“Come in,” someone inside the ancient temple said.

As Tai Ming approached, apart from the glowing characters on the walls, the rest of the area was relatively dark, and many places were covered in cobwebs and stained with blood. (Reading at Xiuting)

His expression turned grave. How could that spiderweb exist in a place like this? Soon, he seemed to see a creature as large as a mountain.

He quickly shook his head, feeling it was unreal. The creatures that once existed in the dilapidated cobwebs of the temple were actually as large as mountains? In the deepest part of the temple, it suddenly became hazy. A path appeared there, leading to the extremely distant horizon and a bright moon. A graceful figure was slowly walking towards it.

(There’s more to come!)