Chapter 1934: Qingyang Temple

The Mortal Realm

As the thunder rumbled, Qin Sang cast a spell to conceal the fluctuations and, as a precaution, sealed off the entire mountain. Although the cultivators of Yan State lacked the power to snatch anything from his grasp, Qin Sang didn't want to attract too many people and cause trouble.

Inside the seal was merely a vast space, resembling an underground chamber in a Taoist temple, but it was certainly unrelated to the temple itself. Within the chamber lay an altar, which, as expected, was the main altar of the altar array. Its size confirmed this: the main altar was ten times larger than the branch altars!

"I finally found it!"

Qin Sang's eyes sparkled as he gazed at the main altar before him. The main altar's structure was consistent with the branch altars: it was divided into three levels – the upper altar was circular, the middle one octagonal, and the lower one square.

"I didn't expect the main altar to be so well-preserved!" This was what surprised Qin Sang the most. Of the numerous branch altars, most were reduced to just a few stone slabs. Yet, all three levels of this main altar were intact, likely because it had been sealed away and never disturbed.

However, the damage was still severe. The main altar was covered in intricate, crisscrossing cracks, with visible ruptures everywhere. Large sections of its edges had also collapsed. Nevertheless, the damaged main altar still possessed power, emitting dazzling thunderous light that illuminated the entire underground chamber. It was as if a sphere of lightning floated above the main altar, continuously emanating fluctuations.

Qin Sang had Taiyi and Zhuque keep activating the thunder altars for a while, and they hadn't stopped yet. Since its power remained, there was hope for its restoration!

"Now I need to figure out what these thunder altars are for."

As Qin Sang pondered, his gaze swept over the runes carved onto the altar, his brow slightly furrowed. "It doesn't look like a transmission altar..."

With a flicker of his form, Qin Sang lightly landed on the main altar, sat cross-legged, and sent a wisp of true essence slowly permeating the altar. He attempted to capture and control the fluctuations, intending to respond to the branch altars, but failed after several attempts. Qin Sang discovered that the main altar was actually very fragile; the remaining runes maintained a delicate balance. If he intervened forcefully, he might accidentally disrupt this balance, leading to the main altar's complete destruction. It seemed the main altar's condition was not as optimistic as he had imagined.

Qin Sang withdrew his true essence and did nothing, waiting quietly until the fluctuations subsided. On the other side, Taiyi and Zhuque had stopped. The thunderous light dissipated, and the main altar fell silent.

Qin Sang tried again, his true essence flowing like water through every rune and every crack of the main altar, carefully discerning its nature and comparing it with the Five Thunder Envoy Seal. Gradually, he finally began to understand.

"So that's it!"

Qin Sang finally confirmed the altar array's purpose: it was an altar specifically designed for performing spells. Within Taoist traditions, such altars weren't strictly categorized; their uses were broad, from chanting incantations and performing rituals to casting talismans. By utilizing the altar, one could not only enhance their power but also cast spells beyond their own cultivation level.

However, constructing an altar was time-consuming, labor-intensive, and very difficult. Especially an altar array of such massive scale, the spiritual materials consumed by the main altar alone would be unimaginable for ordinary people, certainly not something that could be built overnight. In a direct confrontation with an opponent, unless it was a pre-arranged duel or planned in advance, there would hardly be an opportunity to set up an altar.

There was one scenario, however: one could secretly build an altar, hidden from public view, and use the altar array to awe the surroundings. This was much simpler and more discreet than building a transmission altar. Establishing a territory and then converting it into a transmission altar to preach and spread Taoist teachings was also a method of expanding influence. It was certain that many territories of the Taoist Court were established this way.

If it was an altar for performing spells, what kind of spells were performed?

Qin Sang continued his exploration, and soon made a new discovery. He noticed an unusual spot within the altar and cautiously sent out a wisp of his divine sense to approach it.

*Gasp!*

Qin Sang abruptly retracted his divine sense, startled awake, a look of shock flashing in his eyes. In the ethereal depths, Qin Sang found a sphere of lightning floating within the altar. Something seemed to be inside the sphere, but Qin Sang couldn't 'see' it clearly. When he tried to get closer, he suddenly felt a jolt of alarm, as if the sphere was extremely dangerous, instinctively pulling his divine sense away. Although this body was a clone, it possessed the same discernment as his main body. For a moment, Qin Sang's mind felt as if it was about to be shaken; the sensation was so clear it was no illusion. An entity of the same cultivation level could not cause such a jolt. Faintly, a silhouette resembling a talisman flickered within the sphere of lightning.

"Could it be a Tier 4 Thunder Talisman?" Even the Tier 3 Thunder Talismans recorded in the Five Thunder Envoy Seal would not possess such a strong deterrent power. Qin Sang couldn't help but be astonished. Tier 4 spiritual talismans could carry Tier 4 dharma scripts, granted to Body Integration cultivators! Void Refinement cultivators didn't have the cultivation to wield Tier 4 spiritual talismans, but with the aid of the altar, it might be possible.

Reflecting on this, Qin Sang calmed his mind and carefully observed the sphere of lightning. Ultimately, he still didn't dare to approach it rashly, turning his gaze back to the main altar itself. He knew nothing about Tier 4 Thunder Talismans and couldn't identify what kind of talisman it was. If something went wrong and it destroyed the main altar, he would truly regret it. These thunder altars might have been built specifically for this talisman. Qin Sang's next task was to repair the main altar. If it was a complete Tier 4 Thunder Talisman, its value would be immeasurable. He would finally have a trump card he could genuinely use!

"I didn't expect such a great surprise on this trip down the mountain..."

Qin Sang withdrew his true essence and divine sense, then extended his divine sense out of the underground chamber, meticulously searching this mountain and the surrounding mountain ranges. Within a hundred-mile radius, there was only this main altar; no other similar underground chambers existed. Unfortunately, the chamber contained only the main altar, no ancient texts, nor any inscriptions left by the altar's master. Qin Sang still didn't know the person's Taoist name or identity.

He stood up and bowed towards the empty space, an act of homage and gratitude to the ancient predecessor.

***

At the Taoist temple on the surface, Yulang was busy. He emerged from the main hall, carrying a few pieces of rotten wood—debris from the hall that needed to be cleared out. As he passed the temple entrance, Yulang deliberately slowed his pace. Luohou was lying in the grass behind the door. Yulang only knew that Luohou was a powerful senior, far more than just a green horse as he appeared, but he didn't understand why this senior had been so sleepy throughout their journey, rarely awake.

Leaving the temple, Yulang walked through a patch of grass, threw the debris into a ditch, and looked up slightly to see a small figure on the mountaintop. Senior Sister Xiaowu. Yulang's lips moved, but he ultimately didn't call out. In his opinion, Senior Sister Xiaowu was also very strange. Initially, he thought his senior sister was just a five or six-year-old girl, and he had to call her senior sister because she had followed their master earlier than him. He also felt sorry that she couldn't see. Later, he realized how ridiculous his thoughts had been. Even Senior Luohou and the arrogant Senior Zhuque seemed a little afraid of her.

He wondered if it was an illusion, but Senior Sister Xiaowu seemed to want to talk to him, yet never knew what to say, always hesitating. Because of his cultivation, he wasn't really familiar with this senior sister and didn't know how to communicate or what to discuss with her. Their interactions remained at the level of simply calling each other "Senior Sister" and "Junior Brother." From where he stood, he could only see Senior Sister Xiaowu's side profile. She was looking down the mountain, where there was a village, and following the village road around another mountain, there was a town. Logically, the temple's location wasn't bad; it should have attracted some worshippers. He wondered why it had been abandoned.

"Senior Sister seems very lonely." For no apparent reason, this thought suddenly occurred to Yulang. He shook his head, cut a bundle of dry grass, and prepared to carry it back to the temple to repair the roof.

Entering the temple, he found Luohou had stood up. "Senior, you're awake," Yulang said, bowing respectfully. Luohou nodded, looked up towards the west, and soon heard sounds of tearing through the air, accompanied by loud shouts.

"Hurry up! You're so slow!"

*Swoosh! Swoosh!* Two streaks of light landed in the temple, revealing a disgruntled Zhuque and a helpless Taiyi.

"Where's Qin? Did he find the thunder altar?" Zhuque impatiently demanded. If Luohou's strength hadn't recovered, it definitely would have stayed behind.

"Master has found the main altar and is in seclusion," Luohou replied.

Zhuque clicked its tongue in regret. Despite its restless nature, it understood the importance of the situation and certainly couldn't disturb Qin Sang's seclusion. Its eyes darted to Yulang: "What are you doing?"

Yulang finally found a chance to bow and replied, "Master said it's time to take a break."

"In this dilapidated place?" Zhuque looked disdainful, saw the dry grass in Yulang's arms, and snorted, "Is all this trouble really necessary?" Before it even finished speaking, it was about to open its mouth to spew fire, intending to level the place and rebuild it with magic.

"Hold on, Lord Zhuque!" Taiyi hurriedly stepped forward to stop it. "When Lord Emissary travels down the mountain, he intends to actively immerse himself in the mortal world. He likely wishes to repair this temple and accept worldly offerings. Rebuilding it with magic would be too shocking and go against Lord Emissary's original intention. If we all clean it together, it won't take long."

Yulang nodded repeatedly, almost breaking out in a cold sweat because of Zhuque.

"This Zhuque is too lazy to play house with you!" Zhuque scoffed, spotted a bird's nest under the eaves, flew over, kicked out the sparrows inside, and nestled in, falling soundly asleep.

Taiyi and the others didn't expect Zhuque to help; not causing trouble was already good enough. Manually cleaning and repairing the temple was a novel experience for Luohou and Taiyi, but Yulang was accustomed to it. Living alone, patching and mending things himself was commonplace for him. He was also very skilled at chores: he could build walls, repair doors, mend roofs, and was excellent at carpentry.

While they were busy, Qin Sang's voice suddenly came from underground: "Taiyi, come in."

"Yes!" Taiyi put down his work and disappeared into the underground chamber.

Zhuque's eyelids twitched, and it rolled over.

"I'll go cut some dry grass," Luohou said, turning to leave. Soon after, he returned, carrying a large bundle of dry grass on his back.

Yulang jumped down from the roof, reached out to touch the grass, and exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "This grass is so soft! It would be a waste to use it for the roof. We could weave some futons and straw mats."

"You know how to make futons?" Luohou asked.

"Yes, I do. Before my teacher read, he liked to burn incense and meditate. The futons he sat on were woven by me," Yulang replied, his eyes dimming slightly.

"Good then, make one for me," Luohou said cheerfully, looking at his own body. "Make it a big one."

"Okay, okay!" Yulang cleaned the dry grass, carefully separated the strands, and his fingers flew as he quickly wove. Soon, he produced a large futon, big enough for Luohou to lie on.

"Good craftsmanship," Luohou said, very satisfied. "Remember to make one for your master too."

Under the diligent work of one person and one horse, the temple was quickly renovated and refreshed. Gazing at the temple, Yulang felt content. He had a great enthusiasm for repairing the temple. After all, this was his first 'home' since becoming a disciple.

"We still need windows and a screen..." Yulang mumbled, found some wood, made the frames for the windows and screen, and cut the paper to size. Just as he was about to paste it, he suddenly remembered something, hesitated for a moment, and ran out of the temple.

Xiaowu was still in the same spot. These past few days, she had been quietly gazing down the mountain, watching the sun rise and set.

"Senior Sister," Yulang called out. Xiaowu turned around.

"Senior Sister, can you paint?" Yulang asked. Xiaowu paused, "I've never painted."

Yulang quickly explained his idea and asked, "What do you think, Senior Sister?" He believed that even if his senior sister hadn't learned to paint, it certainly wouldn't be difficult for her.

"I can try." Xiaowu's figure flickered, and she appeared beside Yulang.

Yulang was secretly delighted, realizing he had actually persuaded his senior sister. He quickly returned to the temple, spread out a sheet of window paper, and took out his brush, ink, and inkstone.

"Senior Sister, just draw whatever you like, something like this..." Yulang demonstrated by painting two landscape pictures. These past few days, he had seen magnificent scenery he had never witnessed before. His brushstrokes were a bit rough, but passable. "My teacher taught me these painting techniques... Senior Sister, you try too," Yulang said, handing the brush to Xiaowu.

Xiaowu took the brush, thought for a moment, and then lightly put the brush to paper. The outlines in the painting gradually became clear, resembling a room, but with only extremely simple furnishings inside. Yulang didn't know why his senior sister was painting these things, as they didn't quite fit with his landscapes. He couldn't help but ask, "Where is this?"

"It's Master's cave abode."

Yulang was startled and turned his head to see Luohou had approached at some point. Even Zhuque had flown out of its nest, staring intently at Xiaowu's painting. When this painting was finished, a Taoist figure appeared within it, his face somewhat blurred, but everyone present knew it was Qin Sang.

After finishing this one, Xiaowu didn't stop, continuing to paint. The next painting was of a desert, followed by mountain strongholds, cities, and some very grand-looking buildings. She wasn't skilled enough yet, so her drawing was a bit stiff and laborious. Zhuque and Luohou exchanged a glance. These scenes were all from their experiences when Qin Sang led them to mete out justice, but in Xiaowu's paintings, the bloodshed was hidden, leaving only the scenery.

"Could it be that she has already suppressed her murderous nature?"

Finally, the desert painting was finished. The next picture was of a boat, with a small boy clumsily throwing a harpoon into the river—it was remarkably lifelike. Xiaowu was clearly more skilled and at ease than before. She became addicted to painting, producing one picture after another. The scenes included willow trees, old people, a woman falling into the water, crowded large multi-decked boats, various characters, a sneaking little fox, disaster victims queuing for medicine, and three busy young girls...

When Qin Sang emerged from seclusion, he saw a completely renovated temple, yet it still retained its old and rustic charm.

"Master," Yulang hurried out of the main hall.

Qin Sang nodded, his gaze lingering on the window paper for a moment. He summoned a wooden board to his hand, smoothed it with his palm, and carved three large characters:

Qingyang Temple.